Being Scammed By Hertz Argentina

[TomAtAlki]

Hertz sucks. We have had bad experiences with them and would only rent from them if there was absolutely no other choice.
Nancy

 

[French jurist]

When you sign the Bottom Line of the Hertz Argentina Rental Agreement, you accept all the conditions, If you disagree with the terms must hire a lawyer and go to Court against Hertz that has several full time legal advisors on Retainer..... h34r:

And bad press among the expats too (people who tend to rent cars...) B)

 

[TomAtAlki]

I personally don't do Facebook and Twitter but I have heard that a story on either one or both of those does wonders. All major companies monitor those "services" and don't like the huge negative reviews.

Good luck. Hertz does suck. A number of years ago I had a minor problem in Santiago and couldn't get through to them.

T/

 

[eorl]

I don't think hertz cares about the bad press. People probably will still choose them because it is a worldwide name. I'm sure most rent cars out of necessity rather than choice. I think the best chance is to fight the charge with the credit card company but that doesn't look good considering it is in the contract.

Might be good to carry a very low limit credit card that automatically deny's any charges over the limit. I know these are usually offered for people rebuilding their credit or those with a spendthrift spouse. I'm not sure of the hold on funds they place when you rent a car but it's probably not 2k. Better to have a 300 or 500 dollar limit to reduce exposure. I think i'll be sticking with the bus in the future.

 

[Rich One]

I don't think hertz cares about the bad press. People probably will still choose them because it is a worldwide name. I'm sure most rent cars out of necessity rather than choice. I think the best chance is to fight the charge with the credit card company but that doesn't look good considering it is in the contract.

Might be good to carry a very low limit credit card that automatically deny's any charges over the limit. I know these are usually offered for people rebuilding their credit or those with a spendthrift spouse. I'm not sure of the hold on funds they place when you rent a car but it's probably not 2k. Better to have a 300 or 500 dollar limit to reduce exposure. I think i'll be sticking with the bus in the future.

Hertz places a hold on the card before you sign the contract and drive away! I rented a car 3 weekends in a row, and the holds were not lifted until a month later, the card was maxed out...! They placed 3 holds...! Not ONE Hold on CC.

 

[kitaat]

Dear expats : thank you for your input. it is invaluable. I noticed many of you are able to request your CC to reverse payment. I am from Sweden and I think the laws differ country to country. I tried 5 times to get them to reverse the charge due to the fraud. No dice.
They accuse me of reckless driving even tho I stopped in the middle of nowhere. They also had the balls to book a new rate and add an extra day.
We in the first world would say 2k USD is manageable, but to put it into perspective here in Argentina:
20 000 ARS (>2k USD) will get you:
- a flat for one year
- a used car (2 years old)
- a down payment on a house

I will follow your advice & contact the consumer office, police and ultimately a lawyer. I annoy Hertz USA every day with calls and emails, but as many of you pointed out Hertz USA can only protect the brand. In my point of view this is very damaging to the brand. I used them 20 years. I know how to drive.

In the end the car was poorly maintained and I do not have the ability to check the engine when taking a hire car.

The kicker was the invoice - not one technical detail explained. Not one line of which parts were purchased. Just a clean 20 000 ARS

I've taken this to Twitter as well - amazing response! At least they try. But Hertz Argentina seems like a mafioso type scam. Get the dumb tourist - who cares if he waits 3 hours for a replacement. Why not bill him extra days at a different rate.

I will fight this to the bitter end.

Thanks for all comments -even those a bit obvious about reading the contract. We all do this. We never expect the rental car to be poorly serviced before you get it.

GRACIAS

 

[johnw100]

20 000 ARS (>2k USD) will get you:
- a flat for one year
- a used car (2 years old)
- a down payment on a house

Crazy amount of money theyre charging. Even if its an engine rebuild, it wouldnt cost them anywhere near that. Did you have some kind of damage waiver insurance on the hire policy? In the past i`ve paid a little bit extra and then your covered for anything that happends to the car. I did hire one car once and that had a 250euro excess on any damages,etc. We were hit by another car from behind, and I automatically lost 250euro even though it wasnt my fault.

btw, no chance of buying a 2year old car for $2000us in Argentina ,unless its been written off in a crash.

 

[jeff1234]

I don't think hertz cares about the bad press. People probably will still choose them because it is a worldwide name. I'm sure most rent cars out of necessity rather than choice. I think the best chance is to fight the charge with the credit card company but that doesn't look good considering it is in the contract.

Might be good to carry a very low limit credit card that automatically deny's any charges over the limit. I know these are usually offered for people rebuilding their credit or those with a spendthrift spouse. I'm not sure of the hold on funds they place when you rent a car but it's probably not 2k. Better to have a 300 or 500 dollar limit to reduce exposure. I think i'll be sticking with the bus in the future.

I've pretty much learned to expect cc hassles when I travel.
I went to Mexico in August and am still getting new charges from mexican companies I never heard of. When I returned Brazil several years ago I kept getting new charges every month. American Express was unable to stop them. Even reissuing me a new card didn't help. I finally complained to the CEO. A staff member recognized a flaw in their system and resolved the matter.
You cc is like an open wallet. I recommend setting credit card limits to rock bottom. Raise them in minimum increments. This may mean that you make several calls to your cc company on a trip. But you'll have some peace of mind.

 

[cbonanni]

Sometimes it is possible to get a rental at a higher rate with no deductible or large hold on your credit card. I use a low limit card when renting cars , and them claim it lost and have it replaced. That way no additional charges can be made to it , for traffic violations to unjustified damage upon return of the car.

 

[kitaat]

Crazy amount of money theyre charging. Even if its an engine rebuild, it wouldnt cost them anywhere near that. Did you have some kind of damage waiver insurance on the hire policy? In the past i`ve paid a little bit extra and then your covered for anything that happends to the car. I did hire one car once and that had a 250euro excess on any damages,etc. We were hit by another car from behind, and I automatically lost 250euro even though it wasnt my fault.

btw, no chance of buying a 2year old car for $2000us in Argentina ,unless its been written off in a crash.

Hej, I asked my taxi driver yesterday what 20 000 ARS would buy and he proudly showed me his FIAT that is two years old. 15 000 ARS. I guess it depends on where you look and who one knows?