Rental car woes

Stemme said:
Rented from Hertz got hit in the rear. Did not have their coverage but the credit card covered the repair. Then Hertz billed me for the days of lost revenue when the car was being repaired. The credit card company refused to pay for this charge. Of course the person who hit me had no insurance. My own car insurance would not pay for the time Hertz's car was out of service. The lady who hit me vaporized. The DA says if she is ever pulled over again she will go to jail. Ended up costing me 1000 dollars. Never Hertz again
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That is all rental car companies and insurance companies.
 
I normally rent with Hertz (high status) and not had issues. I used to rent with Alamo, but they charge up front, not when you return. So when traveling for work, I would get the charge on the first day, but did not reimbursed until after the trip, so sometimes had a long rental I had to pay out of pocket.

I did have a run in with Enterprise. I went to T41 to get some transition training and pick up my airplane. I flew into IAH and Ubered to hotel. Next morning, went to Enterprise and rented. My transition IP told me about the FBO desk, and we called and arranged to leave the car at the FBO. I get home and get an email that Enterprise charged me $200 to pick up the car.

I called and explained that the FBO drop off was coordinated, at no cost, with the FBO desk. FYI, the FBO was maybe 4 - 5 miles from the rental office. The lady said I should have come to the office to drop off the car and they would have driven me back for free. I pointed out I left on Sunday. So she tells me, we would have reimbursed you for an Uber back. Really, maybe tell people that. I pointed out that she would cut the fee in half and asked if that would be acceptable. I said sure, and I will NEVER rent from Enterprise again. She decided to waive the fee.

The no cars thing should be getting straightened out. Over COVID, few rentals, so they sold their cars but did not reorder. Then people start traveling, but supplies of cars are low and slow coming, so lack of cars. Eventually, things will even out.

We rented from Alamo at SAT last spring. Arrived and NO cars. Had to wait about 15 minutes for a car to come in and be cleaned. But they did clean it before turning it over.
 
Man. Last time I rented a car this lady was working the desk and wouldn't get off the blasted phone, talking about having to make the crescent rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.

I just wanted her to wipe that ****ing dumb-ass smile off her rosy ****ing cheeks and give me a ****ing automobile. A ****ing Datsun, a ****ing Toyota, a ****ing Buick. Just four **** wheels and a seat.

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Sundancer said:
"wasn't notified of her court dates" - that part smells fishy - it can happen, but not THAT many times. She was a no-show in court.
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Doesn't sound fishy at all. I'm a lawyer and I've had courts mess up where they mailed things to, and that's when they have my address and name on pleadings and can double check with the State Bar. That they're allegedly mailing notices to an out of state resident at who knows what address when that person has no idea that they've been accused of stealing a car that they did not steal in the first place sounds like a perfect storm of how to not get notified.
 
donjohnston said:
$168 million to pay 364 claims. About $460,000 per claim. After the lawyers get their cut, it will be even less. Some of those 364 people spent days in jail after being arrested.
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So 300 grand net for the complete and utter incompetence and resultant jailing.

I assume these were little jails, not PMITA prisons, so ... I mean, I'd have felt 300 grand sufficient to dry my tears with. Not saying it should have happened, but the recompense seems adequate.
 
schmookeeg said:
So 300 grand net for the complete and utter incompetence and resultant jailing.

I assume these were little jails, not PMITA prisons, so ... I mean, I'd have felt 300 grand sufficient to dry my tears with. Not saying it should have happened, but the recompense seems adequate.
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I read a couple spent 30 days in jail. Not sure why but $300k wouldn’t be nearly enough to me.
 
Going back to the original post... Since the pandemic, I'd say that we probably end up without cars 10% of the time, and usually the FBO will just give us a courtesy car to get the job done.

As to the more recent issue with Hz... I did get a letter from them after a trip to Florida in March accusing me of not returning my car. I called their loss prevention number that was in the letter and stated that I did return the car, and they took care of it and I got an apology email minutes later (form, of course)... The whole thing got taken care of so quickly, it's almost like they'd been doing that repeatedly...
 
My nephew does a lot of business travel, and he hates Hertz with a passion.
 
donjohnston said:
I read a couple spent 30 days in jail. Not sure why but $300k wouldn’t be nearly enough to me.
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Agree. In addition to fines and reimbursement, they should lose the ability to file criminal charges against people forever. As a public corporation, why should they believe they have the right to file in the first place? It's a privilege of questionable value and morality. Let them file a civil suit for the cost of the car, with an explanation to the court that they should assume that the company is incorrect based on prior bad behavior. Their problems aren't worth tying up the time of law enforcement. The existence of one rental car company doesn't matter, at all. Maybe this sounds harsh, but collectively we treat imaginary beings far too much like people. Sometimes we need to thin the herd a bit.
 
Sundancer said:
Oh yeah, and there is funny Seinfeld scene about exactly that. I've had Enterprise do a "no show" on me. Twice, with no comms. In DC a couple weeks ago Budget substituted an "upgrade" (no extra charge) but the Florida tags on the car were expired. I decided to not notice, and hoped maybe FL just wasn't using stickers anymore. if I was stopped, I'd call Budget, tell them their car was impounded and get an Uber. I did call Budget but I don't think the rep really understood what the issue was. The call was dropped and they didn't call back. I think maybe two-out-three times the class of car I reserved wasn't available.
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I had a car from Budget that I returned a week ago that had, among other things, stickers from Utah that had expired a year previously. This was in Florida. Fortunately, I did not get pulled over for the expired stickers.
 
Me too, had a rental car with expired plates, they said they would pay for tickets if given one, but in some states that could be a criminal charge on record.
 
mandm said:
Me too, had a rental car with expired plates, they said they would pay for tickets if given one, but in some states that could be a criminal charge on record.
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I got that same line from Texas Avis, after being pulled over by Mexican Federal Police in Mexico.

The Officer was not amused, and the stop was lengthy and could have gone very badly.

Worse yet, the Avis franchise location was reusing the paper temp tags and forging new expiration dates on them as they expired (wite-out and a sharpie). The temp tag number also did not match the rental paperwork.

Avis corporate ho-hummed, and the local franchise owner gave me the “no big deal, we would have paid your ticket.”

I was not amused either.
 
Steve Costello said:
Man. Last time I rented a car this lady was working the desk and wouldn't get off the blasted phone, talking about having to make the crescent rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.

I just wanted her to wipe that ****ing dumb-*** smile off her rosy ****ing cheeks and give me a ****ing automobile. A ****ing Datsun, a ****ing Toyota, a ****ing Buick. Just four **** wheels and a seat.

13.jpg
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My last rental (nothing to do with GA) involved picking up a car at DUL and dropping it off at BWI a few days later (because those were the only flight reservations I could get on short notice). I rented from Alamo
because they were the only company that would do a one way at that time and place. Lousy schedule, arriving about midnight (and delayed to boot) - and then i went to the rental office to find a long line of
people waiting to pick up cars and only two employees serving them. Of course some of those ahead of me had horrible problems that took forever to resolve. The line moved very slowly (and some people gave up and
left). After serving several customers the woman clerk walked out the door without saying anything to anyone. She was gone for perhaps 45 minutes - then returned and resumed waiting on customers. It so happened
I was next - and my transaction was quick and trouble free. Didn't ask her why she left - but she left again after finishing my rental. I was probably in that place for over two hours - and finally got to my hotel
around 3:30 AM (fortunately they had my room ready). Not fun - and I doubt that I will try such a thing ever again.

Dave
 
Two most recent rental experiences. One was a car from Budget (I think) I'd reserved the cheapest thing they had, the "Mystery Car" as it was called on the website, for pickup at DFW. I walked in expecting a green Yugo with four bald tires, and a brown door. I was instead handed the keys to a brand new Toyota Tundra Off Road. Had about 100 miles on it. Return was also no trouble.
Second rental was this past August with U-Haul. I was supposed to pick it up in Wichita Falls, but I'd arrived at SPS a bit late, ~1:00am. I called the 800 number, and was told that I could go to the truck, open the back, get the key, and go. No worries. Return was a non-event.
As to Enterprise, They just suck.
 
Oh, I forgot to tell this one.
I tried to rent a car from Dollar or Thrifty this year (internationally) and was delighted to be refused a car because I was on the Hertz Do Not Rent list (a blacklist of sorts). Staff could not tell me anything about it. When I got back I decided that I needed to be sure I could use D & T (and maybe even H) as options in the event no others were available or if my boss rented me a car with them on one of my trips.
So when I got back, I called H's Rental Suspension phone line (forget using their email - the response time is over a week and not helpful when they do respond...other times they did not respond).
The R.S department told me the issue has gone to collection, they could only tell me it was from a chargeback of $69.00 years ago (I have never disputed any charges with them and I don't think any of my rentals were as little as $69 anyway). They could not accept my payment of $69 (I offered, even if it was not my charge in order to resolve it). So I had to call their 3rd party collection service.
Funny the collection agency had all my contact info correct, but in all the 'years', I had zero calls/emails/letters from them. I asked what was the reason for the collection and when/where was it. They knew nothing. They knew I was in the system with H. but had no record of a debt.
Because of this, they could not let me pay the $69 to resolve it. They said I needed to contact the H. Rental Suspension line (see above).
I did so and was told they can find nothing about this so they are going to take me off their blacklist. No, of course they cannot provide me any written evidence of this.
I suppose I will test it sometime later.
They are so incompetent.
 
PS- when did rental agencies start mis-categorizing cars*?
I am no expert but I am certain a Toyota Corolla is not a "mid-size" car.
Ford Explorer? "Midsize SUV" lol. Malibu or Camry; "Full Size car", snort!
Every vehicle they list is shown at least one category better than actual!
*or buying into manufacturers naming errors
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
PS- when did rental agencies start mis-categorizing cars*?
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It doesn't matter anyway, they won't have what you asked for anyway, and will try to charge you more for whatever is left, even if it is some micro-sized SUV. It's getting fun in California because Hertz is replacing a lot of their fleet with EVs - Bolts and Kia Niro's in particular. Then someone shows up wanting to rent a car to drive to Vegas, and has no idea how or where to charge it, or how long it will take. (Answer, they'll get to spend some quality time in Barstow. How long will depend on which charger is available. Might be 30 minutes or 3 hours.)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Oh, I forgot to tell this one.
I tried to rent a car from Dollar or Thrifty this year (internationally) and was delighted to be refused a car because I was on the Hertz Do Not Rent list (a blacklist of sorts).
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Any chance a past international rental involved a speeding ticket or similar? I’ve had a few over the years (always the camera type). Two charges: the ticket itself (which comes later) and a charge by the rental company for providing the police with your contact info. Maybe you missed that notice? It’s typically in that price range.
 
donjohnston said:
$168 million to pay 364 claims. About $460,000 per claim. After the lawyers get their cut, it will be even less. Some of those 364 people spent days in jail after being arrested.
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I'll spend a week in jail for only $100K.
 
I am seeing Go Rentals all over Florida. They seem to be embedding themselves into the busier FBOs.

I priced them in Tampa but they were double getting a car from Hertz at the terminal but competitive with Hertz from Signature. This was a 500.00 delta so I has Signature carry me over to the terminal. The driver mentioned that this was happening more and more.
 
Kelvin said:
I am seeing Go Rentals all over Florida. They seem to be embedding themselves into the busier FBOs.

I priced them in Tampa but they were double getting a car from Hertz at the terminal but competitive with Hertz from Signature. This was a 500.00 delta so I has Signature carry me over to the terminal. The driver mentioned that this was happening more and more.
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That's interesting. I have a leftover corporate account with National. I always compare and if they are at the airport, they are the best price for me. The only exception I've come across so far was with Go Rentals through the Atlantic FBO at BDL in Connecticut. So like car rentals generally, location is often a determining factor.
 
Kelvin said:
I am seeing Go Rentals all over Florida. They seem to be embedding themselves into the busier FBOs.

I priced them in Tampa but they were double getting a car from Hertz at the terminal but competitive with Hertz from Signature. This was a 500.00 delta so I has Signature carry me over to the terminal. The driver mentioned that this was happening more and more.
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I am based at Million Air ADS and they have switched back to Hertz after using Go for several years. At EDC Avis has been cheaper even though Go has a location there. Not a fan of Go.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Any chance a past international rental involved a speeding ticket or similar? I’ve had a few over the years (always the camera type). Two charges: the ticket itself (which comes later) and a charge by the rental company for providing the police with your contact info. Maybe you missed that notice? It’s typically in that price range.
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I had a delayed charge for a toll camera in FL. I called and explained I had not driven to that area. They did contact the toll people, when they looked, it was the wrong license plate. But only one character off, so the person entering made a mistake.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
PS- when did rental agencies start mis-categorizing cars*?
I am no expert but I am certain a Toyota Corolla is not a "mid-size" car.
Ford Explorer? "Midsize SUV" lol. Malibu or Camry; "Full Size car", snort!
Every vehicle they list is shown at least one category better than actual!
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I think you may have confused the Explorer with something else. That's the largest of the Ford crossover SUVs and the second-largest of their sizable SUV lineup behind the full-sized body-on-frame Expedition. The smaller Edge is also considered mid-size, with the Escape, Bronco, and Mach-E being compact and the EcoSport being a subcompact.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
The smaller Edge is also considered mid-size, with the Escape, Bronco, and Mach-E being compact and the EcoSport being a subcompact.
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There are 2 Broncos. The Bronco Sport is an offshoot of the Escape. The Bronco (proper), could be considered mid-size.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
could be Kent.
It looks puny to my f@t *** though!

View attachment 118227
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And as if to prove your point, they called it Full Size! :goofy:

That's not that much of a stretch though. It is a good sized three-row vehicle.

Reminded me of an old Onion article that was written at the point where Ford had (in increasing order of size) the Escape, Edge, Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion, the last of which was a 10-cylinder, four-row, oversized monstrosity. The Onion article talked about Ford's introduction of the Ford Exorbitant, with several bedrooms and bathrooms and a spare Explorer on the roof to run get groceries. :rofl:

However, everything old is new again... In looking for that (only found this copy of it), I found this much more recent Onion article from just a couple weeks ago: Ford Unveils New 4-Lane SUV :rofl:
 
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