Originally Posted by
Elola
It wasn't a matter of comparing the reservation ID (which is different than the RR#--that's for the rental) on the rental to the reservation ID you had, it was a matter of comparing the price on your contract (which is in very bold print) with the price you were expecting to pay. I know that if I was expecting to have a $0 priced rental (there are no Hertz charges on rentals pre-paid through a 3rd party if you don't accept any additional services) and was handed a contract with any dollar amount, especially almost $800, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
I don't think anyone is saying you're 100% responsible nor that Hertz is 100% correct and no one will dispute that this has taken far longer than it should for you to get a resolution; it's just that posts like this that claim fraud, "ripping off", etc. are always met with skepticism. Hertz processes hundreds of thousands of rentals each day, if their processes were truly broken/illegal/fradulent, there would be far more publicity into that fact than the occasional post on an online forum, thus, we question hyperbole.
A main goal of this forum is to educate other renters, while you may have started this post to educate renters about fradulent practices by Hertz, its true value is to serve as another data point for the "verify your contract before you leave" practice.
+1 - As noted earlier, if OP would drop the entire "fraud" rubbish and others would stop egging him on by suggesting that his signature on a contract agreeing to pay a given dollar amount will somehow magically be overruled by a court, he could likely achieve a positive result.
Here, not only will he be dogged by a nearly $800 collection item, but if the item actually is sent off for collection, the damage to his credit can be significant and long-lasting.
This isn't about fault, it's about common sense.