I rented a car from Hertz on a recent trip and my overall experience with them has been quite positive. It had a few bumps, but they fixed the problems quickly and to my satisfaction.

When I first picked up the car there was only one person at the counter (it was 11:45pm so I wasn’t surprised) but he took at least 15 minutes with customer at the desk, and when he finally finished and began working with the next lady in line (right before me), it appeared to be taking just as long.

I was tired and wanted to get the car and leave, so my patience was wearing thin, but the manager showed up and helped me, and in minutes I was on my way in a Ford Explorer equipped with the Hertz NeverLost system for the price of a full-size car (I had a coupon for a free upgrade and a $20 discount). The total price ended up being lower than any of the other full-size rentals I could find online, and with those I would have only gotten a full-size car instead of a large vehicle, which was quite handy with all the luggage we had.

The vehicle worked without any problems and I liked using the NeverLost system just for fun, even when I knew where I was going.

I returned it at 4:30am so no one was on duty, but I had filled the tank up with gas and was told by a guy who drove by as I was pulling up (I’m guessing he was an employee of the airport) to leave the keys in the car and the receipt would be sent by mail.

A few days later I got a receipt from Hertz, but it was nearly $125 more than I had been quoted. I was frustrated and tempted to send a nastygram demanding they reduce the charges, but instead I sent them a simple e-mail explaining the situation.

The next day I received a polite e-mail from a customer service manager (including her personal e-mail and direct phone number) explaining that there had been a mistake and that the extra amount would be credited back to my credit card (I just verified that it has been credited). The crazy thing is, with the refund, my total payment was less than I had originally expected to pay, which I don’t think has ever happened before.

We all know that every company makes mistakes, but only a few that I’ve dealt with follow through with the customer to fix mistakes quickly and painlessly. Those companies are the ones I want to deal with all the time.

Hertz has given me good customer service, and you can bet that the next time I need to rent a car, Hertz will be at the top of my list. In the past they’ve been a little more expensive than the others, and I’m quite frugal, but after these positive experiences I’ll still go with Hertz because I appreciate how I’ve been treated.

I’m glad to see more companies are coming to the realization that quality customer service is an essential part of a business and I will show my appreciation by giving them my business and recommending them to others.

So if anyone is looking for a rental car, take a look at what Hertz has to offer.