Very satisfied!

The reserved Galaxy model was not available, and the offered Smax didn't have enough space for six people. We had to consider upgrading to a Ford Tourneo by paying an extra fee. Initially, we were told verbally that it would cost about 13 euros per day extra. After agreeing to the upgrade, I had to go see the actual car myself, which was a hassle since the Tourneo isn't available in our country, so I didn't know what to expect. After agreeing to the upgrade, the paperwork showed an additional 16 euros per day, plus a 23.5% service fee and a 19% tax, which amounted to almost 25 euros per day extra. I felt somewhat cheated but had to accept due to time constraints. Additionally, regarding the toll fees for Austria and Switzerland, I was charged 25 euros. Upon reaching the border, I cautiously asked the gas station staff, and they didn't recognize the bill I had. I ended up having to buy toll fees separately for over 40 euros. Upon returning the car at the end of our trip, I asked the Hertz counter and was told that the CROSS BORDER FEE was for taking the car across borders, and toll fees still needed to be paid separately by me. Due to time constraints, I couldn't argue further. This wasn't just a money issue; if I hadn't been cautious and asked at the border, I might have faced fines or legal issues for not having the required toll stickers on the car windshield.

Satisfied

Arriving in Frankfurt full of enthusiasm, I had to walk quite a distance to collect the car, which was a C4 Cactus with a 1.2L gasoline automatic transmission. I had to find it myself in the parking basement. The car had only 8900KM but felt old and small. Upon inspection, I found damage on the side mirrors and hood, suggesting I was being scammed. I immediately reported it and got a yellow tag for the damage. Driving on the German autobahn was a disaster, as the car roared at full throttle for thousands of kilometers over 21 days and couldn't easily overtake other vehicles. It felt like a gardening vehicle suited for an old Frenchman in the countryside. The 1.2L engine lacked torque, making it impossible to climb even small slopes in parking garages. I nearly hit cars multiple times when the car rolled back during refueling. Thankfully, with 20 years of driving experience, I used the handbrake technique to manage. Choosing Frankfurt as an entry point turned out to be a mistake. The rear windows couldn't open, making it very unsafe, especially for female drivers. This car rental was the worst part of our one-month European trip, despite the beautiful scenery and nice hotels. Avoid believing the big companies' promises and free upgrades; Hertz gave me the worst car, and using QEEQ was just a waste of time and money.

Hertz's overall service was terrible. We had to wait in line for more than half an hour at Frankfurt Airport to pick up the car, only to find out that their store's computer system and POS machine were both down. They said they needed to do a pre-authorization over the phone. After showing them three cards, they finally said it was successful. However, we received bank messages showing pre-authorization on all three cards. They provided incorrect parking information, making us search for the car for quite some time, and eventually, we got help from staff from another rental company to find the car on an upper level. When returning the car at the Frankfurt city center location, I requested a receipt and was told to come back the next day. When I went the next day, they said they would check immediately and to come back in 20 minutes. After waiting 20 minutes and returning, the counter staff had already left. A neighboring rental company employee said he received an emergency call and had to leave. We had to go back a third day and were presented with a bill over 600 euros higher than our booking. When we discussed the incorrect charges with the staff, they told us that they billed according to the computer records and advised us to call customer service. We had to fly back to our home country that day, so we could only handle the issue after returning. Overall, this was a terrible car rental experience.