Avis rents hybrids!

As I have mentioned previously, I travel frequently for work and rent cars wherever I go. I usually book the car through Hotwire.com and rent the lowest priced midsized or smaller car. Almost every time I get to the rental desk I ask if they have any hybrid vehicles. They usually say, "No, but we get asked that a lot." They seem to have gotten the point.

On Tuesday, when I returned my car to Avis at Ontario (California) airport, I couldn't believe the site that presented itself. There were four, brand-spanking new Prius cars.

Let's reinforce the message and continue to request and actually rent these hybrid cars. By the way, every time I rent from Avis, I get 5 free iTunes.

Fox Rent-a-Car Revisited

I gave Fox Rent-a-Car another chance. This went better than last time but I still can't recommend this company. See my previous posts here and here.

At San Diego Airport, there is no main car rental depot. The rental agencies are spread out in the community around the airport. So, you must take the shuttle bus for your rental company.

• Problem #1: While waiting for the Fox shuttle, it seemed as if 5 Hertz and Avis shuttles passed by, along with 3 each for Dollar, Budget, National and even one called Advantage.

When I got to the agency, I told the agent about my prior experience with their company in San Jose. Then, he left the room twice to speak to his boss and I overheard him speaking in hushed tones over the walkie-talkie to a co-worker. I gleaned from the whispers that they didn't have a Honda Civic Hybrid for me, the car I reserved. He quickly arranged an "upgrade" to a Prius. I was okay with that.

The car was great. I drove about 100 miles, mostly freeway. I loved watching the display of my fuel efficiency as I drove. I averaged a slightly disappointing 43.3 mpg. I was happy however about how little I was polluting the air.

Dropping the car off was a bit time consuming as well. The other major rental agencies do the check-out process at the car with a hand-held computer. At Fox, you have to go inside and wait in line to check-out.

Here are my overall ratings for Fox Rent-a-Car:

• San Jose:
• Don't count on them having the car you reserved.
  
• I have been assured by the franchise owner/manager that in the future, they will actually help you find another car (at a comparable price) if they are unable to provide you with one.

• San Diego:
• Don't count on them having the car you reserved.
• Definitely call them from the baggage claim area to confirm that a shuttle is on its way.
• Make sure you let them know if you are at the commuter air terminal.
• Leave extra time for pickup and drop-off.

The worst rental car ever

Yesterday I had the misfortune of renting a Chevy HHR from Avis in Southern California. The underwhelming 4-cylinder engine felt like I was riding on a large lawn mower. I can live with a weak engine, especially if it is a fuel efficient car (which the HHR isn't). I consider fuel efficient to be anything over 40mpg. The PR states that the car gets 30 mpg, which is in all likelihood fresh from a tune-up, going downhill with a strong tail-wind.

The fuselage of the car is large, nearly 15 feet long. Motortrend boasts, "[The HHR will] let you take your favorite eight-foot ladder wherever you go." And they mean inside the vehicle. Avis calls this a "mid-sized car". Chevy considers it an "SUV Crossover".

Frankly, I don't care that the design looks remarkably like the PT Cruiser. The worst part about this vessel, is the lack of visibility. It is as if the good people at Chevrolet have encased you in the lunar module and generously provided a couple of portholes in the back through which you can catch glimpses of earth. I am not sure what HHR stands for - and I can't think of a clever acronym at the moment. The car should be called the Chevy Blind Spot and should be avoided at all costs!

BTW: I have gotten into the habit recently, when renting a car, of asking if they have any Hybrids. We should all keep asking until the major agencies get a clue and start offering them.

Fox Rent-a-Car Left Me Hanging

My letter to Fox Rent-a Car...

Dear Madam or Sir,

I flew into San Jose Airport in California on March 7 with a reservation for a Honda Civic Hybrid. I was really looking forward to renting a hybrid. So much so, that I posted about it on my blog here. To my chagrin, when I arrived at the airport, the guy behind the counter let me know that not only didn’t they have a hybrid for me, they had no cars at all. He said it in a nonchalant way, and added that this happens from time to time. Sorry.

I asked if Fox was going to help me rent from another agency, perhaps honor the $44/day rate that I had been promised when I reserved the car online. He said no. I walked down the line asking for quotes from a couple other companies. As you know, when booking at the airport, rates are considerably higher. I wasted about a half hour waiting in line and getting quotes and then got a car from Enterprise for $59/day (Hertz wanted $99!).

I posted my dissatisfaction on my blog here. I am really upset by your company’s lack of integrity around reservations. How difficult would it have been to have the agents call me and the other travelers to let us know we had no rental car waiting for us? These agents (there were two) were just sitting around. They had no business to conduct.

I applaud you for offering hybrid rentals but don’t think that I will risk the inconvenience of arriving and having no car waiting for me. I travel frequently and would have loved to do more for the environment.

Disappointedly yours,
Dan Rosenberg
North Fork, CA

Hybrid Rental Car - Denied!

I flew into San Jose this afternoon and reported to Fox Rent-a-Car to pick up my Honda Civic hybrid rental car. The guy at the counter informed me that they were out of cars, all cars. He said it could be hours or days until the cars came back in. I suggested that he could just find me a regular gasoline car but he repeated that they were completely out of cars.

I asked for prices at a couple of the other agencies and found the cheapest midsized car at Enterprise for $59/day. I took it as I didn't have any other options. Had I pre-booked the car, it would have certainly cost significantly less.

I am torn. On one hand I applaud Fox for carrying hybrid cars. On the other hand, I feel they left me high and dry by not even attempting to let me know that they had no car for me. They didn't even offer me a discount on a future rental. Somewhat reluctantly, I must recommend that people not book cars with Fox unless they are willing to face the same situation I did.

Hybrid Rental Car

I just booked my first hybrid rental car. It is for a business trip I am taking next week. Fox rent a car rents hybrid cars in various locations in California and Arizona. I booked a Honda Civic Hybrid. It was $44/day in San Jose which is a competitive price with the traditional gasoline engine cars. See my previous post on this rental company here.

I usually book my rental cars through one of the all-in-one travel sites. They don't offer hybrids and I wrote them an email asking them to carry them. If they hear from enough of us, the might start carrying them.