Another Roller Coaster Ride in Arlington, Texas
Life was going good for Rick Longoria of Arlington, Texas until he bumped his truck in a minor collision. Fortunately, the other party had insurance. "I had to put my truck in the shop and her insurance set me up with a rental car to drive while my truck was getting fixed," he explained to NBC News. However, his problems were not over yet, not by far.
The Irregular Behavior Displayed by Hertz Employees
"When I picked up the truck from Hertz Arlington, it was around three-quarters of a tank full," he explains. And that’s exactly how he left the rental truck at the auto repair shop, when he collected his vehicle after the insurance told him the job was complete.
A few days later Hertz billed him $129.87 for fuel. He called the company. An agent asked for a receipt proving he purchased fuel for the truck. Rick Longoria had the proof but he decided to play hardball. The burden of proof was on Hertz, he decided. Send me a photo of the fuel gauge and we’ll talk, he said.
The agent admitted there was no photograph, and agreed to reverse out the charge. However, perhaps surprisingly this did not happen. After several more attempts, Rick Longoria of Arlington lost patience and called the NBC Responds Team. After they reached out to Hertz for answers, the auto rental giant leaped into action.
How Hertz Attempted to Extract the Pawpaw from the Fan
The company wrote Rick Longoria an email that said, “The employee who checked in your rental failed to document our records related to the fuel charge. The employee is currently on leave therefore we are unable to speak with him to get the details. In an effort to regain your confidence in Hertz and to bring this matter to a close, we have issued a refund for the fuel in the amount of $129.87."
The NBC Responds Team then asked Hertz how they computed the refueling charge. In this instance, it included 13 gallons of gas, plus unspecified “administrative, labor, and product costs associated with refueling the tank for the customer”. We are not holding breath for a follow up, when said employee checks back in from vacation.
How Rental Customers Could Avoid Such a Time Waster
Pteet recommends retaining receipts for fuel. And having the dealer write the registration number down on them. That, together with date and time stamped photos of the fuel gauge before, and after should do the trick. Hertz confirmed that customers are not required to show a receipt for proof of fuel.
The NBC News journalist commented, “Always read your rental policy, or ask an employee to explain what you're signing.” At Pteet we could not agree more.
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Another Roller Coaster Ride in Arlington, Texas: David R. Tribble BY CC 3.0
Link to NBC News Report