Complain about a product or service

Alamo Car Rental

Gina of Sturgeon Bay WI (08/02/08)
I rented an Alamo car in November 2007 at the Salt Lake Airport. I turned in the car and no damages were noted to me. Everything seemed fine and the guy gave me the slip which I expected. In March I had a pay a claim for a chip on the windshield for that car. I had protested it and I told them nothing happened to that windshield in my possession. I told them I never saw any damage to the windshield.

I wrote the protest letter and still lost. The charge was $274.98. The lady at the Purco Fleet Services, Inc. reduced a portion of the charge but I still had to pay $219.79. Then on June 1-9 I rented another car from Alamo in Salt Lake City again. My airline books me with Alamo but I had vowed to inspect the windshield extra carefully this time. I always inspect the car but had forgotten the windshield on that November trip.

The sheet they gave me of any flaws to the car did not note some major flaws on the paint. But more importantly it did not note anything on the windshield. In the dark parking garage, I found 8, yes, 8 chips on that windshield when I looked closely. I immediately went back to the Alamo guy in the garage and made him update my records. When I got out in the light, I found more flaws on the bumper which did not show up in the dark of the garage. I called back to note those.

I did not get charged this time, but feel this experience backs my earlier claim that the windshield flaw I paid for was already there when I rented the car. I wonder how many extra fees they pick up from renters by collecting damage fees and not repairing only to charge some other innocent customer.

Lee of Crown Point IN (07/29/08)
A few weeks ago, my short visit to the islands ended in a sour note when I returned my rental car to the Alamo Rental Car on Nimitz Highway near the Honolulu International Airport. After I pulled into the lot, the return agent handed me a big surprise; a $168 charge for collision damage waiver insurance. What? I thought I made it very clear to the rental agent on the first day that I don't want or need this insurance since I was covered by my credit card company. Obviously, in the rush to initial a dozen boxes and sign the contract, I did not double-check the contract to verify that the collision damage waiver insurance option was not selected. I tried to contest this with another agent when I returned the car. I asked to see the original contract but was told it was unavailable and to call the 800 number. I had a plane to catch so couldn't pursue the matter any further. In essence I ended up double paying for this car rental. Once as part of a prepaid airfare and car rental package from Delta and Priceline.

Second, as part of this questionable insurance option at $24.95 per day for seven days. I wonder how many other tourists are being blindsided in this way? Sure, if confronted, the local Alamo station manager may say this was my fault, or there was a miscommunication, or at best, this was an honest mistake. However, one must wonder if this situation occurs more often than the public knows. Remember the Jiffy Lube oil change scam in California? Employees were ordered to charge customers for services that were not performed in order to increase profits for the district manager. I hope this is not the case with the local Nimitz Alamo. But let me tell you, at this moment, I am very suspicious.

Unexpected charge for unwanted services.

E of Wigton OTHER (07/22/08)
Recently we hired a car from ALAMO pre-booked and prepaid through Yes car hire Worldwide, Slough. This was prepaid for 14 days to collect from Sanford Orlando International on the 31 May 2008 and to return to the same airport on 14 June 2008. On arrival we paid for a tank of petrol $65.23. The car was returned on time and undamaged on the 14 June 08 to Sanford Airport. When the car was checked back in and inspected by Alamo the check in woman made a mistake and charged us for petrol that had been pre paid she sent us to the office with a receipt to get this petrol charge removed.

The man in the office seemed to be struggling to sort out the charge for the petrol I asked for an up to date receipt he handed me what I thought was a receipt I asked if my account was clear he said yes. The receipt I found later was actually a invoice. The invoice that I received has incorrect information and the drop off depot was wrong. It seems to me that my name and card number were on this invoice but other information not relating to me was on the document dated the 31 May and the 3rdof June 2008

There should have been no further charges however, on returning back home we find that Alamo has charged us $994.81? I have had no bill of any kind for this amount I also have contacted Alamo car hire but there has been no respone or bill yet

$994.81 =525 was charged with out notice to my VISA acount.

Mary of Portland OR (05/14/08)
I rented a car from Alamo the end of Feb 2008 and returned it at 4:20 am the 4th of March. I checked it for damage, there was none. I was checked out with my receipt and on my way to my early plane home. A month later I was called by someone representing Alamo telling me that there was damage to the car and the cost to me would be $600. I know that there was no damage to this car as I had double checked it. I argued with them and they told me that a manager would be calling me in 7-10 days. No call.

A few weeks later I received a cheapo xeroxed looking letter with no details of the claim against me, asking for my insurance and credit card services information. I filed the incident with my credit card company, and so far am waiting for Alamo's next move. ONce a claim number has been given, my cc company gives 365 days to supply them with the details for proof of the incident. Its very hard for me to want to follow through with the claim to the cc company and my insurance company as I know that this has to be fraudulent and I want nothing to do with it. It is Alamo's word against mine. From now on, I will be photographing any car I rent, and I will never use Alamo again. I suggest no one else should either.

There was no incident or damage, but the consequences will be $600 extorted from me or my insurance and credit card company.

Steve of Virginia Beach VA (04/25/08)
I turned the car at the Orlando Int'l Airport following a five day rental and the car checker person didn't see any damage, she typed a few things into her handheld scanner, printed the receipt and I was set to go on my way. Not so fast, another car checker person in another line must have noticed the scratches and walked over to my car checker person and pointed them out. My car checker had to hand write a note on the back of my receipt that said scratch, right bumper. I stated that I did not acknowledge that the scratch occurred while in my possession. She said not to worry about it, the car is scheduled for service anyway, that I had to just turn the receipt in to the desk at the end of the parking garage. Yeah, right, don't worry about it.

As soon as I got in the airport I dug out my camera and went back out to take some photos. I was immediately confronted by three Alamo car checker persons. A week after I returned from my trip I received a damage collection notice from Alamo requesting my insurance or credit card information. No bill, no work list, no itemized list of repairs . . . just a request for my method of payment information. After two weeks of phone calls I finally got in touch with someone who could, a) provide me list of damages, and b) the cost. Initially I was told $271+ for damage to REAR QUARTER PANEL, TRUNK LOCK, and PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE!

Here's the kicker, the 'Loss of Service' charge. What the? Loss of service for scratches? I explained that I was told about the scratches not all the other damage as described. I said I doubted that a couple of small scratches would cost 271 bucks to repair. She told me to call back in a week. I called back, she said call back in two weeks. Every time I called I was handed off to a different person and had to retell the story each time. Finally, today, I was told that some of the damages would be waived, including the ubiquitous 'Loss of Service' fee. So my new total is $158.50. That's a waiver of $112.50; $49.50 for the 'loss of Service' and $63 for the REAR QUARTER PANEL, TRUNK LOCK and PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE.

Here's the part I don't understand, and neither did the lady I was talking to on the phone today (analytical thinking not being a requirement for employment with Alamo), the first time anyone told me the cost of repairs it included the Rear Quarter Panel, Trunk Lock, and Passenger Door Handle . . . there was no mention of the scratches! Now, all of sudden, those scratches cost $158 to repair and the original 'damage' only totaled $63. The repair bill for the scratch is the majority of the bill, do you really think that was overlooked during my first five calls to Alamo? But don't worry about it, right? Here were my options (actually, a veiled threat, bordering extortion as it was presented to me): 1) Pay the $158 today, on the phone with a credit card, or 2) The full $271 will be sent to a collection agency. I know people have to rent cars, and sometimes those cars get damaged, but do yourself a favor and rent from someone that's puts a little more value on their customers.

Charmonix of Helena MT (04/01/08)
I reserved an economy car from the Washington Reagan Airport from March 11 to March 19 for $9.99 per day plus taxes. The economy car turned out to be a two door while I needed a four door. The next size up, a compact, was available with a charge of $35 per day. Since it was late and we were all tired, I took the compact car. However, I found a much better rate from one of their competitors, Avis, so I returned the car on March 13. The two day charge was $269.62 which works out to be more than $130 per day, which is more than 3 times the $35 per day I was quoted. According to their early return rental policy, the charge for an early return should only be $15 per day which means I should have been charged $70 + $30 for two days plus taxes, much less than the $269.62. Please credit my debit card which is on file. Needless to say, I will be telling all my family and friends about the extremely high prices they charge and the lousy customer service I've received. I will also be telling everyone about the low prices I received from Avis and their good customer service.

I spent $269.62 for a rental car that I had for 2 days.

Kevin of Rockford MN (03/28/08)
I had rented a car from Alamo at Miami Int'l. Airport, returned Oct. 7, 2007. In late January I received a letter claiming there was $400 worth of damage on that rental. This is false and outrageous, not huge money and I could turn it into my insurance, but I refuse to do so because this did not happen when I had their vehicle! This vehicle was turned in with absolutely no damage, I was checked in by not one, but two Alamo employees. Alamo and their parent, in spite of several appeals and correspondence on this, refuses to reverse this claim. They have their collectors, First Financial calling me constantly. This is a nightmare. No one of any authority at Vanguard's headquarters in Tulsa will talk to me, instead they continue to try and extort money from me over a ficticious claim.

Extreme stress, damage to credit, loss of sleep.

William of Rock Hill SC (03/11/08)
We rented an Alamo car at the Orlando airport, and returned it 3 days later with no damage. When we turned the keys back over, the person checking us in made no notation of any damage to the car. About two weeks later I received a claim for $771 for damage. I contacted the Alamo claim center, and discussed this issue with 4 different people who offered very little in the way of negotiation. They used their body shop (14 hours of labor for a minor scratch), and the car was repaired before I was even notified. So... now I can't get a 3rd party to give an estimate. 1. The car was in my control and was not damaged when I returned it. 2. No note of any damage was made when I returned it. 3. The estimate to repair the scratch was way out of line with common sense. I could have had the entire car repainted for $770. 4. The damage was repaired before I was even notified there was damage, and could dispute what they say happened. 5. Since I signed the contract, I am bound to let them make any claim they want, repair the damage any way they want, at any price they want, by their own body shop.

Hmmm... something stinks here. I will not deal with Alamo again, and I will photograph any car I rent both before and after I get the keys. There is no question in my mind that this practice is commonplace and is very unethical. "Let the buyer beware" seems to be Alamo's motto... Best of luck....

Scott of Chanhassen MN (03/03/08)
My wife and I recently rented a car from Alamo in Las Vegas, NV (Feb 15-18, 2008). When the subject of insurance coverage came up, I told the gentleman that we had car insurance. He told my wife and me, that we needed to carry something through Alamo. Being a car rental newbie, and assuming he wouldn't lie to us, we signed the paperwork. After we got home, I called my Insurance Agent. He explained that my insurance is more than adequate to cover a car rental. He thought it sounded like a scam. Anyway, after calling Customer Service and getting a very rude agent, who kept saying Sir, you signed the paperwork...we were refunded the charge for the CDW--only after I threated to go to the BBB.

However, this would have never happened if he hadn't lied. I am much wiser now, but will never rent from Alamo again. I feel like everyone at my company is aware of my experience with Alamo now, and hopefully they will stay away from this company as well. We were charged almost $120.00 total, which included Taxes and Fees. I was informed that we will be refunded $71.71 of our total charge.

Mark of Londonderry NH (11/27/07)
Alamo has a clever way to double or triple the bill of unsuspecting customers. Over the web, I arranged to rent a car from Alamo for 5 days and received a special weekly rate of $149. My return plans changed, and I had to return the car on the fourth day. I fully expected to pay the entire $149 as I agreed and wasn't looking for a pro-rated charge - in fact the confirmation email states that early returns on special weekly rates are not entitled to a proportionate refund. Fine. What I wasn't expecting was that for returning the car *early* my bill jumped from $149 to $288. When you return a car early Alamo considers the contract specifying the special weekly rate to be terminated and instead charges you its default daily rate.

Although this clause apparently exists deep in the rental agreement, there was no mention of this in my confirmation email; when I rented the car the rental agent only mentioned a $15 early return fee, nothing about doubling my bill. I've tried to figure out any coherent rationale for a company treating its customers like this and can think of none. As a footnote, after one angry exchange with a customer service rep who scolded me that it is my responsibility to read the contract (be sure to bring your attorney next time you rent from them) and a second follow up call, Alamo did agree to charge me only the original weekly rate this time only.

Wendy of Los Angeles CA (11/21/07)
My husband, daughter and I flew to Hawaii for vacation and attempted to rent a car with a child car seat. The customer service reps there and the manager on duty were horrible and extremely rude, despite making us wait two hours at nearly 1:00am our time in the pouring rain to get a functioning and safe car seat. This never happened. Troy Fujihara, the manager on duty, stated that Alamo replaces their car seats every two to three months and that the one offered to us was so disgusting due to regular wear and tear. This is untrue. Per the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration, all new cars and car seats are required to be installed with the latch system as of September 1st, 2002. The car seat Mr. Fujihara provided to us did not, and he confirmed that all Alamo car seats do not come with latches. We were not able to use the car seat they provided (which looked to be 7 or 8 years old) as I did not trust my child's safety in a car seat that did not meet current safety regulations. I wanted to warn families traveling with children to have a backup plan if they reserve a rental car with Alamo. We were stranded there without any option of getting our one year old to our hotel, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain (can't rent a cab without a car seat!) and the manager at Alamo didn't care, in fact he disappeared one hour into our ordeal. I am not sure if this is how all Alamo locations operate or only Honolulu - Honolulu could be the exception due to extremely poor management.

Besides dealing with a screaming child and being completely exhausted and appalled, there wasn't any damage as we did not use their outdated, unsafe car seat. The fact that they are renting these to customers is deplorable - they do not meet safety regulations.

Vince of Florence OR (10/13/07)
I travel to Las Vegas several times each year. On every occasion I rent a car from Alamo Rental Car at their airport shuttle site. I have noticed that, even though the cars are supposed to have full fuel tanks at the time of rental, when I return the car they always require much more fuel than should have been required for the minimal miles I have driven. On my most recent trip to Las Vegas I decided to pay closer attention and actually check the fuel supposedly used per miles driven. Sure enough, I drove 57 miles and the car required 8 gallons of gas when I filled up to return it. This was a high MPG auto that was rented.

David of North Andover MA (05/10/07)

When we arrived in London to pick up our car, the Alamo agent told us that credit cards did not provide an insurance waiver in England. He really pressured my wife and me to accept their waiver. We finally succumbed to the pressure, believing that he must know whether there is a credit card waiver available in England.

When we returned the car, they claimed there was $600 damage, which there wasn't. The deductible of Alamo's insurance didn't cover it. I discovered then that because we had signed the waiver, it invalidates our free 100% coverage through MasterCard Gold. We ended up paying about $799 because of their business practices.

Noel of Granada Hills CA (04/24/07)
We picked up the car at Seatle WA to Vancouver BC, we were quoted aprox $400 total ended up being charged in excess of $800.00 for a total of 4 day rental and no more that 300 mile trip. my wife called their customer servive dept and complained that the charge was over excessive so we ended up paying about $800, we'll never utilize alamo's service ever again.

Arlene of Naples FL (04/18/07)
Dear Alamo, I could not believe that your web site (aka your company) deceived me into believing I had a rental car lined up and ready to go via your online check-in service. I put in the required? confidential information on your web site to include our debit card that I hereby request you to delete immediately from your data warehousing server. You do not need any of my information ever as I will never use nor recommend Alamo Car Rental to anyone. You can believe me when I say I will go out of my way to make my friends, relatives, and co-workers aware of the service I did not receive.

I was allowed, via your online check-in web site, to believe that the rental car was not only ready and available for pick-up that the debit card I provided was debited and the transaction was paid for. Never in my life have I been so mislead. I get to the rental car company to pick up the car and apparently your company does not take a debit card to pay for the transaction. I secured the rental with my credit card; however, I did not have enough of a balance available to use my credit card to pay for the rental thats why I used the debit card.

The supervisor sent me down the counter to Dollar Rental which was able to handle the car rental payment using my debit card. Now either you have antiquated software or you people have some sort of agreement/kick back with credit card companies. I was late leaving and therefore, late arriving at my destination due to your negligence and deception. I really should take this up with an attorney. As it is, I believe letting the ten thousand acquaintances that I know of your lack of service and deception will be sufficient.

Molly of Kawkawlin MI (02/20/07)
We recently booked a rental car through Alamo.com for 10 days. Unfortunately, my husbands grandmother passed away while we were on vacation and we had to come home 3 days early. When we returned the car the agent made no indication of any problem. However, a few days later I was checking my credit card account and found that our rental charge had more than doubled from the price quoted in our confirmation. The Early Return Policy from Alamos website from which I booked the vehicle states:

An Early Return fee is charged at a rate of $15 per rental when a vehicle is returned at least one calendar day early and total daily/weekly charges is less than the initial charged amount. The email confirmation we received from Alamo says we are charged for a weekly rate of $152.89/week + an additional daily rate. After three attempts, I was finally able to receive a fax of the invoice, in which it states our weekly rate was increased to $513.30. We indeed had the car for a full week and do not understand how Alamo can more than triple that weekly rate after confirming $152.89/week.

Mary of Savigliano OTHER (11/11/06)
I rented a car for 12 days. It was not damage and when I returned it I was given my receipt. No damage to the car was mention by the two agents for Alamo. I rec'd three weeks after a letter from Alamo Damage recovery Unit which stated my car was damaged. In the letter it does not state what the damage is or any information. It more like a form letter with my name and a claims number. It is telling me to contact my credit card company since I refused the CDW for payment. The letter has a threatening tone to it.

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