Al on the Rental Cars
A Tuesday tirade about some recent regrettable reservations
I always try to take a balanced look at my own travel experiences as I understand the logistical, staffing and financial issues that can challenge even the best companies.
But sometimes things just stink.
Today’s Tuesday Tirade1 is about some recent experiences at both Hertz and Avis, experiences that are emblematic of my last few years in rental car lots. These brands have some improvements to make.
Now, I understand that rental cars are a very different business to airlines. Nevertheless, I have been renting cars on a regular basis for over 25 years, so my customer bonafides are well established.
My sole criteria for a good rental car experience is simple: I want go get in a car as quickly as possible and go. That’s it. Sure, getting a nice car doesn’t hurt, but that is a distant second to not waiting. I can confidently state that other frequent renters feel the same way.2 It’s the sole basis for having status like Hertz President’s Circle and Avis Preferred because the rental rewards in those programs leave a lot to be desired.
Earlier this month at the Hertz LAX facility, I was presented with what has become a familiar and frustrating sight: a line of people waiting for cars in the President’s Circle aisle. (There is never supposed to be a line.) Now, if this was the first (or even second) time this had happened, I would not be writing about it. Unfortunately, it’s now happened to me at Hertz in LA on multiple recent occasions.3 To their credit, the staff seemed equally frustrated, and they were working hard to get cars out as quickly as possible.4 Still, it was twenty minutes before I was in a Nissan Rogue on my way to an even longer wait on the 405.
Flash ahead a couple days later, and I decide to give Avis another shot, this time in St. Louis. The last time I rented from Avis at this location, the Preferred Desk staff struggled to get people in cars that night. (Sound familiar?) But after my fun time in LA, I figured the grass might indeed be greener.
Oops.
Lo and behold, I arrived at the Preferred booth on a much colder evening to encounter the exact same scenario: fellow Preferred members crammed into the tiny waiting room while agents processed cars one by one. It would be at least another twenty minutes before I got sent back out into the cold to collect my Toyota Rav4.
Now, I know that the major rental car companies have had to face some significant challenges in the post-COVID era. That being said, I keep reading about Hertz’s miraculous turnaround in the trade press, but I’m not seeing it as a customer.5 A resurgent stock price doesn't seem to have consistently put cars on the aisle, nor does the recent adoption of AI-powered return scanners seem to have endeared Hertz any further to the traveling public. At least the team at Avis in St. Louis reached out to me after a negative survey result. Hertz has not said a peep after multiple scathing survey submittals.
While I’m always wary of anecdotal reports as a basis for an overall critique, my experiences across the rental car industry have been consistently underwhelming, no matter which company I have chosen. (Yes, I’m looking at you, too, National.) These past couple weeks were more the norm than the exception. When you have one core promise to your best customers, you had better focus on that and deliver it every time.
Who knows, we might be the only thing standing between you and the robots.6
Tirades will not be limited to Tuesdays
I have my issues with JD Power, but their most recent rental car industry survey did highlight the connection between wait time/skipping the counter and customer satisfaction
Hopefully some of Hertz’ issues at LAX will be alleviated when they move into the new consolidated rental car center, which I’ve dubbed the Death Star — it will be the largest such facility in the world
While everyone was working hard, I could have done without the agent at the gate who assured me that this is just “how it is now”
A number of ex-Delta executives are now leading the team at Hertz, take that for you what you will
Perhaps Avis has already seen the future, having announced a partnership with Waymo earlier this year