Hertz - Bad experience... fuel charge ($109), returned with full filled

I haven't been used Hertz for a while.
Recently I rented a car at PIT for four days and returned
with gas fully filled. When I returned, the representative did not take a look at the gas level and go to the other cars followed. He didn't even give me a receipt for the bill (which I normally receive after the representative inspect the car <fuel, condition, etc> at other rental company).

I just found my credit card statement and was shocked at their fuel charge $109 (for reference, My four day rental was $96 total). I did complain it to the customer service and they gave me a credit right away. But, they said that they don't know what happened. Maybe I need to contact PIT location.

I am wondering how often this happens at Hertz. I am very disappointed at their service and absurd charges.

First, they should check the fuel level (as well as other conditions of the car) in front of me at the time of rental and indicate if the fuel was not filled. <I did filled the tank on the way to retun> .

Second, how does the fuel charge come at $109? I saw that their gas rate was $2.01 at the time of rental. It doesn't absoulutely make sense.

Given the bad experience, is there a way to complain this to their corporate office? I am really mad at their poor service.

Mistakes happen. It seems as soon as you complained they took the charge off.
I rent from the PIT location often and while it's not a perfect Hertz location its not terrible, either. As per how they came up with $109, if they marked off that you did not fuel the car at all, they charge based per mile, not per gallon. So Hertz (initially) probably charged you for more than one tankful since the computer is not smart off to realize that you can't drive so many miles and get the car back to them without putting at least SOME gas in it :)

Second, how does the fuel charge come at $109? I saw that their gas rate was $2.01 at the time of rental. It doesn't absoulutely make sense.

I can guarantee you the gas rate $2.01 only if you prepaid for the tank, which you obviously did not do.

The going rate for gas these days is $5.00+.

...He didn't even give me a receipt for the bill ...
Did you not ask for a receipt?
I am wondering how often this happens at Hertz.
Never happened to me before in 200+ rentals.
... how does the fuel charge come at $109?...
The $109 charge is the fuel capacity, listed on your rental agreement, multiplied by their penalty gas rate, also listed on your rental agreement . As someone posted already, usually around $5 / gallon. Believe it or not, that's a normal amount from most rental companies.

most rental companies on rental check in have a remote controlled device and printer that scans the car. Then the agent inputs the mileage and gas level. My experience is that if you accidentally put "no" on the "did you fill up gas" question, it will not even prompt to ask you if the car is full.

Second point, at avis where I work, I notice a good 10% of people, esp perferred service (gold is the hertz equivalent) drop their car, make contact with the agent, then do everything in their power to start walking to the shuttle or terminal expecting everything to be taken care of for them because they are "perferred/gold". Some people REFUSE to walk into the counter to return the car (if there are no agents outside) on principal. silly. However this mindset tends to have them running before they get the reciept and see what the actual charges. Most locations have the agent review the charges with you to make sure everything looks right. if not, its better customer service wise to fix it right then and there. It is my firm suggestion to never walk away from any rental return, regardless of the company, unless you have the reciept in hand and have verified the correctness of the charge. The only exception would be if you had the prepaid gas option already paid for and you have a credit card that has a very high limit to soak up changes. Upon landing at your destination, you can hit the terminal counter of the rental car company and through your reservation or original rental agreement can look up what the charges added up to. If its wrong, then call the 800 number, explain what happened and they will work to correct it immediately.

This is why I reccomend ALWAYS keeping your rental agreement.




Did you not ask for a receipt?

Never happened to me before in 200+ rentals.

The $109 charge is the fuel capacity, listed on your rental agreement, multiplied by their penalty gas rate, also listed on your rental agreement . As someone posted already, usually around $5 / gallon. Believe it or not, that's a normal amount from most rental companies.

You should have asked for a receipt there and then, kthan. By not doing so, you opened yourself up to this kind of problem.

When using Hertz Rapid Return (where the agent comes to you at the car), they have always checked the fuel level with the mileage (and most of the time they ask me if I have filled the car), verbally confirm the price they will charge (so I know if the forgot to apply a coupon) and handed me a receipt.

Thanks for your posts.
Yes, I should have receive the receipt. But, the representative never came back even if I spent almost 20 minutes to unload our stuff (we had a lot of stuff, including two car seats). Also, I did not have much time to check-in. I was not obligated to wait to get the receipt for unusally long time. I should have asked him when he quickly check my vehicle (less than 20 sec. never been asked about gas. did not have a time to talk to him). But I didn't and he never return until I leave.

For others who return the car around the same time (almost 10 or more cars returned before and after mine), they are just gone right away as if everything is done.

Probably, this happens because I did not realize this problem could happen at Herz where I thought I can receive better customer-friendly service.

...

Probably, this happens because I did not realize this problem could happen at Herz where I thought I can receive better customer-friendly service.

You said that they fixed the mistake right away after you contacted them. Other than getting it right the first time, how could they be more customer-friendly?

When I use the "express" return service, where you fill out the mileage and put the keys in a drop-box, or when the instant return machines have been broken, I always end up with big fuel charges on my mailed bill.

It is annoying, to be sure, and raises questions about whether this is a sneaky way for them to earn more revenue, but Hertz has always fixed the problem, no questions asked, when I complain--and usually throws in a couple $10 coupons, too.

The issue does not overwhelm the other advantages of using Hertz, in my opinion.

In my experience, using Express Return results in fuel charges over 3/4 of the time--even though I always return the car with a full tank. As previous posters said, though, an email to Customer Service never fails to correct the problem.

I agree with the posters about express return. It's definitely a Hertz scam, so much so that I take photographs if there's no attendant.

When the handheld computer is broken, I like to set up the Hertz employees. I get any random employee to write down my mileage/fuel level on my contract, document their name, then drop it in the box or go inside.

Then I can watch the bogus charges come on, then nail them even harder because they're the ones who documented it. :)

I agree with the posters about express return. It's definitely a Hertz scam, so much so that I take photographs if there's no attendant.

When the handheld computer is broken, I like to set up the Hertz employees. I get any random employee to write down my mileage/fuel level on my contract, document their name, then drop it in the box or go inside.

Then I can watch the bogus charges come on, then nail them even harder because they're the ones who documented it. :)


that's just spiteful and the bit about 'hertz scam'.... could be libelous!

that's just spiteful and the bit about 'hertz scam'.... could be libelous!
That's OK, maybe all the "scamming" will be targeted at those who are looking for it. ;)

We only rent from Hertz and typically 30-40 days per year and I've never had this experience in the 6 years I've used Hertz exclusively. Only mistake they ever made was to not apply a coupon on a drop-box return. CS took care of it with one phone call.

Perhaps a recitation of stations might be in order so we can avoid the problem ones. Stations I've used (and can remember) are FAT (numerous times per year, with drop-box), SFO, SEA, ORD, TPA, MIA, IAH, BNA, LIH, HNL ....

Pat

I always try to avoid express return of any kind at any rental. It seems like it leads to problems. I would also keep a receipt of the fuel fill ups in case of express return as well. Taking pictures also works. Its really sad that we have to resort to this sort of thing.

I cannot recall the last time I had an erroneous fuel charge added when I filled up the rental car. I will say that I recall this happening once or twice in the past 16 years of travel. However, I also recall that I caught this at the time of return and had the charges reversed at the return counter. When possible, I always get the rental receipt. The exception is when the rental center is not open when I am scheduled to fly out. I have never had Hertz (for express return) add the fuel replacement charge when I filled the car in the first place, never. I require a receipt for expense reimbursement so I have made it a habit to receive a receipt in hand (or faxed to me).

If people do not want to obtain a receipt at the time of return and the rental return center is open, that is their choice. If the error is corrected later upon realizing that the error was made, I cannot understand the desire to complain about the charge. The OP should have asked for a receipt which would have brought the error to light.

You said that they fixed the mistake right away after you contacted them. Other than getting it right the first time, how could they be more customer-friendly?

If Hertz is responsible for a mistake that the customer must take time to follow up to correct, I would expect to be offered some token offer as a sign of contrtition. Perhaps a $20 voucher good on the next rental just to say they're sorry they screwed up and forced the customer to follow up.

The Hertz Fuel and Service Scam is calculated and predictable. I've caught it at three airports, and I've had a long conversation with Hertz about it every time they pull it on me. It happened again a couple weeks ago, and just this afternoon I emailed the following to the hertzexecutives@hertz.com address. You might chime in there about this true problem. In short, they trigger fuel charges based not on the act of putting fuel in your car but based on the lack of your explicitly telling them it is full. Here's what I wrote them today:

Hertz:

It's ironic that your customer relations group considers it "a gesture of goodwill" to refund money that you scam from your customers, as discussed in the CR file in the below email. I've had a long correspondence with Michelle Boyd over several months regarding your billing irregularity best called the Hertz Fuel and Service Scam. You trigger exorbitant fuel charges based not on whether you actually put gas in a vehicle but based on whether the customer explicitly reported their fuel to be full. Such a refund seems less like goodwill and more like a smiling thief returning stolen property--and getting off without punishment.

Especially with regard to the Hertz Fuel and Service Scam, Hertz appears to be another fine example of a corporation putting systems in place to exploit customers rather than treat them with respect. You obfuscate your processes and communication to keep the scam alive while dodging accountability. See my history of emails with Michelle. Three times I've explicitly asked her whether she's familiar with the Hertz Fuel and Service Scam. She has never acknowledged that question. Certainly she is familiar with it. The first time I brought it up, I gave links to three postings on epinions.com of your customers who had experienced this scam several times.

True good will would be to change your unethical--though perhaps legal--system so that it would attempt to bill customers fairly instead of billing them in a way to maximize exploitation. The use cases in which a customer gets screwed by you through this scam are way too easy for customers to fall into. I work for a software company. If any of us here persisted in not fixing code that allowed a common usage scenario to result in the user essentially falling into a trap, then we would get fired. But apparently Hertz keeps the trap alive; the financial model of this is simply too compelling. Two of those use cases:

* I arrive at an airport dropoff at 5pm on a Friday. Your staff are unable to promptly process my return. There's a wait of seven cars ahead of me, and I'm late for my flight. I know if an employee were at my car to process my return, they would give me a receipt, look at the full fuel, and wish me a good day. So I simply rush to my flight. Later, you process the car without looking at the gas. You note that I've driven 100 miles, then bill my credit card an extra $40 for gas. I don't notice that you billed me something different than the ever shifting quoted rate. I submit my expense report to my company, and you've won.

* I arrive at the airport dropoff at 3:30am on a Tuesday. I see no one yet to process the car. I again assume the the process is the same as it is on Friday afternoons--someone will process the car. And again I assume that if I leave my car, you'll process it correctly and honestly when your staff arrives.

Yes, you can educate me if I later complain so that I'll know how to avoid the trap in the future. But you've designed the trap and you intend to use it. Were this not the case, you would trigger a fuel charge based the occurance of an action--Hertz putting fuel in a vehicle--rather than based on the absense of an action--the customer explicitly stating the vehicle is full.

An isolated scam? No. I've been the victim of this in at least three airports. Well, you must know this practice. If you didn't, then your customer relations staff would say so. It's a scummy busines practice. If Hertz executives weren't shielded from these messages by apologist flacks, then perhaps they would consider forcing change. It's hard to fight the hand of the mighty dollar though. You're motivated to create shareholder value, and you deemphasize honesty and true customer care. It's customer relations you do after all, right? Strategy rather than care.

Not deceived, not impressed, not someone you should be alienating,

AAT
President's Circle, #1 Club Gold
Member No. 12xxxx89

I agree with the posters about express return. It's definitely a Hertz scam, so much so that I take photographs if there's no attendant.


If I need to document the scam, I can go to my online credit card statement and show them that the day of the return I put gas in the car. But seriously, they know all about this scam, so they won't resist when you tell them they've inflicted it on you.