QuestionHi Richard,
I rented a car about a month ago and there was a crack caused by extreme heat on the windshield on the second day. The crack was about 3 inches long and you cannot feel it if you touch the windshield.
When I returned the car the people from the rental car company asked me to fill out the accident report to document what happened. Since it's caused by heat(I was in Florida), they asked me to just write down it's caused by heat and I don't have to pay anything because it's pretty common. Then I was good to go.
However about 2 weeks later I start getting calls and letters from subrogation team which approach me with the claims that I have to pay for the physical damage, loss of sale and admin fee for that rental car. I was shocked because I don't expect I have to pay anything as when I returned the car, they told me I don't have to pay.
The lady from the subrogation company said as I have signed the renter's agreement, I am liable for the damage even though it's an act of God. But I insisted not to pay because 1) if there's any charge, they should let me know when I returned the car. I did ask how much do I have to pay at that time but the people from the rental car company said i don't have to pay
2) they shouldn't come back later and now said they have to charge me
So she suggested I can write a dispute letter then she will review with her manager.
Can you provide me some insights on above issue? How can I write a good dispute letter?
Thanks!!
AnswerHi Sandy,
I can not tell you specifically how to write a letter. You should simply tell the truth. State everything in your letter that you stated in this question to me. I do not know what your rental contract states. But if it does say that you are responsible for acts of God, then you may have to pay. If you have to pay, you should only pay for the cost of the glass replacement. Not the loss of sale value or administration fees. You can negotiate with them.
I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh
