CLEARWATER, Fla. — U-Haul said it takes "full responsibility" for repossessing a couple's rental truck and disposing of their larger items — all based on what it called human error.
Samantha Brown Perez is the daughter of Stan and Shirley Brown, who rented the truck. The couple had recently driven the truck from St. Louis to Clearwater. Samantha said her parents paid the Holiday Inn in Clearwater on 3535 Ulmerton Road to store it before moving into their Riverview home.
The couple checked on the truck and on Sept. 4, went to pick it up. When her parents got to the hotel, they saw it was gone.
Perez said her parents contacted insurance and police. They reported the U-Haul truck stolen to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
"It’s pieces of furniture that they have had for their whole marriage, for 35 years," she said.
In an email Thursday afternoon to 10 Tampa Bay, U-Haul spokesperson Jeff Lockridge said the truck was on a valid contract and mistakenly identified as abandoned equipment.
It was repossessed by the local Clearwater team on Sept. 2, Lockridge said, adding, "This was the result of human error stemming from a clerical mistake in our system that listed the same equipment number on a separate active contract in another state."
The family's possessions and rented truck were held from Sept. 2-12 while the team tried "unsuccessfully" to reach the contracted customer, Lockridge said.
"Unfortunately, our team was referencing the incorrect contract and attempting to contact the incorrect customer," he continued.
About five boxes of personal contents reportedly were delivered to the Brown family but larger items were disposed of.
"Our Company intends to do right by the Brown family and make them whole for our mistake and the possessions they lost," Lockridge said. "This was an extremely rare and regrettable series of events for which we take full responsibility. We have offered our sincerest apologies to the Browns, and we thank them for their understanding."
Perez created a GoFundMe page for her parents after not being able to locate the truck and its contents. As of Thursday afternoon, the family raised $5,541.
The family pleaded for anyone in the community to keep an eye out on the truck and provided the license plate number, as well as what was inside. Perez said her parents were heartbroken from losing family pictures and memorabilia.
Perez told 10 Tampa Bay on Thursday morning the truck was picked up by U-Haul on Sept. 2.
She texed, "Short story that is not ready to further discuss yet. U-Haul called last night and told us they towed [the] truck to their lot on 9/2. They dumped contents on 9/12 at PC and incinerated same day. Any donations to GoFundMe will be returned to donors."
Perez further added the belongings were burned.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to the couple for an additional interview, which was declined.
Watch the previous report about this story below: