Hertz customers outraged over A.I scanner that detects small car marks & charges them $$$

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Hertz customers outraged over AI-powered scanner that detects small marks, charges hundreds — including $440 for one-inch scuff

Hertz customers are complaining they were charged hundreds of dollars for minor scrapes and dents that were detected by the rental car giant’s new artificial intelligence-powered scanner — with little recourse to dispute the charges.

Patrick, a customer who rented a Volkswagen from Hertz-owned Thrifty at Hertz’s Atlanta airport location — its first US store to implement UVeye tech — told The Drive that he received a bill “minutes” after returning the car.

Hertz demanded that Patrick cough up $440 for a one-inch scuff on one of the car’s wheels. The fee included $250 for the repair, $125 for “processing” and $65 for “administration.”

When Patrick logged into the Hertz web app, he was shown photographic proof of the damage that was flagged by UVeye scanners.

He told The Drive that he was offered a discount — $52 off if he paid within two days, or $32.50 off if he paid within a week. But Patrick held off.

“Saving $30 to accept responsibility is not worth it,” he told The Drive.

When Patrick tried to take up the matter with a live customer service rep, he found the challenge to be quite daunting.

Customers are directed to a web portal where they can view before-and-after photos captured by the scanners.

But if they have concerns, their options are limited. A chatbot can flag the issue for review, but there’s no live agent to talk to.

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One frustrated Reddit user, posting under the handle professor_pimpcain, shared a similar experience after returning a car to Hertz’s Atlanta location. “It automatically sent me a bill for this ‘ding’. $195,” they wrote.

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Earlier this year, Hertz announced that it was partnering with UVeye, an Israel-based firm that specializes in rapid, automated car inspections that have been described as an “MRI for vehicles.” By year’s end, Hertz says it will have more than 100 of UVeye’s AI-powered scanners operating at US airport locations.

These machines perform full-body vehicle scans in seconds, detecting damage such as dents, scrapes and cracked glass both before and after a rental.

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UVeye is reportedly in talks with additional rental agencies, suggesting broader adoption may be on the horizon.

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