I made an online reservation through the Hertz.com web site for a car in South Africa.
The reservation confirmation stated very clearly "AMOUNT TO BE PAID AT TIME OF RENT" and then repeated that amount elsewhere on the confirmation under "WHAT YOU PAY AT THE COUNTER". I have read and re-read all the fine print and had others review it and there were absolutely no "gotchas".
The amount included taxes,a tourism levy and a 1-way drop fee. Any optional items chosen at the counter (CDW, theft, fuel etc etc) were in addition to this amount. There is just no room for misinterpretation of the price.
When I got to the counter the agent pulled up the reservation in her system and it showed a completely different amount, about double my quote. I obtained a copy of the system reservation from the agent. The "base fee", "tourism levy" and "1-way drop fee" matched and added to the taxes came out to the figure I was quoted. The "cont fee", "CDW", "TP", "SW" and VAT were extras that the agent insisted I pay to rent the car.
I refused and after a half hour of heated argument including a backroom call to her supervisor, she refused to deviate from what her system told her. So I was stuck with either paying what she wanted or attempting to rent a car at another rental agency two miles up the road.
Then something odd happened. She offered to cancel the original reservation and rent me a similar car at a cheaper price to what my original quote was. So I actually saved money. I should have been happy, but I was infuriated. What if she didn't have any cars available? And does the S African franchisee have some kind of scam going on with franchise fees or commission because I had now essentially become a "walk-in".
I made 2 phone calls to the Cape Town Hertz customer service numbers I found. No-one answered the phone during office hours and there was no voice mail. I emailed the S African customer service address but never received a reply. I opened a complaint with Hertz US (07418592) and did receive a reply, but they don't seem to have a record of my original reservation - just the replacement reservation, so they don't see a problem. I, of course, have a copy of the original.
I'm not happy because I haven't been able to obtain an explanation of why this happened, and I won't trust Hertz any more to honor an international reservation.
The reservation confirmation stated very clearly "AMOUNT TO BE PAID AT TIME OF RENT" and then repeated that amount elsewhere on the confirmation under "WHAT YOU PAY AT THE COUNTER". I have read and re-read all the fine print and had others review it and there were absolutely no "gotchas".
The amount included taxes,a tourism levy and a 1-way drop fee. Any optional items chosen at the counter (CDW, theft, fuel etc etc) were in addition to this amount. There is just no room for misinterpretation of the price.
When I got to the counter the agent pulled up the reservation in her system and it showed a completely different amount, about double my quote. I obtained a copy of the system reservation from the agent. The "base fee", "tourism levy" and "1-way drop fee" matched and added to the taxes came out to the figure I was quoted. The "cont fee", "CDW", "TP", "SW" and VAT were extras that the agent insisted I pay to rent the car.
I refused and after a half hour of heated argument including a backroom call to her supervisor, she refused to deviate from what her system told her. So I was stuck with either paying what she wanted or attempting to rent a car at another rental agency two miles up the road.
Then something odd happened. She offered to cancel the original reservation and rent me a similar car at a cheaper price to what my original quote was. So I actually saved money. I should have been happy, but I was infuriated. What if she didn't have any cars available? And does the S African franchisee have some kind of scam going on with franchise fees or commission because I had now essentially become a "walk-in".
I made 2 phone calls to the Cape Town Hertz customer service numbers I found. No-one answered the phone during office hours and there was no voice mail. I emailed the S African customer service address but never received a reply. I opened a complaint with Hertz US (07418592) and did receive a reply, but they don't seem to have a record of my original reservation - just the replacement reservation, so they don't see a problem. I, of course, have a copy of the original.
I'm not happy because I haven't been able to obtain an explanation of why this happened, and I won't trust Hertz any more to honor an international reservation.
