by Unexpected Trip Turned into a Terrifying Experience
An ordinary matter can quickly escalate into something incredible. For one California couple, a trip to relatives in a rented car turned into a terrible ordeal: they were surrounded by police officers with weapons at the ready, handcuffed, and arrested. This situation led to a lawsuit that lasted over a year.
The Case Reached a Court Settlement
The couple agreed on a compensation of $350,000 from the car rental company. The incident occurred at the beginning of 2023 when Sheena and Cole Bury were visiting relatives in San Diego. They rented a minivan from Payless Car Rental, unaware that this car was registered in the system as stolen.
What Exactly Went Wrong?
After the arrest, Oceanside police contacted Payless and found out that the company had reported this minivan stolen back on January 4th. The car was returned a few days later, but the company forgot to inform the police about it. Due to such an error, the vehicle remained in the system as stolen.
The couple sued Payless Car Rental for negligence and emotional distress. The case went to court on October 7th, but during a 15-minute recess, the parties unexpectedly reached an agreement that ended the lawsuit.
Lasting Consequences for the Couple
Sheena Bury shared that this experience left deep emotional scars and contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. She noted: “My emotional state was simply unstable. Cole didn’t know how to deal with it, he closed himself off, and we could no longer find common ground. This led to our divorce.”
“Payless and its independent franchisees have safety measures to avoid unnecessary reports of returned rental cars. Unfortunately, in this isolated case, these protocols did not work. Our franchisee apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Bury and refunded their rental fee.”
Conclusions and Consequences of the Incident
This story once again reminds us of the importance of proper communication between company systems and customers. Even a small error in documentation can lead to serious consequences, including emotional trauma and lengthy lawsuits. Rental companies must improve their protocols to avoid similar situations in the future. For customers, it is also important to check the status of rented vehicles if possible to prevent unexpected problems.
