Terrible experience
Hello,
I attended the F1 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring with a friend and we stayed in Graz; therefore, we rented a car so it would be easier to go to the circuit at our own pace and schedule.
The booking process was fairly simple; we paid upfront and then, a couple days before the rental date, we received an e-mail from Hertz asking for our data so that the check-in process would be easier when picking up the car. On the day of the pickup, however, we received an e-mail 2 hours before, informing us that they had no cars and therefore wished for us to cancel the reservation.
I can't even begin to tell what went through my mind as I walked inside and they told me this (I had not seen my e-mail). Obviously, we had no other way to go to the circuit, and there just wasn't a chance for us to not get the car we rented and paid for. They told us that the HQ was at fault for the overbooking and not informing the clients on time, and also that there were no cars from other rental companies available because of the Grand Prix.
After much insistence on our part, they finally figured out a solution that, I'm afraid, left someone else without a car. And even then, we had to wait hours for them to deliver the car at the circuit, which happened during heavy rain and hail.
However, I would like to point out that everyone at the store in Graz was very welcoming, empathic, and driven to find a solution for us. Personally, Robert was very nice, understanding, and he even drove us to the circuit, which I'm sure caused him a lot of trouble since it was more than an hour in each direction. I felt sorry that they had to deal with unhappy customers when it wasn't their fault.
Despite this, I will never recommend Hertz (in Austria) to anyone. The situation was completely unadmissible, avoidable, and terribly unconsiderate.
26 June 2025
Unprompted review