Dozens of travelers were stranded when workers at a car rental company went home early. They decided to take justice into their own hands

Rent a car Sometimes it is a headache: from absurd surcharges of hundreds of euros to being charged for refueling with gasoline in an electric car. Sometimes it’s the clients who mess it up. But it cannot be said that it was the case of those who took the cars from the Hertz branch at the Syracuse airport (New York).

It’s not that they were robbed: when they went to the counter, it was empty. These clients had pre-hired or reserved the cars, so they chose to cut corners and take the ones that were available with the keys on. Among them, a well-known politician.

“There were a lot of people collecting cars”

When you rent a car it is because you need it. Even more so in the United States, where many cities depend almost entirely on private transportation. So the last thing you want when you land at an airport is to be without a saddle. Even more so if you had already reserved it. This is exactly what these customers suffered last July at this airport that is eight kilometers from the city center.

“We arrived and the car rental company was closed”says Mike Johnston, current mayor of Denver, capital of Colorado. He was one of many affected: “There were probably 40 of us trapped in the same car rental company, There were a lot of people collecting cars… “But not the right cars.”

By this he means that the angry customers chose to go straight to the parking lot and take the ones they caught. Many of these cars had the keys in them. But where were the employees?

The counter was empty for almost 12 hours. According to CBS Newsbased on the statement of the staff of the Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, the workers of this branch simply abandoned their jobs. Specifically from 8:41 p.m. on July 20 to 6:58 a.m. the next day. What’s more, most left at 7:15 p.m., but one worker returned around 8:00 p.m. to leave shortly after. Their diaspora was recorded by cameras.

According to the airport administration, this branch had to be open until 1:28 in the morning: one hour after the last flight landed.

So, everyone Travelers who arrived at the Hertz counter found that no one could deliver their car to them. Those who did not have a reservation, it is understood, chose to go to another rental company that provides service at this airport: with Hertz, there are a total of six. But those who had previously paid for the car (the most common thing) were not up for the task of having to formalize another contract and demand the money from Hertz.

And it is that This branch does not have a self-service service.: Those who deliver and process the delivery of vehicles are the employees. Johnston, interviewed by said media, was one of those who took one of the cars with the keys in the ignition. There were other travelers who were not so lucky, since not all cars had them on.

The next day, Hertz contacted Johnston and told him He requested that he return the car to take the one that corresponded to him by contract.. It must be remembered that when you reserve a rental car, regardless of the company, you select a car profile but not a specific model. For example, an urban car with a manual transmission or a seven-seater family car with automatic transmission.

Although it is not indicated, it is deduced that the company followed the same procedure with the rest of the travelers who took the cars. Given that they had a reservation, and therefore had already paid the rent or part of it, a complaint for theft would have been indecent. Although Hertz has even accused its customers of false thefts and has been reported to the courts for this.

An unexpected strike? Regarding the employees, the reason for their departure is not detailed. But since it was all of them, it could well have been some kind of strike or protest. “We have taken the comments into account and acted immediately,” said the Hertz area vice president after the chapter. It follows that they have taken measures with these workers.

Hertz was hit hard by the pandemic and filed for bankruptcy in 2020. It also laid off almost 30% of its workforce worldwide. Although it later recovered, its commitment to electric cars has plunged it into a new crisis. So much so that Stephen Scherr, the firm’s CEO, was fired in the spring.