Bristol Man Overcharged for Rental Car

A Bristol man was charged for a rental car long after he returned it.

Michael Casey drove a rental vehicle covered by insurance for three weeks after he was in an accident. 

About two weeks after returning the car, Casey noticed that Hertz had debited $300 from his checking account.

When he inquired about it, a customer service representative told Casey the charge was for an additional 12 days.

It turns out there was a miscommunication between Hertz and Casey’s insurance company.

"Upon speaking with Progressive, my insurer, they advised me I could return the vehicle to their (service center) in Newington when I went to pick up my personal vehicle after it was repaired," Casey said.

Casey had planned to return the vehicle to Hertz Rent-A-Car in Bristol, but decided it was more convenient to return it to Progressive.

Casey left the rental with Progressive on May 4 and the company notified Hertz that the vehicle was ready to be picked up.

“Come May, I believe the 16th, they realized that the vehicle was still there and that Hertz hadn't come and retrieved the vehicle," Casey said.

Hertz admitted the error and promised to refund Casey in seven to 10 days. When that time passed, Casey reached out to Hertz again and was told his refund was still going through the approval process.

Casey reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds after almost a month had gone by. NBC Connecticut Responds was told by Herts that someone would look into the case.

"All of a sudden my phone was ringing telling me that I would have a refund within 24 hours," Casey said.

When he checked his account the next morning, there was a deposit from Hertz for $308.37.

A Hertz spokesperson apologized for the mix-up, telling NBC Connecticut, "We pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service, and we regret the inconvenience caused by this situation, which does not align with our standard top-of-the-line service delivery."

She added, “We always suggest that before returning a vehicle to a location that differs from the pick-up location, customers should call to notify the original branch so that we have a clear understanding of where and where the car was returned. This eliminates any chance of confusion.”

A spokesperson for Progressive said, “The satisfaction of our customers is extremely important to us. While Mr. Casey was pleased with the repairs to his vehicle, there was a miscommunication with his rental car vendor. We worked with and on behalf of Mr. Casey to get the situation resolved.”

Casey said in the future, he’ll use a major credit card instead of a debit card because it’s easier to dispute a charge that way.

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