Hundreds of customers were falsely accused of stealing the vehicle they rented by the rental car giant Hertz. Innocent customers were sometimes arrested and imprisoned on these bogus charges. This continued for three years.
The Unimaginable – Erroneous Car Theft Charges
How does this happen? Surely, Hertz doesn’t intentionally target their own customers randomly just for fun. But to the victims, it probably seemed that way.
The fact of the matter is that Hertz did report more than 364 cars stolen that their customers legally rented at one of their car rental businesses or kiosks. These were uneventful rental contracts.
However, there were numerous flaws in the recordkeeping at the company.
- Failure to record rental contract time extensions.
- Falsely claiming that customers had not paid.
- Failed to track their own vehicle inventory.
- Failed to admit and correct the false reports to police.
How It Went Down for Customers
It went well-beyond just being pulled over, showing their rental contract and being sent on their way. Some customers were held at gunpoint – police thought they had a car thief in custody! Some car theives work in auto rings that have a chop shop to sell parts on the black market.
Other Hertz customers were not so lucky. They did time in jail or prison due to the company’s sloppy recordkeeping and almost criminal lack of regard for them when they falsely reported the vehicles as stolen.
Imagine dropping off your car at the appointment drop off point on time as instructed, only to be pulled over months later. You’re thrown on the hood of your car and held at gun point. You’re booked at the local jail and later tried and convicted for vehicle theft. You spend time in prison until your lawyer can figure out a way to prove your innocence.
How It Ended
You can bet people sued!
In one lawsuit in 2022, Hertz settled with 364 randomly accused customers for $168 million. There were other lawsuits, as well.
The lesson learned is this: Be sure to choose your car rental company very wisely!
