Hertz Rent A Car

This location would not provide an email confirmation so we had no recourse when we showed up to pick up our minivan and it was not at all what we had been promised. I’d hate to think this is how this location ups their margin. Word to the wise: make sure you get the details of your reservation IN WRITING. Customer service was sorely lacking as well. We were treated like we were a bother. This is the only Hertz location I have ever been disappointed in.

During a trip to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in early August, I rented a Hertz vehicle. I was notified that there were a few scratches at the time I rented it and I verified that they were there.
What I didn’t do was look at the windshield to see if it had any chips. In fact, during the three days that I had the vehicle I never saw any chips, nor did my passengers, and I also did not notice them when I cleaned the windshield.
When I returned home, I received a voice mail indicating that a $ 48.00 charge would be added to my bill because of chips on the windshield. Given that I had not driven on side roads or heard any rock ever hit the windshield, I felt certain that, if there were in fact chips on the windshield, they were already there when I rented it.
After more thought, I wondered why the charge would be $ 48.00. If I had in fact damaged the windshield, shouldn’t the charge be more like $ 200 or $ 300 to repair it?
That brought me around to thinking that something funny was going on. After all, most people (myself included) would not bother to do anything about a $ 48 charge so one could just keep issuing these added charges to renters and get away with it, pretty much indefinitely.
After all, if a Hertz employee was so attentive to detail, wouldn’t s/​he have noticed chips on the windshield when s/​he flagged the very small scratches on the vehicle before I rented the vehicle?
There are two other possible conclusions: 1) the chips were not in fact on the windshield and, when I asked for a photo of the chipped windshield, a photo of another windshield was provided, or 2) the employee knew the chips were on the windshield at the time I rented it but did not document them so that s/​he could add the charge to the bill.
I have no interest in getting a refund as the $ 48.00 is insignificant. What I do have an interest in is the proper behavior of Hertz staff and would advise people that choose to rent from Hertz in Edmonton, Alberta to be on the lookout.

This has been my go-​to rental for the last couple of years. They were on 103 Street and recently moved over to the Coast Edmonton House on 100 Avenue.
The owners are great, friendly folks, and are always ready to help with an upgrade or request.
They’re just as quick to try and right a problem or make up for a mistake. On my most recent rental my car didn’t have the registration in the glove compartment and they quickly got me another car to have me on my way.