Monday, May 15, 2023

Hertz has apologized after a Louisiana employee denied a Puerto Rican customer a vehicle they'd already reserved, on the mistaken belief they needed a passport.

During the encounter with the customer at New Orleans’s Louis Armstrong international airport, the Hertz employee also waved over a law enforcement officer who allegedly threatened to turn the man over to immigration authorities

Marchand recently traveled to New Orleans and ahead of his trip paid to rent a car from Hertz at the Armstrong airport. After arriving, he went to the Hertz counter and presented his Puerto Rican driver’s license, which contained text in two languages spoken on the island: Spanish and English.

The clerk there then purportedly said to him: “We will need a passport.” Marchand told Begnaud that after he asked the woman what she meant, she made remarks that suggested he was from another country and therefore needed a passport.

“You’re denying me because I have a driver’s license which is a valid ID?” Marchand said in English. “It is a valid ID.”

Holding a clipboard and pen as she walked away, Karen turned around, pointed away, and four times said: “I need you to go about your business.”

Marchand replied: “It is a valid ID. It is a prepaid reservation.”

The Karen then said, “Would you like me to call the police?” Marchand told her, “Yes, please, call the police.”

The woman pulled a cellphone out of one her pockets and called out an officer who told Marchand that he needed to leave. According to Marchand, as the officer then left, he threatened to “call border patrol” if the mistreated customer didn’t leave, too.

Marchand interpreted that as a remark that he was in the US illegally.


Follow up May 19th:

Spirit Airlines refused to allow a Puerto Rican family to board a flight from Los Angeles to Puerto Rico because they did not have a passport for their two-year old child.

1 comment:

  1. On today's episode of how fucked up is fucked up... that's fucked up.

    ReplyDelete