National Car Rental Customer Service Complaints - page 3

I rented a car from national in puerto plata after waiting 1/2 hour and almost done with the process I was informed that liability insurance for about 40 dollars was mandatory. I have never gotten liability from a car rental in my life. I was informed by my insurance company that I am always covered. I have been to puerto plata 6 times in the last year and travel here every month. None of the other car rental companies pulled this. If the charge stands I will not be doing business with your company anymore. Sincerely stephen affron

I have been a Emerald club member since 1998 and rent from National about 15 to 20 weeks a year.
I will no longer rent from National at Toronto Airport YYZ as I need to constantly monitor the bills as they have over charged me the last 2 times I rented. The first time was for 143.98 US for PCC which I declined at rental and no insurance is on my profile. After 2 calls and my time and monitoring I got a refund. The last time I was billed $ 12.31 Can for a toll I did not go through. I just got the refund in motion for.
The time before I left $15.00 to $20.00 in change and my GPS in the car, Neither of which I can recover. I have given the Serial Number and Make to National Car Rental in Canada. One previous time I had a problem there also. I do not have the desire to constantly monitor my travel bills because of a dishonest company. I am Mad and may consider using Avis Exclusively.

national costa rica completely discarded my priceline booking an amex insurance certificate cost 5 times booked priceline booking it was a total con game 5k miles frm home want happen again national corpate should be ashamed larry b.

Terrible customer service. The agent Jaun at the Fort Lauderdale airport was completely dishonest and ripped me off. it completely spoiled our spring break.

I am an Emerald Club Member, so during a business trip to Spokane on February 26, 2014 I made a reservation for a full size car, 3 weeks in advance of my trip. After landing at 8am I get to the a national counter and get in the Emerald Club line. There is one agent only. As I wait my turn, which is second in line, the non Emerald club line begins filling up. So rather than close one line and have a single line so it's a first come first served, it's now switching back and forth between lines. This is a minor issue, except I had a reservation and my transaction only takes a few minutes. The customer who should have been behind me, who ended up being helped first took nearly 10 minutes to complete his rental and now I'm running late for a 9am business meeting. Still, no big deal as the girl behind the counter is doing the best she can, explaining to each customer that her Manager got called away to a meeting. My thoughts. Why would you schedule a meeting and leave one individual to handle the counter at one of the busiest times of the day? Ok. Things happen. So it's finally my turn and even though I have a confirmed reservation which she finds in the computer, my paperwork, keys and car are not ready. So Instead of a few minutes, I'm now another 10 minutes behind for my meeting. I'm given a mini van as my reserved full size sedan isn't available. Ok, no problem. I get the the mini van and it's covered in snow and ice from the previous days storm. Now we have a problem. I'm in a suit and tie, late for a business meeting already and now have to clean my rental of snow and ice. You know how long it takes to clean and defrost a Dodge Caravan with a 5" plastic scraper? This is unacceptable! I am a regular business traveler of Spokane and have used both Enterprise and National for my rental cars. After this past experience, I will never use or recommend National Rental Car in the Spokane Airport. In all fairness, I have had outstanding service from all other NationalRental Centers and will continue to use National as my rental car compNy of choice, but never again from Spokane Airport. Making a customer clean the car? Not Cool!

I reserved a car from National car rental 3 months in advance of our trip to Costa Rica. I had a confirmation print out. When we arrived in San Jose on Dec.25, at 10:30pm we were told at the counter that they did not have anymore cars even though they had my reservation. We had reserved a car 3 months in advance for a total of $494 for the week. The National car rental agent said we could rent another car from one of his partners, but the price would now be $1,000 plus tax for the week. We asked for a manager but no one was available. We were stuck. We ended up taking a cab for $30 that night to our hotel. The next morning i went to the front desk and told them about the car rental experience with National. Their response was not surprised as they stated National does this all the time, especially during Christmas (busy season) as they can rent cars for 2 to 3 times more than what I reserved it for 3 months earlier in advance. The front desk spent the next 2 hours finding me a car with another company that did end up costing me $1,000 because it was last minute and many car rental companies had no other car available. Bottom line, do not rent from National. It was the worst experience ever. I do plan on taking them to small claims court and will raise the issue further with the BBB and other agencies. At this point it's not the money, it's the principle. They shouldn't be able to get away with this fraud.

I was in an accident last night when my car was struck by a driver who was in a rented Natl. car. I called today to find out how to get my car repaired and was advised by Natl. Car to contact my insurance not them. I explained I had contacted my insurance and they told me to contact National again. My insurance rep. with Amica kept me on the line and called for me to National. We spoke to a lady in claims who was very rude and when we asked to speak to a supervisor she said "NO" that she was not going to let us speak to anyone else. I spoke up and said all I need is to speak to someone regarding getting my car repaired. She cut me off and then hung up on us. My agent called back and spoke to another lady who gave us yet another number to call. We called them and they gave us another number to call!!!!! We called them and they transferred us to yet another number 630 424-9399 ext. 337 Rachel? and we left a message for her to call me. After a bad accident and then to go through all this on the phone is totally wrong. Do you not understand the value of customer service? I will advise my company to no longer recommend National for our traveling employees. And yes I'm still waiting for a return call from Rachel and still don't have a car to drive!!!


David Caldwell

We had to do an emergency car rental to drive back from Miami to Michigan due to airline snafu. Paulette at the MIA was very helpful and compassionate as I was very upset. She went above and beyond and one was one of the few people met in Miami that was actually was kind and helped us.

This comment is for all National rent a car locations : I am happy with National but I would like to recommend the following for you to improve your service : Every time I rent a car , no matter where, the windows are never clean both inside and outside. Many times when I am not in a hurry I take the car back to the service area and have them clean my windows and mirrors. Washing the car is not enough. Most people are driving in unfamilar territory at night and dirty window and mirrors with water streaks make it difficult to see properly. If you want to be the # 1 rent a car company PLEASE inform your service managers to have the windows clean. Washing the car without cleaning the windows and MIRRORS is very important to the safety of your customers. THANK YOU . I always inform the office managers but so far they have not listened

National Car Rental Agency,







I am a very unhappy and dissatisfied customer! On September 29, 2013 I rented a vehicle from your company, in Rapid City, SD. My wife and I were scheduled to return the vehicle and fly out of Rapid City on October 5,2013. However, Rapid City was hit by a severe winter snow storm October 4, 2013. There was 31 inches of snow, 60-70 mph winds, roads blocked by snow, and electrical power was lost throughout the city. The airport and your office in the airport was closed due to the extreme weather conditions. We called your office in Rapid City and there was no answer, but we did leave a message and a return phone number. We never received a call back. Our flights were cancelled and we were forced to rebook our flight three different times. We received information that the Rapid City airport would not be re-opened until Sunday night, but all flights were fully booked and we would not be able to fly out until Wednesday. We had to return home as soon as possible and was finally able to book a flight out of Sioux Falls, SD on Monday morning, October 7, 2013. We were able to finally drive out of the hotel Sunday afternoon going east. Highway 90 west was still closed. We drove to Sioux Falls and returned the rental at the Sioux Falls airport. Later that evening I called your office in Rapid City and informed them of our actions. While I understand there would be additional charges for driving the car to Sioux Falls, I do not understand why it would cost an additional $2,307.34! This is a ridiculous charge! Especially, due to the extreme circumstances. On my original contract it states time & distance $310.00 with unlimited mileage. My total agreement was $405.55. I am willing to pay another $405.55, but $2,307.34 is outrageous! If there is not an adjustment to my bill, I will never rent another vehicle from your company. I will also provide as much negative press as I possibly can; via Facebook, tweet, and word of mouth. You have my contact information if you would like to contact me and discuss this.







Unhappy



Robert Finley

We rented a car through the Akron Canton - Ohio Airport Rental kiosk. We, unfortunately, made the mistake of locking our keys in the truck of the car. I called the National Rental to see what options were available to us to fix the problem. I had the unfortunate experience of speaking to Brandon Wylie who proceeded to tell me he's in Ohio and I am in Chicago so he didn't know what I expected him to. I said what do folks do when this happens and he said he didn't know because he had only been there a week and a half! Wow! What sad customer service. I said well I have medicine in the truck that I need to get out and he replied, I am not the one that locked the keys in the trunk - you did. He said he asked the girl from the Enterprise Rental counter what to do and she didn't know either so he suggested I call the National Rental Car agency near me and talk to them. I asked if he could give that phone number and he said his computer doesn't have internet that I was on my own. I said I sure am. I am thankful for the folks that did help me out and it sure wasn't anyone from National Car Rental.

Ridiculous





Charles Seidenstucker





Bjs Restaurants... 'emerald club"

First time renting last week and now this week in Phoenix. My card is maxed out with all of the pending charges you have held on my card .. 6 total... 24 customer service number is useless and after 1o minutes just hung out to dry.....

My most recent experience with National car rental was not satisfactory. I arrived to pick up my rental at the Detroit DTW airport location only to find they only had no more than 5-10 standard size cars available. None of the cars had satellite radio and or any other upgraded options. I was very dissatisfied because I have rented cars with other rental agencies and found them to have a better stock o fully loaded cars available and optional add on satellite radio. I could have rented a compact and gotten the same experience. All of the vehicles I saw seemed very basic. This rental was a Chrysler 200. I will have long thoughts before I choose this rental company again.
J. Hagen

I'm at Executive level at national and the last three reservations have been a joke, the customer service is marginal. I'm going to start using Avis and hertz from now on. Even the prices are better...

You have lost the business of a very frequent traveler because of the unprofessional and downright crude handling of your Albuquerque, NM manager. I will change travel plans before I ever use National again.

During our most recent trip a family member unexpectedly passed away. Between settling an estate and planning a wedding we received an unforgivably rude phone call from the manager complaining that he had a business to run and "reminding" us, aka yelling over and over like a broken record, of our contractual obligations.

As a business owner I was appalled at not only the lack of professionalism but also the lack of common decency. I will certainly tell all of my friends, family and customers about the horrible experience I had with Albuquerque National and National as a whole.

The Doha / Qatar branch has terrible customer service. They seem to go out of their way to annoy the customers. Anything from deliberately calling you Mam when you've told them multiple times Tim is a guys name not a girls. To refusing to answer where is the site for traffic fines and then trying to over charge for the same fines.

There is also no counter at the airport.

Make sure the license is the right state you are traveling in. We rented a car in San Francisco, not only was it not available at the the we had booked it for, they upgraded us to a larger model with Florida license plate, when we parked the car later to go for last minute shopping, our car had been towed from the meter that we had just fed lest that 10 minutes before hand. We went to the store to report it stolen, the clerk asked us if we were from out of town. When we said Yes, he replied "Not stolen, Towed". So never get a car that does not have the correct plates of the state that you are in.

really BAD service in Doha Qatar / suggest you use another car rental company

I am trying to get a replacement car during my travel right now. National Car Rental has failed to get me a replacement vehicle for 21 hours now. I called their Emergency Roadside Service multiple times and am still waiting. This morning I found out that they had canceled thge replacement because there was a thunderstorm in the area????

Why is National Car service so poor?

Still waiting for the replacment car.

Mark Swartz

We rented an economy car from National which was described as seating four adults and two bags. When we arrived we were given a Chevy Spark which consumer reports states only fits one bag and a duffel and we were unable to get our luggage in as we could barely fit one bag into the trunk.

As we had paid through Priceline, we had prepaid and our only option to was pay an additional 40% over what we'd agreed to to upgrade to a real car. This car was clearly purchased solely to force people to upgrade and I will not use National again.

I am complaining about a car rental, done in HI. The price was nice and affordable. However, when I rented the car I asked to fill out a pre vehicle inspection sheet. I was told one was not need, and did not proceed to let me inspect the car 1st. Then I go to the booth to get my car, I get a car upgrade, and still no pre vehicle inspection sheet. The car did have a few minor damages, but I they told me I need not worry. I stayed downtown and the car for everything including the hotel had to be valet. The day of my wedding we were escort by limo, and the shopping centers, strip outlet, and the beach was exactly on block up. I drove the car literally, from the airport, picked up my husband, grab my clothes, valet parked. I returned the car before my flight, and upon return what do you know they did a post vehicle inspection. They girl stated that their was a dent in the car, and I explained to her, the car was valet. The representative told me someone will contact me within 2 weeks. I was contacted past two weeks during the holiday season scheduling of my job. It's not her fault for my work hours so I returned the call leaving her my email address, work number, and phone number, because I work flex hours anywhere from 5a-2a and advised it would be easier for me to respond quicker through email. She never attempted to reach me through any of the avenues I gave her. Instead she continued to leave voice messages on my phone as if I was avoiding her. I wrote 3 emails, left messages, my husband left a message because he is able to have access to his phone all day, and I am not. He didn't even receive a call. I then received a bill stating I owed them $600+ for damages. They didn't say what damages, just damages. I've been trying to contact them so that my lawyer can compare the notes, and now I might have to have my lawyer contact them just to get the information they did not send, or make me aware of. I agree with John's complaint in 11/2/12 about National. I've never rented with Hertz, but I've informed all my family and friends I can contact personally and statewide that it's worth the extra dollars for us to continue to rent through Enterprise. They listen and make sure you report the damages, their customer service is better, and their customer conflict resolution (whether it's in your favor or not) is worth it all. Unless National is your last resort don't rent with them. Continue to research their rating and you will see for yourself that people aren't just complaining for no reason, nor are they complimenting.

I am more than disappointed with National Rent a Car. I have been an executive level emerald club customer for years, probably decades. I rented a car from the Oklahoma City airport location and the manager who checked in my car noticed a small chip in the windshield as he was doing my recipt. There was a small amount of bird dropping near it and it was below the line of sight so the average person would never notice it.
I drove the car for about 15 minutes to the convention center and to my hotel. I would have noticed if something had hit the windshield while I was driving the car. He told me it would cost about $300. I will be renting from Hertz from now on. It is too much risk renting from National.

I left an item in my rental at EWR and called the facility within the first hour of noticing it was lost. I was not able to reach them nor was the 800 cust service number any help. I called 14 times in the next day at different times to get in touch with them with no success. I did however, speak to Alamo twice.
Emailing customer service was NO HELP either as they advised I call the facility.
Just a Horrible experience!

I travelled to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. When I first rented the car, they filled a paper with marks where previous bumps and scratches were before I took it off. When I returned from my trip, they wanted me to pay a new scratch that according to them was not in the paper. We show them it was marked in the paper they filled in the beginning. They brought up the manager and first he told us it was not there...when he could not deny the obvious he told us it was there, but now we made it bigger (so..I managed to hit the car again exactly in the previous scratch!).
We were loosing our vacation time, so we had to pay the scratch and leave.


Awful international customer service

I first placed my complaint to Mexico's customer service office. I had not received an answer for a month so I tried international customer service. I sent all the papers that proved the scratch was there previously. They answered again almost a month and a half later (and because I asked them again if they had news) when they told me I would receive answers in 8 days. Their answer was everything looked all right...and guess what? They sent me again the original paper where you can see clearly the scratch was marked before I took the car. They just don't even read what they are sending.

I'm an Israeli customer and I rented a car at Calgary airport on July 17,2012 at 08:54PM. The type ordered Chevrolet Impala or similar. I ordered this type due to the big trunk for 4-5 big luggages. On July 16th, my cousin from Toronto called your office in Calgary and asked about the availability of Impala and if we have to upgrade the car what will be the additional charge. Mr. Rudy answered that the additional fees qill be around 150CAD. My cousin also was asked to leave his cellphone number as a contact person.
When we arrived at Calgary the same Rudy offered us a similar car but it's trunk was for 2 big luggages and 3 small. when they offered an upgrade the additional price 600 CAD!!! we refused and asked for the manager, Roman Herre. he wasn't available and I had to argue for an hour. In the end we received the Chevrolet Impala!!! We wanted to pay the amount of 1391.54 CAD on arrival, as was mentioned in the order. The same Rudy and his colegue Niegel (another rude and liar person) told us that we HAVE TO PAY ONLY when we'll drop off the car in Victoria BC. we asked if we can PAY CASH at Victoria and the answer was a full "YES". when we droped off the car in Victoria (they are a franchisee and they DON'T deal with money of any kind, cash or credit card), they called your office in Calgary and approved our drop off and automaticlly they charged our Credit Card!!! I hade to pay additional charges because I was debited in USD and also commision about 28 USD. I also remained with the 1391 CAD and I have to convert them back to Israeli Shekel, which will cost me additional charges and commisions (differences of the rates). I'm asking for compensetion of all my additional charges and also for the anguish I've started and finished my vacation in Canada.
Thank you in advance for your prompt reply and hope you'll solve my problem immediately. I also hope you'll check on your staff's behaviour at Calgary airport desk.
Sincerely
Simona Goldstein, ISRAEL