Multiple Hertz customers complained about being charged hundreds of dollars for minor scraps and small dings detected by an artificial intelligence-powered scanner upon returning their rental vehicles.

Customers also complained about having to go through an automated AI chatbot, instead of human interactions, to dispute the charges.

The Drive shared an account from a Hertz customer in Atlanta charged $440 for a “small scratch on a wheel.”

The outlet also discussed a Hertz experience from Adam Foley, who shared his story on LinkedIn.

Read Foley’s Hertz experience from LinkedIn shared by The Drive:

ADVERTISEMENT

I rented a car from Hertz over the weekend and encountered precisely the scenario about aggressive AI usage that will damage a brand that I’ve made posts about in the past.

Upon picking up the car and exiting the facility — high-powered cameras took a 360 picture of the car. Upon returning the car, a similar process took place.

2 hours later, I received a notification that damages were found which highlighted the areas. One small ding on the roof (but possibly just dirt or anything else that could throw off a camera) and one similar artifact on the hood. Nothing any human would detect or reasonably consider “damages”.

The automated messaged said that I owed $190, but if I paid today, it would be only $125. This fee is literally the price of the entire 4 day rental minus $5.

To protest this fee, it is an automated AI chat experience that does not break to go to a human interaction no matter what choices you make. You are only given explanations for why you still owe $190.

So Hertz new policy I guess is as long as a car does not appear to be brand new and spotless to AI cameras, the customer is going to pay.

Enjoy the one-time cash grab with customers. I will never rent at Hertz while this policy continues.

The AI-powered scanner, manufactured by Israel-based firm UVeye, has been dubbed “an MRI for vehicles.”

Hertz intends to roll out the system to over 100 U.S. airport locations by year’s end.

ADVERTISEMENT

The machines “perform full-body vehicle scans in seconds, detecting damage such as dents, scrapes and cracked glass both before and after a rental,” the New York Post noted.

However, customers have complained about the lack of transparency on how fees are calculated.

In a statement to the New York Post, Hertz defended the AI-powered system.

“The vast majority of rentals are incident-free. When damage does occur, our goal is to enhance the rental experience by bringing greater transparency, precision, and speed to the process,” Hertz told the outlet.

Although Hertz is the lone major car rental company using UVeye’s technology, the New York Post said other automotive sectors, including dealerships, fleet locations, and vehicle auctions, utilize the system.

The New York Post shared other customer experiences:

Patrick, a customer who rented a Volkswagen from Hertz-owned Thrifty at Hertz’s Atlanta airport location — its first US store to implement UVeye tech — told The Drive that he received a bill “minutes” after returning the car.

Hertz demanded that Patrick cough up $440 for a one-inch scuff on one of the car’s wheels. The fee included $250 for the repair, $125 for “processing” and $65 for “administration.”

When Patrick logged into the Hertz web app, he was shown photographic proof of the damage that was flagged by UVeye scanners.

ADVERTISEMENT

He told The Drive that he was offered a discount — $52 off if he paid within two days, or $32.50 off if he paid within a week. But Patrick held off.

“Saving $30 to accept responsibility is not worth it,” he told The Drive.

When Patrick tried to take up the matter with a live customer service rep, he found the challenge to be quite daunting.

Customers are directed to a web portal where they can view before-and-after photos captured by the scanners.

But if they have concerns, their options are limited. A chatbot can flag the issue for review, but there’s no live agent to talk to.

Emailing support is possible, but responses can take up to 10 days — well after the early-payment discount expires, according to Patrick.

One frustrated Reddit user, posting under the handle professor_pimpcain, shared a similar experience after returning a car to Hertz’s Atlanta location.

“It automatically sent me a bill for this ‘ding’. $195,” they wrote.

“I will no longer be using Hertz. Reached out to customer service and they said they stand by the AI.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch the UVeye technology in this video:

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.