Budget Truck Rental Ripoff Dishonest Fraudulent Billing Charging me for damage that I did not do and accused me of abandoning there car carrier Tampa Florida

This debate is still going on. It is still new. I have not slept thinking about this. I rented a 24' budget truck with a car carrier. The truck was new but had loose screws in the box area and other little scratches.

The trailer had bent fenders but beside that looked good. 7-20-2004 is the first day I rented it. I took off that night after loading the truck and was headed to Tampa, FL from San Antonio, TX. The trailer wheel came off mid way of the move.

It was in diamonhead, mississippi. I called the 24 hour line and they had a guy out there in about 45 minutes. He looked at it and said the bearings broke. He called budget on what to do next. They told him to go on and fix it. He took the wheel off and the bearings were dry of grease. So you not what happens when a trailer is not maintenanced. The spindle looked bad to me as I am also a mechanic. He said he was going to go look for the parts and will be back. I waited about 2 hours and an officer came by and asked about the truck. I told him what happened and they are working on it. He told me it can not be left here because it will get towed.

So I called the 24 hour emergency line and they told me to leave it on the side of the road. I told them if they were sure about it and they said yes. I continued on with my 17 year old boy driving behind me that is not licensed. I got to my destination and unloaded the truck. I went to a place and parked in my car and slept with my kid and 2 of his friends. The next day we went back to go drop the truck off. The person I know in tampa had one of his men drive the truck to the rental place. I am handicap in a wheelchair and had already taken my hand control out of the truck and did not want my kid driving my car in downtown trafic.

When we got to the destination the person driving the truck went in and dropped the truck off and the person in there told him we abonded the trailer on the side of the road and I was instructed to call customer service. This is what I was told from the person that went in side for me. I did not get out to go inside since I was tired from all the driving, hassle for me to get out and take my wheelchair out and have high blood pressure and it was bothering me that morning. I just figure I would call when I got back home. I got back to san antonio.

This truck was turned in the 23rd. 3 days later from my first day. I had 6 days with this truck. I got home 7-26-2004 and called customer service which closed being sunday. The next day 7-26-2004 I got a hold of customer service and told them what happened and they verified it with the 24 hour road service department and they did say they were giving me back the trailer rental and the 100.00 dollar deposit. 7-27-2004 I get a phone call from budget customer service and they tell me they can not give me my deposit back because of the wreck. I told them what wreck. They said the wreck you had in the truck. I said WHAT.

I than talked to Barbara in customer service and she is a supervsor. She told me the truck was currently in the shop and that it went in 7-27-2004 and will be out 8-03-2004. I asked what happened to it. She said the top part of the cab was ripped off. I told her turned that truck in the way we picked it up. Well she said I needed to call claims. So I did not sleep all night and I finally got a hold of claims. The woman said they had nothing on me. Than she came back and said Oh Ya there has been a claim opened. I asked her what was the damage and she did not know. I called to the destination point and a person by the name of Larry answers. I asked I would like to know about the damage to the truck. He said which truck was it. I explained and he said Oh ya the one that abonded the trailer. I asked what was wrong with the truck and he said the box part that the molding on the very top was knocked off. I told him I did not turn that truck in like that and he said you did not turn the truck in.

I told him I was in the parkng lot and saw everything and I did tell the screws were loose on all those moldings and we did bring it to the atention of the departure place. He told me in about these kind of words. Look I will put it to you this way before you start giving me any s**t. I know you know George which has a good friend here at budget. I am trying to help you out here. I sugest you talk to George about all this and not f*ck with me any more because I am warning you what I can do. Now george does not even work for Budget.

Why would I want to talk to George. I find out that the destination location charged my card 194.25 for the towing of the trailer. I called Barbara again and she told me I needed to call recovery. I called recovery and talked to arlene and she said he was going to help me out. now I did call my friend George today and he did call his friend that said he was going to go look at the truck and see what damage they are talking about. Well guess what the truck was out on a one day rental. Not in the shop like I was told from the Supervisor Barbara. I recently found out they are did make a claim and I will find out tomorow 7-29 and they also threw the trailer in there now as being damaged.

I am out my deposit 100.00, 235.00 for a bummed car carrier and 194.25 for recovery of the trailer. When I was told to leave the trailer there. They person larry also said there were big gouges in the floor. I asked what floor. IN THE FLOOR he answered. He said you had steel fencing in there and it tore the floor up. Now steel fencing was carried in there and layed down. Its not like furniture when you drag it out. So it seems like they wanted to back out of refunding me my deposit and car carrier so they came up with this scam. I had 6 people total when we dropped the truck off. No damage.

Larry probably wrecked it and is blaiming it on me. I also know for a fact the budy buddy system when a friend needs a truck they will lend a truck to a friend that has been turned in early like mine was. I experienced it first hand in philadelphia. So it is also funny how the damages came up later. 4 days later. I will let you all be the judge of this. I dont think Budget knows me very well. I am handicap and do not work. I will go out to the airport location and protest in front. I will express my first amendment rights. I have nothing to do.

The law also states I can not be sued because any one on social security is judgement proof. But I am only merely stating what has happened to me which is legal. I will fill more in tomorow on what else I hear.

Leal
san antonio, Texas
U.S.A.