Originally Posted by
pbjag
Well, I just finally heard back from Viking Billing Services, who provided the "proof of damage" today - 1 year and 7 weeks after the damage occurred and almost 2 months after I requested documentation and photos. The photos show a slight white scuff on the front bumper which is very difficult to see since the bumper is dirty. The scratch was probably there when i picked up the car at 11:42 p.m. after an 18 hour workday but could of course have happened while the car was parked.
Normally I would submit this to Diner's Club, but after the absurd 1 year delay between the rental date and the first contact from Viking regarding this, that will no longer be possible.
DC's primary coverage requires claims to be reported within the following timeframe:
. Claims must be reported within 30 days from the loss/accident and the following documentation must be submitted within 180 days of the loss/accident
We have company coverage for car rentals so I'll turn this over to them to sort out at this point. But ultimately they're probably going to lose a long-time Gold/5 Star customer due to the way this has been handled. I absolutely expect to have to pay for any damage done to a rental car while in my possession, but to be dunned a year later with no prior communication?
Presume that when you returned it, damage was neither noted nor cited. If that's the case, I would ask them for a complete collection of paperwork--including the location and employee who checked your car back in. What an annoyance, but hopefully they will quickly realize that they had a responsibility to point the damage out to you upon return of the vehicle (and surely, much sooner than 1 year plus...). I bet they looked to see who had CDW covered by an employer or CDP...easy mark.