Shocking Hertz Rental: Customer Hit with $10,000 After 25,000 Miles

Hertz or any rental car customers often expect “unlimited miles” to mean exactly that—drive as far as you want without restrictions. But one traveler learned the hard way that sometimes, that seemingly straightforward deal isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. After logging a whopping 25,000 miles on a month-long road trip, the customer returned the car only to be slapped with a $10,000 charge.

Here’s what happened: A customer rented a car from Hertz, took the “unlimited miles” perk literally, and put 25,000 miles on the car during a month-long road trip. No problem—until he brought the car back and was slapped with a $10,000 charge. The kicker? The customer claims the rental agreement didn’t say anything about mileage restrictions. In his mind, he had done exactly what was allowed.

But the rental car company didn’t see it the same way. A Hertz employee reportedly argued that “unlimited” didn’t mean unlimited in the true sense and that driving 25,000 miles was excessive. When the customer stood his ground, the situation escalated quickly, with the Hertz representative allegedly threatening to call the cops. The entire interaction was captured on TikTok, where it quickly gained traction and sparked outrage.

@lifeisfun3000 Unlimited means a reasonable amount? @Hertz #scam #rentalcar #hertz #fyp #viralvideo ♬ original sound – Logan

Hertz has since issued a public apology, stating, “Customer satisfaction is our top priority at Hertz, and we sincerely regret this customer’s experience at one of our franchise locations,” according to a statement provided to The Drive. “Per the terms of the contract, the customer will not be billed for mileage. Our franchisee is addressing the employee’s conduct and reinforcing our customer service standards and policies to ensure they are understood and followed consistently across our locations.” So, while the incident caused some serious customer service headaches, Hertz made it clear that the customer will not be charged for the mileage and is working to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

But this situation raises an important question: How clear are rental agreements when it comes to terms like “unlimited”? And how much trust should we place in terms that seem too good to be true?

If you’re heading out for a road trip or planning a long-term rental, make sure you’re crystal clear on what “unlimited” really means. It could save you a major headache and prevent your next adventure from turning into a costly mistake.