Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SPANISH FORK — While driving a rental car around Italy, Denis Hawkins scratched it.
"I hit a little obstacle," he said.
Now, Hawkins strives to be a "persona onesta," so when he got back to the rental counter, he fessed up.
"I told the people this is the scratch I caused," he said. "I'm responsible for it."
The rental car company demanded Hawkins pay for the damage on the spot. So, he handed over his credit card which was charged 610 euros on the spot.
That seemed a tad steep for a little scratch to Hawkins, but he wasn't worried. When he booked the car, he paid extra for insurance. So, he filed an insurance claim.
"They specified certain things that they required," he said.
He doesn't have two of those things: a copy of the rental car company's accident report and a closed rental agreement. The rental car company has those. But now that they also have Hawkins' payment, they do not seem particularly eager to help him get those documents. He says they have ignored his calls and emails.
"I kind of threw up my hands and said, 'I need to call Gephardt,'" Hawkins said.
I reached out to the various public relations departments of every company involved on Hawkins' behalf: Priceline, with whom he booked the rental and paid for the car rental insurance; Enterprise, from where he rented the car; and Allianz, the car rental insurance provider.
And that seems to have unjammed the issue. Each company immediately responded that they were looking into Hawkins' situation.
Better yet, Enterprise discovered what happened on its end: their "partner in Italy apparently had the email incorrect," a spokesperson wrote. So now, they can send the required paperwork to Allianz.
Better still, Allianz decided to reimburse Hawkins while they waited for the paperwork, writing, "We've gone ahead and paid his claim for $646 based on the credit card statement he provided to us."
"I was frustrated in not being able to get satisfaction," Hawkins said.
He said if this happens again, next time, he'll make sure he gets copies of all the documents before he leaves the rental car agency.
This is the second time in a month I've reported on an international traveler being told by the rental car company they could not leave without paying for the damage there on the spot.
Both were Enterprise rental agencies. Enterprise told us that when you are in an accident or you cause damage to a rental car, you are responsible for it the same way you would be if it were your own car.
