Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/05/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Friday, Feb 23, 2024, I rented a vehicle from Uni Auto Rental located on *****************************************************************. I spoke with the owner, ************, over the phone about this rental and one of his associates was at the office when I arrived. I told Mr. *** that I would be taking the vehicle to *********** for one day, and he then informed me that there would be an upcharge to take it out of state. We agreed that I would rent a vehicle from Friday, Feb 23, until Tuesday, Feb 27 for $835 which included a $250 deposit. I paid the money over the phone with my debit card and *** told me that I could pick from any vehicle in the lot, however, his associate didn't give me any choice, and he proceeded to go outside, take pictures of a 2018 ****** Corolla, and then he came back in the building and gave me the key for it. I took the vehicle and on Sunday Feb 25, at approximately 11:15pm the car would not start. I'm not sure that this was done on purpose, but it's a little bit of a set up because I didn't even pick the vehicle as *** said I could. I was one hour away from home so I had to sit in the car all night in the cold and wait for my mother to wake up so I could ask to use her Triple A and the following morning I also called Uni Auto Rental as soon as they opened a few minutes after 9am and told them about the issue. Ultimately, *** and his associates told me that it is my responsibility to come out of pocket for any mechanical failures because I had taken the vehicle out of the **********************. I was only then told that it was in the agreement that I am financially responsible because I took the car out of state. This was never told to me until after the vehicle broke down, as *** had only informed me of an upcharge for taking the vehicle to ***********. Mr *** has now charged me $600 for what he says it cost to tow the vehicle back to *************. So, I paid for 5 days including an upcharge, but I only got 2 and a half days of rental service, got stranded, and this business has decided that instead of compensating me for less days due to their faulty vehicle, that they will charge me even more due to a deceptively hidden part of the rental agreement. The part where it says the renter is responsible is on the back of the contract near the very bottom in small writing, and some words on the bottom of the page are cut off so you can't even read it all. I believe ************ is operating a less than ethical business and charging the customer when his unkept vehicles fail. The car I was given smelled like it had been smoked in so it didn't seem to be serviced properly on the interior and the car battery connectors were ***** when I opened the hood to assess the problem when the car wouldn't start. Another one of ***'s associates informed me that another renter had broken down recently as well in one of these rentals. I believe *** does not service his vehicles properly and then passes the cost of the tow to the customer when the vehicle breaks down. *** has confirmed that the car had a mechanical failure due to no fault of mine but he still insists on charging me $600 for the tow. I would like to see some form of compensation from this company rather than them holding the customer responsible and charging me $600 when I was already majorly inconvenienced and I also didn't receive the service for the days I paid for.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2024

  The customer rented a vehicle and was asked whether he was going to take the car out of state and he said no and acknowledged that he would only stay in MA. The customer instead took the car to *********** and had a breakdown. It is clearly stated on the rental agreement that the rental cannot be taken to any other state other than MA. the customer breached the agreement and was responsible for the tow to bring the car back to its home *******************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/08/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  This is a lie. I clearly told Mr *** that I would be taking the vehicle out of state. That's why he charged me extra, in fact. I breached no contract.
  
  Dishonest business practice is what is happening here.