> Hertz manages tens of millions of rentals each year, which makes these 30 or so stories exceptionally rare, but not any less bizarre. The recent claims don't explain how exactly these mix-ups happen, but some of the renters reported switching vehicles, upgrading cars, or reporting mechanical issues before being approached by the law. One driver returned a vehicle for a flat tire and was given another to drive instead, and when the company did not complete paperwork for the second vehicle, the car was reported stolen and the police got involved. Another driver was alerted to an expired registration on her rental but was ultimately arrested before she could even return the car a few days later. Francis Alexander, an attorney who is representing some of the falsely-accused renters, says that Hertz’s computer system has a “glitch” that has led to the company-wide pattern of reporting cars stolen.
On the one hand, I can imagine that with employees not filling out forms/screens right and then clocking out, the manager comes in the next day and a car is missing, how do they know it wasn't simply stolen? Better call the police. Especially since if you wait two weeks to "be sure" the car doesn't come back, your chances of recovering it presumably plummet.
On the other hand... employees mess up all the time, so it seems like there'd better be a damn solid reason to presume a vehicle stolen rather than just the regular employee mixup (like security cam footage). And the idea that a computer system could automatically alert police of supposedly stolen vehicles without needing a manager's triple-verification seems incredibly irresponsible and shocking.
[1] https://www.thedrive.com/news/27976/people-are-being-arreste...