Frequently Asked Questions
Please note in order to drive in the Grand Cayman, you now no longer need to purchase a Drivers Permit.
A Vehicle Environmental Recovery Fee of USD 7.00 + Vehicle licensing fee of USD4.00 per day will be applied to all rentals.
Cash - not accepted
Credit Cards - American Express, Discovery, Mastercard, Visa. Miscellaneous Charge Orders - MCO's - not accepted.
Debit Cards – Accepted when the renter purchase full coverage (LDW & LIS) and has return flight itinerary at the rental counter.
Vouchers - Only prepaid vouchers accepted, provided the customer presents a valid major credit card at the begining of the rental.
Rental Deposit - A deposit will be held against customer's credit card upon arrival which is the total estimated rental expenses. In addition to the deposit if Third Party Liability is declined USD 1,250.00 will be held against customer's credit card.
If you make a reservation specifying a pick-up location and you do not arrive at the specified pick-up location for the rental within two hours of the specified pick-up time, (or if the location closes before then, by the location's closing time), the reservation will expire.
However if you are arriving by airplane and have provided Hertz with flight details (including airline and flight number), the reservation will be held until two hours after the flight has landed and cleared. In the case of flight delay whereby the new arrival time is outside of the pick-up location opening hours, the location will remain open provided that the carrier has notified the delay and the new arrival time.
If you are a #1 Club Gold Member, the pick-up period will be extended to three hours in each case.
Vehicles may not be taken off of the island.
The minimum age for Hertz rentals in Cayman Islands is 25 years and the maximum is 80 years.
It is, however, possible to rent the next vehicles from 23-24 years on payment of a young driver surcharge of USD 20.00 per day.
Economy 4-5 Door Automatic: Kia Picanto or similar |
Compact 4-5 Door Automatic: Chevrolet Aveo or similar |
Standard 4-5 Door Automatic: Hyundai Elantra or similar |
Please note the Gold member spouses are exempt from Age Differential Surchage.
Requirements for corporate account customers may vary. Please contact the appropriate department.
The person named on the reservation must be the main driver, present at time of rental and payer of any rental charges. Additional drivers are possible with a fee of USD 10.00 per day and driver.
For further information please refer to “Age Restrictions and Exceptions” and “Driver’s licence” in Rental Qualifications & Requirements.
After Hours return is available, but cannot be booked on the Internet. Please contact your Reservation Centre.
Hertz offers a portable navigation system which is a route guidance system that provides turn-by-turn driving directions to many destinations in the Cayman Islands by means of an in-car LCD video screen and computer-generated voice instructions.
The navigation system is available in several languages in all locations and for all vehicle groups for USD 12.95 per day, USD 65.00 per week or USD 129.00 per month.
USD 300.00 will be blocked on your credit card in case of damage or theft of the navigation system during the rental.
After hours rentals with this equipment are not allowed.
This equipment cannot be booked via the Internet. For additional information and/or booking, please contact your Reservation Centre.
At Hertz Grand Cayman, we want you to know the facts before you rent. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about coverage on your rental cars these days, but one thing is certain: not knowing exactly what you are covered for, could have a significant financial impact. The following information is designed to give you some important facts and help keep you from taking unnecessary chances. Before you rent a car, it's worth reviewing the coverage on your personal car insurance policy. In some cases, the coverage you have on your own car extends to a rental car. In other words, buying rental car insurance may duplicate the coverage you already pay for. The rental company's extra coverage might make sense in a few cases, however. For that reason, it's important to understand what your car insurance covers, and what the rental agency is offering.
Your personal auto insurance policy includes liability coverage and any additional coverages you've opted for, such as comprehensive or collision. Those coverages may extend to your rental car.
Liability coverage may help pay for another person's medical bills or damage to another person's property if you cause an accident in your vehicle (or your rental vehicle).
Comprehensive coverage may help pay to repair your vehicle (or your rental car) if it's damaged by a covered peril, such as theft, wind, fire or natural disasters. Your comprehensive coverage deductible will apply.
Collision coverage may help pay to repair your vehicle (or your rental car) if it's damaged when you collide with another vehicle or object, such as a fence or a tree. Your collision coverage deductible will apply.
Understand the Rental Car Insurance Options
Rental car agencies typically break out their extra insurance offerings into two sections:
Liability coverage is intended to help protect you if you injure someone or damage their property while driving. If you have sufficient liability coverage through your own auto insurance, you may not need to buy extra coverage from the rental agency. Most U.S. Insurance companies do not cover outside of the United States, Canada and U.S. Territories. In Europe, Liability Insurance is typically included in the rental car base rate. CREDIT CARDS DO NOT PROVIDE LIABILITY COVERAGE.
Collision/loss damage waiver (also known as an LDW or CDW) isn't technically insurance. If you damage the rental car, this waiver may help cover the cost of repairing it. The waiver typically excludes coverage for damage caused by speeding or driving on unpaved roads. Some Credit Cards offer CDW/LDW as long as you use the credit card to pay for the rental. When you travel international Credit Cards will reimburse a renter for damage to a cars as long as the renter fills out the necessary claim forms and pays for the damages up front. In some cases the damages may exceed your Credit Card limit. Please make sure you have a credit card that has sufficient funds available to cover a loss. Additionally, a rental agency could charge you for "loss of use" of the car (lost rental income) while the car is in the shop being repaired. Your own auto policy typically won't reimburse you for that. Be sure to read your car rental agreement carefully to clarify what kinds of charges you could incur if you were to damage the vehicle.
Benefits of the Hertz Protect the Car (Loss Damage Waiver):
- Covers all vehicle damage to Hertz rental car*; regardless of who is fault
- No need to file a claim with personal auto insurance
- No need to pay for damage up front on Major Credit Card
- No deductible for you to pay to Hertz
How well do you know your coverage?
What is your responsibility?
When you rent a car from Hertz Grand Cayman, you are responsible for any and all loss or damage to the car resulting from any cause (including but not limited to, collision, rollover, theft, vandalism, seizure, fire flood, hail or other acts of nature regardless of fault).
In the event of any loss or damage to the car regardless of fault, your financial responsibility extends to the full value of the car at the time of rental, less its salvage value, plus expenses for towing, storage impound fees, an administrative fee and a reasonable charge for loss of use.
What protection does Hertz Grand Cayman LDW offer?
By accepting LDW (Loss Damage Waiver), you will be relieved of all financial responsibility for loss or damage to the rental car, whether or not you have insurance to cover such damage. In order for LDW to be applied to any damage claims, you must properly report the related incident in accordance with the Rental Agreement. LDW is available at the counter for USD$19.95 - $21.95 per day depending on vehicle category.
Do I need Third Party Liability ?
Where permitted by law, no liability protection is provided under the terms of the Rental Agreement from claims of injury by others against you resulting from an accident with the rental car. Hertz Grand Cayman is an independent franchise in the Caribbean and does not automatically provide Third Party Liability Insurance. Most Rental Car locations in the United States and Corporate Rental Car Operations abroad in Europe provide some primary protection under the Rental Agreement. However, in those situations where protection is provided by a rental car agency, such protection is generally no more than the minimum limits required by individual state or country law. For these reasons, some people feel more comfortable traveling with additional liability protection. That is why Hertz makes the Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS) option available to you. Here are some facts you should know:
- LIS provides coverage for you and other authorized operators of your rental vehicle for third party liability claims.
- LIS is primary protection to your personal policy and provides for the first KYD$5,000,000** of coverage for combined bodily injury and/or property damage claims per occurrence.
- LIS is available at the counter for USD$14.95 per day
- Third Party websites such as Travelocity and Expedia DO NOT offer Liability Insurance. Please review the terms and conditions for those policies.
- Credit Cards DO NOT provide Third Party Liability Insurance
- Most U.S. insurance companies do not provide Liability Insurance outside of the United States, Canada, and U.S. overseas territories i.e. (Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Grand Cayman is a British Overseas Territory
Will my own car insurance cover damage to the rental car?
This is the question we are asked most often. Each policy should be thoroughly checked for the specific terms and conditions associated with rental vehicles. Most personal auto insurance policies from the United States will not cover you outside of a U.S. territory. If you have an accident with a Firefly car and you've declined the Hertz Optional Protection Plans because you thought your credit card insurance covered you, consider these facts:
- You must pay for your rental using the card providing coverage, or the coverage will not apply.
- Most cards only reimburse you for your deductible after your own insurance pays.
- Some cards don't pay unless you submit documented, "paid by you first" repair bills within a specified time.
- Some don't cover rentals that last longer than a certain period.
- Some don't cover certain car types or classes, (e.g., large sport utility vehicles or certain luxury cars). Vans or Sport Utility Vehicle that are intended to hold 8 passengers or more.
- Some only cover you if you purchase a separate, additional, one-time rental car coverage before each rental or enroll in advance and pay an additional fee for each rental.
- Some don't cover rentals on cards issued outside of the USA.
- Credit card rental car coverage is for damage to the car, not for liability claims against you by people injured in an accident or third party property damage.
Collision Damage Waiver is an optional service which, if accepted, reduces or waives your financial liability for damage to the Hertz vehicle, its parts and accessories except for theft, attempted theft or vandalism, provided the vehicle is used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.
If CDW is declined, we do a $1500 deposit and you will be responsible up to the full replacement value of the vehicle.
Vehicle Group | Price per day | Deductible |
---|---|---|
(Economy) Kia Picanto or similar | USD 19.95 | $0 |
(Compact) Hyundai Accent or similar | USD 19.95 | $0 |
(Intermediate) Kia Rio or similar | USD 19.95 | $0 |
(Standard) Kia Souls or similar | USD 19.95 | $0 |
(Full Size) Kia Ceratos or similar | USD 19.95 | $0 |
(Premium) Kia Optima or similar | USD 21.95 | $0 |
(Small SUV) Kia Sportage or similar | USD 21.95 | $0 |
(Special SUV) Jeep Wrangler | USD 27.95 | $0 |
(Premium Van) Kia Carnival or similar | USD 21.95 | $0 |
(Large SUV) Chevy Tahoe or similar | USD 27.95 | $0 |
(Large Van) Hyundai H1 or similar | USD 21.95 | $0 |
(Convertible) Mini Cooper or similar | USD 21.95 | $0 |
(Prestige) Mercedes E Class | USD 39.95 | $0 |
(Prestige) Porsche Cayenne | USD 39.95 | $0 |
If you choose to rely on your credit card for cover, we strongly recommend that you fully understand the terms and conditions of any cover provided by your credit card company before you decline any of our optional coverages.
The customer can purchase Third Party Liability (TPL) at the counter. If declined, there will be a USD 1,500.00 deposit held against the customer's credit card.
VEHICLE RENTAL RATE QUOTES, RESERVATIONS AND PREPAYMENTS
Hertz and you
The term “Hertz” means The Hertz Corporation and its subsidiaries worldwide. The term “Hertz” does not include independent car rental businesses using the “Hertz” trademark under a license from Hertz. (We call those independent businesses “Hertz licensees”.) The policies and procedures of Hertz licensees with respect to rate quotes, reservations and prepaid rental transactions (as those terms are used below) may differ from those of Hertz. As a consequence, if you obtain a rate quote from Hertz, make a reservation with Hertz or arrange with Hertz for a prepaid rental transaction and the quote, reservation or transaction involves a Hertz licensee, you may be advised that the rules appearing below do not apply in one or morerespects. If you receive such advice, that advice will supersede what appears below.
The term “you” means an individual wishing to rent a vehicle, who has contacted Hertz to obtain a rate quote, make a reservation or enter into a prepaid rental transaction, all as those terms are discussed below.
Rate Quotes
Vehicle rental rates vary considerably from place to place and from time to time, and they change very frequently. You may contact Hertz to inquire about rates for vehicle rentals through a variety of channels, including reservations telephone lines, websites and computerized reservations systems such as those utilized by travel agents. Unless it is provided in connection with certain types of reservations, a rate quote you receive is merely indicative of the rates then being offered and creates neither legal rights nor practical expectations of vehicle availability or the continued applicability of the quoted rate. Rate quotes made in connection with reservations are covered by the rules appearing below.
Reservations
When you wish to make a reservation for the rental of a vehicle, you may contact Hertz through a variety of channels. A “reservation” for a vehicle rental is a notation in Hertz’s records that you have expressed the desire and intention to rent a vehicle of a specified vehicle class from Hertz or a Hertz licensee at a specified time, date and location (the “pick-up” time, date and location), with the vehicle to be returned to Hertz or a Hertz licensee at a specified time, date and location (the “return” time, date and location), on the terms and conditions and subject to the rental qualifications and requirements that Hertz or the applicable Hertz licensee then imposes for such a rental. Pick-up and return times for reservations are always expressed in local time at the pick-up and return locations, respectively.
In general, Hertz accepts reservations only for a class of vehicles, and not for vehicles either of specific makes, model years or models or with particular characteristics not common to all vehicles in the class. The only exceptions to this rule occur when (i) you reserve a vehicle under the “Hertz Prestige Collection” program at a participating rental location or (ii) if you are a member of Hertz #1 Club and you reserve a vehicle under a program that is advertised as specifically allowing #1 Club members to reserve a particular make and model vehicle. In those two cases, and in no others, you may reserve a specific make and model of vehicle; however, the model year and other characteristics of the reserved vehicle are still subject to change, and any other limitations of which you are advised will apply.
When you seek to make a reservation, Hertz may decline to allow you to do so. If Hertz allows you to make a reservation, any legal obligations that arise – both for you and for Hertz or the applicable Hertz licensee – are discussed in detail below. The practical, non-legal significance of your making a reservation is also discussed in detail below.
Rental Qualifications and Requirements
The Hertz company or Hertz licensee operating a rental location at which you wish to rent may impose significant qualifications and requirements on people seeking to rent vehicles. Those include the possession of a valid driver’s license, the satisfaction of minimum age requirements and the making of arrangements with respect to payment of rental charges that Hertz or the licensee deems satisfactory. Other, significant qualifications and requirements may also apply. You must satisfy all rental qualifications and requirements at the time of pick-up; it is not sufficient for you to meet them at the time of reservation. For full details, call Hertz’s Reservations Center or go to the website http://www.hertz.com.
Rates Quoted in connection with Reservations
Quoted Base Rate. When you make a reservation for a rental transaction, you will generally receive a quote for the applicable base rental rate (also known as time-and-mileage/kilometer charges) that, unless you are advised to the contrary, is exclusive of certain charges that may be assessed in connection with the rental, including but not limited to taxes, governmental surcharges, other surcharges, common facilities charges, drop charges, delivery and collection charges, expense reimbursements and recoveries and charges for optional products or services (such as allowing additional or younger individuals to operate the vehicle, fuel or fuel service, loss or collision damage waiver, theft protection, supplemental insurance products, child seats, ski racks, satellite radios and navigational aids). If you do not change any aspect of the reservation and the rental takes place in accordance with the reservation, then Hertz or the applicable Hertz licensee will honor the base rate quoted. If, before the rental takes place, you change the reservation with respect to the vehicle class, pick-up time, date or location or return time, date or location, then Hertz or the applicable Hertz licensee reserves the right to change the base rate applicable to the rental, so long as the changed rate is disclosed to you at or before the time the rental commences.
Estimated Additional Charges. When you make a reservation, in addition to being quoted a base rental rate, you may receive a quote of additional charges (other than charges for optional products and services) that Hertz expects will be assessed in connection with the rental but that are not included in the base rental rate that has been quoted. A quote for those charges is only a good faith estimate based on tax rates and other governmentally imposed charges that Hertz, at the time of the quote, expects will apply at the time of the rental. If Hertz’s expectations with respect to tax rates or other governmentally imposed charges are not realized – for example, if tax rates are unexpectedly increased after the quote is given – then you will be liable for the taxes and other governmentally imposed charges that actually apply at the time of rental, even if they are higher than Hertz had expected at the time of reservation.
Estimated Total. When you make a reservation, in addition to being quoted a base rental rate and any estimate of the additional charges that are expected to be assessed in connection with the rental, you may receive a quote of the estimated, or approximate, total charge for the entire rental. Such a total will ordinarily be computed without regard to charges for optional products and services and charges that Hertz cannot, on the basis of the information available to it at the time, determine. Except in the case of prepaid rental transactions (which are discussed below), such a total will only be a good faith estimate based on tax rates and other governmentally imposed charges that Hertz, at the time of the quote, expects will apply at the time of the rental. If Hertz’s expectations with respect to tax rates or other governmentally imposed charges are not realized – for example, if tax rates are unexpectedly increased after the quote is given – then you will be liable for the taxes and other governmentally imposed charges that actually apply at the time of rental, even if they are higher than Hertz had expected at the time of reservation.
Assumptions made in Estimates. When it estimates additional and total charges in connection with a rate quote, Hertz must make assumptions. In particular, if the quoted base rental rate has a per-mile/kilometer component, then Hertz will compute its estimates based on assumptions regarding the distance that you will drive. Those assumptions may not reflect your driving plans, and as a result the actual costs of your rental may differ significantly from Hertz’s estimates.
Exception – Reservations for Distant Dates. When you make a reservation for a rental transaction, you may be advised that the quoted rental rates for the specified pick-up time, date and place are “subject to change”, “only indicative” or words of similar meaning. This typically occurs when the specified pick-up date is a number of months later than the date on which the reservation is being made. Such a reservation is called a “distant-date reservation”. In the case of a distant-date reservation, Hertz or the applicable Hertz licensee reserves the right to change all the charges applicable to the rental, so long as the charges that will actually apply are disclosed to you at or before the time the rental commences. If you are making distant-date reservations, you may re-contact Hertz nearer to the indicated pick-up date in order to obtain a rate quote that is not subject to the qualifications just described. The preceding four paragraphs apply only to reservations that are not distant-date reservations.
Types of Rental Transactions and Reservations; Definition of Reserving and Renting Companies
Hertz classifies rental transactions as “prepaid” and “non-prepaid”. The characteristics of a “prepaid” rental transaction are described in detail below; one of the most important characteristics is that in such a transaction, you will pay some or all of the amount that will be due for the rental “up-front” (that is, shortly after you arrange for the rental). A “non-prepaid” rental transaction is any rental transaction that is not a prepaid rental transaction.
Hertz classifies reservations for rental transactions as “guaranteed”, “confirmed” or “standby”. The characteristics of “guaranteed” and “standby” reservations are described in detail below. A “confirmed” reservation is a reservation that Hertz makes without advising you that it is “guaranteed” or “standby”. Hertz sometimes also takes “requests” for reservations; the characteristics of a “request” are also described below.
The term “Reserving Company”, when used below with respect to any prepaid rental transaction or reservation, means (i) in the case of any transaction or reservation effected by a travel agent located in any of the countries or regions indicated below, by a telephone call placed from any of such countries or regions or by a web-based transaction in which the person making the reservation claims to be located in any of such countries or regions, the company indicated in the table below opposite the name of the country or region and (ii) in all other cases, Hertz Global Services Corporation, a Delaware (U.S.A.) corporation.
Country or Region | Reserving Company* |
---|---|
United States of America | The Hertz Corporation (Delaware, U.S.A.) |
Canada | Hertz Canada Limited |
Brazil | Car Rental Systems Do Brasil Locacao De Veiculos Ltda. |
European Economic Area | Hertz Europe Service Centre Limited and Switzerland (Ireland) |
Australia | Hertz Australia Pty. Limited |
New Zealand | Hertz New Zealand Limited |
* Organized under the laws of the indicated country unless otherwise specified
The term “Renting Company”, when used below with respect to any prepaid rental transaction or reservation, means the company (typically a Hertz company or a Hertz licensee) operating the rental location at which the vehicle has been reserved to be picked up.
Prepaid Rental Transactions
When you enter into a prepaid rental transaction, you simultaneously (i) make a confirmed reservation with Hertz to rent a vehicle of a specified vehicle class from Hertz or a Hertz licensee at a specified pick-up time, date and location, with the vehicle to be returned at a specified return time, date and location, and (ii) pay, typically by a debit, credit or charge card debit processed soon after the reservation is made, the total rental charge quoted at the time of reservation.
A prepaid rental transaction creates a two-party legal agreement between you and the applicable Reserving Company with the following terms:
- If you arrive at the specified pick-up date and location, satisfy the then-applicable rental qualifications and requirements of the Renting Company and are willing to sign the document or documents constituting the rental agreement in the form presented by Renting Company, then the Reserving Company undertakes that the Renting Company will, within one hour of the later to occur of the specified pick-up time and your arrival at the rental counter, rent a vehicle of the specified class to you on the terms set forth in the rental agreement. The rental agreement will establish the legal obligations of you and the Renting Company with respect to the rental of the vehicle, and the legal obligations of the Reserving Company with respect to the rental of the vehicle will be solely those set forth in this paragraph and paragraphs B through L below.
- If you rent a vehicle of the specified vehicle class from the Renting Company, abide by the terms of the rental agreement (including the obligation to return the vehicle at the specified return location at or before the specified return date and time, in the condition required by the rental agreement), purchase no optional products or services other than those expressly to be provided under the terms of the prepaid rental transaction and incur no additional charges (including charges for driving more than any mileage/kilometer limit that was disclosed at the time you agreed to enter into the transaction), then the Reserving Company undertakes that it will cause the Renting Company to accept the amount you previously paid to the Reserving Company as payment in full for the rental, even if the taxes and other governmentally imposed charges applicable to the rental are different from those expected at the time of reservation.
- If you purchase any optional products or services that are not expressly to be provided under the terms of the prepaid rental transaction or incur any other additional charges (such as additional time charges if the vehicle is not returned on time, additional mileage/kilometer charges if the vehicle is driven more than a mileage/kilometer limit disclosed at the time you agreed to enter into the transaction, a service charge for failing to return the vehicle to the agreed return location or with the agreed amount of fuel in the tank, charges for loss or damage to the vehicle and charges for fines assessed against the vehicle’s owner resulting from the use of the car by you or another person with your permission), then you will be solely responsible to the Renting Company for the charges for such optional products or services and for such other additional charges.
- If you do not abide by the terms of the rental agreement or if your rented vehicle is lost, stolen or damaged, then the Renting Company will compute the total amount due to it under the terms of the rental agreement and the Reserving Company undertakes that it will cause the Renting Company, to the extent permitted by law, to apply the amount you previously paid to the Reserving Company toward the total amount due, with you being solely responsible to the Renting Company for the balance.
- If you do not arrive at the specified pick-up location for the prepaid rental transaction at the scheduled pick-up time, then the reservation for the transaction will be held only until 11:59 p.m. (local time) on the specified pick-up date, unless the pick-up location closes before 11:59 p.m., in which case the reservation will be held until the closing time of the location.
- You may receive a complete refund from the Reserving Company of the amount you previously paid to the Reserving Company in connection with a prepaid rental transaction, without any deduction for liquidated damages, if you notify Hertz, either through a Hertz website, by a call to one of Hertz’s Reservations Center numbers or by a letter to one of the addresses appearing below, that you wish to cancel the transaction and Hertz actually receives that notice at any time during the following period (the “Free Cancellation Period”): (i) if the specified pick-up location for the transaction is in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, the period commencing at the time the reservation is made and ending at the end (local time) of the calendar day following the day in which the reservation is made (or the specified pick-up date for the rental, if earlier) and (ii) if the specified pick-up location is anywhere else, the period commencing at the time the reservation is made and ending at the specified pick-up time and date.
- With respect to any prepaid rental transaction where the specified pick-up location is in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, the following shall apply: If you notify Hertz, either through a Hertz website, by a call to one of Hertz’s Reservations Center numbers or by a letter to one of the addresses appearing below, that you wish to cancel the transaction and Hertz actually receives that notice at any time after the end of the Free Cancellation Period and before the beginning (local time) of the specified pick-up date, then the Reserving Company will promptly, at your election, either refund the amount you previously paid to the Reserving Company, less liquidated damages in the amount described in the next sentence, or cause the payment, less liquidated damages in the amount described in the next sentence, to be applied toward another rental transaction involving you and Hertz or a Hertz licensee. The amount that will be payable in accordance with the preceding sentence as liquidated damages will be the amount that you were told, at the time you made the reservation, would be retained as a “Cancellation Charge” (or words of comparable meaning) if you cancelled the reservation after the end of the Free Cancellation Period. This amount, when payable, is intended to be an estimate of the amount needed to compensate the Reserving Company and the Renting Company for the administrative costs they incurred in connection with the making of the reservation (including, without limitation, charges paid to charge, credit and debit card issuers and processors).
- If you do not arrive at the specified pick-up location for the prepaid rental transaction by 11:59 p.m. (local time) on the pick-up date indicated in the reservation, or by the closing time of the location on that date, if earlier, then the reservation for the transaction will expire, and promptly upon your request, the Reserving Company will, at your election, either refund the amount you previously paid to the Reserving Company, less liquidated damages in the amount described in the next sentence, or apply the payment, less liquidated damages in the amount described in the next sentence, toward another rental transaction involving you and Hertz or a Hertz licensee. The amount that will be payable in accordance with the preceding sentence as liquidated damages will be the amount that you were told, at the time you made the reservation, would be retained by the Reserving Company as a “No-Show Fee” (or words of comparable meaning) if you did not enter into the rental transaction specified in the reservation. This amount, when payable, is intended to be an estimate of the amount needed to compensate the Reserving Company and the Renting Company for the administrative costs they incurred in connection with the making of the reservation (including, without limitation, charges paid to charge, credit and debit card issuers and processors) and for the Renting Company’s inability to rent the vehicle while it was reserved for your use.
- As described below under “Conditions outside the Control of Hertz (Force Majeur)”, if, as the result of events or conditions outside the control of the Reserving Company or the Renting Company, it is impracticable for the Reserving Company or the Renting Company to perform its obligations under paragraph A above, then either the Reserving Company or the Renting Company may cancel the prepaid rental transaction, in which case the Reserving Company will refund to you, without any deduction, the prepaid rental charge that it collected. Also, as described below under “General Conditions outside the Control of the Customer”, if, as the result of general events or conditions outside your control, it is impracticable for you to perform your obligations under paragraph A above, then you will be excused from such obligations and the Reserving Company will, upon receipt of notification from you of the existence of such general conditions or events, refund to you, without deduction, the prepaid rental charge that it collected from you.
- Neither the Reserving Company nor the Renting Company is responsible for consequential damages should either the Reserving Company or the Renting Company fail to meet its obligations in connection with a prepaid rental transaction. Similarly, you are not responsible for consequential damages should you fail to meet your obligations in connection with the transaction.
- The Renting Company will be a third party beneficiary of the prepaid rental transaction. Nonetheless, you are not intended to, and the Reserving Company undertakes that you will not, have any obligation to the Renting Company to pay damages (liquidated or otherwise) to the Renting Company in the circumstances contemplated by paragraphs F, G, H and I above. The Renting Company’s only rights in such circumstances will be those established under separate arrangements between the Renting Company and the Reserving Company, the terms of which are not your responsibility.
- The legal rights and obligations created by a prepaid rental transaction will be governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the pick-up location is situated, unless applicable law mandates that a different body of law govern (in which case the mandated body of law will govern).
It is important to note that the obligations just described arise only when a prepaid rental transaction is entered into directly with Hertz. If you enter into an arrangement with a third party, such as a tour operator or the operator of a website offering prepaid vehicle rentals, then you will have whatever legal rights and obligations against that third party the arrangement creates, but you will not have any rights against Hertz or any Hertz licensee, and Hertz and its licensees will not have any obligations to you, unless and until you actually signa document or documents constituting a rental agreement in the form presented by Hertz or the Hertz licensee.
This means that if, after you have entered into a prepaid rental arrangement with a third party, you do not actually enter into a rental agreement with a Renting Company for any reason – including failure of the third party to make an advance payment to the Renting Company that it would require in connection with the rental, the lack of availability of vehicles of the specified class, your failure to arrive at the rental location at the specified pick-up time and date, your inability to satisfy then-applicable rental qualifications and requirements or your unwillingness to sign the document or documents constituting the rental agreement in the form presented – then your sole legal recourse will be against the third party and not against the Renting Company (or any Hertz company). Put simply, people making prepaid arrangements for car rental through third parties do so entirely at their own risk and without any promises from Hertz or its licensees.
Guaranteed Reservations
Hertz sometimes accepts “guaranteed reservations” for non-prepaid rental transactions. Guaranteed reservations generally involve vehicles Hertz classifies as “Special Equipment” (such as premium and luxury cars, sports utility vehicles and mini-vans). A guaranteed reservation is not the same as a prepaid rental, because you are not required to prepay all or a substantial portion of the overall cost of the rental when you make a guaranteed reservation.
When you make a guaranteed reservation, you will be told of a fee (a “No-show Fee”) for which you will, under certain circumstances, be liable and will be required to provide Hertz with details of the debit, credit or charge card to be charged if the No-show Fee is incurred.
A guaranteed reservation creates a two-party legal agreement on the part of you and the applicable Reserving Company (as defined below) with the following terms:
- The Reserving Company undertakes that it will cause the Renting Company (as defined below) to enter into the rental transaction specified in the reservation on the specified pick-up date, within one hour of the later to occur of the specified pick-up time and your arrival at the rental counter, so long as at that time, you (i) meet the Renting Company’s then-applicable rental qualifications and requirements and (ii) are willing to sign the document or documents creating the rental agreement in the form presented by the Renting Company.
- If you fail to enter into the rental transaction by 11:59 p.m. (local time) on the pick-up date specified in the reservation (or, if the specified pick-up location closes before 11:59 p.m., the location’s closing time), then you will be obligated to pay to the Renting Company the No-show Fee, and in such event the Renting Company is authorized to charge the No-show Fee to the debit, credit or charge card account you specified when you made the reservation. The Reserving Company will not have any right to any payment in connection with your failure to enter into the rental transaction.
- The Reserving Company undertakes that it will cause the Renting Company not to charge you a No-show Fee if you notify Hertz, through a Hertz website, by a call to one of Hertz’s Reservations Center numbers or by a letter to one of the addresses appearing below, that you wish to cancel the reservation and Hertz receives the notice (i) if the specified pick-up location for the transaction is in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, at any time before the end of the calendar day following the day the reservation is made (or the specified pick-up date for the rental, if earlier) and (ii) if the specified pick-up location for the transaction is anywhere else, at least 24 hours before the specified pick-up time and date.
- As described below under “Conditions outside the Control of Hertz (Force Majeur)”, if, as the result of events or conditions outside the control of the Reserving Company or the Renting Company, it is impracticable for the Reserving Company or the Renting Company to perform its obligations under paragraph 1 above, then the reservation will expire and you will not be charged a No-show Fee. Also, as described below under “General Conditions outside the Control of the Customer”, if, as the result of general events or conditions outside your control, it is impracticable for you to perform your obligations under paragraph 1 above, the reservation will expire and you will not be charged a No-Show Fee (or if the No-Show Fee has been charged before you give notice to Hertz of the existence of such general events or conditions, the Reserving Company undertakes that it will cause the No-Show Fee to be promptly refunded to you by the Renting Company).
- Neither the Reserving Company nor the Renting Company is responsible for consequential damages should the Reserving Company or the Renting Company fail to meet its obligations under the guaranteed reservation. Similarly, you are not responsible for consequential damages should you fail to meet your obligations under the guaranteed reservation.
- The Renting Company will be a third party beneficiary of the guaranteed reservation.
- The legal rights and obligations created by the guaranteed reservation will be governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where the pick-up location is situated, unless applicable law mandates that a different body of law apply (in which case, the mandated body of law will apply).
Standby Reservations
Hertz sometimes takes “standby reservations” for non-prepaid rental transactions. Standby reservations generally involve vehicles of a class that Hertz classifies as “Special Equipment”. A standby reservation is subordinate to all confirmed reservations for the same date and location. This means that if you have a standby reservation for a vehicle of a particular vehicle class, you will not be given the opportunity to rent a vehicle at the indicated pick-up time, date and location unless on that date and at that location, the Renting Company expects that it will have sufficient vehicles available to permit it to enter into all rental transactions for vehicles of all vehicle classes that are the subject of confirmed reservations.
Confirmed and Standby Reservations not Legally Binding
Hertz does not charge for confirmed and standby reservations for non-prepaid rental transactions, and those types of reservations do not commit you to make the associated rental. Because of that, confirmed and standby reservations for non-prepaid rental transactions are not intended to give you any contractual or other legal right to compel Hertz or any Hertz licensee to enter into a rental transaction, nor is your making of such a reservation intended to give Hertz or any Hertz licensee the legal right either to compel you to enter into a rental transaction or to assess you with any type of penalty or charge in the event that such a transaction does not occur.
Important Exceptions:
- The law in some places imposes a penalty on a rental company for its failure, in certain circumstances, to offer to rent a vehicle in accordance with a confirmed reservation. Where that is the case, Hertz or the relevant Hertz licensee will do as the law requires.
- Reservations not made in good faith, including but not limited to multiple reservations for a single rental transaction, reservations made for a rental to a person known not to meet the relevant rental qualifications and requirements, reservations made without the intention of actually entering into the associated rental transactions, reservations involving fraud or deceptive conduct and reservations effected through unauthorized use of Hertz’s systems and facilities, are prohibited, and people making them will be liable to Hertz and its licensees for any consequent loss and expense, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Practical Consequences of Making a Confirmed or Standby Reservation
Although they are generally not legally obligated to do so, Renting Companies endeavor to fulfill confirmed and standby reservations for non-prepaid rentals of vehicles, subject to (i) vehicle availability, (ii) satisfaction by renters of the relevant Renting Company’s then-applicable rental qualifications and requirements, (iii) willingness of renters to sign the document or documents comprising the rental agreement in the form presented by the Renting Company and (iv) in the case of standby reservations, the Renting Company’s ability to meet all confirmed reservations (as discussed above under “Standby Reservations”). Although once again they are generally not legally obligated to do so, Renting Companies endeavor to fulfill both confirmed and standby reservations for non-prepaid rentals of vehicles before offering the same vehicles for rental for the same periods to individuals who have not made reservations (sometimes called “walk-ups”).
Expiration of Reservations
If you make a reservation for a non-prepaid rental specifying a pick-up location in the United States of America or anywhere else in the world outside Europe, the Middle East and Africa and you fail to arrive at the pick-up location by 11:59 p.m. (local time) on the specified pick-up date (or, if the location closes before 11:59 p.m., by the location’s closing time), the reservation will expire. If you make a reservation for a non-prepaid rental specifying a pick-up location in Europe, the Middle East or Africa and fail to arrive at the pick-up location within two hours of the specified pick-up time (or, if the location closes before then, by the location’s closing time), the reservation will expire; however, (i) if you are arriving by airplane and have provided Hertz with flight details (including airline and flight number), the reservation will be held until the flight arrives or the pick-up location closes, whichever occurs first and (ii) if you have made a guaranteed reservation, it will be held until 11:59 p.m. (local time) on the specified pick-up date (or, if the pick-up location closes before 11:59 p.m., the location’s closing time).
Requests
Sometimes when you seek to make a reservation, Hertz will advise that a reservation cannot be confirmed at that time but that a further internal query will be made to determine if it can be. When that occurs, a reservation is said to be “on request”. In such a circumstance, you may be told to contact Hertz at a later date to determine the status of the request, or Hertz may undertake to contact you to advise of the status of the request. Unless and until Hertz subsequently advises you that a confirmed or standby reservation may now be made, all information Hertz provides with respect to the requested reservation, including any associated rate quote, is merely indicative of current conditions and should not create any expectations regarding either the likelihood that a confirmed or standby reservation will eventually be available or the rate or other terms that would apply if such a reservation were eventually determined to be available.
Conditions outside the Control of Hertz (Force Majeur)
If it is impracticable for the Reserving Company or the Renting Company to perform any of its obligations set forth in paragraph A under the heading “Prepaid Rental Transactions” or in paragraph 1 under the heading “Guaranteed Reservations” at the specified pick-up time, date and location as the result of events or conditions beyond the Reserving Company’s or the Renting Company’s control, including, without limitation, any governmental act, flood, fire or other natural catastrophe, unusually severe weather (including wind, snow and ice storms), epidemic, Act of God, war, terrorist act, riot, insurrection, civil strife, national emergency, strike or other labor dispute, utility failure, failure or disruption of data processing or transmission or failure or disruption of access or supply, then (i) in the case of a guaranteed reservation, the reservation will expire, a No-show Fee will not be charged and the Reserving Company and the Renting Company will have no further obligations with respect to the reservation and (ii) in the case of a prepaid rental transaction, the transaction will be cancelled, the Reserving Company will promptly refund to you, without any deduction for liquidated damages, the prepaid rental charge that had been collected from you in respect of the transaction and the Reserving Company and the Renting Company will have no further obligations with respect to the transaction.
General Conditions outside the Control of the Customer
If it is impracticable for you to perform any of your obligations set forth in paragraph A under the heading “Prepaid Rental Transactions” or in paragraph 1 under the heading “Guaranteed Reservations” at the specified pick-up time, date and location as the result of general events or conditions beyond your control, including, without limitation, any governmental act, flood, fire or other natural catastrophe, unusually severe weather (including wind, snow and ice storms), epidemic, Act of God, war, terrorist act, riot, insurrection, civil strife, national emergency, strike or other labor dispute, utility failure, failure or disruption of data processing or transmission or failure or disruption of access or supply, then (i) in the case of a guaranteed reservation, the reservation will expire, a No-show Fee either will not be charged or will, if it was charged before you gave notice to Hertz of the existence of such event or condition, be promptly refunded to you by the Renting Company and you will have no further obligations with respect to the reservation and (ii) in the case of a prepaid rental transaction, the transaction will be cancelled, the Reserving Company will promptly refund to you, without any deduction for liquidated damages, the prepaid rental charge that had been collected from you in respect of the transaction and you will have no further obligations with respect to the transaction. You should note, however, that events and conditions that are beyond your control but that are not general in nature, including, without limitation, the condition of your health and the health of those traveling with you, will not excuse your performance of your obligations under a prepaid rental transaction or a guaranteed reservation; you should consider travel insurance or similar arrangements to protect you against unforeseen events and conditions that are specific to you and those traveling with you.
Addresses for Correspondence
The notices to Hertz described above may be given through Hertz websites or by telephone calls to Hertz’s reservations centers. They may also be made by letter addressed to any of the following addresses:
- Reservations Department, The Hertz Corporation, P.O. Box 25301, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, U.S.A.
- Reservations Department, Hertz Europe Service Centre, Swords Business Park, Swords, Co. Dublin,Republic of Ireland
- Reservations Department, Hertz Australia Pty Limited, Level 6, 10 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia; or
- Reservations Department, Hertz New Zealand Ltd., Private Bag 4716, Christchurch, New Zealand 8020
Please note that since notices are not effective until they are actually received by Hertz, time should be allowed for letters that are posted.
Effective Date: August 1, 2005