Hertz — the car rental — company has been in the news the last several months for having people falsely arrested. You can see a few stories here:
Why Are Hertz Customers Getting Stopped–or Even Jailed–for Driving ‘Stolen’ Cars? | Inc.com
A Hertz Lawyer Just Said 6 Words the Company Should Hope Its Customers Never Hear | Inc.com
Hertz Files 3,365 Stolen Car Reports Every Year on Customers Who Rented Its Cars | Inc.com
At least two people have discovered that you didn’t even have to rent a car from Hertz to be falsely accused. The Colorado man in the story linked below never rented from Hertz and was never in Georgia, contrary to what Hertz swore for an arrest warrant.
The other case is my own. Hertz falsely accused me of chasing a Hertz employee with a screw driver on November 1, 2021. Click on the image below to enlarge the false accusation from Hertz.
It is, of course, shocking to open up your mail and be falsely accused.
I promptly did my own investigation of my where-abouts on November 1, 2021. Based on emails I sent, store receipts, home video surveillance footage, and Google Android Timeline, I KNOW I was nowhere near any Hertz property that day. The last time I rented a car from Hertz was about four years previous. And, I’ve never, ever, in my life, chased anyone at any time or location with a screw driver.
I engaged an attorney to let Hertz know that I would sue Mr. Ryan individually and Hertz as a corporation if they persisted in these false allegations.
Emails were exchanged between Hertz lawyer Adam Schloss and my attorney. After Mr. Schloss was told Hertz had made a mistake, Mr. Schloss still maintained I was the perpetrator:
“Perhaps your client isn’t telling you the whole story. But regardless, if your client ever threatens a Hertz employee again, damages corporate property, or comes onto Hertz property, he can explain it to law enforcement who are already well aware of the incident.
Adam Schloss
Assistant General Counsel”
With that email was attached a photo of the perpetrator with a screw driver. The picture was taken by a Hertz employee. The picture clearly shows someone else — not me — with the screw driver. Everyone who has seen this picture immediately recognizes the person in the photo as NOT me.
My attorney also did a public disclosure request to Seattle Police Department regarding this incident. The police report clearly and confidently identifies a different person: different name, different vehicle, different license plate number.
The false accusation against me clearly illustrates complete disregard by Hertz to verify facts before zipping off an accusation. Mr. Ryan — a former police officer — apparently never bothered or concerned himself to read the police report. Mr Ryan’s sloppiness in producing an accusatory letter against me reflects a serious problem Hertz has in dealing with customers and even non-customers.
Here’s Mr. Ryan’s information from LinkedIn on February 8, 2022.
Nearly three months after Mr. Ryan’s false accusation was brought to the attention of Hertz headquarters, there has not been any acknowledgement of a mistake nor an apology.
I guess Hertz Ethics 101 is to never admit a mistake and keep being sloppy at the expense of innocent victims.