Enterprise Rent-A-Car Fraudulent pre-existing damage charges and claim by Enterprise Marquette Michigan

Enterprise Episode 9-31-2013

My brother and I went to pick up a rental car while traveling to West Lafayette, IN, for a job interview.  I was renting at Enterprise Rent-A-Car at U.S. 41, Marquette, MI 49855.  Initially when I called to make my reservation I reserved a compact car, well this was not the case when I arrived to pick my car up September 26, 2013.  This particular location opens at 8am and I arrived shortly after at approximately 8:30am to pick up my rental car.  I am now told that they do not have any compact cars in there lot but they can upgrade me to a midsized car for free.  At this point I am starting to be in a hurry to leave and the person at the front desk said that they just received a Malibu shortly after they opened. 

I was taken back that they did not have the car I rented and which they said they would have for me.  He explains that it had not yet been cleaned or vacuumed, but it appeared clean enough for me.  Bill quickly ran back inside to get the paperwork and I then followed Bill around the vehicle to check for any damages.  He rapidly did his inspection and did not do a thorough job what so ever.  He did not get down on one knee to fully inspect the undercarriage of the vehicle and only briefly inspected for scratches.  It was as if he was forcing me to sign the paperwork and to quickly make me leave with this car in hopes I would not catch any damages, almost as if he knew about the current damage.  With that being said nothing was noted on paperwork in regards to any damage.  

I went to return the vehicle on Monday, September 30, 2013 at 8:05 am. Paperwork was started and he ran out to inspect vehicle.  Bill walked around and when he got to the driver’s door he dropped to one knee and inspected the undercarriage.  He then lifted his head and looked again and then dropped to 2 knees and looked again.  He quickly returned to the lobby and mentioned he had detected damage to the underside of driver’s side rocker panel.  I said I had not done any damage to the car.  We both went out and looked again and again had the same story.  He said that it looked as if I had hit a curb or something, but don’t you think that there would have been additional damage if I had.  Again, I said I did not damage this vehicle as it was parked at in a parking lot for the weekend.  

The only time the car was driven was to and from my destination and am most certain that no damage was done to the 2013 Chevy Malibu.  He said he would have to look up any previous damage reports and of course there where none.  I mentioned that Bill had at no time dropped to his knees and inspected the undercarriage of the car during the initial inspection.  He said that was procedure and couldn’t remember if he had in fact looked under the car but that is procedure.  He then asked what my deductible was, $1000 or $500 which I responded $500, and with that he said he was required to immediately take this off my credit card.  I said do not file a claim with our insurance because no damage was done while the car was in our possession.  According to him this is required and that there was nothing he could do. 

My brother who had given me a ride to return the car came in to the lobby and asked what was taking so long.  I explained about suspicious damage to the undercarriage and he even responded that car has been parked all week so how is this possible?  I took paperwork and left extremely unhappy.

I immediately phoned my insurance company, Nationwide, and explained this suspicious episode.  After I got off the phone with Nationwide my brother and I returned to Enterprise to take pictures of this so called damage I had done.  My brother and I returned to Enterprise and drove around the area but did not see the Chevy Malibu.  I entered the lobby and I asked an employee where the car was so that I can take pictures.  They replied the car had been sent out.  He seemed a little nervous.  They said that they didn’t think we needed a lift to inspect the vehicle before leaving the lot because the damage was clearly noticeable.  In the long run who are they even going to fix it or who is going to be charged next? 

The agent had submitted a claim against me for the damage I had supposedly done, and for the past month and a half now I have been fighting back and forth with “Damage Recovery Unit” arguing who is responsible for the payment of the damages. 

This smells like a scam all the way around.  This is my first time renting a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and never have been expected to drop to my knees to inspect the undercarriage prior to accepting a vehicle.  That is supposed to be Enterprise’s employee’s job to fully inspect all areas of the car before and after renting.  When did this become “standard practice?”  Enterprise clearly does not fully inspect their vehicles and obviously does not make their customers the number one priority.  If I initially received the right car which I reserved in the first place all this nonsense could have been avoided.  I now have no intention in renting another vehicle from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the future.