Few people who rent a car in Mexico don’t have a story about the notorious shenanigans pulled by local rental car companies. While Mexico is a great place to visit, rental car companies there are notorious for their scams. Often, they quote low “guaranteed rates” then force customers to purchase “mandatory” insurance when they pick up the vehicle and have no other choice.
Hertz has one of the worst reputations in the rental car business but their Mexican franchisees may take the cake for screwing over customers. Their location at Cancun Airport has a 1.5-star rating on Yelp while their sister brands, Firefly, Dollar, and Thrifty, see even worse reviews.
One unlucky customer had enough. They filed a class action on behalf of anyone who reserved a Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty rental car online for pick up in Mexico between May 24, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2018. While Hertz denies wrongdoing, they’re settling for $20 million and affected customers can submit a claim at the class-action settlement website.
Each class member who files a claim is slated to receive a refund of $26 per day for his or her completed Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty car rental in Mexico between May 24, 2009 and December 31, 2018.
The exact amount may change depending on how many claims are submitted.
The Upshot
Did you rent a car from Hertz, Dollar, or Thrifty in Mexico? If you were a victim of their scam, you may be eligible for compensation from Hertz. Learn more and submit your claim to get some of your money back on the class-action settlement website before the November 23 deadline.
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3 comments
If you argued with the agents enough they would relent. But found it was impossible with hertz. I had the best luck with Alamo. Rented cars three times in cdmx and a few other cities. For the price I booked the car for. And the Mexico City location never even pushed the insurance on me. But every other company would sometimes flat out refuse to rent. Budget tried to get me to pay $2000 for extra insurance.
This is awesome! Rental car agents in Cancun were the slimiest. Do you know if there is a similar lawsuit for Budget?
I figured this scam out. You must book through Mexican car rental sites. Or the car rental company main site. You need to get a conformation showing the TPLI included. Some sites in the US may have it included. But it does not indicate on the paperwork. So then the agents says it’s not included and charge more.