Bad experience with Thrifty Car Rental
Complaint
Virginia Rader
Country: United States
After ten or fifteen minutes of waiting at the Portland Airport desk, the announcement was made that if you reserved on-line, proceed on the shuttle to the off-site rental facility.
Upon arrival, my husband specifically stated that he wanted to decline ALL extra insurance coverages. (we are covered under our private policy) The desk agent said ok, and asked if he wanted an upgrade for a dollar more. My husband accepted the upgrade, and initialized the contract after scanning it and seeing a charge of 19.99 for three days and three declines on the column.
We are not in the rental industry and do not know what the abbreviations stand for. We supposedly upgraded to a mid-size car, but in the parking lot, we were surprised to see a Ford Focus.
We were told by the attendant there really weren't any mid-size cars. We turned our car in and proceeded to the airport. While waiting for the plane my husband noticed a charge of over 59 dollars and one for a little over 50. Our total was more than 130 dollars.
When I tried calling Thrifty's customer service, and tried to get an explanation, "Linda" wouldn't let me say that we had asked for no additional insurance coverage. I put my husband on the phone when she told me that if he would accept 50% of the blame, then she would remove 50% of the charge.
He asked if the insurance had been mandatory for Oregon and she said no. She would not let him discuss the fact that he did not know what the abbreviations stood for. We did not accept 50% of the blame, and we are stuck with a charge.
Upon arrival, my husband specifically stated that he wanted to decline ALL extra insurance coverages. (we are covered under our private policy) The desk agent said ok, and asked if he wanted an upgrade for a dollar more. My husband accepted the upgrade, and initialized the contract after scanning it and seeing a charge of 19.99 for three days and three declines on the column.
We are not in the rental industry and do not know what the abbreviations stand for. We supposedly upgraded to a mid-size car, but in the parking lot, we were surprised to see a Ford Focus.
We were told by the attendant there really weren't any mid-size cars. We turned our car in and proceeded to the airport. While waiting for the plane my husband noticed a charge of over 59 dollars and one for a little over 50. Our total was more than 130 dollars.
When I tried calling Thrifty's customer service, and tried to get an explanation, "Linda" wouldn't let me say that we had asked for no additional insurance coverage. I put my husband on the phone when she told me that if he would accept 50% of the blame, then she would remove 50% of the charge.
He asked if the insurance had been mandatory for Oregon and she said no. She would not let him discuss the fact that he did not know what the abbreviations stood for. We did not accept 50% of the blame, and we are stuck with a charge.
Comments
This crappy rental company cares about NOTHING but earning $$$$$$$$$$$ from us.
We were badly overcharged by their dishonest employee in LA. Badly meaning 300+%
Go for anyone else but this car rental company. They'll rip you off. Even being their member (Blue Chip) means nothing... the same employee who overcharged us disregarded it and didn't credited our rental.
Thrifty is a bad, bad cheat... worth staying away from FOREVER!
Lady said it would take 24 hours and I advised it may be rented by that time and see said OK, I'll check on it now and call you back. They never called back and I never rented a car from them again.
I'm not mad at anybody but third rate service deserves no return business. I rent a car over a 150 days a year. We are all fortunate there are lots of rental agencies.
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In addition, the car had no air conditioning and when I started phoning the agency on the 0700 number supplied on the rental agreement, I was constantly put on hold and transferred to other agents and found out later, why. The 0700 is not toll free number, but costs appr €1.- ($1.35) per minute. Should you be in the unfortunate position to have to call the agency for help, use their German direct dial number 0203-348-5422. It will still be a long-distance call, but infinitely cheaper than the 0700 number. I spent an additional $50 in calling the agency for help, which I never got. I drove around in an oven for 3 weeks with temperatures of over 30C (85F). It later turned out that the connecting hoses for the A/C were missing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVy4u0JOUt4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjaZDOPXM54
CRAPY SERVICE!!!!!!
I went on a business trip and reserved the car about a month in advance. I asked for a large car because I had a Four other guys travelling with me. I get there and they tell me that all they have is a Crown Victoria. I tell them to just give me the car I asked for and reserved but they tell me that this is all they have without upgrading. I raise a fuss and they offer me the upgrade at a reduced price. I tell them to F off and give me the car I asked for. No budge and I drive off the lot in my Crown Victoria. Luckily one guy couldn't make it so all of our luggage managed to fit in the trunk. Small trunk by the way, contrary to looks.
Three years later, I book a vacation to Hawaii and I book a compact car through Hawaiian Discount car rentals, I ask for a car they give me a deal at Thrifty. I arrive in Honolulu airport, guess what? They don't have the car I asked for so what do they offer me instead? A Crown Victoria. Surprise, surprise. I call their bluff because I didn't see one on the lot. They actually have one. There's no way I'm driving this dinosaur around Hawaii worrying whether it's going to break down or clean me out on fuel. Surprise, they tell me I can upgrade for $15 a day (over 8 days). I tell them to just give the car I asked for but they insist that all the ones in the lot are spoken for except the Ford Escape in the garage. I take it and leave but they put a deposit on my credit card for nearly triple the car rental amount and I didn't take all of the insurances or have my wife as a driver. They tell me they can only refund it what I turn it in. I again have to make a fuss and They finally do the right amount but if I had not seen it in the fine print I wouldn't have been limited in my vacation spending. Note. Don't listen to the person behind the counter, only read the computer screen because that's what matters. The counter person will distract you and tall you something totally different.
I learned my lesson so you don't have to. DON'T RENT FROM THRIFTY! They are scammers and scabs.
I'm sure you will love their service and would like to visit them again. Thank you.