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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/AutoModerrator-69 on 2024-11-17 06:16:16+00:00.

So, I was on a business trip in Miami this past week, Monday through Saturday. I rented a car with AVIS to get around, thinking it’d be easy, convenient, stress-free… yeah, famous last words.

The week goes smoothly until late Thursday night. I’m beyond exhausted after a full day of meetings and drive back to my hotel, park the rental in what looks like a hotel-designated parking area, slap on my hotel parking pass, and go collapse in my room.

Friday morning rolls around. I’m packing up to head out for my last meeting of the trip when… I realize my car is gone. It’s just not there. Cue immediate panic. My mind’s racing with every worst-case scenario, and like a total genius, my first conclusion is, “Someone stole it.” (Yes, this was the beginning of the chain reaction of FUs.)

With my ‘stolen car’ vibes in full swing, I call my colleague to pick me up so I can still make it to my meeting. I’m already imagining explaining to AVIS how their car disappeared from under my watch. By afternoon, I’m at the police station, filling out a full report on the “stolen vehicle,” and the police are gathering details. AVIS is now involved, and it’s all getting messy.

Finally, I get back to the hotel later that night, totally deflated. Then I see a huge sign near the lot entrance: “Hotel Guests - DO NOT PARK HERE OR YOU WILL BE TOWED.” Uh… so there’s a chance it wasn’t stolen, after all.

I go to the front desk and ask if they know anything about towed cars, and they give me a number to call. But it’s already late, so I have to wait until morning to check with the towing company. All I could do was sit there, wondering how I got myself into this mess.

Saturday morning, I call the tow company, and yep, they have my car. They towed it because, apparently, I parked in a shared lot that my hotel guests aren’t allowed to use. But here’s where the real kicker comes in: they won’t release it until AVIS sends someone to claim it, since it’s a rental (even though I have the key and the rental agreement under my name).

So I call AVIS, hoping they’ll handle it quickly. But nope! They inform me that they need to “send a rep to the lot,” process some paperwork, and then arrange for the car to get back to the airport. And guess what? Until they get the car back, I’m still being charged the daily rental rate. Yeah, I’m paying for a car that’s sitting at a tow yard and not even in my possession.

I’m out here bleeding money on this rental until AVIS decides to get it back. Lesson learned: double-check every parking rule because the cost of a careless mistake? Painfully high.

TL;DR: Parked my rental car in the wrong spot, assumed it was stolen, filed a police report, got AVIS involved, only to find out it was towed. Now AVIS is charging me daily until they retrieve it from the tow yard.