Hertz Damage Charges
Back to Forum- This topic has 21 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 18 Aug 2014
at 12:44 by PeterCoultas.
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Bruce98Participant++The gatekeepers are usually quite low in the pecking order and often struggle with English, so getting them to attest to any damage you’ve seen can be tricky.++
They are often from an outsourced security company, so even if they attest to the damage, the company will not necessarily accept their signature. The only way is to park the car, return to the agent and make him agree (This applies in London, as much as Joburg.)
Another move is to say that it is impossible to check the car properly in the low light conditions (or post rain) and negotiate a grace period (e.g. until 0900 the next morning) to call in and report damage. If you dont trust the car company, get this in writing, too.’ I rented a car from Sixt in Sweden recently and called in a big scratch on the bottom of the bumper the next morning, which they accepted without question.
19 Aug 2012
at 07:43
keithduncan47ParticipantThanks for all the posts in reply to mine. It seems I am not alone and that there is indeed some underhand practice going on in this industry. I’ve contacted Amex, whom I used to pay for the rental, and they are going to investigate on my behalf too. I suppose it’s a classic case of “buyer beware” but I wouldn’t even have thought to look in the boot to check all of the bits and pieces are there. Having re-reviewed the paperwork I have found that I also signed for an ice scraper too! Interesting, as even with our climate, I don’t think I’m likely to need one in the UK in June ! I’ll let you all know how I get on …..
20 Aug 2012
at 09:47
keithduncan47ParticipantUpdate for all of you who were good enough to provide me with feedback on my post. Hertz, after a couple more heated telephone calls, have agreed to refund the damage charges onto my card. A refund in full. I don’t know if it was the pressure from me or from Amex that did the trick but whichever it was I now have a resolution I am happy with. Many thanks again for all your replies.
24 Aug 2012
at 11:41
capetonianmParticipantI am currently in dispute with car rental company whom I won’t, at this stage, name. Whilst I was responsible for the car, it was scratched on the rear plastic skirt, three parallel scratches about 3 inches long, just deep enough to take off the paint and reveal the white plastic underneath.
I took the car to an independent garage who quoted me £60 for a touch-up which would render it invisible. I didn’t have the time to have it done.
The company have charged me £220 and are so far refusing to answer my request for proof that this represents a realistic charge and that the damage has been fixed for that cost.
I do have an annual damage policy on which I can claim but I am not willing to let the rental company get away with this amount without a fight.
9 Oct 2013
at 15:56
EdinburghIrishParticipantInteresting timing – I’ve just escalated a Hertz related complaint to the relevant airport authority as so far they’ve ignored my requests for a simple refund for a rental overcharge (I pre-paid for a prestige class BMW or similar – ended up with a Mondeo – and a pretty battered one at that).
Endless catalogue of issues thereafter – (insurance overcharging / damages not being catalogued properly on the initial paperwork / apathy of staff at the airport branch to name a few) but not a whisper from them in an effort to resolve a pretty simple service recovery issue..
Cash amount overcharge isn’t huge – it’s more about the really poor service at this point – however it does make me wary in the future of booking with the ‘BIG’ names. The only reason I went to Hertz in the 1st place was to avoid any crap in the event of a problem. Failing miserably so far – but next time, I have choices …………………
9 Oct 2013
at 17:43
AnthonyDunnParticipantOkay, so it’s been covered before and there have been items in inter alia the Torygraph travel section but we got well and truly stung by Avis/Budget at Venice by the additional insurance cost to cover their their collision and theft of vehicle excess – the sum you might have to pay should the vehicle either be damaged or stolen (an excess of up to €1800 was applicable in the latter case). At €197 for one week, we paid roughly one-half of what we pay annually for a fully comprehensive policy in the UK. Yes, I have a decade plus of no claims and tend not to go around hitting other vehicles.
The moral of the story: before hiring vehicles abroad, take out your own locally-sourced excess policy to cover these two items and any loss of revenue to the hirer should the hire vehicle end up off the road for any reason. It will work out considerably cheaper albeit that the local hire franchisee will not like it because this must represent more of their income stream than actually hiring the vehicle in the first place.
9 Oct 2013
at 18:41
PeterCoultasParticipantMy thanks to ImissConcorde: see “Strange car hire pricing anomaly”
18 Aug 2014
at 12:44 -
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