mmcdowell

Clem, I love this.

Krist007, I can't say I can do much for you, but I do know some people over in Hawaii and I'll pass your comment over to them for review.

Mike McDowell
Innovation Architect
Hertz

WRCSolberg

Meh. This is what happens when expectations aren't grounded in reality, IMO.

I rented a Jeep similar to what the OP had when I was in LIH. It had a few miles on it, it had some dirt on it, but I also realized it's a Jeep, I could still drop the top and I was in Hawaii. In the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't that bad.

Anthemflyer

I'm going to defend the OP, as I rent monthly from Hertz on Maui. As a Pres Circle, I've NEVER received an upgrade, my name frequently does not show up on the Gold board and depending on the day and whose working, the service can be great or rude to surly. And I've had some cars that look like rent-a-wrecks. Low mileage is not a good measurement, as you can't drive that far on most of the islands anyway.

Now, this doesn't stop me from renting from Hertz (yet) as its my companies prefered vendor, but I've been dipping my toes in at other companies and 2 weeks ago, when I tried to get a one day rental in Kona and Hertz came back with $125 rate, I skipped over to Dollar and got a car for $46 all in.

Ancien Maestro

Sorry to hear about your experience with Hertz as a loyal cusomer..

I just signed up for Hertz #1 gold membership with my Aeroplat Amex membership.. Sounds like OGG isn't going to be the standard Hertz #1 gold treatment..

westcoastman

Thanks for the heads up about the poor service from Hertz in OGG. We were able to switch our reservation in time and it even saved us some money. ^

Ancien Maestro

ime.. Hertz is the most expensive rental car company..

You use Hertz for the better product, service and maybe earn some miles.. pretty easy to switch to a cheaper alternative..

Glad you got a better deal..^

fajimenez

As a Hertz #1 Club Gold PC, we rented 10 days last summer and had zero issues. Maybe things have changed...

I asked for and received exactly the vehicle I asked for -- and paid an excellent price. (I did reserve 7 months out).

stravels

As a Gold Five Star I've rented numerous times at Hertz OGG during the past 9 months and have received an upgrade of at least one class each time. My name has always been on the Gold board. I've been dropped off at my vehicle a few times when I had luggage, and the van driver has even helped me load the vehicle when it was slow.

We have a local rate that will usually beat the other rates, but I've found airline and AAA discounts that offered better deals on occasion. Just completed a 3-day rental for $78 (AAA special of free day with 3-day rental) over the labor day weekend; compact car that was upgraded to midsize. The regular rates are usually higher than Thrifty, Alamo, etc., but are comparable to Avis. I've rented from Thrifty, Alamo, etc. and have had to stand in line, once for 30 min. for a Thrifty car at LIH where there was only one agent on duty who claimed I didn't have a profile set up and therefore the car was not ready; verified later that I did indeed have a profile, and the agent should have preassigned the vehicle.

I've gotten new/low-mileage vehicles recently, and although I normally wipe the steering wheel and areas that I'll touch, unlike with rentals from other companies, the wipe is not dirty when I'm done.

Ancien Maestro

How did you book to get an excellent price?

I got the gold membership complimentary with my Aeroplat..

I'm open to trying out Hertz if there is an excellent price..

magsmeplease

Travel dates December 25-Jan 1

$800+ for an economy car seems a bit ridiculous, I'd have expected half that price to be on the high end for a car rental at that time of year in most places.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm trying Priceline right now without much success...

Do prices tend to come down as you get closer to the date, or will they go up?

How do-able is Maui without a car?

Thanks for any assistance provided.

slick828

That is tough, I can't comment with regards to the pricing. Maui would be very difficult and IMO not worth it if you didn't have a car. I would wait and see if the pricing came down, that price sounds ridiculous. You could try and see if you can contact a mover like Uhaul or something and see if you can rent a vehicle. When we had to move (on Oahu) we rented a big truck (you can opt for a van) for about $20 a day + ~$0.50 a mile. Don't know if this is doable...it sounds pretty dumb, but then again it would probably be better than paying $100+ per day for a car rental.

Executrip

I would definitely not delay. Book something (courtesy hold) ASAP.
Then check back every week or so to see if they have dropped.At least you will have something.
The rates will NOT likely to go down before the date. We have travelled to the Islands during this time period for the last many years and the car rates continue to climb($1,000/week) ...until they are sold out.
It is an Island..and there is a limited supply. The last few years saw the car companies decreasing the size of their fleets due to the downturn in the economy.
Without a vehicle (Dismal)...you will likely pay at least that in Taxi fees without any of the convenience.Many folks will reserve their vehicles for this time period 8 months to a year out.
Here is a link to some discount codes that you many to able to take a advantage of.
http://www.best-car-rental-tips.com/discount-codes.html

Also check out the threads here on FT under Miles & Points....Car Rental programs. Each of the companies have a thread going for "Recent discount tips and discount codes)...usually toward the top of the page. Lots to sift through...but you may just qualify for some of the "super discounts"

Maui is a Mega popular spot during the Holidays. The Island will be packed.

ILuvParis

http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

You'll have an answer within a few hours and you are not obligated. My experience is that you'll end up with Alamo or Thrifty and save quite a bit off what the majors will quote on their own sites. I usually reserve a car through them and then begin the process of bidding on Priceline to see if I can beat their rate. At least you'll have the cheapest rate on hold if you can't.

JohnnyColombia

This was discussed on another thread recently. I find that booking the car on a UK website works out cheaper for US rentals

Running those same dates through www.holidayautos.co.uk comes out at £155 a/i for a Chevrolet Aveo 2 door, or if you want 4 doors it costs £1 each per additional door (£157)

£155 is about US$250

Happy drivin'

magsmeplease

Thanks for this!

Tried the site you gave me and they came back to me with $265.00 before tax and $361 all in. (Waaaay better!)

A big time saving, I also put in a request with autoslash (which has lowered the price to $560) and will wait to see if it drops lower than the $361.

Edit to say the UK site worked for me now, how do you tell the price quoted is all in? If it is including taxes, this would be the cheapest option of the 3, coming in at about $240.
You are all geniuses!