Hertz BNE - is this (bad service) normal?

[AdMEL]

Recently had a 5 day prestige car rental from BNE.

Authorisation on my credit card of $1,300 was completed over 24 hours before I was due to collect the car.

When I picked up the car, my name was on the board, but no parking spot number. Took them about 15 minutes to find the paperwork.

Asked them to add an additional driver to the agreement (not one automatically covered, such as spouse).

Didn't thoroughly check the amended rental agreement, but later (after driving off with car) noticed that they had added additional driver charge (not applicable to #1 Club Gold).

Also later noticed they had the collection time 1 hour earlier than my reservation, which added half a day's rental charge to my estimate! I figured this would not apply if I returned the car within the 24 hour period of my actual collection time, which it was/didn't.

When I returned the car, I went back to the counter (rather than letting the roving staff member close off the rental and give me a receipt) and asked them to remove the additional driver surcharge. The two staff knew nothing about the Gold exemption. I advised it was clearly stated on the Hertz website - they advised they could not access the Hertz website! They called a couple of other staff, who also didn't know about it. I reluctantly left the charge and said I would take it would take it up with customer relations. The day after, I had typed an e-mail to customer relations, but checked the receipt online before I sent it and realised the charge was now not there! Annoying!

Car also seemed to have a lot rattles and squeaks, including what appeared to be a suspension rattle, despite only having 2,400km on the clock.

Is this normal, or have I been unlucky? Am I being unrealistic?

 

[docjames]

Hertz's systems arent great. I keep having the recurring issue that they credit my velocity acct (which is no longer listed in my profile!) and not the scheme I choose (FWIW Priority club). I have to keep chasing it, and they sem unable to resolve this. Pretty annoying.

Re:rattles - either it's been flogged or is a lemon. Either way, Hertz arent going to get rid of it for a few rattles.

Surprised at the lack of staff knowledge though.....

 

[markis10]

Hertz's systems arent great. I keep having the recurring issue that they credit my velocity acct (which is no longer listed in my profile!) and not the scheme I choose (FWIW Priority club). I have to keep chasing it, and they sem unable to resolve this. Pretty annoying.

Re:rattles - either it's been flogged or is a lemon. Either way, Hertz arent going to get rid of it for a few rattles.

Surprised at the lack of staff knowledge though.....

I am not surprised at all with the lack of staff knowledge and have had indifferent staff experiences at the airport, the downtown branch on the other hand are fantastic!

 

[AdMEL]

Hertz's systems arent great. I keep having the recurring issue that they credit my velocity acct (which is no longer listed in my profile!) and not the scheme I choose (FWIW Priority club). I have to keep chasing it, and they sem unable to resolve this. Pretty annoying.

Re:rattles - either it's been flogged or is a lemon. Either way, Hertz arent going to get rid of it for a few rattles.

Surprised at the lack of staff knowledge though.....

I know what you mean - I had a similar problem with Hertz crediting QFF instead of VFF, long after they discontinued their partnership and long after I removed QFF from my profile.

I am not surprised at all with the lack of staff knowledge and have had indifferent staff experiences at the airport, the downtown branch on the other hand are fantastic!

I find Melbourne Downtown to be generally good, but that could be because most of the staff know me.

 

[markj23]

at Melbourne Airport yesterday i got the privilege of being charged $153.17 "Fuel Surcharge" for returning the car with a FULL tank - luckily i noticed before getting on the plane and got it fixed up on the spot (and before someone else got the car etc)

Ive rented with them twice since getting #1 Club Gold status match and must say im not that impressed, AVIS gave better service for me

 

[N860CR]

I've always found Hertz to be terrible. I don't use them often, unless I have to (only about five times this year), and every single time they overcharge or charge the wrong rate and I have to chase it up. It generally gets fixed within a week or so, but I know I'm the only person in my office cough enough to check over these things (most don't care when it's on a company charge) so I can only imagine how much Hertz get away with...

Never once have I had an explanation as to why I was overcharged, they simply refund it. The few emails I've sent to request an explanation have all gone ignored.

 

[Simo]

I have hired with all the company's and IMO it;s not the company as such it is the branch's.

Budget CNS not a fan of them.

Budget TSV great service.

Thrifty TSV want to give you the third degree on where you will be going and how many KM's you expect to do.

Thrifty CNS no probs awesome.

Avis TSV in different

Hertz TSV no probs with them.

Thrifty CBR lost the hire car for nearly 24 hours and wanted me to pay for it until they found the car. They rang me at 10pm at night and asked when I was returning the car. I was sitting on the lounge in BNE at home. Next morning I got a call asking for a description of the person who I gave the keys to and it was then found.

 

[straitman]

Well its just one bad experience....But I know things like that wont happen again.

Do you have some inside knowledge that you would care to share :?:

 

[AdMEL]

I have hired with all the company's and IMO it;s not the company as such it is the branch's.

Budget CNS not a fan of them.

Budget TSV great service.

Thrifty TSV want to give you the third degree on where you will be going and how many KM's you expect to do.

Thrifty CNS no probs awesome.

Avis TSV in different

Hertz TSV no probs with them.

Thrifty CBR lost the hire car for nearly 24 hours and wanted me to pay for it until they found the car. They rang me at 10pm at night and asked when I was returning the car. I was sitting on the lounge in BNE at home. Next morning I got a call asking for a description of the person who I gave the keys to and it was then found.

Agree entirely! I posted something similar on another car hire thread, which basically said that it's even down to the individual you deal with and if you stopped using a company based on one bad experience, I'd have been out of car rental companies to use long ago!