SJC AA

Here at Atlanta airport, there are only about 15 names on the Gold board, and a long line of people waiting for the gold desk. What's the point of Gold if they don't actually have a car for anyone?!? Same thing last time at SFO. Awful.

HoratioXXXXblower

unfortunately, that's the new hertz, so you might as well get used to it.
they'll keep running it like that as long as people keep jamming in the door

edit: and all gold service is, anyway, is a time saver for them so they can staff less, as well as a loyalty program to get return business for a few beads and trinkets.
you're really kidding yourself if you think gold service holds any kind of significance
although, I will say that they do make somewhat of a greater effort on golds because you guys are disproportionately represented on the mindshare surveys, as you get e-mail solicits

iflyjetz

Seriously? Anyone who's rented cars from different companies knows that Gold service saves a TON of time.

SJC AA

If it works (i.e. if your name shows up on the board). My last two times it hasn't.

Eventually they rattled off a space number. I got to the space to find out it's an entirely unsuitable type of car, not what I reserved. Would it have killed them to ask me if I wanted that type of car, or at least tell me what it was? Sigh.

HoratioXXXXblower

what car did you book and what did they give you?

was that monday -- what time?
was that post from the line?

Dave Noble

What category did you book and what category did you receive?

JLewisinSyr

If it works, it's on par with Avis First and slower than National where you just pick whatever car you want in the class you want.

It is sad that Hertz is being run into the ground by the current private management company. Beyond a bit of flash with their Prestige and Dream, the brand is falling further and further behind the competition when it comes to quality and service. Flash helps for a while, it brings buzz, but if you cannot sustain a service level that is at least on par with your competition when you charge an equivalent and often a premium rate, you will eventually fall flat on your face.

I see Hertz lasting another 2-4 years under the current management structure before being sold out to someone else at a bargain discount rate.

HoratioXXXXblower

hmmm....I had never heard this before

http://www.businessinsider.com/carl-...z-stock-2014-1
from january

DENflyer3

I fully agree with the OP. I wrote virtually the same thing about Atlanta Station about 2 weeks ago. That is by far the worst run station out there. Consistently out of vehicles. if you arrive mid morning.

This station just got me to take a match to Avis and so far I am very happy with the nicer vehicles.

JLewisinSyr

I don't read much into the stock price of Hertz because stock prices are so dependent on quarterly earnings and the next quarter. Customer service issues take longer to see than quarter to quarter on earnings as earnings pop on cost savings occur before the long term effects of lost customers appear.

Here is a great article that starts the discussion on revenue weakness that is starting to gain footing; though their Hertz brand still saw a small increase.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...g-results.html

iflyjetz

I haven't rented from National in quite a few years. I've been mostly renting from Hertz and Avis, but this year rental rates have risen so much that I've started to rent from the bottom feeders such as Fox since all rentals are on my own dime.
The times that I've rented from Hertz or Avis, it's been great to walk right to your car.

As a result of higher cost airport rentals, I've also found myself shifting my rentals to airport hotels to get lower rates. But even those have gone up significantly this year.


The rental car companies had a lot of consolidation in the last few years, allowing them to get by on leaner inventory and charging higher prices. I think we're now at a point where new low cost rental car companies will be popping up along with companies like flightcar.com.

I needed a one day rental at LAX a week ago; lowest rate at the airport was ~$110 plus fees/taxes/etc. I ended up renting from the LAX Marriott Hertz for just under $60 all in. For a Yaris. Still too high, but not enough competition yet to drive down rental prices.

SJC AA

Same exact thing at SFO last night. Dozens of angry Gold members and even angrier regular customers. All the staff could do at the front of the line was press F2 on their keyboards repeatedly, I guess waiting for a car to show up. Took me about a half hour to get a car.

HoratioXXXXblower

f2 is actually the silent alarm

SJC AA

ha.

Crazyhotelguy

I had this scenario at DCA earlier in the year... Ended up in a minivan that had been sitting there the whole time...