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

"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."

"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."

A customer booked a Hertz rental through Expedia with a reservation allowing free cancellation up to pickup and canceled three days before, receiving an email confirmation of no fee. Despite timely cancellation, Hertz charged a $52 no-show fee. Expedia representatives gave conflicting information, once issuing then reversing a refund and failing to provide written proof that the cancellation reached Hertz before pickup. The customer appealed through executive contacts and visited the Hertz counter, but received only generic replies and no definitive resolution. The online travel agency bears responsibility to process cancellations, confirm with the vendor, and supply written proof when requested.

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