I travel quite a bit for both business and personal reasons.
This means I'm driving a rental car for 100+ days a year.
I've tried all the major rental brands and Hertz is a terrible experience even when they're not calling the police on you by mistake. Their systems don't work quite right, there's a bunch of hidden fees, and their customer service is lacking at best.
I swear by Enterprise and purchasing the extra insurance to cover any damages. They've done right by me as a customer across many different cities and locations.
I know that some people are always going to just buy whatever is the cheapest or whatever deal gets them the most points with credit card or whatever. And that seems to be where Hertz makes their money.
But for anyone willing to pay a little more for a good experience and less stress Enterprise is my recommendation.
The last 3 years I've had occasion to use Budget on an "I need a rental now" basis.
I've had a good experience because they just don't seem to care. That is, the employees working there just check in/out, sign the paperwork, that's it. I haven't had to spend a lot of time turning down questionable options and upgrades. There haven't been turn-in inspections where they claim that tiny scratch on the car with 160k miles is my fault.
They just seem to get me checked in so they can get back to their phone. It's not a premium experience by any means, but it's simple.
I once chose hertz because it was cheapest and I regretted it! They didn't specify how much the baby seat was going to be and it end up being like 20$ extra! they should have mentioned how much the baby seat costs on the checkout page. and then when i complained about it, they just wanted to blame the 3rd party checkout processor. Hertz, never again!
In life, i've learned, that if an optional extra price isn't listed for that option, don't select it. and if you really need that option and the price isn't there, just hit the back button and don't use that service ever again.
I have only rented with Hertz for about 20 years, and finally gave about after almost several bad experiences. Tried Enterprise on my first trip last week and was shocked at how much better it is.
I dont rent often but definitely go with Enterprise when I do. They are the only one left in my city that offers unlimited mileage and my typical trip is 1800 km round trip so it matters.
Last trip Enterprise was fully booked so I did try Budget. Their office is so small that you actually have to arrive at our local airport and THEN call the attendant who comes in from her house to book out your car. That took almost an hour.
The return process is even sillier. Write your mileage on a poorly photocopied slip of paper, and drop it on her desk with the keys. No pics. No checkout inspection, just 'trust us not to charge you extra'.
Fortunately I took a ton of pictures including the odometer so when they couldnt do math and tried to charge me an extra 1000 km, I fought back with pics and got those charges dropped. That's the last time I use Budget.
We have an Enterprise deal with work so we get very good rates, especially when they drop a car off and pick up at my home or office
However I was in one a few months ago and got a puncture on a dual carriageway. By the time I pulled over to a safe location the tyre was shredded. No problem, go into the boot to get the spare wheel out and I'll deal with it later.
There was no spare wheel. Just some little device which I assume is supposed to somehow re-inflate the tyre and seal any small holes for a small amount of time. Clearly not going to work when the side wall is shredded from driving the best part of a mile on it.
Too 6 hours for a tow-truck to arrive, pick me up, take me to a local garage, and change the tyre. That cost my employer far more than the cost of a spare wheel -- not to mention the cost of the tow itself being about the same price as the wheel + tyre.
Probably not a slight on Enterprise, as I'm sure it's the same with other hire companies (I hired from Sixt on holiday and it was the same). Why don't cars come with spare wheels any more? Are people really that incompetent they can't change one? Surely punctures as as common now as they were 20 years ago.
Interestingly, I had Enterprise squarely in my head as the budget option compared to Hertz, who I always had down as the "pricey but better service" option (at least if you exercised the Gold program, etc.)
Not sure if I'm strictly a victim of effective marketing, or if they flipped places in the last however many years, or what, but it's interesting to see your post and the replies that imply I've got it backwards.
I have the opposite experience, tried a lot of things including Turo and Hertz economy is the best. I can rent without a credit card and with a deposit easily, cars are clean, never a flat tire or break down so far, good sat radio. What else is there?
Agreed. The company is like yeah, we make some minor adminstrative mistakes. But the story says a woman spent 30 days in jail? Picture yourself in her shoes.
But... intent - Hertz had no intent to have customers locked up or threatened by out-of-control cops, so it's all good. When it comes to life-and-limb matters like this intent really shouldn't matter because it's nothing more than a get-out-of-jail card for executives who couldn't care less about the impact of their policies.
No one important at Wells-Fargo went to jail either - they set policies which were expected to have certain outcomes, but top brass could not have possibly have foreseen the outcomes. I'm sick of plausible deniability, especially when it isn't even plausible any longer, the complaints go back years.
Once we rented a vehicle from them with a flat tire. Also, it had been electronically limited so that it could not drive at freeway speeds.
When I called customer support to deal with the issue, they hung up on me three times. (Typical conversation:
- Sit on hold for 15-45 minutes
- Hello, can I have your rental number?
- 12345-XYZ
- <click>
I told the fourth person I'd be issuing a chargeback and dumping the vehicle in front of the locked gate of their parking lot if they also hung up. They directed us to a location that couldn't accept the vehicle.
We ended up paying for one day rental or something, but at least I didn't go to jail.
As other commenters said, multiple people (probably management, execs) at Hertz should be serving time in federal prison.
Once I rented a Hertz car. A couple hundred miles from where I picked it up, the transmission died. I could only drive in first gear. After spending over an hour trying to get through, the person on the phone actually tried to get me to drive it back - 200 miles, in first gear, on freeways, at my expense.
I finally got it towed because I said I'd just be forced to abandon it.
In its release, Hertz says they believe “a meaningful portion of the settlement” will be covered by insurance so ‘no big deal’ to them what they did to customers, at least for investors. Meanwhile their CEO shrugs in an included statement saying they “will not always be perfect.”
Atlanta Black Star has a nice writeup including some of the more egregious examples. One of the criminal cases didn't even get dismissed despite public statements that it would be, apparently it was finally dismissed when it went to trial in October.
A long time ago I was in a relationship where my SO took my car and refused to give it back. I called the police to report it stolen and they said that since I had lent the car to her in the past, this was a case of someone not abiding by an agreement, and it was a civil matter and I would need to retrieve the car or a PI would. This was California, so other states probably have different laws, but I would have to think for a major corporation this should be in civil court first.
California law does not have any sort of "prior use" exception to theft laws. Letting someone use a car in the past does not give them cart blanche to borrow it again without permission in the future.
You ex stole your car. If they police did not do anything, the proper response would be to take your complaint of inaction to Internal Affairs or your local elected representative. And then to take the car back yourself, or to hire a PI to retrieve the car or a lawyer to issue a demand letter for the return of the car.
This is so awful it's hard to even believe. It does feel like there needs to be some threat of a company being completely dissolved in cases like this or Equifax or other problems this big that the organization has shown no interest in stopping
Let's compare this to China where 2 executives were sentenced to death (and others to life sentences) for their role in selling tainted formula (resulting in infant deaths) and concealing it [1] or Jack Ma (of Alibaba) who just disappeared for 3 months [2].
It should be a legal requirement that a human review and sign off on any complaint about a stolen car to police. That personal (and company) should be held criminally liable for making false police reports in addition to any civil damages (including significant punitive damages) they should pay.
Trading a set of small villains which sometimes get (insufficiently) punished for one super-powerful supervillain which never gets punished for anything doesn't look like a good deal to me. Yes, Darth Vader used to choke his underlings who misbehaved, it doesn't exactly make him a good guy.
Are you really using China as an example of how this is handled well? From your own source:
>Ahead of this, Ma addressed an assembly of high-profile figures with a controversial speech that criticised the Chinese financial system. He was not seen in public again until late January. In the interim, there were rumours that he might have been placed under house arrest or otherwise detained. Some even questioned if he was still alive.
I hate this ridiculously unfair double standard. If someone costs a company money, we ruin their life. If a company ruins someone's life, we charge the company money.
If a cashier at a fast food restaurant takes $30 from the register, they go to jail. If a company steals millions from their workers paychecks, we slap them with a tiny fine.
Precisely. Nothing happens until the individuals responsible pay a penalty. If an exec knowingly, or through negligence, causes a person to be arrested, that person needs to pay up personally. If they did it to protect their own position, then jail time is appropriate. Falsely reporting a crime is a crime.
> pending 30 days in jail, where she suffered a miscarriage.
Ok this is horrific, and Hertz should be ashamed of their behavior. Now, we dont have any proof the arrest or jail time caused the miscarriage, but to the extent we believe it did, can we also talk for a minute about why our executive branch/jail system is so hard on people (of both sexes btw) such that physiological distress occurs such as miscarriages or suicides?
It's completely unnecessary, I'd dare say detrimental, to getting rehabilitated.
Because the police for a hundred years have cultivated a culture of horrific abuse of power, and if you bring it up, half the country calls you a radical.
Some people, whether they notice or not, prefer a world where "others" suffer.
Issues like this is why I now have high status with Enterprise/National and I will never again use Hertz. I don't care how much I get discounted, Hertz is not worth dealing with. Their entire business seems to be constructed on financial trickery and malfeasance with a side effect of sometimes renting a car to someone. They should have been fully liquidated during their earlier bankruptcy rather than allowed to continue operating, and I look forward to the day their corporate charter is revoked.
I travel a LOT, and there are very few businesses in that industry I hate, Hertz is one of them. My only times using Hertz have all ended in disaster.
while this is indeed 364 too many, this number is still absolutely tiny. there is going to be lots of confirmation bias in this thread -- of bad interactions. whereas the very very large majority of customers are probably happy with hertz. i always have been.
don't get me wrong, someone at hertz should go to jail for this. but your chances of being one of those 364 seems absolutely tiny doesn't it? they must do a billion rentals a year.
Says a lot about law enforcement practices when being wrongly accused by them is considered so terrible, that compensation is 10 years of average income in the country.
CSMastermind|3 years ago
This means I'm driving a rental car for 100+ days a year.
I've tried all the major rental brands and Hertz is a terrible experience even when they're not calling the police on you by mistake. Their systems don't work quite right, there's a bunch of hidden fees, and their customer service is lacking at best.
I swear by Enterprise and purchasing the extra insurance to cover any damages. They've done right by me as a customer across many different cities and locations.
I know that some people are always going to just buy whatever is the cheapest or whatever deal gets them the most points with credit card or whatever. And that seems to be where Hertz makes their money.
But for anyone willing to pay a little more for a good experience and less stress Enterprise is my recommendation.
LanceH|3 years ago
I've had a good experience because they just don't seem to care. That is, the employees working there just check in/out, sign the paperwork, that's it. I haven't had to spend a lot of time turning down questionable options and upgrades. There haven't been turn-in inspections where they claim that tiny scratch on the car with 160k miles is my fault.
They just seem to get me checked in so they can get back to their phone. It's not a premium experience by any means, but it's simple.
throw8383833jj|3 years ago
In life, i've learned, that if an optional extra price isn't listed for that option, don't select it. and if you really need that option and the price isn't there, just hit the back button and don't use that service ever again.
jamies|3 years ago
RocketOne|3 years ago
Last trip Enterprise was fully booked so I did try Budget. Their office is so small that you actually have to arrive at our local airport and THEN call the attendant who comes in from her house to book out your car. That took almost an hour.
The return process is even sillier. Write your mileage on a poorly photocopied slip of paper, and drop it on her desk with the keys. No pics. No checkout inspection, just 'trust us not to charge you extra'.
Fortunately I took a ton of pictures including the odometer so when they couldnt do math and tried to charge me an extra 1000 km, I fought back with pics and got those charges dropped. That's the last time I use Budget.
Insanity|3 years ago
za3faran|3 years ago
Don't most credit cards provide rental insurance? How is their coverage different (if it is)?
iso1631|3 years ago
However I was in one a few months ago and got a puncture on a dual carriageway. By the time I pulled over to a safe location the tyre was shredded. No problem, go into the boot to get the spare wheel out and I'll deal with it later.
There was no spare wheel. Just some little device which I assume is supposed to somehow re-inflate the tyre and seal any small holes for a small amount of time. Clearly not going to work when the side wall is shredded from driving the best part of a mile on it.
Too 6 hours for a tow-truck to arrive, pick me up, take me to a local garage, and change the tyre. That cost my employer far more than the cost of a spare wheel -- not to mention the cost of the tow itself being about the same price as the wheel + tyre.
Probably not a slight on Enterprise, as I'm sure it's the same with other hire companies (I hired from Sixt on holiday and it was the same). Why don't cars come with spare wheels any more? Are people really that incompetent they can't change one? Surely punctures as as common now as they were 20 years ago.
esalman|3 years ago
geoelectric|3 years ago
Not sure if I'm strictly a victim of effective marketing, or if they flipped places in the last however many years, or what, but it's interesting to see your post and the replies that imply I've got it backwards.
badrabbit|3 years ago
Overtonwindow|3 years ago
lrem|3 years ago
nickvanw|3 years ago
Filing a false police report is a crime, it would be nice to see that enforced against the company in one way or another.
jimmydddd|3 years ago
pitaj|3 years ago
HarryHirsch|3 years ago
No one important at Wells-Fargo went to jail either - they set policies which were expected to have certain outcomes, but top brass could not have possibly have foreseen the outcomes. I'm sick of plausible deniability, especially when it isn't even plausible any longer, the complaints go back years.
hedora|3 years ago
When I called customer support to deal with the issue, they hung up on me three times. (Typical conversation:
- Sit on hold for 15-45 minutes
- Hello, can I have your rental number?
- 12345-XYZ
- <click>
I told the fourth person I'd be issuing a chargeback and dumping the vehicle in front of the locked gate of their parking lot if they also hung up. They directed us to a location that couldn't accept the vehicle.
We ended up paying for one day rental or something, but at least I didn't go to jail.
As other commenters said, multiple people (probably management, execs) at Hertz should be serving time in federal prison.
mjhay|3 years ago
I finally got it towed because I said I'd just be forced to abandon it.
thelastgallon|3 years ago
In its release, Hertz says they believe “a meaningful portion of the settlement” will be covered by insurance so ‘no big deal’ to them what they did to customers, at least for investors. Meanwhile their CEO shrugs in an included statement saying they “will not always be perfect.”
xaerise|3 years ago
No way that the insurance company would cover negliance and fraud...
nerpderp82|3 years ago
fencepost|3 years ago
https://atlantablackstar.com/2022/12/04/hertz-false-stolen-c...
jboy55|3 years ago
gamblor956|3 years ago
California law does not have any sort of "prior use" exception to theft laws. Letting someone use a car in the past does not give them cart blanche to borrow it again without permission in the future.
You ex stole your car. If they police did not do anything, the proper response would be to take your complaint of inaction to Internal Affairs or your local elected representative. And then to take the car back yourself, or to hire a PI to retrieve the car or a lawyer to issue a demand letter for the return of the car.
g_sch|3 years ago
snapcaster|3 years ago
annexrichmond|3 years ago
jmyeet|3 years ago
It should be a legal requirement that a human review and sign off on any complaint about a stolen car to police. That personal (and company) should be held criminally liable for making false police reports in addition to any civil damages (including significant punitive damages) they should pay.
[1]: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna28787126
[2]: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56448688
vorpalhex|3 years ago
smsm42|3 years ago
fallingknife|3 years ago
>Ahead of this, Ma addressed an assembly of high-profile figures with a controversial speech that criticised the Chinese financial system. He was not seen in public again until late January. In the interim, there were rumours that he might have been placed under house arrest or otherwise detained. Some even questioned if he was still alive.
steve76|3 years ago
[deleted]
ergocoder|3 years ago
Someone needs to go to jail.
chickenpotpie|3 years ago
If a cashier at a fast food restaurant takes $30 from the register, they go to jail. If a company steals millions from their workers paychecks, we slap them with a tiny fine.
ccleve|3 years ago
bena|3 years ago
You fuck up someone's life bad enough and often enough, you just don't get to be a company anymore.
smsm42|3 years ago
maerF0x0|3 years ago
Ok this is horrific, and Hertz should be ashamed of their behavior. Now, we dont have any proof the arrest or jail time caused the miscarriage, but to the extent we believe it did, can we also talk for a minute about why our executive branch/jail system is so hard on people (of both sexes btw) such that physiological distress occurs such as miscarriages or suicides?
It's completely unnecessary, I'd dare say detrimental, to getting rehabilitated.
mrguyorama|3 years ago
Some people, whether they notice or not, prefer a world where "others" suffer.
lajosbacs|3 years ago
On the other hand, I am terrified to travel there fearing something like this will happen and I will rot in jail for some Kafkaesque mistake.
tristor|3 years ago
I travel a LOT, and there are very few businesses in that industry I hate, Hertz is one of them. My only times using Hertz have all ended in disaster.
m3047|3 years ago
aj7|3 years ago
jiveturkey|3 years ago
while this is indeed 364 too many, this number is still absolutely tiny. there is going to be lots of confirmation bias in this thread -- of bad interactions. whereas the very very large majority of customers are probably happy with hertz. i always have been.
don't get me wrong, someone at hertz should go to jail for this. but your chances of being one of those 364 seems absolutely tiny doesn't it? they must do a billion rentals a year.
panny|3 years ago
Says a lot about law enforcement practices when being wrongly accused by them is considered so terrible, that compensation is 10 years of average income in the country.
aktuel|3 years ago