I’ve always loved renting cars at airports – even with all the extra fees – because the major rental car companies just haven’t worried about minor nicks and scrapes on vehicles when I return them. Hertz, Avis and National are high volume, and these locations tend to be high revenue as well. So renters tend not to get nickeled and dimed for minor damage that they probably didn’t do to the vehicle themselves.
While it’s always advisable to take photos and videos of vehicles prior to renting, the hassle over minor dings just tends not to come into play with major car rental chains at major airports. That’s changing at Hertz.
Hertz is installing UVeye inspection portals at its biggest U.S. airports this year. Atlanta was the first, but they expect to hit 100 airports before 2025 is oer.
Now they scan cars as they’re being returned – vehicles drive through a camera‑and‑sensor tunnel and get an ‘MRI for vehicles’ to log damage in a way that rental staff never did before. It also finds hard to spot damage such as under the vehicle, uneven tire wear, hairline cracks in the windshield.
Here’s how it cashed out for one renter in Atlanta.
- There was a “1-inch scuff on the driver’s side rear wheel” of the Volkswagen he rented
- Within minutes of the return he got a message about the damage along with a bill for $440: $250 repair cost, $125 “processing” and $65 “administrative fee.”
Hertz defines the processing fee as “the cost to detect and estimate the damage that occurred during your rental.” The admin fee, meanwhile, “covers a portion of the costs [Hertz incurs] as a result of processing your claim.”
The processing fee is supposed to cover the cost of processing, but it’s the admin fee that covers the cost of processing and the processing fee that covers the cost to “detect and estimate the damage.” You have to pay them to inspect the vehicle and decide how much to charge you.
- They ask for payment right away
- In this case there was a $52 discount for payment within 2 days, or a $32.50 discount for payment within a week. That strikes me as an offer you make when you’re not confident in your position.
- Asking Hertz questions or to review the claim takes up to 10 days for a response though – so if you question the invoice, you’re stuck paying more.
According to Hertz,
The vast majority of rentals are incident-free. When damage does occur, our goal is to enhance the rental experience by bringing greater transparency, precision, and speed to the process. Digital vehicle inspections help deliver on that with clear, detailed documentation that is delivered more quickly, as well as a more technology-enabled resolution process.
The vast majority of Hertz rentals are arrest-free too, but that was little comfort to the customers who wound up in jail because the company failed to track returns properly.
Expect this to spread to other rental companies. Enterprise – known for their excruciating vehicle walkarounds (which help upsell insurance in addition to catching vehicle damage) – is piloting similar technology and Avis has discussed plans for trials.
(HT: Paul H)
‘(Bill) me harder, daddy!’ Isn’t AI so great… (for scams!)
So do you drive through the AI tunnel when you exit with the car to have a baseline?
Every vehicle I rent is laden with damage (I need hand controls and they don’t install them on newer vehicles). I always documented extensively at pickup. This should be quite the experience if I ever rent with Hertz.
Uber!
I agree with Jim Baround…unless I have a scan indicating what was detected going out versus what was scanned coming in…I ain’t gonna pay and I will dispute the charge with my credit card company. Fartz…I mean Hertz can’t use the last scan in to prove damage on the scan going out either. Who’s to say that the damage didn’t occur under Hertz’ watch??? They are going to open a can of worms that, like some of the airlines now days, that this nickel and dime treatment will further sent them to the trash can. I know that I will notify my company of this scam!
Hertz has distinguished itself as the dirtiest player in an industry that has become as dirty as any industry in the country
Fly in on Frontier, rent from Hertz, and stay at Marriott. You may as well drink Drano, it would be less painful
I think the headline should be “Hertz doesn’t arrest customers who return cars with minor dings and dents”
I think we are making some progress here.
This is insane — there is always wear-and-tear on car. It’s reflected in the car’s depreciation and is paid for, in part, by the standard rental rate.
This policy is enough for me to book away from Hertz, and if it becomes commonplace in the industry, I’d follow “Thing 1” and stick with Uber.
At this point, just make the “Loss Damage Waiver” upcharge part of the base rate and call it a day.
Did I miss the part where the cars are scanned while leaving the facility, then a comparison is done when they are returned? If not, renters could billed for the same minor issue over and over and over…
Yeah, sure, this will play out well, considering during my last rental return to Hertz at BOS a couple of employees were running a side hustle offering curbside drop off “service” at the Terminal of your choice…in the car you had already “returned”…
The good news is two years ago I rented a car from Hertz while visiting a forested area in NorCal. A deer leaped in front of the vehicle about 2 hours into the trip, which caused about $2,500 damage to the car a lifetime worth of damage to the deer. Hertz sent me a bill for the damages, and I told them my insurance would cover it; the Hertz rep was annoyed and told me to get reimbursed through my insurance. After reiterating this would go through my insurance – and paid in full – Hertz banned me from renting cars from them and their affiliates. Just saved myself a scan!
The headline misspelled Damage Scammer.
This is bad in multiple ways.
A certain level of wear and tear is expected.
How perfected is this machine doing the scanning?
Will they scan you immediately on the way out?
Will this only be at airport locations?
Hertz has truly worked their way to the bottom in relation to service and customer treatment; although admittedly, I have had a few very good interactions with AUS employees.
My worst Hertz interaction of all time was being held captive on STL.
The supervisor was serious, and held us for over an hour because we were trying to let him know the vehicle that we rented at AUS had a mechanical problem.
I had receipts, and credit card charges, but this dude was not letting up.
It was the worst experience I have had with them.
Last but not least, this is going to absolutely affect credit card coverages the most, and crazy enough, I think they sort of know that.
This seems like a money grab coming and going.
From a technological standpoint I was excited (definitely not from a consumer standpoint) when I saw MRI since I thought there was some fancy new non ionizing radiation technology involved but it seems like it’s just ultra high-def images and some post imaging analysis. Big whoop!
Whoa.
$440 for a one inch scratch they likely will not repair? That is a racket.
The default rule for property damage is that the owner gets diminution in value, reasonable wear and tear excepted. I would not be surprised if, deep in the contract (of adhesion), something supersedes this default rule. But at $440 a pop, Hertz might make good cash for damages they never get around to repairing.
Hertz is a criminal enterprise with a car rental agency attached – enabled by complicated arbitration provisions that make it difficult or impossible to challenge them in court.
@McGee – no rental company I’m aware of wants to deal with insurance. They all say pay to fix it and file a claim to be reimbursed. You would probably be banned from other companies (or face a lawsuit) under similar circumstances
Gary
Please start a campaign with other writers of advice columns DO NOT RENT FROM HERTZ
Stopped renting from Hertz about 5 years ago due to incredibly bad Customer Service and false charges that I kept having to dispute. They have become the worst Car Rental Company in the Country.
Hertz once tried to charge me for damage that was not logged when I returned the car – days later they sent me pics of tons more scuffs and I spent years fighting them. I will NEVER EVER rent from them again.
I rented a car from Hertz in Phoenix last week. It was scanned at the exit and again when I returned.
Hertz is now one of the most overtly customer hostile companies in the world of leisure/business travel. Nobody should be doing business with them ever and it’s surprising that all the negative press hasn’t impacted their market share…
If they want to do this, then I want to drive through on the way out for a verified baseline.
Anyone willing to defend Hertz so we can dunk on you? Oh lala.. ‘Presidents Circle’… upgrades (if available), dedicated customer service line. So fancy!
Stopped renting from Hertz after they let someone drive a car that was checked out to me (they let them out of the gate without verifying ID) around Dallas for a week then billed me for it and refused to discuss. Amex gave me my money back and I filed a police report, and DFW Airport police went over to Hertz threatening to arrest someone there for abetting theft and fraud and said they’d put out a warrant for the person who drove the car.
What if I take some of those stickers of fake bullet holes and put them on the car, then drive out? Then remove before returning? I wonder what the AI logic does in that case.
As with other comments, this will definitely turn me off of Hertz but sadly I see it spreading. I’d definitely want to have a comparison scan immediately as I leave.
“Uneven tire wear”? That can be from various reasons, including many that stem from maintenance issues that are the owner’s responsibility, not the renter.
How well does this technology distinguish things like bird poop, bugs on the bumper, dried mud, etc. that aren’t actual damage? What calibrations are required and will Hertz provide proof that it the scanner was properly maintained and calibrated?
AI is going to turn out to be one of the worst things for consumers, isn’t it? I mean even aside from the eventual Skynet killer robots.
I’m not one for over-regulation, but this sort of thing seems like something well suited for some common sense consumer protections.
@1990 — Hertz donut? (Family Guy)
@NedsKid — Ha! Please try and let us know, for science.
@Ryan — Yep, my questions too. Wonder if it can tell chihuahuas and blueberry muffins apart…
This certainly looks like trouble…and a windfall for car rental companies at our expense. Does anyone think Hertz is going to “repair” the damage in the photograph? Hardly! And they’re certainly not going to replace that wheel, either. Ka-ching! Hertz pockets an additional $440. Rip-off!
Will the rental insurance from my credit card cover this damage or has Hertz found a work around here? The second this scanner pops in to where I regularly rent cars I will no longer use Hertz.
Minor scratches and things like that are the cost of doing business for a rental car company. Given how dirty and lousy their cars are I should be charging them. Next they will charge for cleaning.
A scan taken exiting the car rental lot should be sent immediately to the customer for comparison upon return. Upon return, the results of the “after” scan should be available before the customer leaves the car rental lot so that any extra charges can be discussed. If the vehicle was damaged while in my possession, I or my insurance will cover what is needed. I probably won’t be happy but I have done that before (extra charge on the credit card for a very small ding in the front windshield that they could drill and fill.)
I like hertz at most locations, then again I have a premium service with them. I was scanned by one of these devices in Nashville last week, I asked if I would get a preliminary report and I was told no. At a minimum they need to provide that, when I rent in Zurich they send me an email but I am not scanned it is all manual and they review the damages. The good news I guess I did not get charged when I returned the car which did have significant blemishes which I personally recorded. The car was also an awful it was a Genesis 70. If I get one of those in the future I will ask for a change..
This isn’t about real damage, this is about any hit or bump to the car that “Doesn’t” show up or result is actual chargeable damage as defined by any reasonable person.
Hertz in Europe sends me damage report before the car is rented or sends me something noting all dings, scratches etc by email.
If the car is returned at ANY HERTZ location in the US or abroad and goes through this tunnel camera – then I want it to exit the lot when I rent it too and have the ability to compare on my return.
HERTZ staff walk around the vehicle and may not see what the AI camera sees – so if the staff misses something at the beginning of the rental – I don’t want to be blamed for it when I return.
PROOF ! I need Proof.
And how is that going to work with Ultimate Choice Cars – we choose the vehicle when we pick up the car .
See LOTS of problems here
These tunnels will probably find themselves at large airport locations not the Hertz Local edition locations
remember that Hertz owns and operates other brands. The same thing will happen at those other brands if it isn’t happening already
@ Gary — This will just push people to uber/lyft. Why rent a car at all? Things will get even better with Waymo becuase any damage can’t posibly be blamed on the passegner, although I don’t doubt those scammers will find a way to ripoff customers, too. Maybe the public train/bus will become the best option.
Well I will not be renting from Hertz. It is very hard to get a left rear wheel scratched. It would have to be some road debris kicked up. I have rented some Nissan’s with very low profile tires and the rims are always chewed up at the bead line. I take pictures of those. Once I rented a car in Miami from the airport during the “Lipton Tournament” week. I parked at the return, some 100 yards from the return counter and the agent grabs a camera and comes running to the car focusing on a small white splotch on the drivers mirror shell. It was a concrete scratch, the kind you get parking a car very close to a column and folding the mirror over. I had not done it and made it very clear it was probably their own doing before I picked it up and I would most definitely NOT be paying for it. He backed down at that point. This is just some scheme to pay for their investment in AI. Don’t fall for it.
If you look at the picture of the wheel and the contrast in the photo where the scratch is and the brightness at about 1-2 o’clock position, that scratch could have easily been missed if the tire was about 180 degrees around when it was photographed leaving the lot. Dont rent the car unless you get before pictures.
@Gene — Why not move to NYC. We’re on the cusp of ‘free’ buses! *wink*
@Gary – You’d be doing readers a great service if you would write a post about how to combat this practice, what to say in a chargeback, and what credit card insurance – if any – is the best about protecting us. Undercarriage damage? Really? This is frightening stuff.
@ 1990 — Throw in free rent for a 3,000 sq ft penthouse on Park Ave, and I’m in!
1) We know they’ll pocket the fee for any simple dings without actually repairing the vehicle.
2) They’ll fine the next 15 drivers of that car, again without repairing the vehicle
2) What happens on a 1-way where they have no scanners / cameras when the car is picked up?
Have not rented from Hertz for many years for obvious reasons. I always take a full set of pictures at the beginning of every rental with other rental agencies.
I once saw a guy return a vehicle where a back passenger door had gotten bent back beyond its normal physical limits because he had driven slightly forward with the door open and the door had pushed against a concrete pole.
Had to admire him for his chops as he was arguing about it even if he was stupidly wrong. His main argument was the door still closes!
Is it true that, in an effort to reflect current affairs, hertz is changing their corporate name to HURT’S!!!
Picard
I don’t think they understand that in a world with rideshare, they need to make the experience easier and more pleasant to retain customers, let alone attract new ones. Most people don’t bother to rent a car unless it’s really necessary, or even forgot rental car is an option anymore.
So if you take the collision damage waiver you do not get charged?
If I were to rent at the airport, I would demand an inspection, in my presence, BEFORE taking the vehicle.
@Joe re: 1, 2, 3 – all excellent points!
Also, what about rental cars that are picked up at an off-airport location, or those that are personally delivered following a collision, as a replacement vehicle? I can see all sorts of scenarios that make this a massive headache (and expense) for everyone involved
@Gene — Ugh, Midtown… it’s a like a different city… come Downtown. We’ll find somethin’ for ya!
@ 1990 — What, a 500 sq ft studio for $2 million and $20,000 annual property taxes? No thank you. It’s a nice place to visit (sort of), but a waste of money to live in. I’ll take MS, AR, SC, NC over NYC any day.
Corporate crooks!!!! Anything to squeeze money out of hard working people. We need to stand up to these idiots.
Seems like you are almost incentivized to just return a filthy dirt covered car to hide signs of impurities, which I am not even sure they could differentiate from a real scratch in a low res photo. Good riddance Hertz.
For those saying they want copies of a before scan, do you really trust Heartz to actually do a true scan on the way out? They are just as likely to have scanned the car when it was purchased new and just use those photos forever. Even then, what proof is there that the after scans are even from the car you rented? Don’t say the license plate or VIN, those images can be inserted into any set of damage photos. Just avoid Hertz, along with Dollar and Thrifty which are owned by Hertz.
@Gene — I know this is way off topic from Hertz, but I like where we’re going. If you don’t want view and can survive in that tiny space, $500K studios abound in FiDi. A little extra, $750K might get you a one-bedroom in BPC. Just sayin’ there are options. Sure, $1 million, better buildings. $2 million, 2-3 bedroom with a view. Mostly co-ops, similar to condos, but a little different. You’d need a reason to live here (job), or have a lot of cash to blow. As for elsewhere, I’d settle on NC, if I had to. If you like the water, ILM is actually nice. And if you like the mountains, somewhere near Franklin will do.
Gary
It is clear that no matter what the issue the customer will be guilty … Hertz is in “drivers seat” …they can use this technology to their advantage without being required to do pre rental scans or provide any pre rental documentation of damage. If thencustomer dies their own due diligence then often there are ways they decline the customers proof or make it extremely difficult to show thatbdamage preexisted the rental period. In SLC there are non English speaking contractors who just process “return” of hertz vehicles…if there’s an issue at point of return EXTREMELY difficult to find manager or dispute before paperwork heads into the”administrative abyss” of Hertz
Why can’t the consumers rise up and take some action against these greedy companies clearly trying to monetize off:of us.
Watch hertz go out of business…
A rental company in AZ tried to charge me for scrapes under the car when I returned it. I asked him when I rented it where was the Lift so that I could inspect it and take pictures before I left.
If the rental company wants to charge you for under the car damages they need to provide you with SAFE access for inspection BEFORE YOU rent.
It’s time to start driving everywhere. Between the airlines, the airports and the car rental companies wasting your time and money if your going 1000 miles or less you might as well just drive your own car there.
How is Hertz still in business?
At this point, if you’re still renting from Hertz, you’re volunteering to get robbed. They’ve cemented themselves as the absolute scum of the rental car world—fraudulent charges, wrongful arrests, garbage customer service—you name it. I wouldn’t touch their keys with a hazmat suit. It’s been over a decade since I gave them a dime, and I hope to one day see their logo on a bankruptcy filing. As for the execs running that shit show? May they experience firsthand the chaos they’ve unleashed on countless innocent people.
Man, I’m back to seeing posts not get posted or disappear. Unless “Uber!” was too controversial and got blocked. 🙂
Gary, can you check into this — may explore other services for managing discussion forums? There was a discussion on a different thread about this, so I don’t think I’m alone.
Avis is now at the new LAX Rental Car center. They have an exit scan and an entry scan. This means Avis is starting to deploy car scanning technology. So far, I’ve only seen it at LAX. I have not noticed any ground-level scanning equipment, only both sides and top.
The renter should pay for substantial damage. The renter should be charged for tiny scratches.
@ 1990 — ILM would be my top NC choice, too, BUT hurricanes. Again, no thank you…
Hurtz, donut? It’s a total rat race to the bottom…. I like staying home.
This feels like it is going to devolve into a nasty lawsuit before all is said and done. If I had to guess, Hertz is going to get caught:
(1) Over-estimating repair costs in cases where they /do/ bother with repairs;
(2) Failing to repair alleged damages (and then billing additional customers for “re-detected” damages) since a lot of cosmetic scuffs on composite panels wouldn’t actually be worth fixing; and
(3) Probably getting hit for the admin fees.
It won’t be individuals (unless someone gets a class action suit going, which is possible) – it’ll be one of the big credit card companies that includes rental coverage that will accumulate a bunch of dubious claims and then sic their lawyers on them.
And then there is the bait and switch of renting in a foreign country. Arrived in tallinn and the clerk at hertz held 800€ as the customer did not take hertz’s insurance. For me she wanted to charge €2000 so I could use the credit card insurance. She said the difference was german vs us citizenship. Then she wanted to negotiate the insurance rate down from 35 to 15 per day. Then she said that if the car was not returned with a full tank the charge would be €5 per liter. She also made it clear that president circle is meaningless in estonia and there would be no points for the rental. All of this should be disclosed on hertz website. Customer service? Gone
Remember Ben Baldanza? “He’ll be back when we save him a penny.” Only the difference is, Hertz has never saved anyone one red cent. If they continue down this path, their only redeeming quality will end up being the ability to short their stock.
Rent should include normal wear and tear. Are they expecting their cars to stay pristine forever? Obvious damage, sure. But a tiny scratch or a small chip from road debris? Ridiculous. They want me to bear the risk of those? Then drop the rental rate significantly to not include normal wear and tear.
Bye bye Hertz. I’ll never rent from them again. Their greed cost them my business.
This will spread to every single rental car company in the US, where voters were clear they wanted deregulation and allow companies the freedom not to be shackled with regulation
Huck Fertz! I’m a President’s Circle member and will no longer rent from these sc-mbags. There are plenty of other choices.
So, if these cars are already insured by the rental company, then they must file insurance claims first on any damage they are claiming – or else, by charging you for damages before filing their insurance claim… the car rental company is actually engaging in a Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, Theft, Extortion, and Racketeering. Additionally, you have the right to ask have they filed a claim or charged other renters for the same damages before, and if you get an attorney and file a lawsuit – the rental company will be forced under the discovery rule to provide such evidence… which will prove your case of the car rental company’s illegal activities.
Have spent $20k plus with hertz over the last 2 to 3 years. That ends now, terrible company.
Let’s start a national Boycott of Hertz before other rental car companies start this practice. Drive Hertz out of business as a warning to the other companies to avoid implementing this too or risk the same backlash. NO MORE HERTZ!
This is b*ll sh** and should be illegal or highly regulated, not likely under thie current administration. In order for them to do this, they will need to give the customer a certified guarantee of the condition of the vehicle under penalty of extreme fines, with a copy of the scan given to the customer. Considering the level of incompetence of the people staffing some of their rental locations I would seriously doubt the integrity of these. Class action suit will be a necessity.
What winds me up the most is that they charge a repair fee
Then don’t repair the vehicle, it’s just bonus money for them before they dispose of the car. Even windscreens aren’t fixed which should be illegal but hey what do they care
So many places car rental offices are staffed by utter scum
Do they scan the car as I exit, for comparison purposes? The previous scan, when the car was last returned, does not account for damage between rentals.
There have been many times in my car where there’s a splash of mud, cobweb, or something else that I was convinced was a scratch until I rubbed it and it came off. How are they avoiding false positives like that?
Scammers changing tires and transmissions on Turo cars, allegedly. Is this to protect against similar scams?
Good way Hertz to ‘drive’ your business into the ground. Take that AI and shove it!
@joe federico – Yes, they do scan it on the way out. And Avis has started doing this at a few major airports as well. Although I am not sure if they have the same policy in terms of minor dings.
They are trying to get me now! I have notified the ag in both my home state and the state i rented in.
Uber and Lyft it is, then
Last 4 cars I rented have had chips in the windshield which are incredibly hard to see in the dark rental garages. But somehow they always seem to find them upon return to the same garage. Hmmmmm. I caught a couple of them but one tried to hold me accountable. If you only see them after leaving, good luck finding a phone number to let them know plus once you are gone, it’s on you.
Had issues with HERTZ rental at Orlando airport. Asked for phone number to contact site manager and they said there was no number to contact him. Obviously did not want any complaints. Hertz has gone way downhill.
All this plus they keep cars much longer than pre COVID so it is normal for your car to be pretty beat up. 50,000 miles on a rental car is like being in a demo derby.
If I’m paying 65 extra for an inspection, I want a person to do the walk through with me. Both in and out.
They’re using this to not only save money, but then nit pick, and then charge you for the savings and extra for things they never changed for not just the cost of those things. Be happy you’re getting the damage fee.
Are you sure that Uber and the taxi lobby aren’t subsidizing this?
Starting to feel like the Spirit and Frontier business model, sucker you with cheap fares so that they can collect big fees
I always liked Hertz, but this is the end of the line for me. Good luck to them but I will no longer rent from the company.
$440 pays for a lot of ride shares. Uber and Lyft should love this. Way to drive customers into the arms of the competition, Hertz.
Incurring minor blemishes is part of the cost of doing business as a car rental company.
I know everyone is vying for clicks and views, and as a result, using buzzwords—but it’s annoying.
Why does the headline call this technology a “new AI Damage Scanner“ when this article doesn’t describe the technology as using any form of AI? Even after clicking over to your linked article about the technology itself and watching the included video, there was no mention of AI outside of the article headline.
While this implementation of technology may very well be utilized poorly and irresponsibly by Hertz, it feels like you want to make this technology seem more unreliable by linking it to AI. Yet you provided no evidence of AI being used at all.
Or, as a society, are we moving in the direction of conflating literally anything involving a computer with the new AI programs?
Bottom line don’t rent from Hertz
Guess I’m an Enterprise guy now
If the previous driver paid for the CDW and there is a small scratch. Will Hertz actually fix that scratch or wait until their is someone who doesn’t pay for the CDW and charge him?
I’ve always rented from Enterprise in the US – about 35 years. Had one rental almost totaled in San Diego when someone hit me. One broken window in a smash and grab in Houston (go figure). Enterprise has always been solid.
That being said I always take four corner photos of rental cars before I leave the rental garage.
BOYCOTT –
Boycott Hertz and tell the others that this is not acceptable or we will extend the boycott to them.
Screw Hertz, let Avis & Enterprise know they are next if they persue this kind of customer treatment
A search of UVEYE and their technology indicates that they are using AI and machine learning to analyze the photos that they take for inspecting vehicles. Search for “By Jack Keebler Published: Sep 22, 2019” to find a Car & Driver article about the company and it’s technology. After reading about the system I wonder if before and after pictures are analyzed together to find the net changes in defects observed. How are dirt and grime excluded from damage to a car? Does positioning of the vehicle in the system affect the observed defects. Is a long term record of known defects kept (kind of like the actual writing of the damage on U-Haul trucks that has the date that the damage was adjusted?)
We had an extremely difficult experience Friday night while traveling with my wife and three young children. Our flight was delayed, and by the time we arrived, the Thrifty rental counter was closed. We had to drag our luggage across the airport for a different floor to Hertz with family, where Jonathan checked with the manager and informed us that they could only assist Hertz customers (even all emails for correspondence came under Hertz).
As an airline employee who frequently travels, I was shocked. Industry standards—and in many cases, the law—require rental locations to either stay open for delayed flights or ensure that sister companies accommodate affected customers. That clearly did not happen here.
Due to this, I was forced to book a last-minute rental at a much higher price, causing unnecessary stress and expense. Hertz corporate reply is sorry, wow.
I have been a Hertz Presidents Circle frequent business customer for over 20 years. I had already begun to take pictures of the car when I pick it up which stems from a somewhat lack of trust. I stuck with them while seeing older cars, lower levels of service, and an app that I have to uninstall and reinstall every other time I use it because it quits working. I certainly do not want to have to worry now that the AI scanner will pick up false damage and cause me to spend time and money trying to fight them on it. I have used National as my backup when Hertz pulled out of a lot of smaller airports and National stayed in them. National’s cars have been newer and their service and app are better now. I am changing all my business to National until Hertz stops using AI scanning.
Will never use Hertz again. Need AAA, AARP and other member organizations to step up and fight this or stop offering / promoting Hertz rentals / discounts. Hertz just doesn’t seem to do anything right anymore. They have made customers enemy number one. what a shame, they used to be the best.
That just told me, never rent from Hertz. Thanks Hertz!
They want to do this, they should be required to provide a complete damage and repair history for the car.
And road debris is part of driving, the customer should not be responsible for it.
Great way to kill the rental car business eventually
Cool. Goodbye Hertz
Who in their right mind would rent from Hertz after their history of having renters arrested and now making a big deal out of a tiny scratch or scuff mark on a tire ?
Just dispute it as a fraudulent charge.
The surviving and most profitable car rental company will be the one that chooses not to engage in this scheme to exploit customers for the fair wear and tear of operating a vehicle.
Only fair way to do this would be to scan the cars on the way out and the way in and make them both available to the customer. Otherwise, the rental car company can keep charging for a scratch over and over and over again. Right now I am renting a thrifty car, that was actually picked up from the Hertz lot as they are the same company. I don’t usually rent from Hertz anymore as I am afraid of being arrested. But I rented this thrifty car because it was so inexpensive compared to the other companies. I am driving it with kid gloves on. But you never know if you park in the parking lot and someone dings your door. I sure don’t like this new
Agree with JeffK
Otherwise, I can see fraud and expensive legal battles.
There should never be a separate charge for normal wear and tear on a vehicle. Does Hertz really expect us to believe that that was not previously factored into rental rates? Charging separately for it now is clearly double-dipping, in addition to the likelihood of them charging subsequent renters for the same things. Or do they expect renters to spend the entire rental period in their garage to avoid normal wear and tear?! Insane!
How about Hertz scans the vehicle when it goes out and makes that part of the rental record? And by the way, minor scratches are going to occur as part of normal “wear and tear,” so why are they not ignored as we have been told every time we mention scratches upon vehicle pick-up?
Highway robbery!!! A detailer can buff this scratch out for $15. Even if the tire blew out and you managed to dent and severely scratch the rim, replacing the entire rim is less than $150 so you’re better off buying a new rim and replacing it before returning the rental to Hertz! LOL
Rent from National. Their service is much more superior to Hertz.
I have two rentals I’ll be making shortly. They were going to be Hertz (I’m a Gold member) but this is just downright scary and just reeks of being just a money-maker. (an ‘admin fee’ to process the processing fee?? Really??)
I’m switching over to Avis or at least as long as they continue to do visual/photo inspections and not this “AI system”.
I don’t see how AI can see a scratch on a dirty car!
Hertz is the worst. They’ll do anything they can to make (extort) an extra buck.
This is how you go bankrupt a 3rd time in a decade. Hertz is just good at screwing customers and taking shareholder money.
Bye hertz….bad for your business.