Last year I hired a car from Enterprise Geneva Airport. 5 months after returning the car I received an email out the blue from them 'thanking me for my patience on the matter' and that I was to pay 600 CHF for an insurance claim made against the vehicle hired. News to me.

I was provided with the claimant's police form they had filled out explaining the incident and a letter from their insurer requesting money from my hire company. The incident happened in Como Italy and allegedly caused more than 800CHF in damages. Not all this could be charged to enterprise.

Now, for me, this is wrong place wrong time for my car. I think it is a fraudulent/inaccurate claim. Facebooking the name on the claim form it looks very much like a man that drove up to my window in Como to tell me he didn't like a manoeuvre I'd done.

I asked the hire company for evidence further than the story on the form, they blanked this and sent me to the insurance company who said I was getting all I was getting. I reiterated to the hire company that we don't have any proper evidence (not even receipts of repairs) they just sent me the same stuff again. After saying for the third time I'm not paying a month went by and I now have debt collectors chasing me. This was warned by the hire company but I was at a loss what to do.

Does anyone have advice as to whether I'm right to not pay as things stand and what I should do if so?

The best cheap/free legal advice I can find is here

Can't really help directly, but I had a very poor experience with them. I hired a van and returned it, everything checked out and signed off. Then I got a random letter 6 months later threatening court action if I didn't pay some random amount. It took so long to sort out with their customer service who were quite useless, apparently this has happened to many a customer with them. Hopefully you can get it all cleared up!

Twitter. Tweet at them with a summary of what seems to be an error.

By your story, it seems the scammer is the guy that drove to tell you he didn't like your driving.

The car rental company won't spend a single CHF defending you because the contract says all fines go to the driver (you). They also won't spend a single franc getting more documents. They're in the business of renting cars, not sorting out insurance claims of customers.

This lack of interest of rental car companies may be known to scammers. Did the rental car had some sticker of the company?

For my understanding, you did a maneuver in your car, which the claimant claims caused him to have an accident? No police on the scene, no pictures nothing? And he just took your license plate number and the next you knew about it is that you have to pay 600 chf?

If this is the case, I think you are correct not to pay anything without evidence. I would also send the debt collectors away unless they provide evidence.

Such a hassle when these things happen that are beyond ones control. I imagine the way things stand that any Betreibung could be contested, the only outcome being that you won't be able to rent a car with Enterprise again.