Dollar Rent A Car
reviews and complaints

Arrived at Dollar desk having pre-booked car hire. Stated we didn't want any 'extras' as we wouldn't be using the car much and just wanted what we had prearranged. We were given a form to sign and took charge of a dirty car full of stains and crumbs of food. On our return home we received a charge from Dollar of £365 for extras we had signed for. They have refused to repay this as the form had been signed. We thought the person at the Dollar desk had been capable of understanding our simple refusal so can only assume he chose to dupe us. Will NEVER use Dollar again and intend to video any similar situation where there is a long queue and not much time to read the fine print.

I work in Emergency Management and rely on rental cars for transportation when I am deployed (usually 100% of the time!). Recently (5/30-06/20 2016), I rented a car from Dollar Rent A Car (Albany Airport, Latham, NY). Per government regulations, I'd reserved a compact car. However, when I was in the store to pick up the vehicle I asked the representative (Dave Johnson) who I was working with if he could "upgrade" me to a larger vehicle (since I truly do not feel secure when riding in such small cars) at no charge since upgrades are not a reimbursable expense; initially, he said no. At that point, I told him that I would not move forward with obtaining the rental car from them and go back to Hertz since they (where I usually rent and have been renting from for the past year STRAIGHT) usually upgrade my car at no charge (probably because I am a loyal, consistent customer). Dave then stopped me and said that he could put me in a larger car. After some small talk with Dave (about my job, how he'd lived in my hometown of New Orleans for a few years, etc.), I thanked him and drove off in the upgraded car! Low and behold, fast-forward to yesterday, when I was preparing to submit my expenses and noticed a $217 upgrade charge on my receipt! Although, I was not happy to have to deal with going back to Dollar to "find Dave", I wasn't worried at all about him reversing the charge because I knew he'd remember me and the "situation" because we'd talked in GREAT LENGTH about my job, the car restrictions, New Orleans, etc. Well, as you may have guessed, Dave remembered me and our chat about New Orleans..but didn't remember that I'd CLEARLY stated that I could NOT incur ANY additional charges (and why)! I was STUNNED, to say the least. I guess he had to cover himself by lying. As I told him, if I was willing to pay additional money, there would have been NO need for all of the dialogue that we had about it. He then told me that he didn't have the authority to reverse it because I didn't report it within 24 hours and, at this point, only Management has that authority. After a long hold (he was filling the Mgr in, I'm sure), a Manager (Paul Peluso) spoke with me and told me that there was nothing he could do. I should add that he'd clearly already made his mind up before he'd spoken with me. I could tell by his nonchalant, unapologetic tone. Needless to say, I will NEVER rent from Dollar Rent A Car's Albany Airport location again (this was my FIRST time renting there). And had I read all of the other negative reviews BEFORE I rented from that location, I'm sure I wouldn't have. My advice to anyone who rents from that location, READ the estimated receipt BEFORE you leave. You can expect lots of smiles when you're renting, but terrible customer service if there's an issue after you return the car. Apparently, they often charge extras that are not agreed upon (take a look at other reviews). My next call is to corporate. Hopefully, they'll take the time to review my rental history to see that I have NEVER paid for an upgrade during this entire YEAR that I've been renting from them and refund me my money.

I rented an SUV from Dollar at Vancouver BC airport last winter to drive to Whistler BC and back (125Km each way). The vehicle suffered a flat tire near Whistler. The tow truck driver and local police both said all tires on the vehicle where bald and it had a small temporary spare. Both made the SUV illegal to use in winter as per http://www.drivebc.com (British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure). I was told by the police officer that the vehicle would be impounded if it was stopped at a road side inspection.

After first trying to get me to drive the vehicle back to Vancouver for an exchange, they finally agreed to have a replacement vehicle delivered to me. That took over 10 hours from start to finish. I lost a full day waiting for the replacement vehicle to be delivered in severe blizzard, as well as the cost of the hotel, equipment rental, my time, etc.

There was a fatal accident on the road I used to get to and from Vancouver (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sea-to-sky-closure-1.3370228). In my opinion, I was lucky not to be involved in an accident and injured or killed while driving a vehicle with four bald tires and an illegal to use spare tire in severe cold, ice and snow conditions.

I spent 3 months trying to work this out with their "customer no service". The most I was offered was $21. So I challenged the charge with my credit card company. They agreed and reversed the charge. Hertz then called, said I put over 800 miles on the car when it was closer to 200, and demanded to be paid. I had no choice but to authorize them to charge me again! Who am I against a big corporation?

Lessons learned: In my opinion, you must be very careful when renting a vehicle from either Dollar or Hertz. Make sure you inspect the vehicle very carefully from front to back, including ALL tires, fluid levels, mileage out and back, etc. Know that challenging a charge and being successful will not help you. And I am NEVER going to give any of my (admittedly small) business to either Dollar or Hertz.

I had a car rental agreement at Dollar car rental in Chicago o'hare airport. While at the counter, the lady who was helping me who was totally distracted forgot the insurance part. So I reminded her to add total coverage on the car and she claimed she did. We took the car and left. 2 days later someone rear ended me, after calling their 800 number, I filed a claim and went directly to their office where they exchanged my car right away since they told me I had full coverage. I later called dollar because of a letter I had received from the insurance company about that claim and dollar now is saying I don't have insurance and I should be liable for the car damage and it is my fault for not reviewing the contract properly. Their so claimed customer service said it is not their fault they gave me wrong information twice but it is my fault for not reviewing my contract properly. This company is a scam, they are liars and have the worst customer service ever! Will never go there anymore and I advise people not to unless you plan to be scammed!

My Grandfather, who is 70 yrs old, and I (his granddaughter) worked out a plan for him to rent a car at Atlanta Airport, GA. We live in Dublin, Ireland. This was to be his first 10 day trip to the USA to visit long lost relatives, and he has never hired a car before. According to the reservation he should only have to pay a total cost of $235.76, an upfront payment of $140.29 and the remainder payable at the counter $95.47. He has just checked his bank account and found that Dollar have taken $1, 000 of him. He is in tears.

I have been through the invoices and he has been charged $200 for an upgrade he never asked for, $495 for insurance. He definitely did not need all of them. The only bits of the conversation he can remember with the desk agent was that he would get some form of rebate. Basically he had no idea what was going on and I feel that the desk agent conned him. I have emailed Dollar as yet I have had no reply.

My two day car Rental in FL went from 89.00 to over $250 due to ridiculous fees. They also tried to charge another $49 for gas after we filled the car. Two weeks later, I receive toll charges of $2.40 with Dollar adding on an administrative fee of $60. They tacked on insurance without my knowledge which doubled my rate. I told the Dollar Employee several times I did not want additional insurance . Magically it still managed to be put on and apparently signed for. The Dollar Employee did nothing to explain FL tolls or any other contract items. He went through the process so fast and now I know why. No one, I mean no one in regular Customer Service will help you. Their excuse is: It is all detailed in your contract, sorry. I also waited approx 30 minutes for a Customer Service Person on the phone. This is my first customer complaint and I ask that the State of FL do something about this blatant robbery of your Tourists. Horrible and dishonest describes Dollar Rent A Car.

This is first time I chooses dollar rent a car! Everything was good till I reached to get my car! I mean picking up service from airport and online computer ( or human) was great...but when I went to get my mini SUV...there were no cars...that's fine..when I went to window counter to change me to standard SUV. they said they can't do it today as it was busy as Friday, I said that OK too( as they were busy, but rudely told me that. As I came from customers service department, it was surprise that they didn't care )..they seriously wasted the great service provided by picking up service man and the ladies who told me to use computer plus the Person online...then waited for 45 mins..soon they Parked Jeep! I took that..later while driving find out it was very old one. Windows have to rolled down traditional way. Side mirrors on both side needs to be adjusted physically and locks have to be mannuel. Also later now I found out, that my driver side of door cannot be opened from my key, due to mechanical problem!I have to use front passenger door to unlock the main door!(driver side)...this is the first time and last time I am using dollar rent a car! Cheap though but with lots of issues...should have stick to others! Always used Hertz or enterprise rent a car for work all the time..lessons learnt..thank you dollar rent a car for educating me!Cheap is not Always good!

I booked a online reservation for an SUV with Dollar Rent a Car on March 14, 2016 for a business trip in Birmingham, AL. When I arrived at 9.30pm, I was told that they didn't have any available cars and offered me a small Chevy Spark.
I told the agent that I had a reservation and how come they don't have a car, she was clueless and offered me a chevy spark that they had for the day, with no options had to take as she mentioned that they had been overbooked.
We were 4 colleagues for the trip and had to squeeze into the small car with our luggage and our entire business trip was nightmare with this car.
I would be careful next time to book on Dollar or Thrifty rather will not go near to them any more.
Completely bad taste that we collegues had with the trip.

On 02/07/16 i did online prepay car rental with special ranging from compact to intermediate for the same rate at Santa Barbara airport. It took 1 hour30 min to complete the rental because your system was down . I went to parking lot to pick up the car I was surprised that they gave me an economy car, I went back to the office and told your agent that he didn't gave me what I signed for he couldn't tell the difference between compact car and subcompact he was rude (beside he charged me more than he should ) while I m trying to tell him that he gave me the wrong type of car.i asked to talk to his supervisor, I did but he sided with his employee and he told me if I don't want the car he is going to charge me one day rental .so I did contacted customer service and ask for a supervisor to solve my issue. it took the first agent 32 minutes To respond anyway she told me to wait for a supervisor I waited 30 more minutes and the second agent (over the phone ) told me she doesn't handle complaint and told me to wait for the right department. I waited again another half an hour the third one told me to explain what happen I did and told her to solve my issue by giving me the right car or my money back, when I finished my story she told me to wait for my week rental ends up and after that I could file a complaint and she hang up the phone. total that I spent for trying to get my rights was almost 4 hours of my vacation also I did file a complaint in your website on 02/09/16 when I did submit the complaint the message said that somebody will contact me shortly I waited ...today is 02/10/16 nothing happen yet i did find Corp e -mail I sent 3 emails to dollar.com and to senior customer complaints and to Ceo office I have documented what happened by phone photos and video I m still waiting They f...ck up my vacations sorry I forgot the car wasn't clean I have a video at their parking lot before I drove

Had my confirmed rental for a 10 day car rental, booked 1 month prior for $ 199.00. Arrived at the counter, provided my confirmation paper work with my driver lic and credit card. The NASTY rep did all the computer work and then "swiped" my credit card and told me to call my bank. That took 40 minutes from my cell phone and my bank Chase told me the card had not been swiped or it had and the computer didn't read the magnetic strip. After waiting again the Dollar refused to run the card again. She told me to come back in 24 hours. I had to rent a car from Budget and paid $ 5551.00. I began calling Dollar and could only speak with customer service Overseas. I would have been better off talking to a squirrel! I have sent 2 emails and no response. Stay Away!

I rented a car form dollar. did not plan on taking toll road so did not get sunpass. they claim i went through toll but supplied no supporting documentation. also the route i took was what the agent said to take out of the airport. he knew i did not have sunpass. i believe this is a scam by dollar. i owed 1.05 in tolls .70 at 3:27 pm and .35 at 3:25 pm. Obviously the state has a scam going as well. two fees in less then two minutes? Dollar charged me 15.00 fee per state charge.

I had a serious issue with the rental vehicle from I collected from Dollar at Miami Airport. After collecting the vehicle.I drove towards Orlando on the I-95. After about an hour The road went over a bridge with the usual expansion gaps creating some vibration. There was then a noticeable flapping noise from the front of the.vehicle. When I was eventually able to pull of the Interstate Highway I found the plastic panel covering the driver's side wheel arch and beneath the engine (the 'splash panel') had come loose and was tangled under the front of the vehicle. I was able to pull off the mangled panel but was concerned over driving further - it was 7pm and.dark - so I had to obtain overnight accommodation. I attempted to contact Dollar's emergency service but all I got was a recorded message that the number was not in use. Likewise I had.the same difficulty in trying to contact the Autoeurope helpline. I managed to contact Dollar from the hotel the following morning and was instructed to drive the damaged vehicle to Orlando airport - some 150 miles, for s replacement vehicle. I attempted to register a formal complaint at Orlando airport but the attendant was not interested. I emailed a complaint to Dollar on their.website but had absolutely no response. I made a further complaint on my return to Miami Airport but was told I could only make a complaint online through customer support - so I did so again and still no response. To add insult to injury I have received a demand from Dollar for toll fees of $9.91 plus an 'administration fee' of $105.00 - the toll charges were largely incurred trying to exchange the faulty vehicle and then on returning the vehicle to Miami Airport as the only directions provided by Dollar took you onto toll roads. I am greatly concerned that Dollar provided a vehicle which was unsafe and could have been the case of a fatal accident. I had to arrange overnight accommodation at my own additional expense and then had the added anxiety of having to drive the damaged vehicle a further 150 miles and then spend two hours taking the damaged vehicle to Orlando airport for a replacement vehicle.

We showed the agent where we were staying and he said there were tools and we would need to rent a toll transponder. We never went through a single toll. He said we should bring the car back empty because they only charge $1.80 per gallon and gas was running about $2.50 in the area. We saw gas for $1.75! They must be trading them to do whatever it takes for add on sales. Our pre-paid car cost us an extra $150.00! I'm going back to Enterprise.

Hi Dollar Rent A Car 11/19/15 Louisville airport 2pm. Talked to well meaning agent Joe for an hour to rent a large SUV. After an hour and people getting frustrated behind me I finally achieved my goal of finishing the transaction. I over paid to the amount of $700 for two weeks. They added the pre-paid fuel which I didn't want and $11.99 a day satellite radio charge. NOW keep in mind that I've used Dollar Rent A Car everyday this year. Express Member and so on...I walk it and the SUV is a mid -size equinox chevy. GOOD GRIEF ! Took it home and decided against it and decided I didn't even need one if that's the largest they had...I took it back less than 24 hrs later and explained I didn't want it and to use one of my free day awards for the amount owed for the 22 hrs of usage and 39 miles. They wanted me to pay $211.00. $17.71 which was for a fuel charge. Fill-it up a mile from the airport so no gas was used. $7.99 for the radio and so on to a total of $162. Finally finished out at them Charging me $48.00 ...Crazy..Dollar Rent A Car in Louisville is second to none in effort and service but this was and is headache.

We have rented several cars and have never had the issues we did with Dollar. We rented a car on Nov 1st at Orlando airport. We picked the car and drove away. Once we arrived at our hotel, we started noticing that the car smelled like smoke (Dollar is all non-smoking cars), the car had tape on the outside of the doors, tape residue on the windshield, and was very dirty on the inside. In our haste to leave the airport, we failed to check the car. We just thought it would be good. We decided to just deal with it. We were also told by our rental agent that we would need the $50 add on for Sun Pass tolls. He insisted that we would use the $50 during our week stay. We were not knowledgeable about the tolls in Orlando. We only used $8.00 in tolls the entire week. I advise anyone to not agree to that add-on. Then we tried to call customer service about changing our rental agreement for one day to add my wife as a driver because my flight left 12 hours before hers. We got the run around from customer service and was eventually told that wasn't possible to change the contract. We called customer service multiple times and received different stories each time. We finally drove to the airport and talked to someone there. She took care of the change and was very helpful. I will never rent from Dollar again. Our reservation number was K1863450.

Traveljigsaw Ltd. [GB] Booking Ref #: [protected] Dollar Confirmation #: K0696092 Booked a car with Car Rental and received the referenced confirmation, after paying in full. Said the charges to be paid were now $0.00 The rental was from Sep 15 thru Oct 15, 2015. They charged me a fee of $404.80 as security and said that it'd be refunded, on the return of the vehicle. Happened to return the vehicle a week earlier than scheduled on Oct 08, 2015. The amount of $404.80 has still not been credited to the account. And despite returning the car with a tank full of fuel, they charged me $11.40. This is a clear breach of privilege and very unfair. This stuff should have happened automatically without any intervention. I am still waiting for the refund. And two complaints to the Dollar people have gone unnoticed.

Dollar, Only 4 of the 14 toll charges are EZPass tolls. Even if we were given the opportunity to have the TollPass at the time of rental, how would that change things? You would still be charging a $15 admin fee on top of tolls, right? Otherwise, why would anyone reject the TollPass option. All other rentals I have used just pass through the toll charges without an admin fee. Seems like the right and fair thing to do. Otherwise it is part of the cost to rent a vehicle and that wasn’t disclosed at time of rental. I see there are many complaints online about this practice. You can either waive the $15 admin fee or I will be the wiser next time and stay away from Dollar. Maybe that is why your car rental rates are lower, because you can make up the difference with after-the-fact ancillary charges. That is not truth in advertising. You can’t say your call costs X then charge more after the fact. Very deceptive and quite an interesting practice. I will be forwarding this to the proper authorities. You were asked, but didn't provide, the number for the government agency that regulates these deceptive practices. Please also send a copy of my rental agreement. Thank you John Sanford [protected] On 10/29/15, 1:54 PM, "DollarRentACar" wrote: Dear John Sanford, Thank you for contacting the Dollar Toll and Violation Processing Service Center. We would be happy to assist you in regard to Notice Number [protected]. The tolls reported by the Toll Authority for the rental vehicle you had is from an ORT toll location. ORT toll locations do not accept cash payments. ORT is short for Open Road Tolling. The reporting states Department of Transportation has been trying to lower the amount of backed up, stop and go traffic problems. To achieve this goal they have implemented ORT tolling at certain locations. ORT roads simply have cameras above the freeway that allow drivers the ability to drive Highway Speeds and eliminate slowing down and stopping to pay at a booth or a gate. During your rental pickup, Dollar provides you an opportunity to add their tolling service to your rental. If tolls are incurred on a rental on which the renter has not opted into the service, the accounts are processed by us. The rental agreement advises that each toll carries a $15 admin fee up to a maximum of 7 fees. As your rental contract fully advises of the fees, we are unable to make an adjustment. If you have your receipt of payment for these reported toll charges, please email this for our review. We are committed to providing the highest level of customer service. For additional information, you may contact us by email, phone, or visit our website, www.dollarrentalfine.com. You will need your Rental Agreement number: [protected] and last name: Sanford, to access the information online. Thank you for choosing Dollar. Anna M.| Customer Service Representative Dollar Toll and Violation Processing Service Center Phone: [protected] | Fax: [protected] [protected]@atsol.com | www.dollarrentalfine.com -----Original Message----- From: [protected]@atsol.com [mailto:[protected]@atsol.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 2:07 PM To: DollarRentACar Subject: Question (dispute) from RentalCarTicket.com Rental Car Leasing Company: DOLLAR First Name: john Last Name: sanford Email: john.[protected]@mbsfin.com Phone Number: [protected] Street Address: 1115 Hill Rd Street Address 2: Country: US City: Santa Barbara State/Province: CA Postal Code: 93108 Rental Agreement Number: [protected] Notice Number: [protected] Dispute Reason: Dispute Admin Fee Explanation: Tolls were paid in cash. So are you trying to charge me twice? We didn't even know we had a Plate Pass when we rented the car. I also don't understand why the actual tolls aren't what you are trying to charge me. Which is how it works with other rental cars. It is some kind of scam to charge me more than the toll? I have rented many cars, including from Dollar, and have never had this issue. I don't know what the PlatePass offer was upfront because it wasn't offered to me. I would have taken it to avoid the cash only line in many toll booths. Please provide the government regulatory office number so I can log a complaint.

When renting the car, they failed to tell me that the state toll system had recently changed to an all electronic system where by even if you pay the toll at the toll plaza, Dollar still charges you for the toll and then a $15 service charge for each toll plaza that you pass through, even though you paid in cash. I kept receiving toll notices weekly for one month after the rental. BEWARE, this is a SCAM!

To whom it may concern:
On August 29th, 2015 my car started giving me problems. On August 30th, 2015 I went to Fort Lauderdale Airport to rent a car. I found the cheapest rates which were Dollar and Thrifty, so I decided to go with them. They also accepted debit cards which made it more convenient because I did not own a credit card. Every week up until September 17th, 2015 I have been renting with both Dollar and Thrifty. On September 10th I reserved a vehicle for another weekly rental and was told by the front desk representative that I should rent directly through their website because I would receive better rates. I went on there to reserve a rental which required a $75.00 deposit and the balance was due at the desk. On September 17th, 2015 I went to pick up the reserved vehicle and they advised me that the policy had changed on September 14th, 2015 and now they have to do credit checks. So I was denied the rental because I did not pass the credit check and was told that I need a credit card in order to rent. The rental was never released to me, but I did not cancel. So I requested to get my deposit back. I was never notified by email or phone that they made a policy change. The front desk representative stated they cannot refund my deposit because it is done through a third party by the name of Car Trawler. I was given the information to call and contact someone. I called and was told they are not located in the U.S. and we are 5 hours ahead of them. Finally I was able to contact someone and explained my issue and now they are saying I cannot receive my deposit because I did not have a credit card. Speaking with 5 managers at Car Trawler and their all are saying the same thing. I advised them that the credit card was not an issue because the Fort Lauderdale Airport location except debit cards. Yet the Car Trawlers Representatives and their Supervisors are saying the same thing. I was told on several occasions that I would receive a call back and I never do. I call on September 20th and I was told to hold but the Representative hung up the phone after requesting 11 times to speak with a manager. On September 21st I called and spoke with a manager and she said that she would make an exception due it now being my fault. She stated I can receive my deposit back in the amount of $10.00 with an Administrative charge of $65.00. I tried to explain the situation over and over to the supervisor to advise her that this was not my fault and I should be entitled to my entire deposit, but she kept repeating about credit card. The credit card was never an issue because the Fort Lauderdale Airport Dollar accepts debit cards and the Airport location is who I made reservations for. I am upset and will be taking this matter further if this issue cannot be resolved fairly. Throughout this entire issue the customer service has been at its worst. I have been transferred all over the place. I am speaking to representatives who are not even located in the United States. I even went to the location to speak with the manager and their customer service was awful as well. Dollar/Thrifty made a policy change without me being notified, I made the reservation before the policy change, and the situation has not been handled properly. Before coming to this point I have tried to get this matter resolved. I have witnesses that can attest to the headache, financial loss, and frustration this has caused. It is now September 24, 2015 and I have not been able to speak with someone about finding a resolution. I have been renting with Dollar for 3 weeks and have not had this issue until the policy change that took place. I am asking for someone to resolve this issue. I am stressed. I have lost money that I cannot afford to lose. I am a single parent and this isn’t fair. Car Trawler is a HORRIBLE company to deal with and so is Dollar for not owning up to their responsibility in this situation. No one wants to help me from Dollar, but Dollar was who I was renting from for the past 3 weeks with the same debit card and I have my bank statements to prove that. I made my reservation before Dollar’s policy change at that location, so I should not be held for a vehicle I never received and that I did not cancel.

I am writing to express my disappointment with the service I received from Dollar Car Hire on my recent trip to the USA. I booked a car with Dollar Car Rental on Sunday 16 August, from Las Vegas to San Francisco.

My initial booking was for 2 days which meant the car was supposed to be returned on Tuesday 18 August. I extended my stay in Los Angeles and as a result contacted Dollar Car Rental to extend the hire for an additional 2 days, which now meant that I was to return the vehicle on Thursday 20 August by no later than 11:00 at 364 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, as explained by the agent that we communicated with.
Whilst driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, my fiancé contacted the O’Farrell branch on Wednesday afternoon at about 17h00 to confirm that we would be dropping off the vehicle in the early hours of Thursday morning (20 August) owing to the fact that our flight was leaving at 05:55am that same day.

We were shocked when we were informed that the O’Farrell branch closes at 18h00 and that if the vehicle was not dropped off before this closing time, we would need to change our drop-off to the airport at an additional charge. My fiancé explained to the agent that none of the information pertaining to the branch closing was communicated and in all our past experiences with car hire (including Dollar Car Rental locally).

The only information at our disposal was that we were dropping the vehicle off no later than 11h00am on Thursday 20 August and that if this was done later, ONLY then would we incur a penalty/charge.
I view this total lack of communication on the part of Dollar Car Rental in a very serious light. The fact that the O’Farrell branch has a 18h00 closing time should have been communicated as it is this lack of information that resulted in us not being able to drop off the car timeously. Nowhere, in any of the communication we received, is this reflected.

We would have made a plan to arrive on time and to drop off the car before closing time had we been made aware. The reality is that we were not late with dropping off the vehicle, as per our contract with yourselves.
I there request that the amount that was debited be refunded back into my credit card and that you only charge the $10 that you would have charged for returning the car to the O'Farrell branch. I have used Dollar Car Rental locally and do not wish to change to another service provider based on this mishap.

I look forward to your response in this matter.