Hertz seems to have a pattern of falsely accusing renters of stealing cars. I think this is at least worth being aware of, especially as we learn more about the extent of Hertz’s false accusations.
Hertz files thousands of theft reports annually
Admittedly rental car companies have a lot to manage, including inventory, car damage, etc. However, it would seem that Hertz struggles with this more than competitors.
Hertz is facing lawsuits from hundreds of customers who rented cars, claiming they were falsely arrested for auto theft. Newly released court documents show just how many people Hertz is accusing of theft — the rental car giant has allegedly filed nearly 8,000 theft reports annually over a four year period.
Of course some people don’t return their rental cars, so in some cases reports of theft are probably legitimate, as Hertz requests help from the police for tracking down a car. Hertz claims that a “vast majority” of cases involve renters who are weeks or months late on returning a car, and reports will only be made to police after “exhaustive” attempts to reach a customer.
The problem is that accusing someone of theft and only getting it right a “vast majority” of the time isn’t really good enough. Hertz doesn’t seem to be great at figuring out which cars are stolen, and which aren’t. According to reports, customers with valid contracts have been falsely arrested, due to a mixup on Hertz’s end.
Court documents show that some renters ended up being jailed years after renting and returning their car at Hertz. One person was even allegedly held at gunpoint hours after paying for a rental.
Since Hertz was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the pandemic, those with claims against Hertz have filed in bankruptcy court, demanding to be paid like other creditors of the company.
Why is Hertz so incompetent?
A few thoughts on Hertz’s pattern of having customers arrested:
- Is Hertz actually worse than competitors when it comes to falsely accusing people of stealing cars, or did the concept of suing Hertz over this just pick up steam as the company has been in bankruptcy?
- I would imagine that Hertz’s standard for filing a theft report must be pretty low, based on how many people are falsely accused of stealing cars
- Isn’t there punishment for falsely filing theft reports against people? If so, why has Hertz not made changes to its process that will prevent this from happening in the future?
Bottom line
Hertz is accused of filing false theft reports against hundreds of customers, who ended up being arrested because the company accused them of stealing cars. While I can appreciate the challenge of managing inventory at a rental car company, Hertz obviously needs to do better, and I hope the company is held responsible for these careless reports.
If nothing else I figure this is a useful PSA. If you’re ever driving a Hertz rental and aren’t breaking any rules, and then are pulled over and the police handcuffs you, now you know why.
Does anyone have an explanation for why Hertz is so ridiculous?
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