Ontario man told he owes $82,000 after his rental vehicle is stolen

A man from Brampton, Ont. was told he had to pay $82,000 after his rental truck was stolen from his home in November.

"It's going to show up on my credit report. I don't know where I’m going to get that money right now," Nero Kones told CTV News Toronto.

Kones said he rents vehicles often from Enterprise and had ordered a car to rent, but when he showed up he was told there were none available and he was upgraded to a RAM pick-up truck.

“They didn’t have the standard vehicle so they gave me an upgrade to a RAM. Me as the renter, I thought nice vehicle why not?”

But within 48 hours the RAM truck was stolen from Kones' driveway. When he reported the truck stolen to Enterprise he was told the credit card he used to pay for the rental did not have insurance to cover the theft of the truck.

Kones has been told he owes Enterprise Holdings $81,748.

“Now I have to look into paying back $82,000, I can't afford to pay it at all," said Kones.

Kones isn't alone. Toronto resident Beatriz Leonardo told CTV News Toronto that her husband, who works in construction, also had his rental RAM vehicle from Enterprise stolen from his driveway in January. It was taken on the same day he rented it.

“One night. It was not even 24 hours we had the truck in the driveway,” said Leonardo.

Leonardo said her family had the proper insurance to cover the theft of the truck, but still had to pay a $500 deductible and they also had expensive tools and property stolen.

Lenardo believes rental companies need to do more to warn their customers that RAM trucks are a potential target for thieves.

“They are in the car business, this is what they do. You know there is an issue with these trucks, so why are they renting them out or at least take the time to make sure people have the proper insurance,” said Leonardo.

CTV News reached out to Enterprise and Mike Wilmering, Public Relations Manger with Enterprise Holdings, said in a statement that “it’s important to note customers are financially responsible for damage or theft that occurs during a rental transaction, just as if they owned the rental vehicle themselves."

A RAM truck that was stolen from the driveway of an Ontario man.

"Sometimes customers mistakenly believe if they didn’t personally cause the loss of the vehicle or witness any damage [for example, vehicle theft, a “hit-and-run” incident in a parking lot, flooding or hail damage] that they are not responsible," the statement reads. "This is one of the most common misconceptions about rental vehicle damage.”

“It is always helpful when a consumer knows before renting a car what coverage their own insurance provides for rental vehicles. Enterprise offers additional optional coverage products that could release the renter from financial responsibility in most cases. These optional protection packages include damage waiver, personal accident insurance/personal effects coverage and roadside protection.”

When you rent a car the safest way to make sure you're covered is to take the rental company's insurance option. If you use a credit card or your insurance there could be limitations and you should always call to check to avoid a problem.