Originally Posted by
luitje
Must be local culture; I had a similar experience with Avis in DXB.
have you shared your experience with Hertz? If so what was their reaction?
Avis simply forwarded my complaint to their outstation, saying they (US) have nothing to do with it. Obviously no reply from Dubai. Wonder if Hertz acts same way, taking no responsibility over the level of service from their subsidiaries in other countries.
I agree with you, I think it's something with the local culture. It was my first time in Dubai, and unfortunately, Hertz wasn't the only merchant I had issues with poor service and/or false charges onto my credit card for items that I never bought. Almost 75% of merchants that I gave business to during my stay had some sort of issue, including false charges days after I had already left Dubai. This ranged from my hotel, to the smallest item such as a cup of coffee at the Starbucks in DXB Airport on my way out (which btw, is also an "independent licensee").
Anyways back to Hertz, I haven't bothered to contact corporate about my experience. As in your situation, I expect they would simply forward to their independent licensee, who in return, would do nothing, or worse, tack on false charges onto my account that I really don't want to deal with.
It was a terrible experience, but at least they didn't end up charging me for more than I owe... so I'm kind of over it. Just wanted to post my experience here so that future visitors to DXB wishing to rent a car can hopefully avoid a similar situation. Leave no stone unturned during initial walkthrough and documentation...