Hertz, like most rental car companies, has a business model built on duping you into things you do not need. I thought I had effectively navigated the forest of forced upsell. However, I thought I was really smart when I agreed to the Fuel Purchase Option (FPO). They were going to fill the car up for me at return for $3.52 a gallon, five cents cheaper than the station on the corner! Heck of a deal!
What the agent at the time of rental conveniently sidestepped in her canned, rehearsed spiel to sell me the FPO was that you pay for a full tank of gas NO MATTER WHAT. Basically, the FPO is only cost effective if you are able to return the car on fumes. I made my displeasure with this misleading practice known and the agent at the time of return did give me a $30 credit.
The car itself was ok. It did shake quite a bit upon braking towards the end of the rental, leading me to believe it was on the verge of a major problem. To make myself feel better, I tried not to imagine the idea I had just drove a possible death trap through the mountains of Southern California.
The wait times for service at the counter upon rental and return were also unsatisfactory. The morning I rented the car the self-serve kiosks would not work correctly and there was only one agent working. (A note to companies who use self-service kiosks: They are only effective in replacing human employees if they work.)
While I was returning the car, my turn at the counter was preempted about five times by a "Hertz Snooty Ultra Gold I'm Better Than You" club members. I understand rewarding good customers, but Hertz needs to find a better balance in order to offer efficient customer service to all their customers.
In summary:
Positives:
There was an attempt at customer service to "smooth" out my complaint about the FPO
The price was reasonable
Negatives:
Quality of the vehicle
Length of wait at counter
Would I rent from Hertz again? Meh.