Some people can get pretty specific with their requests. According to car rental agent and TikTok user Margaret (@margaretthelionheart), this specificity can extend to what color car renters want to lease out.
While most people approach a car rental service with an approximate idea of what kind of car they want, others come in knowing the exact car they desire—and get pretty upset if the car rental location doesn’t have it. In fact, according to Margaret, some people are so tied to their request that they’ll reject any rental car that is not in their desired color.
“I had this person come in. He’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m a totally chill person.’ And he refused the car because he doesn’t like black cars. And he doesn’t like gray cars. And he doesn’t like white cars,” Margaret recounts.
“Like, this is a rental place. What kind of car do you think I have?” she continues. “Hornet yellow? Arrest me red? You want ‘arrest me red,’ man?”
“Arrest me red” is a long-running joke amongst car enthusiasts that suggests people in bright red cars, which are perceived to be flashier, attract more attention—and thus, more tickets.
Someone actually tested this theory back in 2016. According to an article on Cleveland.com, a study analyzed more than 600,000 tickets to see if there was any correlation between car color and driver citations. Unfortunately for believers in the “arrest me red” theory, there was not, with ratios of ticket per color generally lining up the percentage of people who own that car color.
@margaretthelionheart I love my job I love my job I love my job… actually this was funny, so it's a wash #fyp #rentalcar #foryou #rental #foryoupage #customerservice ♬ original sound – Margaret the LionHea
According to Margaret, the man in question “eventually settled on a gray car because ‘that’s the best out of all the ones I don’t like, but I really didn’t want to have to take a car this color.’”
Margaret’s story is one of many car rental-related stories shared on TikTok. One user revealed her “horror story” with Alamo Rent a Car. Another TikToker and former Enterprise user offered viewers advice on how to get a free car upgrade. Additionally, some travelers arrived at their destination to find all cars booked—and so, they rented out a U-Haul.
The Daily Dot reached out to Margaret via TikTok comment.