Hi Reddit,
So last summer I rented a car from Hertz. Normal person stuff. Returned it on time, went home, forgot about it, as you do.
Then, about a month later, Hertz attempts to withdraw 3k+ from my bank account. I refuse and cancel my credit card but somehow 1k+ gets charged and they start mailing me bills for $2,000+. No warning. No explanation. Just: "Hello! We have taken your money. Goodbye."
After calling Hertz roughly 47 times and speaking to people who had the enthusiasm of a DMV employee on a Friday afternoon, I finally tracked down someone at the licensed drop-off location who figured out what actually happened: Hertz had a "processing error" that failed to move the car off my account when I returned it. So when the next renter drove away, the system thought I was still driving it — and billed me accordingly.
A processing error. A clerical mistake. An oopsie-daisy that cost me 1k+ dollars.
You would think: "Oh, processing error? Easy fix! Just reverse the charge."
You would be wrong.
The original rental location refused to approve the refund. Nobody would touch it. I spent months bouncing between Hertz employees like a pinball, getting transferred to people who'd never heard of me, repeating the same story over and over like I was cursed to relive a particularly boring nightmare.
I finally get in contact with a kind person at the drop-off who looks at the evidence, agrees they screwed up, and starts working on it. Progress! Hope! A light at the end of the tunnel!
And then their enthusiam dried up, they put me in touch with the district manager who has never responded to my emails. Then the bill goes to collections.
Now Hertz can't do anything about it. Their hands are "tied." The money has left the building. I called the collections agency and was transferred seven times before the call dropped. I called back and was told my best option is to do a three-way call between me, Hertz, and the collections agency — which I can only describe as planning a hostage negotiation where I am both the negotiator and the hostage.
To recap:
- ✅ I have proof the car was returned on the date
- ✅ I have proof Hertz made a processing error
- ✅ I have receipts, dates, names, and documentation
- ❌ Nobody cares
This is going to tank my credit. The bill is enormous. And somewhere out there, a Hertz computer is convinced I drove a rental car for a month straight.
If anyone has been through this or has advice — attorneys, dispute processes, CFPB complaints, anything — I am all ears. At this point I would accept carrier pigeon instructions. Thanks in advance!
Location: NY state/New York City