aviator4512

First of all, I am going to submit a bit of rant and deservedly so. To preface, I am PC with Hertz and used to be one of their biggest supporters (Hertz Hub, etc) until things started coming unraveled over the last year or so. I will leave my other issues aside to showcase the latest great perk of being so loyal to Hertz - being sent to collections for something I had nothing to do with!

I flew into Miami in May and was assigned a Cadillac CTS 2-dr, however, I upgraded (PAID) to an E350 convertible for the one-way up to Daytona Beach. The 3-day trip was uneventful and enjoyed the car. Fast forward to this weekend: I arrive into town after traveling on business all week and open my mail which is usually a bunch of junk, but find a letter from Viking Client Services stating that I have a past due balance of roughly $1700. I was very confused as to why I was receiving this and had to wait until this morning to figure it out - I thought it might be a scam! Guy at VCS was very nice and gave me what limited info he had. I had to spend several hours and go through various Hertz phone numbers to actually get someone on the phone (Go figure!). The claims rep from Hertz stated that I damaged a Red CTS which is the vehicle I never took and she said she would e-mail the collections agency to put this all to bed. Funny I never received ANYTHING from Hertz in regards to this issue since I rented the car 2 months ago and they just threw me under the bus to their collections firm.

I am floored at the sloppiness of Hertz internal processes and very frustrated with Hertz as a whole. The customer service I have received lately has been extremely poor and while I was only half way out the door before after switching some of my business to National, I am now fully out the door. I'll take my thousands of dollars of business to someone else until Hertz finds a way to make it up to me.

Anybody else need to vent this morning?

Aviator

COSPILOT

My coworkers are expressing frustrations with Hertz, including something like a chip in the windshield and demanding the cost of replacement be covered by us. Short of spending a lengthy time covering every square inch of the car, it's not practical to do so for picking up and dropping off. I have shifted all of my rentals to National because of the degradation of Hertz. I have locations I travel to where Hertz is the only option, but thankfully they are franchise locations that treat me very well.

I do hope Hertz finds a way to come around and become the world class rental company they used to be, until then I will do what's best for me using National every time I can.

sbagdon

Guess the question is... does Hertz have to contact you first, or can they just sell the receivable without first-contact, and wash their hands of this?

If Hertz did the analytics, and figured out that it cost them more to collect (before selling the receivable) then they were collecting, there's nothing stopping them from adopting this business process.

Yet if they did, and don't even offer a first-contact, then that business practice might come to haunt them later (good-will, etc).

Mike Rivers

I used to be a regular with Hertz when I was traveling for the gov't (they had a contract). When I retired and started watching my expenses, initially (like 10 years ago) I continued using Hertz since they were only a couple of bucks more per day than other rentals. In the past couple of years, though, I've found that I can rate perfectly reasonable cars from other agencies for about half the Hertz price. What I miss is the speed of getting in and out, but when there's no need to rush (as there rarely is these days when I travel) I'm happy to save the bucks. Hertz really has to try harder.

But aside from that, check with the credit rating services to be sure that you don't have a ding from this experience. I once had a collection agency after me for a $30 radiologist's bill from a hospital stay because his billing service kept billing me rather than billing my health insurer (who was perfectly willing ot pay the bill). In a year and a half, they never got it right and eventually dropped the collection. When I checked my credit score, I found that one of the agencies had lowered me because of this. It took just a simple e-mail to get my rating restored, but I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't checked. You should check yours, too.

adpucci

you do realise this also goes on your credit rating file?

mapsmith

Seems like this is becoming a more common occurrence. It appears that there are companies out there that have convinced most of the Car Rental Companies that they are "leaving money on the table" by not pursuing damages on rental cars. I have heard of this from Hertz, Enterprise (possibly the worst offender), National, Budget, and Thrifty.

This includes the infamous "loss of use" clauses when the car is in the shop for repair.

However, looking at many of the cars that I have rented, if the rental car company is receiving funds for repair of "damage", they do not apparently actually repair the damage.

I have had letters for parking tickets assigned to my rental for a period three weeks AFTER the rental.

The $1700.00 charge might be a good candidate for a class action against this type of 'trolling for payment' schemes.

pkincy

Just think how good that Branch Manager looks this quarter if he billed $1700 to everyone he rented a CTS to that day. I am surprised they didn't simply bill your CC and let you find the error.

beg3yrs

This is a simple one. You send the collection agency a note explaining it is not your debt as you did not rent that car. At that point it is up to the collection agency to prove it is your debt. Until they can do that, they must drop the action.

It's a PITA, I agree.

gnaget

Avis is not much better. I rent a car in DC. I get a PA reg white VW. I drove nearly 300 miles. I return the car and the worker seemed really incompetent. I had to remind him what he was doing as he lost focus in the middle. So I get the receipt and it says that I had a black Mitsubishi (also with PA plates) that traveled 60 miles and it applied an automatic low mileage fuel charge. I told him to correct it, but I was in a hurry, so all he did was remove the extra charge.

I also noticed that the registration (or is it just inspection in PA?) on the windshield had been scraped off and re-attached, which is probably prohibited. I am guessing that they are up to some shenanigans with the registration.

Then I get an e-toll notification. So the black Mitsubishi had driven on the Dulles toll road while I was in rural central VA.

This made me realize the importance of checking the car details more closely at pick-up and drop-off. What if the black Mitsubishi had been in an accident or God Forbid killed or injured someone and hit-and-run?

But what kind of incompetence or possibly games are these car rental companies up to? Possibly scraping off registration and applying to another car??

TomBrady

Sue the .......s

flyzabit

Absolutely about Enterprise. However, they now "share" their "blacklist" with National, which probably also means Alamo.

My spouse is a corporate pilot. As a regular into a lesser-known airport in Arkansas without commercial service, he rented a car over night. It was returned before the office opened the next morning. He was charged with damaging the car, which both he and his copilot claimed he did not do. It took four months for him to get photos from them, or any "proof" of the damage. He sent letter after letter to Enterprise. His jet charter company refused to cover it, and do battle for him. Finally, then dunned his AmEx -- and BLACKLISTED him. Of course, the other major-name rental agency gets his business there - and everywhere else.

He was a regular renter with them before - but not after this.
Yes, I told him to get get a lawyer...

Does anyone have any answers to get off their list? Stop the lies?

flyzabit

My husband did that for Enterprise - see previous post - but they did not. They collected on his AmEx.
AmEx sided with Enterprise, not him.

woodway

After a similar situation with a different rental company several years ago, I now take photos of the car I rent before driving it off the lot and then again when I return it.

marquiss22

I had this happen to me with Hertz (I am PC). I rented from a regional airport and it was a HLE. I rented a car and returned it with no damages. 2 months later I received a notice from a collections company (I can't remember which one) saying I damaged the car and I owed $2,000. I was livid.......there was no damage when I returned the car. My company insurance company is still fighting it 8+ months later. When the HLE sent the "proof" of damages it was hilarious, they only had pictures after the car had been "repaired". Go figure..........

No more Hertz for me, I now rent National or Enterprise and love it. I called Hertz when I received the letter and was told I would be contacted about this matter (I never heard back from anyone, although I called repeatedly about the issue).

2old4coach

It takes me seconds to take photos of the car with an I phone. I do it at the Hertz return and in the canopy when I check out.

I also take pictures of the car when I pick it up if there is even the hint of damage or previous repair. If you rent a AWD be sure to look under the vehicle to see if there is under car damage. Also if you see any interior damage take a photo.

Don't be suckered by the agent on the canopy drive out saying the damage is it is OK because you are covered by your Amex! You will be charged!
It takes seconds to document and saves hour latter. Have the drive out agent sign the damage diagram or go back to the office!

A note: Not all Hertz Franchises are bad but there seems to be some bad ones.

BEWARE OF ENTERPRISE THEY ARE THE WORST!!! At most locations near you!