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Dollar Rent A Car

Dollar Rent A Car •Rate Disputes •Damage Disputes •No Car Available •Surprise Fees/Taxes

Renting a car is one of those transactions that should be fairly straightforward. But if often turns out to be anything but ... and Dollar customers seem to have more than their share of problems, as the complaints in this section show.

Here are a few of the more recent complaints:

Paul of Langley, BC June 5, 2009

First of all I agree that I am responsible for forgetting my CD's in the car but. Once I had discovered that they were forgotten in the car I went to the outlet and asked after them. I was informed by the lost and found department that the car had been rented out and the cleaners had not found anything. I was promised that a note would be put on the account that when the next renters returned the car they would be asked about the cd's. It was not one but 22 cd's in a case. I had to call them back and ask and was informed they were not found. I suspect that the cleaning crew did find them and they just kept them. Also I was quoted one price on the website and charged considerably more on my credit card. I will not be using dollar again.

Andrew of Bohemia, NY June 5, 2009

Dollar claims that I missed a .50 toll booth. A letter was sent to me asking me to pay an additional 25.00. When called to tell them I did not miss a toll, I was told I did, and I had signed an agreement that claims I agree to pay the 25 if I do not pay tolls. The woman than hung up on me. I believe that Dollar is scaming its customers.

Lawrence of Las Vegas, NV June 3, 2009

Made a reservation for a Minivan for pickup in Knoxville and return in Memphis. Two weeks later they inform me I have to return in Knoxville instead. RATE IS: 1 Week at 279.00 per week. Unlimited mileage. 1 Extra Day at 49.00 per day. Base Rate: 328.00. Total Estimated Charges: 461.65. Reservation with a different company, two weeks later was 400 more

Kimberly of Rincon, GA May 23, 2009

I arrived 1 hour late to pick up Standard SUV rental with Dollar Rent a car in Savannah GA. I was told they no longer had the SUV, but I could rent a minivan at a substantially higher rate than the reserved price. The Dollar representative was not sympathetic or even trying to help me as I was stranded needing the car. The reservation was held with a credit card guarantee, and if I was not going to show up without cancelling I could have been charged a penalty. I was very surprised they had sold my car, but I'm sure it was for a much higher rate than my weekly rate!

Jesse of Whitby, ON May 18, 2009

On Jan 11 2009, I booked a car through expedia.ca, the rental company is Dollar Rent A Car, and through the travel agency website, I paid in full using my credit card and select to waive any optional package. Then I went to the orlando airport to pick up the car. They asked me if I need additional package, I said no, then the clerk asked me to sign the lease agreement, I noticed there were several places to sign, but I just signed without further looking into detail.

However when I returned from my trip, and my credit card bill showed that I got charged for an extra US156.95, I was very surprised about those charge, I called their customer service center, they told me that I had choosen several optional packages they provided, such as the Pass 24 (18.95), LDW1(Loss Damage Waiver)(124.95), etc. I was shocked, I didn't know I have choosen this options, plus nobody at the service counter did explain or simply told me that they were going to add these options to me, they just asked me to signed something at that time. Also, regarding to the Loss Damage Waier, I booked the car using my credit card, and I know my credit card already covered me for this, There was no reason for me and them to add this duplicate coverage. So

I asked the customer service representative for a refund, they refused, they said as I already signed for those and benefit from those service. I argued with them that I even didn't know the existence of these optional items hence how do i benefit from these, they just didn't listen to me.

So I filed a complain letter from their website about this. According to their statement, I should be able to get a reponse within 21 days. However I waited for more than 1 month and didn't hear anything back from them. So I filed a second complain letter again saying how careless their company is for a customer, finally somebody sent me an email to me, he said the samething as what they said before and exclaimed the case was closed. I was very disapointed, how can they just close a case without listen to the customer's words. And when I returned argument back to him, he just refused to further reply to me anymore.

From what I experienced, I had very bad feeling about Dollar Rent A Car, I swear I will never chose this company again.

Ted of Swindon, United Kingdom May 13, 2009

I and my family received a pre-paid van from Dollar on 14 April 2009 and then obtained an additional item, a sat nav system at a rental cost of 11.99. After 4 days the unit stopped working and I identified the fault as the plug on the power cable had some part missing. I telephoned Dollar to report this and to make sure that I was not charged rental for the next 10 days.

However, when I returned the car on 28 Apr the clerk told me I would be charged. After some dicusssion and mentioning the involvement of my credit card company he said that I would not be charged. He folded the paperwork and returned it to me and follishly I did not check because I assumed him top be truthful.

When I returned home and checked my credit card on line I found that not only had I been charged for the 10 days rental but another 149.00 for the replacement of the power cable. This was totally unexpected because I had not damaged the cable, only inserted it into the cigar lighter.

The 149 dollars charged is a blatant rip off because a new cable can be purchased retail for 20. Dollar clerks can lie, they can charge what they like for anything they like even though the customer is not at fault. Their customer service is not a service merely a way they have of putting off the legitimate complaints of their customers. My only hope now is for my credit card company to obtain a refund, failing which I can only write to the CEO at Tulsa and hope that he can ensure that the mission statement of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group is followed. I am also telling any friends who intend to visit the USA not under any circumstances to use Dollar.

veronica of san diego , CA May 1, 2009

I reserved a vehicle for a 5 day for a trip to San francisco CA. I made the reservation in san diego and when i got to the airport to pick up my car i was charged 180 more in fees and surchages that were not disclosed at the time of the reservation. I was told if you dont like it don't get the car. I filed a complaint and have not been contacted by Dollar rental car

Jerry of Chippewa Falls, WI April 23, 2009

I reserved a midsize car, and they told me all they had left was PT Crusiers.. thye said I had to go full size. They charged me another 250 for the week. when I picked up my car, there were plenty of Chrysler Sebrings. I will not go to them again... and reccomend staying away from the Phoenix Dollar Rental location.They will upgrade you everytime, and tell you they do not have mid sixe cars!

Tonya of Philadelphia, PA April 21, 2009

Arriving at the Rental counter to pick up my vehicle which was quoted to be 118 for 3 days, I was asked about insurance in case of an accident. I was given two amounts which was between 20 & 35 which I selected the higher amount for full coverage. I was also told I would have a 250.00 hold on my credit card or 15% of my rental whichever was higher. Now it's time to sign my contract. I asked Carlos the rep at the counter roughly how much my rental would be because I saw the 250 on the contract. All I was told was that I wouldn't know until I returned the vehichle. When I did return the vehicle I was being charged 250.91 for a car that was only 118 plus 35 for insurance.

What I wasn't told was that I was being charged per day for the insurance, so I now have a charge of 119 on top of my rental fee of 118, plus the other little charges the like to throw in. When I called to complain the only thing I was told was I signed the contract and there was nothing they could do. The gentleman on the phone was sure to break down every detail of my charges on the contract that I signed which the person at the counter conveniently failed to do. You need to be an accountant to understand all the figures they detail on their contract. Bottom line, always read and ask questions before you sign anything.

Nancy of Tucson, AZ April 20, 2009

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