Hertz v Budget
 

Stupid client booked me and colleague, equivelent of general counsel, with Budget rental cars because of a corporate contract. We're Hertz President's Circle.

Is there any reason why a company would use Budget? To me, especially for a general counsel, it strikes me as cheap if only because of the name and not rather dignified.

Does Budget have a better program? Or better cars? The rates are higher than Hertz.

A few years ago, people here were indeed asking such a question. On the surface, it seemed ludicrous to compare a perceived top tier with a discount brand. However, at that time, Hertz had 2-3 year old cars with 60k+ mi, for double the price of competitors. Avis/Budget often did have better vehicle offerings, but still a nearly useless rewards program. Today thankfully Hertz seems to have realized the error of its ways. I wouldn't take Budget unless there was a significant cost or location availability advantage.

I am retired, so all of my rentals are for leisure travel, not business. I've been pretty happy with Budget, but I'm sure a lot depends on the particular location from which you rent.

In addition to earning 1,000 AA miles (as an AAdvantage Gold member) on even a one-day rental originating at a Budget airport location, as a FastBreak member I participate in the Budget Bucks promotion, which gives me a $25-off coupon for every two rentals of two days or more. While that $25-off coupon is not combinable with other coupons, I find it very useful for one-day rentals, when there are usually no other coupons that can be applied.

(You can earn both Budget Bucks credits and frequent-flyer miles on the same airport-originating rental.)

Budget and Avis are the same company. They use the same fleet. Sometimes you'll rent with Avis and they'll assign you to a car in the Budget lot and vice versa. There's no real difference in my experience, except that Budget is slightly cheaper than Avis for the same cars and Budget doesn't really have much of a rewards program.

Nothing to get huffy about, Mr. Important General Counsel.

It just struck me as unusual for a big corporation to have a deal with Budget. In my experience, Enterprise and Hertz were more common. Renting a Toyota Corolla for a general counsel, which most companies consider C-level, is kind of undignified.

I'm sorry that you have to drive a car that is beneath you and that someone else is paying for. Normal Americans making normal wages drive that car, and now you, an Important General Counsel, have to join them in this base endeavor! The indignity must be unbearable.

Perhaps, Mr. Important General Counsel, you should sue them for their lack of respect.

It sounds like your complaint is more about the size of car that your employer lets you rent, than about the particular car-rental company your employer contracts with. Budget offers a variety of car types and sizes; it's just a question of what your employer permits.

Give me a break.

Neither I nor the colleague are restricted. This is another entity we're doing business with. So much for wining and dining.

So are you saying that a Corolla was the largest car that Budget had available when the car was reserved? If so, that's unfortunate, but it could also happen with other rental-car companies. Some locations even sell out completely at times.

Will your employer permit you to rent from a different company when Budget does not have a full-size (or some other type of car) available for higher-level employees? If you have a need for a larger or fancier vehicle for client interaction, I should think that your employer would carve out an exception when Budget does not have the type of vehicle you need on a particular trip.

It does seem somewhat ironic that the General Counsel is not actually the one doing the complaining. Is he/she aware that the choice of car rental company is beneath his/her status or does he/she even care? The OP seems to be doing rather a lot of "projecting".

You're literally complaining to a message board full of strangers that driving a midsize car from a company called Budget is beneath you and that you need to be wined and dined.

Complain to the company paying for it.

You should tell your client that they're "stupid" and being "[un]dignified" by not providing your company's general counsel with a vehicle appropriate to his status. :rolleyes:

Also, why is your general counsel renting cars for work? I would think that his time was valuable enough that your company would just get him a car service.

Let's please keep the snarky comments off the thread and please discuss the post, rather than the poster. (and on topic as this is a Hertz forum).

Thanks,
Jason8612 Hertz Mod