Thrifty Car Rental

If you’d like to pay $ 335 in hidden fees definitely us Thrifty. Customer service is HORRIFIC. I have never felt so disrespected by a company. I felt in tears. My rental was supposed to be $ 128 (the wildcard). I expected about $ 100 in fees, for insurance, ect, when I arrived it was 10pm and they told me it would be $ 335 in fees on top of the $ 128 I have already spent on the rental. I asked if I had another option or if there was a shuttle I could take to my location instead of the rental. The employee said, nope, sorry. You just missed the last shuttle. I had no choice but to take the $ 450 rental car. Absolutely disgusted with Thrifty’s company as a whole! Absolute con artists!!!

Based on all the bad reviews we got lucky or I just knew to ask the right questions. We were not forced to buy any additional add-​ons. The clerk was very clear about the toll pass which we didn’t need. We upgraded to 4wd due to the bad weather and she upgraded us again at no charge to a larger suv and we had our pick from a lot of different cars/​trucks. The clerk was working all alone even going outside to help customers and back inside. I think a little patience and kindness goes a long way.

Well I got into Denver yesterday I had made online reservations and needed 4wheel drive or all wheel drive, which was so horribly complicated for them to understand finally they got me into a explorer as I was leaving the windshield wipers didn’t work, everything about using this company was complete wreck, I returned the car today because of more issues and they still want to charge me 80 bucks WTF this place is awful!

I wish I would have read the reviews before renting from this Thrifty location. It sounds like my experience was very similar to many others. Got in late and had reserved a mid size SUV. At the counter we were told that we had to rent a full size SUV for significantly more money per day. We asked about the mid size SUV that we reserved and we were told that we were required by law to rent the full size if we were driving into the mountains. We had rented from another company at the same location a few weeks prior and this wasn’t an issue at all. We were tired of arguing and had a long drive ahead of us. It was obvious they were sticking us with the full size SUV, so we just took it. Upon return, I spoke with a manager to see about reducing our fee since we were not given our original choice of a mid size SUV. The manager basically said, «Too bad. You signed the contract.» We were originally quoted $ 325 and ended up paying $ 660. I don’t like to write negative reviews, but hopefully this review will prevent someone else from having the same frustrating experience!

Absolute worst company to deal with! The staff was rude, the company will rip you off, and the competence of the staff was horrible.

Worst car rental experience ever. I prepaid using a third party and at pickup explicitly said no to all optional coverages. Was charged after my ride was over for two optional insurance coverages. I don’t have the receipts anymore to check, but the representative at the counter assured me my rental was all prepaid and no charges would be charged to my credit card and that no optional coverages were added. Totally not true. If you do decide to rent here (which I do not recommend) be sure to triple check your receipt.

Worst experience ever. Rip off artists. Watch out they will lie and cheat you. Never again… never again.
Consider yourself warned. You use them it’s your wallet and time that will suffer.
There is a reason they have such low reviews, don’t kid yourself.
Watch your bill cause if you don’t catch them they WILL try and rip you off.
Thieves. Thrifty is a den of thieves.

We reserved a SUV 4-​wheel drive vehicle and were quoted a price of $ 320.54. When we went to pick up the car, we were told that we would have to pay a $ 70/​day upgrade fee for the 4-​wheel drive. When I called the 800 number to complain and to find out what happened, they said that I had to speak to the manager at the Denver location, but since all of the calls going to the Denver location are routed through the 800 #, they were not able to assist me.
How does any of that make sense? Obviously they have no interest in rectifying the situation and I’m out of pocket an additional $ 420.
DO NOT rent from this company. I sure won’t ever again.

When I checked in to get the car, the push to purchase all the additional stuff (gas, insurance, toll road pass, etc.) as a little more aggressive than normal … but ok. Then I was a bit shocked to see a $ 30 per day rental for 2 days come out to $ 118! Taxes, fees, blah blah blah — having that explained PRIOR to the rental would be very appreciative. When I got into the car, I found that the gas tank was not full … thankfully the gentleman at the gate rectified that and provided a discount for this.
My BIGGEST gripe about this location is that I left my RayBan sunglasses in the car. I realized it when my flight laded in California. I called and submitted a lost & found report but, of course, no sunglasses were found. I’m not shocked — just hoped there would be a little more honesty in people/​companies these days.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

Not a bad experience for us. We arrived to an empty facility with one clerk who helped us quickly. He explained the pre-​paid tank policy, the toll road fees and their solution and everything about the car rental procedure. I can’t fault them for a thing. The only thing that was unclear was about the car selection procedure once we got to the lot and how to check out. The shuttle driver, rental clerk and check out guy were all very friendly.
We avoided all toll roads. Many of the poor reviews I’ve read here have to do with the toll fees. Honestly, pay attention to where you’re at and this isn’t a problem. Stay off I470 and stay out of the HOV lanes. Pretty simple. Otherwise buy the toll pass.

This place is a complete rip off. The initial price may be low, but they try to tack on so many unneeded charges. Don’t fall for the stupid toll pass as most of the roads just have the express lane. They essentially harass you and ask about your route over and over again. They insist there’s no way to get there without a toll pas and you’ll be given a $ 200 ticket. Just avoid the toll roads and saving yourself $ 59.
Don’t fall for the gas thing either. There’s a gas station down the street. We spent $ 12 on gas and they wanted to charge us $ 40 regardless of how much we used. No one asked us for our gas receipt upon checking out.
Also, there is no way to take note of any damages to the car before renting it so you could end up paying for pre-​existing damages. I recommend taking photos of the body of the car prior to even getting in.
The car itself was great. It was very clean, in good condition and had amazing gas mileage.
Avoid renting from Thrifty at all costs though. Next time I’ll shell out the money for Hertz.

I had recently rented from the Firefly service (same business as Thrifty and Hertz) at the Denver, CO airport. Fifteen minutes after returning the vehicle, I had realized that I left my tablet in the glove box. I called the number that was supplied in the rental agreement. Since the time of drop off and time of realization was short, I should have been able to get my item back promptly (I was unable to immediately return to the location as my schedule work time has started). After calling customer service, I was given a direct number to call. I attempted several times to call but the number just led me to a voice mail that wasn’t set up. In a panic, I called back the customer service number to report that there was no answer at the location. They stated that they will send an e-​mail to the location and I should receive a call back by the end of the day. I received NO calls.
Day two, I visited the physical location before my flight back home to try to retrieve the item since calling was useless. They told me that the lost and found was closed and gave me a different number to call the next day and ask for [supervisor’s name].
Day three, the new number I was given led to an automated service were I was unable to contact anyone within the building. I called back the original customer service number and they stated that they will send an urgent e-​mail and get to me within 24 hours. they also gave me another number that, if I didn’t hear back from them, to call.
Day four, it’s been 24 hours and no call back. I called the new number and it led me to another automated service that was unable to connect me to the correct department. I, AGAIN, called the first customer service number and was just handed off to operator after operator after operator with still no answers and no help. I was officially done with calling.
Now, I know that forgetting the item in the car was my fault, however, I would’ve been totally fine with the loss if I was able to contact the office when I realized I had left the item in the car… but that was just not the case.

How is this place still in business if their number one priority is not customer service.
I reserved a booking online and it was all set for tomorrow morning. Then I saw in small print that all reservations have to be booked 24 hours in advance, so naturally I called customer service and talked to a man named Ron. I then proceeded to ask him about this dilemma and he said Thrifty would not honor it and we would not receive the car.
I accepted this and then cancelled first thing in the morning. When canceling and telling them about my situation, they said I would not receive the full refund because of some policy they have. And on top of that, they would have honored it without being 24 hours in advance.
After being tossed around between departments and people, a sweet, genuine lady named Maria was actually concerned about my dilemma and really tried to help me out. She normally wouldn’t suggest filing a complaint without a really great case, in which she instructed me to file one because she really believed I could win. After two days, they had someone send an e-​mail with a copy and paste of their policy basically saying they were not going to do anything about my situation and could not care less about just taking my money due to misinformation of one of their employees.
I usually do not ever write negative reviews, but I am highly compelled to tell people the truth about what they are going to put their hard-​earned dollars into. A company who does not care for the customer whole-​heartedly. And to that, choose wisely.

WHY??? Why is my reservation not in the system? Why did I call to confirm the day before and they don’t have my car ready? Why do I need to return my car with a gas receipt? Why do I need to go the counter to return my car? Why did I need to wait over an hour for my car? WHY IS THIS PLACE ASS BACKWARDS?
I could have at least got a comp for my troubles. BUT NO.

I used the Thrifty website to rent a Chevrolet Suburban (premium SUV) for 14 days and paid in full weeks before. When paying in full users are sent to another website, Car Trawler. So far no issues, I made my booking, paid in full, and got a voucher from Car Trawler.
But when I picked up the car I was told by Mohammad at the Denver International Airport counter that a Chevrolet Suburban was not a premium SUV, and one would cost $ 60 per day more unless I was a AAA member, which I am. With that I got a reduced price of $ 40 per day.
My Car Trawler voucher clearly showed that Chevrolet Suburban is a premium SUV. However, Mohammad says his premium SUV is a Nissan Armada. Further, Mohammad says he has no Chevrolet Suburbans but he can get a nice one next door from sister-​company, Dollar Car Rental.
I agree to the Suburban knowing that it’s a premium SUV and will call Thrifty customer service to work it out afterwards. I called Thrifty no less than 10 times to speak with somebody who would validate that a Chevrolet Suburban was a premium SUV. The Thrifty website clearly shows that, and while some would agree a Suburban was a premiums SUV nobody would take responsibility to address the issue and fix the charge. In fact, one Thrifty representative had the audacity to hang up on me.
Thrifty said the $ 667.00 additional charge for a premium SUV would stay on my credit card as a pending charge and I could work it out upon returning the car at the counter by speaking with the manager. According to Thrifty customer service the Denver counter manager is the only person on the planet who could address this concern.
I tried unsuccessfully several times to be transferred by phone from Thrifty customer service to the Denver counter. I tried calling every phone number I could find for the Denver counter and the phone would ring and ring. I then used the Thrifty on-​line customer service portal and submitted my concern in detail. The website said somebody would get back with me. I waited, and waited, and waited days with no reply.
Nobody at Thrifty customer service would help. Nobody.
And I still had the Suburban another 11 days thinking that I might in fact be charged an additional $ 667.00 because nobody would address my concerns. And, when I looked at reviews from previous Thrifty customers I discovered a deplorable pattern of behavior with similar claims from others renting from Thrifty at the Denver International Airport counter.
I called American Express and disputed the pending charge. Luckily they had my back. Nothing would happen until the charge went from pending to active status and it would then be disputed.
So I drove the Suburban the next 11 days, returning it to the counter in Denver. The person checking me in presented me with a bill for $ 667.00 to cover the premium SUV upgrade.
So, I went to see the manager and asked if a Suburban was a premium SUV and he said, «yes, it is.» He then reviewed the reservation but couldn’t tell me why I would have been charged the extra amount in the beginning. I explained the entire scenario and asked him to apologize for causing such irresponsible aggravation in the first place. To his credit, he finally did apologize, but could offer no reason why this could have happened in first place. The charged was refunded.
And finally, the Suburban was filthy, had lots of scratches and showed more than 61,000 hard miles. It needed new wiper blades, had no windshield wiper fluid, and was clearly a tired old truck. Not the sort of car you want to drive your small kids in for two weeks.
I am no longer a fan of Thrifty. Their customer service was deplorable on so many levels and on so many occasions. I normally rent from Hertz who owns Dollar Thrifty. I’ll update this post after I hear back from letters sent to Hertz, and Dollar Thrifty.

Apparently one of the new games, at least in Denver at the airport location, is to suggest you should pay extra for a license plate reading system to read your plates to pay toll on the toll road from Denver Airport to the interstate — only toll road we encountered — which has a built in plate reading system for tourists and occasional users (like us) that just costs a few cents more without the extra $ 30 or so dollar charge from Thrifty. Of course Thrifty doesn’t tell you that.
Meanwhile, another scam by Thrifty involves threats of a $ 10 or so gas charge if you don’t fill up within 10 miles of the Thrifty return on the way back (and prove with a receipt), which the Thrifty counter clerk uses to push a gas plan. All a lie — on check in nobody asks for nothing and they just look at the fuel gauge.
There’s another scam, however, going on among the Thrifty buses that ferry you to the terminal — which Thrifty either ignores or lets happen for lack of management. One bus driver was hanging around, with a full bus, trying to pack his bus completely full before pulling out. Then the driver of a waiting, empty bus started arguing with the first driver, then pushing and shoving the first driver — all while hanging onto my wife’s luggage and trying to walk away with it. Turns out they were fighting over the luggage to steer passengers on board so they could expect the usual tips when passengers get off. DON’T TIP THE DRIVERS.

If I would have looked at the reviews I would have never rented from here Filthy dirty shuttle van took us to a dirty building now I have been standing in line for an hour and still have 20 people in front of me

The service was okay and there was nothing particularly bad about the car (nissan altima), however, I feel ripped off. I pre-​paid online and the amount I was charged was $ 2 higher then the receipt said, again, this isn’t a big deal but it starts to erode their credibility. I was suppose to owe an addtional $ 85 when I arrive after having pre-​paid the $ 246 for a total cost of $ 330 for 3 days. The additional $ 85 I owed at the counter turned into another $ 250 in charges which was not what I expected.
While picking up the car, I was told that there is only one gas station within 10 miles and that it is hard to find and that I had to bring in the receipt for credit so I would be better off just pre-​paying for gas, so I agreed to that (where upon leaving thrifty there was literarly a gas station 2 blocks away.)
I pre-​paid for a «wild card» car. My mistake in taking that chance. They offered me a Chevy Spark, which I didn’t think would work since I’m a big guy (6’4″). I asked if there was anything else to which they gladly said they would upgrade me to a full size car. Here’s where I screwed up again, I misunderstood or didn’t hear correctly that this would cost me an additional $ 90.
On top of all this, they tried to sell me a toll pass for «only» $ 50. This sounded ridiculous for a 3 day rental so I declined. I did the best I could to avoid tolls but did end up on one when returning to the airport. The toll hit me with two charges that amounted to about $ 7 total. Thrifty then charged me two $ 15 dollar administrative fee for a total of $ 30.
Bottomline, I think there could have been other alternatives to the Chevy Spark for less cost but I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to push for a better deal and what upsets me is I would have liked for Thrifty to better assist me in finding the best value to meet my needs but instead I think my ignorance was exploited.

Literally the worst experience renting a car ever, and the issue still isn’t resolved! I arrived at my rental time, to be told the cars were being washed and it would be 10 minutes. There were 4 other annoyed patrons waiting for cars who presumably had reservation times ahead of mine. 30 minutes later I got a car, and the CS agent had absolutely no idea about what he was «selling» me, adding and declining things to my rental agreement without a single verbal affirmation from me. He told me I had to buy their insurance, otherwise it would be illegal to drive the car. WHAT? I didn’t add it on, and was therefore driving illegally in Colorado (give me a break).
He said I could bring the car back empty to be refilled at their rate of $ 2.75/gallon. According to my agreement, that offer was DECLINED and I was then charged $ 9.89/gallon for bringing the car back empty. He had also tacked on Premium Road Service as ACCEPTED which was never even discussed! When I asked to speak with the manager I was left at the counter for 20 minutes only to have the rep come back and say his manager told him he’d have to just charge me the full amount and would call me back later to discuss the gas issue. I nearly missed my flight after trying to resolve this at the location, and I know I was manipulated into closing the contract (i.e., paying) because they knew I had to go!
I have left my phone number for the manager to call me back several times, and it has been over a week. Over the past 5 days I’ve called the location to no answer and a «voicemail box that hasn’t yet been set up.» When I call the Billing Department phone number listed on the Firefly website, they tell me that Firefly does their own billing and they can’t help me. So who can? After the contract is closed, good luck resolving anything, as I was told by the Hertz billing department (Firefly’s parent company).

Horrible. First, they love to add on fees. $ 40 dollars for toll road access? I don’t need it, I know where I’m going, and I won’t be on any toll roads. But if you’ve never been to Denver would you know that it’s not necessary? Unlike other rental car companies, your spouse isn’t covered to drive the car, at least that’s what the «friendly» rep said, as well as if they get pulled over they’d get arrested. I’m sure for an added fee they’d be allowed to drive, as well.
30 minutes to get a car. Sure, I had a reservation and was on time, but where was the car? There were only three people ahead of me, yet it took standing there for 30 minutes to get a car. No one was moving quickly to fulfill their obligations, my wife and I both joked that it must be due to the legal weed in Colorado.
Oh, and per Thrifty’s rules you are required to show a gas receipt within a 10 mile radius when you return the car or you’ll have to pay 9 dollars a gallon for a tank of gas. Of course, if you buy their prepaid tank it’s only 1.88 per gallon, again for the entire tank.
Upon return, however, no one wanted the receipt that we made sure to get just down the street.
Adding on the toll road access removed much of the savings I received going here instead of another rental car agency, and the number of hassles, annoyances, and 30 minutes of waiting for the stupid car are enough to make it so I’ll never rent from them again ANYWHERE!