Hertz Car Rental - Hertz Central Recovery Unit RIPOFF Incompetence Park Ridge New Jersey
This is a copy of my complaint to the Hertz CEO about a minor accident of 7 months ago and how the incompetents at their Oklahoma City Central Recovery unit:
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12/19/2005
Chairman & CEO Craig R. Koch
The Hertz Corporation
225 Brae Blvd.
Park Ridge, NJ 07656-0713
Fax: 201-307-2644
RE: I want to tell you why you lost a customer!
Dear CEO Koch:
I have had a bad experience with your Central Recovery Unit regarding an accident which happened 7 months ago, an accident which the other party was ticketed for 'Failure to Maintain Lane' and eventually pled guilty to in court on 9/6/05.
I was driving one of your rentals because of warranty work being done by the Ford dealership in Kennesaw. Your rental office is in their repair area and they paid the bill for the 2 day rental.
During the 2nd day and a few hours before returning the rental, a work truck of Quality Concrete of Acworth Ga, driven by a Kimberly Ann Buttram crossed into my lane and the truck mirrors hit each other.
The Cobb County Police issued a citation 911668 to Ms. Buttram. I was in no way at fault. I prepared a narrative of the circumstances which I turned in to your rental office (copy attached), I also contacted the insurance agent for the Quality Concretes policy and I took photos of the damage to your vehicle for court.
A week after the accident I went to the 1st Percent of the CPD and obtained a copy of the 4 page report and I sent a copy both to your Hertz office where I returned the vehicle and also to the Colonial agent by fax.
As mentioned I did respond to Cobb County Superior Court on 9/6/05 1:30 PM, as did another witness to the accident. Ms. Buttram pled guilty in Court 2A before Judge Gorlick and received a $100 fine. This was the last of the matter, at least that was what I thought.
Today after 7 months and one day I had a message on my machine from a Suzanne Dickens, Hertz Central Recovery, Oklahoma City 800 654-5667, asking me to phone regarding the accident.
I did not reach her immediately but left a message. In the meantime I phoned the Colonial Insurance Company agents, Johnson & Brian (404 575-1098) regarding their policy CAPGA19863 for Quality Concrete. They looked up the policy and saw that they had opened a claim on 5/18/05 when I had contacted them immediately after the accident. The claim was marked "Closed - No Payment". No one else had contacted them about the accident!
When I finally did speak to Ms. Dickens I asked her why after 7 months she was contacting me. She said that they had no luck reaching Ms. Buttram or the company and Hertz expected to collect the damages from me! I asked why no one had contacted the insurance company, she didn't know there was one!!!!!
I told her that I had just a few hours before contacted the Colonial agents and they had closed the claim as no one had ever followed up with them from Hertz. I provided her with the information as to the policy number and the agents name/phone. I would point out that this information is not secret, it is in fact provided on page 1 of the 4 page Georgia Uniform Motor Vehicle Accident Report which I had mailed to your Kennesaw rental agency.
Ms. Dickens told me that they would use the information I provided but if they could not collect from them that they would send me a bill and expect me to pay for the damages. I told her that under no circumstances would they ever see one dime from me. I was told that I would pay or they would turn the claim over to an 'outside collector' and it would 'ruin my credit'.
After this conversation ended I recalled your Central Recovery Unit and spoke to an Allen Thomas, Supervisor and related my annoyance that I had been contacted and threatened by Ms. Dickens.
I also asked why it was that I had to do their work for them and provide information that Hertz should have had and followed up on regarding the Colonial Insurance Company. He told me that they did not have the full report and didn't know about any insurance and that any report I had sent to their local office was not sent on to them.
I told him as some considerable length that I was extremely disappointed with how mishandled this matter was, that in several places Hertz had simply dropped the ball and that their 'investigation' by Ms. Dickens was very poorly done, and that I felt they should be sent a bill for my effort in the matter as clearly I had invested an afternoon doing work that they should have done months ago! Further, that I had taken an afternoon of my time out to attend court to see that the offending driver did not get away with causing the damage.
It should be pretty obvious to you that I will not be driving any Hertz vehicles in the future. Additionally, due to all the aggravation and annoyance your firm has caused me I am asking you for compensation in the amount of $500 for the time and effort I have had in effect 'doing your job for you'.
Direct your check to me at the below address.
Name/address provided
Greater Atlanta Area, Ga.
Encl.:
Statement
police report
photo
B
atlanta, Georgia
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Hertz
3 Updates & Rebuttals
B
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Hertz Gets Paid!
#4Author of original report
Thu, December 22, 2005
On 12/21/05 Lynette, from the Colonial agents Johnson and Brian, phoned to tell me that Hertz had faxed them a copy of the repair bill from 7 months ago and that their agency had forwarded it to Colonial for payment.
This is exactly what should have happened, but in APRIL not DECEMBER!
These people from the Hertz Recovery Unit should be put into pots and watered twice a week!
Instead of reading the accident report and going to the insurer of the party that caused the damage, they diddle around for 7 months then finally phone me to see about collecting for the damaged mirror and threaten me with sending it to an outside collector and ruining my credit!
NO MORE HERTZ RENTALS FOR ME!!!!
B
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Whether or not Hertz is 'required' to contact the other drivers insurance carrier is unknown to me.
#4Author of original report
Tue, December 20, 2005
My agent was contacted by me but without disclosing my name/policy number, only that I had my car/home insurance via their agency and needed some general advice. That was NOT to file as although not at fault it may well loose me my accident free discount and my deductable was at that time 500, now it is 1k.
I decided to not make any official notification. At that time it was clear that the firm did have insurance and a ticket was issued to their driver. I did not count on the fools at Hertz not being capable of reading a police report to see the listed Colonial Insurance company and the policy number.
Whether or not Hertz is 'required' to contact the other drivers insurance carrier is unknown to me. If they want to get paid for the broken mirror I would suggest they proceed against the Colonial policy as I have told them they will not get 10 cents from me.
What I do know is that 7 months ago I sent them a copy of the 4 page police report, they just need to employee people that can read. For sure they have no chance in Hell of ever renting me another car.
Buddy
Eureka,California,
U.S.A.
Did You Report This to YOUR Insurance Company?
#4Consumer Suggestion
Tue, December 20, 2005
You don't mention if you reported this accident to your insurance company. You were driving the Hertz car, and it was damaged while you were driving it. Your insurance company should have paid Hertz and subrogated the claim to the truck company if only property damage was involved. Hertz has no responsibility to go after the other party. (No, I don't work for Hertz).