It is a little frustrating when you purchase something and it is not exactly what you thought it was.
But this gets a little more serious when you are an adult and signing contracts with major companies.
And to the surprise of many, the Hertz rental car company apparently doesn’t understand what “unlimited” means.
Charged for Miles When You Get Unlimited Miles
Earlier this year, a Hertz customer got a surprise bill from the company. He had rented a Tesla electric car. Yet he was charged for gas.
Since the EV had no gas tank, he was shocked. But this goes on from time to time with rental car companies.
The customer, who has not been named, rented a car for a month from Hertz. In the contract it said that he had unlimited miles. There were no asterisks, no upper limit, and nowhere did it say “not to exceed” any number of miles – it simply said “unlimited.”
“Unlimited” is defined by Websters as “lacking any controls” and “not bounded by exceptions.”
Somehow the customer managed to put 25,000 miles on the vehicle during the month.
The Hertz franchise manager freaked out and charged the customer $10,000 for the mileage.
The customer recorded his interaction with the manager who would not explain to the customer how he was authorized to charge him $10,000, and why the word unlimited didn’t mean unlimited.
Then, the manager told the customer to leave, or he would call the police.
The customer refused to leave, insisting that the manager provide him with some explanation for the charge.
The interaction continued for some time and eventually found its way to TikTok. The driver is only identified by his TikTok account, @lifeisfun3000.
@lifeisfun3000Unlimited means a reasonable amount? @Hertz #scam #rentalcar #hertz #fyp #viralvideo♬ original sound – Logan
“When this literally, that’s not even allowed. I never signed,” the customer argues, per The Daily Dot.
“You show me where it says I can’t charge you,” the Hertz worker replied.
Then, the manager of the Hertz franchise threatens to call the police if the customer doesn’t leave without explanation for the $10,000 charge.
Hertz Corporate Gets into the Tussle
After the video went viral and before the customer had the chance to challenge the charge with his credit card company or take Hertz to court, a corporate spokesman said they were dropping the charge.
“Customer satisfaction is our top priority at Hertz, and we sincerely regret this customer’s experience at one of our franchise locations,” Hertz wrote in a statement. “Per the terms of the contract, the customer will not be billed for mileage. Our franchisee is addressing the employee’s conduct and reinforcing our customer service standards and policies to ensure they are understood and followed consistently across our locations.”
Some rental car companies have unlimited mileage on some vehicles but often charge extra for trucks or luxury vehicles, so don’t assume you will automatically get unlimited mileage. But when you sign a contract that says “the mileage is unlimited,” expect that it is.
Many are wondering how the customer managed to put 25,000 miles on a car in a month. That is the equivalent of circling the earth along the Equator, but that is the contract Hertz signed.
