Hertz Avaliações 

Hertz Switzerland – Delayed Traffic Fine Notifications and CHF 127 in Administrative Fees

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Hertz Switzerland (Herold Fahrzeugvermietung AG).

Two traffic fines were issued in France in May and June 2026, each originally €45.

On 9 October 2026, the rental company contacted me demanding payment without clearly explaining the charges. Only on 14 October, after I specifically asked for clarification, did they send me the actual fine documents.

By then, the payment deadline for the second fine had expired. I tried to pay the original €45, but the French authorities’ online system refused payment because an increased fine was due.

To make matters worse, Hertz Switzerland is demanding CHF 127 in administrative fees for handling these matters.

I have asked the company to explain when it received the notices, provide evidence of any earlier notification, justify its administrative fees, and accept responsibility for any additional penalty caused by delayed notification.

How can a rental company demand substantial administrative fees when the customer has not received the necessary documents in time to pay the original fine?

I expect Hertz Switzerland to investigate this case, cancel the disputed administrative fees, and cover any additional penalty attributable to its notification delay.

UNJUSTIFIED DAMAGE CHARGE & TOTAL SILENCE
Hertz charged me 440 CHF for a pre-existing scratch on a rim, despite me providing clear photographic evidence with native date and time metadata proving the damage was already there before I picked up the vehicle.
I sent an email to szfnolcustomercontacts —reference number 35798007— more than 30 days ago: ZERO RESPONSE
I then forwarded the email to customer-relations —case number ID-62791-D3L4— more than 15 days ago: ZERO RESPONSE
Is there anyone actually working at Hertz customer service?
Now, "customer service", as usual, will reply to this review telling me to send an email, won't they? Unbelievable.
I am filing an official complaint with Consumer Protection authorities regarding this abusive practice.
Sincerely,
David.

0 stars. Do yourself a favor do NOT book a car rental with Hertz. They are the worst. They scare you into purchasing an additional expensive car insurance, then charge you a ridiculous amount of money for a small scratch and makes your pay for it because their insurance that you purchase for an additional $600 dollars doesn’t cover the scratch.

Months after my trip my credit card continues to be charged by them. my trip was in May and it is now October. If you get any traffic violations they charge you about $75 dollars PER VIOLATION just as an administrative fee, the actual violation is a separate charge.

Please don’t do it to yourself. This was my first and last time doing business with such an untrustworthy company.

Eig. war ich immer zufrieden. Bis man mir unterstellt hat ich hätte einen Schaden verursacht und hat das von der Kaution einbehalten. Der Betrag wurde von dem Mitarbeiter vor Ort einfach festgelegt. Nach zwei Mails an das Unternehmen, habe ich immer noch keine Antwort erhalten.

Leider wurde mir ein Schaden in Rechnung gestellt, der nachweislich bereits bei Anmietung vorhanden war. Hertz hatte den Einspruch abgelehnt und später selbst zugegeben, dass sie sich den Videobeweis nie angesehen haben. Leider reagiert Hertz auf keinerlei Kontaktversuche, sodass ich den Anbieter trotz vieler positiver Erfahrungen nicht weiterempfehlen kann.

I rented a car from Hertz at Zurich Airport. After returning the car, Hertz sent me a bill of around US$1,000 for what they claimed was a missing parcel shelf.

The parcel shelf was already missing when I picked up the car. I therefore disputed the charge, and the amount was successfully refunded by my credit card provider.

A few weeks later, Hertz referred the matter to a debt collection agency in Germany, which began pressuring me to pay the disputed amount and threatening legal action. I repeatedly explained that the claim was unfounded and made clear that Hertz was free to pursue the matter through the appropriate legal channels if they believed they had a valid claim.

Instead, I continue to receive messages demanding payment and threatening further action.

Bottom line: In my experience, Hertz has pursued a disputed and unfounded financial claim through a debt collection agency rather than resolving the underlying issue. I find this customer treatment deeply concerning.

Don't go with Hertz. And if you do, I strongly recommend documenting the condition of the entire vehicle, including the inside and the boot/trunk, with photos or video before driving away. My experience has shown me how important such documentation can be.

Needless to say: Never Hertz again.

Travelers should be aware that Hertz Zurich is operated by an independent franchisee called Herold Fahrzeugvermietung AG. I returned my rental car in what I documented to be flawless condition, recording a complete walkaround video at drop-off. Despite this documentation, Herold charged my credit card approximately $5,500 for minor nicks and scratches that were not visible in my video evidence. My credit card insurance reviewed my video data and reimbursed me for the disputed amount. However, Herold has now hired a German debt collection agency to demand this payment from me directly, refusing to drop the claim despite the insurance dispute resolution. In my opinion, this company engages in highly aggressive and unfair billing practices regarding vehicle wear-and-tear.

I strongly advise taking your business elsewhere. If you must rent from them, take detailed photos before and after (especially of the rims and under the doors), and ensure an employee physically signs off on a walkaround inspection at both pickup and return.

I am deeply devastated and frustrated by my experience with Hertz at Zurich Airport. What should have been a smooth rental turned into an absolute nightmare, and their customer service has been completely dishonest and untruthful.

I often rent cars at Zürich airport from other operators. Right from the start, I felt uneasy - at the counter to collect my car, another customer was having a heated dispute with the staff over the exact same issue: being billed for pre-existing damage that wasn't properly marked on their initial report. I should have taken that as a major red flag.

Now, Hertz is doing the exact same thing to me. They provide blurry, low-quality "before" photos that were taken off-site at a car wash—not even at the airport pickup location where staff drove the car to. Then, after returning the vehicle, they send crisp, high-definition, zoomed-in photos claiming damage that was already there! On top of that, they completely ignored the technical defects of the vehicle that I reported (car battery not capable of charging to full).

To make matters worse, their customer communication is disrespectful and delayed. They state it takes up to 10 days to get back to customer inquiries, but it has been almost a month and my case is still open with no proper resolution or answers.

I have rented cars from many other companies at Zurich Airport, like Europcar, Enterprise and have never experienced such terrible, predatory treatment. I am deeply upset by how they treat customers - in such dishonest ways. Save yourself the stress, money, and frustration—avoid renting from Hertz!

Terrible predatory billing and profiteering.

We hired a skoda for 3 days. No agent was present when we collected the car in a dark car park. The documents emailed had a clear report with no mention of scratches on the boot, which we found on our own inspection.
We took the car anyway, the following day were unlucky in getting a puncture, Hertz sent a roadside repair van were he plugged the tyre.
After returning the vehicle(again no agent present) I received an email saying I had damaged both front wheels. They sent photos of 2 tiny scratches which could easily have been there before I hired it. They've been unable to provide me with photos of the wheels before I hired it and I've pointed out their own pre rental condition check is flawed anyway due to the missed scratches. Then the audacity to charge me £750 for the tyre plug! Their excuse is they can't rent the car out till the tyre can be checked for safety. Well if there was any doubt they shouldnt have let me drive it for the next 2 days. Totally £1400 in charges for a puncture and 2 scratches I didn't cause.
Currently working through legal proceedings against them.
***DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY***

UPDATE: Hertz has silently issued a partial refund to my card, but they are still keeping £431.29 for a scratched wheel rim they cannot prove I caused. They are entirely ignoring my requests for pre-rental photographs of the wheels because they don't have any. I have rejected this partial compromise and my bank (RBS) is proceeding with a formal chargeback for the remaining balance.

LATEST UPDATE (8 Sept): Unbelievable. After their agent admitted in writing to billing errors and reversed a portion of the funds, Hertz has today issued a completely retaliatory, fabricated invoice (DAR-FR-439794) claiming 1,892.00 CHF. They are now trying to claim that ALL FOUR tyres and wheels were destroyed, despite their own roadside assistance team permanently patching a single tyre puncture on the road. They are changing the billing figures every week to see what sticks. RBS Credit Card Disputes has been updated with this fraudulent invoice

Erstes und letztes Mal mit Hertz kooperiert !

Booked a car for 9 days, trusting that the direct booking via the Hertz homepage was cheapest. After all, there is not a "Best-price-guarantee" advertised for nothing. Matching the lower price and giving 10% extra.
First: it is 10% more expensive than via brokers
Second: You can claim via the form. But Nothing happens. Not even an answer.

Conclusion: Professionally lured by Hertz.

Trotz vollgetanktem Auto und nur 157 gefahrenen Km wurde uns CHF 387 fürs Volltanken berechnet. Kundendienst schläft und antwortet nicht mehr.

Ana Cristina fue súper amable y nos explicó todo clarísimo y muy rápido. Un 10 para ella

Meine Tochter aus Canada hat heute Morgen am Flughafen Zürich bei ihnen ein Auto gemietet. Reserviert auf dem Internet für knapp 600 Fr. Am Schalter hiess es, entweder 3000 Fr. Depot, was 5000 CAD macht oder halt alle Versicherungen abschliessen, was schlussendlich 1400 Fr. machte. Plus 750 Fr. Depot.
Was sind das für betrügerische, nötigende Geschäftspraktien??? Ich finde das unerhört. Das ist Erpressung, Nötigung und betrügerisch.
Seien sie versichert, dass ich umgehend auf Google und Trudtpilot eine 1 Stern Bewertungen abgeben. Zusätzlich soll sie nicht ins Ausland fahren!!! Geht's noch??
Eine bodenlose Frechheit ist das alles.

Terrible service. The attendant never notified me there would be a fee for returning the car one day early. I had specifically asked him to change the reservation by one day. I was charged 50 Francs extra for that. After disputing the charge, they refused to give me a refund.

We rented a van from Hertz at Zurich Airport in July 2026. The vehicle had fewer than 7,000 kilometres but was already covered in scratches and other marks. Hertz carried out a detailed inspection when handing it over, precisely because there was so much pre-existing damage.

We returned the van without causing any new damage. At drop-off, the Hertz employee told us that everything was fine. No damage was identified, no concern was raised and no proper inspection was carried out with us present.

Hertz then charged us more than CHF 900 for alleged damage. The original claim included no photographs, no explanation of what had supposedly been damaged and no evidence connecting any damage to our rental. It was simply an amount they expected us to accept.

We immediately disputed the charge and demanded evidence. Despite our protest, Hertz went ahead and took the money from our card.

Only after we challenged them did Hertz provide photographs. Those photographs were extremely pixelated and did not credibly establish what the alleged damage was, when it occurred or that we had caused it.

A nearly new van with fewer than 7,000 kilometres does not become covered in scratches by accident. Combined with the many reviews from customers reporting unexplained damage claims and random charges after returning vehicles at Hertz Zurich Airport, this points to a repeated practice rather than an isolated mistake.

I consider this a scam: charge the customer after they have left, provide no evidence, take the money even after the customer disputes the claim, and then send unusable photographs only when challenged.

Hertz has refused to collaborate or provide credible evidence. Lawyers are now involved, and the matter will have to proceed to litigation.

Anyone who has experienced something similar at Hertz Zurich Airport is welcome to contact me. Evidence from other affected customers may help demonstrate that this is a recurring practice rather than an isolated incident.

Do not rent from Hertz Zurich Airport. Anyone who does should photograph and film every centimetre of the vehicle, including the roof, wheels, bumpers and lower panels, and insist on written confirmation at drop-off. Do not rely on an employee telling you that everything is fine.

This practice is dishonest, abusive and completely unacceptable.

I rented the smallest manual car available from Booking for 15 days at Geneva Airport. The staff upgraded my car to a larger automatic car. This is the second time they have given me an upgrade at no additional charge. Upon return, I received my deposit on the same day. The car was fantastic, almost new, and fuel-efficient. I have tried all the other rental cars at the Geneva airport, and this is by far the best. Courteous and friendly staff who go the extra mile to serve you.

Hertz Basel Aéroport côté suisse, tout ok, merci, équipe jeune et réactive.

Hertz BASEL AIRPORT Swiss side was nice and easy. Great rental experience, Afid is the man!

Avoid at all costs unless you book with full coverage. I rented from Hertz Zurich Malnstation and returned the car one day later to Hertz at the Airport Zurich. As other reviewers already mentioned on Google or Yelp, they have a pattern of charging you random amounts with exaggerated admin fees for a random alleged damage if you choose key drop off at the airport. I rented the car for only one day as mentioned and returned it as rented. But I have private insurance so I didn’t get their coverage package. Now they try to make me pay for an alleged dent that was not there and I have photographic evidence. Even the pictures they provided are pixelated and don’t show any damage. Especially as the picturea that show “the damage” where taken at a completely different place than where I left the car. Avoid their key drop-offs especially and get someone to sign off the car together with you. Seems to be a pattern after reading other reviews (which I should have read before blindly renting through Volvo Assistance). So incredibly unnecessary to treat your customers like that. By the way, I reached out to your customer service, several times. No chance to get through. They have their money and don’t give a thing about the scammed customer.

Unfortunately, I assumed Hertz was trustworthy as I rented with them happily in the past. But only if you pay for their insurance. Otherwise they will make you pay like that. This is scandalous and extremely disappointing.