President's circle - Bad experience at Denver Airport Hertz
 

I am In President's circle and asked the Denver city location I booked from if they had any size 4X4 in president circle lot. They didn't have any so I called reservations and they told me that the Denver international airport location will definitely have one in their President's circle lot. So I went all the way to the airport (40 min) on their assurance to find they have none either. I requested if any of the ones being returned can be put in President's circle lot but was refused. Then I said I would like to cancel the reservation for which I was told that I need to go back to the city location I rented from our else the points I used to rent won't be applied back, which meant more time waste. I lost 3 hours of my vacation to the mountains due to misinformation and bad customer service by hertz. Even worse considering how much I have rented with hertz in last 3-4 years

Yeah you need to prebook an SUV to get it at cold locations.

It's a shame you were given poor advice but ultimately, particularly in a cold location like that. you can't rely on there being anything other than a full size in the lots.

I rented in Miami over Christmas - probably the opposite of DEN - and even then, SUVs were in short supply, although I did manage to get a 2020 Subaru Outback from 5*. It wasn't my first choice but literally the only SUVs were a Kia Sportage and a Buick Encore. Otherwise there was even a 2019 or older Nissan Versa in PC (along with some cars that weren't devoid of any redeeming qualities, but we're only talking Malibus here), together with a boat load of pickup trucks in every section down to compact, and a few convertible and coupe sports cars, plus a decent number of Chrysler minivans.

Getting a car from PC is a gamble - if you can't live with a Malibu, rent the class you need or want. (And if you're not PC, repeat but assume you're getting a Sentra). Sometimes being PC works well but generally that's only at times of normal demand - not beach or mountain cities in the holidays. During those periods, they have to prioritize the people with specific categories assigned. Even in Miami, if I'd wanted a full-size SUV I could have booked one up until a few days beforehand, and there were plenty in the assigned spots.

As a President's Circle member you should known that what you find on the aisle is a crapshoot -- and that if you NEED a 4WD/AWD vehicle you better reserve it. Sorry that learning this lesson impacted your vacation, and that the 800 number of Hertz gave you bad information is unfortunate, but a reservation for a car at a city location expecting a SUV -- on a holiday period none the less -- is making a major gamble.

Did you book mid-size? And expect a 4WD?

Only ultimate choice locations have PC lot. You cannot choose by yourself in "Denver city location".

How would the reservation guy be so confirmed about what vehicles the location would have in PC lot? I guess even the people in DEN location cannot expect what the lot looks like after 40 minutes during the holiday hours.

Mod hat on/
Please let's keep this polite and not attack the OP
Mod hat off/

Yeah, for renting in DEN especially if I'm going skiing, I will book an SUV as there's no guarantee for an SUV. Personally, I've found SIXT to have a better rate than Hertz for SUVs and plenty of options (but I'll book an SUV with SIXT). One option is to book a mid-size Hertz, check the PC lot and in the meantime have a reservation in SIXT for an SUV that is cancelable.

Arriving about 10:30 p.m., this week, there were 3-4 SUVs in the Presidents Circle (plus a couple of giant 4WD pickup trucks) area and a smattering of others in the other areas.

I also went ahead and merged the PC DEN experience with the consolidated DEN thread.

Thanks
Jason8612 Hertz Mod

Solid selection at DEN in the morning. Between PC and Five Star there were:

• A half dozen Subaru Outbacks (nicely equipped)
• 1-2 each of Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Compass in Limited or Trailhawk trim
• 2x BMW 530i (RWD turbo-four models, one with sport package)
• RAM 1500 Rebel V8 Hemi
• RAM 2500
• A half dozen Chevy Silverados
• Infiniti QX80
• Camaro SS
• multiple Pacifica Limited
• And plenty of more ordinary sedans and AWD SUVs like the old model Explorer, Kia Sorento, Toyota Highlander, Fusion, etc.

Different story at DEN in the early evening - almost entirely sedans.

I arrived just after midnight on the 18th and there wasn't a single AWD car/suv in any of the selectable aisles (booked full size). The selection was entirely midsize sedans like Altimas, Sentras, Malibus, etc.

I ended up at National where I pulled a 740i xDrive out of the midsize aisle.

Arrived at 10:30 AM this morning and PC had very slim pickings between Altima's, Vans, and couple of trucks. No AWD SUV's, usually there is always a Subaru AWD SUV but none were to be found.

I needed a SUV and glad I booked one, otherwise I would have been a bit disappointed.

Why are there so many bad reviews about Hertz at Denver international airport at Yelp? Only 2 stars out of 550 reviews!

I just made a reservation as a presidence circle member for this summer and i dont expect any trouble and if so ( or i cant find a decent car) , i just walk to National :D They are neighbours!

Reviews for rental locations are always bad. People don't leave a 5 star review if they're happy with an Altima on a Tuesday.

Arrived at 830 pm today with snow already on the ground. PC and 5* were all half empty. PC had a few BMW 5 series, a couple of Cadillac XT6, a Van, a Silverado truck, AWD Chrysler 300, and a few Altimas.

I wanted a SUV due to snow and asked if any more cars were coming. The lady told me to wait a few mins and about 5 SUVs (Yukon, Tahoe) were brought in. I just took the first one, a Yukon with 6K miles.