My car was hit and I needed a rental and Hertz is what the other person's insurance would pay for. I was picked up at the body shop by a nice guy who helped me with the stuff I was taking from my car and drove me over. There were other people in line, so I had to wait a few minutes to be helped, but that's understandable. When I got up to the desk to get service, we started and the person helping me had to swap with the person helping another customer because she didn't know how to process the other person's order. Also, understandable. Finally, I'm the only person at the counter waiting to be helped and another person walks in. She immediately starts talking to my counter person, who engages with her. Now, I've worked customer service and when I'm helping someone, I help that person. I would have appreciated it if the Hertz employee had asked the other customer to wait until I had been helped before dealing with her. That didn't happen in this case though.
For my processing, I was quizzed about all kinds of information despite having handed the employee everything she asked for on the sheet from the body shop, which was an ineffective use of time. Then she tells me the car I was going to get. I don't know much about cars and simply agreed. She said it was being cleaned and would be done soon. My back was killing me so I didn't sit down. After 45 minutes of waiting, a couple walked in and asked to rent a car. The same Hertz employee who helped me simply asked for a credit card and then told them about the gas payment. She then offered them the make/model car that I have as their rental. This somewhat flabbergasted me since she knew that was the car I regularly drive, but didn't offer it to me. Oh well, I thought, they'll be waiting for awhile. No, I was wrong again. They paid and walked straight out and hopped in the car and left. I was absolutely fuming. I proceeded to inform a different employee that I found their treatment of me unacceptable since I had been waiting this whole time when they obviously had other clean cars they could have given me. I was told it wasn't their fault the car they assigned was so dirty and they wanted to get it to rental level.
The car finally came around, and I had the foresight to ask if the gas penalty was for me as well since it hadn't been mentioned. I was told it was. Angrily, I shut the door and drove off. At this point, it's my own fault, but I quickly discovered that even with the seat all the way forward, I couldn't reach the gas pedal. Needless to say, I didn't do much driving.
Returning the car was thankfully less painful. Aside from having the most ineffective staff at checking cars in and processing people out, I completed this process in about 20 minutes. I was returned to the body shop.
Long story short: Go to any other car rental agency. read more
