Car rental companies in Davis and/or out?

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I'm coming to Davis Square this march to check up on my property and need to rent a car while I'm in town. I hate (with a passion!) car rental companies -- unexpected fees, long waits and lines, up-selling, etc. -- are there any companies people have used before in Davis Square or Somerville or even from the airport that have been decent?

Recommendations would be welcome!

Update: Thanks all for the recommendations! I went with Enterprise in Central. Zipcar would have been great too.

Comments

[ron_newman]

I was happy with Enterprise in Arlington, but it's been years since I've been a customer.

Can a Zipcar work for you?

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

If I need to rent a car locally I tend to use the Budget counter in the Hotel Meridien in Central Square. I'm a member of a group (American Motorcyclists' Association) that gets a discount there, and it's not as much of a shlep as it is out to the airport. It's basically "arrange the rental through their website, show up, decline all the crap I don't want or need, pick up the keys, go."

[kelkyag]

My two experiences with the Enterprise on Mystic in Somerville were very good -- in particular with no surprise fees, substantial waits, or upselling.

[mjg59.livejournal.com]

The Hertz on Somerville Avenue has always been fine for me, and it's probably the closest in walking distance to Davis. The opening hours aren't hugely convenient, though.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I'd also recommend Zipcar, with two caveats:
1) The (one-time) lead time to get an account
2) The annual fee

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

I can recommend the Central Square Enterprise for its excellent customer service and attention to detail.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

just don't go on the weekends -- slimier salescritters, and more attempts at upsell. and less choice in cars.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

There's a new airport rental service I haven't tried yet -- flightcar.com
It seems worth looking into as a renter at least!

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

we had a terrible experience at this Budget, mostly a massive line, they ran out of cars, we had to wait another 45 min to an hour for more cars to arrive and then still barely actually got a car. Might have been the time of year, but it was really inconvenient.

We typically use the enterprise at New Street (Cambridge, not too far a walk from Alewife T) or Arlington, depending on which is cheaper.

[gmg-1.livejournal.com]

I generally use the Hertz on Mystic, which always gets me in and out with limited hassle or wait. Whether it is close enough to Davis Square is a matter of personal preference.

I would specifically not recommend the Budget in Central, which tries to get you to sign the rental agreement at the counter without seeing the car, which are on the second floor of the garage.

Also, I avoid the Enterprise in Central because of one time where I specifically booked their largest possible SUV, and instead they rented me a normal SUV and tried to upcharge me for the car I had originally reserved.

[kelkyag]

FWIW, both of the times I was there were on Fridays, with reservations made online.

[gingicat]

Ditto, also good experience with the Enterprise in Central Square Cambridge.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

+1. I only used them once, but a very good experience. ($20 weekend special that was, in fact, $20)

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

I know I'm late here, but I just had to echo my very positive experience with both the Enterprise on Mystic and the one in Central. Every rental company will ask whether you want to upgrade, add insurance, a GPS, whatever, but I've never felt pressured at any Enterprise location. Just say no and there ya go. Definitely reserve in advance online, though.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

And as much as I had to rave about the Enterprise locations, the reason why I do is directly related to how poorly we were treated by this particular Hertz:

A few years ago, my wife needed to drive to upstate NY for a test prep course during the winter and didn't want to take our one and only car. The Somerville Ave Hertz offered a deal online that was a few dollars cheaper per day than the next-highest offer (Enterprise), so she booked it for noon on a Saturday. We show up a few minutes early and are informed that this location closes at noon, so it was a good thing we showed up early or they would have been closed. Okay, concerning attitude considering that we reserved a noon pickup via their website, but whatever.

They then bring us to the car they have, which the previous renter had smoked in and they hadn't had a chance to clean it. And by smoked in it, I mean cigarette butts in the ashtray and on the floormats, hot-boxed chainsmoking, not just a light odor that would dissipate in ten minutes with the windows open. That was all they had on the lot, and didn't really seem to care about it. We asked what our options were, and they said they would move our reservation to the Hertz location near the Park Plaza down by the Public Garden in Boston.

So we drive down there, now approaching 45 minutes after she should have been on the road. I drop her off and return home, figuring all was good. She calls nearly in tears because even though the Hertz location we reserved at said they were transferring the reservation with the same terms (price, size, etc), the new location didn't know about or honor the reservation at all. They were requiring her to get a new one with them at a price 3-4 times the original, and wouldn't budge. So the slackers at the Somerville Hertz basically lied to us so they could go home and left us holding an expensive bag.

I went back into town, picked her up, and after some frantic calling around the Enterprise in Central booked us at a discounted rate even though we hadn't done the usually required advance reservation and even stayed open a few minutes late as we raced over. All for a cost that was the same as the original Hertz reservation that was such a "deal".

We could have saved 3 hours of high-stress running around town if we had just gone with Enterprise to begin. The experience was so bad that even with my frequent business travel (15-20 business trips a year) I never rent from Hertz, but even if I did I would never go to the one on Somerville Ave.

And now you know... the rest of the story.