Carrentals.com Consumer Reviews

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON -- I wish I could give CarRentals.com zero stars, as this was just a terrible experience. It all started with the reservation. I reserved my car through CarRentals.com to get a good deal. The process was a bit much, but I've had worse. As I was completing the reservation, I distinctly read that this location may accept debit cards. (hint: this comes up later.)

I selected Enterprise as I'm familiar with them so I could rent a car and take a trip to Wisconsin for a business meeting while we were on vacation in Chicago for the holidays. I arrived at Enterprise to pick up my car only to find out that they would not take my debit card. Yes, I am well aware their site says, "may". If they won't take a debit card, it should be "will not." I could have brought one if I had known, but I prefer to not carry as I only use my credit card in emergencies.

Enterprise lied TWICE about trying to contact me about not accepting debit cards for people who live out of state, first saying they tried to call me and left a message, but then admitted they did not have my full phone number (even though I gave it) and then admitted they really did not. Then they lied about emailing me about the credit card issue.

So now I have to wait for an hour while my wife bundles up our two kids and drives back to bring my card. And I'm late... Thanks. This was all avoidable. If they could not contact me - admit it. If there was an issue, so some empathy. They did neither. I'll use Enterprise again, but not this location. You shouldn't either.

So I contact CarRentals.com to let them know about the issue. I wasn't happy, but having worked from companies like this I know it's good to hear if there is a problem that can be solved, especially since it was CarRentals.com that I used for the reservation. Mind you, I asked for nothing. This was just an, "I'm not happy at all, but you should be aware of this" type email.

A little over an hour later I get a response that left me speechless: "... We would have been happy to find out their policy re: debit cards if you had requested that we ask for you." Are. You. Kidding. Me? That's their job. It's their job to know and they dropped the ball.

Here is my response to this: "Actually, I just won't use your service again. The second paragraph of your template, "We would have been happy to find out their policy re: debit cards if you had requested that we ask for you" is ridiculous. Your PAGE stated they may accept debit cards. I should not have had to ask. I'm done."

Six minutes later their support team emails back: "With all due respect, you should have asked because it said "may."" With all due respect?

Here was my final comment to CarRentals.com: "I would like to thank you for the response, however ill conceived your last response may be. It was illuminating. Many online companies pride themselves on customer service. I know it can be difficult sometimes receiving emails from angry customers.

I recall that I used to feel that way sometimes. I wanted to send a quick one or two sentence response to an angry customer in an effort to one-up their frustrated response. It's akin to dropping the mic and saying, "BAM! I'm out!" In reality you provide additional fodder, do nothing to solve the customer's initial problem and instead steel their resolve to make their experience known to others.

It used to be said that, on average, a satisfied customer will tell 3 people while an unsatisfied customer will tell 7. Unfortunately, social media popped up and transformed that. But enough of this back and forth. I stand by my original complaint, as well as my second. I'll just add this to the online reviews and no longer use your service. Merry Christmas."

I will NEVER use this company again. Don't hide. Don't be snide. Do your job.

VANCOUVER -- Rent a car. 1361 Robson St, Vancouver, BC. I rented a car almost a month ago and paid for it at that time. Now I got here and.... No car available! Yes, not kidding, there is no car for me. First, they said it was special requirements in the contract. I didn't require anything! Then, they tried to give me a compact, I rented an SUV!! All in all, I've been waiting here for a couple of hours, and I'm going to be waiting for I don't know how long. I lost my trip already, and no solutions. DON'T RECOMMEND NEVER, RUN AWAY FROM CARRENTALS AND THIS REPRESENTATIVE IN VANCOUVER!!

I must say... They are probably the greatest scam artists ever... I can only hope that karma really exists. I reserved a car online for a trip a few weeks in advance through carrentals.com. It was advertised that a credit card was needed to reserve the car but it would not be ran until I picked it up. Few days later they charged my card. "Ok, that's fine. I will just pay for it now," I thought.

Get to my destination and Payless Car Rental (who I will also never shop with again) says that they do not take payments from carrentals.com, only reservations. So I need to pay again. Also, the amount for the exact reservation I ordered was over DOUBLE when I got there. They claim that additional taxes prices may vary. The taxes costs more than the car itself. I was stranded. Tried to contact carrentals.com by phone... They make that almost impossible to find a phone number. They said I would have to file a complaint through email. I ruined my entire first day of my trip and spent the next few days stressed over money.

A few days later I tried again and they said that the money would be reimbursed when I dropped off the car. It wasn't. I chose to let my bank deal with it. 3 months later... bank says they can't get the money back. I spent the most time I have ever spent online trying to get a PHONE number to call carrentals.com. They definitely want to avoid people's calls. Got a guy and he says that the car was reported still not picked up. And that I should email them. I want to explode. These people have figured out a way to steal your money and hope that you get so tired of the chase to get it back that you simply give up. I want a lawsuit.

I was so excited to find a car for three days with such a phenomenal price with unlimited miles. Get to the counter and first I notice a sign that said "We will deduct $200.00 from your account if you use a credit or debit card. No refund will be issued until car is returned then allow up to 10 days for refund." Deep breathe... Too late to not rent the car but ok... I hand the agent my trusted printed out confirmation and before even looking she asked... "Are you flying in," I say no. "Where are you traveling?" North Carolina. She says "Ok we have to charge you per mileage." I said no my reservations say unlimited mileage.

She said "Well if you flew in that would be true but since you are local we have to charge you. I can add that in for you?" Wait... No why doesn't it say that on my reservations??? "Well you have to look down at the very bottom and it says that." I look all over my trusted confirmation and nowhere on the sheet does it say that. "It must be on the terms and condition page." I walk away totally disappointed and pray that my car will make the trip. I cancelled my reservation once I got home and then I see... "You may be charged for cancelling on the same day"... What the what??? I immediately cancelled the reservation I booked for July. This is pure foolishness.

"Thank you for booking at CarRentals.com. Below are the details of your reservation. When you arrive at the E-Z RENT-A-CAR pick-up location, use the confirmation code. Questions about your reservation? Call E-Z RENT-A-Car customer service 404-761-4999.

Your Confirmation Code. Reservation Details. Nissan Versa (or equivalent Compact). Unlimited mileage. Air Conditioning. Automatic. Pick-up. Friday May 20th, 2016, 10:00 AM. ATLANTA - Hartsfield International Airport (ATL). Atlanta International Airport 6000 North Terminal Parkway Atlanta, GA 30320. Drop-off. Monday May 23rd, 2016, 10:00 AM. Atlanta - Hartsfield International Airport (ATL). Atlanta International Airport 6000 North Terminal Parkway Atlanta, GA 30320."

CALIFORNIA -- I Googled for car rentals near LAX. One of the first that popped up was CarRentals.com. Looked legit with all the major companies listed. Booked a rental with the lowest priced one - Economy Car rentals. Never heard of it, but whatever. Done deal.

Got into L.A., but plans changed and had to cut my three day stay short. No worries, I'll just return the rental and get refunded. Wrong!!! Economy Car rentals didn't want anything to do with the refund - "call CarRentals.com," I was told, "and they'll refund you." I had to insist to get a receipt which stated that I returned the vehicle early... A little unnerving.

Sent an email to CarRentals.com explaining the situation and requesting a refund, and here's what I got instead: "Unfortunately, you had a prepaid rental which could not be cancelled, changed or refunded. You agreed to these terms at the time you purchased it. As such, there is no refund for early return. Sorry."

Maybe I misunderstood the terms when placing my order. I know I misunderstood the part that says I am not dealing with the actual rental company, but a middleman (Maybe it didn't say that anywhere?). A middleman that does not want to give up a penny they have received from you! I've never heard of such terms with a car rental!

I honestly thought I would be dealing with the actual rental company. Just like you do when you buy an airplane ticket from CheapOair or Orbitz or something. You can call the airline and deal with them. Well, not here. WHY did Economy Car Rentals not tell me this when I went to return the car??? I would have kept it for the duration and let my son use it.

Never, never, never, never again! This goes for both of these dishonest, pathetic, Fly-By-Night companies. These guys haven't even HEARD the word "customer service"! Don't try to save $5/day like I did, go directly with a reputable company. Don't get ripped off! Take your money and RUN away from these highwaymen!!

WASHINGTON -- I have used Carrentals.com twice before, booking cars in Atlanta and Orlando. I received excellent prices to the point where I was nervous about bait and switch, but both went smoothly. Granted this is more on the rental company, and I've wondered, 'well what can CarRentals.com do if they DO try to rip me off?

Well on a trip to LA I found out. My flight delayed, I looked up the location of the company I booked via CarRentals.com. First thing that came up was a review saying I was charged 5 times as much as my original reservation. As I ran through the airport expecting the worse, I made it just 5 minutes late and was told my rental - which I reserved via CarRentals for about $60 for the weekend - would actually be 89 a day before all the add-ons as if that mattered. After a bit of a battle I left and thinking of the previous review I read, decided to avoid the agency across the way thinking they may be in on it (turns out they do in fact share the same parent company).

I ended up at Alamo where I paid an additional 210 over my original agreement - only slightly less than the amount I refused to pay from the original location. To wrap up this long story, while my complaints to the rental company went unanswered, CarRentals.com was incredibly helpful and responsive, a few times even contacting me when I had given up on hope of this being resolved. Finally, 4 months later I was shocked to receive a reimbursement for the difference in cost from the rental agency!

I'm still amazed they were able and willing to pursue this to the end; I've heard so many horror stories about rental companies that it seemed hopeless: really I was venting with no expectation of getting my money back. Given some of the negative reviews, I can only guess that perhaps they have realized their clout and are now wielding it to keep rental agencies responsible and their clients satisfied? After all, they can really hurt a company's web presence if they want to. I'll certainly use them and recommend them again.

BUFFFALO, NEW YORK -- I had a confirmed reservation with CarRentals.com. (Enterprise Confirmation Code: **) with Enterprise, a company I have used before. On the way to pick up the car I received a call from the Enterprise location. Enterprise called me when I was in route to pick up the car to say "I don't know why you got a reservation, we do not have any cars. Here is a number to call." Thanks for leaving me stranded at the airport. I contacted CarRentals.com and got a generic reply.

Here it is: "CarRentals.com would like to thank you for emailing us with your comments. We continue to strive to meet or exceed our customers' travel expectations and if one of our affiliates does not fulfill their obligation to you, then we appreciate being made aware of their shortcomings. You had a confirmed reservation. There are times due to unforeseen circumstances, such as another renter not returning a vehicle or when unexpected damages occur to the vehicle, which cause the vendor to be unable to provide you a vehicle.

If you were able to obtain a vehicle from another source, you can contact their Customer Service Department to seek reimbursement if the charges were more than originally booked. Of course, any options added at the rental counter would still be at your cost. Contrary to the poor impression this experience has left with you, this is certainly not representative of the high quality of service we strive to give our customers."

A few days after I received a call from Charles the manager at Enterprise. He was apologetic and offered to comp a few days rental. Well, I do not need another rental car. I sent Charles an email asking for a gift card for the difference between the two rentals (about $30.00) and to this day I have not heard back. I thought this very reasonable for the inconvenience. Certainly I would not recommend either of these companies.

I would never use CarRentals.com again. The rates may appear to be good but that isn't the way it turned out. It was a waste of time and an inconvenience. And to Charles at Enterprise...you got my phone number...you have my email. I am still waiting to hear back!

I would leave a 0 star if I could. This company (carrentals.com) are scammers, liars, provide no customer support, and ultimately in the end cost me money with providing me no service what so ever.

Here are the details:

1: They booked me a car an hour drive away that showed to be available. My total was $88 for two days.

2: I am instantly charged $27 for their third party insurance.

3: I PAY $80 to get to the pickup location; an hour away, and surprise the car is not available.

4: I call carrentals.com to tell them what happen and they said we are sorry we can find you an other one.

5: They find the same freaking car, that doesn't exist, at the same place, that has 0 cars available. They tell me to go there. I literally ask "are you telling me to go back to the exact same place, that had 0 cars available, for the exact same car I just didn't get?" She said yes. They literally found the same broken deal on the website I found and told me to do it all over again.

6: I spend 15 min on the phone with the lady as she searched for an other car. She found 1 car, across town, for $180 total, $100 more then my original statement, after I have already paid $80 + $27.

7: I ask to cancel everything and for my $27 back. They said sure, right after this phone call you will receive a cancellation / refund email. That NEVER ever ever happened. They didn't even attempt to refund it.

8: I ask to speak to a supervisor, they said he was super busy and will call me back in an hour and a half. This also never happens

9: I had to manually call their hired third party insurance company to cancel it myself without carrentals.com's help after they told me they did it and the confirmation of the cancellation was coming to my email.

10: Oh yeah, at one point during this phone call the lady suggested I try going back to the website and doing it all over again.

Absolute nightmare. Horrible customer support. Scamming tactics in the sense they get third party companies sells so they get a piece of the pie for that, then don't help with those cancellations when requested.

AVOID.

TEXAS -- Carrentals.com says unlimited mileage but rental company said they only provide 250 miles per day. Carrentals.com sold an insurance but rental property said it won't covered 12 seated van which comes under truck chassis. Called insurance company and mentioned the same, insurance company said the same and cancelled my insurance and refunded. Airport van rental gave me a van with oil change required sign with 0% oil life in it. I was not comfortable renting that Van, sales associates suggested it could be only sensor problem and wanted to check the oil itself.

They called some service guy and checked and found there was no oil at all in the engine. They said they do not have any other 12 seated car to provide me. They offered me 2 minivans but it would not fulfill my purpose so I refused that. They said, they will cancel the reservation and refund me. But the booking was through carrentals.com so they asked me to contact carrentals.com. I spent over 3 and half hours just for nothing. I still needed the car as it was my family vacation trip and everything was planned.

I checked with all DFW airport car rentals company and luckily I got one from Budget but unfortunately I had to pay $1123 (more than 3 times). I am so disappointed with the service provided to me which caused a lot of hassle, waste of time and money. I called carrentals.com on the same day to cancel the reservation, they mentioned that they have to contact the rental company (airport van rental) and after getting the confirmation only they can refund.

Today, May 30th 2018, it has been 5 days already but I have not gotten any refunds or any emails. I just called carrentals.com and they are saying that they sent an email to airport van rental inquiring the same but have not gotten any response back. Still waiting for my refund. Cannot recommend anyone to go to either this place or book through carrentals.com. Hope this helps.

GEORGIA -- Completely unacceptable. I used this site as a first time customer for personal car rentals. Upon booking I was told I would receive unlimited miles and the price of the vendor selected was $10 cheaper a day than other competitors. I looked up reviews on the car company I was renting from and they were relatively poor but the bottom line was to make sure you read through all the documents prior to signing as they were great at adding additional charges. I went through everything with a fine tooth comb, clicked purchase, prepaid and then received a confirmation email stating details already relayed as well as look at the companies policies of the car company I had selected. I read through these as well following the due diligence the reviews had advised come to find out it was not unlimited. I called the car service provider thinking this might just be a standard form and did not relay to my rental and they confirmed additional fees would apply. I called to cancel the order with Car Rentals and explained the situation and to my disbelief Car Rentals confirmed they were aware of this and had several complaints of similar nature in the past and would be willing to offer a limited reimbursement but an administrative fee would apply. I cannot believe they would not make this knowledge accessible to the user PRIOR to booking and furthermore had the audacity to charge an administrative fee. When I went on to inquire what companies actually had unlimited mileage I was told they were few and far between and not offered ANY company to book from yet ALL of their car companies they use state clearly there is unlimited mileage. I thought that it was just the car company not clearly communicating with the site but I am baffled to hear that it is the site itself that intentionally hides the additional charges to make you feel as though you are getting a good rate. Word to the wise, if you are fooled call and cancel the card with your credit card company. You shouldn't have to pay this scam site a dime especially during a time of bereavement such as mine.