We arrived three hours earlier than our original pickup time (booked for 11:00 AM, but we got there at 8:00 AM). The staff first asked if we wanted to purchase additional full insurance. I said we already had it, and then they informed me that the car I booked wasn’t available. They suggested switching to another car but asked for an additional cost of nearly 200 euros. I declined and was then told I had to wait for the full three hours. I suggested an earlier pickup and return, but they flatly refused. Even at 10:50 AM, when I proposed handling the paperwork and waiting until 11:00 to pick up the car, they still refused, claiming the keys weren’t delivered yet and insisted that I wait until exactly 11:00 AM, not a minute earlier. However, the keys didn’t arrive anyway, and the car wasn’t even the model I originally booked. It felt like they were trying to punish me for not purchasing additional insurance or upgrading. They kept emphasizing compliance with the rental contract terms, even claiming that me standing in front of their store affected their work. It was ridiculous! Such a large space, yet they were clearly being deliberately difficult. I’ve rented cars many times both domestically and internationally, and this is the first time I’ve ever encountered something like this. While they technically had the right to do so, it showed a lack of basic decency. (Additionally, the rental introduction mentioned a €16 charge for driving into Portugal, but they actually charged €30. I plan to resolve this with the rental platform.)

When I rented the car, they first told me that the pickup sheet was not acceptable and that a voucher was required. After a long time, it turned out that the sheet was sufficient. I had already purchased full insurance, but they forced additional insurance on me. When I saw the printed receipt and asked them to remove it, they said it was not possible. It took an hour and a half to finally get the car. I will never use Hertz again.

The guy at the pickup counter symbolically asked if we wanted to upgrade our car. They had an XC90 available but it would cost more. Since there were only two of us, we declined the upgrade. I showed him the full insurance purchased on QEEQ, and he didn't try to sell us anything else. We got a brand new diesel XC60, in a beautiful smog blue color!

Car pickup was very fast

Hertz was easy to find, and the car was in good condition. I initially rented a Sportage, but there were none available, so they upgraded me to a BMW for free. That's the difference with big companies.