We picked up our car rental for the week late afternoon. It's less than 5 miles from our hotel. I can't get over the ugly fabric wrapped around the dashboard, it's not even a nice plastic finish. Nice place for a sun filled walk here in Destin. Walk by the harbor, food truck, Margaritaville restaurant and bar. Not a big fan of renting from Hertz to get stuck with their low end Malibu, but it will get us from point to point for the week. The carpet is coming out of the floor panel on the passenger side. Nice. read more

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I recently experienced an absolutely terrible experience with the Hertz brand. I'm hoping to document it here in order to assist others in potentially avoiding the debacle that I experienced today, dealing with this unprofessional organization I also want to mention that I do NOT like posting negative reviews for businesses as a rule, unless the experience approaches a level of unprofessionalism that goes above and beyond what any customer should experience. This experience met and exceeded that level of unprofessionalism. I was basically searching for a rental car from Hertz on what would be considered a busy Tuesday after the holiday. I navigate to the website and select a vehicle, reserve the vehicle and receive a confirmation # from the website. Absolutely no booking or scheduling error, just a reminder that I would receive texts from Hertz if there were any updates or changes that needed to be communicated. I'm texted with the confirmation number and instructed to have this number available when I get to the Emerald Coast office. My uber arrives and drives me promptly to the Hertz office on Emerald Coast Hwy. As I enter the office and begin to approach the one employee working the desk, he asks me for my information, and I proceed to give him that information. The employee then proceeds to tell me that everything is booked and that he will put me on a waiting list. I explain to him that I booked this thru Hertz corporate, not a 3rd party site like Priceline or Expedia. I'm mentioning this as considering my confirmation number originated from Hertz, I'm thinking this won't be an issue. I was wrong on that front... Even when I call customer service. It's just a debacle thru and thru. I explain my issue to this gentleman and he mentions that he believes he can fix this by either escalating to someone within Hertz, or he can have a car brought from another site/company(I really didn't ask for more specific on this - I'm not sure how it would be accomplished because we never made it that far). The agent puts me on hold, and this is where it gets incredibly frustrating. The Hertz customer service agent contacts none other than the Emerald Coast Hertz office. He's connected with the manager, who is in the back of the office complex. The manager hasn't come out to speak with me at any point, but as I am literally waiting due to being put on hold, I hear the manager say from the back of the complex(out of site), "just tell him we're out of vehicles..". I hear that statement and like clockwork the customer service agent returns(I am now no longer on hold), and he informs me that he has to send me to customer service and the escalation department. The 800 number he gives me is the reservation line for Hertz.. I am now out the $25 dollars for the Uber, along with 45 minutes to an hour dealing with this nonsense. I've been customer facing for many years and couldn't fathom actually treating a customer this way. After searching in desperation for any alternative, as I am stranded and also admittedly frustrated, as I am now at the Hertz office and they are basically doing nothing to even resolve the issue(the manager never came to the front of the store to even explain how this happens or if there were any options available to me). "I searched for other car rental services near me". There's a return on the search that mentions that there is an Enterprise Rental/Leasing, 0.3 mi. away. I perform the same actions that I did with Hertz in scheduling the vehicle via the web(from my phone this time). At the end of that process, Enterprise sends me a text with a confirmation # to give to their staff when I arrive. I walk the .3 miles to the Enterprise Leasing and Rental offices, walk in - and when prompted, proceeded to give them my confirmation number. The Enterprise agent takes that information and proceeded to confirm my identity via asking for my drivers license. All of this took no longer than 10 minutes and the Enterprise team basically has me in the car I requested within 15 minutes of me walking thru their door. I can't speak to why this particular Hertz location failed on so many levels, but I would say that based on my experience with this particular Hertz office, you might want to consider looking at some of the other local options - that is if you want to save yourself a significant amount of time and frustration. read more

Really disappointing experience with Hertz in Emerald Coast. I had a confirmed reservation, and when I arrived, the employee at the counter took my license and credit card to check me in -- so I assumed everything was on track. But then he just said, "There are no cars," and went back to his computer without offering any explanation or help. I pointed out that there was a car parked right outside, and he said it was for a future reservation. When I asked why mine wasn't being honored, he gave no real answer -- and then simply told us to leave. We were kicked out of the store with no assistance and no car, despite having a valid reservation. If you're relying on your reservation being honored or hoping for even basic customer service, do yourself a favor and book elsewhere. read more

Hertz Rent A Car - The employee that didn't help - Car Rental Near Me - Destin, Florida

I rented a car from this location. When the manager Cristin took me to the car, it was so full of bugs she had to clean the windshield and the rear window. I don't know why but she took pictures of the car. The front seat was clean, but the back seat not so much. I stayed in the area the whole week and ended up filling it up with $12 worth of gas to return it. When I returned the car, they said I put more than $2200 miles on it. I told them I could show them my credit card charges reflecting all local businesses for the week I had the car. They also charged me $400 for "outside cleaning". I complained on the chat line and then went to the place I rented from. The employee kept telling me to call the manager later. I said I would wait. The manager Cristin said the $400 was for inside charges for dog hair and showed me a picture of dog hair on a vehicle with a different colored interior. The claim report had been changed to say interior cleaning. She had a fuzzy picture with fuzzy dog hair. I do not have a fuzzy pet at all. They tried to get me to leave and call the manager later because they said she was very busy. I finally talked to the manage after sitting there for 15 minutes. When I got upset because they blamed me for the dirty car, they kicked me out. These guys are scammers! read more

We set up a reservation and received a call 40 min before our pick up time to get our car letting us know they were cancelling our reservation. I called and they have no cars, yet took my reservation!?!? There is a reason enterprise and National are my first and now only choices. read more

This Hertz location is operated extremely poorly, and my experiences here have been unacceptable. About a month ago, I arrived at the location at 10:00 a.m. to pick up a vehicle and found no one attending the front desk. I waited approximately 10 minutes before a representative finally returned from the back of the building, where she had been on a smoke break, leaving the front check-in completely unattended during normal business hours. After completing the rental, I later reviewed my charges and discovered I had been wrongly charged a $300 "under 25" fee, which did not apply to me. I provided my driver's license at check-in, which clearly shows that I am over the age of 25. In addition, I arrived 27 minutes early for my scheduled pickup time, yet instead of simply adjusting the return time, I was charged for an additional full day, which is unreasonable. Today, I received another call less than 24 hours before my scheduled pickup for a full-size SUV that I reserved two weeks ago. The representative informed me they could not honor the reservation and offered either a 12-passenger van or a smaller SUV, neither of which matches the vehicle class I booked. She showed no concern for the inconvenience or the extremely short notice and made no meaningful effort to resolve the issue. When I asked to speak with a manager, I was placed on hold for 20 minutes before I ultimately hung up. Between these two experiences, it is clear that this location does not value customer service, communication, or accountability. From the front desk staff to management, the level of professionalism is unacceptable. These issues were unnecessary, avoidable, and handled with complete indifference. As a result, I will not be using Hertz again. I sincerely hope corporate leadership reviews this location, because if this reflects the experience Hertz intends for its customers, that is deeply concerning. read more

The lady at customer service today, between 11 am and noon, was completely unprofessional and a b*tch to my 22 year old daughter and her boyfriend when they went into pick up the rental car. She gave them a bunch of BS and told them they would have to cancel their reservation because supposedly when you book online, the system automatically enters the same drop off location, even though they picked a hertz in south Florida to return the car. She told them they would also have to pay an additional 118$ Customer service stated otherwise, and resolved the issue. She should be fired. read more

Great service , called ahead for rental, since my new car broke down. Dealer had no loaner , and had only referred me enterprise with their ridiculous prices . But when I arrived the girl at front desires helped us get the dealer to approve to pay back and cheaper deal. read more

I really am not a review leaving guy, but want to make sure you don't waste your time here- absolutely terrible support- told to come back to pick up car, enter and guy is by himself in the parking lot- 10 people in lobby and no supporting anyone- just people talking about how terrible this location is- so just go to airport and save your time- may be easier here for location placement but the pure frustration is beyond common sense!! read more

We called the Hertz rental reservations and after spending half an hour ascertaining a vehicle, drove to Destin Fl, by Uber. As we are driving there, we are told they do not have any vehicles. Very poor service, communication among offices and will never do business with them again. They should pay for the Uber back and forth. read more

Rented from Hertz in Portland. The car wasn't full of fuel and then when I returned with more fuel that I started they charged me for more fuel. I had to air up there same tire 4 times. The car they gave me was an Uber car with stickers all over it and writing on the windows. The trunk release didn't work. When I returned they said I needed to call customer service to file a complaint and it is an automated system that doesn't allow you to do anything or speak to anyone. Absolutely awful experience! read more

I couldn't imagine a worse car rental company. From start to finish it was disaster. They gave me a Ford Escape that was on its last legs and rear selt belt did not unlock and had to cut my son out of the belt. It ended with Hertz adding on another $ 258.13 on my credit card. They added on insurance and other things I absolutely told them i did not want. When I called to complain they were as rude as possible . Terrible business read more

My husband has rented from Hertz for over 30 years. We actually have referred people to use you internationally as in the past have never had issues. This last trip we rented 2 cars because "6" of us. No convenient charging stations in Tuscany so we left Tesla parked at private home we rented and it was not driven except to airport and back to Rome airport. The car when we picked up had damage which it was videoed by my husband and he also made 2nd report be written up to note damage.... We received bill once home of damage. We have video of the damage on the car BEFORE leaving Rome airport. BEWARE of renting from Hertz - they are not what they use to be and not to be trusted. read more

This team did an excellent job resolving my issue with first minivan I received! I believe it was Lee at the main desk who immediately swapped out my minivan when I requested a different vehicle. Great service at pickup and return of vehicle and only charged as expected. I will definitely rent from this Hertz location again! read more

Renting a car is not recommended. All the gas stations were not able to take credit cards. Before taking my vehicle back to And they said that their normal charge for replacing gas is $9.99 a gallon that's a bit of price gouging. I recommend that no one uses this company. Talking to Lee was just one excuse after another. read more

We had questions for employees before, during, and after our trip. We spoke with at least 4 different employees at different times to assist us. Each employee was very helpful and courteous. The process was very quick and smooth. read more

Beware! They will add charges as they see fit. I was charged $100 after I returned the car because they say it had to be detailed. What?!? There was no call, no explanation as to why, no pictures... Back to National I go. I have NEVER paid a cleaning fee in the 10 years I've traveled for business. I should have read the other reviews. Shame on me! read more

Do not use this rental service. The vehicles are filthy, they don't treat loyal customers the way they claim to, and their Fort Walton Beach airport location is ran horribly. Was scammed out of almost a thousand dollars. Furious and disgusted by their customer service. Plan to report the Hertz at the VPS airport to the BBB. I hope nobody else goes through what we did. Ruined the first 2 days of our vacation. They will ask you to leave and call another number or email them at a different location, rather than taking care of you right then and there. My husband is in the presidential circle with Hertz and this is how we were treated. I can only imagine if we were new customers. Absolutely sick about the way this place is ran! read more

Same thing happened to me. I called to get a vehicle and they said they were busy and they would call me back. I waited, but they never called. I called back the next day to see what happened but he put me on hold for 9 mins before I decided to hang up. Went with Enterprise. Hertz customer service sucks. read more

We rented a car with Hertz, and we were totally ripped off. The car was already paid for and we declined any additional coverage; with the exception of re-fueling fee. The clerk just smirked as he charged us additional $29.99 per day in "recovery fee" nearly doubling our car rental cost. We never agreed to it of course, but since the fee was so similar to the price of the car rental fee, we signed the receipt. We were charged extra $440, and Hertz says there is nothing they can do. STAY AWAY! read more

Called yesterday to get a car today, said they were pretty busy but would call today as soon as they had a car ready. Called twice today, was told again that they would call soon. They are now closed for the day, never called. Ended up having to pay for a cab. read more

If I can give ZERO star I would! It's not the first time we made reservation on this location, but this time will be the last time. Even if I have to drive 1 hour to get a rental, I will not waste my time with rude people like Alex. We had a reservation, and I got a call when I was already in front of the building that they don't have a car for me. And yet other people are walking in and out picking up their reserved car!!!!! AND THEY CANNOT PROVIDE ME ONE!!!I am a paying customer too!!! I asked Alex to call the Airport and find out for availability, he looked annoyed and irritated! He told me that they have no control of the website, as far as inventory. Bullshit!!!! We have been renting cars every now and then for many many years. We could have looked somewhere else. Total waste of our time. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!! Please trust the advice of reviews... I wish I would have! I signed up on website to rent a car from this location, got a confirmation number, and arrived at location via Uber. When I went inside to get keys to the car, I was told there was not a car available, that they were sold out. The 2 young men were rude, not helpful, and more concerned with their iPhones than helping a customer. I am a single woman, from out of state, and was left with no transportation or any help on what to do next. I asked to speak to the manager and one of the men said he was the manager.... I was less than impressed!!! I left this location, again by an Uber, and was able to get to an Avis center, with actual people who care, who was able to rent me a car. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR WIFE, GIRLFRIEND, OR DAUGHTERS go here alone, because they will be STRANDED with not help from the "manager"!! read more