Driving Hertz customer service crazy
Yesterday I witnessed insanity at the Hertz Gold check-in counter in San Francisco. The businessman next to me wanted to change the credit card his car would be billed to. He handed the woman at the counter an American Express card. She quickly informed him that it had expired.
“Didn’t you hear me miss? I told you to put my account on that card. How many times to I need to explain it to you. I want the bill on my American Express and not my Visa. Got it? Or do I have to explain it again to you?”
“Yes, sir, I understand. But American Express is telling me that your card is not valid. So we can’t use it.”
“Lady, I don’t know what your problem is today. But put it on that card.
He finally gave her the Visa card and stormed out all indignant. The indignant part was astounding.
“Wow, you were the picture of calm with that guy,” I said. “Not sure I could have held my cool with someone like that.”
The man waiting on me said, “That’s nothing. We had a person in here this morning whose driver’s license had expired and he yelled at us for not reminding him that he had to renew it. I told him we weren’t the department of motor vehicles. But the guy continued on and said, ‘Don’t you people realize I’m a Gold Club member?’”
Like being a Gold Club member has anything to do with him taking responsibility to get his driver’s license renewed.
“How do you do it,” I asked the Hertz people at the counter. “How do you handled such crazy rants from insane people all the time?”
“It’s our job,” they said. “We stay calm and remember it’s just a job.”
Front line employees are the ones who most influence how we feel about brands. And on most days their jobs border on insanity. Maybe more of us marketers should work the front lines for even just a week a year. Seeing these unsung customer heroes at work at Hertz makes the “we try harder” tag line more meaningful than ever before.
P.S. — Oh Canada, thank you to the folks at Raincoast Books in Canada for such a nice review of Beyond Buzz. Canadians, some of the best people to have an interesting conversation with, seem to be liking what the book has to say. Merci and thanks again.
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August 31st, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Thanks for the post, Lois. Even though I’ve had a few issues with Hertz myself, I appreciate the fact that the vast majority of Hertz associates are working hard for the customers.
I think that you’re absolutely correct. In my work, I have regularly told people in positions of marketing or management that sitting on the front-lines of the call center for a day or two is a worthwhile experience. Not only do you get to hear the voice of the customer first-hand, but you also gain appreciation for those who do it day-in and day-out.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
isn’t this why I use Hertz most of the times I need a rental car?
Seriously, I’m not that insane type of customer you just described, and I never had any problem with their customer service - and I’m not a Gold club member…
July 25th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
A note to Hertz:
Just wanted to tell you that this is my first experience with Hertz and will definitely be MY LAST. Your service stinks to high heaven. Upon arrival at the LAX rental location with my wife daughter, son in law, twin 15 month old granddaughters and 4 year old grandson, eight suitcases and 2 car seats and two folding strollers we had to wait for a vehicle. Since your bus dropped us off in front of the building and your doors are on the side we had to transfer all of the above inside (or stand in the sun) to “wait”. I waited in line and after about 10 minutes got to one of your clerks. She entered some information in a computer and then said to have a seat and my name would be called when they bring up my vehicle. (I rent cars 3 to 5 times a year and every other time I have rented, you go to the counter and register, walk out to your car - usually selecting from a row of vehicles- and drive away) Not hurts, sorry, Hertz. You make it difficult - apparently you have to try and figure out if you have a vehicle. I was told to have a seat and did so. AFTER 45 MINUTES I returned to the clerk and asked how long it took to get a vehicle! She did something on her computer terminal and said do you want a for Edge? I said I’m supposed to get a SUV and if an Edge is a SUV thats OK. She asked how many people would be in the car and I told her 5. She said “stand over there where I can see you and I’ll let you know when your car is ready.” I stepped back a few steps and waited. After another 10 - 12 minutes some guy with a Hertz badge walked by and I stopped him and said something like “what do you have to do to get a car in this place? - this is the worst service I’ve ever seen” He went over to the clerk who was keeping an eye on me and said something. She called me over and said “you can go pick up your car - it is in spot 706 (or some similar spot). I went out to spot 706 with my son in law and grandson to get the car. We had to drive over to Thrifty Car rental where they had rented a car and needed to drive both back so we could load all the people and luggage. We got in the car and when driving out, the clerk at the checkout booth said I needed paperwork before I could leave with the vehicle. I backed up (UNFORTUNATELY I hadn’t gone over your tire puncturing spikes yet) and drove back toward the terminal. I notice at this time that the fuel was a little below full. When I got to the terminal there was another guy with a Hertz badge walking toward the counter and I told him LOUDLY that this place has the WORST service imaginable. He walked me to the clerk and “helped”. I told her about trying to get out. She said that she meant that I could go out and get my vehicle and bring it up to the terminal. (Why would I want to do that?)She did some more work on her computer terminal and created some paperwork. I told her the tank wasn’t full and they guy standing there said that sometimes the Ford gas gauges don’t read right. He drove me over to the Hertz gas pumps to “top it off” and ended up pumping in a little over 2 gallons. He drove me back to the terminal where I picked up my son in law and grandson and a mere one hour and 40 minutes after getting to your terminal I left with a car. There is no excuse for your terrible serv ice. As I said before I rent vehicles 3 to 5 times a year and NEVER had such a bad experience. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED. Once I have waited through the entry line and got to the rental clerk I have ALWAYS just walked out to my vehicle and driven away. Not Hertz. I got to wait 1 1/2 hours!!!!!!! Your company is awful and I am enjoying sharing my story with anyone I can tell. I will also see if there is an on line rating site where I can post my comments