A Calgary based lawyer is battling a claim from National Car Rental that he rented and wrecked a vehicle he picked up from the company’s location at the Calgary International Airport.
Attorney Robert Fenton insists he has never driven a car, let alone rent a vehicle from the agency. Fenton is visually impaired and unable to obtain a driver’s license.
National Car Rental had wanted $2,500 to cover the cost of the damage to the vehicle Fenton is alleged to have rented.
Fenton believes he is the victim of identity theft. The credit card used to rent the vehicle belongs to neither Fenton nor his wife, and the driver license on file is definitely not Fenton’s as he has never had a permit.
The lawyer has made numerous calls to National Car Rental, the collection agency, and a credit bureau in the hope of clearing his name, but Fenton has been informed he will need a third party to verify his visual impairment.
“Now the question is ‘How could they use my identity without a driver’s license?’,” asks Fenton. “I guess they may have issued a driver’s license somehow so I guess I've got to check to find out what driving offences as a totally blind person I have amassed.”
Fenton’s frustration prompted him to alert CTV Calgary of his car rental fee issues.
CTV contacted National Car Rental Friday afternoon. Enterprise Holdings spokesperson Laura Bryant says the error with the fraudulent rental and the fee charged to Robert Fenton will be corrected.
In an email, Bryant states:
“We are sincerely sorry for any confusion or frustration that has resulted from this fraudulent car rental and related vehicle damage. Thank you for bringing this consumer issue to our attention – we are now working to make sure that this never happens again. We want to personally apologize to Mr. Fenton and are hopeful that we can work with him to ensure everything is back to normal as soon as possible.”
Bryant adds that the company will rectify the issue with the collection agency and will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the vehicle rental.
With files from CTV's Elissa Carpenter