Big company mentality, no regard for customer

We started off feeling good about our choice to use Hertz while travelling France. We visited friends near Colmar. On our way back to Paris we realised that we had left the boot cover at their house after we clipped it out to keep it from getting damaged with all the luggage. Turning around would mean 4 extra hours to our trip. Lucky for the Hertz branch in Colmar, or so we thought. Our friends took it to their office in perfect condition, but they refuse to take it or help in any way. They have cars travelling between Paris Hertz and Colmar Hertz all the time, but they don't care at all. So terribly disappointed. They are charging us a fortune to replace the cover. It's sad to be faced with these big companies who have no compassion for their clients.