Grand Theft Auto…the vacation edition? Recently, a Tampa woman, learned that at the rental car lot, it is apparently possible to give yourself an upgrade. Okay, that is not exactly what happened. So Brianna’s (@Annistynbriannal) friend, Nikki (@nikkixwils), took to TikTok to ask some questions about a rental car situation that went sideways. “Bro—tell me how the [expletive] this happens,” Nikki kicks off her video. She then tells the story of Brianna renting one car then driving off of the lot in another. Brianna and some of her friends were taking a cruise that departed from Miami. So they decided to rent a car and all drive down together, a sort of girls’ trip before the girls trip. She handled the rental and as Nikki describes it, Brianna signed the paperwork, got the extra insurance, and completed the transaction. The rental company representative handed her the keys and said, “The car’s right out in the front row. Good luck, have a good day, we’ll see you in a week.” So Brianna headed out, spotted her vehicle, and hopped in. Once in, she noticed an extra set of keys in the vehicle. “Cool,” she thought to herself, “Spare key.” She then put the key given to her by the rental agency into her purse, and used the one she found. “She picks up her friends, they go to Miami, get on the boat, they’re gone for a week,” says Nikki. Upon returning the rental, Brianna handed over the set of keys she’d used, but not the ones that the rental car company typically provides. Those are the ones with the little plastic tag and car information written on it. Apparently, this was just a key. The rental representative was initially confused because the wrong keys were returned. Then they realized what happened: The original rental was for a Ford Explorer, but she drove off in a Ford Expedition. Not only was it not the car she was supposed to be in, Nikki says there’s still some confusion over whether or not the vehicle was even part of the rental fleet. Who’s at Fault? Though Nikki describes her friend as having “just one screw loose,” as she gestures towards her head, she’s also very clear that she loves Brianna “to death.” TikTok users leapt to Brianna’s defense. Kate_12..2 said, “That’s not really on her. They should walk her to the car & go over it. At the very least not leave all the cars unlocked with the keys inside.” The Mountain agreed, saying: “I used to work at a rental car place that was a big no-no on them, not your friend.” Brianna herself commented on the post, writing, “They should have walked me to the car.” She included a series of laughing emojis. Many other comments are simply laughing emojis. Because ultimately, nothing bad happened. It was just a mix up. Enjoy The Ride If you’re a regular, or semi-regular traveler, it’s actually pretty easy to imagine how this happened: busy traveler plus a busy lot equals a small mistake. It also bears mention that the Explorer and Expedition look enough alike to be confused for one another, particularly if you’re not a motorhead. There’s not a lot of formal guidance on this situation, but a Reddit thread offers some insight. The consensus there is the fault lies not with the renter, but with the company. There was no intent to steal and the vehicle was returned, so there’s nothing to pursue legally. It was simply an honest mistake. Basically, if the driver gets through the checkpoints the rental company sets up, the rental company is the responsible party. Of course, if this happens to you (and you realize it), the polite thing would be to contact the company, so some poor employee isn’t freaking out over a lost car. Motor1 reached out to Nikki and Brianna via TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if they respond. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team