Screwed by Hertz

AcroBoy said:
I do not make a distinction between a local franchise or a national branch- it still said Hertz at the counter. It is the Hertz reputation that gets damaged by these practices.
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Correct, which is why you should complain to Hertz corporate and give them a chance to make it right. They can't fix things they don't hear about. 12 years ago I would have given you a phone number to call that would have hooked you up with a lady that would not only have made this go away, but would have apologized and given you some freebie rental. Alas, Susie has retired which sucks for me because I used to get free cars where ever I traveled with just one phone call....
 
I've got a Hertz car in the lot here on Kauai. Gold #1, too. I'm not expecting any problems when I turn it in. Any received and I let them know that any further correspondence will include my company's travel department as I'm using the corporate negotiated rate (we're allowed to do this for personal travel) and they really don't want to mess with that account. Call Hertz HQ. I just got a problem with the Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale taken care of by including Marriott HQ in the correspondence. I learned as a kid to go straight to the top when dealing with a corporation. Anyone in between is a waste of your time.
 
Sent messages and filed complaints with BBB, SD AG office, and Hertz corporate. Any other places to notify to raise the visibility?
 
Henning said:
Hertz does not do this, a franchisee might. IIRC Rapid City is all franchisee. I would complain to Hertz corporate, the problem will probably go away. They have to verify damages in front of you as you check in. If they don't find them then, they can't prove it was you. That's why you always take a moment to do the walk around with them at pick up and drop off. Dispute any charges they put on your card. The quantity is low enough that they will have to go to small claims court, they will lose. At that point you sue them and Hertz corporate for costs, hassle and punitive damages for trying to perpetrate a fraud. You ought to be able to find a lawyer to take that on contingency.
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I'm also inclined to suspect this sort of nonsense from a franchisee rather than the parent company, which has deeper pockets, a lot of competition, and a lot riding on their name.

I don't rent cars very often -- maybe three or four times a year. But when I do need a rental car, I usually use Enterprise and make the reservation through their corporate office, precisely because of the way they handled an actual damage claim.

A truck in front of me shed a tire tread, and I couldn't avoid it because of traffic around me. So I took it in the front bumper. It was one of those wrap-around bumpers, so the whole nose had to be replaced and painted, along with a flap sort of thing under the bumper. I expected to be ripped off, but the bill came out to only about $475.00. There were no claims for lost rental time, administrative fees, or any of that other nonsense.

Now mind you, I've never had any problems with any rental car company, so I really can't say that Enterprise is any better than the rest of them. YMMV. But I do know that in a case where Enterprise could have taken me (or my insurance company) to the cleaners if they wanted to, they didn't. So I stick with them now.

-Rich
 
ScottM said:
hurts or hertz? :cornut::cornut:
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The thing about "loss of revenue" while the car was in the shop kinda bugs me. Is it not reasonable to expect vehicles to have some down time for maintenance and repairs, if your in the vehicle rental business?

This whole thing sounds bogus to me.

John
 
Wow! That is a bad experience and I hope you will prevail. My most pleasing experience with Hertz was in Boston, many years ago. I worked on the Hertz advertising jingle which was used in both radio and television flights(no pun intended).

"Let Hertz put youuuuuuuuuuuuu in the driver's seat ----------todayyyyyyy."

HR
 
Purco has been calling me on a daily basis and asking for the money. It is getting very annoying.
 
John Baker said:
The thing about "loss of revenue" while the car was in the shop kinda bugs me. Is it not reasonable to expect vehicles to have some down time for maintenance and repairs, if your in the vehicle rental business?

This whole thing sounds bogus to me.

John
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That's because it is bogus. Many insurance companies will pay for loss of revenue, but only if the rental company can show that their fleet utilization rate is at 95%. They usually require fleet logs to prove that.

Also, don't forget that Hertz is suffering from a financial point. They're losing market share and now they're trying to nickle and dime their customers. You can certainly call HQ, but I can almost guarantee you that you won't get anywhere. Their service has really gone downhill, even if you have VIP status with them.

-Felix
 
sba55 said:
You can certainly call HQ, but I can almost guarantee you that you won't get anywhere. Their service has really gone downhill, even if you have VIP status with them.

-Felix
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I disagree with you. This is almost certainly not Hertz screwing a customer, but is a local franchisee. Corporate can put a lot of pressure on the franchisee in order to protect the brand.
 
AcroBoy said:
Purco has been calling me on a daily basis and asking for the money. It is getting very annoying.
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Tell them to call your lawyer. Once clowns like this know you have representation, a lot of times they leave you alone.

What I did a few years ago works even better. I got a Magic Jack, connected it long enough to get a phone number, and that's the only phone number I give anyone except family, close friends, important clients, and a select few others.

Then I changed and unlisted my landline numbers, disconnected the Magic Jack, and haven't answered it since. Everyone goes to voice mail. I only plug the Magic Jack in when I want to make an outgoing call from that number to keep my "real" numbers off the records. (Toll-free numbers reveal the caller's number using ANI, even if you have Caller ID blocked.)

It's really a shame that you have to go to such extremes these days to avoid annoyance. But unfortunately, there's very little respect for privacy any more. I've found, for example, that stores that issue "loyalty cards" will almost invariably call to pitch products based on your purchase history, no matter how many times they promise that they won't. Credit card companies will call to pitch all sorts of useless services and add-ons. Cable television companies will call to sell you anything you're not already subscribed to. It never ends.

The Magic Jack costs about twenty bucks a year, and it stops all these headaches. (I'm also told that it's not a horrible service in its own right, although I really don't have a lot of experience actually using it.)

-Rich
 
AcroBoy said:
Purco has been calling me on a daily basis and asking for the money. It is getting very annoying.
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Then they're acting as a collection agency, and if they are a collection agency they have to abide by the various laws that govern same.

BTW, many insurance companies will not cover loss of use any more - based partly on the aggressive stance that companies like Purco and the rental companies take.... you're often on your own.
 
I'd figure out how much annoyance you're willing to put up with and how much your time is worth. Dell Financial really messed up and billed me for things that weren't accurate. We sent a certified settlement letter with payment, but it didn't stop them. Turned it over to an attorney wrote several regulatory agencies and BBB; attorney wrote a certified letter; didn't matter. They sold the receivable to more than one collection agency. We got calls for over a year; sometimes several times a day. We looked on line and there were many complaints. Talked to attorney about class action--they didn't want to fool with it. AG in Texas admitted they had settled with them once, but couldn't help me.
Sales people would still call and we'd tell them we would never do business with Dell again. They finally seem to have stopped but it was very annoying and they were completely wrong.

BBB was most disappointing. We wrote a complaint letter; once Dell responded, they considered it settled even though Dell never addressed the billing errors or check and letter stipulating them cashing the check was full settlement.

Best,


Dave
 
Dave Siciliano said:
BBB was most disappointing. We wrote a complaint letter; once Dell responded, they considered it settled even though Dell never addressed the billing errors or check and letter stipulating them cashing the check was full settlement.
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BBB is completely worthless. And companies know that....
 
AcroBoy said:
Sent messages and filed complaints with BBB, SD AG office, and Hertz corporate. Any other places to notify to raise the visibility?
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newspapers. might as well use their demonic powers to your advantage.
 
Jim,
Did you rent from Hertz through an FBO? or use AOPA's or EAA discount number? Would a call to the FBO manager, or an associations member's services department lead to a call on your behalf, from them to their Hertz Corporate representative?
 
JeffDG said:
Or ABA because it's lawyers...oh wait, that one probably is...
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LOL but a good point. There are often industry groups that are funded by members who have a vested interest. A good example would be the AOPA which is funded by pilots and other aviation interests. Does not make them a scam.

Now if someone wants to raise an issue on whether the BBB is effective at keeping business honest by being a self policing group, well that is a horse of a different color.
 
ScottM said:
How does that make it a scam? Is the AMA a scam because it is funded by members who are doctors?
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That's not an apt analogy. The sole goal of the AMA is not to promote the fictional integrity of its members. The BBB, on the other hand, is there for exactly this purpose, with some sugar sprinkled on top to distract from that purpose.

Whenever a company(ies) set up an organization to promote their own integrity, it's almost always a marketing ploy.

-Felix
 
RJM62 said:
Tell them to call your lawyer. Once clowns like this know you have representation, a lot of times they leave you alone.

What I did a few years ago works even better. I got a Magic Jack, connected it long enough to get a phone number, and that's the only phone number I give anyone except family, close friends, important clients, and a select few others.
...
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Now you can buy a number from Skype or get a free one from Google Voice.
 
Jim, I rented at the apt and not through the fbo after I learned the same car through the apt was a lot less, like well over a hundred for the week. The main terminal was walking distance from the fbo. I will probably get stuck paying, since I do not have any recourse. I bargained down to around 3/4 tank of LL equivalent.
 
AcroBoy said:
Jim, I rented at the apt and not through the fbo after I learned the same car through the apt was a lot less, like well over a hundred for the week. The main terminal was walking distance from the fbo. I will probably get stuck paying, since I do not have any recourse. I bargained down to around 3/4 tank of LL equivalent.
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I'm baffled here. Why would you pay something that is clearly bogus? You don't need any recourse; just say "no" and sue me if you want money. This isn't very complicated.

Btw., whether or not you rented from the FBO has no bearing on this whatsoever.

-Felix
 
sba55 said:
I'm baffled here. Why would you pay something that is clearly bogus? You don't need any recourse; just say "no" and sue me if you want money. This isn't very complicated.

Btw., whether or not you rented from the FBO has no bearing on this whatsoever.

-Felix
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There was likely an arbitration clause, and guess who buys the arbiter... i mean "pays for" the arbiter..
 
Doggtyred said:
There was likely an arbitration clause, and guess who buys the arbiter... i mean "pays for" the arbiter..
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In many states (including California, btw.), binding arbitration is not actually binding, ie. it is generally unenforceable. I don't know about the state where this happened.

Either way, you can still file a small claims case. Just the act of doing this will most likely make them **** up.

-Felix
 
Just wondering, I've been looking for a new business Credit Card. Some claim to provide damage waiver coverage if you pay for the rental with their card. Has anyone actually benefited by this CC damage waiver coverage? In other words, can you just send the damage bill to the CC company?
 
skidoo said:
Just wondering, I've been looking for a new business Credit Card. Some claim to provide damage waiver coverage if you pay for the rental with their card. Has anyone actually benefited by this CC damage waiver coverage? In other words, can you just send the damage bill to the CC company?
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I just made a claim today to Chase. I'll let you know how it works out. The CSR was pretty helpful and said that I am covered. I rented a car about a week ago and the bumper was hit while parked in a hotel parking lot.

I also know a guy who totaled a Hertz car and I believe the company AMEX paid it off.
 
skidoo said:
Just wondering, I've been looking for a new business Credit Card. Some claim to provide damage waiver coverage if you pay for the rental with their card. Has anyone actually benefited by this CC damage waiver coverage? In other words, can you just send the damage bill to the CC company?
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Never had to make a claim for a rental car on my AmEx, but everything else I've used it for they've resolved without issue.
 
Just curious...any chance the damage was pre-existing when you got the car and you didn't notice it? Any chance the damage was to a different car?

This does stink to high heaven. Don't pay. Don't take their calls. If you have a lawyer friend, maybe for a few bucks they'll write a "go pound sand" letter. It'll go away.

Signed,
Involuntary veteran of Belvoir's "north shore collection agency" routine
 
I did go over the vehicle first. They claimed damage to the fender in the wheel well. I looked at their crappy photos, but could not appreciate anything visible. They claimed $450 in repairs, which is essentially nothing these days. I certainly did not pound into anything, but the car was parked in a hotel lot of for a few days. However, just before return I hand washed the car (to avoid their arbitrary excess dirt clause), and in doing so certainly did not see any damage.
 
AcroBoy said:
I did go over the vehicle first. They claimed damage to the fender in the wheel well. I looked at their crappy photos, but could not appreciate anything visible. They claimed $450 in repairs, which is essentially nothing these days. I certainly did not pound into anything, but the car was parked in a hotel lot of for a few days. However, just before return I hand washed the car (to avoid their arbitrary excess dirt clause), and in doing so certainly did not see any damage.
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The damage (if any) sounds more like mechanical failure than "collision damage" and a careful read of the contract might find some wiggle room there. I could be wrong, but I don't believe you are responsible for flat tires for instance unless you drive the wrong way over the rental lot's one way grates.
 
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