- Another angry Hertz customer has told how its AI damage assessor handed out a surprise bill.
- The rental agency’s camera-based system noticed a tiny mark on the returned car’s bodywork.
- Hertz billed the renter $195 with an option to save $65 by settling quickly, rather than appealing.
Hertz’s take-no-prisoners AI damage assessment technology shows no sign of softening its attitude to wear and tear battle scars that are part and parcel of regular car use. This week, another customer took to the internet to express frustration and disappointment after being handed a bill for damage barely visible to the human eye.
Related: No Scratch Or Ding Escapes Hertz’s New Secret Weapon For Your Rental
We reported recently how a Hertz renter at Atlanta’s airport, the first Hertz location to get the new tech, was surprised to receive a $195 charge, and now a customer renting from Houston International has told of their equally unpleasant experience.
Another Small Dent, Another Big Charge
“I recently rented a car from Hertz at IAH and upon 30 mins of dropping the car off, I received a text saying there was damage reported on the car with a $195 bill tacked on it,” a user going by the alias animemufin wrote on Reddit’s r/HertzRentals board.
“Upon taking a look at the pictures included, the ‘dent’ they’re referring to is negligible and even looks like a smudge to be quite honest. Am I crazy for fighting back and emailing/calling customer service [telling them] that I’m not paying for it?” they asked.
The phone screenshots published with the post show before and after pictures of the rear quarter of the car, the second one highlighting a very small dent just below the gas cap. There’s no disputing that there’s a mark there, though it really is tiny and looks like a simple case of someone opening a door against the rear quarter, something that happens every day in parking lots all over the world.
Human Judgment vs. Machine Precision
Nevertheless, it’s got people wondering whether the damage is so small that a human rental assessor would have let is pass, if they even noticed it at all.
Reddit/animemufin
Hertz is phasing out human assessors and replacing them with the AI-based system that photographs the car as the renter drives out of the lot and when it comes back. In theory, the system should be fairer for renters, but its hardline approach to minor damage is proving unpopular, with some Reddit commenters calling it a scam.
Fee Reduction Still Leaves a Bitter Taste
A third screenshot provided by animemufin shows the $195 bill, and how Hertz says it is willing to waive the $65 “loss of use” fee if the renter settles quickly, bringing the charge down to $130.
That would still sting, but it’s low enough that even unhappy renters might just decide to pay, particularly since, as animemufin discovered when trying to talk to someone at Hertz about the issue, a representative wouldn’t be available for a week.