ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

A few weeks later, I received a claim for hail damage from PurCo Fleet Services on behalf of Budget. It was asking for $2,133 to repair hail damage.

PurCo claims that there was a hailstorm in Sioux Falls while we were there. There was no storm at that time or at any other time during our trip. I have proven that there was no storm by sending PurCo weather reports, but they will not listen.

Budget and PurCo have since added other damage to the body shop report. They sent blurry photos with the damage mysteriously masked by the reflection of an overhead light in every photo. Please help us. — Candace Welch, Belfast, Maine

A: Budget should have talked to you about any potential damage when you returned the car — if, indeed, the car got pelted with hail while you had it. Waiting until weeks after you returned the car to report the damage to you makes me suspicious.

You sent documentation that showed the weather along your route was clear. Reviewing the car’s GPS records would have confirmed your story. I’m not sure why the company wouldn’t do that.

You should always take “before� and “after� photos of the inside and outside of your rental car to verify that the car wasn’t damaged. You should also ask a car rental company representative to do a quick inspection and sign off on the car when you return it. Hail damage is not difficult to spot, so if there was a problem, you could have filled out a claim form.

By the way, if you have auto or travel insurance, it would probably cover hail damage. You wouldn’t have been on the hook for $2,133.

I asked Budget about your claim. A few days later, you received a letter from the company saying that you had been added to its Do Not Rent list. That’s common when you have a billing dispute with a car rental company.

About a week later, Budget contacted you again saying it would close your claim, which means you will not have to pay the repair bill. Your name has been removed from the Do Not Rent list, as well.