Enterprise dings woman who rented truck on sunny day more than $5,500 for hail damage

Keli Chick never expected a one-day rental from Enterprise Rent-A-Car to turn into a year-long battle over a damage claim for more than $5,500.

Her fight with the biggest car rental company in North America began when she rented a truck in Dawson Creek, B.C., on Dec. 29, 2020 and drove it to Red Deer, Alta., the next morning — a seven-hour trip. 

The skies were blue and the sun was shining, so Chick says she was more than a little surprised when a letter from Enterprise's damage recovery department arrived six weeks later, saying she was on the hook for $5,578, due to hail damage.

"I was pretty shocked," said Chick. "I had to read it a few times just because it was so out there. I thought, 'This cannot be possible.'"

Go Public has heard from about a dozen other Enterprise customers who say they, too, were told long after their rental period was over that they were responsible for various repairs costing thousands of dollars.

A consumer advocate and lawyer, who is an expert on contract law, says car rental companies have to inform customers of damage in a timely manner — and can't just tell them they have to foot the bill for repairs.

"The onus is on the rental car company to prove their allegations," said Daniel Tsai, who teaches consumer and business law at Ryerson University in Toronto. "If they say that you've caused the damage, they actually have to provide some evidence."

Before leaving the Enterprise location, Chick and an agent completed a walk-around inspection and noted a scratch on a door and a broken tail light. The truck's roof and hood were covered in snow and ice, says Chick, but she assumed they were in good condition.

As she hit the highway the next morning, the sun melted the frozen white stuff off her rental vehicle. A photo Chick stopped to take of the horizon happened to include part of the hood and captured pock marks from what appeared to be hail. 

When she arrived in Red Deer, the agent who signed off on the truck's return told her not to worry about the obvious dents.

"He didn't add the hail damage because clearly the weather was a beautiful day and no hail damage had occurred when it was in my possession," said Chick.

It wasn't until six weeks later that Chick received the Enterprise letter, telling her she'd received "significantly discounted repair rates" and that she was responsible to pay the cost.

Chick thought she had insurance, because she'd paid with a credit card — most provide coverage. But she discovered that credit cards only cover car rentals, not trucks. On top of that, she says, filling out an insurance claim would have been fraudulent, because she wasn't responsible for the damage. 

She sent Enterprise the photo and a link to a local TV weather report that said there had been clear skies during her rental period. A meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada later confirmed that for Go Public.