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CarTrawler Reviews
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Reviewed Sept. 8, 2023
STAY AWAY from this SCAM company! Just as so many others have already written, they are LIARS and THIEVES! They quote one price and "guarantee" no hidden extras, but then when you show up at the airport, the car rental company (Dollar Rent-a-Car in Panama City, Republic of Panama in my case) tells you there are all sorts of extra fees. In my case the $110.37 I was quoted for a 5-day rental more than TRIPLED in price once all the hidden fees were added! The man was very rude and threatened to not even rent me a car if I didn't pay the additional fees.
Having no choice since it was so early in the morning and no other car rental place was open, I paid the additional fees, but I will NEVER use this SCAM company again! (This company likes to use the legitimate reputations of other companies to carry out their SCAM. In my case, it was COPA Airlines, an airline I have used for years with no problems. When they advised me to use CarTrawler I thought I could trust CarTrawler since I have always been able to trust COPA, but that was a BAD mistake!)
Reviewed July 20, 2023
It is true, this company like to take what is not theirs. I tried to rent a car with Thrifty. Cartrawler made the charge but when I get to the counter I could not complete the transaction for the security deposit. Even though I use the same card the transaction couldn't be completed. Now that I am requesting the refund, Cartrawler redirected me to Thrifty. But Thrifty and my bank says that who made the charge and the company that has the money is Cartrawler. I have 3 attempts to reason with them and they are even refusing a partial refund. I put the dispute with my bank and still waiting for solution.
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Reviewed July 14, 2023
So I made a reservation within 6 months before my flight. For some reason my fly was moved from 4 am to 6 pm and I called them to see if that was ok but they did not honor my reservation and wanted me to make a new reservation which they did not have what I need. So I asked for a refund with more than 24 hours and still they charged me $145 fees.
Reviewed June 18, 2023
They refused to issue a refund. A total SCAM! When you contact them all they do is give you the runaround! They did not provide what we paid for. Despite three separate attempts they refused to do anything or refund even one penny. FRAUD!!!!

Reviewed June 14, 2023
After reading all these bad reviews about this company, they are obviously scammers. I made a car reservation in January with “Sixt rental services”. When I made it, at the time of the appointment, they were closed. I’ve been having the hardest time getting a refund, and Cartrawler had me thinking that the rental company was declining the refund. However, cartrawler is actually declining the refund and I’ve basically been scammed out of my money. I’ll never pay for a reservation in advance again.
Reviewed April 15, 2023
When booking through Hotels.com, I was asked if I wanted to rent a vehicle. I clicked yes and it directed me to a list of known car rental companies and I selected (and paid for) a rental through Dollar. I didn't even notice (until it came through on my credit card) that I had used a third party booking agent. The day of our trip came and our flight was delayed 3.5 hours and then cancelled. I contacted CarTrawler and they said - "Sorry, no refund. You're past the time to pick up the car." Yes, of course, I was! I don't have a crystal ball. Live and learn, I guess. Never again will I bundle anything.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2023
They are not transparent at all. When you arrive to pick up vehicle you are told you have to buy another expensive insurance in top of the one they already sold you or you can’t take the car. They marked my pickup as no show as I was in the agency and on the phone with the broker. Which they use to keep your money.
Reviewed Jan. 10, 2023
We were told if we cancel within a certain period we will be charged a cancelation fee or be waived. They charged us full amount. Air Canada canceled our flight 4 hrs before departure and we were stuck. They will not budge even though we are will to pay a cancelation fee.
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2022
This company has awful customer service. When I booked my rental car through Hotels.com, I was re-directed to a 3rd party site, Car Trawler. I booked the car in my husband's name and used my credit card to pay for the car (like I have done countless other times with several other car rental companies). When we arrived at the Las Vegas NU car rental desk, I was shocked at the condition of the building. It was filthy and falling apart. The agents present seemed miserable and were extremely rude. We stood in line for almost an hour. they refused to release the car I had paid for because my husband had a debit card, not a credit card. They refused to accept a debit card for the security deposit.
They also refused to help me rebook and I was treated very rudely and poorly since I booked with a third party company. They left me completely stranded on Thanksgiving day. I had a road trip planned, with hotels already booked and paid for and I desperately needed a car. After a couple emails with Car Trawler "customer support", they refused to refund any of my money. Credit cards and debit cards are basically used interchangeably. We have used a debit card to rent cars from at least 3 other companies this year. Lesson learned: Do not book with NU Rentals, and do not book rentals using a 3rd party site.
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2022
I booked airline tickets and a car on Alaska Airlines website using a bank card that my bank insists works as either a credit or debit card. Car Trawler charged my account $373.49 for a car that they refused to loan me when I arrived at my destination airport. They said they couldn't release the car because my card is a debit card. I have only the one card so I had no other card to offer them. They have also refused to refund the $373.49 reservation payment. My bank says they can't help me because I authorized it and Alaska Airlines can't help me because it's a third party, and Car Trawler won't help me because it's written in the fine print of the contract that a 'credit' card is required at pick up. Disgusting that they accepted it for a deposit and now won't refund it even though I didn't get the use of a car.
CarTrawler Company Information
- Company Name:
- CarTrawler
- Website:
- www.cartrawler.com
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