Most car rentals are uneventful, save for the stray gas or cleaning charge. Even so, we’ve heard a few disturbing stories of falsely reported rental car thefts in recent years, in which rental companies can wreak havoc on their customers’ lives without much stopping them. One California woman is suing Avis for such an incident, which ended with her handcuffed at gunpoint.
The Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department stopped Ramona Gutierrez on March 22 after Avis mistakenly reported her rental car stolen. She rented the car to drive for Uber while her vehicle was in the repair shop and said it was cleared by the rideshare company before leaving the Avis lot. Shortly after leaving, she was pulled over on the 210 Freeway. Six sheriff’s vehicles arrived, and Gutierrez’s drive ended with her on the ground, in handcuffs, held at gunpoint.
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