Hertz slaps nonsmoker with $400 smoking payment

Prospects might not at all times be proper, nevertheless it doesn’t damage to provide them the good thing about the doubt, particularly as companies wrestle to get better from the pandemic.

On the very least, you don’t wish to name your prospects liars.

But that’s mainly what rental-car big Hertz is telling a member of its Gold Plus rewards program after slapping him with a $400 cost for smoking within the automobile.

Sean Dungan, a skilled photographer, just lately dropped off a Hertz rental automobile at Boston’s Logan Worldwide Airport earlier than flying again to Los Angeles.

A couple of days later, the invoice arrived by way of e-mail, together with the smoking payment.

Right here’s the factor: Dungan, 49, says he doesn’t smoke.

“I did a very long time in the past,” the Highland Park resident instructed me, “after I was perhaps 22 or 23. Not since.”

He mentioned no people who smoke joined him on his five-day enterprise journey to the Boston space, and no one lit up within the rental automobile. No cigs. No vaping. No weed. No stogies.

“I used to be the one particular person within the automobile,” Dungan mentioned. “I don’t smoke.”

So he known as Hertz, which additionally owns the Greenback and Thrifty manufacturers, battled his manner by way of the corporate’s automated telephone system and reached a service rep. “I simply assumed a mistake had been made.”

Not so far as Hertz was involved.

“All people I spoke with on the firm mentioned they wouldn’t reverse the cost,” Dungan recalled. “All of them mentioned that after I dropped off the automobile, a Hertz worker smelled cigarette smoke and that he corroborated it with one other worker.”

I requested Dungan if there have been any cigarette butts reported within the ashtray.

“No.”

Had been there any ashes reported on the seats or carpets?

“No.”

So it was a few staff saying they thought somebody had smoked within the automobile with none bodily proof?

“Sure, that’s it.”

Not precisely an open-and-shut case.

Hertz launched a no-smoking rule in 2013. Previous to that, it had automobiles for people who smoke and automobiles for nonsmokers.

“Hertz is dedicated to offering a protected, clear fleet for our prospects and workers,” the corporate says on-line. “As a way to higher ship on this dedication, all Hertz automobiles are nonsmoking. A $400 cleansing payment can be assessed for automobiles returned with proof of smoking.”

Ah, however this “proof of smoking” provision is a bit squishy.

Based on Hertz, a automobile can be thought of smoked in if an organization employee witnesses a buyer smoking, finds proof of smoking (“similar to ashes, cigarette butts or burns”) or smells smoke inside.

“If there isn’t a Instantaneous Return Consultant accessible when the automobile is returned, the Car Service Attendant will make the dedication,” Hertz says.

That’s apparently what occurred in Dungan’s case. After he left his automobile on the lot and headed for his flight, a automobile service attendant presumably popped his head in and determined he smelled cigarettes.

Then, Hertz reps instructed Dungan, the automobile service attendant acquired one other employee to provide issues a sniff. Then they added the $400 smoking payment to Dungan’s invoice.

There are a selection of issues right here that increase questions, not least this concept that a few staff can levy a fats payment with none bodily proof of wrongdoing.

Dungan wonders if it was the Hertz attendant who launched a cigarette scent to the automobile. “Was he a smoker? Did he have the scent on his garments? I don’t know.”

Then there’s the timing. Hertz filed for chapter safety in Could 2020, one of many largest corporations to take action through the pandemic.

The corporate’s inventory surged final month after Hertz introduced a multibillion-dollar deal with a number of funding corporations to revive the corporate’s funds. A yr in the past, Hertz warned traders its inventory might find yourself being nugatory.

I’m not saying Hertz is imposing bogus charges on prospects to enhance the corporate’s stability sheet because it prepares to emerge from chapter by the tip of the month. Hertz says Dungan’s payment was “assessed appropriately.”

However you continue to must marvel.

Christopher Elliott, who runs a shopper safety web site known as Elliott Advocacy, included Dungan’s state of affairs in a current article on rental automobile smoking charges.

“We’ve gotten a number of smoking-fee complaints, nearly all from Hertz prospects,” he instructed me. “We noticed a spike in instances after the chapter submitting.”

Rental automobile corporations “flip to these kinds of charges to generate further income,” Elliott mentioned. “If you happen to smoke in a rental automobile, you must pay a cleansing payment. However all of our instances contain prospects who say they don’t smoke.”

I do know, I do know. It’s potential all these persons are truly people who smoke and are simply attempting to dodge a payment by making a stink.

Nevertheless it’s my expertise that customers who soar by way of the time-consuming hoops of a company appeals course of, and significantly those that attain out to the media for assist, have a tendency to not be pulling a quick one.

Dungan estimates he’s spent at the very least 4 hours to date attempting to untangle this with Hertz — not the form of time dedication most individuals would make to weasel out of a payment.

After he acquired nowhere with Hertz’s front-line service reps, Dungan contacted the pinnacle workplace. As soon as once more the corporate dug in its heels.

An official insisted by e-mail that “a powerful cigarette scent” had been detected within the automobile. Even so, the official mentioned, Hertz would lower the payment in half, to $200, “as a one-time goodwill gesture.”

“We ask that you just respect our closing resolution on this matter as we’ve got totally addressed your considerations,” the official concluded. “Additional requests to revisit this matter is not going to be thought of.”

Dungan instructed me he doesn’t respect Hertz’s closing resolution. He says he didn’t do something fallacious.

“In the event that they suppose I’m at fault, why would they refund any of the payment?” Dungan requested.

Lauren Luster, a Hertz spokeswoman, instructed me the 50% payment lower was “a gesture of goodwill” due to Dungan’s “loyalty standing.” She additionally mentioned Hertz received’t again down.

“Our data present that three workers confirmed the scent of smoke upon the automobile’s return and that the automobile was out of service for 4 days being cleaned and deodorized,” she mentioned.

Dungan mentioned this was the primary time a 3rd worker had been added to the equation; all his earlier exchanges with the corporate featured two cigarette-smelling staff.

He additionally was shocked it took 4 days to scrub and deodorize the automobile. Not solely does this counsel a ton of cigarettes had been consumed, however all different service reps had mentioned the automobile can be out of fee for twenty-four hours.

Dungan is now disputing the cost together with his bank card firm however isn’t hopeful he’ll prevail. In spite of everything, it’s his phrase towards that of a billion-dollar company. Why ought to his card issuer imagine him over Hertz?

“It’s all simply so infuriating,” he mentioned.

It’s additionally a reminder to the remainder of us so as to add scent to the standard inspection of a rental automobile’s dings and dents. Poke your head inside and provides it a whiff earlier than driving off the lot.

However right here’s why Hertz doesn’t appear to be seeing the forest for the bushes: As the corporate will get again on its monetary toes, it’s relying on the loyalty of consumers to revive it to well being.

Telling a member of your rewards program that he’s a cheat and a liar doesn’t appear to be essentially the most surefooted manner of constructing belief.

Dungan instructed me his days as a Hertz Gold Plus member are numbered. On his subsequent enterprise journey, he mentioned, he’ll be renting wheels from one other agency.

“I’ve heard good issues about Enterprise,” he mentioned.