Kudos to Budget --
 

Dear Budget --

I have been a loyal Hertz customer for years, have strictly rented Hertz, and have always had generally good experiences. I needed a car from them for 9 days later this month, the final price was about the same as a 3 week rental from Hertz, from the same location just 3 months ago. I called Hertz booking, and the lady on the phone told me quite plainly they they inflate their rates dramatically during the Spring Break season. I asked the lady if there was a promo she could offer me to make the prices comparable, and was told "no that is impossible."

I ended up going with Budget, for the first time in my life, as I got a better car from 1/3rd the price as Hertz. Thanks. ^

Now if the fees and taxes at DFW weren't 80% of the cost of the rental that would be great.

Glad you had a good experience with a rental company, but a couple of notes:

1) I doubt anyone from Budget corporate is reading these boards (except to find employees posting here so they can be fired :rolleyes:). In my experience, the only company that (on a corporate level) cares about reaching out to their customers on social forums like this and maintaining their online image is Enterprise (which owns Enterprise, Alamo, and National), though even then, they haven't been active here lately. If you have a compliment, I'd suggest you address it directly to them at their website. I wish it were different, but that is the rental car world for you.

2) Demand is high and supply is low at peak times like spring break. Expecting a company--even one you've been loyal to for years (though note to be truly "loyal" in Hertz's eyes, you'll need to rent at least 10 times per year with your #1 Club Gold membership; i.e., be a Five Star member)--to give you a discount off of their limited and soon-to-be-sold-out inventory is not a rational expectation.

Besides, if you're a price-conscious customer, Hertz may not be the best brand for you--they're not accustomed to playing to a price-sensitive market. They position themselves as a premium service provider and usually price themselves accordingly. Complaining about high prices to someone who doesn't habitually price competitively is not exactly fruitful.

The value brands may be more in your target range, although as you found out, renting with a value brand (Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo) doesn't necessarily mean you're trading away a pleasant experience, although admittedly, the experience can be less consistent. The biggest trade-off would be that if you're a frequent renter (at least 10-12 times per year), you'll lose some status benefits (chiefly potential upgrades and counter bypass) by choosing a value provider. If you're not a frequent renter, then there might not be much of a difference for you.

Just a follow up to this . . .

Budget has a much better service department than Hertz DFW. I was in and out in 10 minutes, with a brand new Malibu LTZ. . . .77 miles on it. No complaints. Just booked another 9 day gig with Budget DFW, if only the airport fees and taxes weren't 65-70% of the cost of the rental. :(

You can get rid of those airport taxes, with all the companies, by doing a one-way from a neighborhood store to the airport. The rate may be significantly lower, as well.

I go with the lowest price and Budget and Thrifty are consistently the cheapest of the big rental companies. Sometimes I use Dollar (Thrifty's sister company). I really can't tell much difference in service. It really depends on the individual locations. Signing up for Fast Break and Blue Chip memberships saves some time, but even then you have to do a little bit of waiting at the counter. My expectations are quite low, so I'm not usually disappointed.

See, I'd love to try the other companies, but I'm limited to Budget/Avis/Hertz. As someone younger than 25, I don't want to get financially sodomized and pay $25 a day for no other reason than my age. As a USAA member, I do not have to pay the extra fee as with the above.

I will try to return to a different location next time. The fees are just batshit crazy at DFW.