What about Hertz?

[Prairiemom]

I have heard so much about car rentals and who to go with, but what about Hertz? Are they comparable to the others. I was wondering as I'm booking most of my trip with CAA/AAA and I can get a discount but was wondering if it is worth it or if you can get better deals with the other companies. Has anyone used them and which area of Orlando would you say is the cheaper MCO, DTD or someplace else?

 

[RAD]

Hertz is usually one of the more expensive car rental companies, unless you have a coupon or discount to reduce their rates. Also, just so you know, at MCO they are located off site so you need to use one of their busses to get back and forth. They run fairly often but it is a bit of a pain to have to go through, especially if you have kids that your taking along.

I'd take a look at ORBITZ and see what rates you can find there, Dollar and Alamo are usually cheaper then Hertz.

 

[safetymom]

Hertz is great at MCO. If you belong to AAA they give a nice discount. Yes they are off site but the bus is always waiting. You are driving away from the lot in 10 mins or so. We always do curbside check in and then return the car.

 

[manning]

I find Hertz easier at MCO than on site. At MCO you have to walk out the door, across the street to your car. With Hertz you walk out the door onto the bus.

 

[Prairiemom]

Thanks for all your responsesn as I will do some comparison checking on the rates but I am a member with CAA/AAA so I'm thinking if I can get a get discount rate then they maybe worth it.

Safteymom what kinda discount have you been able to get and what kinda prices have you paid in the past?

 

[CarolA]

I am another Hertz fan. I am not a fan of the bus, but it's never been a problem and overall I have had better service there then ANY of the other companies I have tried at MCO. (National, Budget, Dollar and L&M... L&M was the worst. Notice Alamo is not on here, I used them once in Atlanta and 10 plus years later it's still the worst car rental experience ever!)

 

[magsmom]

Prairiemom,
this past October I got a midsize for a week $132 which included all taxes. This was a special on southwest.com, and then I was able to apply a costco coupon. That's pretty good. I was then upgraded to a SUV for free at the counter. Yes, the service was very good there.

Alamo or national are usually cheaper than Hertz, however. Watch the prices during holidays - Hertz is sometimes much more.

It may have been the contract I had - DH was not allowed free as an additional driver. I usually have that on Alamo or Natonal. Not a big deal for the amount of time we were there - I'm glad we had that option for our 2 week trip last August.

 

[owtrbnks]

I'm a big Hertz fan too!
Out the door, on the bus, in the car - faster than walking to some of the onsite companies. Hertz busses run constantly; one is not even out of sight and another one is arriving. I've paid from $19 to $36 a day - depends on the season. Their cars are the newest too.

 

[safetymom]

I use Hertz all over the country and sometimes the rate is 40% off other times 10 or 20 %. They sometimes have specials on their home page you might want to check it out.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

I was intrested in Hertz after I had heard a few on these boards along with many on the FlyerTalk boards rave about them. So, I decided to sign up for their #1 Club Gold service that allows you to skip the counter and go right to your vehicle at most airports. Since that time, Ive switched all my rentals to Hertz and am EXTREMLY satisfied. All the vehicles have been in excellent condition, cleaner then brand new and often times, they hand out upgrades like they are water. Looking back, the last five rentals with Hertz have all been reserved for midsize cars and Ive ended up with the following for no upgrade fee at all...

Ford Escape V6 4x4
Lincolin Town Car Signature Limited
Toyota Highlander Limited
Chrysler 300C AWD Touring
Hyundai Tuscon V6 4WD

Bottom line is, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Even with coupons and my discount codes, I end up paying an extra $20 or so on weekly rentals, but to me, the service and overall experience at Hertz by far makes up for the added expense. As far as bus service at nearly all the Hertz locations, it is more then sufficent. Usually I wait no longer then 5 minutes for the bus to come....

 

[owtrbnks]

Josh explains it well, but I've never waited 5 minutes for the Hertz bus. I think I'd have to call and complain if that ever happened! If I walk out of baggage claim and one bus is leaving, there's usually another in sight - no kidding. Sometimes there's 3 right behind one another at the light on Semoran. On the 1 mile trip from the airport, I've seen as many as 7 and I'm sure I didn't see them all!
Once in awhile their rates are outrageous, but usually they are very competitive and the couple dollars extra is money well spent.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

Josh explains it well, but I've never waited 5 minutes for the Hertz bus. I think I'd have to call and complain if that ever happened! If I walk out of baggage claim and one bus is leaving, there's usually another in sight - no kidding. Sometimes there's 3 right behind one another at the light on Semoran. On the 1 mile trip from the airport, I've seen as many as 7 and I'm sure I didn't see them all!
Once in awhile their rates are outrageous, but usually they are very competitive and the couple dollars extra is money well spent.

Last weekend i returned a car to DTW, but wasnt flying out. I counted 22 Hertz yellow and black busses sitting right next to the return area!

 

[TheWog]

I used AAA for a Hertz rental last week. It was just for 2 days midweek and I got picked up at my resort in the convertible Mustang I was renting and brought me back to Shades of Green. Completed the paperwork and was off in about 5 mins or so. Rate was $52.99 with the AAA discount per day. Car was clean and in excellent condition (little mark on rear 1/4 panel, but nothing major). I say use Hertz and you will be satisfied.