Hertz Avis 

Warning for Hertz Austria Customers

I was charged on my credit card for someone else’s rental, even though we were not hiring a car at that time.
Hertz Austria’s customer service was poor, and it has been difficult to resolve the issue — despite contacting them, only a partial refund was made to my bank account.

Please check your bank or card statements carefully after any Hertz rental. Their system pre-authorises your card, and unauthorised or mistaken charges can appear later.

Hello,
I attended the F1 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring with a friend and we stayed in Graz; therefore, we rented a car so it would be easier to go to the circuit at our own pace and schedule.
The booking process was fairly simple; we paid upfront and then, a couple days before the rental date, we received an e-mail from Hertz asking for our data so that the check-in process would be easier when picking up the car. On the day of the pickup, however, we received an e-mail 2 hours before, informing us that they had no cars and therefore wished for us to cancel the reservation.
I can't even begin to tell what went through my mind as I walked inside and they told me this (I had not seen my e-mail). Obviously, we had no other way to go to the circuit, and there just wasn't a chance for us to not get the car we rented and paid for. They told us that the HQ was at fault for the overbooking and not informing the clients on time, and also that there were no cars from other rental companies available because of the Grand Prix.
After much insistence on our part, they finally figured out a solution that, I'm afraid, left someone else without a car. And even then, we had to wait hours for them to deliver the car at the circuit, which happened during heavy rain and hail.
However, I would like to point out that everyone at the store in Graz was very welcoming, empathic, and driven to find a solution for us. Personally, Robert was very nice, understanding, and he even drove us to the circuit, which I'm sure caused him a lot of trouble since it was more than an hour in each direction. I felt sorry that they had to deal with unhappy customers when it wasn't their fault.
Despite this, I will never recommend Hertz (in Austria) to anyone. The situation was completely unadmissible, avoidable, and terribly unconsiderate.

Titel: Nie wieder Hertz – enttäuschend, unmenschlich, kundenfeindlich
Ich habe im Mai 2025 über Hertz (bzw. einen offiziellen Buchungspartner) ein Auto in Graz vorab gebucht und vollständig bezahlt. Als ich am Flughafen ankam, um das Auto abzuholen, wurde ich mit einer kalten Schulter empfangen: kein Auto da, keine Erklärung, keine Hilfe. Die Hertz-Mitarbeiterin war unfreundlich, abweisend und demonstrativ desinteressiert – sie verwies mich kurzerhand an den Schalter eines Mitbewerbers und wandte sich kommentarlos wieder ihrem Bildschirm zu.
Besonders bitter: Ich war nicht zum Urlaub in Graz, sondern um die Wohnung meines vor kurzem verstorbenen Vaters zu räumen. Ich brauchte dringend ein Auto – doch in dieser ohnehin belastenden Situation ließ mich Hertz einfach stehen. Das Ersatzfahrzeug beim Mitbewerber war verfügbar – aber zum mehr als doppelten Preis: €816 statt der ursprünglich gezahlten €340.
Und als wäre das alles nicht schon schlimm genug, verweigert Hertz nun auch noch die vollständige Rückerstattung. Der ursprünglich bezahlte Betrag soll "der Broker" zurückzahlen, und von den entstandenen Zusatzkosten will man nur einen Bruchteil übernehmen – der Rest sei "nicht erstattungsfähig", weil ich ein Versicherungspaket mitgebucht hätte. Natürlich! Ohne diese Zusatzoptionen hätte ich das Auto gar nicht nutzen dürfen.
Dass Hertz sich hier der Verantwortung entzieht und mich im Kreis schickt, ist für mich nicht mehr nur ein Kundenserviceproblem – es zeigt ein grundsätzliches systemisches Versagen im Umgang mit Kund:innen. Dass ich in einem solchen Ausnahmefall auf keinerlei Verständnis stoße und zusätzlich finanziell vermutlich auf dem Schaden sitzen bleibe, ist beschämend.
Mein Fazit: Nie wieder Hertz.
Weder menschlich noch geschäftlich tragbar.
Ich kann nur dringend davon abraten, diesem Unternehmen Vertrauen zu schenken.

I rented a vehicle from Herz at the Vienna airport. The entire process was seamless. I returned the vehicle at the scheduled time. There were no issues raised by the rental company. The inspecting officer made no comments. After two days, my deposit was refunded, and the rental was concluded. However, after 15 days, I received an email stating that my car had been damaged, and I was required to pay €1087.46, without any proof or statement, only an invoice. Following my complaint, they provided a photo of a damaged wheel (the car had been inspected by their officer, by return protocol, and no damage was noted;
(even a child would recognize the damage in the photos they claim), which appeared to be manipulated with a date, and they claimed that this occurred (placing the blame on me) because I did not purchase full insurance coverage, which I should have been aware of. I am currently awaiting their next steps, but I suspect this will require legal assistance. Overall, it has been a very negative experience. I advise caution regarding the Vienna Herz or Trifty rental company.

Hertz (car rental) have stolen EUR 623.45

Case in brief:
I rented a car from Hertz, which I picked up in Innsbruch (airport) on 1. March.
The car was returned in good order same place on 8. March 2025.

A few days later Hertz sent an email claiming EUR 623.45 in relation to some
damage, which they say the car sustained during the rental period.

The car did not sustain any damage during the rental period. The damage, if any,
must have been sustained before or after the rental period.

I immediately rejected the claim and some communication with Hertz followed.

Hertz maintain that I must pay the damage even if they have zero valid proof
that the damage was made during the rental period.

I continue to reject the claim.

Now then, Hertz have simply stolen EUR 623.45 from my Mastercard account.
Hertz did this without notice to me.

If you are travelling with a family beware of the cleaning policy. I have 3 kids under 10, who had a sandwich on the journey back to the airport, kids+sandwhich=crumbs this cost €36 plus tax to hoover up. 2hr Late return, fair enough another day rental but this puts you into paying for a tank of fuel so beware if you return late you get charged for a day rental plus a tank of fuel (even if returned full) so all in told a 2hr late return cost me an extra €142 euros and left a very sour taste in my mouth. The staff on the rental p/u desk were nice, no complaints there. I will not use again.

Service provided by Hertz, located in Dornbirn, Austria, is really good. I would come back there always (not the first time I have used the service anyway). Nicole provides all the information needed and whenever a problem comes out, she is there to solve it. Thanks!

Over an hour late, this was no good for me so had to cancel, still have to pay £30 cancel fee, funny if i was late collecting or returning they charge me, dont bother go to anyone else

Sehr freundliche Mitarbeiterinnen.
Tolle WE-Pakete!
Sehr persönlicher Service - gerne wieder!