notquiteaff

How on earth can their rental tracking system allow the creation of a new contract for a vehicle that isn’t showing as in their possession because the return process hasn’t been performed yet?

notquiteaff

Returned a car this morning at TPA. There was no employee in the return area other than some guy in a yellow vest directing arriving vehicles into lanes. Sign encouraged e-return (or whatever they call it). Leave car in vehicle, and we will email you the receipt.

Took a bunch of pictures of the vehicle from all angles and left key. 12 hrs later no email, no receipt in my account.

Sent DM to Hertz Twitter team with contract info and asked if it had been processed. Got this reply:

“Please allow 24-48 hours for the local team to properly inspect your vehicle, close out your contract, and email you the receipt. We appreciate your patience!”

newsmanhoss

Yikes. I'd try to contact the local office if you can find a phone number for them.

randix

I recently returned a Hertz rental on a Friday morning. Did the "photo" thingy, and reluctantly agreed to wait for the emailed receipt. No receipt was received. On Saturday I noticed there was a new pending authorized charge from Hertz for $100. On Sunday I noticed there was another $100 new pending authorized charge. I called on Monday and was advised the contract had not been closed out "because the vehicle was sent out for needed servicing" (???). They apologized, immediately sent me an emailed receipt and cancelled the new pending charges.

MojaveFlyer

I never feel comfortable in these situations where, during normal business hours, you're expected to just park the car and walk away from it. I can appreciate how there might be a queue of returning vehicles building up and staff temporarily overwhelmed, so offering that "express return" as an option, but at a quiet time of day? Seems penny pinching to not have a single staff person there to check cars back. Earlier this year I was returning a vehicle to SEA that had a nasty intermittent problem (the car computer would freak out, throw all sorts of error messages, and turn all all the safety features) and there was no one to report it to. Would have wanted to report it ("how was the car?") but no way, so unless it acted up while they drove it around the airport, the next renter got the same rather upsetting experience as I did. But as we know, customer service no longer matters much.

randix

I must say after an experience at Fox (I know, I know) many years ago, I'm reluctant when returning a car to report if the car did have any issues, fearing that yours truly will somehow get blamed for whatever issues I'm reporting (that happened to me at Fox, which took forever to rectify). Sad state of affairs. Or am I the only one that has lost that low level of trust... ???

notquiteaff

54 hrs after returning the most recent rental, still no email receipt from Hertz. I finally did find the receipt on the website, and they overcharged by about $60 (12%). Seems like the base rate is higher than on the reservation, which then also leads to higher fees and taxes. Nice.

The invoice shows the correct return date and roughly the correct return time. But the invoice date is today's date -- two days later. How did Hertz lose the ability to immediately invoice and charge for returned cars when they eliminated the staff doing the printed receipts on the mobile printers?

notquiteaff

78 hrs since I returned the car, and still no emailed receipt. Have they just stopped mailing receipts and expect everyone to find the receipt in their account?

But, I did just get a survey about the rental. That should be fun.

Herb687

Well this should be fun. My CEO returned a car I rented under my name to Hertz KBOS three days ago and no emailed receipt nor receipt available online nor Hertz points posting so it looks like the contract hasn't been closed out. Wonder if the car is sitting on a Hertz lot in East Boston or being taken out on joyrides.

This Hertz common practice of leaving return areas unstaffed has to end. I know enough to go to a human inside the rental car facility and demand a paper receipt, even at the risk of missing my flight. Unfortunately not everyone can be bothered with details like that.

Does anyone know of potential class actions related to Hertz tacking on extra charges due to returns not being closed out for days and days? I know there's been litigation mooted over the theft reports but this would be a different class of plaintiffs. I'd love to join fellow FTers in sticking it to Hertz.

At a minimum, is there a repository of individual station managers' direct phone numbers/email addresses?

Likely a feature, not a bug as far as Hertz is concerned. They want to tack on illegitimate charges for contract closeouts they're intentionally delaying.

Brighton Line

Better check your rearview mirror for flashing lights. You are right felony stops are not a fun experience.

Herb687

Just to follow-up on this and give partial credit where due - a receipt magically appeared several hours after I posted. And, surprisingly, the receipt was backdated to approximately the time my CEO said he returned the car. So no extra charges tacked on when all was said and done.

But, still:It would be so much easier for all parties concerned if Hertz would staff return areas and make it easy to get a receipt at time of return. Not doing so just frustrates and aggravates customers and likely makes things more difficult for Hertz in the long-run. Manual intervention to fix charges when they're erroneously applied costs Hertz time. And if they're doing it by design thinking a lot of people won't notice a bill has been run up, then they are exposing themselves to litigation.

On the same trip where my boss dropped off the Hertz car at BOS, I returned an Avis rental to PVD. Avis had a paper receipt printed for me before I even had my luggage out of the trunk.

The Mileage Millionaire

OP, I hope you look good in orange.

blufish312

Here's another data point - returned a car to SEA a week ago today. No receipt, no record of the rental in the app. Called in 2 days ago to customer support who gave me a number to the 'local location' and told me I would have to call them to ask them to close the rental out. Number ends up being the main number for the SeaTac airport. Call back in to Hertz support who tells me they'll have to email the branch and ask them to close it out and I should have a receipt within 48 hours.

Fast forward to today - 48 hours later - still nothing. Call back into Hertz customer service who gives me the same number for SeaTac that the original rep did. After explaining that I've already tried that, I'm on hold now while they try to find another number. I've explained that I can't submit an expense report for reimbursement until I have a reciept. I cannot imagine running a business like this.

*edit* I'm also currently in a Hertz rental...how can they allow you to have two rentals out in your name concurrently? National doesn't allow that.

blufish312

For anyone interested in an update- still no receipt from hertz or proof the rental was closed out, coming up on 3 weeks after return.

I’ve talked to 3 different reps on the customer service number who all told me they were emailing the local branch to close it out and I should have a receipt within 24 hours, which never happened.

I’ve even DMed on Twitter and had a conversation where I’ve provided the relevant details and been told I would hear back within 24 hours but still nothing. (3 days later)

Not sure what else I can do at this point. Can’t get reimbursed by my company without a receipt. Any advice?

notquiteaff

Did they charge your credit card? If you want to escalate it, dispute the amount since you weren’t provide a receipt documenting the final charge. Might end up with you on the DNR list. Or write to the CEO’s office. Or - if you work for a large enough company with a corporate contract for Hertz, get your travel procurement people involved.