It Hertz to be left waiting for a car hire refund

QLast June we booked a fortnight’s car hire in Glasgow with Hertz through Economy Car Rentals. The rental cost was £396 and we received a reservation reminder the day before we took the train to Glasgow to collect the car on August 31.

When we arrived at the Hertz collection point at 5pm, there was nobody there. Station staff said the place had been closed for weeks and we were not the only customers caught out. We had no success contacting Hertz or Economy on the phone numbers provided.

Fortunately, the Enterprise desk was open and its agent found us a car so we could continue our journey to Kyle of Lochalsh village. However, we had to pay £750 and join its car club.

When we finally spoke to Economy’s customer services, it said it had already refunded our original rental. I asked to be reimbursed for the higher cost of the substitute car. Economy said it would ask Hertz but we have heard nothing despite chasing it up. Can you help?

– John Walker

A

Car rental companies load their rental offers on to sites run by affiliates and agents such as Economy Car Rentals, so the responsibility for checking that the information is correct and up to date lies with Hertz.

Fortunately Hertz is a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) which operates a dispute resolution service for its members, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. When Mr Walker contacted me on November 15, I suggested that we use the BVRLA’s service. The BVRLA usually only takes up a case when a final decision has been handed down to the customer by the rental company. But as Mr Walker had waited more than eight weeks for an answer, it accepted his complaint.

The adjudicator assigned to the case moved smartly to review the rental paperwork and contacted Hertz to get its side of the story. Within a month he reported back to Mr Walker and upheld his complaint. A few days later Hertz reimbursed the extra costs, via Economy Car Rentals, for the replacement rental and a taxi to pick up the Enterprise car from another depot.

I suspect Mr Walker’s experience is not unique, as some of the car rental franchises forced to close during the pandemic have not reopened. If you book a rental pick-up from a train station or a minor location this year, I’d advise giving the rental office a call beforehand to check it is operating.

Blue Skye thinking: the bridge linking the Isle of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh, where Mr Walker was heading on his Scottish road trip