Comments on: Help! My car rental company is taking me to court

By: Ralph Little

Ralph Little — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:07:31 +0000

Hertz is a rip off I will never use them again they are a bunch off liers .

By: ajaynejr

ajaynejr — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:30:29 +0000

How do I edit my comment to add:?:

Yes you may correspond with the merchant to find out more about the dispute but you start the dispute with the credit cared company within the 30 days o4 so anyway.

Incidentaly in this case the rental company has not taken the renter to court yet; nothing was filed with the court and no summons has bee issued yet.

By: ajaynejr

ajaynejr — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:26:05 +0000

What could the renter have done that would cause the damage?

The tread separating spontaneously being a tire defect, it would be better to not pay the $125. and never do business with Hertz again, as opposed to pay the $125. and never do business with Hertz again.

If I don’t catch some pre-existing damage before taking the rental car, can I report it later and be relieved of responsibility for it?

Seems klike that is what the company is doing, not inspecting the car upon return and billing the customer. Companies are supposed to back down if it comes to he said she said with the customer.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:26:58 +0000

Your advice is contacting Hertz first? Does this include the assumption that some credit card companies have a 30-day window to contest a charge? If she had contacted Hertz, I wouldn’t expect them to get back to her within 30 days either way.

By: Damien

Damien — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:45:08 +0000

Why are rental car companies allowed to behave as if it were the wild west? Every time I rent a car I feel like I am gambling on getting hit with all kinds of outrageous fees and claims. There appears to be virtually no consumer protection laws or safeguards regulating the rental car industry, and every brand seems to practice dirty tricks.

By: Ernie

Ernie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:51:27 +0000

I rent from Hertz – and have been doing so for about thirty years – just to avoid the hassles that so many people report with rentals from other car companies. But I’ve had a bit of trouble with the European Hertz rentals… not damage-type situations like this, but just a general stick-it-to-the-Americans attitude. But in the USA, I’ve never had these types of problems – that’s why I pay more for the Hertz rental!

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:48:15 +0000

As someone who works in the credit card industry, I’d like to make a point that will apply to many of your letter writers.

Merchants (airlines, car rentals, hotels, etc) are prohibited in their merchant account agreement from sending cardholders to collections as a result of a lost dispute. They agree to abide by the dispute resolution between the card holder’s issuing bank, and their own merchant processing bank.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:19:52 +0000

I think that’s just a stock photo, not the actual tire.

By: mhoop

mhoop — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:36:01 +0000

I’m no tire expert, but that sure looks like a tire fault to me…like the tread is separating from the rest of the tire. How can this be the fault of the renter? Also, were it my tire, I’d be asking my mechanic if the tread was thin enough to replace the tire.
And the Scots are such delightful people, too.
If I were distressed enough, I’d file suit against Hertz for putting my life in danger by putting defective tires on their car. But that’s expensive to do.
Maybe a complaint to the European Commission would do more good.
Or maybe, just pay the 125 and never use Hertz again.