"But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation," Seinfeld says. "You k

FILE - This May 9, 2011 file photo shows customers waiting in line at a Hertz rental car counter rental car in london at San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif. Car rental agencies sometimes don't have enough cars to meet the demand. If there are no cars left at its airport rental facility, Hertz will let customers rent from a competitor and pay the difference, or pay for a cab to and from your hotel.
"But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation," rental car in london Seinfeld says. "You know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation. And that's really rental car in london the most important part of the reservation: the holding."
Airfare is typically non-refundable once you purchase a ticket. Hotel rooms can be canceled up to a certain point — usually 4 p.m. the night of arrival. But there's typically no penalty for reserving a car and never picking it up.
"During the course of a year, this phenomenon is a rare occasion and occurs less than 1 percent of the time," Paula Rivera , a spokeswoman for Hertz Global Holdings , Inc., parent company of Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty, said via email.
In situations like mine where there are no cars left at the airport, rental car in london Hertz will let customers rent from a competitor and pay the difference, or pay for a cab to and from your hotel, asking you to return the next morning when more cars might be available.
Alice Pereira , a spokeswoman rental car in london for Avis Budget Group , Inc., outlined a nearly identical policy at her company. A representative for Enterprise Holdings, the parent of Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental, did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
I had an early meeting for work the next day and needed a car. Luckily, rental car in london the airport in Grand Rapids, Mich. — 58 miles (93 kilometers) away — did have some cars available. An hour and $150 cab ride later, I was finally in a car.
The company also lets customers in some locations reserve specific model cars, which helps make sure that you get the right size vehicle. Rates for those cars, however, are typically higher than a generic "intermediate" or "compact" rental.