Even the presence of the drop box itself implies that it is a typical way of returning a vehicle. If it was a significant risk, logically, the company wouldn't even have one.
It's not a significant risk to Enterprise - it's a significant risk to the renter, who has the option to use it or not. Hence, logically, the company is gratuitously providing a service, and the renters of the world should be happy they have the option...even if they'd be crazy to opt for it. I never would.
It's their car. Their representative is providing drop off instructions, they have a drop box, but they attempted to deny responsibility for the possible results of those features. The public backlash has pretty well demonstrated where the risk truly lies.
SirOsis, although i don't disagree with your point, let me say an opposing view.
just because something is offered does not mean that whoever's offering the service accept all liability. like NoTo says, whoever's choosing to use the service do so with the understanding that they are liable for whatever that happens.
if i play around in the city park and injure myself, i would not hold the city liable, and it's just not reasonable for me to expect that just because city provides a park doesn't mean everything that results from using it is city's responsibility.
Ah but you have a choice as to whether you will play in a park or not. If you choose not to, you will not be out of pocket anything. If the woman waits until Monday morning to return the car, she will be out of pocket another day's rental. If she returns it early, she faces the problem of possibly not being able to use the car for the purpose for which rented it in the first place.
The problem with this situation is that it places the renter in a legal limbo. Nobody is there to receive the key, yet using the company supplied alternative places the renter in a situation of assuming all the risk and having none of the control.
The handoff of the key (and hence the car) must be handled better by the company. Use cameras, hire staff to allow for longer working hours or even automate the process using a gated system that keys to a transponder in the car, perhaps. In any case, more imaginative thinking is required than has been displayed currently by all parties involved.
Expensive legal proceedings or not, I think it is worth hashing this issue out in the courts and in the classrooms. I can see Law professors going over this one quite thoroughly with their students.