SAN FRANCISCO –Auto rental company Hertz Corp. and its business partner recently agreed to pay $3.65 million to San Francisco to settle a city lawsuit that alleged Hertz assessed "steep, hidden fees to unwitting rental car customers who crossed the Golden Gate Bridge," City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a press release.
The lawsuit compelled Hertz and its business partner, American Traffic Solutions Inc., "to halt their nationwide practice of charging toll service fees for every day of a car rental, even days the service wasn't used," Herrera said in the Feb. 19 press release. "Hertz now charges the fee only on days the service is actually used, not the entirety of the rental period."
That change in Hertz's fee charges nationwide has saved customers "millions of dollars" since it took effect in February 2018, Herrera said in his press release.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
| sfcityattorney.org
"People leave their hearts in San Francisco," Herrera said. "We've made sure they don't have to leave their wallets with Hertz when they do. Accurate pricing is the backbone of a fair marketplace, but in too many industries, consumers don’t know the true price because of hidden fees."
Hertz, a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings Inc. based in Estero, Florida, operates about 9,700 corporate and franchisee locations worldwide. American Traffic Solutions is a transportation services company based in Mesa, Arizona.
Many of Hertz's customers had been "unwittingly paying more than quadruple the actual toll" when they drove once across the Golden Gate Bridge, Herrera said in the release.
"The Golden Gate Bridge is an international icon, but charging someone $32 to cross it is simply wrong," Herrera said. "We put a stop to that. And because of this case, Hertz has reduced its toll service fee nationwide. Hertz is also now upfront about its fees and disclosing to Bay Area customers how they can pay Golden Gate Bridge tolls directly to the Bridge District and avoid any fees at all."
The settlement money will be used for future consumer protection enforcement, the release said.
As part of the settlement, Hertz and American Traffic Solutions also will provide Bay Area customers with rental records including terms of the Golden Gate Bridge District's one-time payment.