Help! Hertz billed me $1,050 to repair a rental car I drove 7 months ago

Lori Gallant agrees that if a Hertz rental car was damaged while in her possession, she should pay the repair bill. Or at least her insurance company should. But the last time she rented from Hertz was in January. That makes the Vehicle Incident Report detailing her responsibility for repairing that car peculiar since Hertz created it in August.  

If my math is correct, that’s a full seven months after Gallant returned the rental car to Hertz.

Gallant says the date is not even the strangest part about that Vehicle Incident Report (VIR). Not even close. 

The biggest problem, according to this broadsided Hertz customer, is her electronic signature on the VIR. Hertz claims she signed it electronically and acknowledged responsibility for the damage to the car. 

Gallant believes someone at Hertz is fibbing, because she did not sign that document – electronically or any other way. And she certainly didn’t agree to pay $1,050 to replace a windshield in August on a rental car she drove in January. 

However, Hertz has issued a final deadline warning for Gallant to pay the $1,050 bill. If she doesn’t, the debt will go to collections and she’ll go to the Do Not Rent list. 

With nowhere else to turn, Gallant is hoping Consumer Rescue can convince Hertz that someone has made a “mistake.” She wants the car rental company to drop the charges and stop threatening her with the DNR list and collections.

But time is running out. 

Can our advocacy team rescue this consumer before it’s too late?

Taking a Hertz rental car on a sad journey

Last January, Gallant was faced with a terrible situation. Her sister, who was suffering from a terminal illness thousands of miles away, was reaching the end. Gallant needed to urgently get to her sibling’s side. So, she quickly booked a flight from Boston to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and reserved a Hertz rental car.

Gallant knew it would be a sad journey and she emotionally prepared herself as best she could. As she landed at DFW,  she was preoccupied with thoughts of her sister. There was a sense of urgency,  because Gallant knew her sibling’s time was limited. 

Making her way to the Hertz counter, Gallant rushed through the process.

“I just wanted to get in the rental car and start driving,” Gallant recalled. 

Unfortunately, that pressing desire to quickly get going caused Gallant to skip the pre-rental inspection of the vehicle. Instead of taking photos and documenting any pre-existing damage, she simply tossed her bag in the backseat and drove away. She had more important issues on her mind. 

Unfortunately, that oversight would prove to be a big mistake that Gallant would regret months later — seven months later to be exact.

Calling Hertz: “There’s a little chip in the windshield of the vehicle.”

Driving down the highway on her way to see her sister, Gallant noticed a tiny sparkle on the windshield in her peripheral vision. 

“I was driving along for a short time when I noticed a distracting blemish in the windshield,” she told me. “I didn’t know if it was a piece of dirt or something else, so I pulled over.”

Taking a closer look at what was causing the distraction, Gallant determined that it was a small chip. 

I didn’t want to be driving back and forth to the hospital with a chip in the windshield. I thought it might get worse or I would be blamed for it. So I called Hertz Roadside Assistance. They sent someone to me and took the vehicle, and I got a new rental car. I wished I had seen the nick in the windshield before I had left the lot. It would have saved me several hours of wasted time.

Surprise! Hertz wants you to replace that windshield 

Gallant says she spent time with her sister and, all too soon, it was time for her to fly home. She returned her rental car, got a receipt, and flew home. Very shortly after she returned to Massachusetts, her sister passed away. 

For the next seven months, the last thing on Gallant’s mind was that little chip in the windshield of the original rental car from Hertz. But suddenly in August, the car rental giant sent her a very unusual email.

That message informed Gallant that she owed Hertz $1,050 to replace the windshield on the rental car she’d driven in January. The Vehicle Incident Report (VIR) attached to the demand was dated August 5, 2024. 

“I thought I was being scammed,” Gallant explained. “Safelight could repair a tiny blemish in a windshield for free if you have insurance, which I have. I thought maybe the message wasn’t actually from Hertz.”

Unfortunately, she would soon find out that the demand for payment really was coming from Hertz. According to the car rental agency, she owed $1,050 to replace the entire windshield and it was time to pay up. 

Asking Consumer Rescue to intervene

For several months, Gallant tried to reason with Hertz, explaining that she hadn’t caused damage to the rental car. She hoped to find someone reasonable within the company who would sympathize with her situation. 

I was honest and admitted that I hadn’t inspected the car before I drove away from the [Hertz location]. That was my mistake, but obviously, I was distracted by the situation I was facing. I agree that if Hertz determined that the chip happened after I took possession of the vehicle, then my insurance should pay. But now it’s too late. My car insurance won’t pay for something that may or may not have happened seven months ago. Also, why is Hertz replacing an entire windshield for a tiny chip?

Also, I didn’t sign that Vehicle Incident Report in August so I don’t know why it says I did. Back in January, I was casually talking to Hertz employees and I said I had no idea if the chip was there before I drove away from the airport. I did stupidly say that I guess it could have been a pebble on the highway. But in no way was I saying that happened. I thought we were just chatting. 

Can you help me? This has been awful.

I also wondered why Hertz was billing Gallant to replace the windshield seven months after she had driven the rental car. 

It was time to put an end to Gallant’s battle with Hertz.

Asking Hertz: How long after a rental can you charge for damage?

On the Hertz website’s frequently asked questions, the car rental company says that it is prompt with alerting its customers of its intention to bill for damage (or any other charges like cleaning fees). The uppermost limit that a Hertz customer should expect to see a request to pay additional fees for their rental seems to be 28 days.

Gallant had reported the chip in the windshield immediately. So why had this Hertz location waited for seven months to create a Vehicle Incident Report and bill her $1,050? And how did her signature get on that VIR?

• Related: Hertz charged me $1,638 to fix a rental car I never drove. Help!

Something had obviously gone very wrong for this Hertz customer. It was time to ask our executive contact at Hertz about this case. The corporate Hertz team, which is not customer-facing, is always super helpful and willing to take a deep dive into all the cases Consumer Rescue sends their way. 

I was fairly confident that Gallant’s struggle was about to come to an end. 

Hi ****!

Lori Gallant rented a car from Hertz back in January. In August, she received a demand from Hertz to pay to repair the vehicle. The vehicle incident report is dated August 5, 2024 (for a rental that concluded on Jan.15, 2024).   There is no explanation as to why the Hertz location waited 7 months to alert the customer of the damage. The incident report says Lori saw a pebble hit the windshield while she was driving. Lori says she didn’t make that statement. She says she wasn’t sure what caused the chip in the windshield and wasn’t sure if it was there when she picked it up. 

Because of the long time between the rental and the request for repair costs, Lori’s insurance will not pay this bill. So, besides the fact that Lori doesn’t believe she caused this damage, this Hertz location made it impossible for her to submit an insurance claim. 

It seems like there should be a time limit as to when a car rental location can spring a damage charge on a customer. I’m not sure if legally there is, but it just seems like good customer care to promptly present a customer with any damage charges. Since there is no explanation as to why this location waited so long, is this something Hertz would consider dropping?

Thank you!  😊🚗  Michelle

Good news from Hertz?

I would love to say that my first inquiry resolved the problem for Gallant, but it didn’t. The local Hertz branch tried one more maneuver when the corporate office asked their team to review what had happened. 

Soon, Gallant received the “good news.” Hertz would slash the repair invoice down to just over $600. The message was framed as a favorable resolution. Of course, if you know me, then you know I wasn’t going to accept this “resolution” with no explanation about the delay and unusual VIR. So, I headed back to the corporate team for a bit more conversation.

Here’s a little excerpt:

The latest follow-up from Hertz still has no explanation at all as to why she was billed 7 months after the rental and past the time when her own car insurance company would cover the damage. Unless there is additional information that I don’t have about this rental, something seems quite off about what this location is doing. They’ve made it impossible for her to be able to file a claim even if she did damage the windshield (but she says she didn’t). What do you think about this?

Thanks!  Michelle

And that did the trick.

Finally a positive resolution for this Hertz customer

Dear Ms. Gallant, 

At Hertz, customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we truly regret the frustration and inconvenience this matter caused. 

Upon further review, we determined that the damage to the windshield that you reported during the initial Emergency Roadside Service call you placed on January 14 was incorrectly coded in our system, which caused delays in processing the claim. 

As a result, and as a gesture of goodwill, we have decided to close the claim. We hope this resolution has been addressed to your satisfaction.

Hertz

It did. Gallant couldn’t be more happy to end this year by putting this unpleasant battle to rest.

Michelle – THANK YOU and the Consumer Rescue team SO MUCH for your assistance.  This is a big load off my plate especially before the holidays.  I’ve learned a few things!

And I appreciate the Consumer Rescue newsletters too! 

Lori Gallant

I’m so happy we could help you, Lori. Happy Holidays! 

Rental car tips for 2025

Here’s what you need to know about protecting yourself from surprise rental car charges in the coming year.

Make sure you’re fully insured

Unfortunately, many of the car rental customers who contact our team misunderstand their insurance coverage. Before you step up to that car rental counter, make sure you are completely aware of the terms of the insurance policy you intend to use. The best way to confirm that you’re covered is by directly asking your car insurance company. If you don’t have coverage through a personal car insurance policy, there are a few other ways to be certain that you don’t drive a rental vehicle uninsured or underinsured.

• Check if your credit card offers car rental protection (free option)
• Purchase rental car protection from your travel insurance company (economical option)
• Buy travel insurance products at the rental counter (typically the most expensive option)

Make sure you’re covered for all the places you intend to drive. Remember, your domestic car insurance will not likely cover you internationally. 

Take before and after photographs and video

Never… and I mean never… drive away from a car rental lot without inspecting your vehicle. So many travelers contact me post-rental saying, “Oh the car had all sorts of dents and scratches” or ” That car smelled like smoke from the start.”  Please, if you take nothing else from this article, DO NOT DRIVE AWAY with a car that is damaged or smells bad. Even if you’re in a hurry or distracted. If you do, you will definitely be targeted to pay for the repairs or clean-up.

• Related: You should never return a rental car dirty. Here’s why

Always alert your car insurance company of any incident

If you return a rental car because you’ve noticed a problem with it mid-journey, you must let your car insurance company know. Remember, once you take possession of a rental car and drive away from the lot, you are 100% responsible for any damage that happens to that vehicle. So, no matter what you think the car rental company might do next, always alert your car insurance company of any damage to the vehicle you’ve rented. 

Take detailed photographs of rental car damage

The best way to protect yourself from getting hit with damage charges to a rental car that you didn’t cause is to photograph and video the vehicle before you drive away. Take those photos in a brightly lit area and make sure they’re focused. If you can’t get an accurate photo, move the vehicle to a place on the lot where you can get a clear depiction of what you’re seeing. 

Also, if there are problems with the interior or exterior of the car, make sure to request a pre-rental damage report. Or better yet, just ask for another vehicle. 

The bottom line

Remember, no matter what happens to your rental car while it’s in your possession, you’re responsible. Car rental customers are often unaware that they’re on the hook for damage caused by pebbles, hail, or anything else – even garbage removal can come with a hefty price tag. So always make sure you’ve got a good car insurance policy covering the vehicle and clean up after yourself to avoid unexpected charges. 

If there is one thing you can be sure of, if you don’t return the car in the same way as you received it, the car rental company is going to send you a bill. 

(Michelle Couch-Friedman, founder of Consumer Rescue)

Do you have an expensive consumer problem you can’t solve on your own? Send your request to the Consumer Rescue advocacy team. If the facts are on your side, we’ll be happy to help you fight your battle, too. Our consumer rescues are always fast, friendly and free of charge!  😃