How a simple car rental cancellation turned into a $52 annoyance on Expedia

Todd Brueshoff cancels his Hertz rental through Expedia two days before pickup and receives an email confirming that there’s no cancellation fee. But wait, there is! Hertz charges him a $52 no-show fee. Can he get his money back?

Question

I recently booked a Hertz rental car through Expedia for pickup at Fargo Airport. The reservation clearly stated that I could cancel at any time before pickup with no penalty. Three days before my rental, I canceled the reservation through Expedia and received an email confirming my cancellation with no cancellation fee.

Imagine my surprise when, a week later, Hertz charged me a $52 no-show fee. I immediately contacted Expedia and a representative told me that my reservation did not include a cancellation fee. 

But then the responses got confusing: One Expedia agent claimed there was a cancellation fee in my reservation (which I know isn’t true), another told me to deal with Hertz directly, and yet another said Hertz had agreed to refund me — but the refund never arrived. At one point, Expedia even issued a refund to my credit card, only to reverse it and say it was a mistake.

I’ve followed all the advice from your columns, including appealing to the executive contacts listed on your site. The only replies I got were generic and didn’t answer my specific questions. I asked Expedia to provide written proof that my cancellation was sent to Hertz before the pickup time, so I could appeal to Hertz directly, but they never provided it. I even visited the Hertz counter at Fargo Airport, but the manager never got back to me, and the staff there said it looked like Expedia didn’t send the cancellation in time.

How can I get my $52 back? — Todd Brueshoff, Chicago

Answer

Let’s get one thing straight: When you book a rental car through an online travel agency like Expedia, it’s the online travel agency’s job to make sure your cancellation goes through and that you’re not penalized for following the rules. Expedia should have promptly processed your cancellation, confirmed it with Hertz, and provided you with written proof that the cancellation was received by Hertz before your scheduled pickup.

If your reservation terms allow for a free cancellation, and you cancel within the allowed window, you should not pay a no-show fee. If Expedia failed to transmit your cancellation to Hertz in time, that’s on Expedia — not you. (Related: Air France rejected my baggage claim for the most ridiculous reason.)

I reviewed your correspondence with Hertz and Expedia, and it looks like you did this by the book. You canceled in advance, kept all the documentation, and escalated your case through the proper channels, even appealing to executive contacts. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses for the higher-ups at Expedia and Hertz on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

You maintained a detailed paper trail, which is exactly what I recommend. If this happens to anyone else, I’d add: Always double-check that you receive a cancellation confirmation email and, if possible, contact the rental agency directly to confirm receipt — especially if you’re close to the cancellation deadline.

You did everything right, and you even went the extra mile — literally — by visiting the Hertz counter at Fargo Airport. The staff there suspected that Expedia didn’t send the cancellation in time, which would explain why Hertz saw you as a no-show. Expedia, meanwhile, bounced you between departments, issued and then reversed a refund, and ultimately failed to provide the documentation you needed to resolve the issue with Hertz.

It turns out there was more to this story. After Expedia issued a credit and then withdrew it, you filed a credit card dispute, which you lost. Once your bank sides with a merchant, you only have two realistic options: an outside advocate or a trip to small claims court. You chose me and I contacted Expedia on your behalf. 

Expedia issued a full refund of your $52 no-show fee.