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I rented a Tesla from Hertz once in Houston and the whole experience was terrible. Got to the counter and the agent first suggested that I take a gas car for $

• saiya-jin 3y ago
  I am not a huge tesla fan but to expect that car rental employees will babysit every customer and show them all the cars in detail is... unrealistic. I was once spending maybe an hour to figure out how to start and move a rental mercedes after picking it up, and next to me was some german guy in exactly same situation with same model. Eventually we managed to figure it out with phones.
  • s0rce 3y ago
    I agree, if it was just the issue with showing me the car it would have been excusable, although I'm not sure what would happen to someone less tech-savy, but anyways. It was the combination of issues at every step along the way that made the experience less than stellar.
  • wolverine876 3y ago
    > to expect that car rental employees will babysit every customer and show them all the cars in detail is... unrealistic. Not every customer needs explanations. I think it's completely realistic to expect a business to show me how to use what they are selling to me. How they profit from that is their problem - when they start having compassion for customers' finances, I'll have it for theirs.
    • rootusrootus 3y ago
      I don't think it's likely they'll change their process just for EVs. I've never had them explain a car to me, they just toss me the keys and point in the general direction of the car. Figuring out how to make it work has always been my own responsibility.
      • s0rce 3y ago
        I think its generally ok as most cars handle the same and unfamiliarity isn't likely a safety issue (except manual/std transmission or if you can't figure out lights/wipers...) but the single pedal driving, while intuitive is different and lots of people aren't familiar with it yet.
      • wolverine876 3y ago
        > I don't think it's likely Whether it's likely and whether we should expect it are different questions. Don't let them normalize lower standards, as if customers should support some right to higher profit margins. Unless they are giving you a cut, profit margins are 100% not your problem.
• Zanni 3y ago
  I had a similar process the first time I rented a Tesla from Hertz (about a year ago). Counter-person was surly, gave me the key for the wrong vehicle (!) and gave me incorrect instructions on how to use the key. Hertz did send out an email in advance on how to use a Model 3/Y, including key entry (incorrect, unfortunately), door operation and charging. Recently I rented one again, and the process was much improved, which I take as an indicator that (despite this sale), they haven't turned completely bearish on Tesla. Counter-person much more knowledgable and agreeable. No mixups. Also, the software has improved. The rental now provides an on-screen tutorial on using the car, and you can now use your phone as a key. Huge quality of life improvement. Hertz could still do better. They need fast chargers at their location. All cars should be available "fully" charged (80%) with no need to bring the car back full. And they need to get rid of that ridiculous key-cover for the physical key that prevents you from just slipping it into your wallet like God intended.
  • fy20 3y ago
    This honestly sounds like a failure from Tesla just making stuff work in non-standard ways. Where I am in Europe there are a few car sharing apps that have electric cars, and all that I've rented (VW, Peugeot, Nissan, Hyundai) just work the same as ICE cars. You press the button on the key fob and it unlocks, you press Start and the car starts. Charging was not terribly complicated either. Scan the RFID tag on the keys against the charger, plug in the cable and wait for it to show it's charging.
    • samtho 3y ago
      Driving an EV in the EU is way more enjoyable than the US because you’ll know that you’ll find a CCS2 connector, at least.
      • patd 3y ago
        Assuming it works and has enough stalls. My experience with Ionity has been pretty bad so I’m just sticking with the Tesla Superchargers when I’m driving in a foreign country.
    • 3y ago
• ParacelsusOfEgg 3y ago
  I'm not sure that experience would have been any better if you had tried to rent a gas vehicle. I had almost the same experience as you (attempts at backwards up selling, poor communication about returning the car fueled up, and customers served in a random order), but with a gas vehicle in Denver in 2019 at a Hertz.
• lend000 3y ago
  Strongly recommend Turo. I tried it recently after a similarly terrible experience with Hertz. Never going to turn back to traditional car rental companies -- it's so much easier, saves you significant time, and is (sometimes) cheaper.
  • pxx 3y ago
    I have never seen Turo be anywhere close to competitive. Are you comparing to rack rates or something? I'll take unlimited mileage and the lack of weird car rules any day, also. I don't understand the other convenience factors either -- car rental places tend to be located on-site at the airport or the train station? It's also a lemon market for customers. Turo gets all of the people who aren't qualified to rent at the major car rental places, and the prices are adjusted accordingly.
    • lend000 3y ago
      As with all gig economy services, do your due diligence with the user ratings, etc. Whether it is cheaper depends on the area, but that definitely isn't the selling point for me. The selling point is not having to stand in line at the rental car terminal for 2 hours and then haggle with the person at the kiosk over what should have been a simple, pre-paid transaction.
    • Ichthypresbyter 3y ago
      The USP of Turo is that you know exactly which car you are getting. So, for instance, if you're going somewhere snowy you can be certain that you will get a car with 4 wheel drive and snow tires (rather than the 2WD jeep on old summer tires that I have sometimes ended up with from airport rentals). If you are renting a car to move a large item, you can look up the measurements and be sure it will fit rather than be stuck with a cargo van or a car much bigger than you need.
    • eitally 3y ago
      That hasn't been my experience with Turo at all. I've rented via Turo several times in San Diego this past year, having started at the suggestion of a friend. Why? Because Turo can usually use short term parking, and that is always faster and more convenient than going through the rental center. Consider these scenarios: Traditional airport car rental: Exit baggage claim and catch shuttle to rental car center. Stand in line (almost always), deal with hassles (upselling agents, car not ready, car given to someone else, different car available, etc. Find car in lot, then wait in security/checkout line to leave garage/lot. All that takes 30-60 minutes. Turo: AirBNB-style app-based car rental with in-app comms with the vehicle owner or rental service (more and more, Turo rentals are via car rental services rather than individual owners). Show up at airport having pre-arranged where the car will be. Exit baggage claim and either pick up the car at the curb or (more typically) in short term parking. The retrieval process is so simple: car will be unlocked with keys in it, and you just get in and drive away. The only thing you have to do is message the owner through Turo that you have picked it up. The return process is just as easy: drop it in short term parking or arrange for the owner to meet you curbside at Departures. It's 100% frictionless relative to the traditional method. I've found prices to be roughly on par with traditional rental car companies' rack rates. There are some exceptions, and I've also found that Turo is using VC funding to partially subsidize rentals right now, so it can be a bit cheaper in some circumstances. There's also a much wider range of vehicle options, and if you need something specific (pickup truck, full size SUV, minivan, convertible, exotic) Turo can't be beaten. I know I sound like a shill, but I suggest you try it sometime. The time savings alone -- especially if you're traveling with kids -- makes Turo worth its weight in gold.
• Aspos 3y ago
  I went out of my way to charge the vehicle before returning, returned it with 98% it but was still charged extra. Complaints to their call centre got me nowhere and I just resolved not use Hertz ever again. The only winner here is Polestar. That will be the next car I'll buy.
  • scottyah 3y ago
    It's very odd that you start with a policy complaint against Hertz that is factually false^1 (maybe the agent didn't know?) then the conclusion is to buy a Polestar. 1. We ask you to return the EV with at least the same level of charge or 75% (whichever is lower). via https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/ENGB_EV_RENTAL_TERMS.pdf https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/ENGB_EV_RENTAL_TERMS.pdf
    • Aspos 3y ago
      That's right! Front-end staff trump any company policies. Polestar is amazing though. I am telling you this as a Kia EV6 owner.
    • gnicholas 3y ago
      Why would you allege that what @aspos says is factually false? Perhaps this happened before their policy was updated, or perhaps the person working there didn't know (or was a jerk).
• rchaud 3y ago
  Maybe the rep suggested the gas car because you hadn't previously driven a Tesla, and by your own estimation, they were providing lower wait times and faster service for their gas fleet.
  • s0rce 3y ago
    I hadn't told the agent at the desk I never drove a Tesla, that was the guy who handed me the keys. It seemed mostly about concerns related to charging and high costs of repairs.
• rootusrootus 3y ago
  That sounds like every experience I have with Hertz (I've never rented an EV from them). And most other rental companies for that matter. I've started using Turo more often.
• nerdawson 3y ago
  That's a shame. I hired a Tesla from them for 3 days in the UK and I was pretty happy overall. They were clear with me that I needed to return it with at least 80% charge or pay an extra fee for them to recharge it on my behalf.
  • seattle_spring 3y ago
    That is such a backwards policy. I rented a Niro EV from Enterprise and they said I could literally return it with a 5% charge; they’d just plug it in and charge it overnight on site.
    • nerdawson 3y ago
      I'm used to hiring ICE cars with a full-to-full policy so being expected to bring an EV back with at least 80% charge didn't seem unusual. Enterprise's policy sounds more convenient but Hertz were the only company offering a Tesla over here at a (very) reasonable price.
• nox101 3y ago
  > I was told I need to return the car charged or I would be billed for "filling it up". I was confused why they couldn't charge at the airport and also explained that if I charge near my hotel it will likely not be 100% when I get to the airport. They couldn't say if that was ok. This is the same with gas cars. It's very frustrating because they're directly being dicks to their customers. You have 3 options 1. Bring it back with a full tank of gas (annoying, as you have find a gas station and plan time) 2. Pay up front for a full tank of gas and 1.5x to 2x the price of normal gas. Now you'll be trying to drive it extra so you can use all the gas you paid for but not so much that you run out. 3. Bring it back not full and then they charge you even more. It's infuriating how adversarial it is and I'm surprised no company advertises they don't do this to their customers. No idea if there are good ones out there but have never been to one.
  • lsllc 3y ago
    I can see it with gas cars because they then have to have someone drive it to the nearest gas station and fill it up, which even for an airport with an on-site gas station probably would be at least 20 mins, possibly more. But with an electric car, they just have to park it (which they have to do anyway) and plug it in (although I suppose if you left it near zero, it could mean they can't re-rent the car for some amount of time).
  • jtriangle 3y ago
    In my experience, it's not always 1.5-2x the cost of a full tank to pay up front. The last time I rented, which was a couple years ago, it was only 10% more, well worth the potential BS, and I returned the car with like 10 miles remaining on the dash, no worries whatsoever. That's not to say rental agencies don't universally suck, they certainly do, but, I wouldn't really say that's a major sticking point. Really the biggest problems seem to be them under-provisioning their fleets, and going after you for damage you didn't cause, both are far, far too common.
    • shawabawa3 3y ago
      In my experience in Europe they always advise you take the up-front tank as it's cheaper, and it's true you usually pay around 10% _less_ than most gas stations. However that's still only worth it if you manage to return the car with 10% of a tank remaining (which basically never happens)
• dilyevsky 3y ago
  Thats just regular hertz experience for ya. Would you be surprised to know that company went through bankruptcy not too long ago?
  • sidewndr46 3y ago
    The same company that falsified police reports and had people held in jail for weeks. I would expect nothing less from them