Enterprise car rental customers claim they were unfairly charged for hail damage
Multiple people who rented cars from Colorado Enterprise locations this summer, specifically in Loveland and Greeley, are alleging they were unfairly charged for hail damage that they say they didn't put on the car. Now they're warning everyone to take pictures before leaving the lot with your rental car.
"I'm not going to pay for a mistake that somebody else didn't catch," said Daniel Norvell.
The Greeley resident was the first to tell CBS News Colorado he was charged for hail damage he says he didn't cause. Norvell rented the car from Enterprise in Greeley for a family road trip in July.
After that story ran, multiple people reached out to CBS News Colorado saying the same thing happened to them
"My mother-in-law texted me like 'You need to put on Channel 4 right now!'" fellow Greely resident Daniela Reyes said.
"If I see that online that somebody else is having the same thing happen, exact same store that I was in, that's a little suspicious to me," said Shawn Robison.
Robison also rented a car from the Greeley Enterprise, in August after totaling his car. He says he never left the state and also never encountered hail. But when he returned the vehicle, he says Enterprise pointed out hail damage.
"I'm like 'There's no hail, there was no hail where I live or work.' 'Well it happened overnight you got hail damage you got to pay for it,'" Robison said of the interaction at Enterprise.
Daniela Reyes says she had a similar experience at the Loveland Enterprise last month.
"She's like 'Hold on! There's some dents on the hood of the car and the top of the car.' And my husband goes 'From where? We didn't hit anything the weather was beautiful,'" Reyes said.
Reyes, Robison, and Norvell said they didn't take photos of the car at pickup, but were all told Enterprise had. However, none of the three say they were ever shown those photos by Enterprise.
Enterprise told CBS News Colorado in a statement, "Each customer scenario is different and undergoes a rigorous investigation to best determine the facts surrounding a claim. We work directly with each customer when a concern is brought to our attention to clear up any miscommunication and try to reach an amiable resolution for all involved."
They also said it's a common misconception that customers aren't responsible for damage they may not have caused or witnessed.
All three customers CBS News Colorado spoke with said they provided weather reports that did not reflect hail but were told they'd still be charged.
"I said I refuse this, there's nothing I did wrong," Robison said.
"Nothing happened. You guys are blaming an innocent family just so you guys could get your van fixed on our dime!" said Reyes.
However, days after our story ran, Norvell says Enterprise called saying his money had been refunded.
And two days after we asked Enterprise about Reyes' claim, she said her money was also refunded.
"Yesterday morning we saw in an email that they said 'Don't worry about it, we'll take care of it,'" Reyes said.
Full statement from Enterprise:
"There has been an extraordinary volume of storm/hail activity throughout the state of Colorado this summer. As a result, many vehicles become damaged. Each customer scenario is different and undergoes a rigorous investigation to best determine the facts surrounding a claim. We work directly with each customer when a concern is brought to our attention to clear up any miscommunication and try to reach an amiable resolution for all involved.
"More broadly, sometimes customers mistakenly believe if they didn't personally cause or witness any damage – for example, a "hit-and-run" incident in a parking lot, flooding or hail damage – that they are not responsible. This is one of the most common misconceptions about rental vehicle damage. In fact, customers are financially responsible for damage or theft that occurs during a rental transaction, regardless of fault or negligence – just as if they owned the rental vehicle themselves. This is stated in our rental contract.
"However, I can tell you if at any time a customer is concerned with a claim, he or she should immediately contact us. We will do everything we can to properly investigate and resolve the claim as quickly as possible. When there is a hailstorm, our team researches hail and weather reports, the time frame the customer had the vehicle and where they traveled to verify whether or not we will move forward with a hail claim. We review the accuracy of this through posted third-party documentation on weather reports to verify when and where there was adverse weather during a customer's rental period.
"Enterprise does also offer additional optional protection products that could release the renter from liability in most cases."
