Thrifty/Hertz car rentals has been the worst experience. They are a scam company that prey on individuals and families that don't travel that often and are trying to save money. They charged $1500 in fees!!!!! and lied about the condition of the car upon check-in.
I was following google maps and the car got stuck in the mud about 2 hours away from the Puerto Rico airport. I told Hertz roadside assistance to return the car to our apartment since it was just dirty and I got a ride back with a friend. They agreed but then stopped answering my calls after the tow truck got to the car, and they took the car straight to the airport. Since then, I have received a $250 cleaning fee, a $300 towing fee, a $164 gas fill-up fee and an $823 damage fee. THIS IS A TOTAL OF $1500 IN FEES!!!
The itemized receipt they sent me (after I annoyed them for it) said that the damage cost was to disassemble some of the car and detail it. I have pictures of the car when I left it for the tow truck, and there are no damages on the car. And they haven't returned any of our items that were left in the car, which they considered trash. I asked for the car to be returned to me because it was dirty from the mud and I could have sprayed it down with a hose and a rag.
When I called up the trip insurance company that was sold with the car rental, they said that they don't service Puerto Rico.
When I called up the customer service department they said that there wasn't anything that they could do to remove the charge, but that they are sorry?
I can't dispute the towing charges because I don't have the tow truck driver conversation in writing. I called the tow truck company and they answered with "don't call us again" and they hung up.
The Hertz customer service supervisor is always out of the office every day that I call or has just barely left. Every time.
It has been almost a month now and I am still trying to get in contact with Hertz and find a supervisor, but it seems like their strategy is to put things off so long and make life so difficult that it isn't worth their customers time to fight it. Which makes sense because Hertz is appealing to families that don't travel that often and are trying to save money.
My recommendation: Don't ever go with Hertz or Thrifty. They are a scammy company and this isn't a unique situation amongst their customers. Just read the other reviews online. read more