Advantage Rental Car

I abandoned my evangelical fundamentalist upbringing a long time ago but I remember it well. One major theme in that nutty world is the idea of a hell. While I no longer believe such a place exists I wonder sometimes what it would be like to be in hell and lately I’ve noticed a pattern. I’ve noticed that when I contemplate a fire and brimstone fate I’m doing so while waiting in line at the Advantage Rent A Car rental counter. But it’s in that moment I realize that hell isn’t going to be based upon any eternal fire of misery it’s going to be an eternal, tedious, and excruciatingly boring existence of doing the things we all hated doing in life. It’s going to be nothing but filling out forms at the DMV, trips to the post office, dental office visits, and rental car counters. Probably while The Offspring play in the background.
Now to be somewhat fair I have rented from all of the more recognizable names in the rental car industry and they all suck. They all consistently operate the same way which is to say they all embrace mediocrity as though it’s a business strategy. Have you ever talked to people who care less about what they do? The more I rent cars the more I think they are all owned by the same parent company but I have rented the most from Advantage Rent A Car so they now bear the brunt of my frustration. To offset how unfair that may be I’ve given them two stars which I think is generous.
My latest rental was a silver beauty I picked up from the Atlanta airport on a Friday in October of 2015. On this particular occasion the rental desk attendant seemed like he was the one in a hurry which was great because it meant he didn’t go through the normal coercion techniques and lies to get me to upgrade or sign up for the insurance or pre-​paid fuel charges. (Don’t forget, these people are incentivized to get you to sign up for the extras you most likely don’t need and will say anything to make the sale). For just a second I thought I might actually be having a good experience but then I snapped back to reality when I reached the dirty silver sedan with 20k miles and dent above the passenger side front wheel. When I opened the trunk I could see the spare tire wasn’t secured and the threaded clamp to hold it in place was loose in the back. No worries Advantage, I got it. The car was mechanically fine for the three days I drove it despite smelling like a mixture of patchouli, baby powder, and sadness. When I returned the car early Monday morning the Advantage gate was unattended and not open so I drove into the Hertz lot next door and found an opening in the concrete barriers dividing the two companies to leave the car where I picked it up. No worries Advantage, I got it.
In 2014 I rented a car from Advantage and actually received a call from them after replying with a less-​than-​stellar review to one of their feedback emails. All the guy could do was offer me a $ 50 coupon off my next rental. I told him I didn’t need the coupon and when he asked me what they could do better all I could think to say was «care more». It sounded ridiculous and simple then and it still does now but they already have the systems, technology, cars, and people so what else is there? Based upon the fact that they contacted me I decided to give them another shot but after this latest experience I’ve had enough.
The rental car industry is in need of an Über-​like wake up call that the taxi industry is currently experiencing. Taxis are finding out just how good they had it and what happens when your death grip on mediocrity finally gets pried loose by the demand for something so easily better. Über is better on how many levels? How about every single one. As a result traditional taxis are going extinct. Good riddance.
You probably stopped reading a while ago and I don’t blame you, this review is way too long. Which reminds me, not only will I not rent from Advantage Rent A Car again, I’m late for church.

ADVANTAGE is a bait-​and-​switch operation, pure and simple. Shame on me; this is the second time they pulled this off, but there won’t be a third. Both were «upgrades» because the vehicle I requested (and they advertised) was «not available.» Each occasion cost me $ 96 plus the percentage ramifications of the increased price. My quote of $ 110 for 5-​days put me out the door with a $ 316 final charge!
Not counting state tax and energy charges, here are the undisclosed surprises on my bill:
CUSTOMER FACILITY CHARGE $ 30
VEHICLE LICENSE FEE $ 4.50
CONCESSION FEE $ 21.99
That’s a daily charge of $ 55.30.
Add in energy and state taxes ($ 45.15), the daily rate climbed to $ 63.20!
This mugging took place in Salt Lake City (previous one in Sacramento). I feel stupid, but it was 7:00am and I had been up all night on a train. I was in no position to argue or to shop around.
Get a guaranteed rate for a NAMED vehicle from a reputable company. That would exclude Advantage.

I just had an Advantage rental pickup blow through my neighborhood at at least 50 MPH on a 25 MPH street. If I had gotten the license number I would have turned in to the police.

I recently rented from advantage for a trip with my friend to Las Vegas. After being on the road for an hour the oil light came on, so we called advantage to make sure we handled the situation correctly. My friend and I checked the oil in the car and the car had no oil! I was on the 215 and the lady on the phone told me to drive out of my way on my vacation that I rented a car for so I wouldn’t have to deal with car problems to Bakersfield an hour and a half out of MY way! The service was horrible while dealing with the issue and when I got to Vegas to get a new car they downgraded me to a older car!!! The only positive was I got a free tank of gas and a great trip to Vegas. Just a headache on Saturday! I think I’m upset because I felt like I was inconvenienced and they really didn’t try to help me?!
Other than the low price which is great, the car selection is horrible and the service could be better.

Received a quote for a «total charge» (including tax) of $ 262 for a 4 day rental via
and this amount was confirmed at the Advantage counter. After returning the vehicle, they charged an additional $ 66 dollars for concession fees and state taxes not on the original quote. This is the 2^nd time I“ve been scammed by a «Hertz» company — and
was complicit.
Advantage Rental Car and Hertz are both companies who scam their customers.
What a shame and a black eye for American business that these companies behave without integrity.

DON“T FALL FOR THIS CHEEP RATE! I put in the correct dates (yes I double checked this) and then when the confirmation page came up it showed dates for the very next day, not the three months out that I was booking for. I called and they wouldn’t change it or refund money because it was less than 24 hours.
This place sucks!

These guys were excellent.
1) Car was ready on time and nice — low millage.
2) Through the line and out the gate in less than 10 min.
3) 4am this morning, they were open, checked us in and got us to the airport in less than 15 min.
Cannot expect more than that from a car rental place, especialy after the last place we rented a car from (
)

The final price I pay is never the same as the price I negotiate for myself on line. I guess that’s a testament to their salesman at the counter. DAMN him, I didn’t need all those extras… although the extra he talked me into was insurance. With my luck someone would have hit me and I would have been on the hook for like 8k instead of an extra 200.
I suppose he did me a favor?
Anyhoo, I was hooked up with a Toyota Highlander at no extra cost… or maybe it was extra and Mr. Salesmans smooth talking and asking me if my son was my brother made me forget that he was charging me an arm and a leg for the upgrade.
All jokes aside. For a Toyota Highlander — 10 day rental, unlimited mileage, full coverage liability and I didn’t have to worry about filling the gas up when I dropped the car off — I paid $ 500 (with shuttle service to and from the airport)

Well, that sure felt like a bait and switch.
I should have read the negative reviews and been wary of their much lower prices compared to Enterprise, Hertz, etc. I guess in this case you get what you pay for.
We arrived after a long wait for the shuttle and one of the furthest drives from the airport. A few nice and clean cars were out in front, but upon arrival, we were told they were overbooked and that others had prepaid.
Despite having a reservation, it was clear there was issues with us getting a reserved small SUV. The manager said we’d be doing Advantage a huge favor if we switched to a minivan and they’d even keep the rates the same.
After a delayed flight, I just wanted to go to the hotel so didn’t put up much of a fight.
Turns out the switch involved being handed off to a nearby rental agency and being pawned off entirely by them. They agreed to the rate but the car was a doozy.
They also stated low supplies and gave the oldest minivan on the lot, with over 100K hard rental miles, and a rundown interior, dented exterior, chipped windshield, etc.
The whole time they said it was mechanically fine and Advantage had left the picture. As a «favor,» Advantage said I could ride their shuttle back to the airport if needed.
Overall, the nearby rental agency was ok but I expected better from Advantage. If you make a reservation, honor it. Or offer an upgrade, not a downgrade to the oldest, ugliest vehicle on a lot next door.
I’ll stick with Enterprise next time. In this case, maybe you don’t get what you pay for.

The price is right but the service sucks! From the no where to be found bus drivers! To the girl texting instead of letting me return my car!

After reading some of the reviews on Unilocal,I was very worried, however we had already booked the car and just crossed our fingers it would not be too awful.
We had wonderful and fluent in English customer service reps, free upgrade to a larger car when the car they had promised was not available, no unexpected add on expenses and easy and fast pick up and drop off of vehicle. It left me stunned when I was expecting to have a similar horror story as others I had read about this company.

I felt the need to post my last experience with this company.
In order to get the 50 dollar rebate you get with your bill close out you must go to the web site and input the code that written on the top right corner.
Simple enough right?
On my next visit to lovely San Diego I go to the web site and input the code. No cars showed up in the whole San Diego area when I used the rebate code.
I inputted the code multiple times with different dates. Then I tried my dates with out the code. Woow, like 3 pages of car’s posted for me to choose from.
To offer a 50 dollar rebate is fine. Not honoring it is the problem.
I informed the car rental center about the problem, they directed me to the customer support hotline with the quickness only a true Social service employee could match.
Just a note. Finger pointing and telling me the correct way to get the rebate «the next time» I use your car rental center is not going to cut it.
Needless to say, I have a new rental place and they honor the discounts they brag about.

Wow this place was bad. It all started when we were waiting for them at the airport. 3 Hertz buses pass, 3 enterprise, 3 Dollar, etc. and finally Advantage rolls around. The shuttle driver almost passes right by us, but luckily I run out to the road and she stops. She said she didn’t see us, but it’s hard when you only stop 50 yards back of where the main pick-​up spot is and then don’t stop closer. Then the shuttle driver doesn’t move and I carry both my luggage and my wife’s luggage onto the shuttle. Thanks for the help.
I went to check in and the guy tried to make it seem like he was making me a deal for upgrading from the economy to a Pathfinder (and didn’t mention the huge «upgrade» in the cost too). I told him I didn’t want any extras and he persisted beyond the point of what is probably required of him. It wouldn’t annoy me as much, but I told him upfront that we didn’t want anything else. He asked me if I had ever been to San Diego several times even thought I had answered him too. He asked if I wanted suggestions about restaurants, I said sure… he told me there were good places around the Gas Lamp Quarter and Old Town. Thanks for narrowing that down for me buddy.

This place did not earn 1-​star.
I wish I would have read the other reviews before going here. My experience is even worse than the others. I got ripped off on line. I booked through their website. The price changed between the time I entered my credit card and personal info and hit «submit», agreeing to pay the quoted price, and the receipt. The crooks actually charged me $ 30 more than I agreed to. I called the national number (forget trying to get through to the local number — gave up after holding for 20+ minutes) and was told they are very sorry, but since I had the pre-​paid deal, they were unable to make and refunds or adjust the charged amount. ARE YOU KIDDING? That’s like a clerk at the grocery store ringing you up for $ 50, charging you $ 80, and saying «yes, that’s really unfortunate and I’m sorry. but there’s nothing I can do.» I filed a complaint with BBB. It’s only $ 30 but that is unacceptable.
I picked up my car — a compact SUV that has dents, scratches and appears to not have been washed for 2 years. I got the same upsell tactics others have reported.
AVOID this place. Bad customer service, bad cars, and they rip you off.

Avoid this place like the plague. It’s unacceptable that they spend 10 – 15 minutes per customer to upsell them when there are 10 other customers in line waiting to pick up their cars. To make matters worse, their computers go down just as it’s our turn to be helped, and we’re there for another half hour while they try to fix the problem. All this added over an hour to our travel time.
Out of the 3 CSRs working there, 1 of them was standing around doing nothing and occasionally disappearing into the back room, while the other 2 complained that he wasn’t helping customers and spent a fair deal of energy trying to get him to do his job.
To my CSR’s credit, he gave me a free upgrade to a mid-​sized sedan, which was nice, but unfortunately he didn’t hear me when I repeatedly said I didn’t want a Chevy. I got a Chevy.
Checking the car back in: they overcharged me for a late fee, even though I returned the car a full hour before the checkin time stated on my rental record (the form they gave me when I first got the car with the mileage, estimated charges, etc). When I called to have the charges reversed, the CSR was argumentative and refused, citing that I returned the car slightly over their 24hr cycle. True enough, but I did originally ask for a later checkin time, so if they were going to charge me extra, why wasn’t I told in advance? It certainly wasn’t reflected on my rental record on their original estimated charges.
Finally, she said I should feel lucky that I wasn’t charged for an extra full day and she doesn’t understand why I got away with it. Gee, thanks. All this acrimony over $ 14. I quickly said goodbye (my time isn’t worth the headache), told her I wouldn’t be coming back and would be giving them a poor review. She didn’t care, of course.
Lesson learned. Next time pay a bit more for a more reputable rental company.

Kind of a pain in the ass to get to from the airport (but they do offer a shuttle so it makes it more convenient) but if you’re looking for a reasonable priced rental in San Diego, you’ve met your match.
It was one of the most affordable options we found during our stay a few weekends ago.
Check in was easy, although it took forever, and returning it was easy as well.
The lot is intense! Do be sure to follow the arrows and directions or you may be tempted to exit at the wrong area and accidentally run over the massive police spikes! God help the person who was dumb enough to do that! For shame. I’ve never seen that in any lot, ever. But hey, guess they need it with all of those Ford Taurus’s in there.

Contrary to the mixed reviews, I had a fairly good experience here.
Advantage usually has the best prices online, so I went them on the midsize at roughly $ 35/​day (w/​o tax, surcharge, etc.).
Flew into San Diego, and since the rental car places in San Diego are offsite, waited about 20 min for the rental car shuttle. I was getting worried watching all the other ones go by! Made me wonder if this was their least popular rental car place…
Not sure if this is due to the «movement» of the car industry, official US standards, or changing classifications of the rental car industry, but — car size is based on interior room, and I’d say for the past year or so, Toyota Corolla’s and Nissan Sentra’s are now considered mid-​size, whereas I used to be able to rent Pontiac G6’s at this level.
The jacked-​up thing about this is that these cars that I used to consider compact, are still cheaply appointed as such. I’ve never had a Corolla, but Sentra’s suck, and is what I’m offered most of the time nowadays. So, I told myself that if I was offered one here, I’d take the upgrade (the next tier up is usually a full-​size).
Sure enough, they offered a car I didn’t want, so I asked for an upgrade. One of the ones available was for Hyundai Sonata, which turned out nice and comfortable, and was a roomy well-​appointed sedan. He only charged me $ 5/​day addional (w/​o tax, surcharge, etc).
All-​in-​all though, the rating is more for Ian, the guy who helped me out. He was super professional and pleasant throughout the whole experience; he offered up all the additional options (insurance, GPS, etc.), yet wasn’t too pushy about it. I was returning the car in Los Angeles, so he offered up his fave restaurant suggestion.

We hopped onto the shuttle, were taken to the lot, assigned a car and on the way out, they helped us to inspect it for any prior damage. The employees were really nice, efficient, and friendly. The car was fantastic for the price! We got a 4 door Toyota that used about 1.75 gallons for driving all over for the day.
Just as quickly as we were brought in to get our car, we were able to make the check out process just as fast, get back to the airport in a reasonable time and on our way. Next time I’m in town, I’ll definitely use Advantage again!

I live in SD and needed a car to drive to Norcal. I was going to book it with the car rental I used before (Fox) since it was $ 1 cheaper too. But then I decided to try a new car rental just to see what’s out there.
Didn’t have to use a shuttle or anything. Employees were nice. They offer you a deal where you can return it empty and pay for a full tank of gas, which is cheaper than regular gas (take the deal and don’t have to worry about coming back on full). I got a Nissan Sentra. It was really nice. Clean, color silver, nice interiors, new (only had 2,200 miles), rode smoothly. Basically everything went well except on Unilocal it says they close at midnight on Sunday, but they really close at 9pm. So I had to wait til the next morning to drop it off.

I was in San Diego a few weeks ago for school. Because Advantage was the cheapest rental car company, I made reservations to rent a Toyota Rav 4 through them.
When I arrived, I took their free shuttle to their office and had my rental within minutes. After taking the car, I noticed an issue and took the car back.
I was upgraded to their top of the line SUV at no charge without question.
If I ever need to rent a car in San Diego again, I will definitely return to Advantage for it.