European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Paga 4 the stars and stripes wednesday january 27,1988 Hertz car rental admits overcharging new York a the Heru corp. Hai admitted Over chasing individuals and insurance companies by $13 million Tor Auto repairs by using phony damage claims altered documents and infilled repair Bill Tor seven years. The car rental company said Mon Day in has been cooperating in a Federal grand jury investigation in Telew York. Hertz said in halted the practices immediately when top management Learned of them in i9b5 and fired an Cir Utvic in charge of Accident damage claims. It said in will refund All pay ments made under questionable circumstances. The company said in already re turned about �3 million or the Esti mated s13 million it collected by these improper practices and told Federal authorities of its plans to ret urn the full amount reports at the investigation first appeared on in by to monday evening and in tuesday s editions of the new York times. It is not known How Many people Are affected. The times quoting unidentified Justice department sources said the practice of inflating damage claims was introduced in the company s new York Region in the Early 1970s and was being spread around the country later in the 1970s. Hertz deeply regrets that these practices existed and is committed to ensuring that they do not recur Hertz said in a statement monday night. Hertz said it eliminated All practices revealed by its investigation and subsequently investigated by the Feder Al grand  in said it revamped its system for computing and making damage claims and consolidated the operation under the direct control of Hertz Centra corporate insurance  Heru spokesman Joseph Russo said most of the s13 million can be raced to the practice of charging individuals and insurance companies the retail Cost of a repair while Hertz actually pays about 25 percent less because of vol ume discounts on parts and labor. Russo said the practice is common in the Industry. Since 1985, Hertz has passed the savings on to its customers. In a smaller number of incidents there was falsification of documents Russo said. In by said Hertz s Accident control offices altered repair forms inserting a higher false amount for the repair and Billing the Driver or his insurance com Pany Tor the higher amount. The scheme also included double Bil Ling fictitious repair shops forged Jig natures of damage appraisers _ and made up estimates for non existent damage according to in by. It costs about $ 10 a Day for a Colli Sion damage waiver when renting a car from Hertz which frees the Driver from liability in any Accident As Long As the Driver operated the car within the rules of the rental agreement. If an individual docs not pay for the waiver and the car is damaged the Driver is liable for up to 13,000 in re pairs Russo said. In most cases the Driver s personal insurance or the Driver of another car involved in the Accident would pay for repairs. If the Driver lacked insurance pay ment would come out of the Driver t pocket effect of lawmaker s death on mar still unclear by Chuck Vinci Washington Hureau Washington there will be Little Short term i Eccl on the military s morale welfare and recreation activities As a result of the death saturday of rep. Dan Daniel d-va., Pentagon and Capitol Hill sources said  chaired both the House armed services readiness Subco Millic and the morale welfare and recreation panel under that subcommittee. In those positions he was the driving Force behind a lengthy Campaign to gel the sen ices to revamp their my business activities and Moke ilium More efficient and less dependent on appropriated funds or taxpayer sup port sources said changes already under Way that arc due largely to Daniel s efforts such As the streamlining project will go on. But whether military mar will be strut mired in future years As closely As it was under i Insul remains to be seen they  general consensus is that the business activities of military mar have to be managed with fewer   said a Pentagon official who asked not to be identified. That Effort already in motion will continue no question about it Dut the Long term effect of Daniel s death on Mili tary mar is cloudier he . Daniel was a very dedicated person in mar he said. There Are few congressmen who spent As much Lime in this urea As he did. Unquestionably there will be a void. What happens will depend on whether Oiler congressmen pick in up and become As interested in mar As he was. That s hard to predict Daniel right  another Pentagon official who also asked not to be identified pointed out that Daniel staff will still be in place including will Gofer a staff member on he House armed services committee. He was considered to be the conservative Democrat s right hand Man on the mar panel. But Cofer often used Daniel s clout to make changes the official said. If the new chairman of the readiness subcommittee in t As interested in mar As Daniel was it May be More difficult for the staff to gel things done. Cofer could not be reached for comment monday or tucs Dav but another Capitol Hill staffer who worked under Daniel agreed. Anytime you lose someone of Dan Daniel s stature there s a void he said. But it s really too Early to say How the void will be filled and what this Means to military mar. A lot depends on who is appointed the new chairman the staffer said no decisions have been made on who might take Over As head of the readiness subcommittee or mar panel. Other members or the panel include reps. Marvin Cath a Texas Bill Nichols d Ala. David Martin . And Jack Davis r-111, Daniel s main goal in recent year As head of the panel was to Cut taxpayer support for mar Revenue gun craving business activities such As Bowling alleys clubs and class i Tores. He Hulic cd such activities should be largely self supporting and could be he Felt if the services would trim fat and run those activities More  services resisted at first arguing that such actions would result in higher user fees for Many mar activities but Daniel s efforts eventually put Large scale changes into  army will soon examine each of its mar reve nue generating activities starting with its package beverage stores to Sec if either the army and air Force Exchange service or private contractors could run them More profitably. The air Force and Navy Are also streamlining their mar structures although Nei ther service will take Steps As extensive As the army. Daniel 73, a id term congressman was unopposed for much of his career in the Rural Ith District Ovir Ginia. The District is entered around the town of Dan Ville in the southwestern part of the slate just above the North Carolina  was admitted to the University of Virginia medical Center in  about 1 20 . Saturday complaining Asch Cal pains said a medical Center spokesman. He died at 5 20 , after a severe Haemorrhage of the Aorta the heart s main artery. He had been in poor health for some time and had said four Davs before his death that he would t seek re election this fall. Under Virginia Law Cov. Gerald Batiles will soon set a Dale for an election to fill Daniel s Seal even though that position along with All the other 434 House scats will be contested again in the Federal elections set for next november. Murdoch gets reprieve in Media ownership bid Washington