Pattern of potentially fraudulent damage claims?
This account serves as a warning to all potential customers of the Vienna Airport Hertz branch, and by extension, the wider Hertz brand. Read through the reviews - because this seems to form a pattern.
We rented a vehicle in January 2026 and opted for the enhanced cover, just in case. We were presented with a condition report at the Hertz desk, however we were also told by staff 'not to worry either way' because we had purchased the enhanced cover.
The car collection point was a 15 minute walk away, and unstaffed. We checked the vehicle, noticed various damages, but thought nothing more of it - particularly as the car park had entry and exit scanners.
No damage occurred to the vehicle during our care.
We returned the vehicle to a staffed location a few days later. I took photographs of the car's condition (make sure you do this). The return staff went around the vehicle with me and noted the condition against their PDA, and was essentially told 'no problems - you can leave'. So I left. Several minutes later, I received a final statement confirming zero damages, along with the return of my deposit, and a final account status of ZERO.
2 days later, I received a further email from Hertz claiming some (very minor) scratches to the underside of the boot area, and minor scuffs around the loading area of the boot lid - alongside an invoice of over 500 Euro, and a note to say that their enhanced coverage wouldn't cover this damage anyway.
To date, no entry or exit scanner photos have been provided.
Scratches in a luggage compartment loading zone are consistent with the normal use of a rental vehicle. According to standard industry "Fair Wear and Tear" policies, minor scuffs in loading areas are not chargeable damages.
More importantly, it had been confirmed both verbally and in writing that no damages had occurred during our rental.
We are still disputing these charges, and are prepared to meet Hertz in court to make their behaviour in these matters public.
I would urge anyone experiencing similar issues to hold firm and dispute any unfair charge. We fortunately contacted our credit card provider and placed a block from them being able to charge it.








