Back in October 1986, I relocated from Florida to Indiana, using U-Haul as the company of choice. My beloved then-wife, who has since passed away, and I were totally ignorant toward the concept we should purchase any type of insurance protecting us should the truck we rented be burgled and our personal property be stolen while en route, since we presumed our automobile and/or homeowner's insurance would surely accommodate us. Thus, we spent the night in a motel in Tennessee, affirmed all would be copasetic. We could not have been more errant. When we arose the last day of our journey, we discovered the rental truck had been broken into, whereby we lost a great deal of our personal property. Being that we were apparently uninsured for this result, there was no remedy to our attempting to recover said property. Ergo, we were compelled to ‘live and learn’, so they say.
Since then, as aforementioned, my beloved wife, in pace requiescat, passed away in May. I have since decided to relocate out of our Indiana, home, as the memories and sadness contained within the walls of our home were too strong for me to endure. I began via telephone pricing for moving trucks to accommodate my relocating needs. Along with my older brother, we boxed up everything we were to bring out here to California in an effort to determine the precise size of truck we would need. I called Penske, Mayflower, and other companies, this time making sure to request proper insurance guarding my personal property from loss in the hopefully unlikely event the truck I rented from them would be broken into and burgled. On August 7, I telephoned my local Budget Truck Rental, store 460131, speaking with their rep for pricing and availability of a moving truck. During said phone call, I specifically requested of their rep for insurance protecting my personal property should the truck I rented from Budget be burgled. He assured me there IS (not ‘was’) a policy Budget provides covering such a loss, whereby I agreed to rent from Budget based and founded exclusively on his word as a Budget rep/employee. The next day, as a contingency of affirmation, I had my brother call and ask for the same insurance policy. I was adamant not to have to go through something akin to the problem I endured 23 years prior, and by this method of having my brother call, it was my way of making my move to California one of less worry, affirmed Budget was a most honorable company.
On August 8, again inquiring about loss of theft insurance, Budget's rep reaffirmed to me and my brother Budget’s insurance policy covers such incidents, and as such, I was most vehement about this, as the sting from the aforementioned move from Florida to Indiana back in 1986 yet affected me. Just before I picked up the Budget truck, I took it upon myself to ask Budget's rep one more time for sanctity’s sake about their insurance protection against personal property loss due to their truck’s being burgled while on the road. Said rep once again repeated his affirmation Budget’s insurance policy I purchased did indeed cover all, and I should not worry. Time's being of the essence (this store was only open for three hours, as this was a Sunday), he printed out some forms I presumed were the rental agreement/contract, whereupon he took my money and goaded me to sign the same under the affirmed pretense the insurance coverage we verbally discussed and agreed upon only seconds prior was legitimately contained therein, as I automatically presumed his affirmation vis-a-vis the insurance I purchased was included in said contract to cover loss incurred due to theft. Being that I trusted Budget's rep's word, I commented as much to him and told him that my trust in him and in Budget is firm to where I asked him if I truly needed to read the contract. He said all was as we discussed in the contract and all was completed. I took the truck to my home, where, along with some trusted friends and my brother, loaded the truck over the ensuing two days. On the morning of August 11, I secured the overhead door with a new key padlock AFTER all was checked into the truck. Within an hour, I drove the packed Budget truck toward my new California home.
That first night, my brother and I stopped at a Motel 8 in Park City, Kansas. I parked the rented Budget truck directly under a high-beamed security parking lot light front of the facility in order for the truck to be seemingly visible all night long with the hope said visibility would certainly deter any possible attempt at burgling the Budget truck. I examined and secured the truck doors and locks, including the padlock sealing the overhead door to the chassis of the truck, and then went into my motel room, self-assured all would be kosher and secure whilst I slept.
Early the next morning, I awoke to begin my day. I took my three dogs for their morning walk, stopping by the truck to check the tires and to look for any physical damage to the Budget truck should some wayward motorist accidentally drive into it overnight. I was dumbfounded to notice my padlock had been crimped off and strewn aside into the nearby grassy area. I immediately went into the motel lobby and requested they contact the police, informing them the truck I rented from Budget had been burgled. A Park City, Kansas, city police officer came to investigate. He did all he could over the next 1-2 hours before providing me a police report number. During the investigation, I returned to the Motel 8 front desk to ask if they had security cameras in order to ascertain what happened and perhaps even who had burgled the truck and made off with an exorbitant deal of my personal property. I was informed no such security cameras were installed, which did nothing to assist the police officer, nor did it calm the rage stirring within me. When the police officer completed his investigation, my brother, my dogs, and I left the motel for the day’s drive west.
I made it to my California, home two days later, making sure to stay in motels that had parking lot security cameras. I had already lost more than $38k in electronics and furniture, as well as an estimated $26k value of my beloved late wife’s personal family heirloom jewelry that belonged to her mother and grandparents.
Together with my brother, we unloaded Budget’s truck before turning it into their local store that very Saturday, where I reported the theft, as well as the fact I inadvertently drove their truck into the front passenger side of my 2007 Toyota Prius my brother was sitting in while on Budget's premises. Budget's rep confirmed I had indeed purchased proper insurance to cover both situations: stolen property loss, and the damage to my Prius. He said he would file for recovery with Budget. Two days or so later, I received a telephone call from this very same rep/agent, informing me the insurance policy I purchased from Budget did NOT cover loss due to theft, that Budget does not have such an insurance policy. I was also advised by Ms. Diane Gossett of Budget that my claim for recovery due to said vehicular accident was not going to be accorded me, since, as she so eloquently phrased it, many people have accidents prior to renting, and then say a Budget truck caused the accident a while later in an effort to unlawfully recover damages. I abhor and resent the mere concept/mention that I might have been included in this mass of miscreants.) His stating this to me totally contradicted what his counterpart in Indiana repeatedly affirmed to me, corroborated by Budget's California rep prior to his filing for the loss due to theft and the damage to my Prius. I was flabbergasted; I still am.
Once I was told of Budget's not covering my losses, I telephoned Budget Truck Rental's offices, informing them of all that had transpired, and voicing my concerns Budget did not stand behind the word of their employees, who repeatedly wrongfully informed me of their insurance plan. Rest assured, had I known Budget did not honor their word accorded me from their Indiana rep on many occasions, and that of their California rep, I would have gone elsewhere to rent a truck with a more reputable and honest company that did offer such insurance and who was willing to uphold it to the fullest extent of the good faith I placed in Budget. Trust me when I tell you, Budget was NOT the least expensive route I could have taken; it was their purported insurance that satisfied me, courtesy of their Indiana and California reps, and lured me into trusting Budget enough to rent from them.
I digress. A few days later, I received in the mail claim papers from Budget's insurance company, Health Special Risk, Incorporated. I filled out the paperwork, including an itemized list of most of what was discovered to have been stolen from their truck that night at the Park City, Kansas, Motel 8, accordingly and submitted the same to Health Special Risk, Incorporated, as instructed. At the time, I was with the utmost belief Budget would stand by the word of their employees. Over the next four months, I contacted Health Special Risk, Incorporated, countless times to discover what, if anything, was deterring their processing of my claim. At one point, about three months into it, I was informed they required a copy of the Park City, Kansas, police report, and it was my responsibility to provide it for them. I did so, and faxed it to them post haste at my own expense. For the next few weeks, after many additional telephone calls, I was informed Health Special Risk, Incorporated, could not adequately peruse the rental agreement, whereby they requested I procure a copy of it and submit it to them. I did so, again at my own expense, via PDF. Finally, this past Christmas Eve (12/24/09), I was informed Health Special Risk, Incorporated, would NOT cover my losses inasmuch as the rental agreement/contract I signed AT THE BEHEST OF BUDGET'S INDIANA REP, mind you, specifically states losses due to theft are not covered by the insurance policy Budget avails for purchasing, and I had signed my name to that particular clause.
I do not deny I signed this clause. I signed everywhere I was instructed to sign, and I initialed everywhere specified, again solely because I trusted Budget's Indiana rep's word the insurance I purchased from him through Budget did, in fact, accommodate any loss incurred due to theft while the contract was active and open, and was therefore specified in the contract per our agreement only mere seconds prior. I understand my signing this was ignorant on my part, but said ignorance was induced by a verbal contract accorded me by Budget's Indiana rep.in an effort to cover all my bases, I telephoned this same rep circa December 11, in order to ascertain if I had misheard what he had told me prior in August. I asked him about insurance against loss incurred through theft during an excursion across the country. He again affirmed to me the very same insurance policy I purchased through Budget did indeed cover such losses. I asked him to fax all these details to me just as we had discussed them. I did this all under a fictitious name in order to discover if he was yet misinforming potential patrons of wrongful facts. I was video taping things around the house, and this telephone conversation was recorded as well, almost as if inadvertently covering all my bases. Within an hour, no fax had arrived, so I called him back. He said he lost my number, and after I remitted it to him again, he promised to fax me all in a few moments.instead, he called, telling me he was wrong about the insurance policy’s covering loss incurred through theft while en route. He faxed me everything anyway.
I believed in Budget. I believed in their Indiana rep, as well as that of their California rep and all over the world. I purchased the insurance coverage with outright trust in Budget, and drove cross-country affirmed with the faith Budget would not back down or renege. I was wrong, it seems.
I still have the original contract; I still have the videotape recording where Budget's Indiana rep specified FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE FACT that the insurance provided by Budget did indeed accommodate against any personal property loss incurred en route due to theft. I expected Budget to uphold the word of their reps/agents. All in all, I surmised thus far I lost $38k in itemized properties, and no less than $26k in stolen antique jewelry that once belonged to my late wife. I have since provided Budget with this very same itemized list. To my immediate dismay, however, the receipts I had for all my items were secured in one of my upright safes, which was also stolen from the back of their truck that dreadful night. I have since contacted the vendor (s) from whom I purchased many of these electronic items. Most of these items are no longer in production, and the vendor (s) were unable to provide me duplicate receipts due to their company restrictions. Thus, I was advised to procure online links for the updated items, and submit the same to Health Special Risks, Incorporated. I complied as directed.
On 12/29/09, I was advised by Ms. Andrea Lee, Budget's Customer Service Claims agent, that the insurance I purchased from Budget's Indiana rep/agent did in fact cover loss due to theft while en route. She persisted with this affirmation until she requested a few moments to peruse the contract. When she returned, she recanted her statement, saying the contract did in fact assert theft was not covered by insurance, whereby she could do nothing. She went on to state there seems to be a training problem/issue re this particular matter with Budget personnel that needs to be addressed. To my dismay, however, such resolving comes too late for me, and heavily at my expense. I do not see why I, as a trusting consumer who placed good faith and confidence in Budget and the word accorded me through not only their Indiana and California reps/agents, but Ms. Lee as well, should have to suffer and pay for their error and overt negligence. To my immediate chagrin, it seems to me I am indeed the one who has to suffer for such ill-advice and an apparent weakness in trust. I trusted Budget as a whole entity, including the word of its supposed trained employees/reps. This very same word was not upheld. I did sign the contract stating theft is not covered, but I did so with the endorsed and verbally expressed knowledge and belief said contract and insurance I paid for did very well contain protection for my personal property should theft be incurred en route, which was definitely the case here.
This ordeal with Budget continued after Ms. Lee and I completed our many conversations and emails. Because Budget averred they were going to deny my claim since I did sign the contract that states no loss due to theft shall be covered by the insurance, I then went online to discover Budget's Customer Service contact information. I called their Customer Service offices to request Budget's corporate offices contact information. Their representative in Customer Service said Budget does not have a corporate office, which, their being an Limited Liability Corporation, took me aback. Nevertheless, he did give me Budget's physical address, which I used in an online reverse search to discover Budget's fax numbers, but no direct telephone line. Thus, I contacted other businesses in the same building where Budget is located, requesting and learning Budget's direct telephone line. I called and left a message with their most friendly receptionist, Paula (the only bright side to this entire ordeal), who informed me she would contact a lady named Mary Jo Shannon, who would call me to discuss this.instead, another lady named Kim at the Executive Desk, called, listened to me, offered to refund me the $48 I paid for the insurance in lieu of the almost $65k I lost in personal property. I objected to this, stating that if I were to accept this, that would thereby negate the insurance policy. She said she understood and would discuss my ordeal with a Mr. Douglas Speight in her office and email me later that day. I received no email.
Days later, I did receive a phone call from Kim, who restated and defended Budget's position re the contract I was mislead into signing. She again stated she would see to it I received a refund of $48 to negate the insurance contract. She again informed me there seems to be a significant training issue/fault with Budget and their employees. I specified to her I failed to understand/see why I, as a trusting consumer, should have to be the one who ultimately pays for their negligence to fully and properly train their employees. She said she understood, but she knows there is nothing anyone can do, that because I signed the contract I believed contained the verbal agreement I had just entered into with their Indiana rep, that I am at full fault. This is not only an untruth, it is also unacceptable to me, and I expressed as much to Kim. She then offered me the telephone number to the aforementioned Douglas Speight of their legal department, 800.971.1078. I called that number twice, only to get a voice messaging service. I left a voice message with them, as it seems they are only paralegals, requesting they return my call. They had not done so, albeit Mr. Speight later attested he did email me, which was not received.
I have since filed formal compaints with the Tulsa, OK, Better Busines Bureau, who informed me Budget is NOT affilliated with them, whereby they can do nothing (also because they do not make it a practice to challenge written contracts, but verbal contracts mean squat to them.) I have also filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, but alas, I doubt they have the courage to stand up for the common consumer. I mean, money talks, n'cest pas?
As an update, only recently did Mr. Speight finally email me, stating Budget's position.in said email, he stated Budget's reps were NOT employees of Budget, whereby Budget as a whole could not be held accountable for their promises and affirmations. Still, their reps wear their uniforms, rent and sell their products, and are trained by them.
The bottom line is simple: I, as a trusting consumer, exhibited and exerted extreme trust in Budget. I am with the utmost belief Budget should be held liable to uphold their word as rendered me from their employees, uphold the faith I placed in them.in a nutshell, I was wronged and misled by Budget, whose rep in Indiana, was wrong for selling me a contract stating one thing while the premise of the verbal agreement specified another – again, affirmed through a recording attained during a recent telephone conversation, and then later retracted AFTER I took his word for what it was purportedly worth, and rented from Budget.
It is evident Budget will not stand behind nor uphold their word as assured and rendered me through/from their many employees that my losses incurred from theft while en route should have been covered through the insurance policy I purchased since said policy was purchased by me in good faith founded entirely upon the verbal word/agreement entered into from/by their Indiana agent/rep, even though that very same contract contradicted what I was led to believe I was entering into, thereby exhibiting misrepresentation on Budget's part. I should not be held accountable for Budget's apparent lack in training, nor should I be the one to suffer and lose out for this very same lack.
Lastly, I have paperwork and voice recordings that can easily attest to all my claims herein. I can provide them if requested to do so. I have likewise telephoned Budget's Customer Care offices with this very same complaint, and I have submitted the same to other various offices within their company, all to no avail whatsoever.
0 comments