Consumer Alert: No, you're not banned forever, but …

When companies suspend customer accounts, it's rarely permanent. Here's how to get reactivated.

Karen Welling admits it: She punctured the tire on her Zipcar rental.

But she also says she was fully insured and that she followed all of Zipcar's instructions for filing a claim. Even so, Zipcar suspended her account and there's no sign of it letting her rent again.

Welling's case is becoming more common. A company like Zipcar, or more frequently Airbnb or Hertz, will lock a customer out and then throw away the key. It's an absurd life sentence. But it doesn't have to be. 

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