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1.6 351 Reviews

Thrifty Rent A Car Complaints Summary

56 Resolved
294 Unresolved
Our verdict: With Thrifty Rent A Car's very poor resolution rate, careful consideration is needed. Research their service comprehensively, and read up on how they handle customer disputes. If you face issues, be prepared for potential challenges in obtaining resolutions and explore other service providers as backups.
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Thrifty Rent A Car reviews & complaints 351

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10:30 am EST
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Thrifty Rent A Car charged me for pre-existing scratch under bumper

I rented a car @ Vancouver airport and no agent was available to review the car for damages before I left with it. When I returned it on November 23, 2009, 3 agents went over it and one agent found a small acratch UNDER the rear bumper that no one else could even find. Later I received a letter charging me $175.20 for damages. I left 3 phone messages with the office that were not returned. The only communication was threatening collection letters. The charges were excessive and the review of the car very agressive. One had to get on their hands and knees to find the scratch.

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Thrifty Rent A Car drop off charges

I used RENTALCARS.COM to rent a vehicle. The vehicle was at a daily rate of $48.50. The website requires that you enter the pickup and drop off location. There is no message or indication that there is a drop off charge if the two locations are different. I made a reservation for a pickup at the Orlando Airport and a drop off at the Miami Airport for the same day a few hours later. I have learned that the drop off charge is buried in the line item “taxes and fees”. The “Taxes and Fees” area is highlighted as in a hyperlink. When you click on the item there is a listing of different types of charges and it says that some may be applicable at confirmation.
I proceeded to the Thrifty Car Rental counter at MCO (Orlando Airport). The Thrifty representative made me aware of gas, tolls, and insurance items but at no time mentioned that there was a $150 drop off charge for returning the car to the Miami airport. The representative was well aware that I was going to return the car within the next 4 hours. I rented a Ford Escape at a daily rate of $48.50 plus applicable taxes. He asked me to review information on a screen regarding some items that I agreed to. None of these items included the drop off charge. Thrifty took information from my reservation (buried drop off charge) and the additional items that I agreed to on the touch pad. The representative did not review the list of charges on the rental agreement with me. Had he done that, I would have been aware of the $150 charge and not rented the vehicle with them.
Most of the major car rentals are located side by side at the airport and they had signs with cars available. The Thrifty representative folded the rental agreement (with my electronic signature) obtained from the touch pad items, without showing it to me, placed it in a Thrifty Car Rental Sleeve and gave it to me along with instructions on the location of the vehicle.
I learned of the charge a few hours later when I returned the car at the Miami location and my credit card charge was $244. I asked the representative in Miami why it was so high and we at that point pulled out the rental agreement and he and I reviewed it and noted the drop off fee for $150. The representative in Miami apologized that I was not advised of this when I rented the vehicle and said that he could not do anything but to contact Customer Service, he said he saw the very same issue days earlier also coming out of Orlando.
I contacted Customer Service for Thrifty and was told that they could not do anything about the $150 drop off charge because the charge was on my contract and I had agreed to it.
There are three issues of concern for consumers (1) the online company buried the fee in a line item with taxes and provides you with no specific information about these charges (other sites make you aware that there is a fee); (2) the Thrifty employee does not review the charges with the customer, and (3) Thrifty combines the information from the contract on line and the signature from the items that you “agree” to on the touch screen and use that as the electronic signature on the overall rental agreement. I am aware of the practices in the past with gasoline charges and insurance coverage charges. Changes were made that helped protect the consumer. I believe that addressing the practices raised in this complaint will benefit consumers as well as businesses that are competing fairly.

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Justme333
Cape Coral, US
May 06, 2022 11:33 am EDT
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Interesting. I just experienced the same thing. I rented a Thrifty car through my credit card travel site. The rental fee was $72, picking up in Orlando and dropping off in Ft. Myers the next day. There was never an indication of additional taxes, particularly the $83 drop fee. Had I been aware of this, I would have made a different choice.

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King1970
Orlando, US
Mar 31, 2010 1:48 am EDT

I also see 3 issues in your rental...1) how can u bury $150.00 in the tax line if the whole cost was $48.00 per day. 2) read what u sign ...the rep did not book your car ...u did. 3) i will leave that blank for the other readers to measure ur IQ.

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AirlineCustomerCareManager
New York, US
Feb 15, 2010 11:40 am EST

Ouch! Hopefully this will help somebody else next time they rent a car from them...

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6:30 am EST
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Thrifty Rent A Car hidden charges

I booked a Thrifty car (midsize) online for LAX. The quoted price was an "estimated base rate of US$111.20 per week plus 2 extra days @ $17.59 with unlimited miles. " This is a total of US$146.38. I took this to mean all inclusive, excluding local taxes. They 'mention' that there are three types of insurance but fail to say that this will be ADDED on arrival. Most car rental companies offer you "all inclusive rates" meaning car and insurance, and then if you want to increase the insurance it's so much extra per day. Imagine my sheer horror on arriving at night in Los Angeles when the actual rate including insurance came to US$612.47!
These people should be called Shifty.com! They are a conniving, duplicitous, shady company and a disgrace to rental car dealerships. They should be forced to disclose the extra charges at the time of reservation for what they really are, 5 times as much as the "base rate"! How do I complain and who to? Is there a regulatory body in the US who deals with such charlatans? I will NEVER USE THRIFTY AGAIN and never miss an opportunity to bad mouth them wherever and whenever possible.

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Thrifty Rent A Car crooks

Long story short- credit cards, electronics, and other items stolen from back of rental car in thrifty secure lot. Theif tried getting cash at two casinos. Police determined that security cameras in thrifty garage were not working...surprise! Almost a week later and no property or help in any way from thrifty. One fellow renter was even refused service by one agent for not allowing her to explain the insurance coverages. Thrifty has rude agents, hires theives and cares nothing about protecting anything except their own ###. If you rent here dont let anything out of your site!

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Thrifty Rent A Car - $25 admin fee for 0.25 toll charge

I accidently passed through one of the many toll booths while driving around central Florida incurring a 0.25 charge. Thrifty informed me that they have changed this to my credit card and have added a $25 dollar "admin fee". the theiving ###.

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Thrifty Rent A Car bait & switch - excessive added on charges

My quote from Thrifty was $261.54 for a one week rental of a mid size car on 10/09/2009. They gave me a bill for $674.62 on 10/16/2009 and I charged it to my AAA Visa card.
I had already talked to my Insurance agent about my rental coverage and said I was completely covered with any rental car and gave the Thrifty desk person my Insurance Card to copy. They insisted that I buy from them additional daily insurance at $177.68 for the week. I was driving 200 miles into Nelson BC which my Insurance agent at home told me was covered.
The car was a 4 door Mazda that could only be described as a sub-compact. I compared it to a Honda Civic which was parked nearby and the Civic was much larger.
I shall try to block payment on my credit card as I believe their practices are predatory.
I have kept all documentation from them and would hope that other consumers are duly warned about Thrifty Car Rental and their deceptive business practices.
I shall go on line and tell my story to as many possible renters as I'm able.

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anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Feb 24, 2010 4:19 pm EST
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Adding on to Tammy's post, you get unlimited mileage in Washington only. By purchasing coverage, you were allowed to take the car out of state and even out of the country. Otherwise you could have been charged up to $1 per mile driven for all miles. I agree with Tammy, next time you should read and do you research.

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Tammy Hopkins
, US
Feb 17, 2010 3:57 am EST

Well I can understand your frustration. You have to check with your car insurance company to see what all they actually cover. Also keep in mind what is your deductible? $500, $1000? and do you want your premiums to increase? Also you have to make sure that your car insurance company covers the value of the rental car. Most insurance companies carry over to rental cars however, let's say you own a 1999 Dodge Durango valued at only $4000 and are renting a $20, 000 car. A lot of car insurance companies will say the cover in a collision the actual cash value of the car you own. So in this scenario they cover $4000 and you are still responsible for $16.000 assuming a complete total on the vechile. You have to ask very specific questions to your car insurance company they are in business as well sure they will tell you are covered and when you need them and you're really not or just partially covered then who are you mad at? Most insurance companies don't cover loss of use. This is where the vechile is in the shop having repairs done and the rental car company can't rent out the car. You can actually be charged a daily rate while the car can't be rented out, and it is usually higher than your discounted rate you reserved online. Also you need to go to the website of the actual car rental company you are renting the car from. They will have a terms and conditions section that gives you all the information that you need. As you stated above you were going to Nelson BC. If you read the terms and conditions of the website you would have seen that this company requires that you have at least the liability insurance when you go into Canada at the rate of $13.95 per day for the entire rental. So many people are so eager to get mad at the rental car company because they were just too lazy to do their homework. Furthermore, this is not a bait and switch. According to http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Bait-and-switch the definition of a bait and switch is A deceptive sales technique that involves advertising a low-priced item to attract customers to a store, then persuading them to buy more expensive goods by failing to have a sufficient supply of the advertised item on hand or by disparaging its quality. Thrifty didn't lure you in with a deceptive sales techinque. You more than likely used a third party website to book your rental car like Travelocity or Expedia or Priceline, etc. and didn't bother to read the local policies. Now you want to complain. As far as you think you are going to block the payment for your credit card are you out of your mind. You signed the contract which is a legal binding agreement. No one forced you to sign it. You could have shopped somewhere else so tell your story all over the web but tell it truthful. YOU WERE STUPID AND DIDN'T DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND FAILED TO READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPIDITY PAID MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT YOU SHOULD. THAT WOULD BE MORE ENJOYABLE TO READ!

Maybe next time you will read the terms and conditions or better yet call the rental car company you plan to rent the car from.

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Thrifty Rent A Car service

I requested a different car after being given a car that had a stench of cigarette smoke. Five minutes before I was told that I had a choice, but when I requested a change - "there is nothing available" ... you have to go back to the place that I originally checked in at the airport. Persons name was Elizabeth. I said that I had been offered a different car 5 minutes ago. After insisting - I received a car that was sitting there. It had scratches and a 1/4 tank instead of the full tank it was supposed to have, but it was better than the other car.

The key to this complaint is that Elizabeth - when told about the cigarettes smell - said under her breath and then very clearly audible "I don't care.". I said that it was clear that she did not care. Pathetic.

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Thrifty Rent A Car warning

My wife and I reserved an auto from Thrifty in Frankfurt Germany but after reading review comments about their Loss Damage Waver (LDW) policy and refusal to honor the insurance provided by using a MasterCard Gold/Platinum credit card in place of the LDW, we requested a policy statement from their home office and a copy of the benefits from MasterCard.

In the MasterCard benefits statement it clearly states the insurance is effective in all countries except Ireland, Israel, or Jamaica. I emailed Thrifty quoting the statement from MasterCard and asked if this was acceptable by Thrifty. Rick Moss of Thrifty responded that Thrifty accepted the Master Gold/Platinum in lieu of LDW. I then requested that Mr. Moss send me a statement that I could take with me to Germany confirming that Thrifty accepted the insurance provided by the Gold/Platinum MasterCard. I did not receive a response to that request or another request a few days later.

We took the MasterCard benefits booklet with us in case we had problems. Upon arrival at the Thrifty counter, we were told the MasterCard was not acceptable in lieu of the LDW without a specific letter from MasterCard stating that we (by name) were covered by their insurance in Germany and we would have to buy their LDW or put up a very large deposit. We immediately cancelled the Thrifty reservation and went to Hertz who had no hesitation in accepting the MasterCard in lieu of the LDW.

It appears Thrifty is playing a con game. Since Thrifty refused to provide a written statement confirming they accept the MasterCard insurance, they are obviously aware of the Thrifty Germany policy. The day may come when they make this a company wide policy, don’t get caught. After making a reservation and arriving at your destination, they feel they have you cornered and can force you to buy their LDW. Don’t accept this blackmail. There are other auto rental companies that will accept the MasterCard in lieu of the LDW.

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Thrifty Rent A Car double charged 2 credit cards

I rented a car from thrifty and the guy that ran my card "accidently" charged both cards they had on file instead of just the one for the rental. Resulting in me paying for the rental twice... Now over 2 weeks later they still have not refunded the money. Even though thrifty admits to the double charge and said the case has been "expedited"... Never use thrifty! Enterprise is usually the same price and has much better customer service... I rent a car at least a week a month... Guess thrifty doesn't need the business

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dtaginformant
Raleigh, US
Mar 11, 2011 6:59 am EST

Yeah, choose Enterprise next time, they will treat you right. Since Dollar and Thrifty Rental agents have to sell stuff thats how they make their money. Believe me, they wont upgrade for free you unless you are 21-25 year old woman that looks like a supermodel.

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JerseyJack
Wharton, US
Jun 23, 2010 4:21 pm EDT

I had a rental in Birmingham AL reserved on a corporate credit card (Avis, with which we have an account did not have cars available). When I picked up the car, they required my personal credit card even though they had the corporate card with authorization on file. The counter help was rude and since I was now in Alabama I gave them my card (it was a 2 week rental, had I sent one of my junior employees they probably wouldn't have had enough credit).

First thing in the moring I call the corporate accountant and she has an administrator straighten it out, supposedly. After returning the car, I'm charged, not the cc on file. I expense the car and get a call from the accounting department, Thrifty charged my card and the card on file. It seems that the corporate office charged the account and the Birmingham location (a franchise) charged me. The franchise refused to take a voucher from the corporate office for the rental.

It took me two months to get a credit (and at least 3 hours phone time from an admin assistant at my office). Never again.

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Thrifty Rent A Car scam, do not use!

Warning to all that have the misfortune to have an accident in a rental car owned by Thrifty. In Albuquerque New Mexico in the Summer 2008 I had such a misfortune. Bottom line, in New Mexico and several other states which follow the NAAG (National Association of Attorney Generals) guidelines, a rental company cannot charge Loss of Use that is not proportion to their local fleet usage rates. Thrifty charged 100% (fleet usage around 75%) and did so based on a fictitious body shop labor day of five hours instead of the industry standard of eight.

After several months of obfuscation from Thrifty, I am now forced to file a law suit to have them honor the law. If anyone has a similar situation and would like to participate in a class action suit, please leave a response to this post. Thank You.

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Thrifty Rent A Car no cars in category

June 2009. We went to pick up our 'Toyota Yaris, Chev Aveo or similar' from Thrifty LAX. Our rental was fully paid with all insurance, CDW etc - yet he still tried to sell us, pushed and cajouled us, to buy TRIPSAVER® 24-hour Roadside Assistance, which was included anyway, but didn't cove if you lost your keys ETCETERA - an extra $5.99 per day - I asked for a brochure as to what the ETCETERA was and he slid open a few drawers and 'can't find the brochure' - A COMPLETE RIP OFF an extra $84 plus tax for 2 weeks in case you lose your keys. (There was a spare key in the glove box anyway which we carried separately) The Yaris does 42mpg so is not so bad for the environment given we were to drive over 3000 miles in 2 weeks.
They ONLY have Chryslers, which was confirmed later by Thrifty staff. There are NO Yaris or Aveos available. The smallest available was the Dodge Caliber or, as we know it, the Dodgy Low Caliber - a truly dreadful car - that does less than 30mpg at best. Such uncomfortable hard rubbery seats for thousands of miles of piles! The front tyres were about 1mm from the fully worn line when we picked it up. The issuing guy didn't care and there were only much larger PT Cruisers and people movers as an alternative. The WORST aspect is that not one of the cars in the economy/ compact class has ANY way to hide your luggage no boot/trunk or cover - so if you are visiting a National Park or stopping for a meal YOU ARE VULNERABLE. The caliber thing screamed around every corner due to the tyre wear and bad handling charactistics, it also had out of balance tyres - things you don't notice till you have taken it. And yes, it was covered in scratches which you MUST REMEMBER TO NOTE on the condition report.
It was so bad we changed it for a PT Cruiser (slightly better) after a week.
As Chrysler is bankrupt, Thrifty staff told us that instead of the lease system they used to have, which I assume requires full maintainence of the cars - they dispose of them at auction - so maintaining condition may not be a priority!
If you INSIST on renting from Thrifty - Don't pay extra for a 'compact' over an 'economy' they are the same cars at LAX and Las Vegas at this time!
We are worried about our Credit Card bill - yet to come - given the horror stories we have heard about being blamed for other peoples damage to Thrifty cars ... awaiting outcome ...

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anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Jul 11, 2009 2:17 am EDT
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The car covers get stolen, so you usually have to request them...

You can always ask them to refer you to another nearby company and they will pay the difference in price for what you reserved, if they don't have the car available.

And you should always take the upgrade option if offered to you. Chances are the person knows what his best car is and he will probably put you into that if you help make his commission (which is why he offered the r/s btw, totally forgivable...other insurance commissions were made by whoever you reserved with, not him). ANyway, upgrading is totally worth it, even if it is for the same vehicle class.

BTW, I don't like how the PT of the Caliber handles either.

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Thrifty Rent A Car deceptive sales practices

Do not rent from Thrify or Dollar Rental Cars. They will try to mislead you into buying their premium insurance by not even asking you if you want insurance. They'll just say: "you want the basic coverage?' They don't even use the word insurance. What a ripoff. When you get off a long flight and wait on their longer lines, you're not at your best and they count on that. My $165 weekly rental turned into a $440 nightmare. What a ripoff.

do not rent from thrify or sister company dollar rental cars.

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anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Jul 11, 2009 2:37 am EDT
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Next time, just go back to the office the next day. They will probably remove the charges except for the one-day. But you have to go in to cancel. Over the phone won't work.

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Thrifty Rent A Car fraud - fraud and poor customer service

Never, I my life have I been scammed by a car rental company. Until I made a reservation wit hthrifty car rental. I made a reservation with thrifty car rental in norcross, ga. I cancelled my reservation wit hthem because the clerk had a nasty attitude when he ask me if I had a major credit card and told him yes. I guess by me being an african american he thought that I didn't. Well I didn't like his attitude and I cancelled the reservation. Although I canceled the reservation he charge my credit card anyway. Then got an attitude therefore I called the local police. This is considered theft and fraud I never signed anything. Or gave him permission to do this. What the hell is thrifty doing these days... I promise you I give this company another 3 years and tey will if they haven't already be filing bankrupt.

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IKnowItAll
bos, US
May 15, 2009 2:42 pm EDT
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You sound like you have the Chip of racism on your shoulder. Maybe he just thought you were an ###. Typing in all caps is certainly an indication of that.

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mostrua
Chicago, US
May 15, 2009 2:05 pm EDT

If you make a reservation at a car rental, you agree automatically to have a fee charged for any cancelation. Having in mind that you canceled at the time of pick up it makes sense.

I worked for several car rentals, their procedure is correct.

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Thrifty Rent A Car scammers

I rented a car (Chrysler Dodge Caravan) from Thrifty two days ago. This morning, the car had a flat tire. I discovered that the tools needed to retrieve the spare tire were not in the car. (That's the first instance of Thrifty incompetence.)

I called Thrifty Roadside Assistance and they said they'd send someone out to help me.

A tow truck came 45 minutes later, but the two truck driver hadn't been informed about the missing tools (that's the second instance of Thrifty incompetence), so he was unable to fix the tire. But he said he could tow the car to Firestone to have the tire fixed. I called Thrifty and asked them what I should do. The Thrifty representative told me: "Whatever the tow truck driver wants to do, do that." She assured me that Thrifty would pay for it. The car was towed to Firestone and the tire was patched.

When Firestone called Thirfty to get payment ($23), the Thrifty representative refused to pay. He said that Thrifty would pay to have the flat tire removed and the spare tire put on, but not to have the tire fixed--thus going back on Thrifty's earlier assurance that they'd pay for whatever I decided to do. At best, Thrifty was unintentionally misleading in its communication to me (the third instance of Thrifty incompetence). At worst, Thrifty took advantage of the unclarity to make me shoulder the cost of having the tire fixed (a cost that Thrifty would otherwise have shouldered itself). My primary complaint is that Thrifty went back on its assurance to pay.

In addition, the manager of Thrifty Roadside Assistance was super annoying. He was snarky and dismissive. He didn't take seriously that I could be giving a correct account of my earlier conversation with the Thrifty representative.

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dtaginformant
Raleigh, US
Mar 11, 2011 6:56 am EST

Thats what Dollar/Thrify does to make the customer "learn a lesson" so to speak and purchase Roadside Assistance and Insurance. They order a vehcile without options, actually I have seen some items "deleted" according to the [censor]ey Sticker. Plus watch out, they are charging money if you smoke in their cars, even if you dont see any stickers in the vehicle.

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kedia
Sainte-Anne, CA
May 28, 2010 4:28 pm EDT

First of all if you get a flat tire taht is your responsiblity, was the tire like that when you got the car? Second you are responssilbe to return the car the condition you got it in.

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whistleblower
Windsor, CA
May 07, 2009 5:22 pm EDT
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Car rental places are a bunch of liars. That is why I will never deal with any of these places again. It is obviously Thrifty's responsiblity to replace the tire at no charge to you since it is "their" car and you paid for the rental. These crooked businesses will do anything to scam people. They want you money for the rental, but they don't want to back themselves up when it comes to road side assistance. They use raod side assistance as a ploy to get people to be willing to rent from them, as people are unaware that this road side assistance is just a scam and if something does happen to their rental car, the rental company will do whatever it takes to avoid paying for anything.

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Thrifty Rent A Car poor billing practices

I authorized a $250 deposit on my debit card to rent a vehicle. I was told at the time of the rental that the hold would be released when I returned my car. 2 days later, the hold still remains. My total charges for the rental $41.44. Customer service supervisor, Iona, gave me the run around when I requested the corporate office number and instead gave me the basic customer service number. I even double checked with Iona that the number was for the corporate number.

The customer service at the airport is slow. It took well over 30 mins to receive my rental. The customer service representative do all they can to avoid their customers so they are not bothered. Of course this is only after you've signed your agreement and paid your deposit. Terrible customer service and poor billing practices. Not work the headache.

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Thrifty Rent A Car unexpected $150.00+ surcharge horible service

My husband and I took a trip to Washington State and reserved a rental car from Thrifty Car Rentals (worst mistake). We arrived at the SeaTac airport in Washing State on March 20th, 2009. The Thrifty rental booth was closed at the airport. We were told that we would have to take a Thrifty shuttle bus to their place of business to get the car. Once we arrived there was a small line with about 4/5 parties waiting for a car. It took over an HOUR to get to the counter! The worst customer service ever! Once to the counter we learned that our rental (11:00 pm Friday start returning car early Sunday Morning) would cost us an extra $150.00+ in additional taxes and surcharges. This was never disclosed in the details when booking on-line. Our total bill was over $300.00. On top of this, when I was looking for some items that I dropped on the floor in the car I ran my hand across the floor and felt a stinging sensation. I look at my hand and it was dripping blood. The car apparently had a windshield replaced as there was broken glass all underneath the seat where I ran my hand which was cut from the glass. They did not take to time to thoroughly vacuum underneath the seat. When we reported this upon returning the car the attendant said I don't know what to tell you sorry. Very unorganized, very unprofessional and I seriously question their billing practices (thrifty my [protected]@!#). They really put a negative start to our mini vacation. I would absolutely never ever use Thrifty Car Rental again (ever!).

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DTG
Phoenix, US
Apr 11, 2009 11:27 pm EDT

Now you stated that the fees and surcharges were not quoted to you when you booked on-line. My question to you is did you book your reservation on thrifty.com? Because if you did all fees and airpiort surcharges are listed even any other fees that may be such as adding drivers and so forth. You just have to LOOK for it a the bottom once your price has been quoted to you. Now I agree that it was not a correct thing for them not to fully clean out the car. ON the other note you can not be upset with the person that is running the location at the moment. They are not resposible of how many people are on the staff. So having to wait a bit longer is not bad customer service because were you not served in a timely manner? They treated you just like any customer. The agent is not going to speed up the rental process just because they saw you come in line. So come on give the agent a break!

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Thrifty Rent A Car - rip off

Thrifty is demanding over $500 for damages incurred before I rented vehicle. See letter below for details: Thrifty Car Rental Attn: Niles Finley DTG Operations, subrogation Dept Dept 927 Tulsa, OK 74182 Re: Claim number 730170 I am in receipt of your letter dated January 29, 2009 in regards to the damages to the rental vehicle as well as your second letter...

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Thrifty Rent A Car no car for my reservation

I had a Reservation with Thrifty at Denver int'l Airport. My reservation on 2/26/09 was for an SUV with a Ski rack for our Ski trip. I made the reservation about a month in advance. Upon my arrival "Brooklyn" the rental attendant told me they didn't have the SUV I reserved but did have a bigger SUV for $50 more. I didn't want to pay more than what I reserved. Between him and his manager they decided to honor my reservation and send me to a competitor (Advance car rental). They told us they talked to Advance and that they would honor the rate we hade with Thrifty. When arriving at Advance they said Thrifty had never called them but they could help us and get us a SUV. The rental was more than my reservation.

Long Story short..THRIFTY SUCKS and jeopardized my ski vacation! I will never rent from them again and I will make sure no one I know will rent from them either.

Tap

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JCMM
New Braunfels, US
Oct 08, 2011 7:15 pm EDT

THRIFTY THIEVES SHOULD BE THEIR NAME. STOLE GASOLINE OFF MY CREDIT CARD AND CLAIMED I DID NOT FILL THE TANK. AFTER I LEFT ON MY FLIGHT. WOULD NOT RESPOND TO COMPLAINT. SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHEN IT TOOK 1 HOUR FOR ME TO GET MY CAR AND I HAD TO GET IT FROM THE STORAGE LOT. RUDE PEOPLE AND LIARS. BUYER BEWARE.

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MikeAu
Toronto, CA
Oct 07, 2010 10:27 pm EDT

I just experience similar bait and switch from Thrifty. We booked a Matrix, but were told all they had was a Yaris. A Yaris has 50% the luggage space as a Matrix - that is not a similar car. Of course, they could help me out with a van if I would pay a lot more money. I had to rent from someone else without a reservation for a lot more money than I had planned to spend. Thrifty sucks!

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Tomasz_NY
New York, US
Mar 02, 2010 10:54 am EST

Agree
After 8 years of being a BlueChip member, I’m done with Thrifty.
Last year, I rented a car from Thrifty in Daytona Beach airport and when I arrived in late evening, the counter was already closed. All other car rentals were still open, but Thrifty decided to close earlier.

Two weeks ago I rented a FULL SIZE vehicle from Thrifty in Indianapolis airport. When I got there, there was not car for me. I end-up with a compact car, which was insufficient for my business trip.

What did Thrifty do: apologized with hopes that I will continue renting from them.

Enough is enough. I travel on business every other week and so far Thrifty has been the worse rental car company.

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thriftysux
SEATTLE, US
Mar 12, 2009 11:04 pm EDT

Thrifty is horrible. They gave me one quote online then when i go to pick up my car it is 3x the amount. online it was $95.00 when I go to pick it up they moved it up to 350.00. They asked me if i wanted insurance and then told me for 13 dollars extra I could get a bigger car. Ok. Well she didn't mention 13.00 dollars a day. Plus my personal insurance would cover it. THne I get home and 3 months later I'm told I never paid .50 cents for the toll. (what ever) How would i just roll through a toll with out paying. ) I'm charged the .50 cents and Thrifty helped themself to my credit card to the tune of 25.00 admin fee. Believe me they don't pay their admins 25.0o an hour or i'd move there. They pay them 10.00 bucks an hour. so you mean this took Triftys idots admins 2 and a half hour to deal with my .50 cent fee WHICH I PAID. whole freekin state of florida buch of molester and thieves. Thrifty will help themself to your card. beware. they just bought themselves 25.00's worth of advertising. I'm going to the bbb next and my facebook account. plus, i get the cars and hotels to the guy in my department they aren't going on thrifty's they are getting avis. Jerks

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Thrifty Rent A Car scam/#

My wife and I had a terrible experience at the Denver Airport Thrifty. We had booked a car through orbitz and it was to be about 120 for the couple days I needed it. I had the confirmation papers and even called before we left from Detroit to make sure they would have the car.

Well after our flight, we took the shuttle to the Thrifty and I showed them our paperwork. The guy behind the counter said Okay, and which insurance plan do you want? He gave us a middle-tier insurance program.

I then asked what the average cost of gas was in the city, to which he replied "about "$3.15" and we can guarantee your rate of only $2.99 a gallon if you purchase a full tank. - I thought about it and then declined. (I later found out that the average cost of gas there was $2.45)

I give him my card and he wants me to sign the disclaimer/contract.. I read it over and it says the cost is $350.00
I questioned him and he came up with some BS about insurance, taxes, fees. Really a bunch of bull. But we weren't left with much of an option. I asked about if they had cheaper cars I could rent. He said they do.

So I said okay, give me a sub compact and leave that insurance charge off. To which he replied, we cannot do that.
I said, why not? You just said you had smaller cars available. He responded that the computer has my name reserved with that first car we booked weeks earlier and it cannot be voided. I said, I never signed anything. He just said sorry, that is how the system works.
So I said, okay, my wife would like to rent that car then. To which he replied, "We are not taking walk-ins"

I ALMOST LOST IT. I immediately said, I need to speak to a supervisor. 5 minutes later he came back and said that he was in a meeting. I went over the whole situation again and he said we had to leave.

This pathetic rat of a human being had me pretty upset. So we walked out with no car... We walked into Advantage and I was expecting to run into the same thing. This was not the case. We received great help and were so happy with the service, I had the girl add insurance and a full tank of gas to the order so she would get commission. Even with gas and insurance, it was still 120 less than thrifty and the bogus rate.

Stay away from them.

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alhosani hasan
, AE
Jan 02, 2011 5:31 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

i arrange to rent acar from thrifty from kuwait int airport it was the fisrst time and will be the last time .First iwaited for about 25m to get the car .They are out of date regaring using the net he could not get the booking number which i gave him also my last name which is awaist of time.when return the car i have to call them and wait for about 20m to pich up the car.third they need only cash credit card is Not accepted.or the system they are using is manual only cash.sorry i will Not use this copmpany again.

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traveltip123
, US
Mar 15, 2010 6:57 pm EDT

lousy experience.

waited for an employee to finish a personal call on his cell phone before i could pick up the car. needed road-side assistance, which i was told at the time of the call, was to be covered by thrifty. upon rental return, road-side assistance insurance had been added to my bill. this effectively reimbursed me 50% of my road-side cost. additionally, it took several calls before the refund was processed. thrifty, it seems, had a problem w/ the receipt i was given by the cab company that they sent for me.

i would look elsewhere for a rental car company.

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Beverly Varner
San Antonio, US
Jan 01, 2009 6:35 am EST

Recently I went on line in need of a rental through the holidays. I looke dthrough all the sites and the cheapest rate came out to be thrifty. I called before I went over to verify car type and to see if since I was employed at the airport was there another discount I could get. when I called I was told the car type would be a sebring or similar. When I gor to the site the gentleman pulle dup my rental told me I had 2 reservations and I told him the one for the weekend to cancel. Having not ever rented in the area I didn't know that the rate was really low for the area. Not my fault anyone renting could have wen ton line and gotten the same rate. Well I was told that since I had gotten such a low rate that I would have to take a large family van. and if I wanted I could come back in every day and check to see if they had another car well, the parking lot was full of cars but I quess since I was a black female I would have to take what ever or not get a cars. or were the cars reserved for special people. When you make a reservation for a car type or a room type you expect that your reservation in honored requardless of race or price. Upon return of the vehicle I spoke with the manager who granted me all of $10.00 for having to take a bus when I rented a car.and who also told me I could talk to his boss If I wanted But, who no doubt he had already talked to before he made the huge adjustment...

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Thrifty Rent A Car undeclared upgrade charge

My business colleague and I were kept waiting to pick up our reserved car at the Omaha Thrifty Car Rental desk in Eppley Airfield terminal on January 26, 2009. The desk person apologized for our long wait and said he would put us in a better car as compensation for our inconvenience. Upon returning the car two days later, I discovered that he had charged us a $38/ day upgrade fee on our daily rate of $44. He had never told us anything about an upgrade fee. I spoke to the supervisor of the Thrifty operation by telephone, but he was totally unsympathetic, felt no obligation to remove the charges or to investigate the behavior of his desk personnel. I will never rent from Thrifty again and I urge anyone who reads this tale of woe to do the same.

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johncmattes
, US
May 02, 2012 5:41 am EDT

This scam is going on at Dollar and Thrifty .You tell them you don't want insurance but they sign you up and don't tell you that you have just signed a pad that acknowledges you want the pricey insurance. See our story at
http://www.investigativeguy.com/dollar-rent-a-car-tricks-consumers-with-insurance-scam/

Consumers need to fight back.Send us your story, we will fight this
email us at investigativeguy@gmail.com

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thriftysucks!
McClelland, US
Dec 04, 2009 4:48 pm EST

Do not use the Thrifty/Dollar Rental at Omaha's Eppley Airport. The owner "Molly" is running a total scam business. I have rented cars for over 11 years for work and personal and this is the only RENTAL FROM HELL story I have ever had! The van had over 60, 000 miles with horrible tires, transmission skipped off and on when in cruise mode, loose steering wheel, one headlight on bright the other dim, air bag cover on dash shook/vibrated the whole trip, inside seats and floor were stained, and there was a disgusting smell that they had tried to disguise with air fresheners - yuck. Then the con artist owner "Molly" played a little game of "well let see what I can do discount wise and I'll get back to" and then went and charged our credit card 3 times the rental fee! She is a very shady lady and doesn't give a crap about the rental customers. She is lucky that piece of crap didn't break down on us. There were no other rentals available that day, and when I rented this online, the picture of the van was a nice new van and said something similar would be what we were renting --- WRONG. This thing looked like it was straight off the junk used car lot. I was stressed and embarrassed the whole trip and then to top it off MOLLY the owner tried to fraudulently steal $1500 from our debit visa card. SHE HIDES BEHIND HER WORKERS AND WILL NOT FACE HER CUSTOMERS. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR BUSINESS. EPPLEY AIRPORT NEEDS TO KICK THEM OUT OF THEIR GARAGE AND ALLOW ANOTHER RENTAL TO BE IN THERE.

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noonesathome
, US
Mar 13, 2009 7:02 pm EDT

I've had the same thing happen to me! They sent me a letter stating that I ran a 75 cent toll in Orlando, Florida. The letter was sent two and a half months after the fact and they charged a $25 administration fee. We paid all our tolls. I plan on calling to complain and hope that they waive the charge. It seems like they are doing this in hopes of getting that $25 if no one complains. Of course, you have no proof that you paid the toll since you just throw in your quarters and wait for the green light and leave without a receipt. But they have no proof either!

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Disappointed Customer
Fort Lauderdale, US
Feb 18, 2009 10:07 am EST

After having two incidents with Thrifty I am compelled to try and help someone else avoid what I experienced.

1. When I returned my car, the attendant swarmed to my windshield as if it was a shattered mess and pointed out a "crack". When I looked at it, it was literally so small that I didn't think anything of it until I was notified by mail that I was to pay nearly $250! The whole thing seemed like a fraud to me from the start. I imdediately went online and discovered that this is apparently how they operate. I managed to get the representative to remove the charge, but was left with the impression that they simply do this to capitalize on the number of people who do not contest the charge! To me this is fraud, pure and simple.

2. Two months after the rental we recieved a notice from Thrifty that we had ran a toll which was .75. They assessed a $25 admin charge on top of it. We never missed a toll and upon calling the representative he simply removed the admin fee without anything more than a question from me regarding the toll. I was, of course, happy they removed the fee, but again was left wondering how many people they actually get through this scam. Once again, this is "fraud" and leaves me so disappointed that a company chooses to operate like this.

Everything about this company feels like a scam to me and I would highly suggest you choose some other company. In addition, no matter who you choose to rent a car from, make sure you look over every detail of the condition of the vehicle before you accept it.

Thrifty Rent A Car In-depth Review

Pricing and Value for Money: Thrifty Rent A Car offers competitive pricing and excellent value for money. Their rates are affordable and they often have special promotions and discounts available.

Vehicle Selection and Availability: Thrifty Rent A Car has a wide range of vehicles to choose from, including compact cars, SUVs, and luxury vehicles. They have a good selection available, ensuring that customers can find the right vehicle for their needs.

Customer Service and Support: Thrifty Rent A Car provides excellent customer service and support. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to assist customers with any questions or concerns they may have.

Booking Process and Ease of Use: The booking process with Thrifty Rent A Car is quick and easy. Their website is user-friendly and allows customers to easily search for and book their desired vehicle. They also offer the option to make changes or cancel reservations online.

Rental Policies and Terms: Thrifty Rent A Car has clear and transparent rental policies and terms. They provide detailed information about their rental requirements, including age restrictions, driver's license requirements, and payment options.

Vehicle Condition and Cleanliness: Thrifty Rent A Car ensures that their vehicles are well-maintained and in good condition. They are regularly serviced and cleaned, providing customers with a comfortable and reliable rental experience.

Additional Services and Features: Thrifty Rent A Car offers a range of additional services and features to enhance the rental experience. This includes options such as GPS navigation systems, child safety seats, and roadside assistance.

Locations and Accessibility: Thrifty Rent A Car has numerous locations across various cities, making it convenient for customers to pick up and drop off their rental vehicles. Their locations are easily accessible and well-situated.

Overall Experience and Satisfaction: Overall, customers have a positive experience with Thrifty Rent A Car. They are satisfied with the quality of service, the condition of the vehicles, and the overall value for money.

Pros and Cons:

  • Pros: Competitive pricing, wide vehicle selection, excellent customer service, easy booking process, transparent rental policies, well-maintained vehicles, additional services and features, convenient locations.
  • Cons: None reported.
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