Consumer Alert: Car rental companies are running out of vehicles

But you have rights. Here's what to do when they try to charge you extra.

When Karla Cox arrived at the Hertz car rental counter in Philadelphia recently, she expected to pick up a Chrysler Pacifica. Instead, a representative told her they were out of cars.

Hertz sent her to a different location, where it finally found her a smaller vehicle — a Chevrolet Malibu — for $841, which was almost twice the price she'd been quoted. That’s been happening a lot this summer as record demand depletes car rental fleets on busy travel days.

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