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I arrived on St Croix on December 20th, 2006 and rented a small car from Avis for 4 day's and had no problem. MY family would arrive on December 24, 2006 and I needed a minivan, Avis did not have any available, so I rented from Hertz. These rental arrangements were made months in advance. The people at Avis were Great. However I can not say that for Hertz, the young Lady that waited on me was very friendly but her supervisor was rude, arrogant, condescending and had no knowledge of the laws regarding service animals. She told me that in order to rent a car from Hertz, I would need a crate. I advised her the Federal Law Prohibits a separation of any type from the Disabled Person and their service animal. She said she would not rent a car to me unless the Dog was crated. I advised her she was breaking the law, gave her written copies of the laws regarding service animals and still would not rent to me. I asked to speak with her Manager, she said he was unavailable. I asked to speak with his supervisor. She reluctantly called someone on the phone and after a conversation and reading the information I gave to her, she said they would rent the car without a crate,but I would be charged an additional fee for cleaning the car. Again this violates the law. Then she wouldn't give back copies of the law I produced back to me. I Then Told her to make copies of it and return my property.
Refusal to provide equal access to people with disabilities with service animals is a federal civil rights violation, provided by the American Disability act of 1990. Violators of the ADA can be required to pay money damages and penalties.
My Service animal wears a vest ,clearly marked Service Dog, color orange, with a picture Identification card attached, Medical records attached, and i carry his Health certificate with me when traveling.
Posted : January 11, 2007 2:59 pm
You are not in the US anymore - things happen in a very different way on the Islands. Frustrating - illogical - illegal - but frequent! Just one of the adaptations that have to be made for successful Caribbean living.
Posted : January 11, 2007 8:18 pm
I don't agree. Do you know who to contact to report this? If you do know which department handles these things, post it & I'll get you the contact information. I'd also write to the headquarters of Hertz. (I'm assuming you're no longer on St. Croix.)
Posted : January 11, 2007 8:27 pm
Of course it's not okay as Trade said. Last time I checked the good local folk are still part of the USofA. I'd be damned sure I complained all the way up the Hertz chain and I ain't talking about the chain that ends in the VI's.
Trade Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't agree. Do you know who to contact to
> report this? If you do know which department
> handles these things, post it & I'll get you the
> contact information. I'd also write to the
> headquarters of Hertz. (I'm assuming you're no
> longer on St. Croix.)
Posted : January 11, 2007 11:25 pm
It's a shame he wasn't able to speak to the manager at Hertz personally. I too, would suggest carrying his complaint further up the chain. But I would first write a letter to the top guy at Hertz in STX and give him a chance to respond.
I agree that sometimes you just have to chalk things up to "island". But this is not one of those things and can be successfully dealt with.
Posted : January 12, 2007 1:38 am
In no way was I suggesting that he not follow up on the matter - I was referring to the actions of the personnel in his immediate sphere.
Posted : January 12, 2007 4:19 am
Hertz has often been noted for it's poor service and bad attitude on St Croix. I alway rent from the local car agencies. Centerline and Judy's both are customer service oriented. I hope you pursue this matter with Hertz corporate management.
Posted : January 12, 2007 2:41 pm
We rent with Budget at the airport on STX . No problems, and when I locked the keys in the car (with the motor running) they came out within a reasonable period (OK, it wasn't within 10 minutes but they did come and they have always been cheerful and courteous).
Posted : January 12, 2007 3:54 pm
Topic starter
I wrote to Hertz on Jan 11,2007 to the Senior executive team. They did take immediate action to correct any further problems of this sort in the future. I received a letter on Jan 19,2007 and the third Paragraph of the letter is as follows;
Please accept my sincere apology for the lack of reasonable judgement and misrepresentation of Hertz" policies by our franchise employee in St. Croix. Rest assured that this has been brought to the attention of the Vice President and Director of our Franchise Operations in this area. Prior to the completion of this letter I was advised that the employees of this location have been spoken to about the seriousness of their actions. In addition, a reminder of our compliance with the American Disabilities Act will be distributed to all locations in this area to ensure that future customers are not put in the difficult situation that you were.
This Letter was signed by Mark Rothbarth, Manager Executive Customer Relations.
I was satisfied with their actions and apology alone, However they did enclose a Hertz Rental Certificate for use on a future rental. I would like to thank all of you for your support and understanding in this matter.
PS. As long as the American Flag flies over the USVI, I am in the USA!
Posted : January 24, 2007 12:45 pm
Good for you! I'm sure they were glad to hear of the experience you had so they could correct it. That's how I judge a company. Most will have some kind of problem occasionally but it's how they correct it that can keep me coming back.
Posted : January 24, 2007 9:12 pm
