Contact 6: Cleaning up a moving mess

MILWAUKEE -- Moving from Minneapolis to Tampa, Dionne Brulla had no plans of ending up in Wisconsin, but she's now living in the state after her rental truck was hit by a semi on the interstate! Brulla was caught up in some serious red tape until FOX6's Contact 6 stepped in.

"I looked online to see all the best deals that I could get to rent a truck, and Budget seemed to have the best deal," Brulla said.

Brulla started her journey in September, spending $973 on a Budget rental truck for her trip. Shortly after leaving Minneapolis, a light came on inside her Budget rental truck. Brulla called Budget and was told the truck "should be okay." 

"It was not 10 minutes after I got off the phone with them that the truck lost all power," Brulla said.

The truck lost power on the interstate in a construction zone. She pulled over, but not far enough. 

"I was in the truck, attempting to get out of the truck, when I was hit from behind by a semi that was unable to swerve out of the way or stop in time and clipped the corner of my Budget truck!" Brulla said.

Brulla's truck was thrown 20 feet forward. She was shaken up, but hurt more by the response she got from Budget. 

"I had to talk to every single department several different times.  They gave me a big runaround," Brulla said.

Brulla's mother lives in West Bend. She picked Brulla up, and suggested she write to Contact 6 for help, and it worked!

"That's when finally Budget contacted me back and said that they are informed of my complaint and that they are willing to give me the full refund," Brulla said.

Budget told Contact 6 no one was available for an interview, but issued a statement saying: "We have worked directly with Ms. Brulla to reach a resolution."

Budget had given her $720 already, but Brulla says it promised the rest will arrive within 21 days.

"The difference was only $250, but at the same time I'm now also set back so far in my life that $250 is really going to help me out when I actually get to where I wanna be," Brulla said.

Contact 6 says those renting a truck for moving purposes should be sure they understand the contract and ask questions if they're unclear before signing. Contact 6 also urges checking with an insurance company to see whether coverage is offered for driving a rental, and what happens in case of a crash.

Contact 6 also encourages test driving the truck for about 30 minutes before loading it up, to make sure everything works and the truck runs smoothly.