Rental Car dispute with my file being sent to Collection Agency?

Question

I rent a car with Enterprise on an almost weekly basis and have never been asked if I wanted insurance, they only presumed that I was covered elsewhere, but I wasn't unfortunately.

Then I had an accident and I called the guy I deal with regularly and the first thing he said to me was "I can't get a f#$n break!" And then went ahead and told me to call my credit card company for coverage and I said that I thought I was covered with you, but I wasn't because he presumed that my card covered me.
They even made an accident report without me to top that off.
I spoke to the Manager but he didn't seem like he wanted to help me so we ended our conversation.
After that, they sent me a letter asking me to pay.
I've written a letter to the District Manager but to no avail.
If they sent my file to collection agency while I am still disputing the case, how can that affect my credit rating and how can I avoid it?

Answer 1

Well, ERAC provides optional accident coverage. You can either pay an 11-odd dollar fee and be done with it, OR you can deal with your own insurance company and have to pay a bunch of money in the event of an accident.
As a licensed driver, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are insured. Period. It doesn't matter if you rent a car, own a car or borrow a car from a friend. You need insurance from somewhere. In this case, you should have asked Enterprise.
Unfortunately, you are responsible for the damage and the money owed.
If it goes to collections, it will appear on your report until it is paid. There is nothing you can do to avoid it unless you pay it before Enterprise turns it over.
Good luck!

Answer 2

You have no choice but to pay it, or suffer with it on your credit report, to which would affect anything that you would try to buy/finance in the future.

You signed the agreement stating that you would liable for loss, and you waived insurance stating that you had other insurance on your own that would cover any damages/losses.

There is no way around it, you can't avoid it. Either pay it or be stuck with a huge negative on your credit report.

Answer 3

You signed the rental agreement without purchasing insurance or verifying that you had other coverage. You have only yourself to blame.

The only way to clear this up is to pay the bill. Sorry, but this is your own doing and now you have to deal with the consequences.

You can "dispute" it until hell freezes over, but it won't change the facts.

Answer 4

You signed the agreement and are liable for the loss. But the rental company should have never let you have a car until they verified that you had insurance, so there is fault on their part as well.

I would consult your lawyer on this.