Hertz , am I complete plonker!

[Babbles]

I don't know if I'm a complete plonker, but if you read this you will think I am!

Last month we completed on buying our holiday home in Gers32 Our furniture arrived safe and sound but I had the bright idea that it would be useful while we were there to hire a van,to got to broccants and depot vents for the other pieces we needed, me being an organised kind of person thought I'd organise before I got there from the uk and called Hertz uk vans( as I am a gold member) they couldn't book it but transfered my call to france who took the booking and had the van waiting for us at Bergerec airport larger than I thought I had booked, so far so good and it was useful having a van when we were there but on returning to the airport the trouble began, firstly they said we hadn't filled the van up with fuel as the gauge didn't show full(we had and it was but there as no reciept)so we had to go and put another teaspoon of fuel in although we were already pushed for time, the Hertz chap took our booking form and as we wanted to catch our flight we dashed to check in. A week after we returned home we were stunned to find our credit card had been charged 2000+ euros for 10 days hire and there hadn't been a fuel surcharge.On the side of the van it said 29 euros a day so how can that equate to 2000+ euros I have no copy of the orginal agreement as I had phoned and they didn't send a confirmation email and the guy who we returned the van to kept the paper work. I'm really not impressed with Hertz and there doesn't seem any way I can complain about it as the intial phone call kept being transferred to different people I have no idea who I actually booked it with, I know my french is really basic but this is soooooo annoying and I do feel I've been taken advantage of. It was useful having a van when we go over but has anyone any ideas of how I could do it cheaper, our home is on th 32 47 border, all ideas welcomed!!!

[Dog]

You now know why they are called Hertz - it's because when you get the bill it hurts.

Get onto Hertz Europe HQ and kick up a fuss - get copies of all documents.

You must have paid by credit card get on to them and get them to cancel the item or discuss it with Hertz.

I had an amusing two hours in a Hertz rental office in LA a few years ago. I had hired a vehicle for 14 days and they wanted an excess as I they said I had the vehicle for 16 days.

Somehow they couldn't count and didn't understand a calendar - I suppose most people may give up - but they picked the wrong person.

I had to go through six specialy trained customer support people until I found one that could count.

I recently hired a car for my house sitter while I was away. When he took it back they said it was dirty and wanted to charge to clean it! He had time so came back and jet washed it.

Keep all the paper work - inspect every panel of the vehicle and record every minor scratch these jokers just want to make easy money.

[PossumGirl]

When we were househunting, we rented a car from Hertz in Pamiers over the 'net from L.A.  We had prepaid (much cheaper rate) and had confirmation numbers, etc.  Got to Pamiers, went to the address on the confirmation and imagine our surprise when we discovered it wasn't a Hertz office any longer but was instead Europcar!  They hadn't been a Hertz dealer for at least 6 months by then. 

Luckily, they had a vehicle available, but clearly the Hertz pre-pay wasn't any good, so we had to take it at full rate which was several hundred euros more expensive.

However, and this is where Hertz can be good, when we got back to L.A., we called to complain, sent them in all the paperwork and we were sent coupons for the difference in the price between the rate we'd been originally offered and what we wound up paying.

Last time I checked, the Hertz website still listed the dealer as being in Pamiers.

PG

[Sunday Driver]

Hertz advertise all of their 3500kg vans (3 m3 to 20 m3) at 29 euros per day excluding insurance and mileage charges, so unless you inadvertantly booked a light truck or you've done a quick trip to China and back, they have clearly made a error with the billing.

I'd phone Hertz Bergerac Airport on 05 53 27 10 51 (or Hertz central reservations on 0810 347 347) and query the 2000+ euro charge.

Mistakes happen, so no point in being outraged - just sort it out. [:)]

 

 

[naps]

 

I thought the advertising on the vans was "Hire this van from 29 euros per day"

When we looked into actually hiring a van for the weekend, the real costs were high.  The above rate applies to the 29th of February, but only if it falls on a Tuesday [;-)] )

[Babbles]

Thanks

I'll try giving Bergerac office a ring but its amazing how their English and My French seem to vanish when trying to sort things out, and its not the first time they have let me down, I do hope they have made a mistake and can fix it, but the cost do seems so excessive, They also gave us a larger van than I wanted, which was a short wheel base Renault Traffic and I got a long wheel base high top boxer, which also miffed me as the tolls were double and I couldn't go into city centers to park, you live and learn!!!

[Cassis]

My only experience of renting Hertz was to hire a Zafira for 9 days, unlimited mileage, 305€.  Booked over the phone with a number I got from Hertz UK's website as it was cheaper than booking with Hertz France.  The Zafira was there and we were expected (I did ring the Alencon office a couple of days ahead just to be sure) ...

So they are not always hopeless.  [:D]

[hastobe]

Its probably worth knowing that most stores (Fly, Foxy etc) have vans that you can use to take your big purchases home free of charge.  You just need your driving licence, passort and chequebook (for deposit cheque that is torn up when you return the van intact).  This is usually cheaper than having the store deliver (charges from 30 to 76 euros).  Similarly the Troc's deliver (subject to a charge).  Ours delivered a whole van loan of pretty big heavy furniture and put everything in place and I think the whole lot only cost us 30 euros (large oak table seating ten plus 10 chairs, two dressers (one 3m long and solid (read v heavy!) oak), double bed, sommier and mattress and bedside table). 

Kathie

[Dick Smith]

Our builder has sometimes picked up goods for us - on a couple of occasions he has found it profitable to hire the store van, use it for a few hours on his own projects and then return it. So if you have other errands to do, that is a cost-effective way to go.

However, I will always remember the first day we had our place, driving from Vire to Mortain in But's van - the one with no shock absorbers, mirrors, variable steering and, of course, LHD. In the rain.  I will dream of the big roundabout in Vire every time I eat cheese...

[Cassis]

[quote user="Dick Smith"] I will dream of the big roundabout in Vire every time I eat cheese...

[/quote]

Was it like a large Camembert, then?

[Chas]

Just come back from a holiday in USA. We hired from Hertz, via Ebookers prepaid voucher, having compared lots of other prices. It was a full size (ford taurus) with 380 miles on the clock when we picked it up in LA, We had the car for 31days and drove 4500 miles. The cost including a one way drop of fee of €290, in Norfolk Virginia, was €1620. We were impressed with both the price and the service and based on our experience would certainly use them again.

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="Cassis"][quote user="Dick Smith"] I will dream of the big roundabout in Vire every time I eat cheese...

[/quote]

Was it like a large Camembert, then?

[/quote]

No, but one Halloween it was a giant pumpkin.

[Jc]

Some years ago, I bought some furniture in BUT and wanted it delivered & was offered one of their vans;no check on license or anything else.I soon found out why-I don't think they would have been worried if they never saw this vehicle again!!A very,very elderly Citroen but everything did work-just- and it got us and the furniture where we wanted to go and got back to the depot.

[Dick Smith]

BUT in Vire? That van was evil!