I am a rental car manager. Ive been and seen more lines than you. You cant argue that.

if you are concerned with "fast break" then you would chalk up the 9 bucks as time saved, and you wouldnt stop at a gas station to fill up, therefore saving you more time and hassle.

if the 9 dollars is so important to you, then time isnt nearly as much of an issue to you as you claim. its an age old question. time vs. money. many people rent with avis/hertz because it saves them time. many people rent with budget, alamo, dollar because it saves them money. Others must rent with specific companies because their own organization has preordained that company as "the best for our needs." Its a fine balance that you, the customer, needs to decide.

I regularly talk to customers who love the program. they hit anywhere from 5-6 airports a week, less than 75 miles each airport, and chalk up the 9 dollars to "saved time" in making connections and less hassles. They carry one less reciept, less paperwork to expense, dont spend the 10 odd minutes it takes to get gas, and make it to their lounges faster than in the past, often getting on standby on the commuter flight just before their scheduled one, giving them more time at home or at rest before their next assignment.

that bieng said, I hear from people like you, and others, who hate the program for the very issues you bring up. Before i worked for rental car, I was a steadfast hertz renter. Gold and all. Every time I rented from other companies i was dissapointed. I even was overcharged Gas Service option, body damage, and CDW through a con at SFO from dollar. Eventually I realized I put a higher value on consistent customer service, value added features, and fewer hassles at the expense of cost. Dollar sometimes was 30-40% cheaper than Hertz. But it wasnt worth it to me for all the hassles I went through.

I also have inside information on best ways to speed things up if you are stuck with the reciept quandry and in a hurry. For one, show your reciept from the rover and gas reciept within 24 hours to any budget location and they can remove the charge. In airports,there are often multiple rental counters. and theres always the 800 number. Granted the 800 number causes issues for locations (customer service points deducted) but if the line is long, dont stand in it. Tell the 800 number you couldnt stand in the line because it was too long and you would miss your flight.


you guys are saavy travelers. Its hard to believe that you cannot take a situation like this and turn it into an advantage or at the very least mitigate the issue.