Hertz car rental - car damaged by truck while driving - car taken away by Hertz, Williamsport Airport - stranded 300 miles from home

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on August 28, 2002:

From:

RE: Hertz car rental - car damaged by truck while driving - car taken away by Hertz, Williamsport Airport - stranded 300 miles from home

My name is ray fletcher and i and my traveling companion was involved in an accident in mid july in Pa where a truck rear right tire exploded and came thru my windshield leaving a hole in the windshield and the entire cabin of the car sprayed with it's fragments. So the state policeman told me to go the the Williamsport Airport to exchange the vehicle thru the Hertz there.

When i arrived the attendant for hertz was very dry very rude and displayed suspicious activity after denying me the ability to rent a car there 1. because the hertz @ the williamsport airport is a Licenscee and therfore didnt have to honor the original rental agreement 2,

My cc was maxed and had little funds left on the card like 20$ but i had cash and was stranded 300mi. away from home with a bleeding leg in there lobby and the icing on the cake was the fact that after the attendant took the keys to look up the account she refused to give them back as instructed by a road side assistant operator thereby leaving me stranded without any shelter because @ this time they were closing and all negotiations in any airport post 9/11 must be very careful in not making a federal defendant out of oneself.

The attendant had this very pleased look on her face after she seen us stranded with luggage and no way home. the end result cost me over a thousand dollars in cell phone charges extra rental fees lost of work hotel costs and the like.