Experienced trouble with an electrical vehicle rental from Hertz: Incident Involves Long, Unforeseen Trip in EV Due to Crane Malfunction
Heya! So, my partner and I took our journey across the pond to visit family in good ol' England. We were all going to check out my wife's grandparents, one of whom is struggling with their health, so this might be the last time we're able to see them.
I went ahead and booked a sweet Mercedes GLA to drive up to the Lake District. But when we landed, guess what Hertz hands us? An electric Polestar vehicle. Neither of us had even rolled with an EV before, and that led to some serious headaches.
Our route was a whopping 560-mile one-way trip from London to the Lake District with a little stop in Birmingham on the way back (not that we made it on time). The maximum mileage of the EV in peak conditions is about 250 miles, but we didn't know that yet.
With the new set of wheels (and no manual to speak of), we had to stop to charge four times – about 40 minutes each. On top of that, we kept getting lost trying to find a charger. That totally torpedoed our plans, and We missed our dinner with my uncle in Birmingham at 5 pm. We didn’t arrive until 9 pm.
It was a freezing winter day – we'dPriority: keep the heating off to conserve energy, but the darn card Hertz gave us to pay for charging didn't even work. By the end of the day, the wife was in tears, and that ruined the whole trip for us.
It's not like we were shouting for an EV, either. I asked for a petrol car, period. They should’ve given us the keys to a Mercedes, not some hippie electric ride. Hertz claimed it was out of EVs, so we had to take the Polestar or hit the road. Not cool, Hertz. They basically told us, "Either take it or leave it."
But let me tell you, they sure as heck owe us some cash. A little heads-up before we left the garage would’ve helped, and they should’ve offered better options for charging. We ended up paying over double what we normally would’ve spent on gas, using up all our time, and missing our dinner with family. talk about a terrible journey!
I reached out to Helen Crane from This is Money to get to the bottom of this mess. She totally sided with us and said Hertz dropped the ball. I mean, we didn't ask for an adventure into Electricville, Hertz just shoved us into that trap.
Apparently, the lack of regular cars was because of central London's £12.50 daily ULEZ charge, and because we only know how to drive automatics – that's what they gave us.
But, you know, Hertz is supposed to supply us with a ride that's equal to the one we booked (a Mercedes), and if that ain't available, they're supposed to upgrade us. That didn't happen, and they're trying to dodge responsibility for our charging problems, too. Real shady, if you ask me.
They also hit us with an extra cost when we checked our bill, raising the rate for the electric car to include only 300 miles, with charges for extra miles at 24p per mile. That brought our total up to a whopping £252 for the whole rental.
It sure seems unfair for car rental companies to swap our booked car without giving us the option to opt out of EVs. If we knew going in that we'd have to deal with all this charging bull, we would’ve just booked with a different company or rented a manual car.
After all that, I called out Hertz and demanded a refund. They said the limited options at the pick-up were due to our requiring an automatic. But plenty of tourists can't drive manuals or don't want to, and Hertz should've offered better options.
In the end, Hertz realised they messed up and reimbursed us for the hire fee and charging costs to make it right.
Handling Requests for Specific Vehicle Types
When booking a car rental, customers usually aren’t thrilled about being handed a lemon – especially when they specifically requested something else. Car rental companies should take steps to ensure that their customers receive the vehicle they asked for, or substitute it with a similar or higher-class car based on availability and rental agreement terms. If the customer isn’t happy with the substitute, they should be given the option to modify their reservation or receive a refund. It’s crucial for rental companies to communicate changes in vehicle availability to customers in advance and offer documentation confirming any substitutions.
Sources:
- The Best Car Rental Companies for 2023 | U.S. News (Last accessed: June 2023)
- Car Rentals - Choosing the Right Vehicle (Last accessed: June 2023)
- Renting a Car: What to Do When the Car You Reservate Isn't Available (Last accessed: June 2023)
- Rental Car Substitution Policies - AutoSlash (Last accessed: June 2023)
- Car rental companies should strive to provide customers with the vehicle they've requested or offer a similar or higher-class vehicle based on availability and rental agreement terms.
- It's essential for rental companies to communicate changes in vehicle availability to customers in advance and offer documentation confirming any substitutions.
- If the customer isn't satisfied with the substitute vehicle, they should be given the option to modify their reservation or receive a refund.
- In some cases, vehicle shortages may occur due to factors such as central London's ULEZ charge, and rental companies should provide alternative options for customers who can't drive manual vehicles.
- Customers may feel frustrated and surprised when they receive a vehicle different from what they've booked, and car rental companies should take responsibility for any charging or mileage issues that result from the substitution.
