Enterprise Car Rentals Another customer ripped off by this dreaful company!!! Bradford West Yorkshire

I recently had occasion to rent a small Fiat van from this company. I had just sold a car and needed van purely for a couple of fishing trips and to visit a garage to purchase a new car.

I bought a car in Scunthorpe 60 miles from Bradford.

Enterprise will for an additional fee of twenty pounds allow you to return car to another depot.

I decided to avail myself of this service and phoned the Bradford branch to advise them.

I was then quoted a forty five pound charge. I of cause mentioned the day before quote of twenty pounds. The operative immediately backed down and agreed the twenty pounds. { Obviously get what you can!!! }.

I returned the van to the Scunthorpe branch. On inspection the operative advised me that there was damage to the roof. I am elderly and disabled and required assistance to look as the roof which cannot be seen from ground level.

I stressed that this damage which comprised of a small dent approx nine inches long with no paint breakage had not been caused by me.

I also commented that on my originally inspecting the van, surely a duty of care was advise the roof be inspected, and assistance offered if required. Of cause no mention of the roof on original inspection was made.

At 6.15 that day I received a call from the Bradford manager holding me responsible for the damage!!! And proceeded to extract six hundred and ninety pounds from my account, plus keeping my original deposit.

I returned to Scunthorpe the following morning {60 miles} to take photographs of the roof. The original operative was helpful in providing assistance. Perhaps rather naively he commented that this happens all the time!!!

and mentioned two vehicles returned from Grimsby where employees had missed damage to the vehicles.

On the following Monday I hand delivered a letter to the Bradford branch. This requestd the manager phone me with a view to perusing the photo's I had taken. I was advised he would be in on Tuesday and would contact me.

Thursday afternoon arrived with no call!!!  I then visited another local branch to obtain the regional directors name, address and tel.no. The young lady I spoke to was reluctant to impart this information without details. I explained my complaint. She felt that if I spoke with the area manager, this would resolve my concerns. I advised I did not want to do this as the Bradord manager and he, were probably friends. She stressed the area manager was extremely professional and almost pleaded with me to contact him.

The next day I left a message and the area manager later phoned me. I asked if he was aware of my complaint? He replied that my letter had been faxed to him. He commented that the manager was not ignoring me but was still away. Ithen asked why I had not received a courtesy call to advise me. I again stressed that the roof damage had not occured whilst the I had the van and commented that no offer to inspect the roof had been made. His reply was to liken my not inspecting the roof to not inspecting the windscreen!!!!! This comment immediately made me awarw of the intelligence level I was dealing with. Of cause he said he would investigate. I already knew the outcome of this!!!. A week later I was phoned by the Bradford manager advising that they had investigated and still held me responsible. I then wrote to the area manager and advised that a phone call to attempt to end this matter was unprofessional and that I required details of their supposed investigation in writing. I still await a reply. Yesterday I received their account. the repair cost amounting to Seven hundred and ninety pounds and 45 pence. I believe this figure to be highly inflated and intend to visit with the photographs taken several body shops to obtain quotes. I have now instructed my solicitors to commence court proceedings to recover my losses. In closing I have spent some time on the net and have discovered that a large number of hires have had the same experience as me. The company founder must be spinning in his grave!!!