Consumer complaint received 2022-12-19
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Viking Client Services (MO)

I had received a claim notification by mail from XXXX indicating that I owe {$1700.00} for vehicle damage following a rental on XX/XX/2022. I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX through their website on XX/XX/2022 with the following* : - The vehicle rental was approximately XXXX hours - The vehicle was stored private lots between use with no public access- I disputed that any damage occurred during my rental and requested more information if they still believed I was responsible, including : documentation in the form of repair estimates, timestamped photos of the damage and odometer at the time the damage was noted, a copy of their incident report, all receipts for repairs made to the car, their copies of the rental agreement, return receipt, and both damage forms [ before and after rental ]. 

[ *This is a rephrasing as a copy of my original customer care case text submission was not provided to me and after contacting their department and escalating to supervisor I'm told my support request that I typed is confidential and they will not provide me a copy ] On XX/XX/2022 I received an email response from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX " I [ customer care agent ] confirmed that there were no charge billed for damage... '' After receiving this communication I was under the impression that the claim was no longer open but later received another letter ( XXXX ) from XXXX XXXX claims department persisting with the charges. I then contacted the claim department and again expressed my doubt that any damage occurred during my rental period and requested any evidence there was to support their claim as nothing, other than a bill, had been shared to justify their actions. On the phone the agent told me another agent would send me their report as the evidence. 

On XX/XX/2022 the agent emailed me their report but I do not believe it to be sufficient evidence to charge me for damages. The same day I responded to XXXX claims requesting more information and clarification on inconsistencies in the written report which leave room for doubt. From my response : - Can you please also provide evidence from the previous vehicle check-in which shows this damaged area was not already documented? [ This information would clearly support or refute whether the damage was present before my rental. Without it the claim against me leaves room for doubt ] - The receipt indicates the vehicle being checked in at XXXX XXXX with XXXX miles. The damage report indicates the vehicle 's mileage was XXXX and there is no time-stamp to otherwise indicate when it was completed. The photo evidence provided shows the vehicle with XXXX miles and is taken in daylight, placing them at least XXXX hours after the drop-off time. The inconsistency in mileage reporting and time between vehicle drop-off and documentation provided do not provide clear evidence that anything happened during my reservation. 

While waiting for a response from XXXX claims I was contacted by XXXX 's debt collection firm without any additional information. I called the debt collection number listed to indicate that I was disputing this claim prior to being sent to collections and again expressed my concerns about their report. The debt collection agent reviewed the report while we were on the phone and surmised that the claims are legitimate without additional clarification. I contested and requested the same information I had from the claims department but the debt collection agent said that I can not get any additional information and the claim and charges are legitimate as-is. The agent kept saying she was going to mark in their system that I was not going to pay the claim and I frequently had to clarify that I was not making a statement on non-payment and I was simply looking for the clarifying information to fully justify or refute these charges. I perceived the debt collection agent as trying to coerce me into making a statement of non-payment to expedite their process although I maintained that I am investigating this and do not believe the provided evidence supports their claim. 

As mentioned, I believe that this damage either was present before my rental period or occurred after drop-off/before check-in. I've made multiple attempts to work through this with XXXX directly but have not been heard.