Due to my 17 year old daughter totaling our only vehicle late January of this year, my auto insurance carrier covered a thirty day rental waiting to replace said vehicle. As we still hadn't received any settlement at the 30 day mark, we downgraded to a small compact Pontiac.
I have been off work since Dec 05 due to a disability. Fortunately, my daughter wasn't hurt too badly and the Highway Patrol ruled 100% in her favor. However, my husband, who received a "wet and reckless" ticket 3 years ago and didn't want to pay the insurance for himself (SR22), I had excluded him as a driver on my insurance.
Enterprise, upon the initial contract and subsequent contract, knowing he didn't have a license, but also being aware that he had the credit card in the family, they verbally told me I was the only authorized driver. That was fine. When it came to getting the CC, however, as he wasn't supposed to be on the contract, they placed said CC between the carbon sheets and lightly rubbed over the top of it so as to be able to read the CC numbers, however, they couldn't put it through for verification as his name would be in their data base.
Twice during the 40 days we had a rental car from Enterprise of Delano, three men in two vehicles waited for the car to come into our driveway, as my husband had made arrangements (unbeknownst to me) to pay them cash and hadn't done so. Mind you we live 8 miles out of town and our driveway is a mile long.
Both times they came all the way out to our house, my husband was driving the car by himself. He would wait until I was napping or busy on the phone, etc., and take off. Both instances, as long as my husband gave them money, the 3 men in 2 vehicles, left.
On March 19th, while I was visiting a friend in San Diego, my husband, while driving again, suffered a heart attack and was Medi-vacced to the local Trauma Center, where he lay in a coma for 6 days; stayed in Observation for another 8 and will be recovering for upwards of 12 months.
March 20th, I called the Enterprise (Delano) office to inform them of my husbands accident and let them know we believed the car to be totaled. When they asked me where the car was located, and I didn't know yet, they told me they were listing it w / the local police as a stolen vehicle. I called the Highway Patrol and eventually located the vehicle for Enterprise.
One week after my husband came home, around April 3rd, our 7th wedding anniversary, I received a formal letter from Enterprise in Fresno stating I was now the proud owner of a totaled Pontiac and owed Enterprise $17,000 dollars.
During our rental period with this office, I repeatedly told them to Please take the vehicle back as I would rather get a ride from a friend than worry about my husband driving the car. They were unconcerned, well, until the car ended up about a foot and a half shorter than it had been.
Fortunately, my husband is doing remarkably well and my daughter is graduating June 1st from High School. But honestly, if I wasn't even in the County; they knew and allowed him to drive their vehicle without a drivers license; they knew he was excluded from my insurance policy (which I refused their insurance); I honestly don't feel responsible to this company for what they condoned due to monetary greed. (my opinion)
When I told them I wasn't going to pay this bill, they sent copies of the photos of the totaled vehicle from every angle like I needed a reminder of having my husband extracted and flown by helicopter from that scene.
What should I do? I honestly can't afford to pay for this car that we can't use and don't have access to even for parts, etc. I firmly believe they allowed him to drive because he was the only male bartender in town and they frequented the establishment, probably receiving gratuitous drinks from my husband. Any suggestions?
Pamela
Wasco, California
U.S.A.
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