by Danielle Friedl

Created on: July 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Hertz Rent-A-Car has saved me more than once. After years of renting cars for long road trips in which I did not want to add wear and tear to my own car, when I needed a bigger vehicle to transport my growing family or when my own car ended up in the automobile hospital for an extended stay, I have come to rely on Hertz to get me out of a jam. They are almost always either the cheapest or on par with other car rental companies but offer more variety and features.

More than once my husband and I have rented a larger car than we had to get us to the beach in comfort, and often in more style than we were used to. The first time we rented a Hertz car we just had our oldest daughter who was not quite two yet and we headed out for our first family vacation to the beach. We opted for the new GPS feature that they were offering and were very happy we did! About two hours into the trip, on a road that seemed to have no exits, and the exits it did had didn't appear to lead to anywhere, our daughter piped up that she needed a pit stop. As she wasn't even two yet we were very excited that she was following along with the whole potty-training thing but as first time parents we neglected to bring along something for her to use on the side of the road should we end up in the Twilight Zone.

The GPS was clicking along, telling us to remain on the road for another 200 miles. I grabbed the manual to the GPS system and realized I could ask it to find us the nearest hotel, gas station, place to eat.... and pit stop for a tiny two year old who probably wouldn't actually have to go once we found the darn bathroom anyway! The GPS whirred to life and started 'thinking'. Suddenly it gave us a route to a fast food place that was a few miles off the highway but not marked by any signs. We would have never known where to get off and where to go! We followed the directions and if finding a fast food place in the middle of nowhere wasn't a miracle, then my daughter using the potty certainly was! We celebrated with ice cream and we were on our way to the beach.

On another holiday we had gone to my in-laws, now with two children, and had rented a minivan to haul our children and a bunch of Christmas presents into the snow-covered mountains. When we stopped for lunch I noticed that the radio light seemed to stay on even when the van was off. We decided it was one of those that would shut off after a minute or two and went about our business. We arrived at my in-laws house and settled in for the holiday. The day before we were to leave we went out to gas up the van - but it didn't start! Turns out there WAS a problem with the radio and it had drained the battery.

We called Hertz, and even in the remote area of the mountains that we were in - that I'm sure continues to be a cell phone dead zone to this day - they were able to send out a tow truck and a brand new van within an hour of the call. And because we had a problem we got an upgraded vehicle and half of our bill was taken care of! Nobody wants their car to break down, rental or not, but if you've got a Hertz vehicle they handle it quickly, efficiently and make up for the inconvenience.

The company we bought our minivan from uses Hertz when we have to bring the van in for any sort of work, major or minor. Hertz comes and picks us up, issues us a wonderful vehicle fit for our needs and because of the deal they have with the car company, we get charged practically nothing! And if we just need it for the day - it's free!

I am, and will continue to be, a loyal Hertz customer. Even in times where things have gone wrong Hertz has made it more than right.

Learn more about this author, Danielle Friedl.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.