6 ms·

Hertz Charges Tesla Model 3 Renter $277 Fee for Gas

30 points by tromp 2y ago

dangle1 2y ago
In the comment section, the customer (who has Hertz President's Circle status) provides even more baffling interactions with Hertz: > Hey y’all! Josh here! To clarify, I did receive an email that the quote in the article was pulled from, but I also had three interactions over the phone with people who were most definitely human (and most definitely rude) who confirmed to me that yes actually, the charge is legitimate. Yes, it’s also my fault for asking them to fill it up if I didn’t want to get charged. And yes, really, that was the cost to fill up the Tesla with gas. No, really, sir; the Hertz teams on the ground know their cars. If they say a Tesla Model 3 standard range takes $277 gallons of gas to fill up, it must have taken $277 to fill up the tank. So… there ya have it! There must be a secret gas tank that only Hertz knows about that all the Tesla owners have yet to discover. Maybe it’s an Easter egg? ;)
kayodelycaon 2y ago
Hertz has reported their own cars are stolen while they are in their parking lot or still rented to a customer. They've also illegally seized cars they used to own. Do not even go near them.
- AlexandrB 2y ago
  It's really funny that Hertz survived their bankruptcy thanks to becoming a "meme stock" only to run themselves right into the ground with the Tesla deal and this kind of incompetence. We'll see how long they last.
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    Never underestimate management incompetence.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
aprilthird2021 2y ago
I have a Hertz rental coming up, too late to cancel. What do I need to do to win if I have to chargeback on some made up fees like this?
- ct0 2y ago
  Take a picture of the fuel gauge showing you returned it full. Or easier yet, ask them to provide a receipt that they paid the fuel station x amount.
  - Filligree 2y ago
    But how do you take a picture of the gas tank gauge for an electric car..?
    - danaris 2y ago
      I believe most electric cars have a battery level indicator—after all, that is basically your fuel, and it's very, very important to know how much you have left.
      - Filligree 2y ago
        Oh, I'm sure they do. I'm questioning whether Hertz would accept that. This whole thing is very dumb.
        eesmith 2y ago
        In this case a photo wouldn't change anything. "According to the final receipt, the customer gave the Model 3 back to Hertz with the battery 96% full, the exact same state of charge it was picked up with."
- neom 2y ago
  I always take photos of a rental at the rental location before I leave. In this instance, don't request them to fill it up with gas, apparently it's just a button that automatically changes the card.
sanarothe 2y ago
I learned that the car rental desks in a certain airport are split up with the 'good ones' on one side and Hertz, Dollar and friends on the other side. One fateful evening I land for a work trip and the whole lobby is a zoo with probably 100-150 people waiting in lines, milling about, trying to figure out travel plans because the cars we all reserved with the 'wrong side' rental places had all been rented out to other people. The companies on the other side had no cars either but at least promised that if I had reserved a car with them, it would actually be reserved for me. So that's where I go every time now
- ccleve 2y ago
  Which companies are the "good" ones?
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    Enterprise and National have always been top notch, I will die on this hill.
    - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
      Hertz was good too... once. So Enterprise and National may not be good forever.
    - fragmede 2y ago
      I'm not going to contradict your lived experience but Enterprise let me book a car online and then left me stranded in Yucca Valley when they didn't actually have the car I reserved. so they're only as good as their local branch is at computers.
      - woleium 2y ago
        its a tough game, customers bring back cars late, and empty time is expensive. keep one or two extras in case and hope for the best is the best way to make money
- 2y ago
stuff4ben 2y ago
So we know Hertz is a total shitshow. What other company is good to rent from? I don't really trust Turo yet.
- pfannkuchen 2y ago
  I’ve had consistently good experiences with Turo so far. Once it gets bigger it will probably go downhill, but currently the hosts remind me of AirBNB hosts from around 2013. Like normal people who are actually trying to do a good job. I haven’t had any issues though so not sure if they handle dispute resolution or damage well.
- fragmede 2y ago
  What would it take for you to trust them, or what was your bad experience? I had a bad experience with GetAround with their reservation time math code logic was bad and wouldn't let me rent a car a midnight despite the car being available.
JasserInicide 2y ago
Visiting family over the holidays last year, I picked Avis's cheapest grab-bag tier and they gave me a Chevy EUV. Was my first time driving an electric vehicle. The fact that I had to look up what a charging network is, find a charging port near me, download the app for it, enter in my CC information into it (which failed 3 separate times), hook it up to the charging port overnight (only for it not to work), and end up driving back to Avis on literal fumes was un-fucking-believable. This shit should have been as easy as, if not easier, than filling up a car with gasoline. The whole user experience was a complete and utter farce. Thankfully Avis didn't charge me for fuel; the lady at the desk said when I brought it back "yeah no one knows how to fill them up". After being neutral on EVs, this permanently soured my opinion on them. I will never touch another one as long as I can fight it.
- Jenkins2000 2y ago
  If you have your own garage, or even driveway with a charger, a Tesla is amazing. And their super charger network on highways is amazing, no logins, apps, credit cards, not even a screen on the device. Just pop it into the car, wait 10 or 15 minutes for 150 miles range then drive to the next one. It's a shame the rental cars are giving EVs a bad name.
- adriancr 2y ago
  Why did you accept if you had no clue how to refil?
  - fragmede 2y ago
    because of a totally reasonable expectation that if the company is renting you something, it actually works. don't blame the victim here, that's lazy thinking.
    - adriancr 2y ago
      That's like renting a manual car thinking how hard can it be after only ever driving automatic. Sure, it should be easier to charge things, rent a tesla and problem solved, does route planning and no hassle charging at superchargers. Rent a chevy bolt and... yeah... ask the renting company how to charge at least and where they recommend or choose something else.
ccleve 2y ago
I've long thought that there should a be a penalty when a business fails to deal in good faith. When a business fails to respond to a customer complaint, or responds in a way which is disingenuous, or automated, or does not take the time to actually understand and respond appropriately, there should be a cause of action. In other words, the customer should be able to sue for bad faith dealing. The law should recognize that forcing a customer to fight to resolve a legitimate issue causes the customer harm, and the customer is entitled to collect damages over and above any other damages they have sustained (in this case, over and above the $277). One or more class action lawsuits would help straighten this company out. This one was a good start: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusation-stealing-cars-settlement https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusa... The next step is for company executives to face personal liability for failing to deal with these issues.
thrill 2y ago
Do rental Teslas get the supercharger plug-and-charge experience? Is this what he was charged for?

30 points by tromp 2y ago

In the comment section, the customer (who has Hertz President's Circle status) provides even more baffling interactions with Hertz: > Hey y’all! Josh here! To clarify, I did receive an email that the quote in the article was pulled from, but I also had three interactions over the phone with people who were most definitely human (and most definitely rude) who confirmed to me that yes actually, the charge is legitimate. Yes, it’s also my fault for asking them to fill it up if I didn’t want to get charged. And yes, really, that was the cost to fill up the Tesla with gas. No, really, sir; the Hertz teams on the ground know their cars. If they say a Tesla Model 3 standard range takes $277 gallons of gas to fill up, it must have taken $277 to fill up the tank. So… there ya have it! There must be a secret gas tank that only Hertz knows about that all the Tesla owners have yet to discover. Maybe it’s an Easter egg? ;)

kayodelycaon 2y ago

Hertz has reported their own cars are stolen while they are in their parking lot or still rented to a customer. They've also illegally seized cars they used to own. Do not even go near them.

AlexandrB 2y ago
It's really funny that Hertz survived their bankruptcy thanks to becoming a "meme stock" only to run themselves right into the ground with the Tesla deal and this kind of incompetence. We'll see how long they last.
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  Never underestimate management incompetence.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

aprilthird2021 2y ago

I have a Hertz rental coming up, too late to cancel. What do I need to do to win if I have to chargeback on some made up fees like this?

ct0 2y ago
Take a picture of the fuel gauge showing you returned it full. Or easier yet, ask them to provide a receipt that they paid the fuel station x amount.
- Filligree 2y ago
  But how do you take a picture of the gas tank gauge for an electric car..?
  - danaris 2y ago
    I believe most electric cars have a battery level indicator—after all, that is basically your fuel, and it's very, very important to know how much you have left.
    - Filligree 2y ago
      Oh, I'm sure they do. I'm questioning whether Hertz would accept that. This whole thing is very dumb.
      - eesmith 2y ago
        In this case a photo wouldn't change anything. "According to the final receipt, the customer gave the Model 3 back to Hertz with the battery 96% full, the exact same state of charge it was picked up with."
neom 2y ago
I always take photos of a rental at the rental location before I leave. In this instance, don't request them to fill it up with gas, apparently it's just a button that automatically changes the card.

sanarothe 2y ago

I learned that the car rental desks in a certain airport are split up with the 'good ones' on one side and Hertz, Dollar and friends on the other side. One fateful evening I land for a work trip and the whole lobby is a zoo with probably 100-150 people waiting in lines, milling about, trying to figure out travel plans because the cars we all reserved with the 'wrong side' rental places had all been rented out to other people. The companies on the other side had no cars either but at least promised that if I had reserved a car with them, it would actually be reserved for me. So that's where I go every time now

ccleve 2y ago
Which companies are the "good" ones?
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  Enterprise and National have always been top notch, I will die on this hill.
  - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
    Hertz was good too... once. So Enterprise and National may not be good forever.
  - fragmede 2y ago
    I'm not going to contradict your lived experience but Enterprise let me book a car online and then left me stranded in Yucca Valley when they didn't actually have the car I reserved. so they're only as good as their local branch is at computers.
    - woleium 2y ago
      its a tough game, customers bring back cars late, and empty time is expensive. keep one or two extras in case and hope for the best is the best way to make money
2y ago

stuff4ben 2y ago

So we know Hertz is a total shitshow. What other company is good to rent from? I don't really trust Turo yet.

pfannkuchen 2y ago
I’ve had consistently good experiences with Turo so far. Once it gets bigger it will probably go downhill, but currently the hosts remind me of AirBNB hosts from around 2013. Like normal people who are actually trying to do a good job. I haven’t had any issues though so not sure if they handle dispute resolution or damage well.
fragmede 2y ago
What would it take for you to trust them, or what was your bad experience? I had a bad experience with GetAround with their reservation time math code logic was bad and wouldn't let me rent a car a midnight despite the car being available.

JasserInicide 2y ago

Visiting family over the holidays last year, I picked Avis's cheapest grab-bag tier and they gave me a Chevy EUV. Was my first time driving an electric vehicle. The fact that I had to look up what a charging network is, find a charging port near me, download the app for it, enter in my CC information into it (which failed 3 separate times), hook it up to the charging port overnight (only for it not to work), and end up driving back to Avis on literal fumes was un-fucking-believable. This shit should have been as easy as, if not easier, than filling up a car with gasoline. The whole user experience was a complete and utter farce. Thankfully Avis didn't charge me for fuel; the lady at the desk said when I brought it back "yeah no one knows how to fill them up". After being neutral on EVs, this permanently soured my opinion on them. I will never touch another one as long as I can fight it.

Jenkins2000 2y ago
If you have your own garage, or even driveway with a charger, a Tesla is amazing. And their super charger network on highways is amazing, no logins, apps, credit cards, not even a screen on the device. Just pop it into the car, wait 10 or 15 minutes for 150 miles range then drive to the next one. It's a shame the rental cars are giving EVs a bad name.
adriancr 2y ago
Why did you accept if you had no clue how to refil?
- fragmede 2y ago
  because of a totally reasonable expectation that if the company is renting you something, it actually works. don't blame the victim here, that's lazy thinking.
  - adriancr 2y ago
    That's like renting a manual car thinking how hard can it be after only ever driving automatic. Sure, it should be easier to charge things, rent a tesla and problem solved, does route planning and no hassle charging at superchargers. Rent a chevy bolt and... yeah... ask the renting company how to charge at least and where they recommend or choose something else.

ccleve 2y ago

I've long thought that there should a be a penalty when a business fails to deal in good faith. When a business fails to respond to a customer complaint, or responds in a way which is disingenuous, or automated, or does not take the time to actually understand and respond appropriately, there should be a cause of action. In other words, the customer should be able to sue for bad faith dealing. The law should recognize that forcing a customer to fight to resolve a legitimate issue causes the customer harm, and the customer is entitled to collect damages over and above any other damages they have sustained (in this case, over and above the $277). One or more class action lawsuits would help straighten this company out. This one was a good start: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusation-stealing-cars-settlement https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusa... The next step is for company executives to face personal liability for failing to deal with these issues.

thrill 2y ago

Do rental Teslas get the supercharger plug-and-charge experience? Is this what he was charged for?