Hertz - Return rental car without checking in

I'm curious about what happens if you return a rental car to Hertz without checking it back in, either through the EZ Returns person roaming the lot, at the counter, or in a drop box. I.E. pull into the returns line, leave the keys and just walk away.

I'm guessing this happens a lot. I was in DFW Friday afternoon and there must have been at least 40 cars/people waiting to get checked in.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=445224

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=445224

Thanks for the link; I've read that thread previously and understand that this will open up the door to all kinds of "billing" errors or scams.

I'm more interested in if the car actually gets checked back in, or if it'll look like the car never returns. From my observation it looks like the express people check the cars in and another group of people jump in the cars and drive them away to be serviced. However it doesn't look like they coordinate in anyway, so how's the runner to know that the car was never checked in?

I've done it a few times - oddly enough, mostly at DFW on Friday afternoons. With Hertz, I've never had a problem. The car definitely gets checked in, although the concern about gas charges is certainly a valid one. I always closely checked the receipts when I got them in the mail the next week.

I wouldn't make a habit of abandoning the car without getting a receipt: for one thing, you can double-check right there your rate, coupon, miles/points credit, and make sure there aren't any extra charges.

Funny we are talking about DFW. I was running late on a Thursday afternoon last May in DFW and left my car with keys. When I went online to get a receipt a few weeks later, it gave me an error message, and when I called in they said the rental was not closed out, but the car had since been rented so they closed out the rental at my stated time of return.

So it was a bit of a hassle to fix, but given the DFW facility is secure (i.e. you can't leave the facility without a contract), there really is no risk to just leaving the car. That said, they should try to increase staffing - especially on the return lane - during peak periods, altho I'm sure this is easier said than done.

Even if you are in a critical hurry, why wouldn't you use the drop box? At least that way, you know that they will check it in.

Even if you are in a critical hurry, why wouldn't you use the drop box? At least that way, you know that they will check it in.

No kidding -- it takes all of 15 seconds to write down the fuel level and mileage on the contract and there's never a line at the drop box.

Moreover, if push comes to shove and there's a dispute about the return details, you can at least honestly say you followed one of the Hertz-approved methods for returning the car.

I dump and run frequently at MSP, where Hertz seems woefully understaffed every rush hour. I haven't noticed any unusual charges but would gladly place a dispute with Amex if I encountered any.

I dump and run frequently at MSP, where Hertz seems woefully understaffed every rush hour.

Maybe they just move slowly in the cold weather...

:D

Even if you are in a critical hurry, why wouldn't you use the drop box? At least that way, you know that they will check it in.

As you may have guessed, my interest in this was more than just observing others... :) I did fill out the card with the intention of putting it in the drop box, but never saw one on the way out so I just kept on going right to the bus. Not sure if the drop box is "hiding" somewhere at DFW because its a consolidated rental center and not just Hertz.

Anyhow, my receipt is online and the only thing they did is charge me for gas and service, even though I refueled. Past experience had shown me that this is easy to fix with a quick e-mail to customer service so it shouldn't be a big deal.

One interesting note is the return time listed on the receipt is about 5 hours after I left the car.

So long story short it wasn't a problem but I wouldn't make a habit of it.

Have had to do the same at DTW when catching an early flight out. When you pull into the return lane the announcement tells you to leave the keys in the vehicle and note the milage and fuel levels and they will mail a reciept.

Of course every time I do this at Detroit, the return time is wrong, the tank isn't show as full , or something else is wrong. But a call to Customer Service always fixes the problem.