flyinryan

Longtime (15+ year) Prez Circle member here - I have been massively un-impressed with Hertz recently. Rates are going up. I go to LAX pretty frequently, and that's just an epic nightmare. The final straw was on a rental last week, when I filled my gas tank at the station right across the street from EWR, then got charged $88 because, according to the customer service person, "the car was returned with 0/8 fuel." That was in addition to a $49.95 facility fee. Calling CS did nothing.

I have a comp to National exec elite, and after I burn through all my accumulated points, I'm never going near Hertz again. It's a mess.

m907

One word: Arbitration.

MASTERNC

I was almost always Hertz but have begun to open up to Avis and National. I will definitely be more of a free agent after I burn the rest of my Hertz points.

flyinryan

Could you perhaps elaborate with a few more words? I'm not opposed to the idea. Short on specifics though

bitterproffit

If you feel like you have the documentation showing that the fees are inappropriate Id consider a credit card charge back. Especially if you also used that credit card to buy the gas.

m907

Hertz arbitration to avoid rental car scams

squawk1200

I'm done with Hertz. Rented with them two times in the past week and the counter employees were condescending (two different airports) and the first one (TPA) flat out lied to me to try to get me to buy the insurance. When I got to CHA they treated me like I didn't even exist as a Gold/ Gold Plus member and said that this was my first rental... I've been a member for over 15 years... All I wanted was to add my spouse as no cost additional driver. Called them 4 times today and was pass around from one customer service person to the next (if I could get past the auto attendant) and repeatedly told that since I picked up the car, they couldn't add my membership number to the rental... Which, by the way, the counter person verified my number was on the reservation. But kept telling me this was my first rental...

I'm thinking that I'm not asking for the world, but maybe I am??? Just want the benefit of the membership I've had for years, but apparently that just can't be done... I know that the rental car industry is not known for their customer service, but "come on man"!

AutoSlash

What happened at TPA? If your Hertz member number was attached to the reservation, you shouldn't have even needed to go to the counter.

TPA is an Ultimate Choice location, so as a Gold member, you would just skip the counter, grab a car from the UC section that corresponds to your status level (assuming you booked a midsize or higher) and drive to the exit booth.

Keep in mind that if you're a Gold member, spouses do not need to be explicitly named as an additional driver. Hertz's terms and conditions specify that a spouse is automatically considered an authorized driver for Hertz Gold members.

squawk1200

Hello AutoSlash... Used your website a few times over the years...

The rentals were booked via the Chase travel portal so I could use the points. I had to stop by the desk at TPA. It was no issue as the person behind the counter even stated to me after looking up my reservation that my membership # was already found with the booking. I did the same at CHA and asked about my membership # and was then told that it was on the booking, but since it was a new membership, the benefits would not kick in until my next rental... I've had this number since the mid 2000's so it's not clear to me how it suddenly became new...??? So, as I've asked the 4 Hertz customer service folks (if you can call it that), how did everything work fine at TPA but not 5 days later in CHA? All I have been told is that after I pick up the car, no changes can be made, which I find kinda absurd... Anything can be changed... If Hertz can't assist me with adding my membership to the current contract, then I am not going to meet them with any business in the future...

Understand that this situation is compounded with the hard insurance upsell and out and out lie the agent told me while picking up the car in TPA and the condescending attitude I received in CHA... I've never had that kind of experience with other rental car companies... If Hertz can't make the car rental process tolerable, then I'll take my money elsewhere...

bj2757

I guess we are pretty much done with Hertz as well - but for a different reason - or reasons. In our mid 70s and just don't travel much, then the pandemic hit. I have had Hertz Gold for 20+ years but my last activity was to do a local one day rental to keep my points alive for a trip we finally have on the horizon. I went to check the balance yesterday and my balance was 0 - I guess that last rental to keep them alive was longer ago than I thought - and no warning or notice from Hertz like I received the last time. I have incentives to use another company in the future, and now that the points aren't a factor we'll most likely go with the incentives.

miles from tesco

I’m in a quandary what to do with regards to my president circle membership. I have been a PC member for the last 15 years. Unfortunately due to Covid I have had to curtail my travel and thereby not being able to reach the 15 rentals required to maintain my PC membership. This year I’m so far up to 11 rentals out of 15.
My own car for running around town is a group C, but when I go on a long distance run I need a bigger car, which Hertz do not have.

I have looked at other companies car rental companies and they only require 10 rentals to maintain your membership level that would match the Presidents Circle of HERTZ.

I have thought about four daily rentals during this month of December but Hertz in the UK want a minimum of £95 per day , I think it’s rather excessive price to pay to maintain my membership especially as the biggest car I can rent is a group C, whereas other companies have bigger cars for a lower price.

I seem to have been pushing myself to leave Hertz and go to one of the other companies, what would you say?

Sent from my iPhone

Oakshadow

I always photograph the dashboard as well as the exterior at several angles when returning a rental car and ensure it shows the return milage and fuel gauge. It's funny that return agents sometimes discourage me from doing so... I wonder why? Also I hold on to the gas station receipts. Thankfully only one time the photo came in handy when a non-Hertz company claimed the same empty-tank scam the OP encountered. Sending the photo to them reversed the charge.

There was a time you didn't have to worry as much about shenanigans when using Hertz. Lately, Avis and National seem to be the less-dodgy agencies.

jim32190

Status Match to National and then back again in 2022

DavidDTW

Hertz really has become one big ripoff. I returned a car the other day to an HLE and when they emailed my receipt it had a $17 charge for gas. I filled up just a couple miles from the rental location. When I called to inquire, they said the gas tanks now have readers and those charges are calculated automatically. True?

corolla

True, I believe it just started this year, actually just a couple months ago. Many new Ford and GM (all leased fleet models have it, those hertz bought themselves as fleet most likely also have it) and probably something else already have the feature built in car for a long time and hertz just started to use it.

As the penalty for not full gas is 9.99/gallon the charge sounds about right if by a couple miles you mean like 15 or 20