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

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Michelle Couch-Friedman

Consumer reporter and ombudsman

Could you get sent to collections over a $1,638 repair bill for a rental car you never drove? It happened to this Hertz customer. 


Something fishy is going on at the Hertz location at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to customer Chad Gross. Days after returning his last rental car, he received a final bill with $1,638 in repair costs tacked on. Confident that he didn’t damage the vehicle, Gross told the car rental company that he had no intention of paying.

Hertz countered by sending the unpaid debt to collections and banished Gross to the Do Not Rent list

That’s when he turned to Consumer Rescue for help. Gross says he has undeniable proof that he didn’t damage that rental car, but Hertz won’t consider it.

Hertz says it has undeniable proof that Gross did damage the rental car: an incident report he signed. 

That incident report is just one of many questionable parts of this case that will leave you scratching your head. 

Here’s Gross’s strange tale.

A one day car rental with a surprise bill at the end

In July, Gross and a colleague traveled to Houston for a business meeting. He rented the vehicle and did all the driving. 

“It was a 60 mile drive, round-trip,” Gross recalled. “The car was in perfect shape and we had no problems during the one-day rental. We returned it in the exact same condition as it was at pick-up.”

He and his business associate flew back to Colorado and didn’t give that Chevy Malibu another thought. That is until a few days later when Gross received the first request for $1,648 to repair the rental car.

Gross immediately called Hertz to report its error. Unfortunately, as others before him have discovered when faced with surprise rental damage accusations, the call proved to be useless. Instead of fixing the mistake, an employee told him the claims department would be contacting him shortly with additional information. 

When the car rental company sent that documentation, Gross says he knew he was facing something other than a mistake. 

Now he believed he was dealing with something that amounted to fraud.

Proof: This customer isn’t responsible for the car repairs 

The evidence packet Hertz sent contained photos of the damaged rental, a repair estimate and a Vehicle Incident Report.

The pictures of the car from various angles, clearly showed damage to the right front side of a Chevy Malibu. 

A damaged rental car, Hertz says this rental car is damaged, wrong rental car, scam, fraud,
One of the photos of the damaged white Malibu that the car rental company sent to its customer to justify the $1,648 repair bill.

Gross instantly regretted not taking any snapshots of his own before returning the rental. Because of that oversight, he scoured the documentation looking for some other way to defend himself. 

Then he found it. There on the Vehicle Incident Report was glaring proof that the Chevy Malibu in the photos wasn’t his rental car.

“My rental car had a Texas license plate,” Gross told me. “The Malibu in the photo has an Oklahoma plate.”

Satisfied that Hertz would quickly void this claim when faced with this discrepancy, he continued to look through the report. Suddenly, he saw something much more disturbing.

What does this Vehicle Incident Report say? 

The Vehicle Incident Report was created several hours after Gross returned his rental. The document is filled with inaccuracies and outright untruths including a section that says Gross e-signed it. 

The most glaring problem with this report? The part that says Gross admitted to the damage on the Oklahoma-plated vehicle that he never drove. 

In the field marked as Driver’s Statement it reads: “The car was at a friend’s house when it was hit.”

Fraudulent Vehicle Incident Report, Hertz submitted false information on this damage report, scam is underway
This official Vehicle Incident Report is filled with undeniable inaccuracies and lies. This customer did not report damage and never had possession of this car.

“This report is totally fabricated,” Gross told me. “I was at a business dinner and that isn’t even the rental car I drove. I never e-signed this report nor did I damage any vehicle.”

Yet in multiple places on the report generated from the Houston airport Hertz location, it indicates Gross admitted to the damage.

This particular page of the incident report should have been all the Hertz claim department needed to stop the pursuit of Gross for the repair bill.

Hertz Vehicle Damage Report, untrue information on this report from Hertz, fraud
This photo of the damaged rental car with Oklahoma tags proves this isn’t the vehicle Gross drove. So why does this attached report say he agreed the damage happened during his rental?

And yet even with all of this evidence, the Hertz claims department continued to insist Gross file an insurance claim and pay the bill.

Asking Consumer Rescue for help 

When Gross reached out to Consumer Rescue to ask for help, he had been battling Hertz for a month. His meticulous records proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he wasn’t responsible for the damage to that rental vehicle. Yet the claims agent assigned to his case refused to change her focus – almost as if she had blinders on. 

She completely ignored the mountain of evidence that Gross had that proved the damaged car wasn’t his. Instead she continued to give him instructions about how to file an insurance claim. 

“You must file an insurance claim with American Express and I will work with their team to get this covered,” she robotically assured him.

When I reviewed the paper trail, it was clear that this “agent” was either artificial intelligence or a completely incompetent employee. But whichever Gross was talking to, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be filing an insurance report for damage to a rental car he never drove. 

It was time to ask the Hertz executive resolution team to have a look at whatever car rental shenanigans was going on here. 

Asking the executive team at Hertz to review this claim

I gathered the same evidence that the Hertz claims agent had received from Gross earlier. That included his rental agreement that showed his Malibu was Texas-plated, return receipt and the unusual incident report, which I shared it with our executive contacts.

Although Gross had been struggling with Hertz for weeks with this frustrating situation, I suspected his battle was about to end. I knew that there was no possible way that this case could end in any way but a victory for Gross.

I was right. Within the day, an executive customer service agent sent a confirmation to Gross that there had been a mistake.

Apology from Hertz, Hertz agrees that is a correct incident report, Hertz agrees it charged the wrong customer for damage to the rental car.
Hertz apologizes, admits the evidence shows the damaged vehicle is not the one this customer rented and is providing 1,900 points towards a future rental.

Gross is happy to put this incident in the rear view mirror, but he still wonders about the fabricated incident report. As do I. He hopes his experience will serve a cautionary warning to other rental car customers – maybe skip Hertz’s Houston airport location. If you can’t, make sure to take photos of the vehicle from every angle, inside and out when you return your rental car!

How to avoid becoming a target for car rental damage charges

If you’re a regular reader of Consumer Rescue, then you might come to the conclusion that every traveler is at risk of being targeted for surprise car rental damage charges. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that is true. I can tell you that you only read about a fraction of the complaints we receive and successfully mediate here at Consumer Rescue. 

Our files are filled with cases involving travelers who are sure they didn’t damage a rental car and yet they received a repair bill. The problem for most of these blindsided customers is that they have no proof to exonerate themselves.

Don’t let that be you. Here’s what you need to do to protect yourself from the high cost of rental car damage – whether you caused it or not. 

1. Take time-stamped pre-rental photos of the rental car 

The first thing you should do when you reach your assigned rental car is to take photos of it. To protect yourself against getting blamed and charged for rental car damage you must document any dents, scratches or other oddities. Be sure to inspect the interior as well as the outside of the vehicle. 

2. Note the imperfections on the rental car with an attendant 

Many car rental customers report being told “Don’t worry, that little scratch is smaller than a coin. You won’t be charged.” I can tell you that you’re making yourself an easy target to get hit with the repair bill to fix that scratch later if you don’t insist on documenting it as a pre-rental mark. 

Before taking responsibility for the rental you should always fill out a pre-rental vehicle condition report making notations wherever there is already damage. It will look something like this:

Rental Car Condition Report, Rental car customers beware of potential damage scams, fill this out before driving away
Rental car customers beware! Always fill out a condition report before driving away with the vehicle. Note any scratches, bumps or dents. If there is any unusual smell make a notation of that as well.

If the car has anything but a neutral smell, it’s imperative that you document that as well. Or better yet, refuse the vehicle and ask for a replacement. What you should never do is accept the vehicle and its unusual odors – especially if it smells like smoke. If you do drive away with that stinky vehicle, the problem will instantly become yours. When you return the rental car, you may be charged a hefty cleaning fee.

3. Make certain that you have full coverage on the rental car

Recently, I reported on a young first time car rental customer who misunderstood his insurance situation. He thought he was covered by his parent’s policy, and so he turned down all the insurance products offered at the rental counter. He only found out after Budget charged him nearly $6,000 for damage to the rental that he had no valid car insurance. 

It is critical you have a comprehensive car insurance policy in place that covers any damage to the rental car. This type of coverage is typically called CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) or sometimes LDW (Liability Damage Waiver). Be certain to check that the policy covers all drivers AND all locations you intend to take the vehicle. If you’re using a credit card-based car insurance policy, be certain that you understand the steps you must take to activate the coverage. Otherwise, as a Points Guy reader found out, you could be making an expensive mistake if something goes wrong during your rental (like an attempted theft).

Even if you do have car insurance that you believe will cover your rental, always double check with your provider before driving off the lot. If you need coverage, you can buy it at the rental counter. Be aware that these products can quickly add hundreds of dollars onto your car rental bill. Prepaying for comprehensive coverage for your rental car through your travel insurance provider like Allianz is typically much more cost efficient. 

4. Take post-rental photos and a video of the vehicle

The last step to protecting yourself against surprise repair bills for the rental is by taking photos when you return the car. Make sure your pictures are clear and show that the car is in the same condition as you received it. It’s always a good idea to let the attendants see you conducting your photoshoot. This will make it much less likely that you’ll be a target for unscrupulous rental car locations that might be looking to pad their bottom line. 

Don’t forget to photograph the interior of the car.  Do not leave trash in the vehicle or you’ll likely end up with an easily avoidable fee for cleaning the dirty rental car.

5. Ask Consumer Rescue for defend you

Finally, if you’re being charged for repairs to a rental car you didn’t damage and you’re getting nowhere with your battle, send your request for help to Consumer Rescue. We’re always her, ready to rescue consumers from seemingly unsolvable problems. 

Our investigation and mediation service is always fast, friendly and the best part: free!  (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer Rescue)

Get free help from Consumer Rescue button

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Michelle Couch-Friedman

Michelle Couch-Friedman is the founder and CEO of Consumer Rescue. She is a consumer advocate, ombudsman columnist, mediator, and licensed psychotherapist. Michelle is a public speaker, and her expert guidance has been cited in MarketWatch, Consumer Reports, Travel & Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Popular Science, CNN, CNBC, Boston Globe, CBS News, National Geographic, Travel Weekly, Reader's Digest and more. You might even catch Michelle on TV reporting on a situation. :) Michelle is also the travel ombudsman columnist for The Points Guy, a contributing author at Fodor's Travel and is the former executive director of the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy. During her six years managing that organization, she resolved thousands of cases for troubled travelers and other consumers. You can read hundreds of 5-star reviews Michelle earned during her service to the nonprofit on Great Nonprofits. She is also a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. Today, she continues to spend as much time as possible fiercely defending consumers and traveling the world with her family. Contact her at Michelle Couch-Friedman or on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook.
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DChamp56D

Wow… all that, and they only gave him 1900 points? There should be a deeper inquiry as to WHY nobody listened to him at the location!
Great job as always Michelle!

SBD

I’ve been a reader of Consumer Rescue (formerly Elliott) for about a decade and every single Hertz story plays out the same way. As a former claims rep for one of the majors, calling Hertz was never at the top of my list of to-do’s.

jsn55

This chicanery at Hertz has been going on for several years. Hertz is obviously a deeply-flawed company. They seem to think up new ways to cheat and torture their customers every week. Hertz should be shut down totally. I suppose that would take a class action lawsuit which would drag on for years and accomplish little but piling up mountains of attorney fees.

Maria Telegdy

Apologies and some points….well, if it was me in this situation, I don’t care if they put me as part owner of Hertz, I woul never but NEVER use them again. Case closed….

PM1

The only reason Hertz would do this is because they collect a high enough percentage of time to make it worth their while. I’m sure they have internal statistics that indicate that it’s worth pursuing false claims similar the Ford Pinto calculation:

“An internal memo revealing the morbid calculus Ford’s senior managers performed when weighing the costs and benefits of recalling defective cars was eventually discovered.

According to the memo, the cost of securing a safer fuel tank would have cost Ford $11 per Pinto. Given that Ford would have to recall 11 million Pintos to implement the fuel tank modification, they calculated their total recall cost to be $121 million.

In contrast, Ford figured that 2,100 accidents would result in 180 burn deaths. They then determined that out of court settlements would amount to $200,000 for each life lost, $67,000 per serious injury, and $700 for each lost vehicle. As a result, the cost of not addressing the defective fuel tanks would amount to $49.53 million.

Therefore, Ford concluded that ignoring the Pinto’s fuel tank defect would yield a $70 million savings against instituting a recall.”

DanD

Every single corporation to this day makes decision the exact same way. Nowadays they’re just more careful about what they put in writing if there’s a penalty (whether PR or government issued) attached to the ‘wrong’ choice. If it’s significantly cheaper to do the ‘wrong’ thing then that’s what they do.

SBD

Excellent advocacy work as always, Michelle! It’s a shame that it takes an advocate to get Hertz to look at their own “evidence.” The renter could have filed a claim, which his insurance could have disclaimed with evidence to Hertz, but nobody should have to file a claim under their own policy just for help with bureaucratic nightmare that is Hertz’s claims department.

I’d also suggest clarifying the text under #3 in the how-to’s to read “ensure you have a policy with liability, comprehensive and collision coverage included” versus saying “have a comprehensive policy,” just as a point of clarification.

Bruce InCharlotte

At what point does this sort of fraud become a crime that affects Hertz’s business license?

DanD

At the point when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decides to spend his time protecting consumers rather than playing politics.

Jason HannaD

Steve Lehto discussed this, crediting your article, on his “Lehto’s Law” YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsjV-WV0AEA&t=386s

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