Hertz Omdömen 

My experience with Hertz Malta raises serious concerns about the way damage charges are handled after out-of-hours returns.

I returned the car at approximately 03:00 without any damage. Before leaving it, I recorded videos of the vehicle specifically to document its condition and protect myself against exactly this type of situation.

Hertz later claimed that the vehicle had been damaged and charged me EUR 300.

I provided them with my videos. Hertz's response was that the lighting and resolution were not sufficient to exclude the possibility that the alleged damage was already there.

So, despite filming the vehicle when I returned it, my evidence was effectively dismissed because "it was dark" — during an out-of-hours return that Hertz itself expressly allows.

Hertz's own contract says that, for an authorised out-of-hours return, the customer remains responsible only until the location “re-opens for business”.

Hertz says the branch reopened at 08:00.

The vehicle was inspected at 08:11.

The alleged damage was identified at 08:11.

Hertz has not provided evidence demonstrating that the damage was already present at 08:00 rather than occurring during the 11 minutes between reopening and inspection.

I have also asked Hertz to prove how they arrived at the exact EUR 300 charge. I requested the damage assessment, repair estimate, invoice, pricing calculation and other documentation supporting that amount.

I have still not received a satisfactory explanation demonstrating why the alleged damage is worth precisely EUR 300.

Instead, Hertz says the charge stands and that they consider the matter closed.

My recommendation to other customers is simple: document absolutely everything when returning a vehicle outside opening hours. Take photos and videos from every angle. Unfortunately, in my case, even doing that was apparently not enough because Hertz questioned the videos on the basis of the lighting conditions.

Avoid renting from Hertz Malta if you value your family’s safety and your vacation time. I documented in writing, the day after picking up my Hyundai i20, that the car was shaking and lurching on startup and told them I was not comfortable driving it and that it needed to be inspected. Hertz’s response was that the car was “considered safe to drive” with no underlying fault.
Less than 24 hours later, the transmission failed outright while I was reversing - with my kids in the car, it rolled toward another vehicle. I have video proof of the failure. Instead of bringing a replacement car to me, Hertz required two separate tow trucks and made me travel all the way back to mainland Malta from Gozo, costing my family a full day of our vacation in the heat, with no childcare arranged.
When I arrived, staff questioned whether anything was even wrong with the car - despite my written report and video evidence. One employee told me I should be happy about the “upgrade,” as if that made up for a mechanical failure that endangered my children. I am a Hertz President’s Circle member and already receive upgrades for free.
After all of this, Hertz refunded a single day’s rental and is still trying to charge me a fuel fee on the vehicle that broke down and was towed away. This is not how you treat a customer who reported a safety issue in writing before it became dangerous. Do not trust their assurances, and think twice before renting from this location.

I have rented a vehicle from Hertz a number of times without any issues but this year it seems something has changed. It seems they have adopted the unscrupulous practice of charging customers for damage they were unaware of, either because the scratch was barely visible in the dark car park where you collect the car, or below the bumper which cannot be seen when you're walking around the car. They did not respond when I requested photos of the undamaged area. From what I understand, this practice is more common for out-of-hours returns which is how I was caught. They claim I caused the damage which I tried to argue was not the truth but it was to no avail. Make sure you have at least a private excess insurance and photograph even the cars undamaged areas in good light. Always assume the worst possible case as I will and I will not be renting a car from Hertz or any of its partners in the future.

Fuyez cette agence. Notre expérience avec Hertz Malte à l'aéroport a été tout simplement scandaleuse du début à la fin.

Nous avions réservé un véhicule en ligne (avec un acompte de 98€). À notre arrivée, l'agent prend ma carte bancaire en main pour procéder à "l'enregistrement", mais tente de nous imposer une assurance complémentaire entre 145€ et 200€, sous prétexte que notre carte portait la mention "Débit" et non "Crédit", ce qui, selon lui, empêchait de bloquer la caution.

Disposant d'une Mastercard Gold (avec assurance CDW incluse) avec laquelle j'ai déjà effectué plusieurs locations dans différents pays sans jamais avoir le moindre problème, nous avons insisté pour qu'il teste au moins la pré-autorisation. Il s'est contenté de répondre : "Il y a marqué débit sur la carte, on n'essaye pas". Il a ensuite tenté de nous mettre la pression en nous disant que nous pouvions partir sans la voiture si nous le voulions, mais que nous allions perdre notre acompte et payer des frais supplémentaires si nous ne prenions pas l'assurance. Face à notre refus de céder à ce chantage, il a refusé de nous donner son nom et nous a mis à la porte sans nous remettre le véhicule.

Mais le pire est arrivé le lendemain : non contents de nous avoir refusé le véhicule, ils nous ont déclarés en "No-Show" (non-présentation) et ont prélevé 95€ supplémentaires ! Comment ? Par une saisie manuelle sur leur TPE en utilisant les numéros de ma carte relevés lors de notre arrivée, alors que je n'ai jamais inséré ma carte dans leur terminal ni tapé mon code.

S'en est suivie une longue bataille très épuisante. Après avoir été baladés toute la semaine par un serveur vocal automatisé, j'ai dû multiplier les emails à plusieurs adresses différentes en mettant tout le monde en copie, allant jusqu'à leur citer des textes de loi.

Face à ma persévérance, ils ont fini par céder. J'ai d'abord obtenu l'annulation des 95€ de "No-Show" (ils m'ont carrément envoyé par mail la photo du ticket d'annulation sorti de leur TPE !). Puis, une semaine plus tard, j'ai reçu un email d'excuses m'annonçant le remboursement de mon acompte initial, qui est finalement arrivé sur mon compte deux semaines après.

Oui, j'ai fini par gagner et récupérer tout mon argent, mais au prix d'une longue et stressante bataille. Des méthodes de voyous, de l'intimidation et un service client déplorable. Passez votre chemin.

English Below
Avoid this branch at all costs. Our experience with Hertz Malta at the airport was absolutely scandalous from start to finish.

We booked a car online (with a €98 deposit). Upon arrival, the agent took my bank card for "registration" but then tried to force us into buying an additional insurance package (between €145 and €200), claiming our card was marked "Debit" instead of "Credit," which according to him meant they couldn't hold the deposit.

Having a Mastercard Gold (with CDW insurance included)—which I have used for several rentals in different countries without ever having a single issue—we insisted he at least try the pre-authorization. He simply said, "it says debit on the card, we won't try." He then tried to pressure us by saying we could leave without the car if we wanted, but we would lose our deposit and pay additional fees if we didn't buy the insurance. When we refused to give in to this blackmail, he refused to give his name and essentially showed us the door without the car.

But the absolute worst part happened the next day: after refusing to give us the car, they marked us as a "No-Show" and charged an extra €95! How? By making a manual, card-not-present transaction on their POS terminal using the card details they took during check-in, as I never inserted my card or entered my PIN.

What followed was a long and exhausting battle. After being bounced around by automated phone systems all week, I sent multiple emails to various addresses, eventually having to quote consumer law texts to them.

Faced with my persistence, they finally backed down. First, I got the €95 "No-Show" fee reversed (they actually emailed me a photo of the POS cancellation receipt!). A week later, I received an apology email stating my initial deposit would be refunded, which finally hit my account two weeks later.

Yes, I won and got all my money back, but it took a long and highly stressful fight. Thug-like practices, intimidation, and deplorable customer service. Stay away.

As soon as we landed back to our destination we found an e-mail claiming €1400. Photos of the damaged were sent to us and taken during the night. It was pretty obvious as the garage neon lights were on in one of the photos whereas when wd brought the car in the lights were already off!!

Der Mitarbeiter hat Gebühren erfunden, die nicht im Vertrag stehen und mich mit einer 95€ Strafe bedroht um mich zur Zahlung zu zwingen. Absolut unseriös

Unfortunately, one star is the lowest level that can be provided here. While the desk staff was friendly, the return agent was overly zealous. She noted a small rub mark, less than 2 cm long, that could’ve been rubbed clean and charge me €211 for the “damage “.
When I complained about this egregious charge for an insignificant rub mark the desk attendant told me to contact customer support. I did and they stuck me with the €211 charge.