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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.