this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2025
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Hertz' AI System That Scans for "Damage" on Rental Cars Is Turning Into an Epic Disaster (futurism.com)
submitted 5 days ago by tonytins@pawb.social to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 274 points 5 days ago (49 children)

I think it's generally a brilliant solution but there are a couple of problems here:

  1. The scanner seems to flag fucking everything and charge for minor damage where a human would probably flag it as wear.
  2. No one is allowed to correct the scanner:

Perturbed by the apparent mistake, the user tried to speak to employees and managers at the Hertz counter, but none were able to help, and all "pointed fingers at the 'AI scanner.'" They were told to contact customer support — but even that proved futile after representatives claimed they "can’t do anything."

Sounds to me like they're just trying to replace those employees. That's why they won't let them interfere.

[–] MisterFrog@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

The US lacks even the most basic consumer protections it seems.

In Australia, companies still try to give you the run around, but I am extremely confident this wouldn't fly here. Even though I'm not a lawyer.

If you literally can't get a hold of them, they're breaking Australian Consumer Law, that's a slam dunk to charge back the card and dare them to take you to your state's relevant tribunal that hears cases like this. It costs either like $70 to file, you can represent yourself easily, and if you're low-income, it's literally free.

They don't want to waste money on fighting you. If you're confident you're clearly in the right, it's very easy to get a company to back down.

This is a great time to remind everyone to take photos before and after getting a rental car, because otherwise it's your word against them.

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