Thrifty Rent-A-CarReviews 120

I reserved a vehicle through Thrifty with a written confirmation that my car would be held for up to 8 hours after my flight's arrival, even in the case of delays. I added my flight information and completed online check-in five days in advance. Everything appeared in order—until I arrived at the Portland Airport rental counter shortly after midnight. Despite Thrifty's clear commitment, I was told by their employee that there were no cars available—not even in a different category. No help was offered, no alternatives were provided, and she simply told me to "try Dollar," which is owned by the same parent company. The only vehicle left at Dollar cost more than twice what I had originally reserved—$1,560.29 vs. $760.91. I had no choice but to accept it or be stranded overnight and miss the wedding I flew to Oregon to attend. The counter was minutes from closing and there was no time to escalate or troubleshoot. What's worse is that Thrifty never disclosed that a "confirmed" reservation could be canceled due to availability. Their policy specifically implies the opposite. If I hadn't followed their instructions and checked in early, or if I hadn't had the means to cover an unexpected $800+ increase, I would have been left in a truly awful situation. This wasn't a simple inconvenience—it was a serious failure to honor written commitments and borderline monopolistic, given that they are owned by the same parent company. If Thrifty cannot guarantee reservations or support customers in urgent moments, they should not be in business.

Pre-paid for a rental through WiseCars plus an extra $60 for a damage waiver through their affiliate Rentalcars, in early May for the Memorial Day weekend in Boston. A few weeks later I spotted a charge of $139.96 from Thrifty for a "Damage Waiver." I did not accept nor did I approve of a Damage Waiver charge of $139.96. Why would I? I had already purchased protection through Wisecars (receipt attached). When my son and I showed up at the Rental Centre at Logan hundreds were lined up. We waited 20' or so to get to the desk. I presented my voucher from Wisecars to the Thrifty woman. All seemed well. She rattled off the types of cars we might get and I queried that because I understood from the original booking process it was to be a VW. She replied it could be a VW (turned out to be a Nissan). She did explain the gas replenishment options -- i.e. Fill up yourself or fill up at their pump. She explained the fee for the toll booths. All good. She did NOT offer a damage waiver. And if she had done, I would have truthfully and firmly informed her we'd already bought and paid for it through Rentalcars. Complaining to Thrifty later they finally presented the signed rental agreement which did have the Damage Waiver as an item (it was a very long, very detailed on "store-receipt" type flimsy paper with 5 or 6 separate items which I should have read carefully -- I just never imagined they'd add something I didn't agree to). So the Thrifty woman had added it without my knowledge -- essentially my word against hers. But again -- why would I agree to a DW charge when I'd already paid for it! This was sharp practice on the part of Thrifty. Thanks to Rentalcars for refunding the original $60 DW.

I **PRE-PAID** for a rental. I was REFUSED the rental due to not having a card from a "brick and mortar" bank. I use Chime. I offered to have someone at home give them their card info, I had cash, I had my cards which had money on them, and again THE RENTAL WAS PAID FOR BY ME ALREADY IN FULL. BEWARE they DO NOT care about the customer. They will GLADLY take your money, but then refuse to give the car. Still waiting to hear if I even get a refund.

#1 DO NOT RENT WITH THRIFTY USE LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE #2 If you must rent with Thrifty when you pick up your car DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING! ( also record any and all interactions with their employees) When picking up my car at PDX I was asked by the clerk if I would like to add insurance which I declined. I was then told my card would be charged a deposit that would be held until the car was returned and then it would be released. I was told to sign here to acknowledge the deposit being held until return. According to Thrifty I was actually signing for the insurance which I had just previously declined. Now I have a $277 charge they refuse to refund. Apparently this is common practice for the crooks. https://community.clark.com/t/thrifty-car-rental-scam/922

PAID $56.64 MORE THAN WHAT WAS SHOWN DURING BOOKING. We booked through Thrifty for one day and paid $39.93 at the time of reservation and was due $19.6 at time of rental. We extended the rental for one more day and paid &16.71 and was due $59.76 at time of rental. So total was $136. But they charged us $136,$39.93 and $16.71 which would be total of $192.64. I called customer service and said that they told me that $56.64 was tax but how can they overcharge me $56.64 when on receipt it is shown $136 and when reserving, it is shown that total would be of $136? Can someone SUE THRIFTY for overcharging than what was shown during reservation and claim later that it was tax?

DO NOT BOOK FROM THRIFTY

When I initially checked in at the NO airport location, I was told there was a 30 minute wait for a car because they were being cleaned, but that didn't stop Thrifty from putting a hold on my credit card. I asked the clerk how long I would have to continue waiting, and she said really had no answer, very non-responsive and looked like she did not want to be bothered. I know it's a holiday, but you chose your profession, not me. And Thrifty, you need to do better. Your rentals are not cheap and from the way this long line is looking, you can afford to hire more workers to wash cars. OR, stop taking reservations. It's just that simple. NOW, I've been waiting almost 90 minutes.

We waited three hours for a car that we reserved in advance. They said they were all out of cars. Terrible customer service.

I reserved a mid size car for Oct. 28 2023 at Boston Airport for 264.00. When I got there I was offered an electric car, I have 0 experience with electric cars,instead I was given an SUV and my bill was 600.00. I can't believe they charged me 400.00 more because I didn't take the electric car. What really makes me mad is they gave me the SUV because that's all they had, so I was charged SUV price even though that's all they had left and my reservation was for a mid size car.

I had an absolutely dreadful experience with Thrifty. Their service was subpar, and I encountered numerous issues during my rental. When I expressed my concerns, they offered a mere $100 voucher as compensation, which I had no interest in. I tried to communicate my preference for disputing the charges or receiving a discount for a future rental, but they seemed uninterested in addressing my concerns properly. It's clear that they prioritize their voucher offers over customer satisfaction. Because of this experience, I will never use their services again. Thrifty's lack of customer-centricity and their dismissive approach to resolving issues make them a company to avoid.

Had reservations, showed up and was told no vehicles available. No customer service to assist with anything. Never again.

Thrifty doesn't even deserve one star.

The airport located in Philly, scammed and robbed me of $300. I was charge $300 more than what I initially paid for. They lied and said the call was dirty but mind you it was not. I had the rental for 3 days; this is a complete lie and scam. The company has no direct contact for the Philly location, I was transferred around multiple times through customer service in Texas. The Philly located knew that I would not be able to contact them directly face to face and by phone which is why this is a scam. They took advantage of the fact that I needed to take a flight and would not be able to speak with them face to face. I am placing this complaint to warn people to stay away from Thrifty car rental.

Rented a car at LaGuardia Airport Thrifty Car Rental and got stuck with a 12 passenger van. It was a real chore driving and detracted from my wife and I enjoying our vacation. I should have got an advanced notification then I could have made different arrangements.

I booked a package through Travelocity, which included a rental car with Thrifty Car Rental. This included a damage waiver. When I got to the counter, I thought the agent was reviewing my package with me, but instead he signed me up for roadside assistance and another damage waiver at double the original price. This added an extra $115 to my 2-day compact car rental which was already $200. When I found out after the trip that this had happened.
The car was filthy and dented when I got it, and no one bothered to look at it with me before we left the lot. It also smelled, so we stuck a clip-on air freshener in the vent.
The company has ignored my requests for a refund. I even went through Travelocity, and they were denied. This is unacceptable.

TOURIST SCAM - AVOID EXPEDIA & THRIFTY
Rented a car via Expedia - when arrived at San Francisco Airport car was not available. The guy at the desk claimed they hadnt seen money from Expedia, and I could get it back afterwards from Expedia. So had to pay 1000$ (knowing I had paid 600$ to Expedia yet). To get a LOWER CLASS car.
Needless to say they DID receive the money from Expedia afterall.

Paid for DODGE RAM, got NISSAN Rogue (for an additional 1000$)

NEVER - EVER - AGAIN

Rented a luxury car in Phoenix for my father's funeral to drive family around when I came down from Alaska. Car was dirty with used tissues in the console, but the only one they had. A/C went out at 117 degrees. Drove for two hours to return it. They said they would have another luxury car ready. They put me in a Ford Escape saying it was comparable. They had upgrades from a luxury car, but refused anything better than a ford escape. Won't use them again, or any partner. Lots of options out there. Would not recommend anyone use.

Pls do not rent from this company they are scammers. They scam you into taking additional fees that are hidden and did not know you are signing for. My bill was 160 and they took 287 from my account because of this additional fees that I was not told about. They are the worst customer service that could not do anything to help. Bought gas still took gas money from my account and they are making you pay rent for where they park their cars at the airport. Don't go there.