Billed $515 for a missing head restraint on my rental car. But is this the right vehicle?

Enterprise charges Josephine Donatelli $515 after it discovers a missing head restraint in a rental vehicle. But was it her rental vehicle?

Enterprise Rental Car in Munich has charged me for damage to the car I rented last year. But I returned the car exactly as I rented it.

Enterprise sent me a letter with a claim more than a month after I returned the car. I wasn’t expecting this email and didn’t read it. A month later, Enterprise charged my credit card $515. Not knowing what the charge was for, I called Chase to dispute it. I then reached out to Enterprise, and a representative informed me that there was a claim for my last rental.

Enterprise claims I took a head restraint and a hat shelf from the car. That's entirely untrue and must be a mistake.

The company sent photos of a car with a missing headrestraint but no identifying information like a license plate or the date that would even prove that it was the car we rented. Also, I returned the car at the end of July, and the claim is dated September, more than a month after we returned the car.

How can I defend myself against a false claim?

Josephine Donatelli, Scotch Plains, N.J.

If you removed a head restraint and hat shelf from your rental vehicle, then you should have to pay for it. But was that your rental car?

Here's the right way to handle a claim: First, Enterprise should have contacted you to let you know some items were missing from your car and allowed you to return them. If you didn't, it should have sent you a bill -- not charged your credit card. The claim should have contained pictures of the car, the license plate, and an invoice for replacing the head restraint and hat shelf.

Instead, Enterprise charged you and then sent a claim with insufficient information to substantiate the claim.

I think if you get an email from Enterprise, or any other company, you should consider reading it. You might have had time to fight this claim if you had responded to the first message.

I would like to think this was one of those "lost in translation" issues -- a big misunderstanding that was the result of translating your claim from German into English.

I think your credit card dispute might have gone your way. Enterprise charged your card without permission, and it sent you insufficient evidence. But, more importantly, the claim is implausible. What would you do with a head restraint and a hat shelf? Were you going to carry those on a plane with you and take them back to New Jersey?

I'm not taking sides here. If Enterprise could prove the items disappeared while you rented the car, then you are responsible. But based on the documentation it provided you, it couldn't.

What a strange case. You could have appealed this to one of the Enterprise executives whose contact information I publish on my customer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email might have encouraged the company to revisit your case and either furnish you with the information you needed or drop the case.

I contacted Enterprise on your behalf. A representative called you and apologized for the erroneous bill. "He said they are returning my money and should be back to my bank within three to five business days," you reported. "He told me to reach out to him when I want to rent from Enterprise again, and he will make sure I get credit for my trouble."

Enterprise returned your $515 as promised.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him on his site.

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