Hertz - GOLD v PREPAY

I recreantly made a booking as a 5* gold member, for a car at JFK I was offered a PREPAY rate which was cheaper then the gold rate, I asked why are you penalising the gold members? After much debate I was told it had to do with my choice of insurance on my profile so I asked them to quote me a PREPAY profile as a GOLD member & the PREPAY was cheaper then the GOLD. A supervisor agreed to give me the PREPAY rate with the GOLD service. I got to JFK & no name on the board & no GOLD service, & a very arrogant person behind the counter. I took this up with HERTZ head office who sent me $20.00 for my inconvenience.

I even moor recent tried to book a car in TPA, although there is no gold service there, a PREPAY was still cheaper then a GOLD.
In my opinion a GOLD person is better for HERTZ then a PREPAY

1. They have all his records on file
2. When he reserves a car the contract can be prepared when HERTZ staff has a quiet time
3. The chance’s are he is a regular & will come back.. Look after your regulars

A PREPAY customer costs HERTZ moor money
1. They have to take down his particulars over the phone when he reserves the car
2. They take them down when he collects the car
3. Why should he come back if there is a long queue of disgruntled gold members?

Does any body have the same feelings or views or experience? Please comment

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

I've been Gold and 5 * for years, and have never heard of a Gold rate, or a 5 * rate. IFAIK, calling or logging into Hertz.com as a Gold will not get you any better rate than not having status at all.

If you want anything better than full bore, then try using rate code, discount coupons, etc. that will get you a better rate. There is a discount thread here that has some such info. I personally find the AAA rate to provide a decent savings, and for weekly and weekend rentals, there are usually $$ off PC codes that will save you another $15-25.

You are obviously missing the point.
What I am asking is, how come a person who is on file & a regular at HERTZ & saves them time & gives them regular business, is offered a worse rate then someone who just calls for a rate & creates moor paper work & not as cost effective as a GOLD person?????????

I thought your question was why pre-pay rates are lower than post-pay.

You are obviously missing the point.

:confused:

What is the point?

#1 Club Gold membership and whether one chooses to prepay a rental are two separate topics.


What I am asking is, how come a person who is on file & a regular at HERTZ & saves them time & gives them regular business, is offered a worse rate then someone who just calls for a rate & creates moor paper work & not as cost effective as a GOLD person?????????

This doesn't make any sense. It sounds like you goofed. You either booked a pre-paid rate when you didn't want one, or you didn't research and apply the optimal CDP, PC, and rate codes to your rental.

If I log in as a Gold and don't apply any CDP/PC codes, I am shown a standard rate. If I don't log in (e.g., I'm just "calling for a rate"), I am typically shown the same rate. Where "Goldness" enters play is mainly through knowledge: I have rented from Hertz enough over the years that I have a good feel for how to best milk CDP/PC codes. And I'm always learning new tips/tricks from this board. ^

(For what it's worth, I have never prepaid a rental through Hertz except for one Priceline rental about four years ago. I would be very hesitant to do so unless I was picking up the car at my own neighborhood HLE. Even then, they'd have to allow me to assign the optimal CDP/PC codes to the rental - and then give me 15-20% off that amount, which somehow I doubt they'd do.)

What I am asking is, how come a person who is on file & a regular at HERTZ & saves them time & gives them regular business, is offered a worse rate then someone who just calls for a rate & creates moor paper work & not as cost effective as a GOLD person?????????

I don't see where Gold members "save" Hertz much, if any, money. It might save a few minutes of a counter clerk's time, but at most locations, they spend most of their time waiting aound for customers to show up anyway. There are also costs involved in managing and maintaining the Gold program. And just because someone has a Gold membership, that does not mean they give Hertz regular business.

The various car rental express programs, such as Gold, are not discount programs, they are a form of loyalty program. As a basis of comparison, airlines recognize frequent travel with elite status, but that does not come with a discount. Hotel chains recognize frequent stays with elite status, and that does not earn you any kind of discount either. I am aware of no other car rental program that offers frequent renters a discount. Loyalty programs across the travel industry use various perks to keep people coming back, but discounts are not one of them. Companies have found that upgrades, shorter waits, etc. are what keeps customers "loyal".

In fact, my guess would be that members of loyalty programs (including Gold) would be among the least price sensitive customers, since many or most are spending other peoples money, and are often willing to pay a premium for the perks that the loyalty programs bring with them. If you want the lowest price, forget Hertz and Gold, use Dollar, Thrifty, etc.

Is it permited to use discount coupons that were not sent to you?

Anything that doesn't say non-transferable should be fine. Most coupons do not even specify the recipient. I usually use the AAA discount. If it is a weeklong or weekend rental, I use use the $$ on-line coupons from AAA also. Any coupon starting with "9" is is on-line, and no physical coupon is required. I have never been asked for any proof of AAA membership.

Some people have gotten away with using corporate codes that they are not eligible for that include LDW or other insurances, but if you were to have an accident Hertz might find out, revoke the coverages, and re-rate you, so I wouldn't recommend that.