Is it common to get downgrade from booked car class?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,371
Is it common to get downgrade from booked car class?
I only rent from Hertz sporadically, and so I still CANNOT comprehend how this company works.
Wish it was as simple as National, where you simply book a midsize and then go to Executive aisle to get whatever you want.
I booked Premium class (G) at LAX. I'm enrolled in Hertz Gold and expected to see my name on the board. I'm not there.
So I go in and line up at the normal counter.
The lady looks up my reservation and tells me I can go to 5-Star row and pick up any car I want.
I'm not 5-Star, so I don't understand how I got to do that. Shouldn't I have had a car assigned?
But I go to 5-Star row, and every car there is either Altima, Corolla, Fusion, Jetta, Rogue, Kia something or small Mazda hatchback.
Altima was the most expensive car in that row.
I booked G class, which I thought would be like Regal or Maxima.
At the gate, I ask the guy if Altima is supposed to be G class and he says no. He says I could go back and pick up anything I want from Presidents Circle row instead.
What's going on? Can anyone go to any row at Hertz and get whatever they want?!
So I go to Presidents Circle area now, and it turns out all the cars there are no different than the ones on 5-Star.
So I just decide to drive off with Altima, which is less than my booked class.
Is this type of thing common at Hertz? Is it often the case that you won't see your name on the board or that you'll get stuck with a lesser car than what you booked?
If not, what should I have done instead?
Wish it was as simple as National, where you simply book a midsize and then go to Executive aisle to get whatever you want.
I booked Premium class (G) at LAX. I'm enrolled in Hertz Gold and expected to see my name on the board. I'm not there.
So I go in and line up at the normal counter.
The lady looks up my reservation and tells me I can go to 5-Star row and pick up any car I want.
I'm not 5-Star, so I don't understand how I got to do that. Shouldn't I have had a car assigned?
But I go to 5-Star row, and every car there is either Altima, Corolla, Fusion, Jetta, Rogue, Kia something or small Mazda hatchback.
Altima was the most expensive car in that row.
I booked G class, which I thought would be like Regal or Maxima.
At the gate, I ask the guy if Altima is supposed to be G class and he says no. He says I could go back and pick up anything I want from Presidents Circle row instead.
What's going on? Can anyone go to any row at Hertz and get whatever they want?!
So I go to Presidents Circle area now, and it turns out all the cars there are no different than the ones on 5-Star.
So I just decide to drive off with Altima, which is less than my booked class.
Is this type of thing common at Hertz? Is it often the case that you won't see your name on the board or that you'll get stuck with a lesser car than what you booked?
If not, what should I have done instead?
#2
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,657
LAX screwed up. With a Premium class (G) reservation you should have been assigned a vehicle. Had you booked a fullsize, standard, midsize, etc. then you would have defaulted to Ultimate Choice which means picking from the row that corresponds to your status level (regular Gold from the sound of it). The location was being lazy and just figured that there would be something in the premium class in the 5* or PC row, but that's not following procedure.
The way it's supposed to work is that if you book an intermediate through fullsize car, you use Ultimate Choice. You don't need to find your name on the board--you just go pick a vehicle from the section that corresponds to your status.
If you book an economy, compact, or manger's special, then you pick from the economy/compact section (I forget how that works specifically but it's a separate section).
If you book anything else, other than what's above, you should be assigned a vehicle in a specific space, but, you would also have the option of choosing anything from the Ultimate Choice section that corresponds to your status level as an alternate. No need to speak to anyone--you can just drive to the exit with whatever vehicle you are eligible for which means the vehicle you were originally assigned or an alternate.
The bottom line here is that Hertz is currently in bankruptcy, and while that's not an excuse, they are likely short-staffed and not operating at peak efficiency, so YMMV. Hope this helps!
The way it's supposed to work is that if you book an intermediate through fullsize car, you use Ultimate Choice. You don't need to find your name on the board--you just go pick a vehicle from the section that corresponds to your status.
If you book an economy, compact, or manger's special, then you pick from the economy/compact section (I forget how that works specifically but it's a separate section).
If you book anything else, other than what's above, you should be assigned a vehicle in a specific space, but, you would also have the option of choosing anything from the Ultimate Choice section that corresponds to your status level as an alternate. No need to speak to anyone--you can just drive to the exit with whatever vehicle you are eligible for which means the vehicle you were originally assigned or an alternate.
The bottom line here is that Hertz is currently in bankruptcy, and while that's not an excuse, they are likely short-staffed and not operating at peak efficiency, so YMMV. Hope this helps!
#3
Join Date: May 2019
Location: PIT
Programs: Hertz PC, National Exec Elite
Posts: 55
I would ask for a rate adjustment when returning the car. I once booked a Luxury car and was assigned Fullsize (Altima) at an HLE. I asked for a rate adjustment when I returned the car and they knocked it down to the Fullsize rate.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,371
Thanks a lot AutoSlash for the informative response!
I had no idea that's how Hertz worked. Half of my Hertz rentals are at neighbourhood locations where they don't have any of that. That's good to know for future airport rentals.
I left out some detail in OP that I didn't think was relevant to the topic. But now that you mention the service lapse, I have to mention this. When going through the exit with the Altima from 5-Star the first time, I did ask about G class and the exit gate guy did offer to let me return and get another car from President's Circle. But I declined, because I had to be somewhere. But after some waiting around, the guy said my Altima was due for oil change and the system wouldn't let him open the gate arm. He was calling people, trying to override the system. I wanted to head out and I was prepared to drive off no matter what.
But then my thoughts were: 1).How could Hertz overlook something like this and not take this vehicle out of inventory; 2).It's a bit audacious for the Hertz guy to try to override the system to allow me to drive off with a car that's due for maintenance.
Anyways, they weren't able to override, so the guy sent me back to the pick-up area (settling for another Altima from President's Circle).
Well, the price difference between Full-size and Premium at Hertz was actually minimal, as I recall.
Thing is, I could've had Full-size at Avis for ~$25 less. But I went with Hertz because I thought I'd pay a bit more and get the Premium.
I had no idea that's how Hertz worked. Half of my Hertz rentals are at neighbourhood locations where they don't have any of that. That's good to know for future airport rentals.
But then my thoughts were: 1).How could Hertz overlook something like this and not take this vehicle out of inventory; 2).It's a bit audacious for the Hertz guy to try to override the system to allow me to drive off with a car that's due for maintenance.
Anyways, they weren't able to override, so the guy sent me back to the pick-up area (settling for another Altima from President's Circle).
Thing is, I could've had Full-size at Avis for ~$25 less. But I went with Hertz because I thought I'd pay a bit more and get the Premium.