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Hello. Friday, May 2, 2025, when we were leaving the Orlando airport, the attendant handed us our paper and told us we were good to go, light was yellow, arm was up...until we pulled forward and the light turned red, but the arm never came down, but the barrier was up and we hit it. After dealing with at least 4 different Thrifty attendants, all gathering behind the car, that we were not allowed to drive for 1 hour they said we had to get a claim number from OUR insurance company, even though the manager said it was a gate malfunction. Also, when we rented the car we told the agent we did not want their insurance as we had full coverage, they still added liability only, we DID NOT want insurance. The 4 attendants stood back behind our car chatting amongst themselves (not in English) so we had no idea what they were discussing. One of them apologized about the incident to a passenger and the driver, but somehow Thrifty/Dollar is trying to make us take the blame. They sent a still photo of us at the light when the light was red, so if someone would review the footage prior to that, they will clearly see that the arm was up and the light was yellow and see that the attendant released us. After sitting in the car for an hour and a half, we were all very upset and anxious about how we were treated and how the incident was handled, it basically ruined our entire 1st day of vacation. I also have photos and video footage for proof, should this matter escalate legally.
Claimed loss: Partial refund
Desired outcome: I want to make sure nothing was turned in to our insurance company, refund the liability insurance that we advised we did not want, and compensation for the stress/loss of vacation time dealing with the gate/attendant malfunction.
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Thank you so much for your support. I also work with 15 attorneys so, if I need them to run interference, they will. I'm not quitting on this one. I am already multiple phone calls in and keep getting re-routed. They also asked me to correspond via Whatsapp only...which was a total joke! I am waiting on a phone call, that I am sure will not happen. They are also avoiding my insurance company. Considering getting the media involved if I don't get a response soon.
You got into a mess because of an issue with a gate, and now Thrifty is attempting to make it your fault — classic. They are certainly aware that the arm malfunctioned, yet they are relying on a still image to fabricate a case and shift the burden of liability on you. If the manager acknowledged it was a hardware issue, that’s their problem, not yours.
Your images and videos are invaluable — make sure you keep them safe like they’re your passport. If they proceed with this, you’ll need to defend yourself with your insurance company, and you may need them for a legal counter if they attempt to bill you or pull you into a cycle of claims chaos. They expect you to quit at this point. Don’t. Call them out, send everything to your insurer with a bold declaration, and let Thrifty bury themselves if they intend to continue this false narrative.