Geneva Car Hire - Vignettes out-of-date

We hired a car at Geneva and were stopped by the police on the way back to the airport yesterday. The people at Hertz had missed that it's the time to renew the 2010 'Vignettes' (annual motorway charge). Fortunately, the police were sympathetic, and let us carry on and buy one at the next service station, instead of fining us (as they were legally entitled to do). Hertz couldn't explain this oversight and at first only offered to give us a credit against the next hire. After arguing, they finally reimbursed us. But no recognition of any shortcoming in customer service.

Message is - at this time especially, check that your Geneva hire car has a 2011 vignette.

The motorway tax sticker is valid from 1 December of the year prior to that printed on the sticker through to 31 January of the year following that printed on the sticker, so they had plenty of time to change it. The fine for not having a valid one is CHF 100 and you have to buy a new one. If this had have happened to a Swiss there would be hell to pay! I would write to Hertz, the address is:

Hertz GmbH
Rütistrasse 22
CH-8952 Schlieren

The managers and directors are listed here: http://www.moneyhouse.ch/en/u/g/hertz_gmbh_CH-020.3.911.482-7.htm If you don't get a satisfactory reply you could ring the chairman up at home (he won't be used to that happening) he's in the phone book http://tel.local.ch/en/

I'd threaten to go public if they dont give you free car hire for life.