Complain about a product or service

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:

Francis of Nassau, Bahamas, BC September 16, 2009

While on vacation we rented a car on September 7th 2009 from Dollar Rent a Car for a period of 9 days with the intention of returning in another location. It was indicated that a "small" fee would apply but the amount was not quoted. The first car that we got from Dollar was a Dodge Caliper, when we drove on the interstate it wobbled uncontrollably and put us in danger. I returned the car to dollar and they replaced the car and provide no compensation. While enjoying our vacation we got news of a relative being ill in Charlotte NC and decided to visit. We did not anticipate the drive time and duration but got there safely in time to see our sick relative who is now terminal. The news was not good so we decided to not drive the car back to but to take a flight back to miami. I contacted Dollar on Monday September 14th 2009 and informed them that due to my situation I intended to return the car at the Charlotte Airport and wanted to know if it would be ok and that i was prepared to pay the small fee. I was told that the amount would be 300.00!

This was excessive to me as I was told when i rented the car that there would be a "small" fee to return the car in another location. The agent I dealt with said that she could not help me and refered me to a supervisor. When I spoke to Supervisor Jaime #13050 he said that the amount was what it was because I was planing to return the car out of state. I asked him for a break down of the cost and he said he was unable to give it to me. This was shocking! I told him that I drove to NC on one (1) tank fo Gas at a cost of 30.00. I told him that i could pay the cost of gas and evern a little more for the inconvenience but He said he tried to reach the department that could give me that information on the break down of the fee but they did not return his call. I feel that I am being taken advantage of and that Dollar is being unfair. This needs to be looked into. seriously as Dollar cannot just decide to charge any amount after promising first that a cost would be small.

David of Boise, ID September 8, 2009

I had originally booked my car rental thru Expedia and when I arrived at the counter at MSP in Minneapolis, MN, I was immediately offered an upgrade to the car, (from Mid-sized to Premium). Due to the amount of people waiting and my time frame, I asked why the upgrade and was told that they had some specials going on (50% off the regular rates). The upgrade showed on a printed card that she produced from behind the counter as being 33 a day. Since the rate that I was booked for was 34.95 a day, I said sure.

Although I told her that I did not want the insurance, a printed card on the counter showed 3 choices of insurance that one could choose from. SHe told me to 'pick one' of the three. Again, I declined all three and told her that I had insurance. She then produced the paperwork, I signed and was on my way. Later, I noticed that I had now been charged my original 34.95 PLUS the charge of 33 per day plus and upgrade fee of 135. My bill had gone from 200 to over 400.

When I called to complain,, the reply I got from their customer service was, so sad to bad, you signed the paperwork. I feel like I have been a victom of a quick change artist or scam artist. I also told them that I would NEVER again rent from them and would advise anyone else the same. Also, the rental had CA plates and the car had 48,310 miles on it when I picked it up. The economic result is twice the original price for a rental car from Dollar. And they could not care less.

Ann of Beaverton, OR August 28, 2009

I rented a car from Dollar Rent a Car for my vacation. When I went to pick up the car I went through the process of paying for insurance coverage for that vehicle. My own car 'died' last year and as I did not replace it I decided to drop my auto insurance coverage. It is illegal to drive w/o liability coverage in the state of Oregon so I went in to the rental office with the intention of purchasing liability coverage for myself. At the agency, the representative Kelsey Brockman was explaining my insurance options and I became confused.

In attempting to understand what I was buying I asked her pointedly, "Do I have liability coverage with this?". She did not answer my question . Instead, she went around it telling me what other things were offered. I asked her a second time, "Do I have liability coverage with this? Again I got no straight answer.

At that point I began to feel suspicious of them and at the same time began to doubt myself because I know how confused I have felt in the past when discussing different types of car insurance coverage with my personal insurance agent. I told myself that there had to be liability coverage in what I was buying because it couldn't be legal for them to let me drive off the lot w/o it in Oregon, could it? I felt embarrassed that I didn't understand what was being said to me.

In the end I decided to rent the car. I purchased insurance coverage for the rental car but declined additional coverage that would have paid for up to 1 million in property damage. On my receipt it shows I accepted PAI/PEP and SLI and that I declined LDW. Unfortunately I was involved in a traffic accident while driving the rental car and when I turned the car in to the rental agency I was very distraught.

The supervisor S. Jones assured me that it was okay because I had insurance for the rental. I said, "But what about the the other person's car?" Ms. Jones very tersely informed that "You do NOT have any liability coverage!" I asked her how that was possible. She said that the liability coverage they offer only covers above and beyond what my own auto policy would cover. I said, "But I don't have any auto insurance! That's why I asked the girl TWICE who helped me if I have liability coverage with what I was purchasing. Because I NEVER in a million years would have rented that car if I had understood that I wasn't covered or that you don't provide that kind of coverage! NEVER!"

In the days since I have spoken by phone with Ms. Jones several times. When I reiterated that I never would have rented that car if I had known that I wasn't able to buy liability coverage for the other party Ms. Jones very coolly replied, "Well did she (K. Brockman) include a copy of the terms of our insurance policy in your rental packet?" At that point I felt like I'd been 'had' big time.

I've called their division office in Seattle and received no reply . I've talked to a lawyer who doesn't want to schedule any time for me until I do more 'footwork' and have more information for him. I really feel powerless in this situation and strongly advise anyone thinking of renting from Dollar Rent A Car to take their business elsewhere. I could really use some legal advice. Please help me.

Penney of Alto, MI August 25, 2009

My husband and I rented a Dodge Charger at DFW airport on Thurs, August 13th thru Monday, August 17th. On Friday, August 14th we drove to Austin. On that Friday night we parked in downtown Austin on a side street to go see the bats under the bridge. When we parked we paid thru 5:30pm per the blue box (said that from 5:30pm to 8:30am it is free parking) that dispenses the parking tickets to put in the windshields for these 8 spots. However, come to find out there are 2 signs about 1/2 block apart, and about 8 ft off the ground on poles that state that after 7pm the 8 spots and 1 on the other side of an alley become Valet parking spots and are a tow-away zone. Of course we didn't see that because the signs were so far apart and high in the air that we didn't see them while looking for a spot and paying attention to the 3 lanes of traffic on the street. So the vehicle was towed.

Before finding out that our vehicle had been towed, we found a police officer on the street a block or two away, who was ticketing other cars in the same type of parking situation. As we were talking to him another vistor to the city came up to the officer and mentioned that he didn't know why he was getting a ticket. The officer flashed his light up into the air at the sign indicating that the gentleman didn't see the sign. Apparently we aren't the only ones to not look up into the sky and see these signs. Okay, we screwed up, we were willing to pay the tow fee and the ticket from the cops and just get the car back.

Now here is the problem, in Texas only the registered owner of the vehicle can get the car out of the impound lot. Hence, we weren't the owners, Dollar is. The local Dollar is independently owned so they couldn't sign the car out only the Corporate office in Dallas can. So we call Dollar in DFW only to find out that they don't have the letter that needs to be faxed to the tow company, and the letter has to be notarized before it will be acceptable. So we ask when they can fax that letter to the tow company so we can get the vehicle out.

We are told that the Corporate office is the only one who can do that and they are closed from Friday at 5pm until Monday morning. There is no way for us to get our vehicle back until Monday morning. Also it should be noted that since we weren't the owners, anything in the vehicle was off limits to us until the car is signed out, luckily we had dropped our luggage off before going into the city.

So because Dollar has no emergency contingencies in place for THIS kind of emergency we had to rent another vehicle (this time we rented from a different company). Then because we couldn't check the vehicle out of the impound lot before 48 hours we had to pay an additional 50.00 for a certified letter (required by law if the impound lot has a vehicle over 48 hrs) that had to be sent to the owner to inform them of where the vehicle was. Also, because we couldn't get the car out until Monday we had to pay for impound lot storage fees of 22.00 per day for Saturday and Sunday also (they charge an additional day fee if the vehicle is there at midnight on any night).

So because Dollar has no one on call in case of an emergency over the weekend hours it cost us an additional 200.00 . While we were willing to pay for not seeing the signs, we shouldn't be stuck with paying for extra costs because Dollar wants to rent vehicles to people 24 hours a day/7 days a week but only wants to service them during the business week. Apparently they don't care if they cost customers extra money because they don't want to inconvenience themselves on the weekends on don't have anyone on call just in case. People would be better off paying extra to companies who value their customer and have procedures in place to cover all possible emergencies. Lesson learned here, watch where you park if you are in Austin, or anywhere in Texas and 2) don't rent from Dollar until they amend their policies and practices.

Penney of Alto, MI August 25, 2009

My husband and I rented a Dodge Charger at DFW airport on Thurs, August 13th thru Monday, August 17th. On Friday, August 14th we drove to Austin. On that Friday night we parked in downtown Austin on a side street to go see the bats under the bridge. When we parked we paid thru 5:30pm per the blue box (said that from 5:30pm to 8:30am it is free parking) that dispenses the parking tickets to put in the windshields for these 8 spots. However, come to find out there are 2 signs about 1/2 block apart, and about 8 ft off the ground on poles that state that after 7pm the 8 spots and 1 on the other side of an alley become Valet parking spots and are a tow-away zone. Of course we didn't see that because the signs were so far apart and high in the air that we didn't see them while looking for a spot and paying attention to the 3 lanes of traffic on the street. So the vehicle was towed.

Before finding out that our vehicle had been towed, we found a police officer on the street a block or two away, who was ticketing other cars in the same type of parking situation. As we were talking to him another vistor to the city came up to the officer and mentioned that he didn't know why he was getting a ticket. The officer flashed his light up into the air at the sign indicating that the gentleman didn't see the sign. Apparently we aren't the only ones to not look up into the sky and see these signs. Okay, we screwed up, we were willing to pay the tow fee and the ticket from the cops and just get the car back.

Now here is the problem, in Texas only the registered owner of the vehicle can get the car out of the impound lot. Hence, we weren't the owners, Dollar is. The local Dollar is independently owned so they couldn't sign the car out only the Corporate office in Dallas can. So we call Dollar in DFW only to find out that they don't have the letter that needs to be faxed to the tow company, and the letter has to be notarized before it will be acceptable. So we ask when they can fax that letter to the tow company so we can get the vehicle out. We are told that the Corporate office is the only one who can do that and they are closed from Friday at 5pm until Monday morning. There is no way for us to get our vehicle back until Monday morning. Also it should be noted that since we weren't the owners, anything in the vehicle was off limits to us until the car is signed out, luckily we had dropped our luggage off before going into the city.

So because Dollar has no emergency contingencies in place for THIS kind of emergency we had to rent another vehicle (this time we rented from a different company). Then because we couldn't check the vehicle out of the impound lot before 48 hours we had to pay an additional 50.00 for a certified letter (required by law if the impound lot has a vehicle over 48 hrs) that had to be sent to the owner to inform them of where the vehicle was. Also, because we couldn't get the car out until Monday we had to pay for impound lot storage fees of 22.00 per day for Saturday and Sunday also (they charge an additional day fee if the vehicle is there at midnight on any night).

So because Dollar has no one on call in case of an emergency over the weekend hours it cost us an additional 200.00 . While we were willing to pay for not seeing the signs, we shouldn't be stuck with paying for extra costs because Dollar wants to rent vehicles to people 24 hours a day/7 days a week but only wants to service them during the business week. Apparently they don't care if they cost customers extra money because they don't want to inconvenience themselves on the weekends on don't have anyone on call just in case. People would be better off paying extra to companies who value their customer and have procedures in place to cover all possible emergencies. Lesson learned here, watch where you park if you are in Austin, or anywhere in Texas and 2) don't rent from Dollar until they amend their policies and practices.

Kenneth of Danville, CA August 20, 2009

We rented a midsize car in Connecticut for 2 weeks. Several problems began immediately, but the most serious one occurred within a few days of using the car. We noticed our left front tire was not only bald, but worn down to the threads. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to us, but it was a close call.

Our complaint to the corporate office has so far been ignored - it has been a week. We would be willing to testify about our experience if it helps prevent anyone from dying. Enterprising attorneys need to track this company.

Nuri of Izmir, Turkey August 18, 2009

I've reserved the car through Autoeurope, Dollar Rent a Car's partner in UK. The first car that I've been given in O'hare Chicago was making all kinds of noises on the road, that I had to stop and ask for a change in Milwaukee Airport. The first car I've been given was also not-safe-to-drive, therefore I asked an other one. The last one was so noisy, that you can not speak inside the car, had no power windows or door lock. But I had to take the car as I was already late.

The worst was on the way back. As I did my online c'in, I arrived at O'hare, one hour before my flight. I delivered the car, and started to wait for the shuttle to take me to the terminal. As the shuttle bus did not leave on time, a entered to the building and asked what is happening. I've been told that as I'm the only customer, the shuttle will wait for the next group of customers... Even if I begged, I had to wait there for more than 30 minutes, and therefore missed the flight.

I arrived to Florida, at 1:30 AM, and started the car only at 3:30 AM. Each transaction in Orlando Dollar takes at least 30 minutes. They had 2-3 personnel and only 6 customers when I arrived, and it took two hours to get the keys of the car. The first car had problems with the breaks. The second car a bad battery, that I had to jump start using some help around, as Dollar Emergency Number called me back only after 1 hour, and told me that the help is on the way, and may arrive in one hour... The last car was the only decent car that I ever had during the entire, and last experience with Dollar Rent a Car..

Ken of NY, NY August 17, 2009

I rented a 15-passenger van from Dollar rental car from 8/14/09 - 8/16/09. Approximately 0.4 miles from the rental location (driving at approximately 30 mph) the rear passenger-side tire BLEW out. I did not drive over anything. There was heavy traffic on Kennedy Blvd and none of the other cars had problems. I've gotten flats before and this was VERY different. As I was driving along I heard an explosion. And because traffic was heavy i drove 0.4 miles to the rental location so that I could stop safely and examine the damage. Upon doing so I saw a LARGE hole in the tire - appoximately the size of two fists - on the SIDE of the tire. Dollar is not threatening me to charge me for the tire, the rim, and all damages incurred because I drove it 0.4 miles at 5mph back to the rental location. I am convinced I was given a faulty tire. Please hold.

martin of east wittering, United Kingdom August 12, 2009

Ordered the car over the UK web site, paid for a Charger or similar for one night at half price, guess what, it was a similar, a group of c*** cars to choose from. Don't touch Dollar, they might be the cheapest but there's a reason for that !

sheldon of lilburn, GA August 6, 2009

I rented a mini van from union city dollar rental in atlanta georgia for a trip to canada.While in canada i had apparently driven on a toll road and i incurred a toll of 13.99 dollars.I had no idea that this was a toll road.I undertook this trip in august 2008.Dollar rental sent me a notice 2 weeks ago(july 15th 2009) stating that they had paid the toll off and charged me not just the toll but also a 25 dollar admin fee for a total of 39 dollars.

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