Hertz

1 Star

1 Star — Beware of Unexpected Add-On Charges and Document the Vehicle Carefully My experience with Hertz was extremely disappointing and costly. I strongly recommend choosing another rental company and reviewing the many similar consumer complaints posted online before renting from Hertz. My online rental agreement showed a total cost of approximately $495, including taxes. The only additional option I knowingly authorized was for Hertz to refill the gas tank when I returned the vehicle. However, Hertz treated my verbal agreement for the gas service as approval for numerous other optional charges that I did not knowingly request or agree to. Those charges added approximately $795 to the rental, bringing the total amount charged to my American Express card to $1,290. I disputed the additional charges with American Express and provided documentation supporting my position. When I asked American Express to provide copies of all receipts or agreements that supposedly contained my signature authorizing these charges, I was told that no signed receipts were available. Nevertheless, American Express declined to refund the disputed amount and advised me that my remaining option was to pursue legal action. After consulting with my attorney, I was advised that a lawsuit could cost between $5,000 and $8,000, with little likelihood of recovering the disputed amount. As a practical matter, an individual consumer cannot afford to fight a large corporation over a charge of this size. The big company wins—not because the customer is necessarily wrong, but because the cost of challenging it is prohibitive. What makes this even more troubling is that Hertz had been recommended through organizations such as AARP and AAA, which gave me a false sense of confidence when making the reservation. My advice is simple: Do not rely solely on the online quoted price. Do not sign or verbally agree to anything at the rental counter until every charge and optional service has been individually explained and either accepted or declined in writing. Take photographs of every page and demand a printed final agreement before leaving. Just as importantly, take detailed, time-stamped photographs and video of the entire vehicle when you pick it up and again when you return it. Photograph every side of the car, the wheels, windshield, windows, roof, bumpers, interior, fuel gauge, and mileage. Hertz and other rental companies may use automated or AI-assisted inspection systems that identify dents, scratches, broken glass, or other possible damage. Without your own time-stamped documentation, preexisting damage could potentially be attributed to your rental period. Do not assume that a quick walkaround is enough. Document the vehicle thoroughly before driving away, and report every visible defect in writing. This review may be my only meaningful recourse. Based on my experience, I will never rent from Hertz again, and I strongly encourage other consumers to protect themselves and find another rental company.

The staff attention to detail

The staff attention to detail, especially when I got sick and was somewhat distracted . The nice Jamaican lady who helped me sort out my charges when I returned the car. As I explained about my having returned a lost cell phone left in the rental car. She was so helpful and polite.

We rented a car for 6 days from hertz…

We rented a car for 6 days from hertz Stanstead Airport 29th May til6 June 2026 On return they indicated a cut on a tyre near the rim, which I was unaware of. I already had my own insurance which covered hire cars. This insurance covered me for the damage to the tyre I lodged a claim with my insurance coy, who requested more info from Hertz Hertz immediately took £250 but have not replied to ANY communication about the claim from my insurance coy I will NEVER USE HERTZ again

Easy check in and easy to return

Easy check in and easy to return, large selection of cars, great staff (Ruben Reyes goes above and beyond , helpful and personable), good deals on last minute rentals.

There was no line in the downtown…

There was no line in the downtown Manhattan location, I was in and out in 5 mins.

Fraudulent Billing

Billed us $600 for non-existent damage after check-in agent already checked car and found none. Took over an hour with customer service just to file but not resolve the complaint. Never received an apology or correction. Hertz's AI image processing system is fraudulent. Claimed damage looked like a shadow from the sun. The stress is not worth using Hertz any longer.

Customer services department is…

Customer services department is non-existent. We recently hired a car in Spain through Thrifty (apparently Hertz own Thrifty) and when we returned home we saw a charge on the credit card from Hertz for 'Station Fee' and 'Fee Exemption'. When we booked the rental, we were told all fees were included in the price. After searching for a phone number to no avail, i sent multiple emails and finally received a reply to say they couldn't confirm my authority to access the account info as i contacted them using a different email address to the one on the booking... even though the reply i received was to the email address on the booking. I tried again to find a phone number and the only one i could find was for reservations. I rang that and tried for an hour to get through to a human but each time i was sent an SMS with a link to a live chat. On the live chat i was told that they couldn't help because it was a customer services issue, but were unable to provide me with a way to contact them other than the email address that i'd tried weeks before when i received the email about not having the authority to discuss the account. I'm now stuck in a loop of sending them an email, waiting 10 days, and being told i dont have the authority to access the account. My only other option is to contact my credit card company and try to have the charge reversed. Absolutely disgusting that a company like Hertz dont have a customer services number to resolve issues like this. I would never use them again.

Accused Of Someone Else’s Damage

I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience renting from this company. Before I left the lot, both the employees and the gentleman who oversees the vehicles acknowledged and documented that the car already had a cracked windshield and several scratches. They specifically told me not to worry because the damage was from the previous renter, and they still allowed me to rent the vehicle for a month. During my rental, the windshield crack naturally spread, which is common with existing windshield damage. However, when I returned the car, the same employees claimed they knew nothing about the original crack and attempted to hold me responsible for it. I find this to be unprofessional, dishonest, and unfair. As a loyal Hertz customer for more than five years, I have never had any problems until this experience. Customers should not be blamed for pre-existing damage that was acknowledged and documented before the rental began. Now I have to pay over $1400 for something I honestly didn’t do I hope Hertz takes this matter seriously, improves its documentation process, and ensures employees treat customers fairly and honestly. My experience has left me very disappointed, and I expect better from a company I have trusted for years.

Do not buy from hertz worst rental…

Do not buy from hertz worst rental company ever created. Terrible communication, customer service , management team is terrible on all departments. My car got picked up which I have no problem with but the issue is my personal belongings was in my car and nobody has a clue where my belongings are and it’s been 3 weeks. Don’t ever buy from here terrible service and they make you buy their insurance making it over 400 a week when clearly you got insurance already but they make you get theirs. I still haven’t got my belongings and it’s been 3 weeks !! Don’t buy here terrible who doesn’t put customers first , that should be your first priority!!!!

Quick and easy

Staff is always helpful and…

Staff is always helpful and accommodating to the best of their abilities

Not What I Expected

The car was decent but had a few issues that were a letdown. When I picked it up, there was a noticeable smell inside that made the drive less enjoyable. Also, the cleanliness wasn't up to par; there was dust on the dashboard that I noticed immediately. I appreciate the quick service, but it felt rushed, and a more thorough check would’ve made a difference. I still prefer Hertz over other companies, but I hope the next rental is in better shape.

Avoid this service

Avoid this service — it’s totally not worth it, and they end up charging you fines and late fees.

Wasting of your money and time

We rented a Tesla Model Y from this Hertz location because it was the only branch that had one available for our travel dates. Unfortunately, after driving only about 10 minutes, we realized something was seriously wrong with the vehicle. The steering wheel was heavily worn and slippery, the rear brakes made a constant metallic scraping noise even while coasting, braking felt abnormal with almost no regenerative braking, the battery was draining much faster than expected, and even the key card frequently failed to unlock the car on the first try. The charging cable provided was also incomplete for Tesla charging. We immediately contacted Hertz, and after being sent to Pearson Airport, waiting almost two hours, being offered a downgrade to a Model 3 (which we declined), and then driving all the way back to Downtown through heavy traffic, we finally received another Model Y. The entire exchange took around three hours. Unfortunately, the replacement vehicle wasn’t much better. The driver’s area had a terrible odor from the previous renter. We ended up cleaning the steering wheel, seat, armrest, and door panel ourselves with Lysol wipes, which turned dark yellow afterwards. The cabin air filter clearly needed replacement because the car smelled awful whenever Recirculation Mode was used or after turning off the A/C during rainy weather. The windshield wipers were completely worn out and barely usable in the rain, which is a direct safety concern. The floor mats had been poorly cleaned, the pedestrian warning speaker didn’t work (no reverse sound or locking chirp), the car constantly displayed “Dashcam unavailable. Check USB drive,” and on the last day of our rental Park Assist, cameras, and eventually the data connection all stopped working. I understand that replacement vehicles sometimes need to be prepared quickly, but these problems point to a lack of basic inspection and maintenance. Customers paying premium prices should reasonably expect clean, properly maintained, and safe vehicles. To make matters worse, after returning the vehicle I received an email claiming the car had been returned with damage. Fortunately, I had taken detailed photos before leaving the parking lot, clearly showing every existing scratch and dent—including reflections of the location manager while those damages were already visible. That made the claim especially disappointing. This experience cost us several hours of our vacation and left us with very little confidence in Hertz’s vehicle preparation and quality control. Sadly, after this experience, I don’t plan on renting from Hertz again.

Imaginary parking fines that can’t be documented, shown or proven to even exist?

Rental was really good but Hertz has later charged me for two parking tickets that doesn’t seem to exist… I rented a carin Manchester and during my 4-5 days i got a parking fine (70£) which was paid on the same day. But Hertz suddenly made up two additional fines and charged me 2 x 102 £ but when asking their customer support they can’t document or provide any proof or info about these imaginary parking fines… Daylight robbery!

Tired of having to video tape my car…

Tired of having to video tape my car when I pick it up and video tape the car upon return. If you don't do this you will be falsely accused of damage to the car.

Avoid LAX Marriot hotel location like the plague.

I booked and paid for a large SUV from the LAX Marriot Hotel location 5 months ago, after a 13 hour flight today I turned up at the rental location to be told 'nope, we haven't got any, all we've got are minivans or you can have a small SUV'. When I suggested they check other Hertz locations nearby for a large SUV the answer was 'can't do that'. No apology, no offer to try and fix their mistake, just take a minivan or nothing. We then had to wait an hour for the soccer mom vehicle to turn up. I'm now stuck with a crappy vehicle on a 2,000+ mile, 2.5 week vacation with my family - drove 80 miles from LA to our hotel tonight and the minivan is awful. Been using Hertz for years for business and pleasure - this is the last time. My advice - avoid the LAX Marriot Hotel location like the plague.

The car was not exactly as big as a…

The car was not exactly as big as a Camry, but it was still very much comfortable inside. It managed well and the fuel economy was excellent.

Expected Gold and got Silver

While the car we had was fine, we paid for a midsize SUV, and when we got to the Gold lot, all the SUVs were gone. When I'm driving in a new area, I like sitting higher up so I can see the road better. One of the lot attendants noticed us and we explained the problem. I went to get in line, and he came back with a compact SUV — better than a regular car, but still not what I paid for. I understand the Gold "take any vehicle you want" concept, but if I'm scheduled for a midsize SUV and the inventory shows none left, Hertz should either bring more onto the lot or offer some money back. I could have stood in a 45-minute-to-1-hour line and eventually gotten what I paid for, or better — but the difference between a compact and a midsize SUV wasn't worth that kind of delay. I've always used Hertz Gold in the past, and this is the first time there wasn't a single vehicle available in the class I paid for.

I was referred by Lincoln Pines to the…

I was referred by Lincoln Pines to the Hertz location at Pines Ford to pick up a rental vehicle while my car was being serviced. I have used this Hertz location several times before. Each time, I paid the security deposit with my debit card and was told the funds would be released within 5–7 days, which is exactly what happened in the past. This time was completely different. After 7 days, I still had not received my money back. I contacted Hertz and was then told it would actually take 10 days. That was the first sign of poor communication, since this had never been the case before. I waited 10 days, still nothing. After 13 business days, I called again. The representative simply kept repeating what sounded like a scripted response instead of looking into the issue. I asked to speak with a supervisor, who asked whether I had used a credit or debit card. Once I explained that I had used a debit card, I was suddenly told it could take up to 30 days for the deposit to be returned. I repeatedly explained that this had never been the standard process in my previous rentals and asked why this time was different. Instead of investigating, they just kept repeating the same response over and over like robots. Now I'm left waiting to see whether I actually receive my money back within 30 days or whether I'll have to pursue other options. And one final point: the rental cars at this Hertz location are consistently dirty, have unpleasant odors, the customer service is slow and unprofessional, and the entire experience is frustrating.