DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I rented a car from Hertz in Cabo San Lucas. After this, Hertz placed me on their Do Not Rent list and claimed that I tried to rent a car with a fraudulent ID. I do not understand this, since my ID is entirely valid and definitely not fraudulent.
I asked for more information, but these were the only details that Hertz would provide me with. I asked the company to send me a copy of the ID they had on file, but they refused.
Hertz also says I was with two women when I rented the car, but I took the trip to Cabo alone! I have no idea what they’re talking about, but now I can’t rent from Hertz. Please help!
— Shane Rich, San Diego
ANSWER: Hertz shouldn’t have put you on its Do Not Rent list. And if it did, it should have specifically told you what you did to deserve to be on the list.
What is the Do Not Rent list? Basically, it’s a rental car company’s blacklist. Usually, you get on the list for failing to pay for your car. But you can also get blacklisted for doing something fraudulent, like renting a car with a fake ID.
In reviewing the paper trail between you and Hertz, it appears the company accused you of renting a car in Cabo in August 2021. However, you were not in Mexico at the time, and you say you didn’t rent a car from Hertz then. This really appears like a case of mistaken identity.
But how do you inform Hertz of these facts? Like other car rental companies, Hertz has a system that allows you to appeal a suspension. It looks as if you had an active dialogue with the car rental company, and it had asked you for a copy of your ID, which you provided.
Your case must have slipped between the cracks. All they had to do was compare the information on your ID to the one they got on the rental, and they would have seen that this was a case of mistaken identity. It’s not clear why they didn’t.
A brief, polite, written appeal to a manager at Hertz might have helped. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Hertz executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I contacted Hertz. The company reviewed your file and checked your ID.
“We’ve determined that we made a mistake in this case and have restored the customer’s rental privileges and apologized to him,” a Hertz representative told me.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.(c) 2025 Christopher ElliottDistributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.