late pickup at local office?
Jan 10, 2010, 6:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Atlanta
Programs: POS, Delta Skymiles, IC Plat Amb., Hilton Gold, SPG gold
Posts: 1,619
late pickup at local office?
hi - normally i rent with national but this time i will be visiting a city for a week and it's just amazingly cheaper to rent locally than at the airport. nearly 300 dollars less - even with a dropoff at the airport.
my fear is that i will miss the 6pm closing time - has anyone been able to get a late pickup? I plan to call the local office tomorrow but would love to have any feedback pre-call.
thank you in advance.
my fear is that i will miss the 6pm closing time - has anyone been able to get a late pickup? I plan to call the local office tomorrow but would love to have any feedback pre-call.
thank you in advance.
Jan 10, 2010, 8:25 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Michigan
Posts: 528
They seem to keep to posted hours.
I had to change my travel plans last Fri. due to weather. United could have gotten me out on Sat. but I would not have landed until 11:20 AM. and the Hertz local edition closed at noon on Sat and was not open on Sun. I called HLE on Fri and asked what to do. They were very hesitant to leave the contract and keys in the car if I couldn't make it in time. I chose instead to travel tomorrow, Mon. to be sure to get a car. Like you say, the difference in cost was huge. For me it was over $600 on a 2 month rental over the cost of airport rental on Sat. Hard choise, but I was starting a vacation and only needed so much stress in my life.
Jan 11, 2010, 4:15 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,090
Not much you can do, unfortunately. They will not leave the keys hidden somewhere because if the car gets stolen it is their problem. They may be willing to stay just a few minutes late but who knows. I know this may seem mean but the same people are usually there from 7:30 to 6:00 and there is always someone everyday that needs an extra 15-30 minutes either because of traffic, a late flight, etc... eventually, you have to say no.
Jan 11, 2010, 4:10 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
I had to change my travel plans last Fri. due to weather. United could have gotten me out on Sat. but I would not have landed until 11:20 AM. and the Hertz local edition closed at noon on Sat and was not open on Sun. I called HLE on Fri and asked what to do. They were very hesitant to leave the contract and keys in the car if I couldn't make it in time. I chose instead to travel tomorrow, Mon. to be sure to get a car. Like you say, the difference in cost was huge. For me it was over $600 on a 2 month rental over the cost of airport rental on Sat. Hard choise, but I was starting a vacation and only needed so much stress in my life.
You could get by with taxi, public transit, or a one way rental. I understand the savings. I am saving $12 on a 2 day rental just by picking up at the LAX Airport Marriott instead of the Hertz lot further away from the airport than the Marriott. The base rates were the same, about $20 per day. The hotel location is closed when I drop off, but for no additional cost, I can drop off at the airport lot 24x7