Quick review of the facts: Had a Hertz rental, through Priceline, March 10-13. Was booked to rent and return at TUC airport. Airline routing was SJC-PHX--TUC and return TUC-PHX-SJC. Except the return didn't happen as expected. Got call early AM 3/13 from AA telling us flight TUC-PHX was delayed 1.5 hrs due to mechanical prob of incoming from PHX to pick us up to go back to PHX, If we miss the connection form PHX there was no hope for a flight to SJC, by any carrier, eve until the next day. Had to get to SJC evening of 3/13 to cover our trauma center.

So, agent of AA said: "if you have a rental car, haul your A** to PHX and make your connection that way". That advice worked. Problem was, when we checked in car at PHX, a swarm of attendants (something I have never seen) got on the car and rubbed all over the windshield. I asked the guy at the head of the line for my receipt, which AA told me to send to them for reimbursement of the increased drop charge. The guy says "I already have you checked in". On the check-in slip was a charge for $25.00 due to windshield damage--"chipped windshield". I asked what that could be and they showed me a microscopic (not making this up) area on the right lateral windshield in the darkness of the return garage. I protested that there was no way we did that. 5 different Hertz people came up to me and told me to suck it up---it's only $25.00. I said "no way, we didn't do this", and were never given an opportunity by either Hertz or us to prove it either way when we got the car to rent.

I'v e rented hundreds, if not thousands, of cars before and never seen this one. I have been a Hertz Gold for decades, although this one was a Priceline. Needless to say, I cancelled all my outstanding Hertz rentals and will never rent from Hertz again. I disputed it with my Visa card intermediary.

I've never gotten much sympathy from Flyertalk posts in the past, and am not expecting much, but I wonder how some might view this and whether they have had to deal with this one in the past. May wife and I walk around all the time with new car rentals. We have never had to go over windshields and rub all over them, and take photos.

Hertz is a big boy and has gotten in the news of late coming after customers, and siccing the law after them, for its own screw ups in car returns (read USA Today and WSJ--they were dragging past customers out in the handcuffs). Why would they alienate good customers to scam them out of $25 windshield claims?

Thanks