Originally Posted by Wilbur
My question is whether the Hertz CSRs at the rental site locations can see what cars are available on their own lots.
The reason for my question is because I have had the following experience repeatedly at the SFO and SEA locations over the past three months.
1. I arrive, and the available car is
- dirty (SEA)
- not what I reserved (SFO, SEA)
- missing from the slot indicated on the board (SEA)
- other
2. I tromp back to the desk past rows of apparently-available cars (no shortage of cars as far as I can see, no names above them, no contacts on their dashboards)
3. I ask for another car
4. I overhear the customers on either side having a similar conversation
5. My CSR and the other CSRs begin to peck at their terminals and/or make telephone calls to mysterious other Hertz employees in a search for cars
6. After fairly long (ten to thirty minute) manual searches, I am issued a new contract and car
So why is it that the CSR cannot just pull up a listing or inventory of all the available cars, select one, and hand it out? The manual search thing is painful to watch, and I have heard my fellow renters make queries as to what the CSRs are doing and wondered it myself. Can anyone shed some light on this?
Most major Hertz corporate locations have a car control department, these guys are responsible for everything to do with fleet: car allocation, upgrades, what vehicles are available for CSR to upsell. They also control the flow of clean cars to ready bays and control refuel / valeting of returned cars. It is possible that some times cars are missed especially when they can deal with upto 2000 vehicle movements per day as they do at London Heathrow.