I travel for work and have rented cars from this Hertz for years. I keep returning because of excellent customer service from Andi and others. Unfortunately, my experience yesterday was a bad surprise. My reservation was for a midsize sedan with toll-pass. Initial pickup was fine. In the garage I saw the car had a visibly low tire and low pressure light on the dash. I went back inside for a replacement car with toll-pass. Arianna the office manager, said this was impossible unless I paid for an upgrade. Not very fair. She gave me new keys, but in the garage I saw that car #2 didn't have a toll-pass. Back to the office. Arianna set me up with car #3. Again, I discovered no toll-pass when I got to the garage. After 40 minutes of this, I had to leave or miss my appointment. Stopping to pay cash at 5 toll plazas did not help. Only reason this review is two stars is because Arianna DID refund the $15 extra charge for the Kia SUV I ended up driving, not the cheaper midsize I had reserved. For that I am grateful. read more

Lot attended was very friendly and accommodating- they should promote him to the counter because the counter clerk was rude and obnoxious.

Had a very bad experience here. I booked a rental car from this location through Travelocity. When I arrived I was informed that I would need 2 forms of picture ID to rent a car. Apparently a driver's license and Visa card is not a enough. As I was paying by debit card they also require a $ 500 deposit. So I cancelled my reservation and scheduled another reservation for the next day. The next day I went back to pickup my reserved car. I gave my 2 photo IDs & visa for the $ 500 deposit. Then at the last minute they told me that I also had to pass a credit check. I have rented cars 25+ times in my life and a credit check has never been required. I was declined and i missed my first day at my new job. read more

Made this reservation, when I got there, they said all cars have been sold out for days, I'm out of luck. 5 people in the waiting room that hertz had similarly f%#ked over. Called customer service, this woman apologies 15 times, said I should have used the browser instead of the app. Hey, thanks for that. I sent a twitter message. "Zach" so the reservation essentially meant nothing; they can still sell out even if a car is "reserved". I scrambled and found another car at a different rental co, Zach dropped off the chat. Will do my best never to rent from them again. read more

Hertz - Terrible customer experience. - Car Rental Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Easy and quick pick up. And they actually have cars available to reserve when you put in a reservation online unlike another company I previously tried to rent with *cough cough Enterprise*... I'll probably opt to rent thru them in the future when I need a car just in terms of their friendly customer service and walking distance from my place. The only down side of this location is that they do not have night drop offs so if you do not make the stated business hours you'll be SOL and have to find a place to shack up the car and return in the morning. Other than that, I gotta say that the overall process from pick up to drop off was just about seamless. Nothing else I got on this one. 'Til next time, cheers! read more

Every time we pick up a car here, it is filthy dirty. The customer service is non-existent and the cars smell strongly of cigarette smoke. This time, it was the worst ever as it smells like smoke AND URINE!!!! If that isn't horrible enough, it also had NO GAS and we didn't figure that out until we hit the highway in rush hour with a 110 mile trip ahead of us. Also, cannot reach anyone to even tell them all of this and get the car swapped out. NEVER AGAIN!!!! read more

Had a car rent for a Saturday at 2pm got there at 1:55pm they where close did not get my rent car till next day. Thai place is the worst go anywhere else to rent a car. also make sure take pictures of the car before and after read more

Friendly staff. Vehicle just as i ordered.. Updates were made without issue.. Only draw back: if you want to change your drop off location, you better have some time!!! Called the local number, they connected me to someone in customer service...then they connected me to someone else... I was patient and prepared and all went without hickup... However, there's gotta be (and there is based on other experiences with other agencies) a better/ more efficient way to do this... Especially when u are a "gold member" read more

Omg! The people behind the counter are super sweet but the girl behind the window - rude and rude and rude. While there is a long line - she sits on her phone and when I said we might need some help, she doesn't even look up and screams "someone will be with you shortly"... fire her or lose business. But our car was nice :) read more

Please do yourself a favor and rent elsewhere. First and last time I rent from Hertz, I reserved a car about two weeks prior to my trip. Seemed like a great deal, paid approximately $168, then expected to pay about $60 at pick-up. I expected to pay a security deposit and that's fine- when I picked up my car on Friday, I was told "free upgrade" on your vehicle. Great! Sounds good, I added two additional features, prepaid gas and loss/damage waiver- increased my price- that's cool. Ok, card hold was $372...I was like.. alright- understandable. I get in my car, right away- a oil change alert pops up- I took a picture. I tried to contact someone at the counter, no answer at all, tried calling corporate no option to speak with anyone regarding the condition of the car. There was a dirty towel in the back of the car, and the glove compartment was full of old contracts and napkins. I proceeded with my trip on Saturday. Sunday, I returned the car 20 mins early. No instructions on what to do at pick up, I took a picture of the dashboard before I left the car. There is a big sign that says take note of your mileage and fuel level. Leave the keys inside the car. I refused to do that, I stood by the car waiting to see if anyone would come out. A Hertz attendant passed right by me, did not acknowledged me, did not ask me if I needed help; therefore, I went inside personally with the keys. Inside, there was about three or four attendants having a conversation, I went up to one of the ladies at the desk - she asked me if I was picking up or dropping off. I said dropping off, she asked me if I left the keys in the car, I said no, and turned them in. She asked me if I wanted a printed or e-receipt. My hugest mistake was to ask for an e-receipt. I waited all day, Sunday, for the receipt to come thru, and nothing. The next day, Monday, the pending transaction increased by $100 ($472), still no receipt then the following day, Tuesday, the charge increased by $100 ($572), my acct was showing a negative balance by now. I immediately decided to call the location, no answer. I let the phone ring for literally 3 mins. I called a corporate number, after being on hold for 20-25 mins, I finally got to speak with someone. I made my complaint- per the representative, the contract was still opened- and someone had failed to close it. I explained to the rep, that I turned in the car on time, I personally turned in the keys. She sent an alert to close the contract. Today, Wednesday, the hold charge increased by $100 AGAIN! $672 hold charge!! I immediately contacted my bank, they were ready to send this to investigation, but they asked me to call hertz again to see what's going on. Again, I tried to call no answer. I decided to facebook message, I threaten to seek legal representation. I was immediately contacted. The contract was still open, accruing charges- she alerted the location AGAIN. After several hours, I finally see the change in my back account from $672!! to $172 total amount charge. However, still no e-receipt. I had to manually look it up on the hertz website, and I finally received a copy of my receipt. This is absolutely absurd, I can only imagine if I had used my main bank account to do this transaction, I would have been negative without available funds for three days. This is unacceptable, whoever that lady was who took the keys from me, did not close the contract, and caused this huge mess. I am completely dissatisfied with this service, I will never rent from Hertz again. Please DO NOT rent from this location if you are loyal Hertz member. read more

I should have read the reviews before booking a "reservation" here. Be warned that they will give your car to someone else if you don't show up on the exact minute of your booking. No mention of this in the reservation terms of course, as this is just a policy for this location. A total joke! Adding insult to injury, the lady at the front desk was a total jerk about and couldn't care less. read more

DO NOT RENT FROM HERTZ!!! I reserved a car a few days ago with this Chicago Hertz location (State St.), and got a call from them this morning (1 hour before scheduled pick-up time) saying that they didn't have any cars. So, they overbooked, and there are no other Hertz cars in Chicago available for a week. Here's an excerpt from the message I received from Hertz this morning (again, 1 hour before pick-up time): "I deeply apologize, sir, but we are experiencing a massive shortage...and it looks like all the Hertz locations are suffering from this shortage" Hertz is "suffering" from this "massive shortage" of cars because of massive overbooking to maximize profit, with no concern for ruining customers' plans. I called the Hertz toll-free number, and the agent offered nothing for compensation for this colossal inconvenience. ***DO NOT RENT FROM HERTZ*** read more

If I could give less than 1 star I would. Unfortunately, this is the first and last time I rent via this Hertz location due to the unfriendliness of the staff, disorganization and lack of vehicles ready for reservations. I am a loyal rewards member (Five Star Hertz Member) and business professional that travels 2 weeks out of the month. Every time I travel I rent from Hertz. In times past my experience was pleasant and efficient however, this time was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Upon arriving to the rental location to pick up our vehicle, my boyfriend and I were greeted by seemingly agitated rental agent. She unsympathetically said yea, there's going to be an hour and half wait for your reservation and put us down on a written list. I was one, surprised by this because the key word is 'reservation'. We had reserved our vehicle at least one week prior so to say you don't have vehicles readily available and there's a wait is unacceptable. The second frustrating piece was the lack of professionalism and sympathy for the 20+ line of customers waiting on their reservations. The rental agents were extremely rude and inconsiderate of people expressing their concerns about getting a vehicle. Even though it was a tough situation for them to be in, it's no excuse to be insensitive and dismissive of the customers waiting for their reservations. Overall, this was a terrible experience. I can't say it happens at every Hertz location but this location on State St. in Chicago was the worst rental experience I've ever encountered in my years of traveling. Advice to Hertz - Please address the issue at hand at this location. If it is a high volume location, staff and supply inventory accoridngly in preparation for upcoming reservations. And at the very least, employ rental agents who truly value customer service. read more

I rented a full size car. Upon pick up I was informed there were no full size cars available (this is a common issue at this location). I was given the option to down grade to a mid size car or upgrade to a mid-size SUV (in my mind, I'm thinking a Rogue). Considering one of my passengers is 6'5", I asked to be upgraded. The issue is that the truck I received (mitsubishi eclipse) was a mid-size car on bigger wheels. This SUV was tiny. I'm 5'8" and even with the seat fully extended, it was a bit short for my legs. Now imagine that times 2300 miles in five days. I was so disappointed that this vehicle was offered as an upgrade as I would have much preferred my requested full size car. The employees were nice per usual but that hardly excuses the cramped accomodations. read more

Um, is this place actually a business? I walked in to pick my up rental on a Saturday morning and all the employees were wearing sweat pants and t-shirts. Have never seen anything like it. They barely acknowledge you. They didn't even offer to walk me to the car or help me with my luggage (Enterprise does both)-just handed me the keys and told me where to go. The return was a little better, but the bathroom and office were both disgusting. The only reason I rent from here is because our company gets a discount, otherwise I'd go to Enterprise! read more

Terrible service for the average Hertz customer. Made a reservation for a small SUV 5 days prior. When I arrived they said no cars of this size were available -- either needed to be cleaned or needed an oil change. I was given the option of a small sedan (Prius) or large SUV with an up charge. They discounted the up charge but I was still irritated to pay for their inventory mistakes. On my way out, a frequent customer walked in and was greeted by name. The Hertz rep told him, "even if you see that we are sold out online, you know you can call and we will find you something." Ridiculous. Will not rent from this Hertz location again. read more

This is the worst rental location. The customer service is 0 which the lowest. I prefer to give a negative-0. Upon getting the rental the car the agent tried to give me was not working. She changed the car due to the 1st car having issues. The communication from the agent to me as customer was poor. She was having problems modifying the car (which took a while/ and the printer not working) Once I received the new rental and receipt upon leaving she gave me the receipt for the 1st issued car. Didn't notice until leaving. Tried calling serval times NO ANSWER. Call back later, same day I was told the correct information was made in the computer, so I was fine. Called again to extend the rental, No Answer again. Poor customer service. Do not rent from this rental office read more

When you rent, you should assume they will charge you $10-50 extra for things they cannot explain. You will be very frustrated. They will say it is policy but won't be able to point you to a policy. You will have the choice of standing there for hours and trying to reason with a grumpy person who isn't reasonable, or just paying them off. Unfortunately, you will be tired and they know it. So, consider it a hidden tax of using Hertz. It is unfortunately the only choice for many people in the city, so they can treat us however they want, but when I have a choice, I will not choose Hertz. And if you have a choice, you should avoid this place. If you do not, be prepared to pay this hidden tax. read more

POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!! My wife and kids were visiting Chicago for the first time back in June. We had a graduation to attend to in Indiana, so we needed to rent a car with 1 car seat. I went to pick up the vehicle and as I drove back to the hotel to pick up my family, I realized I had forgotten to ask for the car seat. By that time, it was too late to drive back to Hertz, so we decided to make the trip without it. Hertz ended up charging us for the car seat even though we never even got one. Their reasoning was that I failed to mention it to them when I returned the vehicle. I do admit that I did forget to mention it to them upon returning the vehicle; however, my wife had previously mentioned that she would be calling them to notify them about not ever getting a car seat. My wife and I actually tried calling them for days but NO ONE at Hertz located at 401 N State St answers the phone! After several days of calling them, I finally got through to someone. The store manager advised me she will speak to upper management and would get back to me in a few days. She never got back to me. Obviously Hertz does not focus on customer service. I do not recommend using them if you're ever in downtown Chicago. Bottom line is Hertz should NOT be charging me for something I did not use. read more

From my fiancé: I came to pick up my rental at 8am, and did not leave the parking lot until 8:40am. The computers were barely working and there was a huge line. There was a homeless man that was clearly on drugs that walked into the location. Andy (hertz rep who did an amazing job handling the situation) asked him if he had a reservation, and if not he needed to leave. The man stormed to the front of the line and used the hand sanitizer to bathe himself. Andy asked the man kindly to leave unless he had a reservation. This angered him and he assaulted Andy with a box and several items that were on the counter. He then bent over and pulled down his pants, exposing himself to Andy and the rest of the customers who were waiting (about 15 people and a baby). Andy then called the police who then took about 5 minutes to arrive. By this point the man had left the building, after spitting at the other hertz representative. The police officer did not find the man, but another hertz customer identified the man and ended up getting into a fist fight right outside the parking garage until the police eventually came back. This is the SECOND time that we have had an angry homeless person come into the location, and this is the LAST time I will be renting from hertz. Andy mentioned she had put in a request for a buzzer, and I think hertz not only needs a buzzer but a security guard or two. I was not able to add the CDW to my rental as I was in a rush and asked my fiance to take the vehicle back to hertz as I did not feel safe doing so. He accidentally scrapped the car on the ramp and it is to my understanding this this may not be covered?!? Worst rental experience I have ever had. read more

My husband and I rented a car from this location and the service we received was completely abhorrent. The woman working at the front desk was very rude to the person in front of us, was using her cellphone the entire time and made racist remarks about the person in front of us to us after they left. I guess for some reason she assumed we would be ok with her racist comments. I won't repeat them here because they were absolutely disgusting. When we told her they were completely inappropriate and asked for the manager's information she got defensive and rude and said she was the manager and insisted that there was no one superior to her. It's a shame that in 2022 a company would employ a manager that thinks it's okay to say the things she said. After 15 years we won't be using hertz anymore. read more

Sitting in the same location three years after the same review with the EXACT same problem. Reserved car for 10 am, it is still not ready at 1:30 pm. Whoever responded from Hertz - this has happened to me more than a dozen times over the past couple of years, today and the prior incident were not isolated cases. I've never had this problem at any of their other locations. I'm also with Presidents Circle status and this still happens regularly. Status members - note that this location does NOT care about Gold, Presidents, etc. It is also the only location I've ever been to where this was the case. Hertz, you need to fix your issues or close the location. read more

Completely rude and unprofessional. They started charging my card without giving me notice causing overdrafts. I am immediately filing a BBB complaint against this location. The girl called me and could have explained that she would charge me but she said absolutely nothing. Give me a break. She didn't think to give me a heads up that she is charging my debit card? Completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Not only that when I called in to ask questions she kept interrupting and telling me it was her turn to talk. I'm sorry, NO, I'm the customer. It's my turn. The girl originally told me State Farm was the reason I was being charged because they weren't approving something. After talking to State Farm they told me they would straighten it out but they had never gotten paperwork from Hertz. So way to go Hertz, charging clients when you're not putting paperwork through correctly. Shady business!! I will never use Hertz again and I recommend that no one else does either!!! The vehicle I got was also filthy inside. Absolutely disgusting. Looks like someone ate all their meals in there for a week. read more

The worst Hertz location in Chicago out of 7 I have been to for business rentals. If you're thinking about using Hertz, go to the branch at Washington & Wells instead. This location has: 1) Horrible car selection: As a President's Circle member, I was given car two classes below my reservation that had ~40k miles and stained seats. There was dirt in all the crevices. It was simply disgusting. 2) Rude, incompetent employees: When I noticed that I got a compact (for a full-size reservation), I brought it up to the agent so that I could get a full-size car. The agent then told me that the sticker is "old," and that they "use the car as a full-size now." Which was a 100% lie based on the bill I got from Hertz. I also saw multiple other full-size cars, but the agent insisted none of them were available. Overall, horrible experience. Will never rent from this location again given how many Hertz locations there are in close proximity. read more

Ouch. They rarely answered when I called, they were supposed to pick me up and they didn't, and they seem like they're terribly understaffed. Hertz, if you would just hire a couple more staff members for your state street location, I think you could service your clients 1000 times better. When I walked over to pick up my car since my pick up service never came, Everyone in line was frustrated and the phone kept ringing and ringing. Even the desk staff looked frustrated. Not good. I left feeling frazzled and angry, and LATE since I was driving to an out of town wedding. Ugh! read more

This is a convenient location right in the heart of downtown. It was quite busy that morning. The staff was friendly to me. They were not so to the less courteous customers. I get it, but you are running a business and you have to be able to look past that. There was a wait to get cars. It was not too bad for us, but a little annoying none the less. I think we waited 10 to 15 minutes. All of the seating was full of people waiting for cars. Customer service was processing customers reasonably fast so the issue must have been in back with the people prepping the cars. Overall its convenience outweighs the downsides if you need a car and are staying or live in the downtown area. read more

Hit or miss on service, which is oh-so important in a rental car agency. I've rented so often at this location since my first rental in the Gold Club that I got President's Circle status. Not to brag, but to prove that I've been at this location more than a handful of times. The pros: -friendly for the most part -eager to fix any issue with the rental -honors appointments well; I've always received a car for my appointment time, but note that I've always made my appointment for 7 AM which is their opening hour The cons: -gas is half the time wrong on what it says on the contract. I've asked for a certain fuel level (half tank, full tank, etc) on many occasions and once I get to the car, it's incorrect. Now... They're eager to help change it for you if you return the car to them and tell them the situation, but if you return the car to a different Hertz location, they may not be as generous to fix your contract, which may get you in an overfilled situation. -cars are sometimes unclean. Since this location is small, sometimes they don't have enough cars to fulfill appointments as quickly so cars that haven't been fully cleaned yet sometimes get thrown to customers. This somewhat contradicts one of my pros above, but it hasn't been too big of a problem to really warrant calling up the manager. All in all, this place is okay. The good and bad have balanced this location's rating to three stars. My advice: make sure the fuel level AND mileage is correct on your contract BEFORE leaving the hertz parking garage. Take a picture of your dashboard showing the mileage or fuel level, if needed. read more

Its been a month and Hertz and yet not reached out to me or acknowledged the behavior of Jesse Gaudy. He is still employed by Hertz at this location. Post this fiasco I have stopped renting with Hertz and now use Avis. read more

They seemed to have figured it out recently, I still have to pick up cars from here as they are the only ones nearby that are open on Sundays. The staff is very nice and I don't actively avoid renting from here anymore. read more

I don't know if it's just this location or Hertz in general but this place is awful. We came in to pick up a car that I had reserved weeks ago, they said there were no cars available and we'd have to wait for someone to make a return. This made us late for plans we had later in the day (non-refundable tickets). I also overheard another customer saying that his Hertz rental down on the side of the highway with his wife and family inside. He had to take an Uber and no one from Hertz emergency services helped him. He came in to ask the associates to call corporate because no one was answering when he called and the Hertz associate did absolutely nothing for him. I will never be renting from Hertz again, so disorganized and disrespectful of customer's time. read more

Considering the fact of the competitiveness of the rental car industry and locations in the loop, you would think this place would provide amazing customer service. It really boils down to the person you deal with. I have rented from here numerous times, and when I have a customer issue, I get directed to call customer service and spend 30 minutes on hold. This set me off, therefore, here I go... Dirty Lobby, staff is unpredictable. You have a manager behind a cube, yelling at someone over the phone and talking about employee rated issues. Not the best impression. The cars never have a full tank, and the car you reserve is never the car you get. I have had 1 good person that I was working with, and I amhoping she found a new job in which she can be valued. You can just tell that the employees there dislike the manager and it shows in everything they do. Online help is also a joke. Rent from Enterprise and you will be better off. read more

Gave this Hertz a try since it was near our hotel. We walked in and were told that there were no cars available. Sorry. Oh wait, we can get you a standard car for 3 days for...drumroll....$1500!! Are they kidding? No they were not, Even the agent had a hard time saying the price, What a joke. I will not recommend. read more

Customer service was HORRIBLE!!! We had PREPAID for a vehicle and when we arrived she said I needed two forms of federal ID. I presented my drivers license, the card I booked the rental with , my AMEX and proof of insurance. This wasn't enough and she said we couldn't take the vehicle. I called for a refund and the representative said he had never heard of this before and said we should have been able to rent the car. DO NOT go to this location!!!! read more

Ok so Hertz did credit me for the extra day that I shouldn't have been charged, but I got my bill and they charged me for an iPass THAT I NEVER USED. I am on hold and my current hold time is 15 MINUTES!!!!!!! Now I have to call Amex and dispute yet another claim!!!!! I HATE HERTZ NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN. NEVER. Save yourself a lot of time, aggravation, money and headache and NEVER RENT FROM HERTZ. read more

This might be the worst rental car agency in Chicago. I reserved a car to be picked up at 8am this morning and had to wait behind 6 other people with pre reserved cars to pick up. According to the agent who checked me in, we had to wait until other returned their cars. I rent frequently with Hertz and I usually love the customer service, quality of the vehicles and selection. This location, which I have rented from multiple times, has consistently had old, dirty vehicles, rude agents and ridiculous wait times. I prefer to rent from the Hyatt Regency location, but their weekend hours suck. Next time, I'll be renting from Enterprise. read more

This place is an absolute joke. Multiple times I have tried to rent here, and multiple times they have not had cars available to fulfill the reservation. The front desk staff are rude and condescending when they deal with you in these situations. It's almost as if it's your fault they don't have your car available! Would not recommend this place, ever. I have rented from hertz for years for work but would never give this particular place my money ever again. read more

While the car was fine and the return went great, picking up the car was a mess. Part of it was my fault - trying to rent under 25 with a debit card instead of a credit card (a new Hertz rule according to one of the 4 customer services reps I had to call). On arrival, when the rep found out I was under 25 (by 5 months) my service took a turn for the worst. I had to call Hertz Worldwide Customer Service even though I was standing IN a Hertz office just to switch my payment method. While on the phone, the two customer service reps in-store had the LOUDEST conversation while sitting 3 feet apart and I couldn't hear the quiet woman on the phone in this tiny office and couldn't go outside because of the city traffic. I then received a bunch of confusing and conflicting information from the rep in-store - she told me I would need a credit check and two forms of identification - once I got off the phone that was never brought up again. Every time I asked a question, I was treated like an idiot even though it was obviously my first time renting a car. She talked way too fast and threw out a bunch of numbers with no explanation. It was a bunch of talking with no information. Overall, would not go to this location ever again - the taxes are too high and horrible customer service. I'll go to O'Hare and use Enterprise. read more

I've been to this location many times. The experience is almost always the same: 1. Rude employees : Last time I was there they made me feel like I was interrupting their day - even though I was the only customer in the store. 2. Wrong car : Every time. They've never had the car class I reserve and always substitute it for a shittier car. Which leads me to... 3. Terrible cars : Usually dirty and in some way broken. Always with a less than full tank of gas. I especially enjoy the cars that smell like cigarette smoke. Hertz is theoretically a premium provider of rental cars. And at the airport they generally do a great job, but I'd stay away from this location if you can avoid it. read more

Place is an absolute mess on the weekends. Expect to wait 30 minutes to an hour before getting your car

This Hertz location is ideally situated if you are either in need of a car rental after staying in River North/Downtown, or if you are driving a Hertz rental car to those areas and need to ditch the car. The front desk service was really friendly. I had rented an intermediate sized car, which they did not have when I first arrived. I was offered all kinds of upgrades, but frankly I didn't want a bigger car. Just then, someone drove in another intermediate car, and the woman at the counter quickly offered to check that car over and rent it to me if it looked OK. Sure enough, she turned it around in a matter of minutes, and we were out the door shortly thereafter in a new Hyundai Elantra. I appreciated her extra effort, and her kindness. read more