Germany

They force you to buy additional insurance, otherwise they won't allow you to cross the border. The crossing fee is only 25 EUR, but the insurance costs 66 EUR plus tax, which altogether cost an extra 120 EUR. I booked a C-class but got an X1 instead, which is clearly not the same class in China. Maybe in Germany, X1 has the same price as C-class. I've had a good impression of Hertz before, but this experience was very disappointing. The staff refused to mediate over the phone with the booking agency. It was really frustrating. If I weren't in a hurry, I would've canceled the rental. Do not choose this company.

I arrived earlier than my scheduled pick-up time. First, I was told my reserved car would be available at 8 PM. They tried to sell me insurance, which I declined. Then, they said I would need to wait four hours for my car. They suggested I rent a Nissan Qashqai for an additional 60 euros per day, which I also declined. They then told me my reserved Volvo V40 was not available and suggested we would sort it out later. After multiple refusals and hesitations to pay extra, I left, hearing mocking laughter behind me. The person handling my case was a woman possibly named Stian. At 8 PM, when I returned, she was not present at the counter, and other staff refused to assist me, saying she had blocked my rental information. Two men with very unfriendly attitudes informed me about this. The woman showed up late, saying it was my fault and I shouldn't blame her. She then gave me a Ford Fiesta, a much smaller car than the Volvo V40 I had booked, which should be comparable to at least a VW Golf or a Ford Focus. Their attitude was terrible and mocking.

The engine failed to start twice: The first time was the day after renting the car, in the parking garage of the exhibition hall, it would not start. I called, but both breakdown numbers on the car key were unreachable and automatically disconnected! I tried the phone number on the rental platform, and after several transfers and explaining the situation, we waited for about an hour for assistance. During this time, I kept trying to start the car. Shortly after the phone contact, it miraculously started. Due to our tight schedule, returning to the airport to exchange cars was not an option, so we agreed that if it happened again, we would stop using the car. Miraculously, after four days, on the last day, while on our way to the airport, we stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank before return. After refueling, the car wouldn't start again! Tried all the phone numbers on the key and the rental company number, but none worked. The rental platform's phone said they couldn't help and asked us to call the breakdown number. Rushing to catch a flight, after about forty minutes of attempting to start it, it worked again! The car had only around 7,000 kilometers and was a 2018 model, so it should have been in good condition, but it was definitely a problematic car! Originally rented a Volvo V40, but was told at pickup that it was upgraded to a Jeep Wrangler. I thought I was lucky, but later felt it was a trap! It was a scary experience!

Service was decent and efficient.

Acceptable