Why I will never rent from Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty rental car services again.
Our story started this past December in Palm Springs. My husband and I were staying in an Airbnb condo for a month, and on day 9 of our stay someone broke into our airbnb at 2:30am and stole the Hertz rental car keys and my husband's wallet. When we woke up and saw what had taken place, we called the police, they performed fingerprint tests, and gained access to video evidence of the car being driven away from the condo from outside security cameras.
We went to the Palm Springs Airport Hertz counter and explained what happened, we gave them a copy of the initial police report to make a copy for their record and we filled out a Theft Renter Form at the counter - we also asked for a copy. We asked Hertz for a replacement vehicle as we had three more weeks on our stay in Palm Springs. Hertz would not give us another vehicle without giving them the keys to the car. How could we have given Hertz the keys when the keys had been stolen along with the car?
This is against Hertz's own policy which is to provide a replacement vehicle to us as we had a contract for one month. We had to go to another carrier and rent another car which was almost double the cost of the first rental.
We kept calling Hertz to ask for any news and we would only get sent to different offices with no information. We finally went to the police station to get a final copy of the police report from the detectives and found out that the rental car had been found the same day we had reported it stolen. The car had not been damaged. The police informed us it had been found in Riverside CA that same evening and the person had been arrested for being in a car which was not theirs, but let go. We called Hertz and asked why no one called us to say the vehicle had been found as we payed double the price for another vehicle with another company. No one could help us as they closed out our rental agreement.
Or did they?
Once we returned home, I started the process of trying to get our three weeks for rental car funds returned as we had paid in full for the entire month and were charged. After many calls Hertz agreed the rental car was returned the next day and we were refunded the three weeks. I also put in a claim for the extra costs of the second rental car due to Hertz not following their policy and giving us a replacement vehicle. The claim was submitted. We have not heard from Hertz to follow up on the claim.
Fast forward to the first week of February, two months after the Hertz rental nightmare. My Mother needed to see a Periodontist as she was having pain. Because she is in a wheelchair and needs assistance I wanted to be there to assist her and listen to the doctors advice. I rented a car from Dollar rental car because I did not want to rent from Hertz. I woke up at 5:00AM, walked in the rain to the metro and went to the airport. I was first in line and waited for 30 minutes. When the Dollar rental car office finally opened late at 7:15AM, I was told I could not rent a car as I was on a "suspended list." I said I had not rented from Dollar, and was informed Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty are all the same company. I explained that I was refunded from Hertz and the rental agreement was closed. He said: "Sorry I cannot rent to you." I even explained that my Mother, who is in a nursing home was waiting on me in four hours to assist her, and he said: "Sorry I cannot help you." How would anyone know all three of these companies are all connected. Why did Hertz not inform me there was an issue. Was it because I had a claim in for payment due to Hertz not following their own policies.
No other rental cars had any cars so I had to book for the next day and could not be there to support my Mother at her doctors visit or help her get to her appointment. I started calling the suspension list line and was on hold for one hour. I called back three more times and no answer. I called customer service and finally someone gave me an email address to ask why I was on a suspension list. After one week Hertz sent a reply, which was they did not have a Theft Renter Form from us. I needed to fill it out and submit it. You mean the form I submitted at the Palm Springs airport the day the rental car was stolen.
So Hertz did not give us a replacement vehicle, lost the paperwork, did not process it, did not inform us the car was found the same day it was reported stolen, nor inform us they did not have the form, or inform us we were on a suspension list, or contact us about the pending claim, and caused me to again rent another car at the last minute. I am currently waiting for a response to the email I sent Hertz with the new Theft Renter Form and a copy of the one I submitted the day we reported it missing, and the police report which i gave them. I am still waiting for a response of the claim for reimbursement for the extra costs of the second rental due to Hertz not following their own policy. read more