Different pick up times - common practice?
Jun 13, 2019, 5:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
Different pick up times - common practice?
Hi,
I am experiencing something strange when booking a rental in France.
Context: The airport I am landing at is a small airport with up to 4 flights a day. Hertz has two locations in this city, one at the airport, the other one at the train station. Both corporate.
According to the Hertz website, the station should be opened at the time I land (afternoon flight)
However, when I search online for the timings I want, I get an error message "no vehicles available".
After calling the station, it seems that the inventory is only loaded for the morning flights, and the manager just said "oh, put 10:30 as the pick up time and pick up the car after you land, we'll be there anyways."
A couple of questions spring to mind:
1. It does not necessarily feel like a scam to me since the flight I am on is seasonal, but is this common practice to only load inventory matching the arrival times of the non-seasonal flights?
2. If I book according to the agency's recommendations, I fall outside of the 4-hour grace period with Amex Plat, and the price jumps by 50% (granted, it's only 25€, but still :-) ). what to do in this case? Just put the return time at 1030 same as pick up? The agency isn't open until 5pm that day, and I fly out at 6.
I am experiencing something strange when booking a rental in France.
Context: The airport I am landing at is a small airport with up to 4 flights a day. Hertz has two locations in this city, one at the airport, the other one at the train station. Both corporate.
According to the Hertz website, the station should be opened at the time I land (afternoon flight)
However, when I search online for the timings I want, I get an error message "no vehicles available".
After calling the station, it seems that the inventory is only loaded for the morning flights, and the manager just said "oh, put 10:30 as the pick up time and pick up the car after you land, we'll be there anyways."
A couple of questions spring to mind:
1. It does not necessarily feel like a scam to me since the flight I am on is seasonal, but is this common practice to only load inventory matching the arrival times of the non-seasonal flights?
2. If I book according to the agency's recommendations, I fall outside of the 4-hour grace period with Amex Plat, and the price jumps by 50% (granted, it's only 25€, but still :-) ). what to do in this case? Just put the return time at 1030 same as pick up? The agency isn't open until 5pm that day, and I fly out at 6.
Jun 13, 2019, 7:14 am
#2
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,665
Is this common? Definitely not. That said, the explanation sounds logical so I wouldn't read too much into it.
Regarding your second question about the Amex Platinum 4-hour grace period, yes, just adjust your return time accordingly. With the Amex Plat CDP, you should actually be able to book for a 14:30 return and have it be the same price as a 10:30 return. The grace period functionality is taken into account by Hertz's reservation system, so assuming the 4-hour grace period benefit applies in France, it should price out accordingly, and if you pick up the rental X hours late, then you should be able to return it X hours late as well. To put it another way, rentals are based on a 24-hour day, and when the Amex CDP is used, a rental day is actually 28 hours long.
Regarding your second question about the Amex Platinum 4-hour grace period, yes, just adjust your return time accordingly. With the Amex Plat CDP, you should actually be able to book for a 14:30 return and have it be the same price as a 10:30 return. The grace period functionality is taken into account by Hertz's reservation system, so assuming the 4-hour grace period benefit applies in France, it should price out accordingly, and if you pick up the rental X hours late, then you should be able to return it X hours late as well. To put it another way, rentals are based on a 24-hour day, and when the Amex CDP is used, a rental day is actually 28 hours long.
Jun 13, 2019, 8:06 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
Thanks autoshash!
Re the second question, any unethical behavior/contract issues that could arise as a result? Initially, I should have been renting day 1: 1400-Day4 17:00 but with this should I put Day1:10:30 - Day4: 1700 (Price jump) or day1:1030-Day4: 1430?
Re the second question, any unethical behavior/contract issues that could arise as a result? Initially, I should have been renting day 1: 1400-Day4 17:00 but with this should I put Day1:10:30 - Day4: 1700 (Price jump) or day1:1030-Day4: 1430?
Jun 13, 2019, 8:39 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: AMS
Programs: Delta Skymiles - Platinum; Hertz - President's Circle; Expedia - Gold
Posts: 473
The main risk would be arriving to a closed office.
I returned a Hertz car at a similar train station office in Antwerpen (Belgium) once. It was during their business hours, but no one at the office with a handwritten note that no one is in that day.
So, after booking for 10:30 definitely contact the office and make sure they make a note that you are arriving late
I returned a Hertz car at a similar train station office in Antwerpen (Belgium) once. It was during their business hours, but no one at the office with a handwritten note that no one is in that day.
So, after booking for 10:30 definitely contact the office and make sure they make a note that you are arriving late
Jun 13, 2019, 8:44 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
Good idea, I'll call them nearer the time to make sure.
The person at the agency I initially spoke to mentioned that they look for the arriving flight details for that airline, and this way know that they have to be there.
Worst case scenario, If they are closed I'll take a cab to the train station and ask for a refund of the fare :-)
The person at the agency I initially spoke to mentioned that they look for the arriving flight details for that airline, and this way know that they have to be there.
Worst case scenario, If they are closed I'll take a cab to the train station and ask for a refund of the fare :-)
Jun 14, 2019, 6:05 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: E14
Programs: BA GGL, Marriott, IHG, Sirius, Dusit, Thai, Virgin, Hyatt, BAA, AS, AA(both)
Posts: 1,240
I've had this before, for example below is one of the more remote airports in France, there is also a hertz at the station, but the local timings don't always match or get adjusted to the BA schedule.
We arrived early and saw the agent drive up in our car and on return there was a drop box inside the airport terminal.
Airport
France , 29700
Your phone number: +33 (0) 2 98 94 09 65
Hours of Operation: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 25 Jun 2019: Mo 0930-1030 1730-1830, Tu 0930-1100 1730-1830, We 0930-1030 1730-1830, Th 0930-1030 1300-1400 1730-1830, Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 0930-1030 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 8 Sep 2019: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830.
We arrived early and saw the agent drive up in our car and on return there was a drop box inside the airport terminal.
Airport
France , 29700
Your phone number: +33 (0) 2 98 94 09 65
Hours of Operation: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 25 Jun 2019: Mo 0930-1030 1730-1830, Tu 0930-1100 1730-1830, We 0930-1030 1730-1830, Th 0930-1030 1300-1400 1730-1830, Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 0930-1030 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 8 Sep 2019: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830.
Last edited by E14 26C; Jun 14, 2019 at 6:32 am
Jun 17, 2019, 6:42 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
I've had this before, for example below is one of the more remote airports in France, there is also a hertz at the station, but the local timings don't always match or get adjusted to the BA schedule.
We arrived early and saw the agent drive up in our car and on return there was a drop box inside the airport terminal.
Airport
France , 29700
Your phone number: +33 (0) 2 98 94 09 65
Hours of Operation: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 25 Jun 2019: Mo 0930-1030 1730-1830, Tu 0930-1100 1730-1830, We 0930-1030 1730-1830, Th 0930-1030 1300-1400 1730-1830, Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 0930-1030 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 8 Sep 2019: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830.
We arrived early and saw the agent drive up in our car and on return there was a drop box inside the airport terminal.
Airport
France , 29700
Your phone number: +33 (0) 2 98 94 09 65
Hours of Operation: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 25 Jun 2019: Mo 0930-1030 1730-1830, Tu 0930-1100 1730-1830, We 0930-1030 1730-1830, Th 0930-1030 1300-1400 1730-1830, Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 0930-1030 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830. From 8 Sep 2019: Mo-Fr 0930-1030 1730-1830, Sa 1200-1300, Su 1730-1830.
Jun 17, 2019, 8:33 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: E14
Programs: BA GGL, Marriott, IHG, Sirius, Dusit, Thai, Virgin, Hyatt, BAA, AS, AA(both)
Posts: 1,240
FWIW - if you are heading back into the centre of the town and are feeling generous then offer the hertz rep a lift to save them catching the bus (sometimes they take a returned car, sometimes there isn't one) ..... p.s. there wasn't much at that airport a couple of years ago to do, so don't rush !
Jun 17, 2019, 8:59 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
I had a sneaky suspiscion it might be one of the two locations that have seasonal flights from London City
FWIW - if you are heading back into the centre of the town and are feeling generous then offer the hertz rep a lift to save them catching the bus (sometimes they take a returned car, sometimes there isn't one) ..... p.s. there wasn't much at that airport a couple of years ago to do, so don't rush !
FWIW - if you are heading back into the centre of the town and are feeling generous then offer the hertz rep a lift to save them catching the bus (sometimes they take a returned car, sometimes there isn't one) ..... p.s. there wasn't much at that airport a couple of years ago to do, so don't rush !
Good suggestion re the lift, if would only add 10 minutes to my journey, I'll see on the day if they need to.
Jun 17, 2019, 9:06 am
#10
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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Posts: 100,404
I don't think the AmEx Plat four hour grace period applies for Europe, but you might get 30-60 minutes.
BTW in most Hertz stations, the official rental period starts when you leave the lot. It's not the time of the reservation, although I had a case where I was delayed and the reservation was automatically cancelled so I had to go to the counter, where they rebooked it (at the same rate, although I suspect there could have been a big problem if cars were in short supply). IIRC they said that the cancellation happened at the three hour mark. I'm not sure how much coordination there is in reality for flight delays, assuming that your flight details are on the reservation.
BTW in most Hertz stations, the official rental period starts when you leave the lot. It's not the time of the reservation, although I had a case where I was delayed and the reservation was automatically cancelled so I had to go to the counter, where they rebooked it (at the same rate, although I suspect there could have been a big problem if cars were in short supply). IIRC they said that the cancellation happened at the three hour mark. I'm not sure how much coordination there is in reality for flight delays, assuming that your flight details are on the reservation.
Jun 17, 2019, 9:28 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: France
Programs: too many
Posts: 686
https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/b...five-star.html
"
- Up to a four-hour grace period when returning the vehicle."
Jun 17, 2019, 12:08 pm
#12
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[/left]MSPeconomist, it is indeed applicable in Europe, and at the 147 countries where Hertz is available :-):
https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/b...five-star.html
"
https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/b...five-star.html
"
- Up to a four-hour grace period when returning the vehicle."
OK but I had a recent Hertz rental at LIS where I was told by PTS that the four hour grace period would not apply (to a mid-size rental using the PTS corporate rate code and booked by PTS).
Jun 17, 2019, 12:29 pm
#13
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,665
Jun 17, 2019, 12:40 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: E14
Programs: BA GGL, Marriott, IHG, Sirius, Dusit, Thai, Virgin, Hyatt, BAA, AS, AA(both)
Posts: 1,240
Technically, the 4-hour grade period applies int he U.S. only but there have been reports of it working in other corporate locations in Europe. It's a YMMV situation. Also note that Hertz in LIS is an Independent Licensee as opposed to a corporate location.
Sorry, that’s wrong information, it certainly applies at corporate locations in EMEA and I’ve had it work in Japan and Australia
Jun 17, 2019, 12:42 pm
#15
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Posts: 5,665
I’m not saying that it doesn’t work elsewhere (notice my YMMV comment), just that according to what’s on Hertz’s own website, it’s not guaranteed to work anywhere other than in the U.S. (at least not that we’ve found). If you’ve found a reference to the contrary from an official source, please post.