Major heads up if you book with Hertz.

[austinalexander]

Just wanted to give a heads up that if you do hertz prepaid and save, you’re only allowed TWO changes for your reservation. Meaning after you have made two modifications to your reservation, you’ll no longer be allowed to change the day, time, vehicle class, etc.

Our first change was the day, then we made a mistake and had to make a second change for the vehicle class. I just checked rental prices today and an EV is like $60 cheaper. So I went to make a change the vehicle class and the page gave an error saying “THIRD REQUEST NOT PROCESSED (DE684)”

So I contacted support and they said you’re only allowed a maximum of two modifications/changes. I was annoyed because no where on the booking page did it say that or even the screen where you can make a modification. They said it’s only on this page (https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/productservice/index.jsp?targetPage=prepaid.jsp) So I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

 

[sam_gordon]

Personally, I never prepay for hotels or rental cars. Too many things can change.

 

[austinalexander]

Personally, I never prepay for hotels or rental cars. Too many things can change.

Sure, but in this case it was $130 to pay at the counter.

 

[sam_gordon]

Sure, but in this case it was $130 to pay at the counter.

But, you needed to change the day, then you decided to change the class, now you want to save money and you can't.

IMO, too many things can go wrong, ESPECIALLY when flying. What happens if there's an issue with your flight and you get in the next day? Obviously you do you.

 

[DLgal]

I agree with Sam Gordon on this one. NEVER, EVER prepay for a car rental, especially with Hertz. They lower their prices ALL the time. You are NEVER getting the cheapest price by paying in full at booking time. In fact, the people who do this are the ones who allow everyone else to get lower prices.

I need a Small SUV for 9 days at the end of July. I booked it back in March, originally, for $787. I knew prices were high for rental cars, but I didn't pay in full. The Pay in Full option was $589, which appeared like a huge savings. I checked the rates every week after that. Got it down first to 725, then 680, then 538! Now we're getting somewhere! Kept checking. Rebooked at 515, then again at 475. Finally, one day, it went all the way down to $433. Same exact car, same dates and times, all in pricing with taxes and fees. Booked it. Kept checking. It started creeping back up again and is now back around $770. I'll keep checking up until the point where I'm on the plane heading to MCO. Last minute deals are always the best. But I'm happy with $433 for 9 days in a n SUV.

And I did have to change my drop off time once already because Delta changed my return flight departure time by 3 hours.

 

[austinalexander]

I agree with Sam Gordon on this one. NEVER, EVER prepay for a car rental, especially with Hertz. They lower their prices ALL the time. You are NEVER getting the cheapest price by paying in full at booking time. In fact, the people who do this are the ones who allow everyone else to get lower prices.

I need a Small SUV for 9 days at the end of July. I booked it back in March, originally, for $787. I knew prices were high for rental cars, but I didn't pay in full. The Pay in Full option was $589, which appeared like a huge savings. I checked the rates every week after that. Got it down first to 725, then 680, then 538! Now we're getting somewhere! Kept checking. Rebooked at 515, then again at 475. Finally, one day, it went all the way down to $433. Same exact car, same dates and times, all in pricing with taxes and fees. Booked it. Kept checking. It started creeping back up again and is now back around $770. I'll keep checking up until the point where I'm on the plane heading to MCO. Last minute deals are always the best. But I'm happy with $433 for 9 days in a n SUV.

And I did have to change my drop off time once already because Delta changed my return flight departure time by 3 hours.

Considering I only paid $380 for a seven day rental, I don’t think it was worth paying an extra $130 because in reality, it’s not going to get much cheaper than that. I’m also 24 so I can really only rent with Hertz due to the AAA deal that waives underage fees, all other rental companies were around $700+.

But at the same, if I knew there was a modification limit and I could have unlimited changes with pay later, I would have done that option. I was under the assumption that you couldn’t cancel after 24 hours with pay later and all it did was just delay payment. The basic terms and conditions doesn’t indicate modification changes, and no where on the booking page did it indicate that. Only that one page that I linked.

 

[DLgal]

Considering I only paid $380 for a seven day rental, I don’t think it was worth paying an extra $130 because in reality, it’s not going to get much cheaper than that. I’m also 24 so I can really only rent with Hertz due to the AAA deal that waives underage fees, all other rental companies were around $700+.

But at the same, if I knew there was a modification limit and I could have unlimited changes with pay later, I would have done that option. I was under the assumption that you couldn’t cancel after 24 hours with pay later and all it did was just delay payment. The basic terms and conditions doesn’t indicate modification changes, and no where on the booking page did it indicate that. Only that one page that I linked.

I'm actually surprised that they even allow 2 modifications once you've booked the pay in full option. Car rental pricing is VERY time specific, and changing the pick up or drop off days/times can cause it to add an entire day onto your price sometimes. Also changing the vehicle class seems like it wouldn't be allowed either because all the car classes have different pricing structures. When you book and pay in full upfront, you are reserving that specific car class at that price for that exact day. I'm not sure why you expected to be able to make any changes in this situation, although I understand why Hertz would allow minor changes to pick up or drop off tomes because airlines change schedules all the time. They are certainly not going to allow you to rebook a cheaper car class and get a refund. You've agreed to pay in full for the class you booked.

 

[austinalexander]

I'm actually surprised that they even allow 2 modifications once you've booked the pay in full option. Car rental pricing is VERY time specific, and changing the pick up or drop off days/times can cause it to add an entire day onto your price sometimes. Also changing the vehicle class seems like it wouldn't be allowed either because all the car classes have different pricing structures. When you book and pay in full upfront, you are reserving that specific car class at that price for that exact day. I'm not sure why you expected to be able to make any changes in this situation, although I understand why Hertz would allow minor changes to pick up or drop off tomes because airlines change schedules all the time. They are certainly not going to allow you to rebook a cheaper car class and get a refund. You've agreed to pay in full for the class you booked.

I think it might’ve been changed once COVID happened because it’s listed under the COVID section.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I'm in agreement with Sam Gordon on this one. I never prepay any hotel/car rentals. Sure, it's $130 cheaper. But unless you are 100% (not 99%) sure you are going to be there the days you book it's not worth the risk.

 

[msmayor]

This information was actually pretty easy to find and see...

 

[eticketplease]

Wow that last line in #5 is scary especially if you are booking flights that are coming in close to midnight!!

My corporate rate is always cheaper than the prepaid rate so I never have run into these issues.

 

[austinalexander]

This information was actually pretty easy to find and see...View attachment 774289

That’s the page that I linked…

 

[msmayor]

When I clicked that link, it only took me to a landing page to start a reservation.

So I started the steps to book a prepaid reservation. Once you get to the page to enter CC information, there was a chart that showed all the cancellation fee information, and a link to the Terms and Conditions (that yes, you have to actually click to read) that included the information about a maximum of two changes.

Consumers will often skip clicking that link, and there's no doubt in my mind that companies know that. But the information IS there for the reading. The lesson here is...click the link and read the terms.

 

[msmayor]

I agree with Sam Gordon on this one. NEVER, EVER prepay for a car rental, especially with Hertz. They lower their prices ALL the time. You are NEVER getting the cheapest price by paying in full at booking time. In fact, the people who do this are the ones who allow everyone else to get lower prices.

I need a Small SUV for 9 days at the end of July. I booked it back in March, originally, for $787. I knew prices were high for rental cars, but I didn't pay in full. The Pay in Full option was $589, which appeared like a huge savings. I checked the rates every week after that. Got it down first to 725, then 680, then 538! Now we're getting somewhere! Kept checking. Rebooked at 515, then again at 475. Finally, one day, it went all the way down to $433. Same exact car, same dates and times, all in pricing with taxes and fees. Booked it. Kept checking. It started creeping back up again and is now back around $770. I'll keep checking up until the point where I'm on the plane heading to MCO. Last minute deals are always the best. But I'm happy with $433 for 9 days in a n SUV.

And I did have to change my drop off time once already because Delta changed my return flight departure time by 3 hours.

This.

A recent vacation to Las Vegas had me re-booking my vehicle four times, working the rate for a large SUV down from $785/week to $515. Each and every time I re-did the booking, the Pay-It-Now price was less than $50 difference from the Pay-At-Counter price. That's just not enough incentive to lock in the price.

Perhaps the BIGGEST reason not to prepay for me is flexibility. I recall our last trip to Phoenix, and we were waiting in a VERY long line at Budget for our reserved vehicle. (there were long lines at a couple of counters). Turns out there was an issue with the refueling stations and major delays picking up cars for Budget, and the line was at a standstill. Clerk said 'Sorry folks - it may be at least an hour before we have cars ready'. An hour?? I got right on my phone and started looking for alternatives. Husband behind us said to his wife "Let's go find another agency" and the wife said "we can't - this one is already paid for and is non-refundable...we have to wait or lose the money". Not me - just walked away, got a car at Avis 15 minutes later and was on my way.

 

[austinalexander]

When I clicked that link, it only took me to a landing page to start a reservation.

So I started the steps to book a prepaid reservation. Once you get to the page to enter CC information, there was a chart that showed all the cancellation fee information, and a link to the Terms and Conditions (that yes, you have to actually click to read) that included the information about a maximum of two changes.

Consumers will often skip clicking that link, and there's no doubt in my mind that companies know that. But the information IS there for the reading. The lesson here is...click the link and read the terms.

I’m not saying you’re a liar, but I did exactly what you just mentioned and went to the lengthy terms and conditions pop up window and not one single thing mentions changes. Mind uploading a screenshot?

 

[Eastern]

I always rent through Costco because you can get a good price that is not charged until pickup.

 

[EACarlson]

I’m not saying you’re a liar, but I did exactly what you just mentioned and went to the lengthy terms and conditions pop up window and not one single thing mentions changes. Mind uploading a screenshot?

They already did, see post #10

 

[msmayor]

I’m not saying you’re a liar, but I did exactly what you just mentioned and went to the lengthy terms and conditions pop up window and not one single thing mentions changes. Mind uploading a screenshot?

When I click your link, this is the page I am taken to:



So now I'm going to reserve a car....I used the information there to rent in October.....and when I click 'Continue' I'm taken here...and I click on the 'Pay Now' for the SUV:


Next page is to allow me to select a options to add to the rental (like insurance, Sirius, etc), and I just scroll down to the bottom and click 'Continue'



Next page is the 'Checkout' Page - where I don't have to enter anything at all...this is the top of the page:



About halfway down that page is the chart that shows Cancellation Provisions, and the sentence that "by clicking on the Submit button, you confirm that you understand and accept our Rental Qualification and Requirements, Terms and Conditions..."




Each one of those is highlighted in BLUE on the page, indicating an active link for the renter to click on and read those terms and conditions....when you click on the Terms and Conditions link, the renter is presented with this:



Reading and scrolling about a quarter of the way down:



Its there...

 

[austinalexander]

When I click your link, this is the page I am taken to:

View attachment 774877

So now I'm going to reserve a car....I used the information there to rent in October.....and when I click 'Continue' I'm taken here...and I click on the 'Pay Now' for the SUV:
View attachment 774878

Next page is to allow me to select a options to add to the rental (like insurance, Sirius, etc), and I just scroll down to the bottom and click 'Continue'

View attachment 774879

Next page is the 'Checkout' Page - where I don't have to enter anything at all...this is the top of the page:

View attachment 774881

About halfway down that page is the chart that shows Cancellation Provisions, and the sentence that "by clicking on the Submit button, you confirm that you understand and accept our Rental Qualification and Requirements, Terms and Conditions..."

View attachment 774882


Each one of those is highlighted in BLUE on the page, indicating an active link for the renter to click on and read those terms and conditions....when you click on the Terms and Conditions link, the renter is presented with this:

View attachment 774883

Reading and scrolling about a quarter of the way down:

View attachment 774884

Its there...

Thank you. I kept looking for keywords such as “two” or “three.” Never tried twice.

 

[austinalexander]

I always rent through Costco because you can get a good price that is not charged until pickup.

Costco wouldn’t rent to me unfortunately because im 24. It’s insane the amount of extra fees I have to pay because im 24 years and 9 months old, but when in three months it won’t be an issue.