I hope that Hertz will read my review. We booked a car through Expedia for 6 days. SUV, Automatic with GPS. Price was $156.we knew that we will pay insurance and thought should be around $200. We got there and were told that no car was available and if we need automatic, that is extra, GPS, extra and with insurance and Gas, price was $700. Now, we could have chosen a cheaper insurance option but the agent made it sound that price was not that much different. This is kind ruined our whole vacation.. it is sad because people I. Costa Rica were so wonderful and proud. We felt that we were stuck in scam. I will never ever rent from hertz again. Costa Rica was great except for Hertz..
Was wary about renting a car internationally, but great experience with Hertz! They recommended an upgrade to our vehicle for four wheel drive, which after going on the roads to our destination made sense. Very friendly and helpful staff! Easy and quick process, better than I have had in the states!
Read the other reviews as they are spot on. They will try and get you to sign blank slips, charge you for pre-existing damage when you return the car, won't help you with claims once you are back home. It's a very shady place that I would avoid. I don't post many reviews but I felt obligated as I'd hate to see others go through the same experience.
The service and staff of this location are 5*, fast, friendly, helpful and efficient. I can not fault them. They are among the best I met in renting cars over the past 30 years. The only reason they do not get 5* is Hertz should have sorted its systems out so I know the final price BEFORE I book. Its a scam across the whole of the car rental industry and needs to be sorted. We need an Airbnb/Uber for car rentals! Sorry to the staff for not giving you 5*s, please show this review to Hertz HQ, that they are reason you're missing out from many more 5* reviews. Cars are good condition, we had a small SUV, which I strongly recommend when traveling in CR.
I am very happy with the service I received from Hertz Liberia. We rented a car for the week which was a Kia Sorrento. Hertz delivered the car and picked up the car from our villa. They were very courteous and they even came back to delivered the GPS they forgot to provide me. I was happy with the quality of the car and the service. I would use Hertz again at my next visit to this beautiful country!
This place is a scam. They told us right at the airport that they don’t have cars even though we had reserved one way in advance. Conveniently sent us off to Dollar which will match prices at that point. Don’t even try them. Go directly with other rentals for a cheaper price and better service. They would be shut down any where else. They still had a shuttle standing there to pick up passengers to their lot and a guy standing there with a board full of reservations. Am guessing that they continued to rent to the highest bidders and dropped the lower ones off.
We had done our research beforehand about renting a car in CR. Therefore, we were not caught off guard at the final price which included the full insurance. The road conditions and other drivers in CR will put you, the tourist, at an immediate disadvantage. Therefore, having the full coverage will alleviate all concerns about possible damage and liability. The Hertz Liberia staff were prompt when picking us up at the airport. Their location is only minutes away. We had completed all the necessary paperwork and were on our way in our rental car in under 20 minutes. The car we reserved was exactly the car we got: a 7-person minivan. It had plenty of room for four adults and all our luggage. With 7 people, however, there was little room for anything else. It was a bit gutless on the steeper roads, but the fuel efficiency was great!
Reserved 4wd SUV 3 weeks in advance. Confirmed in two emails from Hertz, one email just two days from scheduled pick up. Once in country, they "have no cars". Would have been useful information prior to landing in Costa Rica, Hertz.
We rented a car for our vacation Dec 2017. Without much experience renting cars, we accepted a Kia that was dinged up, smelled like mildew inside and the horn didn’t work. We learned our lesson with getting cars with prior damage, even though it was recorded in the initial inspection.
Our car randomly broke down one day when the power steering went out. We started looking beneath the car for a possible reason for it breaking down and noticed the wheel well cover was missing above one of the tires. We assumed this was the culprit and something had gotten into the wiring? We were still unsure.. as we had only driven through paved roads with no water or mud. We took excellent care of the car.
We were given a new car.
Upon return to Hertz, we were fined $3,000 for water damage to the old car which damaged the computer. We never went through ANY water. It was dry season in CR and sprinkled once for about 10 minutes, not enough to form a puddle.
They had us fill out a form stating we were not liable for the damage and the driver taking us home said “oh don’t worry about it just file a claim with your credit card and they’ll cover it”
We assumed they’d contact us again before charging us 3 grand but they simply charged our credit card and we never heard from them.
Please, please people do not rent from these crooks. They are trying to get money from our insurance company for pre-existing damage and we were naiive enough to take advantage of. We will never rent from hertz again and have been telling all our friends to stay away. We assumed they were a safe company to go with because the name was familiar. Not so. Stay away!!!
This was the Hertz near Liberia airport.
The Hertz staff at this location are good, but renting a vehicle seems to be one of the least efficient processes in the universe. It takes far longer than is reasonable, on both sides of the transaction.
Be aware that there is mandatory insurance in Costa Rica, and then a hard sell for additional insurance beyond that. The 'full coverage' quote for insurance for 10 days exceeded what I pay annually for insurance on my vehicle at home.
I've called for days, they never answer the phone.
Make sure you thoroughly understand the laws regarding insurance prior to visiting because your price is going to be much higher than the rates you see online. For example, my weeklong rate was over double the quoted price. That is the fault of government laws there, and tourists should certainly avoid rental cars in Costa Rica due to it unless you absolutely need one. On a related insurance note, this location tried to mislead me and charge me for stuff that's unneeded. Had I not been very knowledgeable on the laws there, then I would have been mislead to spend more.
The time spent to initially pickup the vehicle took a long time (approx 30 min), and I was the only customer.
On a positive note, they were friendly, spoke good English, and transported us to/from the airport.
My suggestion for tourists is to find other transport to your destination. For example, I saw vans that advertised rides for about $50 to Tamarindo, which is a much cheaper and quicker process than rental cars.
I just can't understand why a BAD INTENTIONED person take a picture of someone that´s just doing his job. I been renting with them for more than 7 years already; not only one rental at year but minimum 8 times per year.
I don't know what's wrong with people!!! They just don't read!!
The insurance requirements in CR are posted in every travel post and as well on Hertz website.
Need to understand also that this is totally another country, is not the US, there are different rules and/or requirements.
Some people think that they can break the rules just because.
When I travel to Mexico, I have to pay Mandatory coverage too.
I hope that this ´´smart´´ people start reading a little they will find out.
I am also not a ´´Gold Member´´ (which also specify on their website *Gold member not available in this location* but a Diamond Member and my company has an strong agreement with Hertz, we rent more than 2000 cars per year. So I'm not a newbie on this topic.
There is no need to take a picture of a humble guy that is doing his job. The companies set the rules.
In other words. ´´hate the game, not the player´´
What's great about the Hertz LIR airport is that the staff are personable and look out for your best interest. There are no surprise fees and after shopping around I always find them to have the best prices. Excellent customer service and friendly staff. I have used them many times for car rentals and always find the process to be straight forward, professional and honest. Save yourself any headaches and rent with Hertz!
The entire team here at Hertz Liberia is great. They were always very helpful and courteous. We have rented from them and others on the 7 or 8 times we went there in the last few years and they were the best by far. Once you know what is mandatory, the rates here are very reasonable. One time early on, my family went ahead first and had a shuttle service strand them at the airport and Vinicio and Antonio went out of their way to help.
I have been renting cars frequently in Costa Rica for the last decade. Have done business with all the large brands and several local brands. The staff at Hertz is helpful and willing to answer your questions. Even with the insurances ,my rental cost in CR is competative to cost in the US. The CR branch of Hertz does not participate in the "Gold" program. They are always at the airport waiting when my flights come in and they are available to rent from the lobby of the Hilton near the airport. Give these guys a chance, get to know them, they will go out of the way to provide for us even when we don't quite understand the Costa Rica System!
The crew at Hertz Liberia has always been up front and fair with us. We've been there a half dozen times and have never experienced any difficulties. Minimal liability insurance is the law, however, additional coverage has always been explained as optional. I should also mention that we've been provided free upgrades in the past which were as appreciated as they were unexpected.
READ THE OTHER REVIEWS. This location is a scam. They will lie to you about the insurance you need and try to squeeze every dime they can from you. Total shakedown. I am a loyal Hertz Gold 5-star client, but I am seriously reconsidering ever renting from Hertz abroad anymore without researching in advance. The best part is that I was charged an extra $150 to drop off at a different location, even though I had paid the drop off fee in advance. When I showed them the receipt that I had paid the drop off fee already, they said that I had no choice and had to accept the charge. Again, beware, this place is a scam.
Look out for this guy (pictured) especially. "Antonio" will definitely shake you down and straight up lie to your face about charges.