This incident happened several months ago. It has really bothered me since then and I thought perhaps I should pursue it. It's a service "glitch" that is particular to New York City residents and as well as their online reservation site.
I needed to reserve a car to drive to a client meeting in New Jersey. I decided to reserve it online. After going through the various sites, I selected Hertz on the basis that it had an economical price and a convenient location for pick-up. When making my online reservation, I had to give my name, address, credit card, etc. Fairly detailed information. I printed out my confirmation.
When I arrived at the Manhattan Hertz site the next day, I handed them my reservation information. Their computers were down, so they took my credit card info, license etc. Manually. A slow process. When I returned later in the day, I was surprised to find I was being presented with a bill that was nearly twice what I had expected. When I questioned it, they said in addition to being given an incorrect rate via the website (they refused to honor the rate I had in my printed confirmation), residents outside of Manhattan had to pay a surcharge (a hefty one!) — something that was not mentioned when I made my reservation online. When I asked why, they said it was because crime was higher in boroughs outside of Manhattan. When I pointed out that the car had never set foot (or tire, more appropriate) in Brooklyn, where I live, but had been driven to NJ, they said it didn't matter. When I asked to speak to a manager, I was told none was available and I could call customer service. They also said that these problems "happen all the time" with the online reservations.
First, let me state, that I live in Brooklyn Heights, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in ALL of NYC, not just Brooklyn. My zip code could tell them that. Regardless, this smacks of "red-lining", something I thought was illegal.
Secondly, I am an Internet business strategy consultant and deal with a wide variety of e-commerce-related sites. I consider myself fairly savvy in the importance of how one transacts business online. I do not consider it unreasonable to be given accurate service quotes via the Net, especially when I am asked to give highly specific personal information.
I do not expect any monetary reimbursement. I submitted the bill to my client and they paid it. But not everyone is in this situation. When one gets a confirmed reservation, one does not expect "surprises" that add nearly 100% to the expected bill. The word "fraud" comes to mind.
I was just curious if Hertz might have a response regarding the inadequacies of their online system and their business practices in New York City. I have not rented another car though them since then, and doubt I will again.
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