Hertz at Galleria, Houston: Good Service -
Written: Mar 31 '09 (Updated Apr 01 '09)
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Pros: Convenient location, several car choices to fit any budget, no surprises on the final invoice.
Cons: Prices on the Hertz website are better than the major car companies, but can't_beat_HW.
The Bottom Line: I was pleased with their service. I think instead of getting angry when something goes wrong with the car, customers should contact HERTZ Customer Service immediately, for resolution.
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| reginafug's Full Review: Hertz |
Shopping around for a long-term car rental, from January 15 to March 11, 2009 proved to be a daunting experience. I perused each major car company's website, called each major car company's national toll free #, and also telephoned each of the local agencies in Houston, thinking that by speaking to a manager, I could score a better deal. Regardless of the method used, the price quoted always exceeded $2,500, for my desired term.
Learning from Epinions' member Chelledun, I followed her technique for finding a bargain, and priced my requirements through Hotwire.com, and bingo, my desired dates, for an economy car came to $1,295!
Booking with Hotwire was as easy as 1-2-3! I chose the location in Houston that was convenient for me, printed my reservation, and when I picked up my car from the Hertz Galleria Houston (610 Loop at Richmond), my reservation was in order, no price surprises, and my chosen car type was ready to go! I should also mention that when booking with HW, I knew which car company I was renting from, and I was not asked to give any credit card details, so I felt safe in making the reservation.
Since I was returning from Angola, with a dog and a bit of luggage, I ended up upgrading to a Kia Rondo, a spacious hatchback station wagon, which fit my needs perfectly. With the upgrade, the final price was $1,490, and I could return the car anywhere, even out-of-state, without an added fee. The final rental fee was a lot of money, but I saved almost $1,000 by booking with Hotwire. Since I'm not currently living in the U.S, renting a car is the only option for me.
Customer Service - Galleria Houston Office
The woman who handled my reservation was extremely friendly, fast, explained the rental contract, and said that I could call their office directly if I needed to amend the contract, which I ended up doing.
Car #1 - the KIA RONDO
When I picked up the car, it was clean, fresh-smelling, and with a very low mileage (under 2K miles); it had a full tank of gas. I was offered the option to pre-pay for a full tank of gas at $1.75 a gallon, which was a good deal.
Car Reliability and Winter Readiness
I drove the KIA from Houston to Oklahoma. A couple of days later, there was an ice storm in Oklahoma, and the day after, I had a trip scheduled out of the OKC airport (100 miles from my parent's hometown). The car handled really well in the ice and snow that was still present on I-44 but surprise, surprise, the wiper fluid reservoir was empty, and I had to pull over a few times to clear the glass with my gloves, until I could get to a gas station on the Turnpike.
I was livid because a car should be ready to go, especially in winter... and it was freezing outside, the temperature was in the low 20's; thankfully, I made it to the airport without any problems. Granted I took the car out in Houston, but I mentioned to the Customer Service lady that I was driving the car to Oklahoma.
The second event that prompted me to change cars was when a safety warning light came on. I called the Hertz Customer Service line, and they told me that I could exchange the car at the OKC airport, or any other location. He asked if the car was operational, if not, he'd transfer me immediately to their Emergency line, so that someone could pick-me up.
OKC Will Rogers Airport Hertz counter
The Hertz counter is found in the arrivals section, in front of the baggage area. The two women working the counter were not overly friendly but got the job done. The woman assisting me didn't ask me why I was returning the car, but I told her why I was returning it (get the car serviced, I said!). The exchange took less than 10 minutes, and I was on my way again. I appreciated the swift exchange!
Second Car: PONTIAC G6 - Reliability
With only 6,500 miles on it, this 2009, 4-door sedan looked very new, but it was not the type of car I had in mind, as I lost a lot of luggage space, but it was the only car they could give me without waiting. They told me that I had been upgraded me to a mid-size car and they were not charging me for it.
With some snow and some icy slush still around the OKC area, the car was sort of clean. There was some sand on the carpets, the windows were a bit spotted with muddy water, as was the body, but if I wanted a clean car, I had to wait for them service the car (once again, he said).
I drove this car for 26 days. The car handles well, and I had no problems with it, though I'd never buy one of these babies for myself. It is a gas guzzler, and it didn't matter that gas was only $1.70 in Oklahoma, it used gas like crazy! Okay, so the Estimated MPG is 33 for this model, but with the speed limit on OK highways being 75 mph, it's so easy to go 85-90 mph and use at lot of gas, especially if one has a heavy foot.
The Contract Price Included:
~ Local and City Taxes,
~ Unlimited Mileage
~ NO Airport surcharges and drop-off fees
~ Out-of-state charges: No additional charges are incurred when driving the car outside of Texas.
~ Fuel charges: If agreed to at the time of car pick-up, and it was put on the rental agreement, I had the option to return the car's gas tank empty and pay only $1.75 per gallon, which is rather reasonable.
~ Early Termination and of Extension of Rental Agreement: NO penalties or surcharges.
Additional Costs when Renting a Car:
I declined these as I can purchase an-all inclusive protection package from American Express for $24.99, for the duration of the contract. You have to be an Amex card member, however.
~ Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)
~ Personal Effects Protection (PEP)
~ Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
~ Theft Protection (TP)
Miscellaneous
The Hertz Houston city locations are open, seven days a week, but tend to close between 6:00 - 7:00 pm. However, Hertz allows customers to return to car at any location without charging an additional fee. Airport locations are open 24/7.
Conclusion
Hotwire came to the rescue, and I must admit that the Hertz website didn't come close to the price quoted by HW. However, I was very pleased that Hertz honored the HW rates, etc.
Even though the KIA (the first car) was not prepped for winter and inconvenienced me while driving on I-44 the day after an ice/snow storm in Oklahoma, and the car developed mechanical problems, when I called to request another car, the Customer Service Representative told me that they would have come to my rescue and winterized the car, but I had a plane to catch, and had not spare time to wait.
Exchanging a car is never a problem, ever, he said, and exchanging the KIA at the OKC Airport was simple.
When I returned the car in Houston, I mentioned the problems with the KIA, and received a 5% deduction on the final price. Not a lot of money, but in the end, it showed a willingness to do the right thing, besides apologizing profusely on behalf of Hertz.
We've rented many cars from Hertz and frankly, we've always been pleased with their service.
Recommended:
Yes
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