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Horrible Customer Service And False Advertisement!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

DENVER, COLORADO -- I reserved a vehicle through one of Advantage Car Rental's partner two and half months before my trip. When we arrived at the airport, it took forever for the shuttle to pick us up. Other major car rental companies shuttles came by at least three if not four times before our showed up. For a moment, I thought we were waiting in the wrong area. When we got to the counter, the gentleman at the counter was pleasant, asked if wanted to upgrade to a bigger vehicle (I rsvp a RAV4) but the price was too much I declined. He said okay, I'll a better vehicle than the RAV4 so I was under the impression the vehicle will be bigger but ended up that he gave me a Subaru Outback hatchback which felt a lot smaller than a RAV4.

He proceeded to asked if wanted to prepay for gas and before I can even answer he just added that charge on my contract. I rsvp the vehicle from Nov 22 at 7 am to Nov 24 at 7 pm. The website where I rsvp the vehicle gave me a rate, lower than the other rental companies so I took my chances even after reading lots of negative reviews about this companies. I didn't pay attention to the AM or PM on the confirmation email nor the agreement when I picked up the car since I was in a hurry.

About a week later, I noticed that I was charged over $200 extra for the rental. I called and spoke to a customer representative and a supervisor and was told that I'm liable for the additional time because I'm suppose to drop off the vehicle in the AM not PM. I told them I specifically request PM as my flight wasn't until 9 pm. But they ignored my concerns, they told me to call their partner where I made the reservation to resolve this but I told them they can't help me. I didn't pay them, I paid Advantage when I picked up the vehicle. Long story short, they wouldn't honor the price I was given even when they know that it wasn't my fault that their partner didn't include that information when sending the information over.

I spent an hour on the phone and finally they said they will give me the rate for one day rental from the rate I got from the website. They didn't even care to work with me but kept saying it was my fault. I signed the agreement and that I had their vehicle for the duration and I owe that. They also took down my email address incorrectly and I never got an email receipts or provided receipt at drop off. They totally ignore that it was their mistake yet still put it on me that it was my fault.

After giving the supervisor my correct address, I received an email to give feedback and when I click on the link it's not available. They purpose pose these rates to lure consumers to rent then later blame the consumers. This is totally false advertisement! I will never use them again. I will pay extra and go for bigger name rental companies that actually care about their customers.

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Life Threatening Scam -- "Save Yourself"
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

RALEIGH/DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA -- I searched for a rental via Expedia and ended up with a fairly new company to North Carolina name Advantage. Upon arrival at the airport we had to wait a bit longer than the major rental companies for a shuttle to arrive for Advantage. The driver greeted us warmly and took us directly to Advantage. The staff at the front counter seemed pleasant initially but I quickly learned not to lean on first impressions. I went out to examine my car and saw that it had a dent near the tire and several scratches. The car was extremely dirty due to the snow melt that had accumulated all around the car.

It was very difficult to determine where all scratches were because the car was so dirty. The inside was very dirty as well, not recently vacuumed, and seemed to have some form of animal hair floating around. I notified the front counter of my concerns before leaving. They nodded but offered me no suggestion for exchanging to a cleaner vehicle. I chalked it up to the snow days and went on my way. About 1 hour down the road, I noticed that the traction light came on the display and stayed on. Then I noticed that a red light with an exclamation point appeared and very quickly I began to lose the ability to direct the wheel of the car.

I quickly slowed the car to a crawl, put on the caution light and navigated to the closest exit where I found a service station immediately off the high way. After notifying the gas attendant that I had car problems I began to call Advantage Rental to tell them that I lost power to steer the car while driving. I did not have a direct number so I dialed the 1800 customer service number given at the time of rental. The lady on the phone was cooperative and made more than four attempts to call Advantage in Raleigh, NC to assist but could not make connection with her own company.

Eventually she told me she sent an email in hopes that they would see it and call me back. She wished me well as she hung up. I then began to wait, and wait, and wait but did not receive a call. I had pulled the car off the road near my first destination so I called someone to follow me and made a decision to slowly try to navigate the car to that location where I could get assistance, stay warm in the 30 degree weather (with snow), and hopefully receive a small from the rental company.

When they finally called they notified me that they would have the car towed to a dealership in Charlotte since I was 1/2 way there and if they didn't think the car had problems they would charge me for all cost for the tow and car. I could not believe what I was hearing. The company was more concerned with who would incur the cost for the tow rather than the safety issues related to driving the car. I then asked since I did not get to use the car would they reimburse the charges and was then told that they would decide at some late time.

After going back and forth with this company who thought it was more important to question my integrity in dealing with an unsafe rental so they would not have to pay for a tow on their own vehicle or reimburse me for their defective ride, I decided to use my own resources to tow their vehicle back to their facility. I never made it to my destination but at least I lived to warn others. Absolutely do not rent from this company... They do not care whether you live or die as long as you pay.

If questioned, I have images of the car on the tow truck that I secured, four witnesses who saw the car condition, and my call logs and a tape recording of how unconcerned Advantage representatives were about this unsafe rental. As a side note, when I tried to get assistance at the Corporate level I was told that the manager was in a meeting and even if he wasn't I would not be able to speak with him or receive his name.

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Horrible House of Horrors
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

TAMPA, FLORIDA -- Bait and switch BS of the highest order mixed with a hunka-junk rental make for one sad-ass experience with Advantage on W Laurel St in Tampa. I had a hot-rate rental from Hotwire for a convertible Mustang, Chrysler Sebring, or similar. For those not aware, what that means is that you do not know the name of the rental company before you pay and once you pay and find out who is renting the vehicle there is no way to cancel the reservation. It is fully prepaid once you hit the confirmation button.

So I decided to go with the convertible option for the MLK weekend. Once I got my confirmation I noticed the agency was Advantage which immediately sent a bolt of terror down my spine as I've read some horrific reviews on this company and at this location in particular. Boy, are those 1-star reviews right on the money.

The picture on the printed confirmation next to the Advantage logo was of a Mustang convertible. When I got to the counter, I was asked if I wanted to pay for an upgrade to a premium convertible. Having seen a picture of a Corvette Stingray on the Advantage site and being a new Corvette Z06 owner I was expecting that to be the premium upgrade. NOPE! I was told I would have to pay a $30.00 upgrade charge to get the Mustang that was pictured on the confirmation. Oh, wait, I am wrong here. I was told it was a $45.00 "upgrade" fee for "premium" convertible but the agent knocked it down to $30.00. Bless her heart. (FWIW, this upgrade fee was indeed verified by Hotwire when I called them to complain about Advantage's misleading advertising.)

I was told that the base convertible was a Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Let me write that again in case you've tossed your lunch in laughter...A VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. I looked at the agent square in the eyes and said "that's bullshit." I paid for a Mustang or similar. The Beetle is not only not a sports car...IT'S A GIRLS' CAR. I said to the agent there was NO WAY I was going to drive a VW Beetle. I said it was deceptive advertising and that I would never have rented a Beetle for any rate. If it was offered for free I wouldn't drive it. I would ride a moped, a Segway, a Pogo stick, hell I'd walk before renting a Beetle. It's the girliest girl car made bar none. Bar none.

After I got my keys and a sheet to document the existing damage on the "premium" upgrade, I went to to see the vehicle. By far, the dirtiest, most beat-up vehicle I've ever rented and I'm a 51-year-old corporate guy so yeah, I've rented a few in my lifetime. The dings and smears on the outside and dirt on the inside were so bad (the car had over 38K miles on it...what do you do Advantage, buy cars from the rental car mausoleum?) I stopped writing the damage down and used my iPhone to film the entire car as I had zero confidence that Advantage wouldn't take advantage of me for missing one of the many blemishes on the car. Once I got the car on the road it was clear there was an alignment or wheel-balance issue as the front end shook as I drove at highway speed...not to the point of being unsafe, but the car was obviously poorly maintained.

You rented me a beat up pile of dung and charged me an upgrade for the honor. Nicely done you merry band of thieves.

Run from this company the second you see it as an option. Too bad Hotwire did not allow me to cancel the booking once I saw it was with Advantage as I never would've trusted them given what's already been written in the reviews.

You get what you pay for. Go with Advantage and find there's no advantage whatsoever with whatever price you've been quoted. Crappy cars, crappy, false advertising, and a boatload of poor reviews make for a deal with the devil.

Caveat Emptor!

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BEWARE OF THIS RIPOFF
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA -- DO NOT.. I REPEAT DO NOT USE ADVANTAGE CAR RENTAL. IT is a TOTAL Rip Off. Here is the NEW PLOY. The CON artists at the front desk will tell you their gas is cheaper so just bring it back and they "will take care of it". I told them I was only going to use the car for about a quarter of a tank. "Thats OK.. we will take care of it". They took care of it all right. I bring the car back with a 3/4 of a tank. I get my bill and they charged me $40 dollars for the gas. In other words, they charge for a COMPLETE tank, no matter how much you use.
In addition, there are other HIDDEN charges that they don't tell you about, for instance, a Concession FEE of 7 bucks, CFC charge of 8 bucks. You get the drift? Stay away from these CON Artists. It is a TOTAL SHAM and RIPOFF. USE UBER. It is a whole lot less expensive.

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Warning Do Not Rent From Advantage Car Rental
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- FT. LAUDERDALE AIRPORT, FLORIDA -- We made a reservation online to rent a car at Ft. Lauderdale airport last 2nd week of August. We only needed the car to get us to a Hotel in Palm Beach Shores. We were there at 6:45Am in the morning. While we where in front desk, they told us that they needed a $200 deposit. Aside from that they said we needed to pay for a full tank gasoline worth $32. Because we don't have choice and already paid the online reservation, we did avail the full tank and give the $200 deposit.

After the whole day, we decided to return the car at Advantage in Miami Airport at 7pm and get a new rental car from other company. When we are about to return the car they said that the car has a small damaged in front, a small gap between the bumper and the hood, which is barely unnoticeable. We know that we didn't get into any accident and didn't even use the car that much. That means we didn't even consume half of the gasoline we paid.

They make a note and let my wife sign about the small gap in front the bumper. They said it's just a note that said we've seen their comments. After a few days we received a claim from our insurance stating that we have to pay for the damage. Our insurance said we can't do anything about it since it is already filed. That leaves us no option but to pay of for it.

I've read reviews about Advantage. There are lots of customer complaints against them. They are worst in customer service. The staff are rude. And their claim are hoax and you can't do anything about it because they have direct access to your own insurance once you've used them. Hope this serves us a warning to other people planning to rent a car while traveling or on vacation.

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One of my worst life experiences ever
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

TAMPA, FLORIDA -- I just had one of the worst traumatizing experiences of my life thanks to this rental company. I flew to Tampa, Fl on business. Once landed picked up my rental and headed to my hotel. After I checked in I went and picked up my clients for a business dinner. This is where our night took a turn for the worst. We were pulled over by TPD. Knowing I did nothing wrong I was confused on what was going on and why their guns were drawn. After making us get out, searching the vehicle and running everyone's information we find out that they thought the vehicle was stolen due to the fact that some " genius" placed the wrong license plate on my rental. I'm a military veteran with ptsd and the last thing I needed was this stressful event taking place. Of course now our night is ruined and I have busy schedule tomorrow so I had no choice but to race back to the airport before they closed at 11:30 while on the phone with their corporate office. They tell me to call the manager at the Tampa branch where I was headed. Made it by 11:15. I explain to the attendant my situation and of course they didn't show any remorse for my situation and I wasn't expecting them to. I asked for the manager I'm told to call in the morning because they're sleep. Soooo the next day once I find a break in my day I follow up with the contact information given to me to reach the manager on duty. I call and I get the manager that's not on duty. She says she thought she forwarded the calls to the manager on duty and she'd pass my case over and they'd give me a call. Two days later I still have not received a call from them yet. I was trying to give them a chance to save face before I took this matter public but they don't seem to care about me or my horrible experience so I'll definitely be following up and taking this public. Rental# TPAEZ-28795

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Car Rental Charges With Advantage
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

DENVER, COLORADO -- I reserved a car online with Advantage Car Rental. We arrived in Denver, CO and was taken to the Advantage where we waited in line for 1 hour and 15 minutes. There was only 2 people behind the counter and at least 40 of us waiting for our cars. I got to the counter gave the man my confirmation number and proceeded with the reservation. He then asked if I wanted the additional insurance, I stated no as per my reservation states I don't want any of additional items. He then stated in front of my husband and I then initial all the boxes below. I did got my contract and went to my car.

The next month I got my credit card bill. Now my charges are doubled!!! An additional $260.00 in insurance and other charges. Well I called customer service to clear this up. Advantage Car Rentals response was – “You signed the optional products boxes, which means you wanted the items.” I explained to the 1st gentleman that the agent behind the counter said to initial if you DON'T want the products. The customer service agent then said that he would open a case and have my claim reviewed - 1 week later I called Advantage back because they NEVER called me back and they said that there was nothing they could do - that's it!!! No other actions will be made.

I am steaming mad that I got taken. Shame on me for believing the man behind the counter - but I will NEVER use Advantage again and I will make my discontent with the company as public as I can. I know that I am not the only one that got snookered by this company!!!

After speaking to the Supervisor I asked if I could speak to her supervisor and she said there is no other Supervisor for me to speak to - well ADVANTAGE CAR RENTAL your customer service is one of the worst I have ever dealt with and you should be ashamed of the way you treat your customers.

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Believe the Terrible Reviews!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- BELIEVE the terrible reviews! Reserved a mid-size SUV through Travelocity - where it prominently stated "UNLIMITED mileage". This was a bald-faced lie. Mileage was limited to 250 miles a day, additional mileage was a whopping 55 cents per mile, unless we paid $20 PER DAY for true unlimited mileage. We might have bitten the bullet and done it, however the next bombshell they hit us with was "We don't rent SUV's to locals" (we live in Albuquerque and were renting at the airport.) When asked why, the rude man at the desk replied "IF you had read your LOCAL service contract, YOU would have SEEN that it is our policy". He had no explanation of why that was their policy, and his attempt to throw the blame back on us because of not reading the massive fine print was equally aggravating. I had even called the company the day before to make SURE I got an SUV, as we needed it to navigate the dirt roads we were going on for our camping trip. At the call center - which was obviously in a different country - the woman ASSURED me that it was fine, and we would get an SUV. So, another lie, or at least complete misinformation. After reading a number of terrible reviews for the company, it appears this is the same kind of "local" policies they use at every office. They call it "local" policy, but the same criticisms appear over and over nationwide. I rent cars frequently and had never had an experience like this. I will never, EVER use Advantage again, and if you do, I assure you you're asking for trouble. Even if the 250 mile limit doesn't affect you, do you really want to do business with a company this sneaky and dishonest?

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Alleged Damage Claim Weeks After the Car Was in Their Possession.
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- When we picked our car the agent was nice, helpful and did not try to upsell me. I was optimistic that I had found my new "go to" car rental company. Everything was fine until we returned the car. They were extremely backed up w/ returned cars. The attendant didn't do a vehicle check because there were 20 cars ahead of us. Then three weeks later we get a damage claim from Advantage. The car was in their possession for weeks before they claim they found damage. I turned the claim over to my credit card company's insurance department. They tried to work with Advantage for three months.

Advantage failed to respond to requests for information needed by the insurance company. After 90 days the insurance company said they were closing the claim because Advantage, after several requests, failed to provide the documentation requested by the insurance company. Then in yesterday's mail I received a copy of a credit card payment receipt for the alleged damages. I will never do business w/ them again and I suggest others avoid them as well.

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Rip Off - The Worst
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA -- I made a reservation and paid for a "Jeep or other similar vehicle". I called to confirm and called when my flight was delayed and I was concerned I would not get there before they close. (Yes, even though they are at the airport they do close.) When I went to pick up the car I was told they did not have any of the class of vehicle I returned. They only had a more expensive car.

How can you reserve and pay for one car and when you go to pick it up they tell you they don't have a car for you and you have to pay double what you booked? I had no choice as I had my son, his wife and baby. I needed a bigger car (not a Prius which was an option they offered!). They were rude, unprofessional and a total rip off. I would give them zero stars if I could.

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Advantage Car Rental Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.1 out of 5, based on 52 ratings and
73 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Advantage Car Rental
25 Brae Boulevard
Park Ridge, NJ 07656-0713
1-800-777-5500 (ph)
www.advantage.com
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