Hertz Charged me $800 for a door ding! Reykjavik, Iceland

Hi there, I am the original poster. You guys all sound like you work for car rental agencies: "Don't blame Hertz for your poor choices!" "Sorry but I hope you learned a lesson!" "I am not sure how you feel this is Hertz's fault." "Next time take the optional coverage."

Let me explain what has happened since I filed this report, and hopefully you will understand why it was Hertz's fault.

My credit card (Visa Signature) offered to take care of the claim at no cost to me. But when I found out they would simply reimburse me for what I had already paid Hertz, I declined. I was angry. So I sued Hertz in small claims court.

I provided pictures of the car from the day I rented it that did not show any ding, or at least nothing visible enough to appear from 3 feet away. I requested Hertz's photos and proof the repairs were made. Months went by. Nothing.

Throughout this, I had been corresponding with Hertz's corporate office in the U.S. and they said it was a franchise location in Iceland, which they did not have much control over. After a year, they admitted it was a scam and refunded me my money and gave me a $500 voucher.

You guys were all pretty quick to blame the consumer and tout the benefits of the LDW, and while it might be a good idea (sometimes), other times it can be a pretext to a scam. Plus, it is a horrible deal if your credit card offers rental protection.

The trick is LDW - Hertz's Loss Damage Waiver is a life-saver when it comes to vehicular damage. By paying for the LDW, I waive my responsibility for the vehicle (with few negligence exceptions) every time I rent from Hertz. This isn't my car, so why take on the added liability and insurance responsibility of a car that isn't even mine.

Think responsibly and waive your liability next time. The waiver pays for up to the full value of the car. Don't risk it. You wouldn't drive without auti insurance. It's their car, so listen to their recommendations.

In the 21st Century it's easy to be paranoid that everyone is giving you a sales pitch. But in the end, it's your loss if you end up opting to accept full responsibility. I'm a Gold Member, and I speak from experience. Get the Damage Waiver.

I am not sure how you feel this is Hertz's fault. You didn't take coverage offered by Hertz and the car you were driving was damaged. You may feel that 800.00 is too much but the truth is to properly repair most dents you have to blend the paint in with the surrounding areas, this takes time and costs money. Next time take the optional coverage.

I am a long time employee with Hertz Car Rental and it is our policy to always offer the optional services to each of our customers. Had you taken this service the car would have been covered from bumper to bumper and you would not have been responsible for any major or minor dents, dings, or scratches to the rental vehicle. We experience situations like this everyday where we offer customers the coverage and they immediately say "i have insurance". Not realized that we charge for damage UPON RETURN! We dont wait for you to file a claim and pay your deductible. This is why the coverage for a week would have cost you 80-90 dollars and now you're stuck having to pay $800.
Sorry but I hope you learned a lesson!

This is world full or corruption and scams. It seems like most businesses only care about ways to rip people off and have no integrity. Auto rentals being a business would be "NO" exception. If I was to go on vacation, I would use my own car. I would prefer to avoid going somewhere, where you would need to depend on an auto rental. I have found myself, that auto rentals are a big hassle.

I work for Hertz as a body damage estimator. Most larger Hertz locations have a person like me that writes an estimate on damaged cars which are then sent to a body shop for repairs. A one inch "ding" in a quarter panel would probably not be repaired; however a larger dent would be. Body shop rates here in Calif range between $80 and $100 per hour. In Iceland, I'd assume they would even be higher. Even a small dent requires 2 to 3 hours to repair, followed by add'l time to repaint the quarter panel, plus the cost of the paint and clearcoat. Additionally, depending where on the quarter panel the dent was located, it might be necessary to blend an adjoining panel. For instance, a dent 12" from the rear door would require the body shop to blend the paint into the rear door. To blend the door, you need to remove any side moldings, the belt molding, and the door handle itself. Also, while the body shop will maybe only paint a small portion of the quarter panel with the car's actual color, clearcoat will be applied over the entire panel, so anything on the quarter panel that can't be painted will be removed: a tailight that extends into the quarter panel on some models, perhaps even the rear window, depending on the model of car. (if you just tape over the rear glass, you will leave an "edge" on the clearcoat, which could chip away over time).

Finally, you shouldn't have to pay the entire $800 bill; your personal insurance should cover it, with you just paying the deductible. Additionally, you were offered additional coverage when you rented the car, coverage that would have insulated you from any damage that happened when you had the car. It was your choice to decline this coverage and take full financial responsibility for the car.

The bottom line is that $800 is not an outrageous amount for a dent in a large panel. It was your choice on how large of deductible to take with your own insurance and to decline the add'l coverage from Hertz. Don't blame Hertz for your poor choices!