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In the past I've rented from a few places including Dollar and Budget. Dollar has a bad reputation in the world of rental car companies, but I really liked it. Not only did I get a fantastic car that was better than the one I reserved, but they actually charged me less than they originally quoted me. This year when I needed a rental for a week, I started comparison shopping.

Hertz and Dollar actually had the same price for the week long rental. I decided to chose Hertz because it was located less than twenty minutes away and Dollar was a further drive. Hertz is usually more expensive, but offered a discount for AAA members. That was what made me cross the line. According to my reservation, renting the car on Monday and returning a week later on the following Tuesday would cost $229. I reserved a compact car for the week and got ready for my trip.

When I arrived at Hertz, there was a huge line and only one person working. I was supposed to pick up my car at 8 am, but it was 8:35 by the time I made it to the front of the line. I presented the card I use only for rentals, which had just over $300 left on it and discovered that my card was declined. It turned out that Hertz charges $250 over the rental cost to cover themselves.

After debating with the employee, I stated that I wanted to cancel my reservation. Though it would add more time to my trip, I was willing to drive to Dollar and get a car from them. That set him into action. He changed my reservation to a two-day rental and stated that at the end of the week they would automatically adjust the price. I asked if I would still get the same price and he stated several times that my AAA discount would still go into effect.

He met me with the car in tow and I was shocked. Instead of the compact car I reserved, they had a Mazda 5 ready, which looks like a cross between a minivan and SUV. He told me that it got excellent gas mileage, which I discovered was a bald faced lie. The Ford Focus I rented from Dollar and expected to get from Hertz got 35 miles to the gallon; this got around 20. He also told me that I could drop the car off at the lot when I got back and turn they keys into their drop box, which would save me a few dollars.

I got home from my trip and discovered that Hertz had called twice a day starting two days after my rental and demanding that the car be returned. I turned it in at 6 am, three hours early than it was due back. Imagine my surprise when I got a bill for $650. Apparently they charged me nearly twice the price for half of my trip and $30+ for several hours on Tuesday. They didn't check the drop box until noon and charged me for the hours that it sat in the parking lot. They also charged me for cleaning and gas, even though the car was only full when I got it.

I did call Hertz and lodge a complaint. They told me that the employee never should have told me what he did, but they were willing to work with me. In the end they charged me $375 for my rental, nearly $150 more than I was quoted. After this experience I will never use Hertz again and I plan on returning to Dollar.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Eblin.
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