Hertz Overview

Hertz in an American-based car rental company. It currently operates locations is 145 countries around the world. It was founded in 1918 and originally offered only Model T Ford cars for rental. They now primarily carry GM cars with additional luxury cars from other brands.  Hertz also operates a heavy equipment rental division known as the Hertz Equipment Rental which has more than 300 branches in the US, Canada, and China.

Hertz is also known for a few “firsts” in the rental car industry. One notable first is the “Rent-It-Here/Leave-It-There” option. This is now commonly known as a one-way rental, but in 1933 when this was first introduced, it dramatically increased the use of rental cars.

Some programs that Hertz offers include: Hertz Rent a Car, Hertz Local Edition (providing local and insurance replacement rentals), Hertz Equipment Rental (provider of heavy construction and tool rental), Hertz Car Sales (sells one year old vehicles from their fleet at low prices) and finally the Hertz Truck and Van Rental.

Services Available by Hertz

Unlimited Mileage

Hertz offers its customers free unlimited miles in their rental prices.

Protection/Insurance

Hertz offers optional insurance coverage to its customers at additional charges however, they do provide some basic liability protection at no extra charge within limits when the rental is used within the accordance of the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.  Other protection options includes: Loss Damage Waiver, Partial Damage Waiver,  Limited Loss Damage Waiver, Liability Insurance Supplement, Personal Accident Insurance and Personal Effects Coverage.

Simply Wheelz is a program offered by Hertz to provide Emergency Roadside Assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Customers just need to call from anywhere in the United States or Canada and a representative will make arrangements for the customer.

Loyalty Program

During the 1980s, Hertz developed their loyalty program with certain perks for the member. First, members could bypass the airport counter to go straight to their rental and leave. Later on, it was expanded for the Gold members to go directly from the airplane straight to their car rental.

The Hertz #1 Awards program lets frequent customers earn points on each qualifying Hertz rental, for business or leisure. One Awards Point is allocated for each qualifying dollar spent. Members can then use their Awards Points for different rewards. Their loyalty program includes upgrades, bonus reward points, guaranteed rental availability etc. depending on the number of rentals in a given time period.

Reservation Process

Reservations can be made online using Hertz’s simple online reservation system as well as on the Hertz application for smartphones. A “Discount & Coupons” section is included online for customers to browse through. There is also a section online designated for travel agents. And the reservation system also allows customers to modify or cancel their reservation even if a travel agent booked it.

There are many different types of reservations that Hertz offers its customers for convenience. “Hertz on Demand” is one such type of reservation.  This is a world-wide car sharing service operating in large cities as well as various university campuses. It offers hour rentals on several electric cars at those locations. This is just one type of reservation that has shown Hertz changing with the trends.

Check-In Process

Hertz boasts that it was the first car rental company to launch a Worldwide Online Check-in service to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Expanding this concept in 2008, in the U.S., Hertz offered an Online Check-In Guarantee, which gets customers on their way in 10 minutes or less, guaranteed. Hertz Online Check-in gives you the option to complete all necessary paperwork prior to arriving at the rental location, so customers can save time when they arrive. In addition to their online check-in process, in November 2011 Hertz introduced ExpressRent kiosks at a number of their rental locations. These kiosks use a live agent assistant via video chat.

Another convenience Hertz offers its customers is the Easy Access Bus Service from the airport terminal to the rental location.

Delivery Process

At certain locations, Hertz offers a pick up and return service that will come and get the customer at no extra charge. This is a great convenience to many customers so they do not have the hassle of finding a ride or exchanging the car. This service needs to be requested at the time of booking in designated locations.

Drop-Off Process

One service that Hertz offers customers is during peak travel periods an agent with hand-held computer terminals will meet customers at the rental car instead of having the customer stand in line at the rental counter. These terminals also provide receipts.

Hertz has created Express Return Services which allows customers to return the rental cars to an indicated return area. The customer then fills out an Express Return slip completing various fields and leaves the form. Again this allows the customer to avoid waiting at a rental counter for service.

Conclusion

Hertz offers some key services that distinguishes it from other rental companies. Some of these key services are: unlimited mileage, some basic liability coverage at no additional cost, a Hertz application for smartphones making reservations simple and fast, online check-in service available from anywhere in the world, a pick-up and return service offered at some locations and an Express Return service where the customer can just return the car to a designated area and complete a form. Hertz has also implemented a Hertz On Demand car-sharing program for those wishing to rent electric cars on an hourly basis.