Hertz - You didn't print out the (electronic) coupon

...or, why Hertz has lost me as their customer:

Last month, I rented a car from a Hertz HLE location. A 3-day rental at $14.24 per day. Using the code provided here (http://offers.hertz.com/unitedweekend/index.cfm?uniqueid=1637) I also received an additional $15 off. A total "approximate rental charge" of $28.77 was quoted in my reservation confirmation.

When I arrived at the HLE, their "computers were down" so my rental agreement was filled out by hand.

I returned the car on a Sunday, and since there were no Sunday hours at the location, I filled out the paperwork as instructed. I had confirmed ahead of time that I would not be charged an extra day. I had also been told that a copy of my final bill would be mailed to me. This did not happen. And when my credit card statement arrived, I had been charged $57.36, which is approximately twice the original quote.

I called Hertz customer service and was told I had been charged the extra day per company policy. When I told her that I was told I would not be charged for that day, she agreed to take it off the bill. However, the remaining bill was still $43.02, which is still much higher than the quote.

I told her about the $15 discount, and read her the PC# (PC #990861). She said that # is for double miles, not $15 off (of course, my miles never posted so I guess double in this case is still zero). I read her what it says on the website, and obviously I had met all the requirements since the $15 discount was reflected in my reservation confirmation.

She said that in order to get the discount, I would have had to print out the webpage and bring it in when I originally rented the car. This is of course ridiculous. There is no mention of this in the Terms and Conditions of the offer. I've never had to "print out a webpage" to get an advertised discount.

So for $15, I have learned a valuable lesson about Hertz. I guess they got an extra $15 from me this time, but considering that in my new job I rent about 3 times a month, that's a lot of lost future revenue on their part.

Am I off-base here? Did I really do this the wrong way? Basically this was a crummy experience from beginning to end. Did I mention that the HLE I originally booked with was "out of cars" when I showed up, and they had to drive me across town to another location (costing me an additional hour)? Sheesh.

3 times a month is not enough to even make it to PC, so I doubt they would care too much.

If $15 and one bad experience is enough to lose you as a customer, then obviously you're missing the forest for the trees. I doubt you would find a better, more consistant, experience at another rental company.

I would send an email to customer service explaining the problem and what you want them to do. Talking on the phone with someone is often not as productive.

Talking on the phone with someone is often not as productive.

Exactly. Use the e-mail provided on site. They may have some auto-generated response, but someone WILL get back to you, someone that is "up there" and will take care of you. I had a bad experience at MKE with a CSR, I e-mailed them and they sent me a $75 certificate for any day, for up to two years.

I am only 5*, BTW.

If $15 and one bad experience is enough to lose you as a customer, then obviously you're missing the forest for the trees. I doubt you would find a better, more consistant, experience at another rental company.


Given that Avis just failed to credit me for a USAA $20-off weekly coupon, I can say that you'd not be any better over there.

IIRC--most cities allow and honor a mail-in after the rental if you want.
However, I think it is a little crazy to change programs because of this. Honestly, if you really want to assure that you will get a deal, it isn't an awful idea to have some documentation of it. I usually keep a paper copy of my flight information/reservation with me from when I book it until I finish my travel.

IIRC--most cities allow and honor a mail-in after the rental if you want.
However, I think it is a little crazy to change programs because of this. Honestly, if you really want to assure that you will get a deal, it isn't an awful idea to have some documentation of it. I usually keep a paper copy of my flight information/reservation with me from when I book it until I finish my travel.


Maybe I over-reacted. However, I'm not "changing programs". I'm simply removing Hertz from the list of car rental companies I will patronize. I will admit to being a little new (and naive) about renting cars. I've purchased airline tickets for years and was never charged double for my ticket after I returned home. Somehow I expected the same from car rental companies. Silly me. Apparently bait and switch is an acceptible practice, and based on the other posts here, apparently customers are happy and willing to play along. Is it some sort of game?

Since none of the 3 car rental agencies in my location offer any kind of "club" service there really isn't a point in patronizing one more often. And since they all offer essentially the same product for the same price, I am not going to use the one that treats me like dirt. Easy call!

While i can sympathise with you and definately think your feelings are acceptable there is a problem out there with Rental car companies and that is that they all have faults. Each of us has to choose the one that matches us most (or our company may dictate which for business travel) and we then roll with the punches. You experienced a bad situation this time however if you persue reconcilliation through corporate I believe you would get a satisfactory outcome. I've had horrible experiences at a few rental car companies both here and internationally but I stay with Hertz because of their locations and ZE1 points for free rentals. Good luck with future rentals regardless of the company.

E

...or, why Hertz has lost me as their customer:

Last month, I rented a car from a Hertz HLE location. A 3-day rental at $14.24 per day. Using the code provided here (http://offers.hertz.com/unitedweekend/index.cfm?uniqueid=1637) I also received an additional $15 off. A total "approximate rental charge" of $28.77 was quoted in my reservation confirmation.

When I arrived at the HLE, their "computers were down" so my rental agreement was filled out by hand.

I returned the car on a Sunday, and since there were no Sunday hours at the location, I filled out the paperwork as instructed. I had confirmed ahead of time that I would not be charged an extra day. I had also been told that a copy of my final bill would be mailed to me. This did not happen. And when my credit card statement arrived, I had been charged $57.36, which is approximately twice the original quote.

I called Hertz customer service and was told I had been charged the extra day per company policy. When I told her that I was told I would not be charged for that day, she agreed to take it off the bill. However, the remaining bill was still $43.02, which is still much higher than the quote.

I told her about the $15 discount, and read her the PC# (PC #990861). She said that # is for double miles, not $15 off (of course, my miles never posted so I guess double in this case is still zero). I read her what it says on the website, and obviously I had met all the requirements since the $15 discount was reflected in my reservation confirmation.

She said that in order to get the discount, I would have had to print out the webpage and bring it in when I originally rented the car. This is of course ridiculous. There is no mention of this in the Terms and Conditions of the offer. I've never had to "print out a webpage" to get an advertised discount.

So for $15, I have learned a valuable lesson about Hertz. I guess they got an extra $15 from me this time, but considering that in my new job I rent about 3 times a month, that's a lot of lost future revenue on their part.

Am I off-base here? Did I really do this the wrong way? Basically this was a crummy experience from beginning to end. Did I mention that the HLE I originally booked with was "out of cars" when I showed up, and they had to drive me across town to another location (costing me an additional hour)? Sheesh.

Try calling 405 xxx-xxxx (gold cust. service) I'm sure they can fix it for you.

Thank you to those who encouraged me to contact Hertz again. I received the following e-mail today:

Dear fairviewroad:

Thank you for contacting us concerning your XXXXXXX rental. We appreciate the opportunity to review your concerns.

After reviewing the charges, we have determined a credit is due. An adjustment for $28.59 is being processed to your account. The adjustment represents one day of rental and the $15.00 off for the promotion code 990861. We sincerely apologize for the billing error. The adjustment is being made at this time, but may not appear on your next monthly statement due to billing cut-off dates.

We are forwarding your concerns to the Frequent Travelers Department for review. They will evaluate this information and get back to you as soon as possible. For further inquiries regarding this matter please e-mail frequent_travelers@hertz.com.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention for correction. We appreciate your business and look forward to the opportunity of being able to serve you again.

Sincerely,

------------------

Me again. I'll admit to being a bit rash. I still see no reason to patronize that particular Hertz HLE location (they were incompetent, IMHO), but I will give Hertz the benefit of the doubt for future business at other locations. I also wish it hadn't taken multiple contacts with Hertz to get the issue resolved. But as others have pointed out, this would probably happen at other car rental companies too. Another reason why I prefer using public transit when possible.

I've had return agents ask me for printouts of online coupons before, but have always explained that it was a website discount, and that was good enough for them. I keep a printout of my frequently-used coupons though, just in case.

With that said, the OP's situation is something I have seen before, even when returning during opening hours. Even when the PC number is in the contract, there have been many times where return agents have processed the returns without them, unless I point the discount out just before the contract is closed. So I can see why the HLE didn't include it in the OP's return, especially since it was after-hours. There seems to be a lack of training for return agents to recognize PCs in their handhelds across Hertz locations.

Good to see it worked out in the end, though -- in my experience, I've had very few problems with Hertz, but even when there was a problem at a location, corporate customer service has always stepped up to the plate and made things right. ^

I've had return agents ask me for printouts of online coupons before, but have always explained that it was a website discount, and that was good enough for them. I keep a printout of my frequently-used coupons though, just in case.

With that said, the OP's situation is something I have seen before, even when returning during opening hours. Even when the PC number is in the contract, there have been many times where return agents have processed the returns without them, unless I point the discount out just before the contract is closed. So I can see why the HLE didn't include it in the OP's return, especially since it was after-hours. There seems to be a lack of training for return agents to recognize PCs in their handhelds across Hertz locations.

Good to see it worked out in the end, though -- in my experience, I've had very few problems with Hertz, but even when there was a problem at a location, corporate customer service has always stepped up to the plate and made things right. ^

No, IRRs are told about PC #s and codes, but the computer tells the IRR if it needs to be collected or not--the computer gave an extra beep to collect the cert and highlights the PC # in the window. Thus, asking to collect the cert is either the computer's decision or an IRR who feels like collecting everything.