Charged for damage to a rental I did not damage - Help
Sep 17, 2013, 12:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1
Charged for damage to a rental I did not damage - Help
I've read about this situation in a few threads on this site so I thought I would would start my own thread to see if anyone has advice on what to do when getting a letter from Viking Billing Service for supposedly damaging a Hertz rental car.
I rented a car from Hertz back in March from the Phoenix airport. After I drove the car off the airport grounds, I noticed a rattle that seemed to be coming from the car. I was driving city streets so it was hard to pinpoint if the noise was from the car I was driving or was a sound I was hearing from somewhere else.
I pulled over and looked for what could be making the sound. At one point I thought it was the driver's side rear view mirror. Looking under the car, I noticed there was some piece of plastic hanging down from the car. I drove the car back to the rental agency - taking city streets as I was afraid to drive on the highway. I reported the issue to a clerk at Hertz who filled out a Vehicle Incident Report in which he listed under the section entitled Driver/Customer Statement "Air Dam Came Loose." He then issued me another car.
The letter I've now received from Viking Billing Service states that the car was involved in an accident, or the vehicle was returned with damages. They are asking me to pay $173 for damage I did not inflict on the car.
I've left phone messages for the folks at Hertz - figured I would start with them instead of Viking as the letters seems sort of suspect. I have not heard back from Hertz.
Can anyone help me with ideas of how I might go about resolving this?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.
I rented a car from Hertz back in March from the Phoenix airport. After I drove the car off the airport grounds, I noticed a rattle that seemed to be coming from the car. I was driving city streets so it was hard to pinpoint if the noise was from the car I was driving or was a sound I was hearing from somewhere else.
I pulled over and looked for what could be making the sound. At one point I thought it was the driver's side rear view mirror. Looking under the car, I noticed there was some piece of plastic hanging down from the car. I drove the car back to the rental agency - taking city streets as I was afraid to drive on the highway. I reported the issue to a clerk at Hertz who filled out a Vehicle Incident Report in which he listed under the section entitled Driver/Customer Statement "Air Dam Came Loose." He then issued me another car.
The letter I've now received from Viking Billing Service states that the car was involved in an accident, or the vehicle was returned with damages. They are asking me to pay $173 for damage I did not inflict on the car.
I've left phone messages for the folks at Hertz - figured I would start with them instead of Viking as the letters seems sort of suspect. I have not heard back from Hertz.
Can anyone help me with ideas of how I might go about resolving this?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.
Sep 20, 2013, 8:57 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PBI
Programs: DL 2.8 MM/PM, AA MM/GLD, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,746
I've read about this situation in a few threads on this site so I thought I would would start my own thread to see if anyone has advice on what to do when getting a letter from Viking Billing Service for supposedly damaging a Hertz rental car.
I rented a car from Hertz back in March from the Phoenix airport. After I drove the car off the airport grounds, I noticed a rattle that seemed to be coming from the car. I was driving city streets so it was hard to pinpoint if the noise was from the car I was driving or was a sound I was hearing from somewhere else.
I pulled over and looked for what could be making the sound. At one point I thought it was the driver's side rear view mirror. Looking under the car, I noticed there was some piece of plastic hanging down from the car. I drove the car back to the rental agency - taking city streets as I was afraid to drive on the highway. I reported the issue to a clerk at Hertz who filled out a Vehicle Incident Report in which he listed under the section entitled Driver/Customer Statement "Air Dam Came Loose." He then issued me another car.
The letter I've now received from Viking Billing Service states that the car was involved in an accident, or the vehicle was returned with damages. They are asking me to pay $173 for damage I did not inflict on the car.
I've left phone messages for the folks at Hertz - figured I would start with them instead of Viking as the letters seems sort of suspect. I have not heard back from Hertz.
Can anyone help me with ideas of how I might go about resolving this?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.
I rented a car from Hertz back in March from the Phoenix airport. After I drove the car off the airport grounds, I noticed a rattle that seemed to be coming from the car. I was driving city streets so it was hard to pinpoint if the noise was from the car I was driving or was a sound I was hearing from somewhere else.
I pulled over and looked for what could be making the sound. At one point I thought it was the driver's side rear view mirror. Looking under the car, I noticed there was some piece of plastic hanging down from the car. I drove the car back to the rental agency - taking city streets as I was afraid to drive on the highway. I reported the issue to a clerk at Hertz who filled out a Vehicle Incident Report in which he listed under the section entitled Driver/Customer Statement "Air Dam Came Loose." He then issued me another car.
The letter I've now received from Viking Billing Service states that the car was involved in an accident, or the vehicle was returned with damages. They are asking me to pay $173 for damage I did not inflict on the car.
I've left phone messages for the folks at Hertz - figured I would start with them instead of Viking as the letters seems sort of suspect. I have not heard back from Hertz.
Can anyone help me with ideas of how I might go about resolving this?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions.
This is the first I've heard of any supposed damage to the car from a rental almost a year ago.
This feels like a scam to me.
Sep 22, 2013, 12:34 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, AA Platinum, National Emerald Exec Elite
Posts: 125
Not a scam, this happened to me. See my post here...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...idnt-rent.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...idnt-rent.html
Sep 24, 2013, 12:50 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PBI
Programs: DL 2.8 MM/PM, AA MM/GLD, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,746
Not a scam, this happened to me. See my post here...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...idnt-rent.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...idnt-rent.html
Nov 20, 2013, 3:29 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PBI
Programs: DL 2.8 MM/PM, AA MM/GLD, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,746
Although I can't yet offer any advice, I also just received a letter from Viking Billing Services demanding$788 for purported damages to a Hertz rental car last October 3rd. Haven't the faintest idea what they are talking about. I did rent from Hertz that day but the car was returned undamaged on the 4th....
This is the first I've heard of any supposed damage to the car from a rental almost a year ago.
This feels like a scam to me.
This is the first I've heard of any supposed damage to the car from a rental almost a year ago.
This feels like a scam to me.
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?
Nov 20, 2013, 5:37 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Programs: UA Gold, DL Plat, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Hertz PC
Posts: 543
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?
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?