Hertz - Does Hertz match rates?

Hello All -

Does anyone know if Hertz will match or beat rates? I have an 8 hour rental reserved next week in Newark NJ, with Enterprise. Hertz and Avis, my preferred car rental companies, are both TWICE the rates of Enterprise. I almost always use Hertz (I'm a #1 Gold thanks to FT), but it's just not worth the cost for this one. Anyone else have any experience with this?

Thanks a bunch!


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Marry me, fly for free!

I have gotten to know my local Hertz Manager quite well and she always matches an advertised rate for me. Just let her know who has a better rate, what the rate code is etc., and she matches or beats it. FYI I only do it when the difference is quite a bit - ie $10 or so, for $2 I am not going to abuse the request as she always upgrades me etc., and treats me with great respect (even when I call in a panic and say I need a car in 3 minutes).

Guess I am saying call the local office and see.

MapleLeaf, thanks for your reply. My problem is I've never rented from this particular location before, so it's not quite like I have a personal relationship with them. But I have put my Gold membership to good use and use Hertz almost exclusively for my leisure travel. So maybe that will make a difference.

And then there's the fact that my rental car size may be changing, as more tag along onto my trip. Right now I have an economy reserved for 4 people. Two more sign on and we're upgrading to a fullsize, which may make Hertz comparable - or may make the great price divide even greater.

This is the price differential I'm talking about - I have an economy car reserved with Enterprise for $34.99 plus discounts. Hertz and Avis want $67.99 for the same car.

Again, thanks for your advice!


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Marry me, fly for free!

[This message has been edited by CateyBeth (edited 06-03-2003).]

I had a Hertz agent at YYZ a couple of weeks ago match a rate from Avis. He informed me that if you could provide the rate and discount code it was basically at their discretion.

Not sure if this is policy or one employee taking some ownership?

I asked Hertz to match an Avis rate once (in CMH). Not only did they match it, they beat it by about 25%. The clerk at the counter did it without having to check with anyone. I am 5-Star - don't know if that made a difference or not.

I don't know if there is a corporate policy. I think it would depend on the vehicle class, rental duration, and availability.

Doesn't hurt to ask. It was easy at CMH since all the rental companies are next to each other in a garage outside the terminal. Remote airport or local edition offices may be less likely to match rates since they may assume you will be less willing to walk away.

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by isogyre (edited 06-04-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by isogyre:

I don't know if there is a corporate policy. I think it would depend on the vehicle class, rental duration, and availability.</font>

In my opinion, if they did this on their web site, and allowed an area for coupon match, most people would stay with Hertz, and book right then and there.

p.s. This is a HINT to anyone reading from Hertz!
;--)

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Have a nice day flying United!
ChgoBob

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ChgoBob:
In my opinion, if they did this on their web site, and allowed an area for coupon match, most people would stay with Hertz, and book right then and there.

p.s. This is a HINT to anyone reading from Hertz!
;--)
</font>

While they would recover some potentially lost business, they would also be offering a lower rate to those who would have gladly paid more.

I'm sure they've modeled this and have an idea what would happen.

I think to offer it discretely works nicely in both the customer's and Hertz's interests.

I tend to agree with channa: even in this day and age, there are still a lot of business travelers that, within reason, don't care how much the car costs. They will pay $45/day for a Taurus and won't look at another website for a lower rate: that is still Hertz's bread and butter.

Also, Enterprise doesn't compete directly with Hertz at most airport markets. (They may be present, but they aren't really competing for the same customer.) Therefore, it wouldn't surprise me if Enterprise, Thrifty, Payless, etc. are a lot cheaper and Hertz isn't matching those rates. They may be more apt to match an Avis or National deal because they see those as their competition.

I have a reservation for an upcoming trip to Philly with Avis. SUV for 231.77 for 5 days. I've just emailed Hertz (I'm a club member) and asked them if they were interested in meeting the Avis price to earn my business. Their price for an SUV is almost double that of the Avis price I've got. I'll report back and let you all know if they match the price.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pinniped:
I tend to agree with channa: even in this day and age, there are still a lot of business travelers that, within reason, don't care how much the car costs. They will pay $45/day for a Taurus and won't look at another website for a lower rate: that is still Hertz's bread and butter.

</font>

I'd be curious to know where you can get a Hertz full size, such as a Taurus, for $45 a day. I consider it a bargan if I can get one for $50 during the week (especially in L.A.). That's one reason why I went over to Avis for some rentals; they're 20-25% less at times.

Have a National Weekly rental coming up. Hertz Internet site was higher called CS but no match will try again. Thanks