Two U.S. senators are calling for the government to examine the practices of rental giant Hertz, whose reports to police of stolen rental cars allegedly led to the false arrests of hundreds of customers. The lawmakers cited CBS News' reporting as a catalyst for their calls.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, in a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News, is asking the White House Competition Council to study consolidation in the rental car industry, saying it "has caused rising prices and diminished services for consumers."
In her letter, Warren pointed to Hertz customers who were allegedly "repeatedly arrested for driving rental vehicles the company accidentally reported as stolen." She called it a "disturbing pattern (that) has led to traumatic experiences, job losses and even jail time for customers."
Warren cited examples from a CBS News investigation into the alleged false arrests, including "a NASA employee who was arrested at gunpoint in Florida and a real estate agent who lost her professional license for a year."
In an interview with CBS News, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who chairs the Senate's consumer protection subcommittee, called for a government investigation into the false arrest allegations. Blumenthal called CBS News' reporting "powerful and important because it has revealed a practice, a pattern of wrongdoing that is absolutely staggering in its magnitude."
In response to Blumenthal's comments, Hertz said in a...
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