Hertz Charges Customer $436 Before Rental Begins

In a bizarre incident, a Hertz customer was fined $436.50 for a red light violation before they even picked up their rental car. The situation unfolded at Calgary Airport on May 15th, where the customer rented a vehicle for six days, starting at 10:30 p.m. However, a clerical error by the rental agent logged the start time as 10:30 a.m.

This mistake resulted in an additional day's charge and a red light ticket issued at 2:33 p.m., a time when the customer was still on an American Airlines flight. Despite presenting boarding passes to prove they were in transit, Hertz only reversed the extra day’s rental fee but insisted on keeping the fine and additional charges.

Efforts to dispute the charges have been met with limited success, as challenging the fees could result in being banned by Hertz and its affiliated companies. This incident is not isolated, adding to a series of customer service issues faced by Hertz, including erroneous toll charges and wrongful arrests due to rental mistakes.

Such occurrences tarnish Hertz's reputation, raising concerns about the reliability and fairness of its customer service. This latest case, where a customer was billed for a traffic violation before even starting their rental, underscores persistent problems within the company.