*** Western Clave 2004 Fallout ****

Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.

I'm really at a loss of what to do, my insurance company will cover it minus
the $250 deductible, but I really don't want to pay a cent since I did not
damage the car. I don't understand how they could file a claim against
my credit if I am disputing their claim, and that they would have to take me
to court before that.

Where is the requirement for proof here? Do they have to prove I did it, or
do I have to prove I didn't?

I'm thinking that I could pay the claim for now, and initiate a civil case
against them, but it would be a hardship for me to prove I didn't do
anything, as I don't have any confirmation from Alamo when I dropped the car
that it was damage free. Their process, at least in Jackson Hole, is to do
that evaluation after it is dropped off and the customer is sent on their
way. They say they discovered the damage at this point, when they took the
car back for this evaluation and routine prep for the next customer. All of
their documentation is handwritten, so I don't know if they have manipulated
the documentation, of if the damage occurred in the short time between when
I dropped it off, and it was serviced (those are the only two possibilities
I have thought of). I would hope it is the latter, that it's a honest
mistake by the company, but I beginning to think otherwise as I get no where
with them. It may just be easier to pin some damage on someone from out of
town, since it would be very difficult from them to challenge the claim
remotely.

There is some other stuff that just doesn't add up either, like that they
waited almost 4 months to inform me of the damage (why wouldn't they do it
immediately?), and just as significant, that the car wasn't fixed until
September, 2 months after my rental.

Any advice would be welcome, but if nothing else, always make sure you have
some kind of coverage on your rental care (which I did but would be totally
screwed if not). Also, as a favor, next time you rent from Alamo, take
special care of that company's cars.

The only possible good to come out of this may be that if I do need to show
up for court to win this dispute, I would much rather spend my money on the
trip out there, then to give it to the low life scumbags at Alamo in Jackson
Hole. This would mean I could get some more fishing time in the area. Who
knows, maybe the case could time out for the Western Clave in 2005.

Mike

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 12:09:26 -0500, "Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote:

Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.

That blows. What kind of damage are they claiming? It would be interesting to
see if the person who rented it after you reported any damage when they picked
the car up.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com/ - photo galleries
http://www.chocphoto.com/roff

"Charlie Choc" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 12:09:26 -0500, "Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote:

Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.

That blows. What kind of damage are they claiming? It would be interesting to
see if the person who rented it after you reported any damage when they picked
the car up.
--
Charlie...


I believe I would find out if they rented the car out after you turned it in, before
they fixed the supposed damage?

If so, I'd say that they don't have a leg to stand on. Also, try to find out if they
tried to get another renter to pay for the same damages before you?

Mark

Mike Makela wrote:

I'm really at a loss of what to do, my insurance company will cover it minus
the $250 deductible, but I really don't want to pay a cent since I did not
damage the car. I don't understand how they could file a claim against
my credit if I am disputing their claim, and that they would have to take me
to court before that.

Let your insurance company handle it, but tell them that you suspect the
claim is bogus.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote in message
...
Mike Makela wrote:

I'm really at a loss of what to do, my insurance company will cover it minus the
$250 deductible, but I really don't want to pay a cent since I did not damage the
car. I don't understand how they could file a claim against my credit if I am
disputing their claim, and that they would have to take me to court before that.

Let your insurance company handle it, but tell them that you suspect the claim is
bogus.

I expect that is exactly what the rental company wants him to do, since the insurance
company will likely pay it off, disputed or not, and Mike's insurance will likely go
up as a result. I'd **** and moan for a good while first. Why give the *******s the
satisfaction,, if the car wasn't damage?

Mark --who doesn't have a money tree, presently.--

Get legal advice -- I dealt with Alamo once I was left with a very
sour impression. I wouldn't be suirprised if they've sent this claim
to a half-dozen renters to see if they can get one to pay. Also
contact a consumer protection agency.



Peter

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"Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote in message
...
Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had
while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my
dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.
-----------------
Mike, about a billion years ago, I had a similar experience on Molokai
Hawaii. If memory serves, I wound up not paying because they had an
obligation to report the damage to me in a timely manner (I think it was
that they had to note the damage upon return, but I could be wrong here).
Also, when I turned in the car, the attendant made no note of any damage
(there was none done by me, anyway). American Express helped me in
disputing the claim. Ironically, the car rental agency in question for me
was Alamo as well.

If the truck had $1,900 worth of damage it shouldn't have been rented again
until it was fixed. You should be able to get a copy of the repair order
and rental history for this vehicle. If they rented it after you and before
the repair...things should go your way for sure, I would think. They be
some attorneys here and they, of course, now all the legal ramifications for
you.

Hang in there and don't let the *******s get you down!

Chris

Guyz-N-Flyz wrote:

I expect that is exactly what the rental company wants him to do, since
the insurance company will likely pay it off, disputed or not, and
Mike's insurance will likely go up as a result.

Not necessarily. I've had three disputed claims (two auto and one
homeowner's) settled by my insurance companies, with no payment made and
no effect on my premiums. Insurance companies DO NOT LIKE to pay bogus
claims, and they have the resources, the knowledge, the experience, and
the motivation to fight them. Insurance companies may be greedy
*******s, but when it comes to bogus claims against your liability
coverage, they're YOUR greedy *******s.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote in message
...
Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had
while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my
dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.


Mike I found this: http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=5913&wrapper=

"I CAN BE CONTACTED AT . I WILL ALSO BE LOOKING INTO THE
POSSIBILITY OF A CLASS-ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST ALAMO TO PUT A HALT TO THESE DECEPTIVE
BUSINESS PRACTICES."

You may want to contact this fella, as his problems occurred in June and might have
been resolved by now.

Mark

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 14:58:08 -0500, "Guyz-N-Flyz"
wrote:


"Mike Makela" ten.tsacmoc@alekamm wrote in message
...
Almost four months after the Western Clave I recvd a call letting me know
that I owed $1900 for damages to the rental car (actually truck) I had
while
I was attending the Western Clave this past year. There was no damage to
the truck, I am sure of that, but having a tough problem disputing the
claim. Seems as though Alamo wants to "pursue the claim" despite my
dispute,
and if I don't pay they will report it to the credit agencies.


Mike I found this: http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=5913&wrapper=

"I CAN BE CONTACTED AT . I WILL ALSO BE LOOKING INTO THE
POSSIBILITY OF A CLASS-ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST ALAMO TO PUT A HALT TO THESE DECEPTIVE
BUSINESS PRACTICES."

You may want to contact this fella, as his problems occurred in June and might have
been resolved by now.

Mark

The sleazy trick they used on me was to provide us with a "free" cell
phone to report problems in high crime Florida (an appeal to
Canuckistanni apprehensions) yet when we turnd the car in, they billed
us a whack for unused air time -- no mention of that when we signed
up. These guys stink of sleaze.

Peter

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