Vehicle had smaller boot than what was booked, but otherwise a good vehicle.

First of all, the location is very easy to find, right across the street. When we arrived, we were informed that the Camry we booked was unavailable and were given a CHR instead. At the Hertz store, the types of cars are clearly labeled, with the Camry being a full-size vehicle and the CHR being a small-size SUV, yet they used the word 'upgrade' for this change. Upgrade?? The rear space was ridiculously small, the view was extremely limited due to the window design, and the trunk was so small it could only fit two carry-on bags and two backpacks. The Camry has a 2.5L engine, but we got a small 1.2T car, and they call that an upgrade? I had prepaid the full amount; why was there no car for me when I arrived? Shouldn't there have been a reserved car for me? The car was in good condition, with adaptive cruise control and auto hold, so it was likely a 2018-2019 model. However, the noise from the wind and tires was very loud, making the ride much less comfortable (I can compare as I drove a Camry in Sydney). Returning the car was easy, just follow the navigation, which was nice. Overall, I was quite dissatisfied as I chose Hertz for its good reputation in the car rental industry. Quite disappointed.

1. I arrived at the store at 2:50 PM but only managed to get the car at 4:40 PM, even though my appointment was at 3:30 PM. Extremely long wait times. 2. The staff told me that there were no Group F large SUVs available and offered me a Group E smaller SUV instead. I clearly stated that I had prepaid and wouldn’t accept a downgrade. The staff then said they would upgrade me to an 8-seater van. I explained that I had booked an SUV specifically to experience driving an SUV on the Great Ocean Road. She actually blamed the lack of cars on the numerous Chinese tourists visiting during the Lunar New Year, saying it wasn't their fault. It was the first time I heard a rental company staff blame their poor vehicle management on customers. 3. Reluctantly, I agreed to the 8-seater van, but then she told me the vehicle hadn't arrived at the store yet and asked me to keep waiting. I waited another half hour with no sign of the car. I called the overseas hotline of Zuzuche, and after their customer service intervened, the staff member got upset and stressed several times that she was “serving me.” After another 15 minutes, she finally told me where the car was parked. 4. The staff kept pushing me to prepay 100 AUD for tolls and an additional 50 AUD airport tax, a total of 150 AUD. Even after I clearly refused, she entered these charges into the order anyway and printed it out. After repeatedly saying I didn't want to prepay, she finally crossed out the prepayment items on the printed order with a pen but didn’t change it in the computer. This caused issues when returning the car, as the staff there couldn’t finalize the return due to a “system error.” I had to explain the whole situation again, wasting another 30 minutes.

The staff were very friendly, but I was unhappy with the car change. There were no other options, and I had to accept an unreasonable price, otherwise, there was no car to rent, which affected my trip.

The process of both picking up and returning the car was convenient and quick. The car was in good condition, with less than 30,000 kilometers on it.

Pick-up and drop-off at HERTZ Melbourne Airport were very quick and smooth.