Like every savvy traveler, Kathy Mason inspected her recent rental car very carefully before driving it off the lot. The vehicle had no visible damage, and she says she returned it in the same condition just two days later. So it was a surprise when Enterprise sent her a $775 repair bill – two months after the rental was over.
But even more surprising than the repair bill was who Enterprise believed was responsible for damaging “things” inside the rental car. In an official incident report, “Mickey Mouse” is named as the alleged suspect.
So what’s really going on here?
Renting a car for a 1,600 mile, two day drive
Back in September, Mason reserved an SUV at the Tulsa, Oklahoma Airport Alamo rental location.
When she landed in Tulsa she made her way to the car rental counter. She had a hefty mileage plan ahead of her in the next 48 hours. In fact, she’d be driving most of the next two days, eventually covering over 1,600 miles. Mason filled out the paperwork and then went to the lot. Before she even turned on the SUV, she went to work.
Photographing the rental car from every angle, she was soon convinced it was in good shape.
Unfortunately, she never lifted the hood – something I’m sure most car rental customers would never think of doing. In this situation, that omission would have expensive repercussions.
Enterprise: There is $775 of damage on this rental car
Mason returned her rental car as scheduled and again took lots of photos of the vehicle. She already knew the importance of documenting the condition of a rental car before relinquishing it back to the agency. An employee also did a visual inspection of the rental car and then gave Mason the all-clear.
But in November, Mason received a startling message from Enterprise (the parent company of Alamo).
“The phone call from Enterprise told me that the local agency intended to charge me for damage under the car’s hood,” Mason explained. “I was confused. How could they charge me for car rental damage two months later?”
Unfortunately, Mason was about to get an unpleasant education in car rental damage shenanigans.
Related: Budget wants me to pay $2,324 for a rental car I drove two years ago. Help!
Enterprise: “Mickey Mouse” did “things” to the rental car
Looking through the documentation Enterprise sent, Mason thought someone might be playing a joke on her. There in a description of what was wrong with the car, a mechanic gave the official diagnosis.
“Mickey Mouse chewed up the wiring and things – both horns failed internally.”
Enterprise car rental damage report
The photos attached to the incident report showed extensive damage to what appears to be insulation under the hood of the car.
Asking Consumer Rescue for help
Reviewing the photos and damage report, Mason immediately called Enterprise to try to reason with the car rental giant. After all, she’d only had the car for two short days. That’s not nearly enough time for rodents to suddenly infest and significantly damage a vehicle in the way the photos portrayed. But she quickly realized her common sense reasoning was getting her nowhere with the agent she spoke to.
Frustrated, Mason decided to do what many car rental customers do when faced with accusations of damaging a vehicle. She chose to ignore the payment request and hope Enterprise would just let the matter drop.
This hope-for-the-best approach has nearly a zero percent chance of ending in favor of a car rental customer. What typically happens next is that the car rental company sends the bill to collections, and the customer’s credit rating takes a hit. The often unaware former customer’s name is also added to the car rental company’s Do Not Rent list.
Related: You might have been banned from a car rental company and not even know it. (My column at Fodor’s Travel)
Mason discovered all of this was in store for her about a month after the first bill from Enterprise arrived. That’s when she received a follow-up containing a warning: pay up or the debt would be forwarded to a collection company.
In a panic, Mason searched the internet to find out what to do. She soon found an article about another car rental customer hit with charges for damage he was sure he didn’t cause. I had been able to help that frazzled traveler and Mason hoped I might be able to help her too.
She filled out the Consumer Rescue help request form and then waited with her fingers crossed.
Mason didn’t have to wait long; our consumer advocacy team responds to every plea for help within 24 hours.
Mice infesting a car doesn’t happen like this
When Mason’s unusual complaint landed on my desk, it was, unfortunately, just one of many requests for help from broadsided car rental customers. (See below)
Related: Help! Hertz charged me $1,638 to fix a rental car that I never drove!
The complaints we receive come from all across the car rental industry and aren’t limited to one company. Based on our files, I can confidently say that car rental customers need to stay on their toes to protect themselves from the shenanigans we see daily.
“Enterprise intends to send this bill to collections shortly,” Mason told me. “I need your help.”
I agreed with Mason’s assessment that she shouldn’t be responsible for the damage under the hood of that rental car. She’d been in possession of that vehicle just over 48 hours. For obvious reasons, rodent infestation can’t occur while a car is actively being used.
Unfortunately, I know a thing or two about mice getting into cars and causing damage.
During the pandemic, I didn’t drive my car for two months since my office is in my house. I live on the edge of a farmer’s field and woodlands. My vehicle, parked in my driveway, became a haven for field mice, who chewed through the carpet and made little nests on the floor for their families.
Imagine my surprise when my lease ended and I needed to return my car only to find it had become a mouse refuge.
I got lucky because that was at a time when there was a minivan shortage and Toyota wanted my vehicle back. They charged me nothing for the damage, which was entirely the result of the car being unused for months during the global crisis.
So when I looked at the pictures of the damage under the hood of Mason’s rental car, I knew it could not have occurred over her two day rental. I suspected that the vehicle had been sitting somewhere in Oklahoma for some time before she took the keys.
It was time to ask Enterprise about this strange case.
Asking Enterprise to have a look at this unusual damage charge
Hi ****,
I have a strange case over here that involves an Enterprise/ Alamo customer. Kathy Mason rented a vehicle for two days — Sept. 20-22, 2024 from the Tulsa airport. She returned the car and she says there were no problems during the rental.
On Nov. 19, 2024, she received a notice from the Enterprise that she was responsible to repair “things” under the hood of the car because a technician says that during her rental “Mickey Mouse chewed up the wiring and things.” She’s being billed $775 for this damage.
Kathy is sure that no rodent got into the car during her two day rental, but she never lifted the hood to see what was going on in there. The photos sent by Enterprise show a problem with insulation under the hood, but it seems highly unlikely that this damage occurred during her rental — she drove 1,620 miles during her two-day rental. The car was not stationary for any great length of time for it to become infested with mice.
It seems more likely that something happened to this vehicle on the lot before Kathy drove the car.
Would your team be able to have a look at this case and see if there may have been a mistake somewhere along the line in charging this customer to repair that damage?
Thank you!! 😊🚗 (Michelle Couch-Friedman, travel ombudsman columnist, Consumer Rescue)
The good news: Enterprise to the rescue!..refund on the way
The team at Enterprise had a quick look at what was going on here and we soon had good news.
Hi Michelle!
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We take seriously any concerns brought to us by customers and investigate them thoroughly. We have looked into this inquiry and connected with the customer to let them know we are dropping this claim.
Customer satisfaction is our top priority. When a customer contacts us with concerns, we do everything we can to properly investigate and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Best regards,
[Enterprise spokesperson]
This news was music to Mason’s ears. She couldn’t be more relieved.
Michelle,
All “charges” are being dropped!! I am not being held responsible for the damaged wiring in the car I rented on September 20, 2024.
What can I say, but THANK YOU, for your assistance in this matter!! This whole thing caused me tremendous anxiety, and now it’s OVER!! Thank you to Consumer Rescue and to you!!
Kathy Mason (One happy Consumer Rescue “customer”)
You’re welcome, Kathy. I’m so happy we could help!
5 steps to protect yourself from random car rental damage claims
I’ve been writing about random car rental damage charges being pinned on unsuspecting travelers for years now. I thought I was providing guidance that would make it virtually impossible for a rental car company to hit our audience with these random fees…until this case.
Going forward, here are 5 steps that I recommend you take that should protect you against random car rental damage charges. This advice is for travelers hit with charges who returned the car in the same condition as they picked it up. And again, as I always say, if you actually damaged the vehicle, you need to cover the repair bill
1. Pre-rental inspection must now include under the hood
One part of a rental car that is typically completely overlooked during a pre-rental inspection is under the hood. With this case, I am now recommending that you open the hood and see what’s going under there. There is no doubt in my mind that the extensive damage to the insulation under the hood of Mason’s car was preexisting. There is no way a mouse could have set up shop and caused all that damage in just a few hours. I have no way of determining if this local branch knew what was lurking under that hood previously, but common sense tells me that massive damage didn’t occur under Mason’s watch. Had she lifted the hood before taking off with the rental car, that damage would have been impossible to miss.
So have a peek under the hood, on the roof and the undercarriage before accepting your next rental car.
2. Make sure the pre-rental vehicle report is accurate
You should be presented with a pre-rental vehicle report before you leave the car rental lot. If you aren’t, ask for one. If you are, make sure that it is accurate. I recently mediated a case in which the car rental customer had reviewed the pre-rental vehicle report and signed off on it. There was significant damage on one side of the car, but the report was inaccurate and identified the damage on the wrong side of the car. As I’m sure you can guess, when he returned the car, that damage was assigned to this bewildered customer.
Always take your time when reviewing the vehicle’s pre-existing report. If you don’t, you could be opening the door to a giant damage invoice later (P.S. that case has a happy ending and I will tell you about it in a future article.)
3. Return the rental car to an employee on time and get a receipt
Unfortunately, my case files suggest that many car rental customers don’t realize that their contract is a binding agreement. The car rental company is entrusting you with a vehicle that is worth upwards of $30,000 or more. In exchange, you agree to treat it as your own and return it on time.
If you don’t return the rental car on time, you’re exposing yourself to the possibility of a host of new charges. Remember your contract is for a specific date and time, and if you alter that in any way you’re breaching the contract and will be assigned a new rate.
But beyond that expensive development, our case files suggest that you will be targeted for a host of other charges. Unless you get a receipt for your return and verification that your contract is closed, you will continue to incur fees.
4. Make sure you’ve taken a full photo shoot of the vehicle at return
As you (hopefully) did when you picked up the rental car, it’s time for another photo shoot when you return it. All of the places you photographed on your way out, should again be snapped. Now we know that under the hood and the undercarriage are also places that need your attention.
It’s important that your photos and videos are clear and include close-ups and panned-out images that show the location. Make sure the car is in a well-lit area before you start documenting its condition.
5. Ask Consumer Rescue for help defending you
Unfortunately, we know that sometimes even the best defense and preparation in your travels can still result in an unsolvable problem. That’s why Consumer Rescue exists. Send your request for help to our consumer advocacy team and will investigate. If the facts are on your side, we’ll mediate your case and fix your problem. The assistance you’ll receive at Consumer Rescue is fast, friendly and always free of charge! (Michelle Couch-Friedman, CEO and founder of Consumer Rescue)
It’s sad they remove the charges, but say nothing of what they will do at the local level to fix the real problem, people with no common sense at the office she returned the car to!
Great job as usual Michelle!
Thanks, Dave. 🙂
Hi Michelle- Good job on the Mickey Mouse car rental case! If Ms. Mason had tested the horn before leaving the lot she would have discovered a the problem All 50 states require a working horn. Just a thought.
That’s a good point, Larry 🙂
She drove 1,620 miles in two days? That is about 800 miles a day–not what I would consider “short” days. 🙂
It is none of my business, but I am curious on why someone would fly to Tulsa and drive 1,620 miles in two days. Just looking at the map, it appears there are many other airports within 800 miles of Tulsa that possibly have gotten her closer to why she flew and allowed her more time at her destination (assuming, of course, she would want to maximize her time).
I am glad, though, that Michelle and team were able to get this charge dropped.
I didn’t ask Kathy why she drove that many miles in two days. The primary reason I checked the mileage and then included it in this report was to see how likely it would be that the car could have picked up a “hitchhiker” who might have had time to chew all that insulation. With the schedule Kathy had, I don’t see any way a mouse would have had time to do the damage shown in those photographs.
I realize that you included those details to show how unlikely Mickey or his kin could invade the car while in Kathy’s possession.
But for someone like me that likes road trips, even her trip was amazing and piqued my curiosity.
I also enjoy a good road trip! 🙂