Originally Posted by
euges116
Well, to be fair, the scratch was not there when I rented it. It was an absolutely brand new car, I was the first person to drive it apparently. As I understand it, in the Americas, minor scratches aren't considered -- I've returned cars with minor dents and scratches and have never been charged. I also understand that in Europe, car rental agencies really inspect the car upon return in every detail. I truly think that the "damage" that I caused in this case wouldn't be considered worthy by a Hertz in the USA. But alas, this is Europe. I guess I'll just claim it off my credit card insurance. I'm definitely writing a letter to Hertz about the guy's behaviour and raising the price from 50 to 120. Although I don't have any proof like a sound recording, that really is the part that made me the most angry. What Hertz does, if they do something, obviously is beyond my control.
So are you more upset about the damage you caused or the way you were treated? It seems like both, and I'm not sure that's how I would proceed with any communication higher.
The shake down? Yes, by all means, report it. Sounds like the guy was going to get 50 Euro out of you, you correctly balked, and that should be brought to someone's attention.
But I'd take the opposite approach on the damage. You damaged the car, and even admitted it. I know you argued fair wear and tear on location, but without pictures that’s an argument that will be hard to win. As an aside, damage to the cap doesn’t sound like wear that would occur from normal usage. Sounds to me like you hit and/or scraped a curb.