They absolutely can in many/most cases. But the process will be quite a bit more involved if their lot is on airport property, where getting approvals for such improvements isn't just a matter of Hertz corporate having their ducks in order.
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Hertz Employees Using All Superchargers
- Thread starter icculus
- Start date
I rent a car in Dublin every year and Hertz cars get returned to the same off-terminal lot with all the others, similar to many airports. It would be myopic to think Hertz will be the only rental co. with EVs. A DCFC station at these lots combined with L2 in the parking garage to serve all rentals, not an insurmountable problem.
I just experienced this issue. There were 3 people waiting for Tesla stalls to come available as all of the stalls were filled. All of a sudden a Hertz employee pulled up in a Red Tesla, unplugs and moves a Blue Tesla all to charge the Red Tesla leaving the same 3 Tesla’s waiting on stalls to charge.
I was one of the 3 that was waiting as I observed this happening I was very furious.
This is a huge issue because once I did get a spot that was not occupied by Hertz, I noticed this happen about three more times as I was charging. This is very inconsiderate.
I was one of the 3 that was waiting as I observed this happening I was very furious.
This is a huge issue because once I did get a spot that was not occupied by Hertz, I noticed this happen about three more times as I was charging. This is very inconsiderate.
RayK
Active Member
The first person waiting in line should have moved into the vacated spot as soon as the Hertz employee moved the Blue Tesla. If there indeed was only ONE Hertz person there, he/she can't have moved two vehicles simultaneously, while also protecting the empty spot.
beatle
Active Member
There were multiple employees that ended up coming there to swap cars. The area to get to the chargers in the location is very tight because of some fencing and containers near by. When I tried to get to the spot, the Hertz employee stopped in the middle of the area and I was not able to get around her. She got out of that car and backed the other one in.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
I actually made a Twitter post and they responded. They said they will get word to the proper personnel so we'll see if anything changes.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
Solution: Install fight cages at high use superchargers.
Winner gets their session free of charge, loser pays the idle fees for the day at the site.
Winner gets their session free of charge, loser pays the idle fees for the day at the site.
EfficientWatts
Member
It almost feels like you're trying to blame the victim for an issue caused by poor business practices, then criticize them when they do take some sort of action, whereupon you cut them down. Even if the person confronted them in person, I would say that in of itself may not fix the issue as the person can't stay there forever to watch them; they could resume selfish usage of the supercharger right after the person left. Or honestly, it's going to take multiple complaints from different people from multiple sources to change things.
Not everyone is going to want to get into the faces of others to tell them to cut it out, especially when there's multiple of them there. Everyone is different, and not everyone is going to want to do a direct face to face confrontation, however as much as it makes one feel good to confront IRL. Of course maybe it could have been a teaching moment (and they just simply don't know), but it feels like you're assigning an unproportionate of blame on the poster.
EfficientWatts
Member
LOL, do you actually think any of them care?
They work for a company that regularly has its customers wrongly arrested.
So you criticize the poster for not saying anything IRL, but then also say they won't listen this path either? If you're so skeptical then why do you think that confronting them in person would do any better? Change like this is going to have to come from a higher level, because if you try to tell the people charging to cut it out, they'll probably say something like "I gotta do this otherwise I get fired." And as negative of a view of higher level management as you have, that's the only way you're going to change the biz practice of charging, Companies will listen eventually especially if multiple complaints come in.
EfficientWatts
Member
So are you saying if the poster went up the Hertz employees, told them to stop doing what they're doing because they're clogging up the chargers, that the problem will be fixed long term? While one could really say never say never, I really highly doubt that would be the case in this situation.
There's a big difference between telling someone that one shouldn't harass / be sexist / etc if they feel sufficiently comfortable to, versus telling employees how they should do their business especially when one isn't in a position of power over them (or the person you're talking to is in such a position).
And again, you seem to say that the only way to fix this situation is in person confrontation and to dismiss any other course of action. I'm sorry but that will not work in this situation given the circumstances described. Maybe behind a chair typing out what you think is an ideal theory makes sense, but try doing it IRL, especially if the person seeing the issue may not feel comfortable doing so.
Well, if everyone who comes along wanting a charge gets in the faces of these people, it would probably change things. The good news is that I don't think a random Hertz employee is likely to get violent when confronted; they're likely paid by the hour anyway. But I understand that not everyone likes to get in other people's faces. However, if you find yourself in this situation, you either get in the employee's face or you have to wait for the Hertz car to finish charging. Those are really your immediate choices. You can complain to Hertz management, but that's not going to solve the immediate problem.
RTPEV
Active Member
I can certainly sympathize with the OP here. Confrontations can be intimidating, particularly if there were 2 or more Hertz employees involved. Just because YOU might feel comfortable confronting someone in this situation doesn't mean that everyone is, and you certainly should not blame someone for not confronting others, particularly in this day and age when people have been shot for less.
I'm one of those that tend to avoid confrontations, but there was a time in the summer of 2021 where I actually couldn't stand back...well, I was trying to "passively" confront the individuals, although they confronted me and it did turn somewhat heated (at least on their side). Here's the story:
I had pulled into a 4-stall Electrify America site just as a car that was obviously some kind of prototype was finishing cloaking their vehicle with a car cover after having just plugged in (stall #1). They secured the cover with a lock and then left to have lunch in an adjacent restaurant. One of the 4 stalls (#4) was down (!) but I was lucky enough to get the last one (#3) available as there was someone at #2. I had my own troubles with the stall I was plugged into (getting very slow charge) and waited for #2 to leave. He and I talked about the people in stall #1, that it was a Nissan Aryia and that they specifically told him he was not allowed to take pictures of the car.
Anyway, I move my car to #2 as someone else pulls in and plugs into #3, and a queue starts to form, including a family with a baby in a Mach-E. I need to get close to 90% to make the next leg...the Bolt is obviously charging slow...and we can see on the screen that the Aryia is filling right up to 100%, which is taking forever.
So just as the Aryia is about done the three of them come out of the restaurant, remove the car cover and unplug the car. I respectfully don't make a fuss and start taking pictures based on what the other guy told me, but I do take a look figuring they will be driving off soon. But no. They get their computers out and are sitting in the car doing who knows what, refusing to move out of the stall. For 5 minutes...then 10. Finally I start to get upset because the poor family in the Mach-E has been waiting for probably 15-20 minutes at this point.
So I ask them if they could move their car to the adjacent parking spot to free up the station for the Mach-E, but they refuse, stating they have their "procedures". After a few more minutes I got sick of their rudeness and decided hey, I'm going to start taking pictures of their vehicle, and maybe that will get them to move.
Well no, that's not exactly the reaction I got. Instead, they start yelling at me and telling me I can't take pictures. Keep in mind we are out in a public space, and I told them that I can take a picture of whatever I want. So they get on the phone with their manager and explain that someone is taking pictures of their car. I ask if I could talk to the manager to describe the situation and ask that he tell the crew to move their car as they were blocking the charging station. Of course I had to stick my head practically inside the vehicle to talk to them, so was able to get some nice closeups!
I tried to keep it relatively calm, but these people were really starting to get aggressive and yelling at me, but by now I felt that I had to stand up for the family that was waiting.
The manager did explain that their procedures prohibited them from moving the car until they entered whatever data they needed to enter. I told him that he needed to fix his procedures, or automatically transfer information to their laptop (it seemed like they were manually entering some data into it), or do something so they didn't occupy a valuable stall for 15-20 minutes beyond when they were done charging. I further explained that it was a public space and I can take whatever pictures I feel like taking, and that if they didn't want pictures taken of their vehicle they should keep it on private property.
I ended up leaving before they did, but at least the Mach-E was able to get a stall at that point.
I'm one of those that tend to avoid confrontations, but there was a time in the summer of 2021 where I actually couldn't stand back...well, I was trying to "passively" confront the individuals, although they confronted me and it did turn somewhat heated (at least on their side). Here's the story:
I had pulled into a 4-stall Electrify America site just as a car that was obviously some kind of prototype was finishing cloaking their vehicle with a car cover after having just plugged in (stall #1). They secured the cover with a lock and then left to have lunch in an adjacent restaurant. One of the 4 stalls (#4) was down (!) but I was lucky enough to get the last one (#3) available as there was someone at #2. I had my own troubles with the stall I was plugged into (getting very slow charge) and waited for #2 to leave. He and I talked about the people in stall #1, that it was a Nissan Aryia and that they specifically told him he was not allowed to take pictures of the car.
Anyway, I move my car to #2 as someone else pulls in and plugs into #3, and a queue starts to form, including a family with a baby in a Mach-E. I need to get close to 90% to make the next leg...the Bolt is obviously charging slow...and we can see on the screen that the Aryia is filling right up to 100%, which is taking forever.
So just as the Aryia is about done the three of them come out of the restaurant, remove the car cover and unplug the car. I respectfully don't make a fuss and start taking pictures based on what the other guy told me, but I do take a look figuring they will be driving off soon. But no. They get their computers out and are sitting in the car doing who knows what, refusing to move out of the stall. For 5 minutes...then 10. Finally I start to get upset because the poor family in the Mach-E has been waiting for probably 15-20 minutes at this point.
So I ask them if they could move their car to the adjacent parking spot to free up the station for the Mach-E, but they refuse, stating they have their "procedures". After a few more minutes I got sick of their rudeness and decided hey, I'm going to start taking pictures of their vehicle, and maybe that will get them to move.
Well no, that's not exactly the reaction I got. Instead, they start yelling at me and telling me I can't take pictures. Keep in mind we are out in a public space, and I told them that I can take a picture of whatever I want. So they get on the phone with their manager and explain that someone is taking pictures of their car. I ask if I could talk to the manager to describe the situation and ask that he tell the crew to move their car as they were blocking the charging station. Of course I had to stick my head practically inside the vehicle to talk to them, so was able to get some nice closeups!
I tried to keep it relatively calm, but these people were really starting to get aggressive and yelling at me, but by now I felt that I had to stand up for the family that was waiting.
The manager did explain that their procedures prohibited them from moving the car until they entered whatever data they needed to enter. I told him that he needed to fix his procedures, or automatically transfer information to their laptop (it seemed like they were manually entering some data into it), or do something so they didn't occupy a valuable stall for 15-20 minutes beyond when they were done charging. I further explained that it was a public space and I can take whatever pictures I feel like taking, and that if they didn't want pictures taken of their vehicle they should keep it on private property.
I ended up leaving before they did, but at least the Mach-E was able to get a stall at that point.
EfficientWatts
Member
Thank you for your experience. I think it's one thing to try to expound on "social theory", but reality is different in the real world. Circumstances and situations as well as one own's personal level of comfort is going to dictate the situation. I think this is a good example of where a confrontation could lead to change (with you getting in touch with a manager), but that's not always guaranteed.
That is true, if you need something immediately fixed, you're going to have to be more proactive, especially if they're preventing you from charging. I guess there are two issues at hand, trying to change the immediate situation and trying to fix things long term. Some people here made it sound like at least form a long-term aspect letters to your manager isn't going to change then, when in reality ultimately long-term change will have to come from above; only way I could see it changing otherwise is if the employees provide feedback to their boss about the person(s) confronting them about charging.
But hopefully this becomes a mute point as Hertz and other companies ramp up their own charging infrastructure.
I'd probably have done the exact same thing. I got my Part 107 (Remote Pilot) license last summer just before visiting Kauaʻi. Main reason I got it was that I read about Zuckerberg (who owns quite a bit of land on the island) putting up a lava rock wall, angering the locals, and preventing some of the locals who own parcels of land that are enclaves inside his property from accessing their own land. I knew from looking at satellite imagery that his house was built on a bluff above the beach and not visible from the beach itself. I wanted to get some video footage of his house and post it on the internet (you can find 2 videos I made on Youtube if you want), but due to the elevation, this would require a helicopter or a drone. I followed a dirt road down to the ocean and hiked along the coast for about a mile (beaches are public property in Hawaii). I get all the way down to the area of the beach closest to where his house is and there are 2 men sitting in the water right at a spot where the sand juts out into the ocean, and I set up my drone's landing pad and launch the drone. One of the two men comes up to me with REALLY bad body language (first, his hands with palms open and turned toward his face, and then both hands in fists and on his hips) and tells me that my drone is "annoying" and preventing him from relaxing (the sound of the waves was loud enough that I could barely hear the drone after it got more than about 20-30 feet above my head and he was much farther from it than I was) AND that he didn't want to be in my videos. Then he asked why I could not go and fly elsewhere and was generally acting like he owned the beach.
Had he been a little bit nicer and not had such bad, confrontational body language before even saying a word to me, I'd have probably told him what I my purpose was in being there and I'd also have told him that remote pilots are required to maintain visual contact with their aircraft at all times and therefore the spot where the sand juts out toward the ocean was the best spot to be in order to fly a drone inland because I can see over the top of the bluff better from out there. But nope, I decided that after throwing such a tantrum like a spoiled child and acting like he owns public land, he didn't deserve any explanation, so I simply told him this is a public area, I can take photos and video of whatever I want (including of him if he doesn't move) and only the FAA and the state are allowed to tell me where I can and can't fly a drone. He packed up and left.
So if someone is going to block a charger and rotate in a second vehicle that wasn't even in line before I got there? Hell yes, I'm confronting him/her. But I won't immediately go up to him/her a confrontational attitude like the guy on the beach did to me because I think that tends to create more problems than it solves, and if there is any good explanation for why his/her car is blocking the charger, you are less likely to get it than if you talk to him/her nicely.
Moot point, not mute point. Moot Point vs. Mute Point - Dictionary.com
Hayseed_MS
Spreader of "Endless Non Sequitur"
I am okay with Hertz using the chargers as many times as they need in a day as long as they wait their turn like all the public. It is being a poor corporate citizen if they act as they own one charger and jump line to keep their property (profit) charging at the expense of other rightfully waiting in line. Maybe Hertz thinks it has a backdoor deal with the property owner to do this method?
If Hertz is truly jumping turn in front of other travelers, then I would stop doing business with Hertz and let them know at this office level and the mothership level.
Say something to the employee so they can let their boss know but do not confront them. They are are an hourly employee who is doing what their paycheck (and livelihood) told them to do. These actions are at the management level.
If Hertz is truly jumping turn in front of other travelers, then I would stop doing business with Hertz and let them know at this office level and the mothership level.
Say something to the employee so they can let their boss know but do not confront them. They are are an hourly employee who is doing what their paycheck (and livelihood) told them to do. These actions are at the management level.
