Hertz Website 'Scam'

manshimajin

I would like to warn non-UK residents who use the Hertz website to book a car in the UK that there appears to be a discriminatory scam in operation.

A few days ago I tried to make an online booking with Hertz. To begin with I was quoted £118 for the car I wanted and for the period it was needed. When I got to the 'country of residence' on the payment page what looked as if it would be a pull-down menu only had the United Kingdom available to enter.

I therefore went back and discovered that to get round this I had to enter my country of residence on the front page of the site.

When I re-entered my details, having adjusted my country of residence, the same deal, for the same period and the same car, now came out at £168 not £118 - a neat 42.4% increase.

To make sure that my eyes were not deceiving me I went back and re-entered 'UK' into the country of residence and there was the £118 deal again.

I contacted Hertz to query why this was happening. The 'helpful' reply received stated:

"I would like to inform you that our rates are subject to availability. Several factors can impact the car rental pricing, such as, for example, location/local tax, rates offered by competitors, period of the year (i.e., peak season, holidays, etc.), general economic trend, etc.

Nevertheless, we always welcome and value our customers’ comments, so I will make sure that yours will be passed on to our Pricing Department."

It would seem that Hertz employ people in their Customer Service area who do not read the comments from the customer and are therefore unable to answer the specific issue raised - or that Hertz run a scam that charges non-UK resident hirers more than UK ones. Most likely both.

I would add that the rental was to be made at a UK international airport, my licence is a UK one as are my passport and credit card which is a sterling denominated one. So to all intents and purposes, other than where my billing address currently is, I am a typical UK hirer.

I will try one last time to see if Hertz can deal with the query!!!!

If anyone has contact information for their Head Office/CEO I'd be grateful

I have used Hertz elsewhere and never run into this rip-off problem before.

Notmyrealname

> or that Hertz run a scam that charges non-UK resident hirers more than UK ones. Most likely both.

Seems reasonable given that non-UK hirers are going to be at a higher risk of causing damage and having an accident.

forgotmyname

Did you ask how many cars hired to non UK individuals get damaged compared to the cars hired to UK residents used to driving over here.

I used to work for a small van hire company, Newly setup and they only had a handful of vans so when one vanished with no trace and the details left were found to be fake, It didnt go down well. When a 2nd one got written off by a foreign driver who pulled out looking the wrong way it made a dent in their finances.

They had to stop hiring them out to non UK residents before it drained all the money they had to keep it going until they got established.

The gaffer soon got to know some of the dodgy signs. Like when they asked about mileage limits. He had an idea that they maybe thinking of doing the duty free run.
He also got caught out there. When customs phoned and said if you want your van back you had better come and get it.

manshimajin

I actually got a reply from Hertz which said that they use this policy throughout their operations - which made no reference to higher damage to vehicles (which would be insyred anyway). What they said first time is:

"I would like to inform you that our rates are subject to availability. Several factors can impact the car rental pricing, such as, for example, location/local tax, rates offered by competitors, period of the year (i.e., peak season, holidays, etc.), general economic trend, etc."

When I pointed out that the rental request was for the same location car and dates so the above did not apply I got a second response different to the first:

"The reason of the variation in our prices for residents of different countries is that in some source markets the costs (e.g. marketing and website development) is higher than in others and the pricing reflects those costs operating in the source market.

Hereby I will also provide you with a common example, which should explain this in more detail:

Take two people who book a car with us in Malaga Airport. One is from the UK and one from Germany. In Britain it is a holiday period but not in Germany. Our marketing costs in Britain are higher because we would probably be specifically promoting rentals in the UK around then and the tariffs offered to British customers reflect that extra cost. Bear in mind the cost at the actual point of rental is just one element of the overall cost. As a multinational, we market in the source market even though the car is picked up at the destination.

We remain at your service and thank you for contacting Hertz."

Which basically says - if you are a Brit and there is a public holiday in the UK you will pay more to rent a car in Spain than a German will.

This MAY be a marginally acceptable practice - but what about those days when there is no public holiday? You still pay more.

When I queried this the reply I have now got is:

"Thank you again for your feedback. However the booking source is not only affected by bank holiday, but it can be impacted by
location/local tax, rates offered by competitors, period of the year (i.e., peak season, holidays, etc.), general economic trend, etc."

So no mention of different driving habits but they are going round the circle to try and justify the 42% pricing difference.

Naturally I went to a bucket shop website and was offered a deal for the same car, same period and through Hertz for the 'UK' price despite showing my country of residence as Ireland. I decided not to go with Hertz but with a similar car (Ford Focus v Vauxhaul Astra) with another company at the same price.

So now I wonder why can I get a standard price through a bucket shop but have to pay 42% more going straight to the company?

I am intrigued as I have just co-authored a book on how so often the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing in companies and public services. Would love to talk to the Hertz CEO to see what they say about their LH and RH.

forgotmyname

Foreign drivers are more of a risk, I think that should have been the reply.
Its costs more to administer and insure foreign drivers.

Sounds like you got someone who has no idea who Hertz are or what they do.

The bucket shop may not have given them the correct details. So until you have paid and hired the car i wouldnt trust those prices.

Strider590

Foreign drivers can come to and drive in the UK, without having taken a driving test that's even 10% as comprehensive as ours. If you don't beleive me, take a look at Asia and the Middle East, where they drive on whatever side they like, the biggest vehicle has priority and road markings/signs are taken as a complete joke.

But of course, the company is not going to tell you that for fear of being labelled racist.

arcon5

They don't have to justify their prices so you. So long as they are not misleading and clear before committing to the purchase.

Why are you on a witch hunt?

forgotmyname

Because its "discrimination" isnt it ???

No its statistics and good business practice. I wanted to hire a dodge viper in the US but they wouldnt let me. Foreign licence and powerful car = NO CHANCE. Not discrimination just risk assessment.

It would be highly likely i would crash and burn in a huge fireball.

Goto a german car hire site and do the same. Oh look they charge extra as soon as i put im a UK citizen.

kelloggs36

they aren't the only company who do this - Europcar also do it. I got around it by stating that my country of residence was France as it was about 40% cheaper - I also e-mailed Europcar and they said that what I had done was fine! I saved loads.

manshimajin

arcon5 wrote: »

Why are you on a witch hunt?

Look at the name of this site and if you have time look at the replies Hertz gave.

If they said "the risk of non-UK nationals driving in the UK is so much higher that our normal insurance doesn't cover it" maybe it would make sense.

But the answer they give is a nonsense answer which basically says that here is a nice scam we can use to get more money.

US capitalism I guess.

UncleZen

You will also find that depending on how you "arrive" at a car rental site will also affect the price you pay, e.g. the google search used or referring site for example.
Try it and see. Same applies to hotels.