Comments on: Car rental companies hate New Yorkers — unless they live in Manhattan or Staten Island, apparently

By: anonymous

anonymous — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:03:42 +0000

Hertz still has the surcharges as of July 2009. I just reserved a one-way rental in Pennsylvania — nowhere near New York City — and I was told my rate would be about $30-40/day higher because my home zip code is in Brooklyn.

They don’t bother to tell you this until after you make the reservation, and even then it’s buried in the fine print.

It looks like their competitors will be getting my business.

By: Dollar Rent-a-Car’s $2 insult | Upgrade: Travel Better

Dollar Rent-a-Car’s $2 insult | Upgrade: Travel Better — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:41:32 +0000

[...] high surcharges – Car rental companies find new and innovative ways to screw good drivers – Car rental companies hate New Yorkers — unless they live in Manhattan or Staten Island – Wanted: Kinder, gentler gouging? – Reader mail: What happened to car rental late-return grace [...]

By: Update: Hertz and Dollar explain their hatred of New Yorkers | Upgrade: Travel Better

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:38:15 +0000

[...] the revelation earlier this week that Hertz and Dollar have surcharges for residents of these three boroughs of New York City (but [...]

By: S. Pil

S. Pil — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:35:16 +0000

I think so – I always use Avis, Alamo, or National, and they have no borough surcharges. Dollar’s have gone up, by the way, it’s now as follows:

For Brooklyn residents the rates will be $77 higher per day.

For Bronx residents the rates will be $65 higher per day.

For Queens residents the rates will be $7 higher per day.

Un-f-ing real.

By: Mr Moose

Mr Moose — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:34:56 +0000

Ugh. This better not catch on with the other car companies in NYC. I am a Queens resident, and even though my surcharge is lower, it’s still a burden. Never mind that NYC rental rates are often double the national average….

It’s still just Hertz and Dollar, right?

By: Norman

Norman — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:07:28 +0000

Seriously, it seems like it ought to be illegal.

Does anyone know the rationale behind such a policy? Maybe the wear and tear on their cars tends to be greater for New Yorkers statistically. But even the differences between prices for different boroughs is pretty outrageous. And I almost rented a car from Hertz without knowing about this policy — the “New York Tax” is not reflected in the price quoted on their Web site.

By: Daphne Guntrez

Daphne Guntrez — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:01:23 +0000

As of January 18, 2007, Dollar is still charging $55/day surcharge to Brooklyn residents. I think they have such a tiny share of NYC business that they’re already past what they can handle–why else turn down rentals from Brooklyn? Crazy, and probably illegal.