Hertz - Insurance Scam *BEWARE*

Mr_Smith_8881

*** BEWARE anyone considering using Hertz car hire abroad. I have returned home and have been charged £355 for additional insurance cover. I explicitly stated I had no requirement for additional insurance cover at the Hertz airport kiosk. Later during the transaction I was presented a receipt to sign all in Spanish which included the additional cover charge. Unfortunately I signed the receipt due to not understanding what each of the charges is for. I then checked over the details and acknowledged the charge. I queried the charge at the airport and asked whether it was a refundable deposit and was mis advised that it was. I have disputed the charge via Hertz customer services but they have repeatedly refused to refund the additional insurance cover as I've signed.

The car hire itself cost only £200 so to be charged additional fees of £355 is extortionate.

Their customer service is shocking, whilst they write pleasant emails they will not provide details of anyone senior to discuss the dispute. I received a call back from a senior manager who left a voicemail with no contact details to return the call. They will not return any funds as they have been signed for, they have not taken any of the circumstances into consideration. I am dismayed at the service and practices conducted by a reputable organisation.

My advice is don't book with Hertz.

If you already have a booking be very careful what you sign and request a line by line explanation of the charges being applied. Hopefully posted this will prevent you or someone you know from being taken advantage of.

If anyone has any advise on my legal position or continuing the dispute I welcome all feedback. I am also interested to hear of any similar experiences with Hertz - I have a suspicion the way Customer Services have handled the dispute I may not be the only dissatisfied customer.

NiftyDigits

Mr_Smith_8881 wrote: »

*** BEWARE anyone considering using Hertz car hire abroad. I have returned home and have been charged £355 for additional insurance cover. I explicitly stated I had no requirement for additional insurance cover at the Hertz airport kiosk. Later during the transaction I was presented a receipt to sign all in Spanish which included the additional cover charge. Unfortunately I signed the receipt due to not understanding what each of the charges is for. I then checked over the details and acknowledged the charge. I queried the charge at the airport and asked whether it was a refundable deposit and was mis advised that it was. I have disputed the charge via Hertz customer services but they have repeatedly refused to refund the additional insurance cover as I've signed.

The car hire itself cost only £200 so to be charged additional fees of £355 is extortionate.

Their customer service is shocking, whilst they write pleasant emails they will not provide details of anyone senior to discuss the dispute. I received a call back from a senior manager who left a voicemail with no contact details to return the call. They will not return any funds as they have been signed for, they have not taken any of the circumstances into consideration. I am dismayed at the service and practices conducted by a reputable organisation.

My advice is don't book with Hertz.

If you already have a booking be very careful what you sign and request a line by line explanation of the charges being applied. Hopefully posted this will prevent you or someone you know from being taken advantage of.

If anyone has any advise on my legal position or continuing the dispute I welcome all feedback. I am also interested to hear of any similar experiences with Hertz - I have a suspicion the way Customer Services have handled the dispute I may not be the only dissatisfied customer.

None of this makes any sense. A 'receipt' written all in Spanish? Additional cover charge?? What 'additional cover charge'? They either block an amount using your CC or you buy their insurance.
You checked the details and then acknowledged the charges??
Was this your first time renting a car?

Scam? You appear to have made many blunders all in a row.

zagfles

They do sometimes charge a deposit and refund - Hertz in Majorca did this. It was EUR450 IIRC, it wasn't just reserved as they usually do.

When I said I didn't want their excess insurance they said there'd be a EUR450 deposit, which was charged to my card (ie appeared on the statement), and refunded a few days after the trip.

Mr_Smith_8881

For the avoidance of doubt and for further clarification the events occurred as described above. Hertz have charged me a deposit which has been refunded. I have also been charged c£355 for premium insurance which I explicitly rejected my requirement for when asked by Hertz operatives. The documentation was produced [in Spanish!] later during the transaction for signing. Unfortunately I signed the documentation which detailed all charges including the premium insurance charge, £355 extra on top of the hire costs! When I noticed the charge on the receipt I queried it with Hertz employees and asked if it was a refundable deposit – they lied/replied “yes”. If I had been advised it was for additional cover I would never have accepted the charge which is complete extortion on a £200 booking. Providing mis-leading/false information in this manner is mis-selling – I fully accept this can all be put down to a language barrier but Hertz Customer Services have made no attempt to understand the full circumstances or rectify the situation reverting only to the Spanish receipt. It is extremely poor business practice and reflects poorly on a reputable organisation.

And yes I’ve hired cars abroad on several occasions previously and have never been duped for premium insurance cover in this manner.

I would be very interested to hear if anyone has experienced anything similar, please warn anyone you know who has a reservation to be cautious of foreign documents, charges and information provided by employees.

zagfles

What exactly was the insurance, did you find out? Was it "Super CDW", personal accident etc? Or was it actually CDW (I believe some rentals can exclude CDW, eg if it's via their loyalty scheme, company rental etc).

The usual one would be Super CDW but £355 seems very high, it's usually a rip-off but not that much of one!

Also which airport was it?

NiftyDigits

What I don't understand is why the took a deposit and charged charged for 'premium insurance'.

That is what doesn't make sense, as the insurance would cover the deposit.

Did the OP take a car without even the most basic CDW insurance? Was it booked direct through Hertz or via a broker?

Mr_Smith_8881

Thanks for your comments.

I can only assume the charge is for super CDW, hard to deduce from the Spanish receipt in small print. The incident occured at Barcelona airport T1 and the original booking was via a broker.

NiftyDigits

Mr_Smith_8881 wrote: »

Thanks for your comments.

I can only assume the charge is for super CDW, hard to deduce from the Spanish receipt in small print. The incident occured at Barcelona airport T1 and the original booking was via a broker.

No, if it were for Super CDW there would be no need for a deposit. Did you present a credit card or debit card?

Now you tell us that you didn't book with Hertz at all. Booking via a broker gets you different terms and conditions.
When I book direct with Hertz, I get a Full/Full fuel policy. Book via Ryanair and you'll get a Full/Empty policy.
So your warning to not book with Hertz is entirely misplaced.
Perhaps the conditions of your booking with the broker is the issue.
You post is wholly unclear as to what was included in your original booking with the broker.

Sorry, but it is just utterly ridiculous that you don't know what you have purchased via your Broker and what you have signed and agreed to at the Hertz desk.

It should not be a matter of searching for the cheapest quote and then hoping for the best. You need to know what is included and to get Car Hire Excess insurance in advance if necessary.
Seems that you really haven't a clue and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Notwithstanding, if there is a chance that they treated you unfairly, I have sent you a private message.

Mr_Smith_8881

Thanks for the PM, most appreciated.

Sorry if this is unclear from the original prose, I was trying to keep it concise.

The original booking was via an agent and did include basic insurance cover. It was only at the airport that Hertz have bolted on premium insurance cover [even though I stated I had no requirement]. Hertz have taken payment for a deposit and the additional insurance cover. I was asked for to present a credit card at the airport for the deposit and for fuel which was optional if the car is returned full.

I fully accept this can be attributed to a language barrier/mis understanding but they have had the opportunity to rectify via UK Customer Services and have made no attempt to refund.

Mxty

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do if you have signed the papers legally which is why they are refusing to fund you as they know you can't do anything about it.

It's an expensive lesson but don't ever sign anything without knowing what it is... Spanish or not, I work for Indigo Car Hire and we see it a lot, we advise people that it will happen and you may be asked to sign something for additional insurance but people still do it without knowing and we always try get their money back but 90% of the time are unsuccessful especially with Hertz, there are some companies that are more lenient but not them.

malc_b

Have you disputed the transaction with your credit card company? I'm assuming you paid by credit card. UK law which I believe applies makes the credit card company jointly liable so you're likely to get more joy out of them. I'd would claim that the staff told you the extra was just a deposit that would be return, same as you told us here. If you had separate insurance that would show why you didn't want Hertz insurance which would strengthen your case. If the document was in spanish then you would be reliant on the staff giving you the correct information but either way any information given at the time of a sale forms part of the sale.

I'd suggest that you first confirm that UK law applies as that gives you a stronger case with the credit card company. I know it does when buying good from abroad over the net, not sure about this case. If you have home insurance these frequently have a legal advice line. But either way the credit card is liable so push "I was told it was a deposit and now I want it back" line.