Dreamworks

So I rented a Mustang convertible for three days from DFW to attend a memorial service for a friend's sister who died suddenly. On the way to the memorial, I opened the center console and I found a plastic water bottle, filled with tobacco spit. Obviously they didn't check this before renting it. I guess I'm lucky I didn't find drugs in there....

So I called the DFW office yesterday at 1PM and talked to the gal at the front desk and she said the manager would call me back. So he called when I was at the memorial and I called him back about 30 minutes later and left a voice mail. No call back.

I called the manager's number today, at 1:30 and told them I wanted a callback. No such luck. I'm done. The bottle in the car is totally secondary to this lack of respect. I'm going to Avis or National. I'm not asking for anything as a Gold member.....a call back is nothing special.

So now I want to talk to someone above "Ali", like the general manager or the regional guy. I'm totally disgusted with this lack of service. Perhaps I shouldn't be, but seeing as how Hertz is the most expensive always, I guess I expected more. No more....

Thoughts? Am I being too whiny?

bhatnasx

A little whiny - but that's still disgusting - no one wants someone else's dip spit in the car they're renting.

I recommend contacting standard Hertz Customer Relations (which is surprisingly good) - worse case scenario, ask for the Station Manager or the Regional Director's names & copy them on it. I believe Hertz's email format is [email protected] - so a John Doe would [email protected].

noah

Yes, it is disgusting to find that in the glove compartment, but I've also found half-eaten McDonalds in the center console before. Others have reported finding porn in their trunk.

While it is a bit "disrespectful" to not get a call back, he did call you back once so you are basically playing phone tag. In the course or normal business this happens all the time. Yes, it would be nice to have him be a bit more proactive, but for all you know he is dealing with a PC member whose car died on I-35 or perhaps a general member who crashed their minivan. While your problem is a drag, you can throw it out and move on. Other issues might take longer to resolve. If I were you, throw it out, enjoy your trip, and write Hertz when you get back (or talk to the manager at the return) -- you can probably get a discount or $ off the rental.

bkpsu

How about a gallon-jug of gas in the trunk? Got it on one of my rentals from the now-closed Springfield, PA HLE. It made the entire drive to Norfolk, VA and back nauseating, even after I got rid of it at the first gas station I came across. As noah pointed out, deal with the manager or the website feedback form. I used the web form to complain about the condition of the car I received, and at the same time compliment the PHL crew who was very sympathetic (and they gave me a free umbrella since it was raining that day ). Within 3 hours, I had an email response, and a few days later, a couple of $25-off coupons arrived in snail mail.

rnovak

Wait.. you 'got rid' of a gallon of gas?? That's like throwing $3 away. I would have considered it a bonus.

SpeedRicer

Good point! Imagine pulling up to the return lane, and when the agent asks you whether you replaced the gas, you can answer "Yes, it's in the trunk."

bkpsu

How do you think I got 'rid' of it? :-P

ContinentalFan

I would contact the corporate HQ. I too am getting surprised at how much Hertz is slipping up. The service is getting slowly worse. I am shocked that Enterprise is improving!

tfong007

Those 25 dollar coupons are useless. Like toilet paper. They have so many restrictions, starting with being combined with other coupons.

MSP

I don't know about you, but I think toilet paper's pretty useful!

KathyWdrf

Yes.

As disgusting as it may be, the problem you encountered was extremely trivial in relation to all the other things that can go wrong with a car rental (things like damage, breakdowns and serious accidents come to mind).

If it were me, I would have just thrown out the disgusting bottle and put the whole incident behind me, rather than contacting Hertz or expecting anything at all from them.

BTW, do you really think Avis or National are any better? As for your claim that "Hertz is the most expensive always," it sounds like you haven't been reading FT enough. With the right code, you can get very competitive rates from Hertz. I just completed a five-day rental of a compact car from LAX that cost a total of $67 all-in, using the CSAA (Northern California AAA chapter) code. I think the Southern California AAA rate would have been the same, by the way. (And I wasn't even trying that hard to find the "best" rate.)

LH SEN

You should look at the Marriotts code too. They usually beat most corp codes