Stolen Enterprise rental has woman facing $47K bill

[GordonH]

Just a thought here, why would someone who gave all the information needed to rent a car than turn around and either steal it or have it stolen.

Only a complete idiot would do something like that.

[Queen K]

I was thinking that someone knew she had rented such a car, waited for her to return it KNOWING full well that she'd get dinged.

[LoneWolf_53]

Yes, but she saved $50 on insurance! Insurance gecko would be proud.

Speculating no doubt.

What good would the insurance have been when the vehicle disappeared outside her rental window?

You don't think their escape from liability would be saying that the rental and insurance ended at "X" time, and theft occurred after that? Whatever insurance Enterprise has protecting their inventory is the policy that should be covering theft of their property.

FYI based on my past experiences, the whole issue of insurance is nothing but a big scam at most of the car rental places.

To the best of my understanding being a GoldStar in the ICBC realm carries with it certain advantages insurance wise, yet the rental joints summarily dismiss that notion, and do their utmost to force their policy on you.

The $19.95 a day you see on the one entities vans is complete BS, as by the time they add everything in, it becomes far closer to $99.95 a day.

[Sn0man]

It usually goes like this:

- Would you like to purchase insurance for your vehicle?
- No thank you, I'd rather save $50 and risk losing $47,000.

That's a load of crap.

Car rental companies won't rent you a vehicle unless you either have comprehensive insurance coverage (plus collision) or you purchase their comparable insurance. Therefore, if you rent a car, you are insured for theft.

What we have here is the insurance company refusing to cover the loss because "it was not in her control".

Fair enough. That would put control back in the hands of Enterprise.

Sounds about right.

But Enterprise is claiming the renter still had control, contrary to the insurance companies stance.

It's all a bunch of horse *bleep* IMO.

[Always Sunny]

...Car rental companies won't rent you a vehicle unless you either have comprehensive insurance coverage (plus collision) or you purchase their comparable insurance. Therefore, if you rent a car, you are insured for theft...

I never purchase the rental company's insurance as the credit card I rent with has coverage on rental vehicles.

While I'm always asked if I want to purchase their insurance, more often than not, no one asks if I have my own...just whether or not I'm going to buy theirs. Doesn't seem like they're going out of their way to cove their butts.

[twobits]

Coverages don't go by hours. If you rented a vehicle on Friday 9AM, the turn in point would be Monday 9AM at which point the branch either has the car back from you or they extend your rental time. So, when you drop off the car on Sunday night and leave the keys there, technically the car is still your liability, not theirs - until 9AM on Monday. Once they process the car on Monday morning and it goes back into general pool, than the commercial fleet insurance kicks in. But when it sits there overnight, your insurance (or lack of thereof) is in effect.

When she dropped the car off, as per instructions from Enterprise for after hours returns, she was voluntarily terminating the remainder of her contract rights and returning possession to the owner. Enterprise cannot force possession onto her after the fact when they have accepted the contract termination by accepting her only means of possession and control via the car keys. That is the position her insurance company is obviously taking.

[Treblehook]

It wouldn't matter what kind of insurance coverage the woman had bought... you'd have to be delusional to think that her insurance would pay under these circumstances. They would [no doubt] refuse to pay based on the fact that they had insured the vehicle while she had it under contract; but, the minute she returned it to the rental agency, their obligation ceased to exist. That would be an easy out for them.

[goatboy]

She did have insurance:

Cockerill's insurer said the car wasn't in her control, so it shouldn't be her problem.

[goatboy]

Just tried to make a rental after hours at that location and this is what comes up:

The time you selected to return your vehicle is outside of our business hours at:

597 PORTLAND ST.
DARTMOUTH, NS B2W2M5

Here is how you can return your vehicle After Hours:

PLEASE LOCK CAR DOORS AND THEN PLACE THE KEYS IN DROP BOX LOCATED IN FRONT OF BUILDING. THE RENTER'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR VEHICLE CONDITION ENDS ONCE AN ENTERPRISE-RENT-A-CAR EMPLOYEE INSPECTS THE VEHICLE THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY.

[Ken7]

I'd suggest that once her contract expired it is no longer her concern. This won't fly in court, it might be different IF she parked it Saturday evening in front of the hotel she stayed at and it was stolen. She might have some problems then.

After she dropped the keys, its' not her car or responsibility.

[Fancy]

Enterprise says they want to work with her - best way is to reverse the bill.

[Captain Awesome]

Once they process the car on Monday morning and it goes back into general pool, than the commercial fleet insurance kicks in. But when it sits there overnight, your insurance (or lack of thereof) is in effect.

THE RENTER'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR VEHICLE CONDITION ENDS ONCE AN ENTERPRISE-RENT-A-CAR EMPLOYEE INSPECTS THE VEHICLE THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY.

Ha!

[Captain Awesome]

Speculating no doubt.

Most discussions here are :P

What good would the insurance have been when the vehicle disappeared outside her rental window?

And that's the 47,000 question - was the middle of the night outside of her rental window? No, it wasn't. Until they process the car, the contract is still in effect. I've rented vehicles on weekends plenty of time to remember that the return time for it is Monday AM - so if I choose to drop it off earlier than that - technically it's under contract and inside the rental window.

[Always Sunny]

The time you selected to return your vehicle is outside of our business hours at:

597 PORTLAND ST.
DARTMOUTH, NS B2W2M5

Here is how you can return your vehicle After Hours:

PLEASE LOCK CAR DOORS AND THEN PLACE THE KEYS IN DROP BOX LOCATED IN FRONT OF BUILDING. THE RENTER'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR VEHICLE CONDITION ENDS ONCE AN ENTERPRISE-RENT-A-CAR EMPLOYEE INSPECTS THE VEHICLE THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY.

Ha!

I've returned many, many rental cars outside of their business hours and I promise you this has never popped up.

Better late than never Enterprise.

[Fancy]

So realistically one needs to return the vehicle when an employee can guarantee the condition.