Extremely Disappointing Experience - Stay Away
This was by far one of the worst experiences I have ever had with a rental car company.
We reserved a hybrid vehicle a full week in advance because we had a 12-hour drive planned. When we arrived at Hertz Montclair, we were given a completely different vehicle--a regular SUV that was not a hybrid and did not meet what we specifically reserved. To make matters worse, the vehicle did not even have cruise control, which is completely unacceptable for a 12-hour trip.
We immediately asked for assistance and were told there was nothing they could do. I asked for the manager, Justin, who identified himself as the manager. When I asked for his supervisor, I was told the supervisor was on maternity leave and that there was essentially nothing he could do other than offer us a one-day rental credit for a future rental.
Why would we want a future rental after an experience like this?
We then called Hertz Customer Service, hoping they would actually resolve the problem. Instead, they offered us essentially the same thing--a future one-day rental. We explained that this was completely unacceptable.
Customer Service then instructed us to leave the vehicle at the Montclair location and said they would call us within an hour to locate another Hertz location that could provide the hybrid we had originally reserved.
When we attempted to follow those instructions, we encountered Kyle Bunda, who was extremely dismissive, condescending, and unhelpful. Rather than assisting us with a problem that Hertz Customer Service had specifically instructed us to resolve at that location, his attitude made an already frustrating situation even worse.
When I told him that his attitude toward customers was inappropriate, instead of trying to help, he became even more argumentative. When my husband later returned the vehicle, Kyle reportedly gave him a smirk and acted as though the entire situation was a joke.
At this point, the issue was no longer simply about receiving the wrong vehicle. It was about the complete lack of customer service, accountability, communication, and basic respect we received from multiple Hertz employees.
We made our reservation in good faith. We specifically requested a hybrid. We planned a long trip around that reservation. Hertz failed to provide what we reserved and then essentially left us to deal with the consequences ourselves.
A future one-day rental credit is not a solution. After this experience, I would never rent from Hertz again.
I am still waiting to hear from Hertz Corporate regarding how they intend to make this situation right. I sincerely hope corporate management takes this complaint seriously and reviews how this location handled the situation and how customers are being treated.
If you are planning an important trip and need a rental car you can actually count on, I would strongly recommend considering another rental company.
Hertz has completely lost my trust and my business. read more