Here’s a phone call you don’t want to get a month after you dropped off your complimentary rental car — “Hi, there… This is Enterprise, are you planning on returning that car?”

Our story begins when a Chicago Public School teacher brings her Subaru to the dealership to have some work done. An employee from said dealership then drops her at a nearby Enterprise Rent-A-Car with a coupon for a free rental, according to the Chicago Tribune.

When the work is finished on her car and she arrives to drop off the rental — Enterprise is closed. No problem, says the dealership, just leave the car here.

Hennessy said she drove the rental car into the service area, handed the keys to a Subaru employee, then drove home in her Legacy.

More than a month later, Enterprise called her and asked when she planned to return the rental.

Shocked, Hennessy said she had returned it to Subaru of Schaumburg May 23.

Enterprise finally found the car on July 2—at a tow lot in Rolling Meadows. The rental-car agency told her she owed it for the tow, 37 days of storage fees and more than a month of rental charges.

The grand total: $2,871.

You can probably guess how this story ends. She paid the money, then tried to get reimbursed by the dealership. That didn’t work, so she called the Chicago Tribune. Enterprise has now mysteriously agreed to refund her money, and the Subaru dealer has agreed to pay for half of the costs.

“I am very happy about the money. I deserve the money. I did nothing wrong,” the teacher said. “I’m grateful to Enterprise for apologizing and doing the right thing. I think that Subaru should do the right thing. I feel they should take responsibility.”

Complimentary’ 1-day car rental costs woman nearly $3,000 [Chicago Tribune]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.