My Nonprofit Reviews

I recently rented a car from Hertz for a personal trip to visit my 90yr mother. I have been using Hertz for both business and leisure travel for almost 20yrs. I have gold status through my employer. I've never had any issues whatsoever.

Recently, in Dec. 2021, I took my first driving trip since early 2020 and went back to the Hertz neighborhood location I previously used for leisure trips. The staff was completely new, no surprise. When I dropped off the car, they were busy with other customers and just accepted the key and said "all good". On my way home I received the receipt via email which listed a $400 additional charge. I called the Hertz 800 number and was told it was because there was a cigarette butt and ashes found in the car and that was the fee per the rental agreement.

I immediately returned to the Hertz location and asked if there was some sort of mistake, that I had this extra charge on my receipt. I was immediately told, no, it was not a mistake, and they produced photos of a car interior with a cigarette butt on the floor and ashes all over the seats! I loudly protested that I was not a smoker, never a smoker in my life and no one with me in the car during the rental period smoked. They said I was accusing them of lying! When I suggested I would dispute the charge with my credit card company, I was immediately told that Hertz would simply send the fee to a collections agency! I was totally outraged for being setup in this obvious scam.

When I returned home I called Hertz and asked to speak with a supervisor, I was told someone would call me back. I never received any calls. I then went on Twitter where I inquired and two days later they responded with a canned message that I violated the smoking policy and that $400 was the fee.

I then began an internet search where I found the Elliot Advocacy website. The site is a treasure trove of information on how to self-advocate, which included a warning about quickly resorting to credit card disputes. The website also contains a list of corporate contacts who may provide a better response to your complaint. I found the Hertz executive contacts and sent a letter to two different addresses using the format suggested. I received a response, but it was similar to what I received over Twitter, that I violated the policy, they had pictures and that was it.

The Elliot Advocacy website also has a form where I could input the details of my issue and it would be considered for escalated advocacy support by the team. After doing so, I was contacted by Michelle who asked me to provide all the details and communication history with Hertz. I provided all of that and more. I did all this just prior to and through the Christmas holiday. I didn't expect a quick response if any from my form submittal. Michelle replied to me within a week stating that she would forward a package to her contact at Hertz.

Well, maybe 2hrs after I received Michelle's last email, I received a voice message from someone at Hertz who told me the $400 fee would be refunded!!

I was floored! Totally unexpected that I would receive full compensation and so quickly!

I can't say thanks enough to Michelle and the Elliott Advocacy team!