Rental car monopoly

A national car-rental giant has been caught underpaying fees at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, according to an April 24 report by airport authority chief auditor Mark Burhyett.

“Enterprise Holdings, Inc. d/b/a Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent-A-Car and National Rent-A-Car, operates at San Diego International Airport under three Nonexclusive Airport Car Rental License Agreements with a five-year term from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2015,” the auditor notes. Under its contract, the company isn’t required to pay fees for renters who don’t arrive via the airport, but instead come from somewhere else nearby.

Says the report: “A ‘Non-Airport Customer’ is defined as a customer that provides the customer’s home address, which must be located within a radius of ten statute miles of the Airport; customer’s home telephone number, California driver’s license number; and, customer’s initials immediately adjacent to the following statement, ‘I certify under penalty of perjury that I did not exit the Airport via a shuttle, bus, tram, taxi, courtesy vehicle service, or other vehicle.’”

Auditors found that “of the 30 rental contracts reviewed, four customers or 13.33% did not sign the statement.” In addition, “one of 30 or 3.33% of Enterprise’s Non-Airport customers and two of 30 or 6.66% of Alamo’s Non-Airport customers did not have a California driver’s license.” Taking into account an overpayment of $7851 in July 2013, Enterprise ended up owing a total of $45,427 in delinquent fees, says the report.