PilgrimsProgress

For my weeklong rental at a hertz non airport location in southern California, the only reasonable rates are for commercial vans (like Ford Transit). Cars are double the price.

My questions are:
1. Would my chase United credit card cover the insurance, or are there exclusions for commercial vans?
2. What are the chances I would be able to switch to a car at an airport or another non airport location?

I prefer a car rather than a van because I will probably drive 2000 miles and don't want to pay too much for gas, but cars are way overpriced. Thanks for any insights.

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oftech

Unsure on your credit card question; best to check the terms on the website or call them. As for the van, I've rented a cargo van twice from an HLE when I've needed to pick up some larger items. The first time I showed up they couldn't get a cargo van, supposedly they were all rented by Amazon/FedEx/etc for package deliveries. They offered me a minivan in it's place and it served me fine with the seats folded. The second time they had the cargo van; it was a Ford Transit with power locks and windows and backup camera as the only options. Worked out great because I needed the room but it was not something I would like to drive 2,000 miles in.

I highly doubt if you end up with a cargo van that they will let you switch to anything else, especially at an airport. Airports don't carry the cargo vans only the 15 passenger variety, and even those are rare. Same for HLEs; they only order them from distribution when there's a reservation for one, so they don't want to be stuck with a van they can't rent out to anyone else. You can book the van and pray the day you show up they don't have one and offer you a minivan or something else. But with inventory as tight as it is, I wouldn't be surprised if they called you a few days before to confirm you're coming for the cargo van they'll have for you.

PilgrimsProgress

Thanks so much for the response. I think my best case scenario is if they don't have the commercial Van and have to "downgrade" me to something else. Hope I can find a way to figure out what's available, maybe by doing a drive by on the day of rental. As a last resort I can drive my own car but only as a last resort. Thanks again, you were very helpful.

rhwbullhead

I was in a similar situation for a LAS trip in Sept. Cargo van from HLE was cheapest rate. Even factoring extra gas burned and having to pay for CDW from them was cheaper than a car. I was gonna call the Chase number to check on insurance coverage but then the price suddenly jumped up one day to over the price of cars.

Hertz prices are so high so I'm not renting from them that trip. Cheapest I could find was Budget for one night and then Alamo for rest of my trip.

Please update us on what you learn about credit card CDW coverage for a cargo van and what happens at pickup.

PilgrimsProgress

Is it acceptable to decline a rental? I booked a cargo van and if on the day of rental they have a cargo van that I booked can I decline the rental, just walk away and drive my own car, or am I forced to accept the rental? Thanks.

jizen

I've done it couple of times here in Canada HLE locations because of the cheapest weekly rate (not always). Normally they will call me 1 day before and ask if I am okay with a regular car since all cargo vans are rented by those courier companies. It's interesting to see that they never close the availability online and still allow people to book.
HLE manager is pretty nice and he figures out after my 5th "cargo van" rental that I do not actually need the van, normally he will give me a mid-size or compact suv.

1, Most cc do not cover cargo vans or even pick up trucks, call cc company and ask them to email or mail you latest T&C of CDW, couple things may have changed since COVID.
2, It's always YMMV and you may be able to switch at another HLE location (whoever wants the cargo van). I think it's better to book another reservation at nearby location as back up (If you book at same location they may want you to keep the more expensive one if they figure out that you don't want the cargo van).
Call the location 1 day before pick-up to check what cars they have (may not work at some locations)
3, If you book a postpaid rsvn, you can cancel free of charge at anytime before picking up (should be able to cancel at anytime but it's better to do it before picking up), so simply get there 15-20 mins earlier before pick up and see what car they have for you. If they actually have a cargo van available, you can check for alternatives or cancel and walk away.

m907

You certainly have no obligation to rent from them.

mapelle621

1. NO! I've rented many a cargo van and found that basically no consumer card covers cargo vans (or pickups for that matter). The only exception is the American Express premium rental car protection that you can add to basically any Amex card for a per rental fee (not per day) of about $20-$25. I've read over the plan documents and called several agents from the underwriter and all have confirmed that cargo vans from a regular car rental company are covered. No cargo box trucks, and nothing from rental moving companies (I assume U-haul, Penske, etc.). YMMV, read over your contract/coverage documents, IANAL, etc.
2. I'm not sure, but Notwithstanding point 1, I've rented vans at airport locations for the same reason (cargo van significantly cheaper than anything else). They would call me the day before to tell me they were out of cargo vans and if a substitute was ok. Even if they had the van, I figure worst case as a PC I could kindly request a downgrade. In all cases though, I would have been ok with a cargo van. FWIW, the ford transit is the best cargo van in terms of equipment and ride quality compared to anything else in the class. The only mainstream one I've not tried is a Sprinter frame which Hertz doesn't seem to stock.

One thing I would recommend is call them to see if they expect to have a cargo van. My usual HLE will often stop at nothing to source a cargo van if they don't have one and I hold a reservation. In fact, they've gone as far as one state over 2 hours away to get one. So in your case, maybe you can help both sides out and have it noted on your reservation that you don't actually need one in case they would go out of their way or if they had more reservations than vans.

Hope this helps! Good luck

PilgrimsProgress

So my reservation is for next week and got a call from the hertz location today. The lady says we won't have a cargo van, you will have to make a new reservation. The prices are 6 times higher now. I said can you give me any other vehicle. She says sorry we won't honor the reservation, you have to make a new reservation. So they have vehicles available but they won't give it to me against my existing reservation. I am on hold with hertz reservations but am not optimistic. Do I have any recourse?

oftech

Unsurprising, since really they're under no obligation to give you anything other than a cargo van just how you're under no obligation to rent from them. That being, though, I'd push back on them for their BS. If they don't the cargo van and can't get one, then I'd be pushing for a minivan or pick up truck to "fit" what you need to "transport" at your cargo van rate. It's on them that they can't get specifically a cargo van and unfair to try and force you to rebook at a much higher rate. They're still under no obligation to do this, though, but you can try. They may have figured out you just booked the cheapest class given how long your rental period is. Though you can counter that you're moving to a new place and want to take your time.

You can also try complaining on twitter but based on some cursory searches on FT it seems like they take days to respond and don't have as much pull as before. Maybe a call to the reservations line and an escalation to a supervisor can get them to reserve you a truck or minivan at your current rate, but that'll also be tough. Good luck!

lamorindaflyer

How did this work out for you? I was thinking of making a similar booking...

PilgrimsProgress

The location I reserved at was uncooperative. They would not honor the reservation. They did not have a cargo van and refused to give me another vehicle under the same reservation. They said I have to make a new reservation (at a much higher price). Hertz call center rep and supervisor also were unhelpful. They seem to treat the commercial vehicles as a different company. Bottom line is ymmv, you may or may not face similar issues. Either way check with them few days before pickup.

lamorindaflyer

Thanks for the info! Shame on them.