Have you ever had one of those days when once something gets inside your head and you can't shake it loose? Why am I asking you that question? Of course, you have. I can't be the only person that can let unwanted information ruin a perfectly good day.
At 11:13 yesterday morning, I received a text message that came out of the blue. It stated: "Hello, this message is for Donald Forrester. My name is Deborah and I'm calling with a damage recovery unit with _________ (name of a car rental agency). Can you please contact me? A telephone number and the reference claim number were included.
What was Deborah talking about? When we flew to Omaha, NE week-before-last, we had a relatively new rental car in our possession for a week. While in South Dakota, I probably didn't put 20 miles on the car. Of course, the road trip from Omaha to Chamberlain SD that took us into four different states proved to be about eight-to-nine hours long, but I was building a memory I'd never forget. In addition, the drive back to Omaha was five hours.
When I parked at the conference and resort center, I parked where the possibility of a door ding wasn't likely. The Nissan Altima was in perfect shape when we picked it up and it was in the same kind of shape when it was returned.
I called Deborah immediately! I wasn't eager to do business with a damage recovery unit, but the die was cast. I wanted these people off my back. Of course, I know how those "he said/she said" kinds of things can go. I didn't need that kind of stress in my life!
You know what's coming next. I never actually got to talk with Deborah. My telephone call to her went to voice mail. A short time later, I received an email. It included a letter dated 10/03/2023. The letter stated: "As of the above date, we have not received a response from you regarding our claim as documented in our previous correspondence.
As a side note, I did not receive any previous correspondence. The letter went on to state: "If you have reported a claim to your insurance company, please contact us immediately with pertinent claim information. If you do not have insurance or wish to pay this claim yourself, you need to remit payment within the next ten days.
This correspondence showed the date of loss as 4/23/2023. The damage was assessed at $4,233.16. It included the VIN number of the vehicle, year, make and model that was damaged.
The car was a Volkswagon Taos. I immediately looked up a Volkswagen Taos on Google. I had never driven one. The car rental agency had made a mistake.
It took me a while to connect the dots inside my head. The memory of the 2023 Volkswagen Taos and the events that surrounded it, eventually surfaced inside my head. I had flown to Orlando, FL on a Sunday. I arrived at the airport two hours before I wanted to pick up the rental car. I am frugal when I travel, and I only wanted to pay for a one-day rental. I worked on my blog for the following day while I waited until the correct time.
I vividly recalled the Volkswagen. The one assigned to me was black. I walked around the vehicle to look for dings or dents before I put my things inside the vehicle. When I walked to the passenger's side of the vehicle, it looked as though the vehicle had been side swiped. There was damage to both doors. There was no way I was driving that vehicle off the lot.
I marched back inside the building and requested a different vehicle. When I described the damage to the desk attendant, she said I want to see. She left her station and walked with me to look at the car. When she saw the damage, she said this car should never have been put back into the lineup.
I don't recall what make of vehicle I was subsequently assigned, but I did not leave the airport in a wrecked Volkswagen. I provided this written information to Deborah in an email.
I subsequently received this notification for the car rental agency: "I will place the claim under investigation/dispute on your behalf. You will be contacted within two weeks for decision on the claim.
I can assure you that Donald Forrester is not paying the car rental agency $4,233.16 for damages to a car I never drove. Interestingly, damage to the car was only $2,600. The additional amount was for the rental car company's efforts to process the claim.
With that being said, I believe right will prevail and the car rental company will find information that substantiates my story.
All My Best!
Don
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