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| - First of all, congrats to Hertz for a) having a vehicle available and b) having someone available at the location to process a rental! This alone results in the addition of one whole star which is pretty significant for this location. On the other hand, the car I received was a Camry with over 50,000 miles on it (and the stains and scratches to prove it.) It also didn't appear to have been cleaned, as there was still a candy wrapper in the ash tray.
The Hertz representative was helpful enough but mentioned that this was the only car that was available, and explained that the tank was at about a quarter tank so to just bring it back with that amount. (One of my pet peeves.) I didn't check the contract until after the fact, but the contract showed that it had been rented with a full tank. (Great way to escalate a pet peeve.)
Since I was going to be doing a fair amount of driving, I called 800-CAR-GOLD and asked about the possibility of swapping out for a slightly better vehicle at the airport. I was told to go ahead and swap out the car, so off to the airport Hertz I went. The return agent at the aiport was pretty impressed by the condition of the car, asking which location I picked it up from and even commenting that it should have already been sent out for auction.
While the rep inside the booth ultimately allowed me to swap out the car, she clearly pointed out that the airport doesn't normally allow vehicles to be exchanged without a mechanical issue and that she was making a special exception. While I was given a much nicer and cleaner vehicle, it seems like this should be the norm rather than the exception.
Repeated experiences with high mileage and dirty vehicles, less than full tanks, inaccurate fuel levels on the contract, and the distinct sense that someone feels like they're doing you a favor in a service recovery situation are why I won't have enough rentals with Hertz to re-qualify for President's Circle this year. On the other hand, the reservation was actually able to be honored (unlike my last attempt) so I have to say that warrants a better overall rental than one where I had to scramble to make alternate arrangements.
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