On July 21 I reserved a car through Hertz for pick up July 24 at 5:00 pm and to be returned August 7 at 10:30 am in Portland, OR. The approximate price was $934.30. My credit card was not charged the $622.78 (PREPAID voucher) at the time of booking, however, it was charged that amount at the time I picked up the car. It was explained to me and my son at the counter in Portland, that when I returned the car, the $622.78 I PREPAID would go towards the total charges, which were $743.92. I had added an extra driver for the 24th, and got the insurance also. When I received my credit card bill, I expected to see a charge of $121.14, instead, Hertz charged the $743.92, which brought the total of the car rental to $1,366.70. When I received my credit card statement, I immediately called Hertz, and they told me that the $622.78 was the PREPAID voucher charge and that the $743.92 was the car rental charge. I called my credit card company to dispute the $622.78 charge. On my credit card statement, the $622.78 is listed as a PREPAID VOUCHER charge. (Isn't the definition of PREPAID paid in advance?) The person with my credit card company said it looked like I had been charged twice and they would conduct an investigation and contact Hertz Car Rental Company. I received a letter, dated Sept. 14, from my credit card company stating that they had contacted Hertz and would credit my account the $622.78. Also in the letter, it stated that Hertz could still provide new information to the credit card company that would prove the charge was valid, and that my credit card would be re-billed if that occurred. My credit card company NEVER got a reply from Hertz regarding the dispute, so I considered this issue resolved.in the meantime, I called Hertz on August 27, and talked to a person named Melanie. She mentioned that the price they charged was not correct. She informed me that when a car is rented and picked up at an airport, there is an approximate additional charge of $300, which is not charged if the car is picked up at a location away from the airport. She also said there is a $200 deposit that is included in the total charge, but is returned when the car is returned. It all comes down to the fact that i PREPAID my car rental in the amount of $622.78 on July 24th, and then was also charged an additional amount of $743.92 on August 7th, instead of the $121.14 difference. I upgraded the car and added a driver for the 24th, plus paid for insurance at the Hertz counter in Portland, but that would not add up to $622.78 or $743.92, both amounts I was charged. I received a letter around November 21 from Hertz that states that the charge for my PREPAID voucher had been returned to them by my credit card company and that they are billing me directly for the $622.78, and that I have 10 days in which to pay this amount. I called my credit card company, and they advised me that the proper procedure for the dispute is that Hertz should have replied to them directly regarding the dispute since it originated with the credit card company. Hertz had a 45 day timeline in which to respond to my credit card company to get this dispute resolved, and they neglected to do so, so this issue no longer involved the credit card company. I talked with David from Hertz on NOvember 29 and informed him that I would not be paying the $622.78 PREPAID voucher amount since I already paid the $743.92 charge when I returned the car to the airport on August 7. I filed a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection and received a reply on January 28 that they were unable to resolve my complaint, and that if I wish to pursue my complaint further, I may wish to consult a private attorney, or address this matter in Small Claims Court. I have since received a collection notice from Network Commercial Service, Inc., 6355 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Ste #255, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 on Feb. 9, and there is already $15.52 interest due which now totals $638.30. I contacted Sam Gardner and he told me that I had to dispute this charge in writing within 30 days of receipt of this notice, or they assume that this debt is valid. The letter states that if I dispute this debt or any portion thereof, within 30 days, a verification of the debt will be provided upon request. Doesn't that mean that they will contact Hertz and of course Hertz will verify that this $622.78 is valid? I rented a car from another company, in Portland OR, over Christmas and that total was less than the PREPAID voucher amount ($622.78) that Hertz charged. I will be pursuing my complaint and will be contacting an attorney.
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