I feel for you OP. I am also a PC member and have gotten similar experience in several instances. In one situation, I received a bill about 5-6 months after the rental, from the Oklahoma recovery team, for damages I did not cause. The minor damage they referred to, was pre-existing. Fortunately, I am one of those meticulous ones that took pictures at rental and return time. After I presented the pictures to the recovery team representative, she uttered that she can't believe I kept that good records and she now has to find someone else to send the bill to and she will just go to previous renter.

This is the dirty trick of the rental car industry - they will bill whomever they can until they find someone who is not in a position to defend him/herself. I have had coworkers who had similar issues.

If you have picture proof, then it's the best option. Otherwise, you are doing the exact steps raising this issue as I would. If you returned the car via an agent, then it's up to him/her to find the issue at the time the contract is closed. Is he/she didn't noted these issues, then Hertz can't prove you did the damage. Believe you me, I have witness Hertz employees damage cars when they move the car around in the lot and they never pull the damaged car out of the fleet, and the cars are immediately being rented.

Also, it's would good to find the rental activities before and after your rental, on the same car. I have heard one friend that caught a discrepancy of the repair invoicing date and the so claimed "loss of revenue" during the repair period.

Something you can do to protect yourself - you should insist on filing out the Pre-Rental Vehicle Inspection Form and note every tiny issue, including common scratch on the bumper. You should see my forms, they are full of D(ent) and S(cratch) notations. As you've noted, most rental cars have scratches and small dents - it's just the nature of rental cars. This form will protect you from any overzealous attempts to blame you for the damage. Rental agents usually hate when I take the time to note the damages and hold up the line but Hertz's business policy/conduct (as in your case) forced customers like me to take extra steps to protect ourselves...

Best of luck to you!