Alamo Rent A Car

Flew to Knoxville, rented car for Christmas in Kentucky. Mario was FANTASTIC! We could not have been happier with anyone else! Thanks so much for your help during a rain storm on a late night!

I reserved this Alamo rental car when I booked my flight through Allegiant Air. In the booking process they asked if I needed a rental, and figuring I would get some sort of deal by booking the flight and the car together I obliged. When I was booking everything the car was sort of the last thing on my mind, and knowing that we had to drive from the Knoxville airport (with this Alamo is located) to Nashville I just picked the smallest car thinking about gas mileage.
We landed at the Knoxville airport around 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. I sent my boyfriend over to the luggage carousel while I headed over to the rental car counter. Being a small airport the two are very close to each other, and since it seemed everyone headed for the luggage first, I was immediately helped at the Alamo counter. The man who helped me was incredibly friendly. To look up my reservation all he needed was my driver’s license. I had been somewhat apprehensive about doing the booking through Allegiant Airline’s reservation system because sometimes a middle man can just cause issues, but my pulling up my reservation was no problem whatsoever. At this point the man at the counter asked me a little bit about what I was doing in Knoxville as he pulled up my reservation. When I explained to him that I would be headed to Gatlinburg for a mountain cabin vacation he quickly upgraded my car choice at no charge. I had chosen the smallest economy car, but he assured me that getting to a mountain cabin in that sized car while it may be possible wouldn’t be the best situation, so instead he outfitted me with the Jeep Patriot. I was very impressed with this customer service. The friendliness and the interest in my safety and making the vacation as easy as possible made the service here five stars for sure. The transaction was very easy. I had to sign and initial some paperwork and my drivers license and credit card were put on file. I was happy to find that the representative did not pressure me into any sort of extra insurance coverage. For the most part when it comes to rental cars we are all over insured as anything from your own personal car insurance, to the credit card you put the rental on will cover it. It was recommended that if I was planning on using the entire tank of gas that I purchase it from Alamo as their rates were a few cents lower than the surrounding area. Since I knew we would use at least a full tank I decided to go with this option. What I paid ($ 1.80 a gallon) was cheaper than almost all of the other gas stations we encountered in our travels, but also the piece of mind that I didn’t have to worry about returning the tank full was nice as well. After spending less than ten minutes total renting the car I was headed out to the garage where the cars were parked after being given detailed directions about the car’s location and how to get there.
We were able to find the car easily and were on our way. The only reason I removed a star from this review was that the car itself was a little less fancy than I have rented from other car rental agencies in the past. This one did not have satellite radio, or bluetooth… only an auxiliary audio option. It also did not have USB ports, so phone charging required the car jack (for the cigarette thingy).
After five days with the car we returned to the Knoxville airport and parked it in one of Alamo’s spots in the garage. I handed the keys back to the same counter I got them from (which is an easy stop on your way to the gates, this was a two second transaction) and later my credit card charges were exactly what I was quoted at pickup. Overall I think this is one of the best rental car experiences that I have had. Yes, the car was a little bit older, but the staff was so friendly and helpful, and the prices were so reasonable, that I wouldn’t hesitate to rent here again.

Great service and a free upgrade since they needed to move their SUV’s up north and that was the way I was headed. I high-​fived the gentleman when he gave me the good news. Best of all though was when I walked up to the counter he said «Are you ready to be amazed with incredible service?» He set the expectation and delivered it!

Excellent experience. The fellow at the front desk (was working at National and stepped over to assist us), was very professional, efficient and polite. I especially liked that he did not threaten me with all the dire things that could happen if I did not buy their insurance (our insurance policy covers rentals), or prepay for gas (wasn’t born yesterday). The pick up and drop off was easy peasy. Well done!

I have never rented a car from Alamo before. As you can read from the «tip» I left, I rented my vehicle via Costco. Like I tell anyone who carries a Costco card, ‘take full advantage of everything they have to offer.’ I probably use the car rental more than any other service offered.
But alas, this review isn’t going to be about how great Costco is. Walking up to the counter was a breeze. There were no lines and Lauren, a friendly Alamo employee, greeted us with a big smile. She was attentive and efficient and asked all of the usual questions –do you want additional coverage? Will you be needing a GPS? There were no hard sells or guilt trips as I politely declined both offers (my American Express card takes care of the insurance).
Lauren finalized all paperwork, got a few autographs here and there and gave us directions on how to retrieve our Ford Focus. It was simple. We pulled out of there without having to check out with anyone. The car was clean, BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW and zippy!
Thanks Lauren!
So let me give you the quick low down on why I praise Costco! I rented a vehicle from Friday-​Monday. The rental included unlimited miles, secondary driver fee WAIVED and a FREE UPGRADE for being a Costco Executive member. All for the price of $ 24.61 TOTAL.

So I’ll update a review after being contacted not only by Alamo’s social media department but also by a phone call from regional management. Alamo thanked me for a detailed explanation of my experience saying that they talked to all parties involved and will use my experience as a teaching moment. I’ve been contacted by businesses for reviews in the past but never had this level of follow-​up to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The regional manager sent me a personal email and I can contact him directly on my next travel to Knoxville. I appreciate the apology and the personal touch. It’s a step in the right direction for a company that not only talks the talk but walks the walk. It was unusual to have such a poor experience because I’ve used Alamo in the past, and now hopefully I can feel assured using them again.