Hertz has been a company that has stressed moving people through airports quickly since the ads were shown of OJ Simpson sprinting through the airports to their currently available #1 Club Gold service. After what I realized for certain today I am both surprised and disappointed with Hertz and their #1 Awards program.

I realized today that three of my last five Jan & Feb Hertz rentals did not show up on my #1 Award account because I did not specify #1 Award service. So I called Hertz to add that to my profile and the agent said it is not there because you can’t add it.

I replied that you can add a FF number, but not the #1 Award specification? “That’s correct”, said the agent.

So now I have to fill out three time-consuming “retroactive credit” forms. Plus, every time I rent from Hertz in the future I must tell Hertz to add the ZE-1 designation (for #1 Awards or whatever the code is – on several occasions the Hertz agent did not even know what I was talking about).

Since with #1 Gold the idea is not to talk to their on site service personnel, I’m not about to waste time to get out of the car to arrange this #1 Awards credit if it is not on my rental agreement.

I read in USA Today back when rental car companies were reducing the amount of FF miles per rental that the Hertz CEO stated something to the effect that airline FF membership doesn’t effect car rental choices. Perhaps it’s this type of insensitive attitude that is preventing Hertz from allowing their own program to be entered into their own customer profiles? Hey it’s not important to everyone – but it is important to some.

In any case, I think Hertz not allowing their own program to be stored in my profile is ridiculous. It’s just another disappointment for me (on my last rental at LGA, three of each competitor’s shuttles drove by before one Hertz shuttle did – Yes, I did count them – what else could I do as I waited?)

Since I’ve haven’t rented from any company other than Hertz or Thrifty the last three years, what are people’s opinion on AVIS or National’s “get in the car and drive off service?” I want to give one of them a try.

Thanks in advance.