I rented a truck from uhaul, moved, returned it same day. The employee did the walk around inspection, signed off my "no new damage sheet." I went inside, payed what I owed, and they refunded some of my deposit, and I closed out the contract. Next day, they said they missed damage previously, and reopened my contract saying I owe them 400$. New contract has incorrect date of rental information as well as no signature from me, is this legal?
It depends on the facts and circumstances of the case. The fact that they walked around the truck and signed off on it favors you. What are they claiming your damaged? I note that you did not deny you did the damage. Is this a case where they missed damages you caused or rather whether they are claiming damages you did not cause. Good luck.
I agree with Attorney Schnitzer. There may be more to this situation than is included in your summary. If you did the damage, then you are likely on the hook. If not, then you should be able to get out from under this. You may need an attorney if they decide to pursue this, however.
James Frederick
Given your very general question, my very general answer is yes, they can. The fact that the contract is closed out would not relieve you of the responsibility to pay for any damage you might have done to the vehicle. There is usually no release of liability by them to you on the close out documents.
The fact that there was a walk-around is evidence that you can use that there was no visible damage to the truck to the extent of the inspection. If the damage was something that could have been seen by the actual inspection that was performed, you have evidence (not absolute proof) that the damage happened after you returned the vehicle.
If the damage being asserted was not something obvious on your return, there is nothing preventing the company from asserting its right against you for the damage.
Good luck to you.
As the other attorneys note, it may depend on more facts. Looking at ALL documents would be helpful. Generally, I'd argue that once they signed off on it, they are SOL and you are in the clear. Without seeing the docs, there is no way to know.
