Returning the car within the same state from San Francisco to Los Angeles incurs an intercity fee. Sixt is a better option.

Delayed giving the car by five hours, causing a day's itinerary to be wasted

Booked to pick up the car at 9 AM, arrived at the counter at 9:30 and was told no cars were available, had to wait for an hour. At 10:30, there were still issues, and I didn't get the car until 11. It took an extra hour and a half in total, very frustrating.

Reliable service from a reputable company

Hertz's service is very standardized, but the efficiency of car pickup is not very high. I waited for an hour at their Union Square location to get the car. The vehicle had less than 5000 kilometers, was clean and very new. However, I booked an Altima Classic online but received a Versa Classic instead. Not sure if these two cars are considered 'same class,' although the latter was sufficient, its power and space are noticeably less. It's worth mentioning that the car return efficiency was extremely high. At the huge Hertz return area at Los Angeles airport, the staff checked the car in 2 minutes and then a shuttle bus took me back to my hotel near the airport. Overall, quite satisfied.