| December 3, 2010 Media Contact: Jenn Meale Phone: (850) 245-0150 |
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TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has reached an agreement with The Hertz Corporation over allegations that customers were not clearly informed about the terms of usage for toll pass services offered by Hertz. Under the agreement, customers who rented cars from Hertz in Florida between February 9, 2009 and March 31, 2010 will be entitled to refunds for fees charged for the “Plate Pass” service on days they did not use the service.
Hertz provides a service known as “Plate Pass” which allows car rental customers to avoid waiting in lines at Florida toll plazas and instead receive a bill for the amount of the tolls, plus a fee for the use of the feature. According to an investigation by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division, when Hertz initiated the plate pass service customers were billed the fee only for the days they actually used the plate pass. In February 2009, Hertz changed its pricing model for the Plate Pass service so that if a customer used the feature just once during the rental term, the customer was billed a $2.50 fee per day for the remainder of their retail period. In November 2009, Hertz capped the applicable fee at $10.00 per month.
The Attorney General’s Office began investigating after customers complained they were not clearly informed they would be billed the fee for days on which the Plate Pass was not used. Hertz cooperated with the investigation and by March 2010 made voluntary changes to clearly disclose that once the Plate Pass is used, customers will be charged a daily fee for the use of the plate pass, including days the Plate Pass is not used.
The agreement contains injunctive relief requiring Hertz to continue clearly and conspicuously informing customers that they will be billed, even for days on which they do not use the service. Hertz will also refund Florida customers who, between February 9, 2009 and March 31, 2010, were billed on days when they did not use the service. Hertz has also agreed to make a contribution of $10,000 to the Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year fund as part of the agreement.
Customers may download a claim for reimbursement on the Attorney General’s website at http://myfloridalegal.com/lit_ec.nsf/HertzClaimsForm.pdf, or they may call 1-866-966-7226 to request a reimbursement form by mail. Claims forms must be submitted on or before January 16, 2011 as determined by postmark date.



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