SiriusXM now a daily fee for all?
Aug 17, 19, 1:58 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: South Texas
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Glob, AA EXP, Marriott Tit
Posts: 171
STL airport charging PC for Sirius?
PC member 3 or 4 years. Rented 80-100 cars at various locations. Today at checkout at STL the agent asked if I wanted the sat radio to remain on for $4.99 per day. I assumed she was making a mistake but she was serious lol. I explained I always pick cars with sat radio and have Never been charged extra. She said they have a new sat radio yes/no button and they have to enter an answer. I asked for a supervisor and she wouldn’t budge either. Anyone else experienced this? Certainly brand new to me and not a positive development.
Aug 17, 19, 6:34 pm
#5
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
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Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
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Sadly, I believe this is something Hertz is implementing; basically, they are looking to monetize something that once was free/complimentary and it flat out stinks.
Aug 17, 19, 7:51 pm
#6
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Originally Posted by FlyinHawaiian
Sadly, I believe this is something Hertz is implementing; basically, they are looking to monetize something that once was free/complimentary and it flat out stinks.
Doing a dummy booking for a group F car, it offers Sirius at $4.99 per day
Aug 17, 19, 8:00 pm
#7
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
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You are missing the point of the OP. We all know that in the past, Hertz would never charge a member who was either assigned a car with an active and working subscription (either via upgrade or their discretion) or a car selected via Ultimate Choice for Sat Radio. Rogue agents may have tried, but it was never the official policy to do so. What appears to be happening is that Hertz, having found a way to activate/deactivate service per rental, has decided to eliminate this customer-friendly loophole.
Aug 17, 19, 8:04 pm
#8
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so basically , it has just closed a loophole that was being exploited. Hardly seems a surprising thing to do if it now has capability to do so and cannot see how that 'stinks'. There is a big difference between something being given as an official benefit and then removed rather than fixing an exploited loophole. Sirius has always been offered as an optional extra and free satellite radio has never been a benefit of status
Aug 17, 19, 8:30 pm
#9
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
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[Shrug] I would prefer Hertz focus their time and energy on customer-friendly initiatives that acknowledge and reward elite customers, not devaluing their points without the courtesy of prior notice, eliminating other published benefits, and trying to monetize Sirius/XM on rentals. The last is particularly galling as most new cars have a complimentary free trial period, so Hertz is attempting to pass along a charge that, in many cases, is likely not costing them anything.
Aug 17, 19, 9:02 pm
#10
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Ever since Hertz introduced Sirius it has 'monetised' Sirius ; it is something that is offered as an optional extra and never offered as a benefit of status
There are a lot of things it can do, but also no reason not to address where people are aiming to take cars with Sirius but not wanting to pay for it - in OP's case , for example, it isn't just a case of ending up with a car with the facility because the location had no other vehicles, but a deliberate process to choose cars with Sirius whilst not including it in the reservation
Its changing rates for rentals in the US has no bearing on this
Just connect mobile phone via bluetooth and use an internet radio application and issue resolved
There are a lot of things it can do, but also no reason not to address where people are aiming to take cars with Sirius but not wanting to pay for it - in OP's case , for example, it isn't just a case of ending up with a car with the facility because the location had no other vehicles, but a deliberate process to choose cars with Sirius whilst not including it in the reservation
Its changing rates for rentals in the US has no bearing on this
Just connect mobile phone via bluetooth and use an internet radio application and issue resolved
Aug 17, 19, 11:48 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 164
I would also be surprised if Hz had the technological means to literally flick a switch and control XM/Sirius radio operations.
A couple years ago at Hz MSP, the exit gate agent asked whether I wanted the satellite radio turned on, for a fee. I politely declined, and when I left the lot, continued to enjoy commercial free, uninterrupted satellite radio.
A couple years ago at Hz MSP, the exit gate agent asked whether I wanted the satellite radio turned on, for a fee. I politely declined, and when I left the lot, continued to enjoy commercial free, uninterrupted satellite radio.
Aug 18, 19, 12:45 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 1,941
Originally Posted by radiolarian
I would also be surprised if Hz had the technological means to literally flick a switch and control XM/Sirius radio operations.
A couple years ago at Hz MSP, the exit gate agent asked whether I wanted the satellite radio turned on, for a fee. I politely declined, and when I left the lot, continued to enjoy commercial free, uninterrupted satellite radio.
A couple years ago at Hz MSP, the exit gate agent asked whether I wanted the satellite radio turned on, for a fee. I politely declined, and when I left the lot, continued to enjoy commercial free, uninterrupted satellite radio.
Aug 18, 19, 1:17 am
#13
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: SJC
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The simplest explanation (we should never assume that Hertz has actually modified their technology stack) is probably that the yes/no is just trying to force the agent to ask the customer if they want it (ala prepaid fuel). And the result of accepting/declining is exactly the same as it's always been.
Aug 18, 19, 3:50 am
#14
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The supervisor did mention that I could say no and “see if it stayed on”. Based on the comments and Hertz poor IT I now suspect she was hinting that it would not shut off. I will decline on next rental and see what happens. I have upcoming bookings in CRP (no ultimate choice), SAN and AUS.
Aug 18, 19, 10:21 pm
#15
Moderator: Alaska Mileage Plan
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 10,432
Originally Posted by FlyinHawaiian
What appears to be happening is that Hertz, having found a way to activate/deactivate service per rental
