Complaint Review: Enterprise Car Rental at Newark International Airport

I file this complaint against the Enterprise car rental at newark international airport. The location of the business is:

NEWARK INTL ARPT
25 NEWARK AIRPORT BLDG 25
NEWARK, NJ 07114-3707
Tel.: (973) 792-0312

I complain about the false damage claim from the company against me.

I rent a Chevy Malibu 2010 from the above mentioned company on 5/26/2011 and returned it on 5/29/2011. When I return the car, the assistant checked the car and did NOT tell me any damage. Then, after about a week, I got a letter from their company saying that I damaged their car. Then, I get the letter about the list of their damage claims and the repairs they did. The list is ridiculous, and I will list a few of them here: Headlamp Assy, front fender, front door shell, front door bel, hazardous waste removal, etc. All these damages should be easily found when I returned the car if it was really due to me.

I then called their damage recovery unit to dispute on 6/27/2011. A lady, Karen, answered my phone. She told me that she did not see the listed damages on her documents and need to check with the people who made the list. Then, after several weeks, I got the phone call from her that they will still insist on the damage claims.

When I rent my car, I used my master card. The credit card comes with rental car insurance. I also have my AAA insurance covering the rental cars. I then contacted both my credit card company and AAA and tell them what had happened about this false claim I got from enterprise car rental. The insurance companies gave me the claim numbers. As the credit card insurance is secondary insurance, they pay the deductible of my primary auto insurance (AAA), which is 500 USD for my policy. Around 8/27/2011, I got a letter from the Credit card insurance company saying that they paid 500 USD to enterprise car rental for their part. I then informed my AAA insurance company about this. Also, I told the insurance company that I did not damage the car and this is a false claim against me. Then, AAA send a letter to enterprise car rental and denied its claim.

On 10/28/2011, I got email with a letter from Enterprise car rental that I need to pay the damage, otherwise they will send the case to a collection company. The above are what happened over the past a few months.

Here are a few evidence I have about the ridiculous nature of the false claim:

1. As I mentioned, the list of damages according to the enterprise car rental are so easy to identify when I returned the car in day time. If it is my fault, why not they inform me that time and get my signed agreement to pay for the damage? Is this the rational way to do business?

2. The claim letter I received from Enterprise car rental dated on 8/3/2011 said that the total claim due is 1029.07 USD. Then on the letter I received on 10/27/2011, it said the total due is 783.33 USD. I have no way to figure out where this new number comes from. My credit card insurance company paid 500 USD already and why there is 783.33 USD due? I cannot get any explanations about this from the letters Enterprise car rental sent me.  Though I got PhD in physics, I cannot understand the math they used.

Although the insurance may probably pay the false claimed damages eventually, I feel very upset with the enterprise car rental company. I did not damage their car at all and all the claimed damages are not due to my fault. I rent cars from enterprise car rental(not from the newark airport) as well as many other car rental companies several times before, but never get any troubles.

I already filed a BBB complaint, but did not get any feedback yet. After web search, I found another consumer complained a similar false claim from enterprise car rental at your website (www.ripoffreport.com) and got attention. So, I registered and also put my story here.

I will keep posting my story to other consumer feedback website until it is solved. I kept all the receipts and communications/letters as evidence for future steps. I hope my efforts could be helpful to other
consumers too.