Doesn't Recommend

njdominy

Joined 2 years ago

Beware deceptive practices and fees. I travel frequently for business and I have rented hundreds of cars, always from Avis or Enterprise. My wife and I decided to visit San Francisco on vacation and she used Kayak to make a booking at the SFO Thrifty. Her rationale was simple: they offered the cheapest rates for a one-week rental of a mid-sized car. At first, I was pleased with the choice when we arrived at the rental car facility - Thrifty had the shortest lines by far. Now in retrospect I should have suspected that something was amiss. I have never before experienced such smarmy service. Although I was explicit in declining additional insurance, it was applied anyway as a 'loss damage waiver'. And once the contract was issued, this insurance-disguised-as-a-waiver could not be reversed. When I protested, I received a smug lecture on the importance of reading a contract before signing it. This is true, but my experiences with Avis and Enterprise were always more transparent. Finally, when returning the car I was asked to provide a receipt proving that I had filled the gas tank within 10 miles of the airport. Although I had done this moments before, I didn't think to keep the receipt - despite an obviously full tank, this mistake cost me another $9 in fuel charges. My conclusion is that Thrifty might advertise the best rates, but that they make up for the difference with deceptive practices and fees. Be careful. I will never rent from Thrifty again.