Hertz Tacked Extra $600 Onto a $400 Bill Upgrade Warning

If you are ever being offered a free upgrade from a car rental company, here's an apt reminder of why such upgrades need to be in writing. Plus, what it actually takes to get your money back.

Earlier, we reported on the problems consumers have had with some car rental agencies, which range from inflated bogus charges to accusations of having stolen a rental vehicle due to a glitch with a credit card transaction or some other misunderstanding or transaction error.

Typically, these kinds of rental car woes are resolved within a few months of the actual rental. But what if you try to argue for a refund and the car rental powers-that-be say "No," leaving you without any recourse short of hiring a lawyer and taking the rental agency to court?

As it turns out, going to a news agency might be a better option.

According to recent Steve Lehto YouTube channel episode, a news story sent to him by his followers showed that sometimes the car renter does win when it comes to dealing with car rental agencies.

In a recent news story from ABC 11 WTVD Eyewitness News, a Raleigh man received a rental car bill for hundreds of dollars more than he was told it would cost from an online reservation. The initial estimated price was $368, with an increase to an estimated charge of $405 because he added on the fuel purchase option.

While picking up the rental, he was told that his vehicle had been upgraded at no additional charge. A few days later, he discovered that his car rental bill had increased by another $600 due to the vehicle upgrade, leaving him with a bill over $1,000.

Here's a video of the news report:

NC Stunned by Hertz Rental Car Bill with Upgrade, Learns Charge Applied 'In Error'

What It Takes To Get Your Money Back from a Car Rental Agency

YouTuber/lawyer Steve Lehto discusses the news story with viewers, pointing out that the troubles car renters have with Hertz will never stop until something is done at the management level to put an end to a long history of shenanigans the company has been accused of over the years.

What amused Mr. Lehto about the story was that management at Hertz changed their tune once the news story got out. After the renter contacted the local news for help on the matter, the powers-that-be came back with an apology, a statement that the charges were somehow applied in error, and that the overcharge was refunded to the renter.

The lesson to be learned from all of this, pointed out by Mr. Lehto, is that local news agencies get these kinds of stories all of the time and that few are ever made public because the stories are just too common. What works, however, is having a story with more to it than an "I said, they said" to get the news agencies involved; preferably, a story with a human-interest angle that we can all identify with. But more important of all is to have documentation.

His advice was to keep all receipts and documents pertaining to interactions with car rental agencies. Because there was no paperwork showing a free upgrade was provided, legally, it was the renter's word against the travel agencies' word.

Fortunately for the renter, his local news looked into the complaint, and it made all the difference in the world for what otherwise would have been just another car rental anecdote of woe.

Here is Mr. Lehto's take on the news story:

Hertz Tacked $600 Onto a $400 Bill "in Error"

For additional articles related to your car rental scams, here are a few useful ones for your consideration:

• How Car Rental Companies Scam People Out of Money
• Rental Car Warning for Consumers of This Popular Car Rental Service
• Should You Buy a Used Tesla from Hertz?

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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