cestmoi123

I'm pretty skeptical too. Just passing on the data point.

amaterasu

As a Five Star member booking an L class SUV I could obviously choose any car in the Gold/Five Star area.
Since there probably won't be anything comparable to an L class SUV where do I go next? Is an L SUV midsize or fullsize in Hertz opinion? Do i go to the midsize or fullsize row?

In case there are no L SUVs in the midsize or fullsize row, where do I go? Do i really have to wander through the lot from the Gold/Five star area to the midsize/fullsize row and end up at the counter just because i'd like to get the car class i reserved?

That seems like quite the hassle for someone who wants the car class he reserved, especially if you rent a higher class SUV and don't want to downgrade yourself.

Yllanes

There is a "Reserved" section where your assigned car should be, you will get the space number in your Carfirmation email.

AutoSlash

Yes as Yllanes said, I had booked a premium car and I was in an assigned spot since the Hertz rep said that there was no guarantee that there would be PCAR's in the UC section, but I was free to choose anything from the UC 5* area if I preferred.

This was in mid-Nov at FLL and the stuff in the UC section wasn't anything as nice as the Impala they assigned me (which should tell you something). When I returned the vehicle a few days later I asked the rep in the UC area about the lack of anything nice in the UC 5* section and they basically told me that the vehicles in 5* tended to be newer models with lower mileage, even if it wasn't apparent by browsing the selection there. That's what I was told FWIW.

cestmoi123

Heard back from Hertz senior management - as we suspected, Twitter team was wrong.

Here's how it works:

Compact or subcompact (regardless of status): choose from the Compact area.

Midsize to fullsize:
*PCs can choose anything from the PC, 5*, Compact, or Midsize areas. Or pay for an upgrade from the Premium Upgrade or Ultimate Series areas.
*5 Stars can choose anything from the 5*, Compact, or Midsize areas. Or pay for an upgrade from the Premium Upgrade or Ultimate Series areas.

Above fullsize, or specialty (SUV, Minivan, etc.): car will be assigned and in a marked space. (Didn't ask whether you can choose something else from the PC area, but I presume you could, i.e. book an SUV, get assigned one, choose an Impala from the PC area instead).

So, basically, almost exactly like National's Emerald Aisle/Executive Selection.

cestmoi123

I believe they put that in for ADA reasons - if the ability to hear and see are listed upfront as essential to the job, they protect themselves (to a degree) from (for example) a deaf person claiming discrimination.

AutoSlash

Thanks for getting clarification on this. I did confirm with the Hertz rep in the UC area in FLL that if you book a premium or specialty vehicle and are assigned a specific space that you still have the option of choosing from the UC area that corresponds to your status level (or below).

Cymro

The PC terms on hertz.co.uk still say this:

So apparently B would, but A wouldn't (which I didn't know). And of course B doesn't get you Gold Choice, but in theory, if I wanted to drive a Corolla I should book a B.

cestmoi123

You're absolutely right. For some reason, I had conflated Gold Choice and the upgrade requirement. Thanks for the correction.

CalItalian

The one thing I like about Ultimate Choice, they don't authorize your credit card ahead of time, as is done when assigning a car now (Carfirmation). Great if you forget to cancel a reservation...

Cymro

Does this mean that, if you book an F, they still put you in a Corolla?

AutoSlash

If there are only midsizes on the PC aisle, if you've booked a fullsize, you can still go to the fullsize row and choose from there.

bergamini

Silvercar was $150 more for the week. Plus I had $200 in certificates from an incident at an HLE in Chicago where the Hertz garage attendant (an ex-con) told me to "get the hell out of the car" and went on a tirade against me because he thought I was ignoring him. I did record it (as did other customers) and I believe he was fired, but that sort of sums up my year with Hertz. Actually years. I'm tired of complaining because I have no doubts that they flag my account but this "Ultimate Choice" is probably it for me.

My last few years with Hertz? No upgrades, cars have more mileage, getting threatened to be charged with felony auto theft on Christmas Eve 2015 because PHX station didn't properly return vehicle in system and I had gone to Tobago and kept my phone off, being forced to pay an upgrade fee to get an SUV when I had reserved a full-size and all they had were intermediate at the MSN station, having a garage attendant go off on me because he apparently thought he was still in prison and I wasn't respecting him properly, to the point others were scared and started recording (all because I didn't hear him behind metell me where to park and I parked 15 feet away) and I actually could go on.

I'm not a difficult customer/person at all. I've lodged zero complaints against Delta and Marriott in that same time frame and spent much more time on flights and hotels than cars. Hertz just can't do it right and calling old cars that are broken down and not properly showing the price of upgrades and calling this an "Ultimate Choice" is a joke. With my down time on vacation, I applied for Emerald Club. Let's see how that goes in 2017.

I should have taken one of the E 63 sedans for (what I found out later) was the $25/day upgrade fee. I'm taking delivery of a fairly base model 2017 GLC 300 4Matic when I return and it would be nice to see what a really fancy Mercedes is like. OTOH, this Elantra will make me appreciate my new vehicle even more

canyoncar

Emerald Aisle is nice, in my experience National's cars are better than Hertz, especially when your comparison is a 25k mile Elantra. When you reach executive status, the cars are even better. The exception are franchised locations (like CMH, which is owned by a Chevrolet dealership.)

powerup25

one you try National, you never look back. its the rare times when the grass is ACTUAL greener...