{"id":219506,"date":"2025-06-27T20:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T20:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/219506\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T20:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T20:32:12","slug":"hertzs-ai-vehicle-damage-detection-is-as-shady-unethical-as-youd-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/219506\/","title":{"rendered":"Hertz’s AI Vehicle Damage Detection Is As Shady & Unethical As You’d Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of months ago, I wrote about how Hertz is rolling out new AI technology<\/a> to detect vehicle damage. The idea is that Hertz is installing a bunch of cameras when cars are picked up and returned, which will instantly spot any damage, and then bill renters for it.<\/p>\n

In theory, there\u2019s nothing wrong with this \u2014 it\u2019s a more accurate system than the previous manual inspection used for determining the condition of vehicles. As you\u2019d expect, though, Hertz is investing in this technology not to make the rental experience more pleasant, but instead, to make it way worse.<\/p>\n

Hertz is screwing over customers with new AI technology<\/p>\n

The Drive<\/a> has the story of a firsthand experience that someone had with Hertz\u2019s new AI damage system. Specifically, this involved a Volkswagen rental at Hertz\u2019s location at Atlanta Airport (ATL), which was also the first location in the country to have this new technology.<\/p>\n

He returned the car with a one-inch scuff on the driver\u2019s side rear wheel. He was alerted to the damage minutes after dropping off the vehicle, with a picture of the damage, plus a bill for $440.<\/p>\n

\"\"The car damage detected by Hertz\u2019s cameras<\/p>\n

That includes a $250 fee for the repair, a $125 processing fee, and another $65 administrative fee. This was all revealed digitally, with not much transparency about what the processing or administrative fees are. Hertz defines a processing fee as \u201cthe cost to detect and estimate the damage that occurred during your rental,\u201d while Hertz claims the administrative fee \u201ccovers a portion of the costs as a result of processing your claim.<\/p>\n

This is where it gets even scammier. Hertz offered a $52 discount if the renter agreed to the terms and paid within two days, and offered a $32.50 discount if he paid within a week.<\/p>\n

When he tried to inquire about the charge, the chatbot system used for handling claims doesn\u2019t include any human agents. However, it can flag a claim, so that an agent can review it later. The issue here is obvious \u2014 the discount only applies if you pay almost immediately, and it can take days for someone to reach out to you.<\/p>\n

In response to an inquiry about this practice, a Hertz spokesperson said the following:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe vast majority of rentals are incident-free. When damage does occur, our goal is to enhance the rental experience by bringing greater transparency, precision, and speed to the process. Digital vehicle inspections help deliver on that with clear, detailed documentation that is delivered more quickly, as well as a more technology-enabled resolution process.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hertz also refused to state whether the processing fee and administrative fee are higher for locations using this technology. It almost seems like Hertz is billing people for the technology that causes them to get charged for damage.<\/p>\n

This makes me less likely to rent from Hertz<\/p>\n

Even though Hertz is supposed to be a \u201cpremium\u201d rental car agency, it doesn\u2019t exactly have a great reputation. I mean, the company was forced to pay $168 million<\/a> for having its customers arrested, which should tell you everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

As I said, in theory there\u2019s nothing wrong with using technology to detect damage. I actually appreciate the greater transparency. The issue, as I see it, is threefold:<\/p>\n