AirMiles2001

I have been trying for a couple of weeks to get National to match my Hertz Presidents Circle. I just topped 40 hertz rentals for the year and fancied trying another brand.

I have submitted the following form a couple of times with copies of my hertz status.

https://statusmatch.emeraldclub.com/

They respond with a stock email that I need to provide more info but nobody is actually personally answering my emails to explain what they need.

Very frustrating. You have to wonder what risk they have to match a status, if you don't use it they don't lose much do they.

I would prefer a "No" instead of these annoying requests for more info but with no details.

Anyone have a better way in? I promised myself 48 hours and then I will move on. Maybe this just means it isn't worth it.

plagwate

Take some pointers from this guy, perhaps?

dwbf11

You may want to check this recent thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/natio...rald-club.html

AirMiles2001

Thanks for the link. Seems to be par for the course with National. Best if I let this first bad impression move me on to another vendor me thinks!

Thanks.

plagwate

Knock yourself out. More premium upgrades for the rest of us.

dwbf11

LOL. And the OP in that thread persevered and got the status match too. But plagwate's right, if you aren't interested in expending a couple minutes' worth of time to achieve the match, maybe your efforts are better spent pursuing other vendors.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt though. What did you submit to achieve the match?

smachiz

I did a status match - I just printed (to pdf) the main hertz gold plus rewards page with the 'my account' dropdown showing (which shows your current status, your name your YTD rentals, and your points).

Was upgraded about a week later with no problems whatsoever.

AirMiles2001

The point is a status match is an opportunity for a vendor to make a great first impression to a potential new customer.

I also matched my 1K to Frontier last week and it went just great. Is there a good reason a car agency should be a lot more complex or unable to communicate? If they can't offer a good impression on day one what chance is there months from now when I am in a bind?

dtremit

I'm not going to lie, I have often found National's corporate customer service to be very slow to respond -- though ultimately they've solved the problems I've brought to them. Most of the time, if there is an issue, the local branch will solve it.

However, in eight years of renting frequently from National (Exec or EE every year) I have had to contact them approximately three times. I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to wait for a car, and I have very rarely ended up with a car I was unhappy with.

If you are the type of renter who likes to complain, National may not be for you. I am the sort that likes to not have a reason to complain, and I am happy with National.

The website you link to is very clear about what constitutes proof of status (including file format) -- have you followed those rules exactly?

AirMiles2001

Yes.

AirMiles2001

Finally matched. A very sterile process without anybody ever communicating with me. I pretty much threw screenshots and photos of my hertz website and that seemed to do the trick. maybe they just gave up on me.

scottdurand

If you think you will get better service with Dollar, Thrifty, Avis etc, good luck.