Harper Car & Truck Rental review: Wrongful & Unethical Charge/Billing 2

Summary: We rented a truck from this company for 1 day and they now are sending us letters saying we created damage in the amount of $400+. After disputing the charge in writing they have now sent this matter to a collection agency in an attempt to ruin our credit for this fabricated charge that they have no proof of. We noticed when checking out the vehicle that they made a big show of having their employee use mirrors and look all around the vehicle and notate previous damage - when we tried to participate in the process, we were told not to - that he would make all the notations and we had to sign to agree to them or we would not be able to take the truck. Also interesting was that when we noticed scratches that he was not notating, we were told those were not big enough, that was just 'normal wear & tear.'

Upon checking the vehicle back in, nothing odd was noticed until we received a phone call and subsequent letters a few days/weeks later. A very important note here also is that this truck had so much damage, dings, & dents on it when we rented it, that we even commented that it's impossible for them to try to charge people for little scratches. Yet, this supposed damage they are accusing us of, from what we can tell, is only a minor scratch and they are asking $400+ for it (saying they had an expert appraiser to calculate the value). We are sure we did not cause this damage and it is quite obvious to us that this company is only out to scam innocent renters. It is fairly obvious throughout the process that they do this consistently and already have certain standard tactics & procedures for trying to get people to pay (they have used threats such as ruining our credit, sending this to a lawyer, calling us at work, leaving voice mails without mentioning the company name, etc.).

We would like to make others aware of the practices of this company and what may happen to you if you rent from them. I'm very disappointed that someone is allowed to do business in such an unethical manner. I have heard it is common for car rental places to come up with outrageous charges when you return a car, but this is even more outrageous since it is a truck rental company that gives you trucks that are already all dented up and damaged, and then want to try to make extra money by making rediculous claims and rediculous charges for minor scratches (when they openly advertise that you can use these trucks for industrial use, off roading, hauling, etc.). I have no doubt this incorrect/outrageous damage charging is a consistent practice for their business and would highly recommend taking that into consideration if you ever are thinking of renting from them.

Hopefully our story has helped you avoid a bad company.