I recently rented a car on the “Hertz.com” website and pickup was at my local airport. When I picked up the car I told the agent I may need to extend the rental a few days as I was having car repairs done; she said it wouldn’t be a problem and there was plenty of availability. The rental agreement I received confirms I am renting from Hertz, refers to the main Hertz 800# for customer service, and Hertz.com are all over the paperwork I was given. It also shows the local phone number and physical address (inside the local airport). Before the scheduled return date I tried extending the return date by going to Hertz.com; it says it can’t find my rental with my reservation number. I try the “chat” on the website and it says I’m not providing the correct reservation number and can’t my rental. I call the Hertz 800# on the Hertz website and on my rental agreement-they tell me the same thing-they can’t find my rental. I then email Hertz and they respond that because that particular Hertz is run by a 3rd party/franchise I have to deal with them directly and there is nothing they can do.
So I called the local Hertz 14 times over a 2 day period and the local number doesn’t work- instead it says “this number is not able set up to receive calls or leave a voicemail message”. So I again contact Hertz customer service 800# and also by email Hertz again and they say my only option is to physically drive back to the original Hertz location where I picked up the car. I ask them to at least make a notation I’m keeping the car and extending the return date so I’d be returning it 4 days later. After I return the car I get a notice from my credit card company that Hertz has added $55 in “late fees” in addition to the daily rental cost! After more calls to the Hertz customer service number they tell me they’ll get those late fees reversed and will confirm to me in 7-10 days. It’s been over a month and I have received anything.
There is no way as a consumer I would know (nor do I care) how Hertz handles the internal management of its locations. They should not be able to make it my responsibility to chase down their third party “franchise” operators. I didn’t make a reservation with them and don’t even know who they are-my agreement is with Hertz.
Be careful if you do business with Hertz-because even if the sign, website, phone number, paperwork,, email and contract rental agreement says “hertz” they will take ZERO accountability to correct any problems and you’re on your own!
Here is the email I received from Hertz:
Dear
I appreciate you taking the time to share the details of your request to extend your rental. I understand that you attempted to use the rental number LXxxxxxcx which was not recognized by the system, and that you were advised the rental record number is typically a 9?digit numeric code. I also recognize that because live agents were unavailable at that time, a support ticket was created so your request could be reviewed further.
After checking the details of your rental, I confirmed that the location is operated as a licensee or franchise location. Rentals from these locations aren't able to be extended through the website or by phone. To proceed with an extension, you'll need to visit the rental location directly so the team onsite can assist with the request and review availability.
They'll be in the best position to help with updates to your rental.
If you'd like support locating the address or hours of the rental location, or if there's anything else I can help with as you plan your next steps, please feel free to reply to this email. I'm glad to assist further.
Yours sincerely,
Criselle S.
Hertz Customer Services