I am fairly loyal to National Car Rental for a few reasons but until I had to rent from Hertz, I had no idea just how good I had it. By comparison, Hertz is worse than Spirit and RyanAir.
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World Series Comes to Houston
I had a last-minute business trip to Houston during the opening nights of the World Series. Rates were through the roof for everything, that’s fair enough, demand was inordinately high. However, I booked way too late and National was sold out, so was Enterprise.
My American Express Platinum card gives me Hertz privileges that appear similar to National’s Executive status, so I thought I’d try them out.
Hertz Is Full Of “Gotcha” Fees
The rental was fine, though expensive I assume due to the World Series. I was able to rent online and walk out selecting a car, as I would on the National Emerald Aisle as my booking was later and no car had been pre-assigned to me. The choices were average, but they had cars so who am I to complain?
Upon returning the vehicle, wow, was I ever met with “Gotcha” fees. Sometimes I don’t schedule time to refill the vehicle before returning. I could pre-pay but I rarely get a full tank out of a car, so even at normal rates I am likely paying for gas I didn’t use. National charges about 50% over the pre-pay rate which is usually at or slightly below pump prices. That seems reasonable for me especially if I am particularly busy and I have only used 1/4 of a tank.
Hertz charges $9.99/gallon.
Many cities require tolls to get around. You could technically get to and from the airport in Houston avoiding tolls, but that would be insanity. National sends me a bill for the tolls with a little extra for the service, that’s fine. In some cities, they charge a daily fee for the pass too where it’s not built into the license plate. On most similar trips to Houston, my tolls cost less than $10.
Hertz charged me $17.77 for the tolls and $23.80 for a convenience fee.
I’m rather confident that they added some if not more than doubled the tolls but they don’t break that down. I am 100% certain that Houston doesn’t have any tolls that end in anything besides $.05 increments. Then they have the nerve to charge me a $23.80 convenience fee on top of elevated rates? Further, since Texas doesn’t use toll passes (it’s scanned by license plate) I’m not even certain the convenience fee is legal because there would be no way to incur a toll but avoid conveniences provided.
To add insult to injury, I received another $.70 toll fee that must have arrived to Hertz late a week after this though not charge for an additional convenience fee. Gee, thanks.
How Do Spirit, RyanAir Compare?
Low Cost carriers are built on Gotcha charges and representing their total costs as lower than the total cost of travel.
- Low-Cost Carriers charge convenience fees to buy their fares online (the true meaning of a convenience fee) included in the price of the fare, but avoidable if tickets are purchased in person at the airport. Unlike the airlines which make their fee avoidable, Hertz doesn’t have a way to avoid the fee but still incur the toll processing.
- Hertz isn’t even trying to offer their customers value when they charge $9.99/gallon for refuelling. Instead, they are merely trying to catch customers when they have the chance. Both RyanAir and Spirit charge for carry-on bags on their cheapest fares (so does United) but they charge less than any major carrier for checked bags adding value to their customers.
- Spirit and RyanAir charge low base fares and then piecemeal the rest of the fare to equate something a little cheaper than the rest of the competition. Hertz is an expensive firm to start, adding fees like this make them outrageous. Where’s the value?
- Hertz now charges a 50% penalty for cancelling award bookings. Spirit has to allow for free cancellation within 24 hours of booking per US law. While that’s not an example of Spirit going out of their way, it does still beat Hertz and highlights how insane their cancellation policy is.
Conclusion
I’m just one traveler. While I have about 100 rental days annually with National, maybe I am in the minority with my displeasure of the brand. Hertz has a lot of loyal members who probably follow their rules (like I do with RyanAir and Spirit) and enjoy their service. That said, National doesn’t include a bunch of “gotcha” fees to drive revenue, they just deliver great value for money. There’s an old saying in the restaurant business, “never let your customers taste the competition,” however in my experience, there’s no chance I am heading to Hertz.
What do you think? Have you been caught by Hertz “gotcha” fees? Was your experience better than mine?
I returned my car this week to Hertz still on full (though not literally full) – got charged $22 after return for fuel. That was a first.
Believe they charge $5.99/day for any toll states, plus the actual tolls – they will charge you the rate every day of your reservation, EVEN if you aren’t using the car & hitting tolls on a given day.
They do suck – I have a good corporate rate which is the only thing that keeps me with them. Cars in President’s Circle are still pretty terrible.
Hertz is by far the worst major rental company. I have had the worst experiences with them. Also don’t try using their points on the same day, they won’t let you.
@ Kyle — All of this is disclosed up front. Not sure why you are complaining. I primarily rent from Hertz (for now, until my points are all used, then will switch because they are the crooks that massively devalued our points without warning). I always return the car full and do not use toll roads (you can block toll roads from navigation on the Google Maps app). Thank you for the reminder that Ineed to hurry up and be done with Hertz before they steal from me again.
Dead right, I’m what about the administration fee they charge whenever you get fined for something in England. $35 they never miss a trick. I want the car out and came back and they was the slightest Nick on one of the wheels. they have to admit that on the photographs that I took which I sent to them it was not even visible. They tried to charge me $150 for that at London airport.
I rent often from Hertz, usually in Vegas. NO issues; fast service – Gold – just go pick your car; choices (like gas choices) all pre-loaded in my profile, so never asked.
Guess it depends on your own experience…..
>You could technically get to and from the airport in Houston avoiding tolls, but that would be insanity.
I lived in Houston for a decade and never drove to IAH using a toll road.
And is it really a “gotcha” fee if it’s disclosed up front? Every time I’ve ever rented a car the price of fuel is somewhere pretty prominent either at the counter or on my paperwork.
Living In Houston for 12 years gives you an obvious advantage over someone that just arrived.
In defense of of Hertz I always had a good experience with them and often find renting cheaper then Uber or Taxis unless it’s a short trip.
I don’t like Hertz at all. Besides their ridiculous fees, I have had issues with my credit cards being stolen/hacked the last 2x I used Hertz. Both times they were on cards that I had not used anywhere else but Hertz. I will not use them again.
Personally, I still think Avis/Budget is worse than Hertz. Cars tend to be worse in my experience and their knockoff of the PC/5* section (Select&Go) is either never stocked or the equivalent of the “Manager’s Special” at Hertz. They also charge the same fees that Hertz does for refueling and tolls (which I agree are BS – especially in TX where you have virtually no options to pay them yourself except getting a $25 K-Tag) and they are much more adept at using the car’s connected technology to determine the fuel isn’t EXACTLY full (literally got hit with $10 refueling because the car was out with 13.1 gal and came back at 13.0 gal). Even though the cars at Hertz PC aren’t as good as National’s Executive Aisles, at the very least I still have a decent amount of choice unlike Avis, where it’s typically take it or leave it.
If I didn’t HAVE to use Avis for virtually all of my corporate rentals, I wouldn’t. And likewise, if National would waive the underage fees when I’m not on a corporate rate (and have rates as low as Hertz), I’d be renting there every time. I agree that National is by far the best out there I’ve experienced, but I don’t think Hertz hits the bottom of the barrel yet.
To clarify, Texas does have toll passes called TxTag.
If I want a quick and reliable service I always rent from National. Go to Emerald Aisle Executive and pick the car I want and no BS. When I want to get something different I go to Silvercar or Sixt. Silvercar you know what you get but it is expensive and inconvenient to take a shuttle outside the airport. However, their fees are transparent and you don’t usually get surprises. The fun one is Sixt. You can get super nice cars for vey cheap prices depending on the market. The catch is that you don’t really get a specific car like on Silvercar but you get the same category. I rented a Range Rover in Orlando for $69/day. In Europe, I find Avis the most reliable. They are all terrible but I find Avis to have the newer cars. Hertz sucks anywhere and I agree they have crazy fees. They are by far way below other competitors in terms of technology. Filling up a tank is a thing if the past and Silvercar made that very easy where their system knows exactly how many gallons you used and only charges you for that. I avoid Hertz like the plague.
WoW….thanks for the heads up, to say the least!!!
I definitely don’t want to fall on that mine field.
I was thinking of using Hertz for my next rental car. Thanks to u, u saved me from stepping on that mine!!!
Have noted on numerous occasions that the Hertz rate quote is higher when I use the registered account with them (card on file, etc), rather than quoting as a guest. That has always sealed the deal for me (rent elsewhere).
We rented and prepaid an automatic Mercedes Oct.15th,19 in Malaga Spain. Upon arrival we were told that they did not have a Mercedes and we accepted a car of lesser value. Car had dents and scratches all over and didn’t have a full tank of gas. Car was located in a parking garage and with 2 large suitcases we weren’t walking back to counter to complain. We signed Documents containing Confirmation fees that we had chosen prior to our trip at the Hertz counter. Upon return of the Car on October 22,19, we filled the gas tank using our remaining Euros and handed the keys, gas receipt and rental agreement with used mileage info. We informed that tank was full to the same woman whom had handled our rental on Oct 15th. We signed no other paperwork, she wished us a good trip back
to the USA. and we left. When our Credit card statement arrived, I noticed that an additional charge of ,$243.00 euros had been charged by Hertz on Oct 22,19. I called Hertz and was told that I was charged $75.00 for gas, which we had filled and given the woman the receipt. We were also charged an upgrade charge? We received a car worth Less than we rented? Why would we Upgrade upon Return? We Signed no paperwork other than initial Contact. This Company has Thieves working For them and probably are Rewarded for stealing from their Clients. Now I am waiting for Credit card to Dispute these fraudulent charges. I will WALK rather than Rent from Hertz!
Had a similar problem renting from Hertz in Sicily, Italy. I had at that time the highest status level with Hertz which guarantees the exactly car you rented. I had reserved a minivan and when we got to the place they said that was not available. It was a 2 hour battle with them and me tweeting Hertz in the US but I got nowhere. I was given a station wagon that had not only numerous dents and scratches but had a fully banged door which that was bent inwards. I had no option since it was that car or walk so I got it. I had to place luggage on the lap of my kids since the car was not big enough for our needs. Next day I got a call from the manager offering to exchange the car but I refused. I had driven almost 100 miles away from the location and was not willing to drive back to get a different car. Actually the tweets with Hertz were good and they waived half of the rent because of all the headaches I had, That was the last time I rented from them. In my experience, renting in Europe is very challenging and can be a hit or miss no matter what company you use.
Hertz used to be good but not anymore. Had a ridiculous experience in Grand Cayman a few weeks ago. i arrived and the lady tried to upsell me to a Jeep which I declined then she’s told me thats the only car they had available. (not my problem). Manager came over and gave it to me for “free”… I got my car after 30 minutes of waiting since they were behind on cleaning. When i got the car it literally had 1/8 fuel left on it and the fuel light was on. No use in complaining since it was the only car they had left so i reluctantly took it and drove off. Some point later discovered the tail light was busted and also the tire became flat. So..yeah no Hertz for me for a while…
I don’t rent from National because Alamo usually completely smokes their rates, and the rentals are all on my dime, can’t stick an employer with an inflated bill.
I used to have Five Star with Hertz but they jacked up the qualifications and continually devalued the points program… so, uh, thanks but obviously you want me to go away, that works for me too. Now I use a corporate rate at Avis a lot (who also does stuff with convenience fees but I know how to avoid them), plus Alamo or others on cheap rates.
National & Alamo are the same company! Where do you think Natnl cars go when they pass 10kmiles?
Hertz has quietly repositioned themselves as the “budget” rental car company. The rates are often cheaper. It’s interesting as they used to be the higher end of the group. Yes, they have crazy markups and “other” charges.
But going further than your review is to also note that it shows in the vehicles. They tend to have much higher mileage cars, they are often dirty and…my biggest pet peeve, most all are cloth seats so the smells of all those different people driving are horrid.
My approach to Hertz is that if it’s a quick in and out rental for a day that does not involve tolls or other potential for charges AND they are significantly cheaper, ok. Otherwise, no way.
Pretty much where I am at, except it’s not very often where they are the lowest rate in my travels.
To clarify a few things on toll roads in Texas. Both the HCTRA (Harris County Toll Road Authority – Houston’s system) and North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA – DFW’s system) switched to a new pricing system several years ago where while the tolls are fixed, they can be literally anything. You’ll see weird rates like $1.14, for example. In addition, it’s not true that Texas only uses plate scanning. All toll road systems in the state use a separate EZ-pass type system, though they are interoperable (i.e. I can use my NTTA tag on HCTRA roads and vice versa). Vehicles without a tag can use the roads – they will just scan your plate – but the toll charge is anywhere from 50-100% higher. You have to read the board on the entrance ramp to see what the difference is.
I *think* National just equips their cars with tags, and then adds a fee onto the rate. Hertz uses PlatePass, which is the source of the scam. They charge tolls at the non-transponder rate and then tack on a daily fee – and you’re charged the fee for EACH DAY of your rental, beginning on the first day you use a toll road, regardless of whether you use them every day or not. PlatePass has been the subject of class action lawsuits in Florida for those practices.
Anyway, long winded way of saying they probably charged you correctly for the tolls (what National would have charged plus the non-transponder surcharge), but yes, it’s still a rip-off the way Hertz does it. Budget is just as bad, FWIW. You used to be able to end-around this by getting yourself a Toll Tag, then just switching the transponder to your rental and going in to your account and entering the license plate. But that loophole closed many years ago when they switched to windshield sticker tags from the old transponder boxes. Bah.
Actually, there is a way around the scam if you have “National Pass”. It’s a pretty expensive buy-in, as you have to buy a transponder, but I use it whenever traveling in the US. It works with ALL systems including Texas.
https://www.nationalpass.net/
This is a great referral! I never knew it existed. I am going to try this out. Especially useful in Texas where my EZPass doesn’t work. I might just ditch EZPass altogether to streamline.
Interesting – can you use it on a rental car, though? I thought there was no way to defeat the “Plate Pass” or a locally installed transponder since it’s linked to the car’s license plate?
Hertz IS A TOTAL RIP OFF . THEY TOOK OVER $2000.00 FROM ME AND HAD MY BANK CARD OVER DRAFT. I’M STILL TRYING TO GET MY MONEY FROM HERTZ OR BANK OF AMERICA. BOTH ARE CROOKS! THEY ARE BOTH SAYING THEY DON’T HAVE THE MONEY. BUT IT IS SOMEWHERE NOT IN MY POCKETS. I’M GOING VIRAL ABOUT HERTZ AND BANK OF AMERICA WILL STEAL FROM YOU. A GOOD CUSTOMER. BRIAN MAHONEY THE CEO OF BOA DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO COMPENSATE ME. HE IS A JOKE!
Worst company ever
I’ve come to the point where even though I have “status” with Hertz and National, I rent based on price and location. For instance, I travel to Burlington, VT frequently. Hertz there is fine, while National is a local franchisee that’s a crook. In Minneapolis, I rent with National, because Hertz’s cars there are crap.
Hertz used to be great in the days of OJ Simpson. Now OJ Simpson is a sorry character and Hertz is heading that way.
One problem is the local and state governments. They should allow online toll payments or there should be one or two national toll transponders.
What I do and don’t like is to become familiar with a city’s highways before the trip and determine if I can avoid tolls. To me, the following cities can be done with way:
Seattle
San Francisco (except bridges)
Chicago (but can be difficult if you need to use the Tri-State Tollway)
NYC (but free bridges are not always convenient) (not NYC-NJ)
Houston
Also Hertz in Germany is supposed to be overly picky about tiny dents, even charging for pre-existing dents. Flyertalk has many posts on that. My experience is that they tried to charge me but I pointed to their own sticker inside the trunk with showed the small door ding.
These days. most of my rentals with Hertz are at their HLE locations. That being said, as a PC member, at the HLE’s, I find that the locations upgrade me more often than not to an SUV, or really anything that is available and not already being held for another renter. I book the least expensive vehicle, whether that is through AutoSlash or Priceline, or a combination thereof – and using whatever discounts that work best. For insurance, I use my CNB Infinite Visa card.
I have started traveling more to Orlando, and I did pick-up a SunPass – after reviewing Hertz’s outrageous fees for using PlatePass. My last two trips in October to MCO, using Hertz at a HLE location – as Hertz has many HLE’s in the greater Orlando area – this saves a great deal on the airport fees. So far, I have not had any extra/additional toll charges outside of my own SunPass, and I always refuel nearby at a cheap 7-Eleven or Wawa.
So, for me, my experience with Hertz has been fine – but I do agree that in some ways, they are picking up/implementing some of the operational policies from Thrifty and Dollar – and this mentality long-term will chase away their corporate base. I’m sure corporate travel managers will be/or are having discussions with their Hertz national account manager if the nickel and diming problems become worse, or those corporations start seeing big increases in their spend related to pesky charges and fees.
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