Hertz Reaches $168 Million Settlement
Hertz is now famous for getting arrested. There are hundreds of claims out there about the company falsely accusing people of auto theft, and many customers have gotten into real trouble. These mistakes have cost people their jobs, public humiliation and even jail time.
Now most of the affected customers will finally get reimbursed for some of the expenses and trouble that Hertz has caused. The rental company announced earlier this month a settlement of 364 pending claims relating to vehicle theft reporting, bringing resolution to more than 95% of its pending theft reporting claims.
The company will pay an aggregate amount of approximately $168 million by year-end to resolve these disputes.
“As I have said since joining Hertz earlier this year, my intention is to lead a company that puts the customer first. In resolving these claims, we are holding ourselves to that objective,” said Stephen Scherr, CEO of Hertz. “While we will not always be perfect, the professionals at Hertz will continue to work every day to provide best-in-class service.
Some notable incidents include customers Paul-Anthony Knight and Bianca DeLoach. Knight was on his way to work when he got pulled over in 2019. Guns were drawn and he was told the vehicle had been reported stolen. He was charged with felony theft and spent a week in jail and lost his job.
In 2021, Bianca DeLoach was pumping gas and was suddenly surrounded by police and arrested. They all had their guns drawn, while children were sitting inside the car. She was jailed for nine days.
Many similar incidents have happened over the last few years and they have continued even as the new CEO Scherr had repeatedly pledged to “do right by” customers wrongfully accused of stealing the company’s rental cars.
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Does it count if they charged me for a week for a car i never picked up? How about when I arrived in PIT and they told me i could not rent a car until I returned the one I had “stolen” the previous week?