Hertz - Clueless return staff at SAN

I returned my rental on 4/30.

The attendant asked me how many miles I'd put on the car. I said, "I don't know; around 300." He then asked for the rental agreement, which I had to really dig for as it was packed deep in my suitcase.

I explained that he should have the mileage in the system (as it does always print on my receipt), and I further pointed out that it made no difference in the charge since mileage was unlimited on the rental, and he said, "Yeah, I guess."

He typed away for a while and then said, "Do you have some kind of coupon?" I did, and it was for $35 off a weekend rental; he took it and then typed away some more. He asked if $65 sounded right for the rental, which I thought seemed a tad high, but relatively in-line with the estimate Hertz had given when I reserved the car.

Upon further study of the receipt, I can see the coupon was never applied, BUT he charged for 2 days + 1 hour rather than the 3 days the Hertz site had suggested in its estimate, which is why it seemed in-line with what I expected the cost to be.

Is a letter to Hertz customer service warranted to clear this up? I think I should still get the coupon discount of $35, and CS seems to be the place to start (before disputing with the CC company).

If the coupon was for a 3 day minimum, you did not meet that minimum by returning early.

Szymon

If the coupon was for a 3 day minimum, you did not meet that minimum by returning early.

Szymon

I think the most recent $35 weekend coupon only requires a 2 day min. I would e-mail Hertz & tell them the $35 coupon wasn't applied.

I think the most recent $35 weekend coupon only requires a 2 day min. I would e-mail Hertz & tell them the $35 coupon wasn't applied.

Yes, I believe it did require a 2-day minimum. I e-mailed them yesterday; we'll see what they have to say.

I need to dig out another recent receipt with an improperly applied coupon and contact them over that one, too (it was applied for about $7 less than it should have been, as the agent didn't bother to look up the value and just put in a guestimate). It never ceases to amaze me that such a simple thing can be so difficult to apply.

Mileage is very important so that the vehicles get properly maintained, among other things.

They return agents often do not know what the PC code is for since it does not display it in their handheld device.

I always have to give them the contract on returning, so I make sure it's handy for arrival at the facility.

I've never had a problem getting coupons applied retroactively or other things fixed when the check-in person didn't apply them correctly. I just called, emailed, or caught a supervisor at the terminal if I caught it fast enough and they fixed it right away.

I explained that he should have the mileage in the system (as it does always print on my receipt), and I further pointed out that it made no difference in the charge since mileage was unlimited on the rental, and he said, "Yeah, I guess."

Upon further study of the receipt, I can see the coupon was never applied, BUT he charged for 2 days + 1 hour rather than the 3 days the Hertz site had suggested in its estimate, which is why it seemed in-line with what I expected the cost to be.

Is a letter to Hertz customer service warranted to clear this up? I think I should still get the coupon discount of $35, and CS seems to be the place to start (before disputing with the CC company).

First point, the mileage doesn't matter one bit to you, because you're correct that yours had no cap. However, it is VERY common for the number on the tag to be illegible and at the counter, they put a guess of what they think the number is. Thus, sometimes people are tagged as having driven the car an impossible amount of miles....and his bit of typing probably is good evidence that he was correcting some of the output mileage.

Second, HE didn't charge you for anything. I'll state that again....HE didn't charge you for anything. He did, however, type your information to the computer, and it looks like the COMPUTER's logic wouldn't accept your coupon, so he did delete it. If you aren't eligible for a discount, it isn't the IRR's fault. Moreso, in your logic, it looks like HERTZ charged you more than you thought you should have been, so it wasn't some $7.50 and hour IRR that was trying to make a buck off you, either. I can vouch that they could care less what people's bills are or how much business you give the company.

Lastly, I'd say that a letter seems slightly extreme for a complaint that you probably weren't eligible to have a discount. Plus, if you're doing it so they can bill you for the full extra day and then get a small amount off and have a nominal refund, I'd say you have too much time on your hands. Is it really worth the $5 you might save to write in and then deal with them again if they don't give it to you right away?
Disputing with your CC company is just plain stupid to begin with. Yes, I've done it a single time, when a company started billing me and told me I didn't even have an account with them, but in general, a dispute is a pretty extreme way to deal with some minor displeasure. And, if you really hate a company that you've given up being civil and had to resort to a CC dispute, would you ever want to use them again?

The SAN guys always try to sting me for gas. Granted that I don't travel far (from airport to Coronado and back), they assume that I don't fill the gas. So I have learnt to say "I filled the gas" even before I say hello :cool:

Second, HE didn't charge you for anything. I'll state that again....HE didn't charge you for anything. He did, however, type your information to the computer, and it looks like the COMPUTER's logic wouldn't accept your coupon, so he did delete it. If you aren't eligible for a discount, it isn't the IRR's fault.

Apparently the coupon was indeed valid and should have been applied; I got an e-mail back from Hertz indicating that the return agent "made a mistake," and that the coupon should have been applied, and that they were crediting my account $32. ^

I contend that it was indeed the IRR's fault, as he should have applied the coupon. Usually, when I have $$-off coupons (or free rental day ones), the agent enters the amount and deducts it before charging my card. This guy indicated that he had the coupon, saw how much it was for, but then didn't apply it properly. I've had others apply the coupon for the wrong amount, so it's clear that the agent has some control over how it's applied. This guy goofed up.


Moreso, in your logic, it looks like HERTZ charged you more than you thought you should have been, so it wasn't some $7.50 and hour IRR that was trying to make a buck off you, either.

I never said the agent "wanted to make a buck off of me." :confused: I simply said that he was clueless and didn't properly handle things.

Lastly, I'd say that a letter seems slightly extreme for a complaint that you probably weren't eligible to have a discount. Plus, if you're doing it so they can bill you for the full extra day and then get a small amount off and have a nominal refund, I'd say you have too much time on your hands.

:confused:

Seems I was quite eligible, as Hertz agreed with me and gave me the credit. The letter took me all of 5 minutes to compose and send, and got me $32 back. I don't see that as a waste of my time at all.

Even if they had decided to charge me for the full day rather than the hour--I brought it back in about 25 minutes early, which is what made the 2 days + 1 hour possible to begin with, and the coupon only required 2 days, not 3, so it really made no difference--it would have been worth it, IMHO.

The SAN guys always try to sting me for gas. Granted that I don't travel far (from airport to Coronado and back), they assume that I don't fill the gas. So I have learnt to say "I filled the gas" even before I say hello :cool:

HAHA, the only thing they think when you say that is how obnoxious you are (and they'll wonder what you're trying to cover up). It is actually about as rude as purchasing something at a store by first handing them the money and then giving them the items.

Interesting...SAN is one of my favorite stations...probably even my favorite.

Interesting...SAN is one of my favorite stations...probably even my favorite.

It's the first time I've had a problem there in several rentals, anyway.

i just rented in SAN and experienced very slow service. not typical for hertz which is generally pretty good. maybe just a bad outlet??

Only problem I've had at SAN is the typically bone-headed way they stack the cars and arrange the cones for returns...

If they're going to use the cones to channel the cars into a particular row, they need to be more "on top of it" as the row fills... there have been several times when I've had trouble even entering the lot because the line is full and they haven't adjusted the "path".