An international car rental company says it wants to work with a Dartmouth, N.S., woman who's on the hook for $47,000 to replace a stolen Mustang convertible.

"We are continuing to review the case," Enterprise spokesman Ned Maniscalco wrote CBC in an email.

"It is our intention to work with the customer and her insurance company to achieve a fair and reasonable outcome."

Kristen Cockerill rented the Mustang GT convertible from Enterprise Rent-a-Car in October. At the end of the two-day term, Cockerill returned the car to the Enterprise rental lot on Portland Street in Dartmouth.

She dropped the car off on a Sunday. Most Enterprise locations in the Halifax region are closed on Sundays and people who need to return vehicles that day are instructed to leave the key in a secure drop box.

When Enterprise employees arrived at work the next day, they found the keys, but no Mustang.

Police determined it was stolen.

In response to Cockerill's situation, Maniscalco wrote CBC, saying: "Keep in mind that a sign prominently displayed on the key drop-box reminds customers that the vehicle remains their responsibility until it can be checked in by an employee."

“I was pretty panicked, wondering where this car went, and actually went in to the shop that evening after work just to speak to [the manager] in person and kind of find out what's happening here,” Cockerill said.

After police contacted her in October, Cockerill didn't hear anything more until Enterprise sent her a bill last Monday for the replacement cost of the car.

"Sometimes customers mistakenly believe if they didn’t personally cause or witness any damage that they are not responsible," Maniscalco wrote.

"This is one of the most common misconceptions," he said. "In fact, customers are financially responsible for any damage or theft that occurs during a rental transaction, regardless of fault or negligence — just as if they owned the rental vehicle themselves."

Cockerill's insurer said the car wasn't in her control, so it shouldn't be her problem.