26th July 2008, I'm still around....just back from Vancouver
26th July 2008, I'm still around....just back from Vancouver
Member since:12.12.2001
Reviews:47
Members who trust:21
***Update at bottom of Review******
I travel between Dublin and the UK on a regular basis and until recently used Avis for car hire to get me from the airport to my meetings. However my company decided to enrol us all in the Hertz #1 Gold Club, this meant switching our allegiance from Avis,this could be a big mistake!
=THE HERTZ GOLD CLUB=======
This is similar to an airline FT scheme but also acts as a master rental agreement,so that you never need to sign of fill one in at the rental desks.On this they record insurances you want to accept, your prefered method of payment,airline FT number so that you get points with each rental. The Hertz Gold card also acts as a loyalty card,meaning every rental you have with Hertz earns points, which can be redeemed for car hire vouchers, also the more you
rent then your card is upgraded to Platinum then Presidents Circle. For the basic card you get automatic free upgrades by one class, when you get to Platinum you are given the best car on fleet automatically for the price of an economy car. Much to my amazement from my first rental with them and for the 8 months since I or my colleagues have yet to encounter fault with Hertz.Below is my typical encounter with Hertz....
=COLLECTION OF CAR=======On arrival at GLA, I don't even need to approach the counter, my name is lit up on a Hertz Gold arrival board in the arrivals hall, this indicates my surname and initial, next to this is a bay number telling me where my car is. I proceeded to the correct bay,where my car is waiting,keys in the ignition and paperwork on the front passenger seat. I just drive off and show my licence to the security guard on exiting the car park. Simple as that! It takes about 5mins. Also the cars are parked under an all weather canopy so I can avoid getting wet if raining.
=CONDITION OF CAR=======
For this rental I reserved a group G car which is a 2lt automatic Vauxhall Omega or similar. I was complimentary upgraded to next group up which was a Mercedes E240 which I was over the moon with. The car only had 458 miles on the clock and was spotless inside and out. It had been valeted to A1 condition even the nooks and crannys.(I'm nosey like that)
=RETURN OF CAR=======
On returning the car I just parked it up and give the keys to the uniformed attendant in the Gold Members return bay, to which I was issued a receipt instantly as the attendant had a hand held terminal to process the return information on. Less than 5mins to return a rental car, not bad eh?
The cars are always spotless, and 7 out of ten times I am upgraded automatically at no extra cost. Quite often I book a C group car(focus/astra)and end up with a G group car(omega/volvo). The few staff I encounter are always friendly and helpful if need be and they deal with you as a human,not the normal script conversation provided to them by their managers. Overall I would definatley recommend this to anyone and it's free to join.
=PRICES=======
Most people I have spoken to are of the opinion that Hertz rates generally 'hertz' their wallets.However in my experience I have found them to be quite competitve according to the economy. Compared with Avis I found that Hertz will quote a fully inclusive rate whereas the former will quote the rate without telling you of VLF fee or airport tax, this sometimes makes Avis sound a really good deal until you get the car in person. I have recently booked a Hertz car for 1 day: Group G - Omega 2lt or similar £71.27 all inc. Compare this with other car hire companies at the moment: Avis £99 not inc VLF or VAT National £86.50 inc VAT/VLF Budget £102.40 inc VAT/VLF The only one who come close are Enterprise £72.83 but offer a capped mileage of 80 miles per day, not practical for me.
***Updated Part**** TIP 1. Beware of being sold the FPO (fuel purchase option) this is where Herzt try to get you to buy the tank of fuel using the premise.... "It's always 1p perlitre cheaper than the nearest petrol station and it saves you time when you return as you won't nedd to refill the car...." What they don't tell you is that the tank price does not include VAT and since when do you rent a car for a day and use a full tank? TIP 2. ALWAYS check what they are asking you to sign and check the amounts on the rental agreement, at most major UK airports all car rental companies will try to use the "oh he's tired trick" lets just fob him off with extras and pray he does'nt notice" trick, yes they do this by adding in the extras and hoping that you are too tired too notice and just sign it without looking so you can get on your way. Just be warned this has happened to people I know!
Regards Phil Just be warned
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NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Advantages: Excellent prepaid rates, nice car, helpful staff Disadvantages: Confusion over discount rates, high excess if you don't pay the waiver charge
sue.51 30.12.2004 (31.12.2004)
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Review of Hertz
Dec 12th, 2001
(Oct 29th, 2004)
very helpful by (84%):
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