Tracey Brown Osborne finds a mysterious charge on her American Express bill that turns out to be a repair bill for a rental car tire — a tire she says she never damaged. When her charge card sides with her in the dispute, her car rental company threatens to take her to court. What should she do?
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HERTZ
Southwest Airlines, according to a new survey by Glassdoor, a company that conducts online salary surveys.
I am Patient Zero for attention deficit disorder, which may explain why more than a few people with legitimate grievances e-mail me back after I’ve responded to their questions, asking me if I even bothered to read their inquiry. I did, but I was probably distracted by a screaming child in my home office or a kitten scurrying across my keyboard.
Next time you rent a car, take a picture of it. No, seriously. Whip out your digital camera and take a snapshot.
Travel can be an olfactory experience, by which I mean everything smells. Even your rental car.
Philip Getson thought he’d have to pay $270 for his Hertz rental in Cancun. He though wrong. His final bill came to a shocking $1,227.
Hertz has a better-than-average reputation for customer service, although recent efforts to collect new fees from its drivers have made a dent in it. Still, the company does far better than many other car rental companies.
Refueling fees are a contentious issue for car rental companies, drivers, and government regulators. Last summer, Hertz changed its refueling policy after being pressured by customers and government officials, but other companies have imposed increasingly strict terms when it comes to gas charges.
When Jessica Santangelo and her husband check in at the Hertz rental counter in Zagreb, they’re told they have to buy insurance. But Santangelo had been told she was fully covered before her trip. Should Hertz refund her insurance now that she’s home?
Here are two recent stories of car rental employees going the extra mile for their customers. I’m sharing them with you for two reasons: First, because car rental employees rarely get any recognition for a job well done; and second, because I just filed a column that’s critical of certain car rental franchises. Maybe I’m feeling a little guilty.
Are the car rental companies taking a page from the airlines’ playbook, when it comes to fees and surcharges? Charles Locher thinks so. First, Hertz billed him an extra $26 for gas and fuel service, even though he had prepaid for both. Then another car rental company socked his friend with a $120 “interior cleaning” charge, even though the vehicle was returned in good shape.
When Larry Chan returns his Hertz rental car late, he doesn’t expect the $66 charge that he finds two weeks later on his credit card bill. But there it is: an extra day’s rental charge. What now? Should he appeal the decision? And what about the reason he was late in the first place — is that relevant at all?
Sometimes, companies do listen to their customers. Case-in-point: Hertz. For the better part of the last week, I’ve been corresponding with the car rental company about its poorly-disclosed and questionable refueling policy.
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