National Car Rental

We rented a car six months before traveling to Venice and there was only one attendant at the counter. She spent 45 min. with one customer while 6 others were waiting in sweltering heat. It was finally our turn and she refused to give us a car because I am 80 years old. AGE DISCRIMINATION! I am extremely fit and walk 14 kilometers a day and am mentally fit. Years of experience with no accident, but refused a car not on ability, but AGE. They will however rent to 18 year old with no experience. We were shocked and stranded in Venice with no car. The result was that we had to pay $566 extra Canadian dollars for 12 days to get a car through Hertz, since we had no reservation. Our total cost was $1,736. for 12 days. NEVER EVER RENT FROM NATIONAL.

For several years we used National for all rentals due to customer service, pricing, being able to select your car. Several months ago we stopped due to their prices increasing a great deal, then their selection was down to the point you would only have a very small selection to choose from. Today I selected them since their prices were pretty much in line with the other companies. I was shocked when they told me there would be a $200 hold for a deposit. This deposit is only for Alabama license holders in the State of Alabama. Are they serious? They could not explain to me the reasoning, but gee I love the attitude you get when you ask questions.

I reserved a vehicle 15 days ago to be picked up on 07/27/17. I told the clerk I would pick up between 12 and 1:00 p.m. When I arrived, it was 11:55. They first tried to overcharge me, but I showed the receipt with the quoted price. Then I was told I was an hour early, my vehicle wasn't ready. I reminded the person that I reserved that vehicle 15 days ago, an hour early shouldn't matter. She told me it hadn't even been returned by the previous person. So, I was supposed to wait for an hour because the vehicle wasn't even there. I sat down to wait and wasn't very happy about it. A few minutes later, the person at the counter came over and told me since I was so rude, they were canceling my reservation. A couple I was sitting next to had been waiting for 2 hours and all 3 of us were totally shocked. I've never seen such poor customer service. Had I walked in from the street, it would be expected to have to wait. But, with a reservation, that is just unacceptable!

My wife, Mihae, and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. The experience was marred by the incredible expense and, frankly, questionable practices of the rental car companies in Masset, BC. We had when we rented a car from National Car Rental in Masset, BC on Graham Island of Haida Gwaii. While my wife did sign the contract before renting the car, it does not justify their false advertising on the web.

We flew to Masset from Vancouver and were picked up by a National Rental Car representative, Mr. **. He drove us to their office near that airport. My wife, who's a pharmacist, had found that the BC Pharmacists' Association (BCPHA) had a deal with National on the web. So, when Mr. ** handed her the contract, we had naively assumed that they would honour that deal on the web. At no point prior to signing that contract, did Mr. ** make it clear that they were not honouring the deal with the BCPHA. That we discovered *only* after returning the car when Mr. ** very heatedly declared that he's an independent licensee and that no such deals are valid with him. (To be fair, Mr. ** did later apologize for what he termed as being "abrupt," but we certainly did not appreciate his behaviour.) If no such deals are valid with him, then he should stop receiving business through the National Car Rental website or other related websites.

Yes, Mihae signed that contract, but what alternative did we have? If she hadn't signed, then we would have been stranded. We were at their mercy! And they knew that! To top it off, the final bill for the car rental was more than $700.00 for the week!!! That was more than our accommodation. That was more than the airfare for each of us! It was an outrageous cost for renting a car for one week. Mihae has been in touch with the BCPHA and with National Car Rental. We have yet to receive any satisfaction. Ideally, that would be a partial refund consistent with the deal that National supposedly offers members of the BCPHA. But, at the very least, National's false advertising on the web must cease. And they must rein in their rogue "licensee."

We just canceled our rental agreement with National which was through Rentacar.com. We booked it to get the car in the Detroit Airport and they had us picking up the car in a city over a half mile away and when we called they had no clue how to help us. Got hold of a National representative was totally clueless but she did cancel our reservation. Asked what the commercials were about "any car and just walk to it and pick it out"... "Oh no" you have to go to the desk. Wow, at one time they were pretty good but we're done with National.

Worst car rental experience. Rented a car for the weekend. While at the store someone hit the back bumper. When I return the car I was charge 500 deposit for the damage. Few days later I receive a bill with pictures of damage in the back and FRONT bumper of the car. I called them 5 times so they can explain to me what was going on. They never bother calling me back. When finally I was able to reach someone it was a lady with a bad attitude telling me I had paid already and I could get my money back and as might as well get an attorney. Stay away from this place.

Last week I picked up a car from the Emerald Club Aisle with no discernable damage. 9 family members will also attest that there was no notable damage to this vehicle when I got it and when I took it back no incidents in-between. When I returned the car, the attendant went straight to the right front fender and noted a VERY SLIGHT misalignment of the bumper to the fender–nothing that one would notice upon casual inspection and barely discernable even when you get up close and look for it. She then crawled under the car and reported the entire airfoil missing. Manager immediately fills out a damage report against ME. I did no damage to this car. I had no way of knowing–sort of crawling under the thing at time of pickup–that I was getting a damaged rental car. And it appears I have no recourse to protect myself against being charged with this repair and turned over to collections if I don't pay.

I've found several accounts of this nature online with National. And the unseen damage/ "missing airfoil" are noted as a common scams in CBS news articles, etc. on the internet. I am kicking myself for not getting the VIN and license number, taking pictures, etc. But in truth, what good would that do me unless I'm willing to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees to contest this. Rental car companies can hit consumers false, and possibly fraudulent claims based on their word against yours as to whether the damage was there before you picked up the vehicle. What recourse do I have?

They put a damaged car out on the lot, whether by accident or intentionally and can claim any previous damage against me and/or any number of renters before or after me, bill me, turn me over to collections, defile my credit rating... and I can do nothing about it? I have no legal leg to stand on? They have the car in their possession. I live 3 states away and had a plane to catch so I couldn't adequately respond to the claim at the time or now.

I rented a car from National for 6 weeks, military training, and had the worst experience. First they required me to come back in around the 30 day period because I was not a certain member. I found this very frustrating, because I had to drive 40 minutes to a location. Second, they added bogus charges that the military did not cover. I will never rent from them again if I can help it.

Tuesday May 30th, I fly into Ottawa. It is 12:50 AM and we are late, late, late as the plane was delayed, delayed, cancelled and changed. Sitting in Toronto, I call National to inform them of my flight change and the fact I may be close to their closing time of 1 AM. They assure me that there will be no problem, change my flight in the system and say that this will now be visible to the operators in Ottawa, not to worry.

At 12:55 I am getting off the plane, calling National again, saying "please don't close I am coming down the walkway now and I will be there shortly." Once again an understanding agent says to me, "no problem. How long will you be?" I tell him about 5 minutes. I go as fast as I can with my sore limping gait. I bypass luggage because I can come back to it. I round the corner at 1:02 and you guessed it - National is closed up tighter than a drum. Less than impressed I call National as it is 1:05 in the morning in a city that is not my home and I feel like I have done everything right. They are less than helpful telling me that the other locations in the city close at 6 PM...wow - great customer service.

Then they ask if another rental agency is open...which they are, but I have already determined there is nothing they have they can rent me that I can drive...because they are sold out. I get so frustrated I finally say goodbye and hang up. Next day I call, and I get hung up on. Then I call again and finally I get some good customer service from Angela and she assures me that I will get a call from the regional manager. You guessed it again. NADA. No one word...no follow up. I have to say, normally I love National, but all I can say is when you are in OTTAWA ON, DON'T DO IT - rent from someone who actually cares.

I have always rented from this car rental company. All of a sudden drivers carrying Alabama drivers license are now required to come up with a deposit of $200.00 in addition to the price of the rental. It is very strange though that only Alabama drivers are required to do this. I think there should be better ways to handle whatever loss the company is subjected to without inconvenience to customers.

husband is on disability, but he said they need a credit card now. They confuse people. They only accept credit card now, but will take a debit from those who fly out. Cry confusing. I want them to know the bad situation they have put us in.

Charged for repairs to car, that did not do. I rented a car from National Car Rental in January of this year 2017 in Victoria BC. I always rent and love the Kia Soul car. That vehicle pulled into the lot when I arrived to rent. It had lots of km, but wanted the car. I did not check underneath the car, and that is not the process, but this is the very beginning of my issue. About a week or less into my rental, I took the car back to Mike ** at the Agency Rental Lot. The Emission Control Light was on, and I indicated this to him. He was not nice to me, could only focus on the gas that I must fill the tank when returning the car. I had no intention of turning in the car.

I did go get gas, he then wanted me to take the car to the Kia dealer to see why it was on. I determined that is not my position in a car rental. I was right in his lot and the dealer around the corner. Couple of days later Mike informed me I would be charged for $670 in repairs. I had run over "something" and later the story someone hit my back end with a trailer hitch. Nothing happened as that, I drive all the time and know if I would run over something and rip the total bottom of the car off and the emission control box.

Short of it all he charged me, I am out $670. I have placed a complaint in on their so called Customer Service Complaint System and ended up taking a lot of my time, to get nowhere and yes I will pay the cost. This is horrible cost, and I did not do this. Did his lot person do this before I got the car, something is incorrect here. I am an honest person and have never looked under a car before renting, and not on the sign agreement the perimeter is the only focus when taking a car.

I am upset with the time spent on this, all my time. Mike ** has not listened to anything I have stated, and will never or my family or friends ever rent from National. You are done as a company, very unhappy. Not one live person has contacted me through all of this. Unreal in this day and age. National you are done, and your Customer Service is a waste of time.

I have called several National offices about this receipt. I called April 3rd concerning the mileage on the receipt. It says the customer drove 530 miles over the course of 1 day, when the car was only used from the airport to a store, and returned to ATL. When I first called customer service, they were helpful and sent it over to the team that handles disputes, assuring me they would respond soon. Today, 2 weeks later I called again to get an update. The ticket is still open and I was transferred/asked to call 2 different locations. I was put on hold for quite a while. Finally I called an associate at McCollum who said he can re-send the ticket problem to the team, but this was done the first time and nothing happened. This has been a difficult and laborious process. I still have no answer and this charge is sitting in the expense report and unfortunately I still have no update.

I realized 5 days after we returned a rental car that my son had left his prescription sunglasses in the car. I contacted National Customer Service and was referred to their Lost and Found website (nationalcarlostandfound.com) and was impressed immediately, gaining hope I may locate the lost sunglasses. I easily submitted a Lost Item Report online describing the sunglasses and case they were inside. Within ONE HOUR I received a call and email that my item was located. Very impressed!! After speaking with the customer service representative coordinating the shipment of my lost item to my home, within 90 MINUTES I had a email receipt, including tracking number, for the shipment. I am amazed and thrilled by the quick service regarding my lost item. Good job, National Car Rental. Thank you.

National Car Rental, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I was creating a vacation budget before my arrival to Mexico. I called National and asked about the insurance options and rates in Los Cabos, Mexico. They stated that they have no insurance information or insurance prices that are offered and that a deposit is never required for a full coverage insurance purchase. Unbelievable! National offered a $20 per week rate through Priceline.

Upon arrival, reality had been revealed. OK people, here is the real deal... I was presented with a $20 per week rate which was true. Full coverage insurance was a whopping $800 plus a $300 deposit. There are three levels of insurance offered. If I selected no insurance, I would need to place a $1500 deposit onto the rental. Even the most basic insurance required a $1500 deposit.

A very nice couple that I met had also reserved car from National. The gentleman from the couple was facing the same dilemma as I. When he approached me at the counter, my National sales rep proceeded to badger him for trying to compare his insurance rate offer with mine. I was shocked at the rep's behavior. When I declined to accept the vehicle, the sales rep refused to let me take the handwritten insurance offer with me. What is going on here? What kind of scam is this? Low rental rates are offered with extremely high insurance plans and deposits. I don't know if Hertz or Avis did the same, but I will never trust National Car Rental again. There is no excuse for this. How does a multinational company not know what is going on with their branches in other countries? Because of this, my travel plans were ruined by using buses, taxis, and shuttles. I gave National Car Rental 2 stars because at least the $20 per week rental rate was actually a reliable deal.

I made a booking for a car rental through Hotwire for National in Yellowknife. When I got to the counter the customer service clerk insisted that the price was double to what Hotwire had given us and pretty much said if you want the car you have to pay the higher price. We tried to reason with her but there was no reasoning. We paid the rate and asked to be contacted by the manager to sort out the overcharge. I was promised on Monday I would get a phone call. 5 days later, still no call. National is such a big company you would think they would put their customers first. Not at this location. I will never use National again! Whatever happen to the customer is always right?? Especially when they have documentation to prove it!

I was not happy with the online van configuration selection. Once on the rental lot I was allowed to canvas all vans available. A service lot worker asked what I was looking for and I explained. He went off to check and came back to tell me what I wanted just came in and he had it cleaned and available to me in about 15 minutes. The Chrysler Pacifica was more than I expected, even changed my mind about vans.

We rented a car for travel on Vancouver Island, Feb 10 to 12, 2017, we were only there for 2 days. Our visit was on the heels of a very large snowfall to the Island. We returned the car at the airport for a morning of Feb 12, for our return flight at 11:10 am. At 5 pm that night, back home 1400 KM's away, we get a phone call telling us there are 4 or 5 rock chips on the windshield, and that they occurred during our rental and that we needed to pay for a new windshield. The employee insisted that we set up a claim with our own insurance company to get the windshield replaced right away.

With no one around at 8:30 in the morning to check the car in, we left the keys in the drop slot and the papers with the gas receipt on the counter, as instructed by all signs at the desk. The Manager in the Nanaimo office stated that she looked back on ten rental claims and "none" were for the Windshield. She claims they replace the windshield every time there is a rock chip. I find it totally unacceptable, to call and assume that someone would pay immediately for something like that. I feel that this is a company trying to take advantage of a non resident person.

I rented a car from National Car Rental to drive from Atlanta, GA to Columbia, SC. I turned the vehicle in at the Columbia Airport undamaged without the person receiving the car noting any damage. 10 days later I received a letter saying the vehicle was damaged when I turned it in. It was not damaged when I turned it in. I have disputed the claim for 2 months but they still insist that I owe them almost $5000. They sent me photos of the damage but it must have happened while they moved it around in their car rental lot because the vehicle was not damaged when I turned it in to their agent.

On Wednesday Dec. 7 I went to pick up my rental. It was prepaid by a corporate ACC. I went to the desk, showed my res. for a mid sized car. He told me they were out of mid sized cars. He offered me a upgrade or bump up as you call it. I asked again will the price remain the same. The response was no additional charge. Everything was fine. The car was great until I was told by my company that I had to pay for the upgrade. I don't know whose fault it was but I feel I should not have to pay for the upgrade.

I am a regular National Car Rental customer. I rent a car a minimum of 3-4 days per week, and have always rented from National. I have always preferred the ability to select the car I desire from those available in their Executive Emerald Club aisle. This week I rented a car at Midway Airport in Chicago for the entire week for business. Unfortunately, my mom grew ill and I had to miss my flight home to Indianapolis. I immediately called National to see if I could drive the rental car to Indianapolis. The operator informed me there would be an upcharge (which I expected) and the total for my car rental with all additional fees included would be $350. I returned my rental to the Indianapolis International Airport rental facility and received a receipt for $521.52!

The National employee at the airport told me they included a mileage fee totaling $150.00. I was NEVER informed of this additional fee when I extended my rental and asked to return it to Indianapolis. The employee in Indianapolis informed me he would keep my ticket open and I should call National and he was certain they would remove the additional mileage fee. I called National and spoke to a woman who did not speak English well. She was difficult to understand. (Does National use a foreign service center to handle their calls???) She informed me that she could not review my rental as the ticket was never closed, and told me I would need to return to the airport to close the ticket and then she could review my charges!!! WHAT???

Shouldn't the Customer Service department try and service the customer? I was shocked she was telling me it was my responsibility to close the ticket. Especially when the agent at the airport told me otherwise. I asked to speak with her supervisor. I was patched through to another person who did not speak English very well. (Again, I wonder if Customer Service is farmed out to a foreign country.) This gentleman was able to open my ticket. He informed me the miles were added to my charges since I changed my ticket to a one-way rental. (Again, this comes when NO ONE informed me of the additional charges.) I recommended he find a way to remove the additional mileage charges or National would lose a customer. He said there was nothing he could do.

So, as of today, a very loyal and supportive customer, who rents from National weekly, will take his business to another agency. National just does not care and does not offer any customer service support. I am quite certain someone decided to save a few bucks and have Customer Service handled by a foreign company. Unfortunately, by saving a few bucks, their customer service is being handled by people who do not communicate well and have zero ability to take care of problems that are their own fault. I'm very disappointed and amazed, and quite frankly a bit sad. So long National. You have the ability to be much better.

I rented and returned from 2 different locations. I do this quite often as a business traveler and in fact, rent from National several times a month - "Exec Elite Member". At the time of rental this time, they gave me few options of cars they could not have returned back - they asked me to accept a premium vehicle which I never rent. However, I accepted their request since this car would return elsewhere. Upon return of the vehicle, I was charged an extra $250 fee for the return of a premium vehicle to a different location. I was never told of this fee and would have not opted for this had I known.

I have gotten nowhere with the multiple customer service agents I have spoke with. They are unwilling to budge on a $250 fee for a customer that spends $20k a yr on their rentals. And I assure you, this is not about the money - this is about customer service integrity. So, goodbye National and Enterprise - looking for a new rental company - beware of their hidden charges.

Rented a car from Alamo for my visit to Aruba. Once arrived I was told there wasn't a car available so I was walked over to National. After waiting in line for a long time, I was given a car that should not be for rent. It was banged up all over the place, smelled, and the truck did not open. On top of it, the woman spent over 20-minutes trying to record all the dents and scratches on the car. I asked her what's the point b/c you can never record all the issues with this car and she agreed and laughed... wasn't that funny to me... Corporate National called me and mentioned I would receive a call from the Aruba National car service for some sort of credit which never transpired. Worst rental car experience I have ever encountered. National should be ashamed. I will be renting from Hertz or Avis for both my business and personal needs from now on.

UPDATED ON 02/21/2017: National did contact me and offered a one day free car rental for my terrible experience of a 10-day car rental from the office in Aruba. After I mentioned that wasn't acceptable they offered 3-days of a car rental in the US. The car should have not been on the road in my opinion. I asked for them to make good for half the amount of time which would have been fair (5-days). They mentioned that wasn't policy so I express that they could keep their free day rental as I'd be renting from a competitor from this point forward. I thought it might have been just a bad experience at the rental site but this proves National is a very poor run organization only focused on money and not the customer. Beware!

For the second Holiday break running, National is trying to charge mileage for a rental that specifically says in the contract there is no mileage charge. We checked on pick-up at Bradley Airport, Hartford and were assured there was no charge. And the contract clearly states that point. Yet on drop-off at Logan Airport in Boston the mileage charge was on the receipt - just like last year when we had to argue at a counter for 20 minutes to have the false charge dropped. This is fraud and it's now time for us the consumers to bring in the police. It's a criminal act.

I had a reservation for a week and a day. However, due to plane mechanical failures, I had to delay the reservation until the next morning. I was told the new charge would be 60+ dollars additionally. So I canceled, as I was having a difficult time with the agent, and felt I was somehow not getting through, as it was illogical to have an added cost by having to wait a day to pick up the car. The following day, I called again and was told this time that the reservation would run approximately $100 dollars more. I then asked what the price would be if I brought it back at the original "return time", and was told the price was approximately $70 more dollars than the original reservation. So by having the car 1 less day, I would be charged more.

When I was done with my explanation, the agent said he would connect me to a manager, who of course didn't come on the line very quickly. I went through the whole thing over again, only to have him tell me that's what the rates are, and he had no authority to make any changes. I commented that I would like to go up a level of management. He said that he was the highest there was, but I could contact corporate and would get a reply in approximately 5 business days.

My complaints are as follows: Lack of understanding of my situation. Lack of any authority by the agents to make things work for me due to circumstances beyond my control. The complete lack of logic in that by delaying 24 hours, I would be "penalized" up to approximately $100. By shortening the time, returning on the same day, but delaying the pick-up time would cost more as well. I think what bothered me the most was that up until this time, I have been a fan of National a have told a great many people that I am very pleased with National Car Rental. I now feel quite embarrassed by telling people how great National is. I have now concluded that I will now tell my story to anyone that will listen, and to avoid National. National is my company's "go to" car rental agency, and I will also make sure I tell folks there as well.

I reserved a car for a travel in Mexico renting it in Villahermosa and dropping it off in Cancun. They assured me there were no drop off fees (which were not included in the quote as well), but I had to pay them (293$). They apologized that I was not aware of the fee, but it was their fault. Be aware because their reservation office is not reliable at all.

I am a long time business renter from National (20+ years). I recently rented a car for a week from Charlotte expecting to drop it back there. Plans changed and I inquired about dropping it at Winston-Salem. Two separate agents (I called back I was so stunned) told me the drop charge would be over $1,500!!! I expected an up charge, but in my business this would be called usury or extortion. I am moving my business to Avis. National is inviting increased regulation. Hopefully, the CFPB will expand their authority to include the car rental business.

I made my rent a car reservation months in advance of our trip. I called several times with questions about our rental. My son had transferred points to my account and I had coupons. They would not take the coupons and applied the points. I have emails from them saying that the agreed rental price with the points deducted. I arrived on schedule to pick up our SUV. I went into Islip Airport and was denied a car. They told me on the phone prior to the rental my debit card was fine. Once I was ready to pick up the car they told me that it was not. They asked for a non-debit credit card and denied me the car. I now have a credit card and would have applied for one at my bank had I known it were necessary!!! They told me to go to Enterprise/National down the road, so we did.

National/Enterprise said they could not apply my points. Furthermore, they informed me that I could not return the car on Sunday so I had to pay for another day at $30.00 a day more than I had agreed on. Same account and they said I did not have any points because they had been applied to a non-existent rental at the airport. I ended up out almost $300.00 for a $67.90 rental. They also took a $400+ deposit I was never informed of. Thank God I had money in my bank account to cover these thieves! To add insult to injury today I received a notice that they have billed my credit/debit card for a toll, I used EZ Pass. Let the renter beware this company is a crook!!!

National definitely steals money from you. I usually rent from National for business use. When I rented a car from National for private use first time, I was told there were 5400 (KM) total free miles with a 0.2 charge for additional miles. I was 100% sure I did not know 5400 KM (I was super careful). They still charged me $400 on extra miles! Please keep a proof/record of your miles and do not just drop your car and leave. (I am an Emerald Club member, National offers drop and go service for their members.) That happened to my friend too! I am pretty sure they just overcharge because most people use them for business use and they do not check their charges. BE EXTRA CAREFUL!

My husband and I ONLY rent from National when we travel. However I have a HUGE ISSUE with the billing and service I received when we checked in at RDU. I booked our car rental on Friday June 10, 2016 for RDU - confirmation # **. It was under my name - Elizabeth **. We had our confirmation of ** printed out and gave it to the kiosk person. My husband, Fred ** was driving so I had Fred hand him his driver's licence.

We had no (Zero conversation with the Kiosk agent). Because I've never had a problem with a rental with fees on the front end, and we (like everyone renting a car in a unfamiliar location) I didn't look at a contract (and not sure we received one). We were running late. When I got home and looked at the emailed receipt, I was shocked! You overcharged me!

The kiosk person, didn't see a match with the reservation number and the name so they created a new reservation at an absorbent rate. There were no questions directed to us. They should have said "the reservation name does not match your name. Do you want to create a new reservation. These are the rates for the vehicle you are driving."

The rate I booked for reservation ** was for 4 days at 39.50/day for a total of $203.81. Without any communication your kiosk agent arbitrarily chose to not question the rental slip they had or ask for the ID of Elizabeth **, the name the reservation number is under. I have never had this kind of experience in the 20 or so years that we have customers. I want to prevent/protect others from this same experience. Fredrick ** and I have been married for 35 years and have never had a problem renting a car on either of our Emerald Card Names or Numbers. *** UNTIL NOW ***