ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
Hotwire & Hertz The Ground Transportation Saga has a Happy Ending
------------------------------------------------
Planning:
Historically, I plan the car rental 11 months in advance and sit tight on a very good rate for a full size car. I have used National, Avis, Budget and Dollar, favoring the on terminal agencies for convenience. I used Hertz long ago, but was unhappy to discover one year that they had moved off terminal and not only did I have the inconvenience of schlepping on a bus, but it costs 8.25% livery charge extra (on top of the whole rental charge) for this lovely waste of a vacation hour.
This trip, I was not finding car rental prices I could live with. I was satisfied with the car services last year (Happy Tours? I dont remember one of those post-surgical memory gaps) and was prepared to do without a car. Then I read about Hotwire on these threads and thought Id give it a try. Their web site said that they ONLY deal with agencies in terminal and the quoted price (agency not yet named) was $402 for two weeks, Taurus-size. OK, well try it. Credit card input, deal consummated, agency = HERTZ?!?!?! Huh? When did they move back on terminal? OK, maybe I missed that event last year, since I didnt go to the car rental agency level at the Orlando airport in 2003.
So, I place a call to Hotwire I havent seen Hertz 'in terminal' in years. Are you sure they have a counter there? Their response, Well, they must have, since we only represent in terminal agencies.
A week before departure, I checked Hotwire again just to learn more about how to strategize in the future. Same car, same duration - $325. Live and learn. I realize it could have gone either direction, but next time Ill try a different strategy.
----------------------------------------------------
Execution:
Anyway, we arrive in Orlando and I prepare the super-efficient process which gets us from airplane jetway to Route 417 in 15-20 minutes (I am like the father in The Christmas Story changing his tire always looking to beat my last, best time ..). Deploy DH47 and DS16 to luggage while I zip to car rental counter. I take one long jog to the end-of-all-counters. No Hertz. Second jog back through counters. No Hertz. OK, so I wont beat last years time, but where is HERTZ? On NO!! I have to get on a bus!! I am not a satisfied customer. (Now I felt like Ralphie - Christmas Story, as he watches the lug nuts fly through the air...)
Once off the bus, the counter person (E.J.) begins to process my paperwork, telling me my Taurus is ready. I explain (without raising my voice, which I almost never do) that Hotwire said they were in terminal and I would not have accepted the reservation if I had known. EJ explains that this this Hotwires mistake and not Hertz.
I respond that:
(a) I understand that to be true,
(b) I realize that it is not her fault, but that
(c) Hertz partnered with Hotwire to represent them in this sale, and they didnt do a very good job of it, misrepresenting to me, now Hertzs customer, the inconvenience (and hidden 8.25% livery charge for the inconvenience) and that
(d) I wanted to be heard by Hertz management before I just bit the bullet, signed the paperwork and moved on.
So, EJ, realizing that I was committed to this course of action, requested a manager who was on the phone, helping other customers in line, for over 10 minutes, before a different manager showed up. I re-reviewed my dissatisfaction and suggested to Ms. Moore, the Hertz manager, that all I was looking for was that someone would communicate with Hotwire about this in terminal assignation. They were both very polite and customer service oriented. To attempt to make up for the customer satisfaction snafu, they allowed an additional driver without the additional fee, and upgraded my Taurus are you ready for this? I wasnt to a new JAGUAR.
***** THE FANCY FORD *****
Now, to me, a car is a car is basic transportation. I dont really notice big differences between cars, but I have to say this was an exception. I liken it to the difference between riding a bike (where you make all the balance adjustments manually by shifting your weight) to driving the Seqway (where the machine has 5 gyroscopes to make most of the balance corrections for you). Talk about handling. WOW. Of course, there was another view from the peanut gallery (back seat) from DS16, who, at 61, declared Theres no more leg room back here than in the Neon. DS47 and I look at each other and start laughing - from the front seat, everything was VERY comfy!
Anyway, I would say that Hertz did everything they could to make this customer happy, and they succeeded. Not only will I write a very complimentary letter to their company, but I would actually consider renting from Hertz again (still have to think about that darn 8.25% livery charge, though), even with the inconvenience of in my estimation off terminal.
----------------------------------------
Lessons Learned:
1. Car Pricing Strategy for future vacations even though I know this is not kind to the car rental agencies, I would maintain and constantly improve the cheapest reservation I can find with the individual agencies, since there is no financial commitment involved. Then, within a couple of weeks of leaving, I would see if Hotwire (priceline, whatever) can beat it. Then go with the cheapest. Unless Hotwire was within $30 more than the cheapest cuz then I might get Hertz again
2. It sometimes pays to communicate customer recommendations for improvement. Once they (EJ and Ms. Moore) understood that I didnt blame them and my focus was on the business issue of the situation, they shifted gears quickly and provided a very acceptable solution.
------------------------------------------------
Planning:
Historically, I plan the car rental 11 months in advance and sit tight on a very good rate for a full size car. I have used National, Avis, Budget and Dollar, favoring the on terminal agencies for convenience. I used Hertz long ago, but was unhappy to discover one year that they had moved off terminal and not only did I have the inconvenience of schlepping on a bus, but it costs 8.25% livery charge extra (on top of the whole rental charge) for this lovely waste of a vacation hour.
This trip, I was not finding car rental prices I could live with. I was satisfied with the car services last year (Happy Tours? I dont remember one of those post-surgical memory gaps) and was prepared to do without a car. Then I read about Hotwire on these threads and thought Id give it a try. Their web site said that they ONLY deal with agencies in terminal and the quoted price (agency not yet named) was $402 for two weeks, Taurus-size. OK, well try it. Credit card input, deal consummated, agency = HERTZ?!?!?! Huh? When did they move back on terminal? OK, maybe I missed that event last year, since I didnt go to the car rental agency level at the Orlando airport in 2003.
So, I place a call to Hotwire I havent seen Hertz 'in terminal' in years. Are you sure they have a counter there? Their response, Well, they must have, since we only represent in terminal agencies.
A week before departure, I checked Hotwire again just to learn more about how to strategize in the future. Same car, same duration - $325. Live and learn. I realize it could have gone either direction, but next time Ill try a different strategy.
----------------------------------------------------
Execution:
Anyway, we arrive in Orlando and I prepare the super-efficient process which gets us from airplane jetway to Route 417 in 15-20 minutes (I am like the father in The Christmas Story changing his tire always looking to beat my last, best time ..). Deploy DH47 and DS16 to luggage while I zip to car rental counter. I take one long jog to the end-of-all-counters. No Hertz. Second jog back through counters. No Hertz. OK, so I wont beat last years time, but where is HERTZ? On NO!! I have to get on a bus!! I am not a satisfied customer. (Now I felt like Ralphie - Christmas Story, as he watches the lug nuts fly through the air...)
Once off the bus, the counter person (E.J.) begins to process my paperwork, telling me my Taurus is ready. I explain (without raising my voice, which I almost never do) that Hotwire said they were in terminal and I would not have accepted the reservation if I had known. EJ explains that this this Hotwires mistake and not Hertz.
I respond that:
(a) I understand that to be true,
(b) I realize that it is not her fault, but that
(c) Hertz partnered with Hotwire to represent them in this sale, and they didnt do a very good job of it, misrepresenting to me, now Hertzs customer, the inconvenience (and hidden 8.25% livery charge for the inconvenience) and that
(d) I wanted to be heard by Hertz management before I just bit the bullet, signed the paperwork and moved on.
So, EJ, realizing that I was committed to this course of action, requested a manager who was on the phone, helping other customers in line, for over 10 minutes, before a different manager showed up. I re-reviewed my dissatisfaction and suggested to Ms. Moore, the Hertz manager, that all I was looking for was that someone would communicate with Hotwire about this in terminal assignation. They were both very polite and customer service oriented. To attempt to make up for the customer satisfaction snafu, they allowed an additional driver without the additional fee, and upgraded my Taurus are you ready for this? I wasnt to a new JAGUAR.
***** THE FANCY FORD *****
Now, to me, a car is a car is basic transportation. I dont really notice big differences between cars, but I have to say this was an exception. I liken it to the difference between riding a bike (where you make all the balance adjustments manually by shifting your weight) to driving the Seqway (where the machine has 5 gyroscopes to make most of the balance corrections for you). Talk about handling. WOW. Of course, there was another view from the peanut gallery (back seat) from DS16, who, at 61, declared Theres no more leg room back here than in the Neon. DS47 and I look at each other and start laughing - from the front seat, everything was VERY comfy!
Anyway, I would say that Hertz did everything they could to make this customer happy, and they succeeded. Not only will I write a very complimentary letter to their company, but I would actually consider renting from Hertz again (still have to think about that darn 8.25% livery charge, though), even with the inconvenience of in my estimation off terminal.
----------------------------------------
Lessons Learned:
1. Car Pricing Strategy for future vacations even though I know this is not kind to the car rental agencies, I would maintain and constantly improve the cheapest reservation I can find with the individual agencies, since there is no financial commitment involved. Then, within a couple of weeks of leaving, I would see if Hotwire (priceline, whatever) can beat it. Then go with the cheapest. Unless Hotwire was within $30 more than the cheapest cuz then I might get Hertz again
2. It sometimes pays to communicate customer recommendations for improvement. Once they (EJ and Ms. Moore) understood that I didnt blame them and my focus was on the business issue of the situation, they shifted gears quickly and provided a very acceptable solution.
