CHEEKTOWAGA (WKBW) — Many of us expect delays when we travel, but those renting cars from Hertz at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport say the wait is out of control.
- We heard from one traveler on Monday, she said she waited several hours at the Buffalo Airport for her rental car.
- Hertz responded, saying they would provide the customer credit and that they experienced short-term delays on August 9.
- Others say it's not a one-off issue and that this has been going on for months.
She left the airport to get something to eat as she waited for her car. After three hours, she went back to the crowded rental area with dozens of people dealing with the same issue. You can watch the full story below.
“I’ve never seen it this bad," said Nicole Enderle, a frequent traveler. "It is always a pain.”
She comes back and forth to Buffalo often for work and while she's here, she rents a car. She started with Avis, had some issues, then moved to Hertz.
"And they were better, but then as summer came along Hertz started getting bad too with long lines, not enough employees," said Enderle.
She waited in line for hours on Sunday, August 11, but says she couldn't get a car, as employees told her she didn't make her reservation soon enough.
"And one of the other tips you put in your last report was to rent from an off-airport site, but there are none open on Sunday," said Enderle.
We've received several emails from other people saying they've had similar issues.
"I just read your story about the 7-hour wait at the BUF airport and their reply that this was an anomaly," wrote one viewer. "That's BS. This has happened to me at least three times this year."
So what's the issue? A Hertz Spokesperson sent a statement saying the summer season is always busy, but that along with weather events like Hurricane Debby lead to long waits.
Citing these three factors:
- Increased demand for new bookings
- Reservation modifications
- One-way rentals
"Customer satisfaction is our top priority at Hertz and we are working diligently to support our customers and get them on the road as quickly as possible.
While the summer travel season is always a busy one for Hertz, inclement weather like Hurricane Debby, widespread flight cancellations due to the global technology outage and general surges in travel during peak summer months caused significant flight delays and cancellations, which have directly impacted rental car operations, including Hertz. These factors have led to increased demand for new bookings, reservation modifications and one-way rentals, resulting in longer than anticipated wait times at our Buffalo Niagara Airport location in recent weeks.
We successfully rented nearly 100,000 vehicles last year from our Buffalo rental locations, including over 70,000 at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
From our frontline operations teams in Buffalo to our customer care agents around the nation, Hertz employees are working hard to keep our customers moving, particularly those whose travel plans have been disrupted. We encourage customers who have had a less than stellar experience to contact Hertz Customer Care so we can make it right."
