Birther Thrifty Car: Buffalo Rental Cars Sport 'Vote For The American' Bumper Stickers

[silvershadow]

Two women are saying that cars they rented from a Thrifty car rental franchise at the Buffalo, N.Y., airport had birther movement bumper stickers placed on them.

The two women, Barbara Wingate of San Diego and Stephanie DiBiase of Chicago, said bumper stickers that read "Vote for the American" were placed on the bumpers of cars they rented from the franchise. Wingate and DiBiase -- both of whom provided photos of the bumper stickers -- said they were told by employees that the stickers were placed there by the franchise owner.

The franchise is owned by Westover Car Rental, a subsidiary of Ellicott Development, a Buffalo holding company controlled by Carl Paladino, the Tea Party-affiliated businessman who lost the 2010 gubernatorial race to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

"We noticed a bumper sticker on the car and in the dark lot we thought it was a promotion to "buy American" -- but didn't think about it until the next morning when we went to the car for additional luggage," Wingate, who rented the car the weekend of Oct. 13-14 to attend her daughter's wedding, told The Huffington Post in an email. "After reading it, we realized what it said/meant and were horrified."

Wingate said she was "embarrassed" to drive the car and that she complained to an employee when she returned the car. She said the employee said the franchise owner wanted the stickers kept in place and that he had asked the staff to vote for Romney. Wingate also said she noticed other cars with the stickers at the Thrifty franchise.

[silvershadow]

1. Bonus points for the story being linked to Carl Palladino. nt

[Cha]

7. Thanks for the OP, silvershadow.. It needs to be on The Greatest so

more Peeps can see it!

[silvershadow]

10. yw ...Comcast booted me right after

I posted...won't be able to respond from my phone to everyone. Have at it, you all know what to do.

[Politicalboi]

2. This place sounds like

They need a lot of false reservations online, and over the phone. As long as you don't give a credit card number, what can they do?

[silvershadow]

5. I can't believe that Thrifty allows this...they probably don't. I think we should all call Thrifty

corporate to express our opinions and to get a statement.

[Cha]

3. Please KNR this thing! This is HORRIBLE! MFs have

gone STARK RAVING MOUTH FROTHING RABID DAWG MAD!

[Angry Dragon]

4. I would send the owner a bill for being hired to be a billboard driver

would charge $200/hr for everyhour I had the car ...............
You know that free enterprise they keep talking about

[1620rock]

6. I would have stopped at the first hardware store..a little spray pant would fix that ptoblem.

[Cha]

9. I know..when I read it ..my first thought was ..

I would WANT THAT OFF of There. But, then I thought..they would charge for destruction of their Stupid Car.

[silvershadow]

11. What happens when they return the car to

a different location? Wouldn't they be charged? There is much me to be learned about this.

[Skittles]

16. I was thinking big ass black magic marker

yes INDEED

no fucking WAY would I be seen in a car sporting something that sick

[karmaqueen]

8. That is horrible! n/t

[nobunnyclue]

12. There is a whole bin of loonies in upstate NY...

and I can't tell you how many emails I get from them (I grew up there) retelling this or that sob story of someone whose small business has failed in the past four years, and how Obama is responsible.

Well, guess what, if you run your business like a moron who thinks God is going to send you customers, and don't give a SH*T about alienating people, mostly customers, then guess where your business is going... right down the tubes.

What if you these women noticed the sticker before they left the lot? Do you think the owner would have taken it off? Perhaps politely agreed to give them sa refund? Or said "too bad, you signed, so pay for today and then go rent from our competition if you have a problem with the sticker!" Now which one do you think is more likely?

[Cha]

13. I know! I bet they wish so much they would have noticed it! That's

why I want to spread this story and get it to The Greatest! Please Rec if you haven't, nobunnyclue

I'm just really glad that these women are who they are and appalled by this idiot in charge.

It reminds me of when my sister and I went to Niagra Falls in Canada and stopped in Buffalo in 2004.. We had a Kerry Sticker in our window but it was her car!

[Freddie]

14. Businesses with political signs...idiots

Do you really enjoy pissing off your potential customers?
There's a bar/restaurant nearby where loads of Republican signs have just appeared on the property. Known locally as a redneck place, but still...I hear their food is good but now I will *never* try the place.

[luv_mykatz]

15. Sounds like some stragegically applied duct tape could help.

Me, to rental folks: "Gee...I have no idea how that tape got there. Must've happened while the car was parked overnight in the hotel lot?".

A friend of mine always did refer to Thrifty as Shifty.

[silvershadow]

17. I have always used Alamo or Enterprise. I'm pretty sure Paladino doesn't own the whole company, so

I still can't understand why they would allow this. I can't imagine taking a car back to a different location with that on there and not being charged. Great idea about the duct tape.

[Heywood J]

18. Ah, Carl. Where would WNY be without you?

I don't know a single person who has even ambivalent feelings about him.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/11/03/pondering-paladinos-next-move

As he brandished the baseball bat he had said was a metaphor “for the people who want to take their government back,” Paladino on Tuesday issued both an offer and a threat to the Democrat who defeated him, Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo: “You can grab this handle and bring the people with you to Albany, or you can leave it untouched and run the risk of having it wielded against you.”

“Because make no mistake,” the tea party-backed candidate added, “you have not heard the last of Carl Paladino.”
<...>
Paladino has made it clear that he has no intention of seeking office again, calling his campaign for governor “very treacherous.”

[RomneyLies]

19. I travel a lot for business and rent a lot of cars

Thrifty Rental has had a lot of my business in the past.

I will never again rent any Thrifty car when I travel. I don't care if it's a franchise doing this. Thrifty must suffer nationally for this idiocy.

[TeamPooka]

20. complain to Thrifty about the franchise owner and he will pay....

Thrifty won't like this.

[silvershadow]

21. I'm thinking they will yank his contract. nt

[Fawke Em]

22. And I bet they're placed on non-American cars, too.

Idiot (Carl Paladino).