Posted on 01/02/2014 4:31:21 PM PST by rickmichaels
What started as a fun getaway weekend has turned into a financial nightmare for a Dartmouth, N.S., woman who's now facing a huge bill she can't afford to pay.
It's all over a Ford Mustang that was stolen after she returned it to an Enterprise rental lot.
Back in October, Kristen Cockerill treated herself and her partner to a Mustang convertible for a day trip to the South Shore.
“It was nice. It was a Mustang GT convertible. Yeah, I don't know Mustangs the way that other people might, but it was a nice car,” she said.
At the end of the two-day rental, Cockerill returned the car to the Enterprise rental lot on Portland Street in Dartmouth.
She dropped the car off on a Sunday. Most Enterprise locations in the Halifax region are closed on Sundays and people who need to return vehicles that day are instructed to leave the key in a secure drop box.
The next day, Enterprise called Cockerill. The company had the keys, but no Mustang.
“I was pretty panicked, wondering where this car went, and actually went in to the shop that evening after work just to speak to [the clerk] in person and kind of find out what's happening here,” she said.
Police investigated and determined the vehicle was stolen. That appeared to be the end of it until Monday when Cockerill got a bill from Enterprise for $47,000, the replacement value of the Mustang.
Cockerill's insurer said the car wasn't in her control, so it shouldn't be her problem.
Enterprise, however, said that if her insurance doesn't cover it, they'll bill the $47,000 to the credit card she used to rent the Mustang. The charge won't go through, but it could cause her serious financial problems.
CBC News contacted Enterprise, which said it is working on a response to Cockerill's concerns.
There must be more to the story. Enterprise, as is true of all businesses, have insurance. Enterprise has insurance against cars being stolen off their lot. Enterprise will file a claim with their insurance company.
And, Enterprise will work with law enforcement, review security tapes, etc. to search for clues to how the car was stolen. With luck, they may recover the stolen vehicle. Unless there is an untold story of this renter pulling a scam, there’s no way she is liable to pay for a stolen car.
Insurance wouldn’t cover it because she had turned the car in.
Rental car companies suck
Leaving a rental car in a parking lot and putting the keys in a box has always made me feel uneasy. At most lots, if they’re open, you’re supposed to leave the keys in the ignition. Nobody checks it for dents and you have to trust them that they won’t jack up the mileage.
The last car I rented from Hertz they overcharged me $25 and it took a month to get them to give me the credit. But $47,000!
Agreed.
I’m primarily concerned about charges for fuel and damages, and also mistakes in paperwork. But haven’t put much thought into the stolen vehicle.
If I ever have to drop off a rental like this I'll break out my iPhone, turn on the video camera and take a mini movie of locking the doors, checking the doors, keeping the keys in sight, do a slow walk around the car showing condition and then walking over to the drop box and put the keys in.
All she needs is the company video cam or one witness to verify she dropped the car off with the keys.Companies only do this to protect themselves just in case she really stole the car and made key copies but returned the real keys without the car.It’s common practice.
Why rent from a company that has no security for their very expensive cars? Steering clear of Enterprise from now on.
I had a 6am flight out of JFK. The rental people said, ‘Yes, you can return the car at 5am.’ Five am comes around, I show up at the return lot, and the gate is closed. So, I returned the car to the fire lane at the airport, walked in, and got my plane. Never heard back from them.
Exactly, so how is this blowing up in the news?
Unless the security cam footage doesn’t match the story told...
Good question. I suspect that the customer picked up the phone and called the media.
there seems to be more to the story; more that Enterprise or the woman have not said; someone - the woman, OR the Enterprise dealer may have been negligent; I can’t believe that Enteprise would stupidly blame the woman without grounds; if they have they really are stupid AND shameless; but if they have grounds then someone is not telling reporters everything
Rental Car Companies do indeed suck.
But I am assuming the rental car company insurance would cover the loss of a car stolen from the rental company property.
Doesn’t the story say she had the insurance? They probably self insure through the sale of the insurance and don’t want to pay for the cost.
Several months later, I get a bill in the mail informing me I owe Enterprise for a destroyed tire. They even highlighted the tire size and cost for me. I looked it up, and the tire they claimed they had to replace didn't come in the size they quoted for that year, make and model vehicle. I also argued with them that when I left, the tire was still inflated (very slow leak), in the back of the vehicle, and was examined by the check-in agent.
They didn't care and wanted to charge me. I told them that they were wrong, I could prove it (thank goodness I'd also taken a picture of the staple). They claimed the sidewall was damaged beyond repair. My photo showed otherwise. They were a real pain, but in the end, I was not charged for anything. It also helped that I no longer had the charge card account that I originally used for the rental.
long time ago, I worked at an airport rent-a-car place.
........................
part of the return lots looked like a junkyard.
busted glass, flats, scrapes-dents, flats,
swapped out wheels, missing spares, flats
dead batteries, keys lost.
.
you don’t wanna get involved.
return the vehicle to a living person,
not a key drop.
I had something similar happen in Sacramento. I parked the car on the sidewalk outside their door. AMF!
Which just may explain why she is being charged.
She should just use the Chris Kluwe defense and claim Enterprise hates gay people and they’d apologize and probably give her a free car.
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