It was July 14, 2022, 9:30pm at the eastbound Ohio Turnpike Blair's Leap Oasis. My rental car sat in the handicapped section of the parking lot. I refused to drive it because it had suddenly started displaying a warning message saying "Charging System Malfunction/STOP in a safe place. See Owner's Manual." The owner's manual said, "Have the vehicle inspected by your dealer immediately," which for me added up to "Unsafe to drive." My 61-year-old sister, our 95-year old Dad, and I (I'm 62) had been sitting in the nearly-empty oasis for five hours. We should have been at our destination already. It was late. Dinner had been a donut and coffee. Dad was tired.
After my fifth call, the rental car company liaison finally admitted, "We're supposed to hire an Uber or a Lyft to take you to the nearest airport. That's the Akron-Canton Airport, about an hour's drive away from you. But we can't find any available Ubers or Lyfts willing to take you. It's too late at night, it's too far. We're sorry. You'll have to find your own taxi."
My sister got on the phone and located Akron Express Taxi in North Canton, our destination, and talked to Harry. Despite the hour's drive each way, Harry was kind enough to drop what he was doing and meet us at the Oasis. We had a ton of presentation materials in our vehicle besides the usual suitcases, pillows, and walker, and Harry managed to get us and all of our stuff into his sedan. That was a feat of real-life 3D Tetris (ie a miracle). We scoured the inside of the rental car one last time to make sure we got everything; but it was nighttime, the interior of the vehicle was black, and the dome light didn't work. Still, we got it all, even if everything was not in the original tidy piles we had made for our trip. On the drive to North Canton, I realized my wallet wasn't in my purse, but we'd been thorough in unloading the rental that I knew we'd find it later.
On arriving in North Canton, Harry recommended a hotel near the airport where we took two rooms. Great hotel, reasonable rates. He offered to leave his car, still full of all of our stuff, in the hotel parking lot. That way we didn't have to unload it all at night and load it all the next morning. Wow! What a relief.
The next morning, I had to find my wallet. I searched everything I'd brought into the hotel but no go. Harry's assistant Ellie and I, and then again later, Harry, at my request, emptied every single box, backpack, suitcase, and bag of ours in Harry's vehicle to see if we could find my wallet. Nope. As far as I could tell, my wallet MUST still be in the rental car.
Harry drove my family and me to the airport so I could talk to the car rental place. We could not get a replacement car until they had the old one back. There was no mention of the vehicle in their computer system. And anyways, I couldn't get a new car until I presented my driver's license which, of course, was in my wallet. I decided I'd have to go back to the airport to check the rental one last time for my license. Here, again, Harry and his assistant Ellie showed fantastic customer service. Harry drove me to the oasis, again about an hour each way. And when we got there, the rental car was gone.
Just in case, I quickly searched the oasis women's room and the area where Dad and my sister and I had sat the previous night, and also the donut store and the manager's desk. No wallet.
As I stood in the empty parking space where the rental car had been, wondering what to do now, the car rental place called. It seemed the vehicle had already been towed to the airport. We hadn't needed to make this two-hour drive back to the oasis at all. Peachy.
Harry drove me back to the airport. Yes, the rental was in the car rental company's parking lot. And yes, my wallet (black) was in the driver door pocket, right where I'd left it. I was able to get a new vehicle (free upgrade to an SUV, much roomier, woo hoo!). Harry patiently waited around for me to get the paperwork complete. He even helped us transfer our stuff from his vehicle to the new one. And then, finally, 23 hours after first being stranded at the Oasis, Dad, my sister, and I were on the road again.
Harry went far above and beyond what is reasonable for any business owner to do, especially when the customers need help in the middle of the night, have extenuating circumstances like a handicapped elderly man, or long distances to drive for the fare. He could have declined helping us any time, but he stepped in and helped us and charged us reasonable fees for the time and distance and services he gave us. He was willing to load and unload our stuff from his vehicle several times--and there was a lot of stuff. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll give him a call and buy him and Ellie dinner. read more
