Hertz

Pros: Better customer service than most.  Hertz #1, Avis just tries harder ;-)
Cons: Unexpected early return penalty.

I have had similar early return stories with Hertz.  This happened to me in Denver, Dallas, and Cleveland.  I was able to get the charges straightened out, but they changed the rental rate.  It seems that if you book say 3 days, you get a certain rate.  If you return early they either charge a penalty, or you have to complain which leads to no penalty but a higher rate.

I have seen this with Thrifty as well.

Pros: Nice clean cars. Provincial service better than central, with nice staff.
Cons: Expect rudeness, arrogance and arbitrary decisions at Heathrow.

Some fifteen months ago, I wrote a complimentary piece on Hertz, having written off one of their Jaguar motor cars in an accident. I was less than happy that they gave me a downgrade substitute (after all I had paid the top insurance premium) but when I got home to Australia they gave me a refund. Thought that was good. They then imposed a world wide ban on my using their services, later commuted to Great Britain and Ireland only. After about a year of protest and submission of medical reports that has been lifted.
Surely, if one has an accident and is insured, one should not be penalized (unless this is a serial offence).
Provided one has a hassle free time and returns the car in mint condition, Hertz is fine. Any misfortune is likely to result in considerable inconvenience.
For considerate service, "remember the ALAMO".

Pros: Clean & Good Quality Vehicles, Modern Rental Car Facilities, Easy and Efficient Return Procedure
Cons: Desk Agents push for upgrades and add-on charges at pickup desk, some staff is unfriendly

I was overall satisfied with Hertz, especially with the superb vehicle. I recieved a brand new Saturn sedan that was in peak condition, very impressive, all their vehicles seem to be in peak condition. The desk staff was pushy with upgrades and add-on insurance charges, it took several minutes to convince the desk agent that all I wanted was the basic rental I had reserved and no upgrades or extra charges. The pickup was a breeze, the vehicle was parked and ready to drive just steps away from the car rental desk. Their facilities are also very clean and modern just like their vehicles, very efficient and easy to use. Return was also a breeze, lots of signage in the large facility and staff that direct you to a parking spot and briefly inspect the vehicle.

Pros: I've heard of them.
Cons: They billed us twice the quote; dispute is slow and difficult.

We reserved a car in Zermatt, Switzerland to be returned in Toulon, France 3 days later. They quoted me 77 Swiss Francs per day, minus the 20% AAA discount, plus the hefty 2nd country drop-off fee. When we picked up the car, we asked at the desk whether dropping the car off in two days instead of three would make any difference. We were told "No, it doesn't matter how many days you keep the car. When you drop it off, we will compute your total." When we received a statement from them later, it showed a daily rate of 129 Swiss Francs per day minus only 10% for AAA. When we tried to call to straighten this out we were told that our question will be submitted by email or fax to another department which will contact us via email or fax withing the next 15 business days (3 weeks!!!). There is no person who can directly speak to us about the situation. I thought that was really weak. We are still in the process of dealing with this.

Pros: None at all
Cons: Read all review body

We booked a Hertz car via AutoEurope in Rome and paid in advance. When we went to pick it up in Termini Station, a rude big guy started yelling at us to produce our plane tickets because people from Eastern Europe are stealing cars. We looked as a normal couple with normal clothes and faces, I am pregnant and we had to listen to this hysterical guy. We only had electronic air tickets and he did not accept it. Please note that the rule to show tickets is not known to clients because they do not make it public. AutoEurope did not know about it, too. We had to call police but it could not help us. So, we were left without money, without a car on Sunday morning thanks to wonderful Hertz International Policy and its reluctance to solve issues. The rude guy even refused to call his manager because he said it was Sunday. We still did not get our money back because Hertz did not manage for over a month to confirm to AutoEurope that the car was not given to us. Lousy service, rude employee.

Pros: Ultra-fast return
Cons: Did not honor promised rate; neighboring gas station's price gouging.

I rented through Hertz for 5 days through Oct. 4, 2006 at the Orlando International Airport north location. Shuttle service to the facility was swift and professional, though the line at Hertz was long, and this was about 1 a.m. on a Friday night. Furthermore, the agent failed to provide me with the promised rate and, after much bickering agreed to rent to me for about $5 more than agreed. And all this despite the fact I provided him my confirmation number. He berated me for not knowing my specific "promotion name," and that the confirmation number was meaningless. Hertz did upgrade to a small SUV from economy sedan, because of availability (this was not important to me.)
***AND DO BEWARE of filling up at the adjacent Lee Vista Chevron gas station, which charged $3.60 per gallon, when the prevailing rate was about $2.30. Should have known better, but as we were hard-pressed for time, had to bite the bullet. That was the worst I have seen, ever, for a station near car rental returns.

Pros: nice car, but didn't need the upgrade Hotwire has far better customer service
Cons: rip off artists won't return phone calls to customer service

I rented a car with Hertz through Hotwire this past July. I paid all fees through Hotwire, aside from their July promotion to fill up the gas at market rate instead of the usual inflated rental rate.

Arriving at the Hertz pickup at DFW, the agent went through significant song and dance to get me to upgrade. I consistently refused the upgrade. At the end, the agent said I was eligible for a free upgrade, which would show as an upgrade on the receipt, but which would be credited when I turned the car in. I foolishly signed (I hadn't slept much and I hardly ever rent a car).

Naturally, I now have $70 for an upgrade I didn't want or need that Hertz won't credit. I also have an additional charge for an Airport Concession Fee that I paid through Hotwire that they won't credit either.

Pros: Only one thing, I used less gas with this car .
Cons: The car smelled like someone had been overdosing on Brut men's cologne. 

I rented a mid-size car from Hertz last Thursday through Sunday morning for about $400.  The counter clerk assigned me a Toyota Corolla which is well know to be classified as an economy car.  When I questioned her, she stated that the Corolla is a mid-size car! 
Not only was I reeling from the cost of a $400 for a 2 day 9 hour rental but felt that they cheated me out of a mid-size.

Good bye Hertz, no more will I rent your cars and I intend to tell everyone I know about your rip-off scheme.

Pros: Good rates, especially through Priceline
Cons: They try to steal money from you

For the second time in a row, Hertz has sent me an invoice for an entire tank of gas, and then some, at $5.59/gal for a total of $86 (more gas than the tank on the car holds!) The last time they did this, just 2 weeks ago, they were very nice and refunded the charge when I emailed them a scan of my fuel receipt. Now I will have to go through the hassle of gathering receipts again. I assume many people don't bother to contest the overcharges 'cause it is too much hassle or they are charging to a company that won't care. I like Hertz cars, employees, and rates, but the theft is getting a little over the top.

Pros: Wide selection. Nice clean cars. Updated technology.
Cons: Push extra insurance.

After having a bad experience with Alamo, I called Hertz from Alamos lot. Hertz was appalled at what Alamo did to me and my wife. They left us stranded in Los Angelas. We had to walk to their car lot. They were more than happy to give us a rental car. It even had NEVERLOST installed in it. That was worth its weight in gasoline alone. The customer service was great and friendly. Would recommend them to anyone.

Pros: They rent cars
Cons: Incompetent and Disinterested staff, Unauthorized charges to credit card

Recently we rented a car from Hertz Local Edition 4404 West Plano Parkway, Plano, TX, at Middlekauff Ford while ours was in the body-shop.

The staff was extremely unprofessional, unhelpful, and overall the experience dealing with them was terrible.

Instead of working with an insurance company to receive payment for the bill they just charged my card. They wanted the card for a $50 deposit only. We returned the car with a bill showing that due amount was $0. However a month later our card was charged. No one at Hertz responded to complaints. I called the local office, customer service, and sent complaints on-line. No response.

That was my last rental from Hertz.

Pros: Our driver was good English speaking and very polite.
Cons: while renting car in India, with Hertz I find it more reliable.

Last month I had visited few cities of India. India is still not perfectly developed, for local transportation, you had to hire cheap rickshaws (three wheeler) or old Black & yellow dirty cars. At one city name Vadodara, i found Hertz rental at Airport. I was welcomed by some polite gentlemen at Counter and asked about my requirements. I was really surprised by way they supplied car with driver at such a lowest rates. In India you should avoid self drive car, as Indian Roads are having both in & out traffic on same single strip of road at maximum speed.

Pros: none
Cons: deceptive, scam artists.

We reserved a mini van for 6 people in Cancun Mexico at Hertz Rental Car through Apple vacations. When we arrived we were told by the staff that our reservation was not for a mini van even though the paper clearly stated "Mini Van". We were quoted around $350 for 4 days in the beginning prior to the trip. We were charges $515 and to add insult to injury the manager of Hertz came over and pulled my husband aside and told him in broken English that we would not get any car if he did not pay this man an additional $60 in US cash. What a scam. It took almost an hour to get the car. I have e-mailed Hertz about this shake down and am waiting for a response from them. Don't go to Hertz in Cancun Mexico, you'll get ripped off!!!

Pros: Their global business helps in providing better customer relations in many countries.
Cons: Sometimes, they charge much more then shown on the Internet.

I tried Hertz two times and found the service satisfactory.
While booking, staff was very polite n the driver of Bus helped me to get down my luggage. Their on line site is very attractive to the public.
Charges are nominal. but, they don't have discounts in the season. n if they do, they usually give discounts in next purchase. I always get the Vehicle in good condition, so no complaints about the vehicle.
They have good deals if you take it as a package among the stay n flight.
I undoubtedly, go with it next time, unless got another good deal.

Pros: Got to drive an SUV but was not what I wanted
Cons: Car not cleaned, tires worn, dents on car I had to bring to their attention.

ORF Hertz. Felt like I was made to pick from left overs... if I thought about it more I should have just gone to the Enterprise counter. I've always had great service from them.

Hertz gave me the phone number of their counter after I rented the car but never once did they pick up in the week I rented the car. I know they are not that busy because the first time I tried it I had not left the airport yet. Since they were not answering the phone, I walked up to them to point the dents on the car and no one was in line.