Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented from this company on 04/03/2023 and was told by ***** ******* that I would only have to pay $2500 a month with a refundable security deposit of $1,000 based off mileage which I told them that I was going to run 2500 miles. I received a contract that stated they charged me $1,400 and an additional $625 for mileage because I stated I would run 2500. altogether I paid. $3,232.56 including the $1,000 refundable security deposit. Also I was told when I went to pick up the truck that any additional miles I run, I would pay at the end of the month once contract is up. I got a call in a week from **** saying I owe more due to a mistake he made when charging me. He said I owed an environmental fee of $1,100 more dollars, but on the contract it stated that they already charged me an environmental fee of $40.50. I asked ***** to explain to me what I owed an extra $1,100 for. He had nasty attitude & said you owe 1,100, either pay it or bring the truck back. I asked to speak to the owner of the company & ******* apologized on ****** behalf and asked me for ****** mess up, what do I want to do? I said being he messed up and under charged me, I’m willing to pay the $1,100 but do not harass me and give me a nasty attitude. ******* agreed and I asked him to give me time because of ****** mess up, I needed time to pay because I had to come up with the money. On April 26,2023, I paid $1,000 to the company. On 4/27/23 I heard an engine revving outside of my home and someone pulling off in the truck real fast. He hit my trees and the tree hit my home. I jumped in my car with my boyfriend and we sped to them because we had $5,000 worth of belongings and equipment in the truck. As we pulled up to let the guy know our belongings were in the truck, he ran into the back of my car. So he hit my home and ran into the back of my car and took a truck and I haven’t fulfilled my contract which the truck was due on May 1, 2023 and they came and took the truck on April 27, 2023.

  

  Business response

  05/03/2023

  While the early termination of **** ******* contract is correct, many of the claims in her complaint are either out of context or inaccurate. Below is a detailed timeline of events that should add clarity to the situation:
  
  4/03 - ***** picks up a 26’ box truck in Houston at the end of the day. The rate that was agreed upon both verbally and in writing prior to her coming in was $2,400 a month and $0.25 a mile. The terms to rent were a full up-front payment for the vehicle plus mileage, as well as a $1,000 security deposit. **** made a mistake on the day she picked up and accidentally changed the rate from $2,400 to $1,400 in the rental software. **** realized the mistake shortly after ***** left; and reached out to her the following morning.
  
  4/04 - **** calls ***** in the morning to apologize for the pricing error and let her know we did not run the card for the full amount. **** lets ***** know the error was 100% his fault and apologized again for any confusion it caused but did let her know we will need to run the additional payment when she was able to. ***** says she did not have the money on the card right at that moment, but verbally committed to call back the next day (4/05) with the additional payment.
  
  4/05 - 4/19 - No correspondence.
  
  4/19 - **** calls ***** to follow up on the $1,100 payment ($1,000 rate charge plus state tax and environmental fee). ***** says she is still not able to pay. **** again apologizes for his initial mistake but informs her that we need the $1,100 to be paid soon to keep her in the truck.
  
  4/19 - Shortly after the initial phone call, **** checks the tracker in the vehicle and notices ***** is in Maryland and on pace to go 9,500 miles. When the vehicle was picked up, ***** claimed she would be staying local and estimated 2,500 miles for the month. With the severe overage in miles, ***** went from owing $1,100 to owing $3,100.38.
  
  
  4/19 - **** calls ***** back to inform her of the mileage overage. He lets her know that as a store policy and also what was explained to her when she picked up, we collect mileage up front, not at the end of the month. **** sympathized that it can be hard to get an exact mileage estimate, and slight variances are completely understandable, but when it is off by an extreme margin (7,000 miles which is a 280% increase), that is when we need to get caught up on payment ASAP. ***** tried to argue that this is not what she was told up front, however, it was explained in detail by **** over the phone and in writing via an email chain. **** broke down everything that was included in the $3,100 she owed. This included the rate charge, mileage fee, state tax, and environmental fee - which was only $35 of the of the $3,100, not $1,100 like she alleged in her complaint. ***** argued every one of the charges, and after going back and forth for roughly 15 minutes, ***** said she was just going to bring the truck back and threatened to sue our company. **** let ***** know that she was more than welcome to bring the truck back, and that this was actually preferred if she was not planning to pay and was threatening litigation.
  
  
  4/20 - ***** calls in and talks to *******. She says she wants to stay in the truck but is still arguing the charges for what she owes. ******* breaks it down for her and emails her a spreadsheet detailing everything she owes. They end the call by setting up a payment plan. She agreed to call in the following morning to pay the initial $1,100 and said she would pay the remaining $2,100 the following week.
  
  4/21 - ***** does not call in the morning. ******* and **** both attempt to reach ***** multiple times throughout the day, leaving messages each time with no answer.
  
  
  4/22-4/23 - Still no response from *****.
  
  4/24 - **** is finally able to reach ***** after multiple phone call attempts. ***** says her bank did not clear the funds. **** lets her know that the lack of communication and ignored phone calls were a bigger issue than her having trouble with her bank. He also outlined that we are a lot more willing to be flexible when there is an open line of communication. ***** is frustrated and starts raising her voice on the phone call at this point, making vulgar/inflammatory remarks and threatens to sue City Rent a Truck for the second time. **** responds by informing her we are now 19 days (about 2 and a half weeks) past when she initially committed to catch up on payment, and we at minimum need $1,100 of the $3,100 owed by the following day, or she would have to return the truck. ***** hangs up on ****.
  
  
  4/25 ***** calls in and finally pays some of the total she owes. ($1000 was taken on this day.) **** thanked her for calling back to pay some of the balance but did inform her that there were only 6 days left on her current contract and we still needed to collect $2,100 before the end of that period. Before the phone call ended ***** said that she would pay but wanted to speak to ******* again. We agreed we would all conference call the following morning to discuss some type of payment plan to get her caught up quickly.
  
  4/26 - ******* and **** reach out to ***** repeatedly to try to set up a payment plan. ***** does not respond to any of the phone calls or messages. ***** is warned again that we need her to at least call us by the end of the day to stay in the truck.
  
  
  4/27 - After one final failed attempt to reach *****, the decision was made to collect the asset due to delinquent payment and the appearance of severed communication. When the truck was retrieved, ******* boyfriend chased the City Rent a Truck driver down in a personal vehicle, cut in front of him and slammed on the brakes. City Rent a Truck’s driver tried to stop but the distance was too short, especially for a 26’ box truck, and he rear ended the car. Luckily, nobody was hurt and there was only minor damage to both vehicles. A police report was filed. All belongings in the truck were returned to *****, and City Rent a Truck has written off the remaining balance she owed on her contract. The allegation that her house was damaged when the truck was retrieved has been vehemently contested by both City Rent a Truck employees involved in the incident. [JM1] 
  
  5/3 - ***** charged her credit card back for $1,000.
  
  Do we just want to mention that we did not hit the house and not go into so much detail? I don't think we should say we are willing to pay for anything.  [JM1]

  Customer response

  05/11/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Many of the claims that ******* is making are definitely out of context and inaccurate. 
  

  4/03- On 4/03, I picked up the 2023 Peterbilt 26’ Foot Box truck. The facility was getting renovated and brand new so I verbally communicated everything on the phone with **** ******* because he explained to me that everything wasn’t set up properly at the Houston location. So therefore, I had to communicate with him in Kansas. He explained to me verbally that the truck was 0.25 cents a mile. There was a refundable deposit of $1,000 once truck is returned back. The monthly rate is $2500 a month as well. In total I paid $3,323.56. When I arrived to the Houston location, I saw a guy by the name of Steve pull the truck around and get out. He walked to the office while I was on the phone with my bank adding extra funds to cover the costs for the month. I walked in signed paperwork, he took a copy of my id, and I asked him if I were to go over the mileage how does that work, he said the money would be accepted at the end of the month if I do. He took my payment, I signed contracts, and he showed me how the truck works and took a video of the truck. 
  

  4/04- **** calls me and says he makes a mistake and undercharges me. I ask him to explain how. He says they are not making any money and that I owe. $1,100 more. He says it’s an environmental fee charge and that he was supposed to charge me $3,323.56 with a $1,000.00 refundable deposit. So all together $4,323.56. I questioned why and explain to **** I can pay, but I don’t understand why I owe that and he says he will give me time. I look over my contract and I see vividly that there is an environmental fee charge included and I was charged $40.50 so I wondered how I would owe $1,100 and the contract states I already paid an environmental fee. 
  

  4/19- **** calls me and asks if I have the payment. I explain to him that when you’re running a trucking business, I already calculated all of my expenses when I paid you all the $3,323.56 including the refundable deposit. I included all of my expenses for the month because I am a CPA and as of now I am completely broke. I have my own trucking authority, but it is new and brokers don’t give you loads based off a new authority so it’s hard to find local work. It requires me to have to go otr (on the road). I said I’m trying to get a load to pay you all. **** says Hope you need to pay. Time is ticking and you need to pay the $1,100 soon to be able to keep the truck. I am paying for my commercial insurance which is $1,300 a month, diesel, hotels, food, and 0.25 cents a mile. **** speaks to me inconsiderable and nonchalant about how they need the payment off of a mistake he made. As a company, if an employee miscalculates and not charge you correctly, the fee should be waived due to an employee mistake. He consistently says how I need to pay or I will have to return the truck. 
  

  4/19- In regards to me being in Maryland. Again I am a new authority and brokers do not pay to stay local. I was unaware of that news just like I was unaware that I had to pay $1,100 more. I was basically scrambling for money to keep the truck moving and to keep making payments to City Rent A Truck. I made no money the whole entire time I had the truck. Also before I left the Houston facility receiving the truck, I was told that whatever mileage I went over I can pay when I return the truck. My plans were to pay and rent again the next month as well. When **** called me, he had a very nasty attitude and said do you understand you’re in a $100,000 truck. He consistently called me to harass me of the owed payment. He had a very nasty attitude and argued with me like I wasn’t a customer and treated me with disrespect. He threatened to take the truck if I didn’t pay. I never said I would sue the company at all. I was trying to explain to him based off his mistake, it is causing me to have to accept loads that I would be driving illegally and not staying complaint under the DOT compliance as a trucker. He rudely cuts me off and goes into rage so I just hung up the phone. 
  

  4/20- I researched the company and found that ******* was the owner and I wanted to speak with him. I explained to him every detail that happened and how **** was very disrespectful to me and rude. He apologized on ****s behalf and asks me what do I want to do? I said I’ll pay the $1,100 even though it is an employee mistake. I explained that it will be hard to get the money with all the bills I have and etc. I explain how illegal it is to try and harass someone for money they owe and on the original contract and from ****s agreement in the beginning, I paid what he told me. ******* says he understands and he’ll write an Excel spreadsheet explaining the costs and do I agree to accept the spreadsheet to look over to break down everything. He never asked did I accept the payment terms of the spreadsheet. He said to look and call back to discuss. He emailed it to me. Everything had been bumped up by price and I saw that they were trying to over charge me. I emailed back and said I do not accept this spreadsheet. It is inaccurate. If you all are charging 0.25 a mile. I got the truck at 1,230 miles and the mileage I went to was at 5,267 but subtract 1,230 because that’s what the mileage was when I received the truck. The total is 4,037 times 0.25 equals $1,009.25. That was all I owed them including the mistake **** made of $1,100. I agreed to pay the next day when my payment arrived and explained that I work with a factoring company and sometimes they hold my funds. 
  

  4/21- I did not call because I was pulled over at a weigh station because I was in violation having too much weight on the truck due to me trying to do two loads at once to get the money. They let me off with a warning but held me there til late and by the time I dropped my load off it was past the time to be able to get paid so I already knew City Rent a truck would think I was not being truthful.

  4/24- **** calls and speaks to me with pure disrespect and says you’re a liar and you said you would pay and we’re going to take the truck. You owe us money. He says don’t you understand you’re in a $100,000 truck. I try to explain to him on what happened and I’m waiting on my money, but he cuts me off and disrespects me verbally. I could not get a word out at all. 
  

  4/25- I call in and **** answers and I pay $1,000. My bank wouldn’t allow me to transfer the full $1,100 and I wasn’t in a state that had my bank so I had to do what I had to do. **** asks when will I have the $100 paid. I said by the end of the day. He never said anything about mileage payments or anything. He thanked me and said everything was good. No one ever reached out to me as well about any other payments. I was told I was good. 
  

  4/27- I woke up and I heard a revving sound outside of my home. I saw a Mexican with a red shirt on and joggers so my first assumption was someone was stealing the truck. He turned the truck around so fast, he hit a tree and the tree hit the house. We have it on our vivint camera. My boyfriend and I ran out of the house in my mother in laws car and fled to the guy. As my boyfriend merged in front of him 50 feet away as we were waving to him and he was looking at us, he didn’t stop and just hit us and tried to keep going. Then he stopped. There was a guy in front of us bagging up and we realized it was a city rent a truck. We asked the Mexican guy what are you doing stealing the truck. We had all of our equipment in there worth $4,500 and also put belongings. He said I was told by the company to pick it up. Then we explained he hit us. The police was called and took a report and said that it is illegal for you to repo a vehicle without proper permits and you also were suppose to inform them as well. We exchanged insurance and the police allowed us to get our things. I explained to the cop what happened and he told me to dispute the $1,000 since the contract wasn’t fulfilled. And he let us go. 
  

  I am asking for my refund of $1,000 to come back since I didn’t fulfil the contract and the truck was taken before I could. The original contract that I have showed that I paid everything in full so there was no reason for me to pay anything else. And I am asking for their insurance to cover the small damage to my mother in laws car. 

   

  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****

  

  Business response

  05/16/2023

  We stand by everything said in our first response, which refutes many of ******* claims in her second complaint. We recognize that there is a lot of “he said-she said” in a dispute like this and it can be tough to discern who is telling the most accurate version of what took place. 
  
  We also understand it can be difficult to accurately recount events from memory alone, which is why we take detailed notes of every interaction whenever there is discrepancy on a rental. ******* contract was no exception. Everything that happened from 4/4 on was notated in detail, and because of this, we believe we have provided an accurate representation of what took place. 
  
  That said, we will not go over everything mentioned in our first response again but would like to address the new claims in ******* second complaint, and hopefully resolve this in a manner that is acceptable to both parties. 
  
  4/3 - ******* account here is mostly accurate. A couple of minor details that were off: It was explained that the $1,000 deposit is refundable at the end of the agreement IF there are no further charges owed. The agreed upon rate was $2,400 not $2,500 (not a big deal here). Steve was not in Houston at the time – it was Jason. 
  
  4/4 - Environmental fee had nothing to do with ***** owing $1,100. She owed because **** admittedly made a mistake and punched in $1,400 for the rate charge instead of the agreed upon $2,400 right before running the initial payment. The only reason the 2% environmental fee even came up was because ***** requested a detailed explanation of all the fees associated with her total bill, and that happened to be one of them. 
  
  4/19 - The total charges ***** was to pay upon pickup were all given to her in advance so the argument that she was not able to budget properly for the truck does not hold up. The reservation confirmation sent to her had all the correct pricing information, and these totals were also made clear over the phone and in a separate email. The pricing mistake **** made did not happen until the moment she picked up the truck, but she knew and agreed to what the charges were supposed to be several days before that. 
  
  She also ended the call on 4/4 with a verbal commitment to call back the next day with the additional payment and then did not communicate again with us for 2 weeks. 
  
  We do empathize with ***** on the struggles of starting and operating a small business, which is why we tried to give her as much grace as possible throughout this entire process while making sure we were also protecting our own business. 
  
  4/19 - There were 2 issues with ***** being in Maryland. 1 – she told us when she picked up, she was staying local. Good business partnerships are predicated on trust and communication, and this was the second instance in 2 weeks where we did not have either. 2. The mileage she racked up in 2 weeks put her on pace for 9500 miles, which put us further behind on payment than we already were by a significant margin. 
  
  It WAS explained by **** before ***** picked up that Mileage was collected up front. Her claiming she was told she could pay that at the end of the month is inaccurate. This is in writing and can be provided if needed. 
  
  **** only made 2 calls this day, the first to follow up on the $1,100 payment and the second was moments later when he realized the mileage situation. The claim that she was being “consistently harassed” is false. 
  
  The second phone call on this day WAS the first of 3 times throughout the rental process ***** threatened litigation. 
  
  **** was admittedly frustrated after 15+ minutes of explaining the charges and her repeatedly denying them all, but at no point did he “go into a rage” or say anything that was out of line.  
  
  4/20 - ******* is not the owner (Not a big deal, just not accurate info). It is not illegal to try to collect money owed on a contract. The contract she signed explicitly states “You authorize lessor to reserve credit, and to process a credit card voucher in Your name for any unpaid charges related to this rental.” 
  The excel spreadsheet ******* sent was accurate. She did deny the charges repeatedly, but that does not affect the legitimacy of the information in the document. 
  
  4/21 - We called ***** initially around 9 am. It is understandable that she could not pick up while she was driving or at the weigh station, but she had our cell phones and could have called us at any point during the day. She also knew we were awaiting her phone call as she agreed to call us the night before. If we had some form of communication, we would have been willing to work with ***** if she needed an extension on payment. 
  
  4/24 - See our initial response. The only thing we would like to add is that this was a 15-minute phone call that consisted of mostly ***** talking. The claim that she was being cut off and not allowed to speak is inaccurate, as well as the claim that she was being disrespected and called a liar. The phone call was most definitely stern and matter of fact, but again, nothing vulgar or out of line came out of ****'s mouth. 
  
  4/25 - The first part of this is true. See previous response on 4/25 for more detail, but the call ended by mutually agreeing to a conference call with ******* the following morning. The call’s purpose being to make a plan on paying the mileage charge before her month was over (in 5 days). 
  
  4/27 - To reiterate what we said in our first response - the claim that her tree or house was hit was contested by both City Rent a Truck employees at the scene. We have asked ***** to provide the footage to us and have not received anything. We stand by our initial account of the events in our initial response for everything else here. 
  
  Resolution: The first part of ******* requests has already been indirectly fulfilled (and then some). At the end of ******* contract, she owed $2,463.51. She charged back the $1,000 deposit on 5/3 so that money is back in her account already, and we wrote off the remaining balance. ******* boyfriend is the at fault party for the accident, so her insurance will have to cover the minor damages to their vehicle. 

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