The car that I rented had the check engine light come on halfway through my trip. And then another warning came on saying that it needed an oil change. I went to the closest Hertz office where I was and they told me that they don't change the oil on the cars on schedule they let it go double the length. Then the people at the office they do not want to replace the car for me. They told me incorrectly that I had to go back to the place where I rented the car which was 400 miles away. I looked on the website and their website clearly says you can do these exchanges at any Hertz location. When I brought that up to them. They acted like oh yes, of course that's what it means. I caught them lying and when they did finally relent and give me a car, it smelled like an ashtray had no gas in it and was filthy. We got through our trip and that was fine, but I will not be renting from Hertz again. read more

I rented from Hertz twice because I wanted to give them another chance, but the second time was even worse than the first. Despite making a reservation for a specific time, both visits made me wait over an hour just to get a car. The vehicles they provided were dirty, poorly maintained, and had issues like worn-out tires and empty washer fluid. On my second rental, I specifically reserved a Tesla. Even though there were 2-3 Teslas visibly available, they refused to give me one and handed me a different electric car instead. If they can't honor the reservation, why even allow customers to book that model in the first place? Do yourself a favor, if you can rent with another company, just do it! I won't be renting from this location again, and I hope others avoid the hassle I went through. read more

I made a reservation for a pick up truck only to arrive and be told that no trucks were available. No prior notice, no apology, and no effort to fix the issue--just a shrug and a "sorry". The branch manager, Yenifer, was completely indifferent and offered no real help. Her only "solution" was a cargo van that looked like an Amazon delivery van, which had two seats and didn't meet my needs at all. This situation completely disrupted my plans and left me scrambling at the last minute. I expected at least a basic level of professionalism and accountability, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I left a voicemail for the area manager, Jose, hoping someone would take responsibility. Still haven't heard back. This whole experience was frustrating, unprofessional, and disruptive. Why bother taking reservations if you're not going to honor them? I expected at least some effort to make it right--but got nothing but excuses and silence. Won't be back. Do yourself a favor and rent elsewhere. read more

This is straight out of a Seinfeld episode. Don't offer reservations for cars you don't have what's the point? If you're going to run your business that way then you should honor the reservation price and give the customer another vehicle. Horrible customer service. I recommend management review the way that rentals are being conducted. This isn't a new problem and I'm not the first complaint. Don't offer reservations for vehicles and that aren't on site unless you're going to honor that price for another car. read more

Horrible service even with President's Circle status. We were having issues with a car that we got from the San Francisco airport - the USB port kept working then not working and there was something hanging from underneath the car. We were taking a long road trip up the coast so didn't feel comfortable using it in case something was very wrong with it. We decided to stop at this location to exchange it. At first they said they could put us in a different car and pointed to the one that was available. Then they checked the car and the usb port was randomly working again which was fine but our real concern was the piece hanging from under the car. They looked under and said it was fine because it was just the cover. Okay but if it falls off while we're driving then what? That's a serious safety hazard but they didn't show any concern at all. I said I still wanted to exchange the car then all of a sudden the story changed and they said they can't exchange cars there and we would have to take it back to SFO. I said I was willing to pay for a new reservation and they said they don't have any cars available. But when we first got there you said that there was a car we could use? I pointed that out and they said the car was reserved. Interesting. Irritated and frustrated we left there and called the hertz main line to tell them the situation. They told us that we can exchange a car at any hertz location and he has no idea why this location said we couldn't. We ended up going to the location in San Rafael and they were so nice and exchanged the car with no issues. The San Rafael location really saved the start of our road trip, avoid this location in Berkeley. I noticed another review for the Berkeley location mentioned race being a factor, I'm not sure if that was the case in my situation but something to take note of. read more

Thank you so much Alex! He was VERY helpful in a very stressful situation. Will definitely recommend my friends and family :)

Where do I begin with the disappointing experience at the Berkeley Hertz location, which is supposedly a 5-star Gold service provider? My husband and I tried calling the office for two hours before arriving to let them know we were running late, but no one ever answered the phone. We arrived 30 minutes past our reservation time, only to be greeted--rather, yelled at--by an employee waving his hands and shouting that they were closed. There was no greeting, no courtesy--just abrupt waving of the hands and yelling. As I got out of the car to explain that we had a reservation, he cut me off and said, "We're closed unless you're 5 Star." When I responded that we are 5 Star members, he looked visibly confused and skeptical, asking again, "You're 5 Star?" Given that my husband and I are Black, the repeated questioning felt pointed and uncomfortable, and I couldn't help but wonder if our race played a role in how we were treated. I kept my composure and confirmed again that we were 5 Star members. Instead of welcoming us, he simply asked for my last name, rushed to hand us the keys, and walked away. When I asked if we could do a walk-around inspection of the car to check for any damage, he told us no, saying they already had all the photos. Because of how rushed and dismissive the process was, we weren't able to apply our AAA discount or confirm the mileage or gas level. The car itself was filthy--we had to pay to run it through a car wash twice, and then spent another $15 to have someone clean off the remaining stains inside. Returning the car wasn't any better. A young man approached us, said nothing but "keys," and walked away without a greeting or acknowledgment. Three other employees were also present--one appeared to be a manager or senior staff member, and two others were nearby. None of them said a word to us as we stood there for 5 minutes or more. Eventually the elder staff male said very dryly someone will be with you in a moment. Eventually, one employee came over, and I quietly explained what had happened during pickup and how we couldn't apply our AAA discount or confirm the gas level, which led to us paying double for fuel. She simply said there was nothing that could be done. When I politely asked to speak with a manager, she told me there was no manager available. So, we left--frustrated and disappointed. Afterward, I looked up the location on Yelp and saw they only have a 2-star rating, which sadly confirms we're not the only ones who've had a poor experience here. We've been loyal Hertz Gold members for over 15 years and have always received excellent service--until now. This location is a huge exception. Beware of renting from this Hertz location. Proceed at your own risk. read more

Understaffed, poorly organized, long wait times. Seemingly full of long term renters and/or Uber drivers who are all in a bad mood. I won't be coming back any time soon. read more

I saw the rating on google and did not understand how renting car could go wrong, but never did I know that a car renter could run out of cars. We didnt have a car on our reservation time and because we waited past our reservation time (even if we came earlier than our time), their system thought we already rented out a car and did not let us change anything nor cancel the reservation on our own. We couldn't wait any longer so decided to go through the hassle of canceling it through cs. We haven't gotten the refund for insurance because, again, the system does not know that Hertz did not have the car for us and that they had us wait until we couldn't cancel anything. Regret not going through the reviews, and this will be my last visit here. read more

SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED. Avoid if you don't want to wait for service. Come if you value some $ savings over your time. Staff was very friendly and helpful, it's just that there isn't enough of them. Only other upside is that prices were cheaper here than the other places I looked. 1st visit. 6ppl in line in front of me and 2 staffers. 40min wait. 2nd visit. 1 person in front of me and 1 staffer. 30min wait, only after a 2nd staffer showed up. read more

Having recently returned from a trip that required a car rental that was chaotic , this Berkeley Hertz rental was sooo much better I needed a rental while my car was in the shop. My insurance company handled the reservation and the Berkeley Hertz agency contacted me several times to confirm the dates needed for rental. When I arrived there, I was treated well by the staff Nataly and Jenifer. I had a budget for my out of pocket and they helped me get the right car for my budget. The paper work and charges were explained to me and I was surprised how quickly we finished and I had the keys. There were no issues with the car during my 5 day rental. I phoned with a question after I returned the car and a man named Chris kindly helped. So, this rental was a positive experience! read more

Totally under staffed. Wait time is ridiculously long. Do your self a favor and go to Enterprise down the street. read more

Hertz Rent A Car - Manager cleaning rental while there's 10 people waiting for service - Car Rental Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have been a customer of Hertz since 2005 and Berkeley/Albany use to be my neighborhood location. The service was sublime then. The car selection was current, available and well maintained, the customer service was immaculate and the wait time was minimal, if any. Hertz workers would not pass you without acknowledgement and if there was a line and a free computer, someone would hop on the available computer(s) to ensure minimal wait times - customers were put first. The most recent management and the one previous did not (and does not) uphold these same values. I understand work needs to be performed unseen, but customer service is what Hertz prides itself on and unfortunately that pride no longer exists at this location since 2013-2014. For a 9:30a reservation, I arrived at 9:10a with two agents (and one stopping at a computer multiple times and never assisting), three people ahead of me (2 of the 3 already at the counters) I was not acknowledged until 10:15a. The EV I rented was unavailable, I was put in a car that was blocked in and then a car that was not cleaned (even though I was told it was ready to go without a wait) and looked like it had a bullet hole. To be severely downgraded from an EV to a dirty, dented, unmaintained 2023 that required a key for the ignition is insane. I should have been upgraded. I usually state as such, with an appointment I was already late to and over an hour wait I was ready to depart. If you are looking for quality, customer service and convenience this is no longer the location to provide such standards, look elsewhere. Chris, the gentleman who assisted me, was extremely friendly, apologetic for the wait and made every effort to get me on my way. For that, I am giving 3 out of 5 stars, he got it halfway right and unfortunately the rest was out of his control. I do not like to leave low reviews; however, Yelp is where I come to get honest opinions on experiences so I can make an educated decision that's best for me. Please feel free to try Berkeley/Albany Hertz, it's like rolling a dice wishing for a certain number that no longer typically hits. read more

This was the most inefficient pickup experience I have encountered. Despite arriving at 9 AM, we did not receive our car until 10. The process was unreasonably slow, and employees appeared more focused on casual conversations than assisting the many customers who had been waiting. There was a clear lack of urgency and consideration for patrons' time, which reflects poorly on the overall professionalism of the service. We had to come here because this is where our insurance sent us, but if you have the choice do not patronize this location read more

No car by reservation time No car guaranteed Overbooked Can't cancel on the spot Don't answer phone calls Even the cs can't get in touch with pple at the place It's "wait for 2 hrs but not guaranteed" Will ruin your trip and day read more

This review is solely for Marlin. I agree with what the other reviewers have stated; their moral and customer service is something to be desired, they lack professionalism, and there can be a serious lag time when retrieving/returning vehicles. The employees appear disgruntled and unpleasant (I am especially speaking of the Asian male who works there - get it together, please). Then comes Marlin - kind, professional, explains things well, is efficient, and effective. Marlin - you deserve better. I hope the company is treating you well. Thank goodness, he was the major employee that I worked with to pick up and return the vehicle. I had already decided that I would not rent from this Hertz location again. Truthfully, the customer service at the Hertz location in Hilltop is stellar! However, the only reason I would come back is if Marlin is still working here. That's how helpful he was. Manager at this location: please recognize him! read more

Customer service is horrible, there is older white men in there with a hat on very disrespectful older white gentleman always wearing a black hat was very disrespectful to me smoking a cigarette in premises blowing smoke in my face. I'm never coming here again. They gave me a car full of glass mind you I am a full-time Uber driver and I had to have customers in the car in the whole car was filled with glass cars are very dirty and disgusting and they do not care about their customers, very sad and disappointed that you can't get any good service now and days to top it off. The electric car was broken. I had to charge about four times a day. I just can't trust her anymore. Never coming here again. Please watch out for the older white man with the black hat very disrespectful. Will not help you at all. read more

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Terrible staff the guy Chris pretends to be on the phone all time when he isn't and engages him self in unnecessary conversations if the phone rings as well also very surprising to see a phone never answered when you call and they are on the phone all day and they have two phones ringing. Terrible Terrible spot never recommended the girl is very sweet on the other hand she tries to be effective and efficient despite the minimum support he gives her. read more

Terrible. The guy behind the desk has an attitude immediately. No help whatsoever . I don't plan on using Hertz again due to this experience. They gave me a car that reeked of cigarette smoke. The car was unwashed (exterior only )when given to me. They are always too busy or need to return the call at a later time. Terrible ex read more

I made a phone call, asked the same question 5 times, and did not receive a response. The person on the line ignored me and gave me no information. Terrible call center read more

The manager Kathryn Gierke, very rude The car we received was smelly and dirty. Unfortunately, we didn't inspect it upon pickup because the person assured us it was ready and there was no need to check. Avoid these place. read more

I stopped renting from this location after being told on multiple visits I have been overcharged for the insurance or the vehicle.

We had to rent a car because someone had stolen ours. So mind you we are already having a not so good day. First person to help us is a man who insists he cannot find the claim number and that we need to call our insurance back. We go outside, call the insurance. 40 mins later the agent we reached told us nothing was wrong on their end and that that the claim was submitted to hertz. We go back inside and a woman helps us. We give her the claim number and voilà it comes up... ok so we are renting the car and the woman keeps having to make adjustments to our reservation. My husband and I are talking to her as I am trying to keep my toddler entertained. The sales associate asks us if we'd like extra insurance for $29.99/day. I promptly told her no since that was about the same the rental car would cost a day. 10 mins later we get the keys are just happy to be done. Wrong! When I returned the car I noticed that the sales associate had charged me for the extra insurance. I called the manager who told me "the woman who helped you last week said you accepted the coverage". I doubt the salesperson did this intentionally but I do know a mistake was made and she probably did not want to be reprimanded for it. To us it was another huge hit. Having our car stolen then being charged for insurance we did not accept. I asked the manager to review the cameras, and I am 100% positive I did not agree to extra coverage. The manager was condescending and did not help. I felt like I was being robbed all over again, because I was. After a lengthy discussion she told me to call their main finance department. When I did finance told me they could only refund me if the manager approves the refund. So basically she sent me on a wild goose chase. I informed my insurance about this issue and they said "oh yeah that happens a lot at Hertz". Which was even more upsetting! Why do they keep referring customers to places like this then?!?! Eventually. I had to open a claim with the Better Business Bureau. TL;DR- check your receipt before you leave. We were charged for insurance coverage we had denied and did not notice that day. Manager refused to return our money. read more

I had a reservation for 3 PM, and I waited for 50 minutes, and when it was my turn, the manager raised his voice at me and told me that he had given my car to someone else. I had to come back later, and the young employee who was the assistant refused me to use the bathroom, so I felt traumatized and disappointed with the service and would never do business with this location. I wish that the Hertz company see my review and start investigating this location. read more

Hertz Rent A Car - Car Rental Near Me - Berkeley, California

This places two saving graces are its location, which makes it easy to get to, and outside of an airport so fewer taxes. The second is their employee, Omar. If all the staff that works there, he, even when he's there alone and has an office full of disgruntled customers has always shown me exceptional customer service. So while my rating displays my feelings about the general interactions with the place as a whole, this time, I'd like my words to highlight a bright light among something a bit dull. Thanks for your help Omar. I hope Hertz find a way to hold on to someone good. read more

Peter who works at the Berkeley Hertz location is respectful and helpful, I will continue to rent from the Berkeley location.

Most aggrevatingly horrid experience EVER. Prepaid a rental for Valentine's Day weekend and was the only one in the store but managed to be the last one to leave after everyone who came in after me. How? The lady who helped me decided to take a call during my transaction which stretched out the checkout time as she disappeared for a bit then came back. She also had me write down my email address on a piece of paper which she forgot to input in the system. This is important because it led to a whole sh*t storm which didn't get resolved until weeks later. I returned the car on a Sunday per the rental agreement and left the keys in the drop box. Person who came in Monday morning logged me as returning the car a day late which triggered the system to double charge me at a premium when the car was originally prepaid. Instead of $30 for the insurance, they charged me $348+ which I didn't know about until I checked my credit card. How did this slip by? It's because Jeanette initially forgot to input my email address so that I can receive a copy of my receipt. I wouldn't have found out if I didn't check my credit card statement. Since time has elapsed, only the manager can reverse the charge. Spoke to Marlon and he assured me it would be taken care of and I'd get an email once it's processed. At this point, I already contacted Hertz through their customer service line which was painfully long. Another 2 weeks go by - nothing. I checked my statement again only to find that they credited me back an incorrect amount and still owe me $240+. Called him again well before closing time and he said he'd call me back. 2 days later, still no call. Each conversation with him has been brief because he was mainly interested in brushing me off without offering any real assistance. At this point, I called customer service yet again. After what felt like an eternity, I was connected to someone who was able to credit me back the correct amount. All in all, this is the worst customer experience from the most inept/incompetent team I've ever dealt with anywhere. No exaggeration. read more

Dear Yelp community, STAY THE DUCK AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! 1- when I arrived at 10am, the person didn't greet me. They ran out to get the car ready... that was supposed to ready at 10am. 2- waited 30 minutes for a shitty clean job. 3- car was due at 10am Sunday, and I arrived at 9:45, but the gate was closed and a car was blocking the entrance. 4- called Hertz, was transferred over and over to people who didn't help at all. Was on phone for over an hour. 5- check out the photo 6- worst car rental experience ever (1st experience with Hertz) read more

Hertz Rent A Car - Car Rental Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Why both advertising / reserving a car that's not available when you go to pick it up. Wasted drive time to not get what I reserved!

This place hardly ever honors its reservations, even when the model is supposedly guaranteed. Really frustrating when we have a big group of people now crammed into much smaller car. read more

Wow. There are a lot of one and two star reviews here. - I don't know, maybe I have been lucky every time I have gone to this Hertz. I've been renting from this location for a few years now. And every time I have gone, I've had a good overall experience. There are negatives, but they are *all* (imo) related to the fact that the staff do not get the support that they need from the corporation. - Yes, they are often understaffed. And that factor alone plays into many other issues that have been addressed in many other reviews here. But.... The staff are always working their tails off. They are always friendly - and considering the pressure that they are often under, that's saying a lot. Yes, there is often a line. But if you go in expecting these things, you'll be surprised by the good stuff that you see on display. Could they be faster? Yes. Could the cars be pristine all of the time? Yes. Could the building/office that they work in be nicer? You bet. - But [again] all of these "coulds" go straight to the issue of the employees needing greater support from the Hertz corporation (more staff, etc.), including a raise for the everyone from the management to the auto maintenance staff, who work their butts off. Want things to be better for you as a customer? Write a letter to the Hertz corporate offices and express support for the employees, and tell the "higher-ups" to start giving the employees the support that they need to be a five star Hertz location. --- Right now, considering what they have to work with, these employees are doing a very, very good job. And I am indeed a very satisfied Hertz Gold Plus customer. read more

The service an the quality of the people is super. The want always to help you. I had the best experience with them. I recommend this place.

Worst location ever! Steer clear of this place. They were supposed to pick me up, never did. The body shop ended up giving me a ride to the place. Upon arrival there was a line out the door with only one person up front working. When I finally got to the front they told me they had no cars available in my insurance's price range and I'd have to pay out of pocket. When I asked if anything could be done since I already made a reservation ahead of time with the type of car I needed, they said no. F them! read more

I wish I had checked the yelp reviews before booking a Tesla for a spontanous weekend getaway and this was one of the closest options open on Saturday. One particular agent who helped me with the check-in made me feel like I was taking too much of her time and she was doing me a favor by providing me with the lowest quality customer service I have ever experienced in my life. I was happy with the car and the rental aspect of the process (fees, the car itself, etc). But because of poor customer service, I highly recommend taking your business elsewhere. When I returned the car, no one was interested in helping me as I waited for a good 20-30 minutes and the place was empty of customers. I was the only one left in there when finally a nicer agent took care of me. This is the worst rental car experience not because of the car itself but because of the poor and absent customer service. read more

Omar was great! Very warm, very kind and patient. I noticed even if the customer was rude he was still calm and very helpful. My husband and I got our rental car really quick. Hertz is really lucky to have him.!!! There was a long line Hertz should hire more people like him!!!! read more

Would give zero. This location is small and look like they have more staff than cars ... we reserved a car ahead of time . We rent all the time and decided to use my husbands work discount , definitely not worth it . Not coming back to Hertz. They didn't have anything close to a medium size suv which i rented for the size and when i agreed to rent a smaller car they wanted to charge the same fee when i know it's a cheaper rate . I understand high demand but the fact that you guys have no cars sounds like a corporate matter and the only location we can rent bigger cars from was the airport . They shouldn't put what they don't have up for reservations. Or at least plan accordingly if people are reserving ahead of time We ended up canceling and they couldn't even help us with that . Instead sent us with a number to call and cancel ourselves or else they'd charge us because they didn't have inventory which is why we have to have to cancel . Ridiculous and not helpful They also weren't helpful to a gentleman who came in bc he was being charged by the rental place and they couldn't even print him a receipt or give proof of anything the agent was explaining to the customer so that there should've been my first sign of not doing business with this company . read more

Worst place ever. I called to arrange for an insurance pick up and was told no cars available for insurance claims, but they had some for direct payment. Man I spoke with was extremely rude. Either you have cars or you don't. I called Hertz main line and reported this, and they said this shouldn't have happened. read more

Update from the next day: this morning Hertz sent an apology to my partner ( whose name wasn't on the rental) apologizing for a poor experience. I called Hertz again to find out what was now happening. Turns out the email was sent in error and was associated with a reservation for someone name Nicholas who isn't related to me. The person on the hotline couldn't find any evidence of my former reservation or my refund from the previous day, despite an hour of searching. I'm now initiating a chargeback with my card issuer. Don't rent from Hertz. This has been a shitshow read more

I work in the area and needed a car for a 24 hour period, I came in expecting to be treated with respect but I felt as if I had to beg them to treat me like a regular customer should have been treated. I had to ask for their attention instead of being acknowledged. The representative who helped me looked like she did not want to be there based on her body language, she keep moaning and groaning like I had anything to do why her day was not going her way. They made a mistake on my invoice and I had to fight tooth and nail to get a proper adjustment with the manager acting like it was my fault there was a mistake. This was by far the worst Hertz location I have been to and would not be recommend this establishment to any of my friends and colleagues. read more

I had the rental while my whip was being repaired. Not quite the Gold Plus you'd expect. My rental was dirty in the outside. The 2017 Toyota Camry has 65,000 miles and it showed. Found someone's dirty shirt in the trunk. At least the gas tank was full. The pavement in the lot resembles an alligator. The office is spartan to say the least. Cold bottled water is offered, which gained a star. A kind woman named, Lacey, is the manager. The service is pleasant, which makes up for this decaying location. The shuttle driver was non-existent, so they called me a Lyft. read more