Complaint Review: UpNorth Motors Inc. U-Save Auto Rental Dan Cogan And Pat Walsh - Allston Massachusetts

U-Save Auto Rental of 25 Harvard Avenue charged me more than $1,300 for damage to a 2007 Toyota Corolla that apparently occurred on U-Save's own unfenced and insecure lot at 25 Harvard Ave. in Allston, MA.

I rented a 2007 Toyota Corolla at 8:02 am on Saturday, 2/2/08. I returned it the same night at approximately 11pm, following U-Save's after hours drop-off procedures. The car was in the same condition I received it in; there was no new damage anywhere on the car, including the hood or windshield.

U-Save paperwork confirms that the car was processed at 7:50am on 2/3/08. U-Save made no effort to contact me to report any damage to the vehicle on Sunday, 2/3/08. The U-Save branch at 25 Harvard Ave. has posted hours of 7am to 5pm on Sundays, and employees confirmed that it was open during those hours on Sunday 2/3/08. U-Save had several ways to contact me, including by phone and email.

On the morning of Monday 2/4/08 (approximately 36 hours after I returned the vehicle and 24 hours after my contract/liability expired), I received the first contact from U-Save related to the claim that the vehicle had been damaged. The caller specified that the car's windshield and hood had been smashed in and claimed that the damage happened while I was financially responsible (between 11pm on 2/2/08 and 7:50am on 2/3/08).

I immediately went to the office at 25 Harvard Ave. to verify the damage. Neither of the employees I spoke with had been in the office on 2/3/08, when U-Save claims the damage was discovered. When I asked to speak with the employees that allegedly discovered the damage, I was told that those employees "don't have phones, and they're not scheduled until Wednesday." This was followed by the oblique threat that "the charges are going to be steeper if you don't cooperate." I asked why I was not notified immediately when the damage was discovered. U-Save's response was that "mistakes happen."

The "Addendum to Rental Agreement" that I signed states that:

"The renter hereby agrees that they are financially responsible for the rental vehicle until U-Save personnel physically check in the vehicle during its normal business hours."

I dispute U-Save's claim that the damage occurred before 7:50am on Sunday, 2/3/08, while I was financially responsible.

If the damage existed when U-Save physically checked in the vehicle at 7:50am on Sunday, 2/3/08, U-Save had a responsibility to inform me immediately. Their further evasion of my questions when I arrived at their office and failure to make accessible to me the employees they claim discovered the damage undermine their claim.

For almost 2 months after the incident, U-Save management (Dan Cogan and Pat Walsh) evaded my basic questions about why I wasn't notified promptly and what proof they had that the damage occurred when they claim it did. It took sending an MA-93A legal letter for them to grant me the courtesy of a straight answer, which was still unsatisfactory.

Stay away. I rented from them happily for 2 years, but they have swiftly offset whatever savings I had accrued from doing business with them (which, trust me, is the only reason to do business with them) by charging me an exorbitant amount for minor damage that occurred on their own lot.

K.

Brookline, Massachusetts

U.S.A.