nikbruno

Since many of you are frequent users of Hertz I was hoping you could post the pros/cons of Hertz service in your view. Also any comments, insights or suggestions would be appreciated.

Reason being is that my work is done closely with them and I would like to get some opinions as to how we can improve.

safetymom

So far most of my rentals have been very smooth. There were a few times that I needed to phone them because of overcharges. Cars have always been ready. It would be nice if their web site was easier to use, even the new version is cumbersome. I guess I have more pros than cons.

nikbruno

Speaking myself from personal experiences I have never had any trouble at all except maybe for my Onepass miles to post. Thanks for your input

Beckles

Hertz is very hit or miss.

Pros:
1) Hertz #1 Club Gold is very fast *usually*
2) I get Neverlost 50% of the time now it seems (including a great Maxima w/ Neverlost I got last time on a Priceline res.)

Cons:
1) Unwanted upgrades (Upgrade from full-size to Grand Marquis in the middle of a blizzard. I literally almost crashed the car just pulling it out of the parking spot.)
2) Very bad customer service at times. Fight to get them to accept coupons quite a times, which is why I prefer Priceline a lot of times (don't save much money over couponed rates, but no battle for the coupons either).

I use Avis and Hertz primarily:

Avis: A- (They really do try harder I find, it's not just a slogan)
Hertz: B-
National: Ask me in a couple weeks after I use Emerald Aisle the next two weekends (my first ever rental with them last month I got an SUV with a license plate that expired one day into a nine day rental)

USAFAN

I like the Hertz #1Club Gold when I rent a car in the US. Always non-smoking cars, clean and almost new.
In Europe it's another story. Prices are mostly higher and no or lousy #1Club Gold service.
Last time in Germany I had National: 50% cheaper than Hertz! And an almost new car.

BTW, I had National in the US with no Emerald Isle: car had 20,000+ miles, was dirty and had big stains (oil?!) on the front seats. Complained by e-mail - got a "canned" answer back from National.

greg99

Concur with Beckles.

I am a 5* and one of the stated perks is upgrades. While I understand that they are on an "as available" basis, out of the 7-8 times I've rented a car with 5*, my car has [/i]never[i] been upgraded when I arrived to the facility.

It's not because of lack of availability, either, because 5 of those times, when I go into the counter, they're able to upgrade me with no problem.

There seems to be no consistency in the competency/attitude among Hertz frontline employees around the country. This would seem to be a problem with the hiring practices on a local basis.

Greg

ohmark

So far, I've been very disappointed.
1. Obtaining the airline/hotel miles due on the rentals is excrutiatingly difficult.
2. On three of my last four Hertz Gold rentals, the rental contract in my car had a rate substantially higher than my reservation rate. I was able, after some hassle, to get this changed at the Gold office, but wasted 30 minutes each time.
3. Once when I went to my Hertz Gold designated space to pickup my car, there were no keys and the car was locked.
4. On four of my last five Hertz Gold rentals, the trunk was shut (supposed to be open)(I know, no big deal.)
5. Unlike the other car rental companies, the Hertz website does not automatically e-mail a copy of the reservation.
6. At the rental airport I use most often, Hertz appears to operate fewer shuttles than the competition. I almost always see numerous National, Avis, Alamo, Budget, etc. before the Hertz shuttle comes.
7. As others have said, Hertz customer service personnel are hit and miss; some are okay, and some could care less.
8. However, because Hertz has a reputation for good service, I'm hoping the above are aberrations. I'll continue to rent from them for now.

seawolf

My experience has been the opposite. Hertz very good to me.

1.) Never had problem with airline miles posting. They do take awhile (about 4 weeks or so).
2.) Never had rate problems. (How do you book yours?)
3.) Never had that happen.
4.) Trunck is usually open. I actually prefer it to be closed since I travel light.
5.) That's true but I like the Hertz website as it. Clean and very stable compared to other suppliers. National's website sometimes crashes my browser with all their JavaScript.
6.) Has been mixed. It depends on the time and location. Some locations have are very good.
7.) Never had to deal with customer service.

nikbruno

Thanks for your information, I will make these points known to Hertz upper management, not that you should expect changes any time soon. But the more responses the better, thanks again.

drtravels

I've used Hertz recently and found by being #1 Gold as part of the AA EXP benefits that it is very quick and easy.

I've found Avis to be a better price in the Latin/South America market though.

ohmark

Thanks, nikbruno.

ElmhurstNick

I find that I use at least three and now four car rental companies according to my needs:

1. I use Hertz in most smaller cities, and in a few larger cities where they treat me very well (such as DFW where they always give me either a Town Car or an Expedition). I don't use Hertz as much as I could at #1 Gold locations at large cities because they often try to stick me with a Grand Marquis, and I like the flexibilty of National's Emerald Aisle. I also use Hertz for some of my one-way rentals.

2. I use National when I can get Emerald Aisle, because I like to take an SUV since I drive one at home. But no EA means no National rental, unless their one-way rate beats Hertz significantly.

3. I use Thrifty at Providence for round-trip rentals because Hertz staff at that location have a bad habit of insisting that they don't have my Gold reservation when they are overbooked. The Thrifty setup at PVD is very friendly and efficient, and I usually end up with a Chrysler 300M. This is the only place that I use Thrifty so far.

4. I'm starting to use Budget occasionally for leisure trips because I like the Ford Ranger pickup when I'm alone. But the rental on which they're out of them and try to give me an Escort... that'll be my last one.

I think the key is understanding what each car rental company is trying to market, and figuring out which one suits your needs for a particular rental. I used to be strictly #1 Gold, but I have found that what I need differs from week to week and I pick the right company accordingly.

nikbruno

Beckles said
"Cons:
1) Unwanted upgrades (Upgrade from full-size to Grand Marquis in the middle of a blizzard. I literally almost crashed the car just pulling it out of the parking spot.)"

Greg99 said
"I am a 5* and one of the stated perks is upgrades. While I understand that they are on an "as available" basis, out of the 7-8 times I've rented a car with 5*, my car has [/i]never[i] been upgraded when I arrived to the facility."

ElmhurstNick said
"1. I use Hertz in most smaller cities, and in a few larger cities where they treat me very well (such as DFW where they always give me either a Town Car or an Expedition). I don't use Hertz as much as I could at #1 Gold locations at large cities because they often try to stick me with a Grand Marquis, and I like the flexibilty of National's Emerald Aisle. I also use Hertz for some of my one-way rentals."

Greg99, could you please tell me the locations where this is a problem.

Otherwise I'm trying to understand the upgrade deal. Would you rather know beforehand the type of car you will get and not "wait and see"?

Would you want the choice of upgrading only to certain vehicles as some complain about the unwanted upgrade?

How would you propose to improve this?

Brattflyer

Been away a week, and this an interesting topic to come back to. Just got back from MCO where I made a # 1 Club Gold reservation. On arrival I found that the MCO Hertz rental center is located a mile a from the airport. All the other majors are located in the airport garage except Thrifty. The return process took forty five minutes from arrival to drop off at Terminal B. Needless to say, I was mildly irritated and told the bus driver that I would not be renting from Hertz at MCO again. Also, the was no 5* upgrade either. Why doesn't Hertz have a special drop-off for #1 Club Gold?

LIH Prem

I think the pros of #1 gold are well known and work really well, when everything works.

However, I have a few gripes.

1. How about cleaning the INSIDE of the front windshield every now and then? I've been in some cars where it's nearly impossible to see out at night when its raining .. why not make this inside window cleaning part of the regular everytime cleaning that the cars get?

2. I'm a smoker .. my profile says "smoker", so why I do I get non-smoking cars, some of which don't have ashtrays?

3. At SFO it's a long walk from the 'drop off' area in the evenings when they are using the really far aisles for drop off, to the shared rental car bus when the tram isn't running or isn't running often enough. I think I've only gotten the tram once in all my rentals. This is really minor and hopefully this will improve itself if SFO ever gets that train running. For the short term, they need to run more of those trams.

4. I've had minor problems where internet certs aren't applied to the rental automatically and/or I got a car with Neverlost which I Neverordered and they tried to charge me for it so I had to go the counter so I would Neverpay for it. Normally, I just get my contract rate/contract car (occaisionally upgraded) and things work well. Sometimes if I have the family with me or I'm on vacation, I do things a little differently and it seems to not go as smoothly.

-David