Thrifty - LAS Experiences

Any recent experiences with Thrifty at LAS? What cars are they typically giving as midsize or fullsize?

LAS is a corporate store, not a franchised location, and corporate stores share a nationwide fleet of primarily Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep vehicles.

I don't know the specifics at LAS, but I would expect a midsize to be a Dodge Avenger or Chrysler Sebring and a fullsize to be a Dodge Charger.

The odd Chevy or Ford may be mixed in, but these are relatively rare (except for the Ford Mustang convertible).

The http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thrifty/766246-consolidated-wild-car-thread.html has some reports from LAS. One person was once given a Ford Fusion; the rest were Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep.

Was there at the end of March. Reserved a compact and was given a Charger. They had quite a few there. The Consolidated Rental Car location was quick and convenient. If you are Blue Chip member you can proceed right to where the cars are parked too.

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Of many many rentals over the years, I can only recall getting a ford once. Its all chrysler/dodge at las.

I was going to use a LAS Thrifty reservation as a back-up (Alamo with a questionable code is cheaper). However, I noticed the Thrifty Terms & Conditions state 'a one day charge for no show unless cancelled 24 hours prior to pick up', making my Thrifty reservation not much of a backup.

Anyone ever been charged the one-day penalty by Thrifty?

I was going to use a LAS Thrifty reservation as a back-up (Alamo with a questionable code is cheaper). However, I noticed the Thrifty Terms & Conditions state 'a one day charge for no show unless cancelled 24 hours prior to pick up', making my Thrifty reservation not much of a backup.

Anyone ever been charged the one-day penalty by Thrifty?

I assume you're referring to this line:

Credit card guaranty on advance reservations and one day charge for no show unless cancelled 24 hours prior to pick up. No one way offered with the rental. Driving restricted to the continental United State. (sic...they should pay a copyeditor to go through and fix all these...)

Given that the site doesn't ask for your credit card information for any of the vehicle classes I selected (economy, SUV, and premium), it's kind of hard for them to charge you for a no-show.

I would interpret the above T&C line to mean that "on vehicles which require a credit card guarantee, you will be charged for a no-show unless your reservation is canceled 24 hours prior to pick-up." Since the basic vehicles don't require a credit card guarantee, this T&C line doesn't come into play. Usually if you have to give your card information, that's a flag that you may be charged for a no-show. (It probably does apply to the Style Series rentals, which are their luxury vehicles and do require a credit card guarantee IIRC.)

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Of many many rentals over the years, I can only recall getting a ford once. Its all chrysler/dodge at las.

I rented last month and got a Ford Explorer. They said Fords are starting to appear at that location. The lady who took my paperwork when I left the garage was convinced it wasn't even one of their cars.

Had about 10k miles on it. It was between that and a Jeep Compass with 40k miles on it.

Never seen a Ford there before, but have not rented from them since winter. Also, I have never been charged for no-show even though my Blue Chip profile has my cc in it.

They had rows of PT Cruisers ready for any of the poor b4stards who were renting a compact/economy car that day.

I had a mid-size SUV, so I opted for a nifty Dodge Nitro. I pushed hard for the blue Toyota FJ Cruiser (a full size SUV) sitting next to it, but the express desk guy didn't seem interested in meeting my friend Abraham Lincoln. :D

the express desk guy didn't seem interested in meeting my friend Abraham Lincoln. :D

You only offered him a PENNY? :D

You only offered him a PENNY? :D

Hehehehe :D ^

i book an astonishingly cheap compact and all they had left was a mini van or a convertible. i chose the latter. the rental person said they were booked and my car had been given away earlier and one had not been returned on time. ^ for me!

You only offered him a PENNY? :D
hahaha indeed...well played :D

honestly, i would have given the lot attendant a $10 or $20 bill. the guys at the other LAS rental places seem more willing to play ball. Vegas is a town that revolves around winks, nudges, and tips, after all. once the sun goes down, a convertible is pretty much the best vehicle to have, assuming you left the wife and kids at home. the mustang convertible trunk is small and can hold one piece of luggage or two small children, at best.

They had rows of PT Cruisers ready for any of the poor b4stards who were renting a compact/economy car that day.

I had a mid-size SUV, so I opted for a nifty Dodge Nitro. I pushed hard for the blue Toyota FJ Cruiser (a full size SUV) sitting next to it, but the express desk guy didn't seem interested in meeting my friend Abraham Lincoln. :D

When I rented at THrify LAS in June, they were considering the PT Cruiser to be a Midsize...

They had just one person running the Blue Chip pickup line...what a joke..took her 5-10 minutes per customer to get them into a car...really sucked. I'm bypassing Thrify on my trip to LAS this month..

...They had just one person running the Blue Chip pickup line...what a joke..took her 5-10 minutes per customer to get them into a car...really sucked. I'm bypassing Thrify on my trip to LAS this month..
So even as a Blue Chip member, you are saying be prepared to have to go to a counter ... and wait, correct?

Any other caveats based on recent experiences? Any hard sell to buy CDW or other insurance-like add-ons?

Remember, Blue Chip has a satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you're not completely satisfied with your rental (including the time it takes to get your Blue Chip contract done), you can ask for your first day free. (They should have one of these forms (http://s3.amazonaws.com/imagehost/bcguarantee.jpg) on file to process that request.)

I prefer to look at such service as an opportunity to make money! After all, people spend more than 5 minutes looking for coupon/discount codes that will save them 5-10%...so 5 minutes of waiting to save $30 for a day is a pretty good deal! :D

Remember, Blue Chip has a satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you're not completely satisfied with your rental ..., you can ask for your first day free. ...
Thanks! Have only used Thrifty once before. Was not aware of the guarantee. I hope I'm able to use it!!! :D

Remember, Blue Chip has a satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you're not completely satisfied with your rental (including the time it takes to get your Blue Chip contract done), you can ask for your first day free. (They should have one of these forms (http://s3.amazonaws.com/imagehost/bcguarantee.jpg) on file to process that request.)

I prefer to look at such service as an opportunity to make money! After all, people spend more than 5 minutes looking for coupon/discount codes that will save them 5-10%...so 5 minutes of waiting to save $30 for a day is a pretty good deal! :D

Had I known that, I would have asked for a free day....it took at least 20 minutes waiting in line to get my contract (at the Blue Chip window outside in the garage!)...And the time before that, they closed the Blue Chip Window at about 10:00PM and made everyone shlep back inside to the regular counter (no Blue Chip spot inside either) to wait in line to get their car...

Thrify isn't exactly on top of it at the LAS location..

[QUOTE=jmd001;12673057]So even as a Blue Chip member, you are saying be prepared to have to go to a counter ... and wait, correct?

Any other caveats based on recent experiences? Any hard sell to buy CDW or other insurance-like add-ons?[/QUOTE

Sorry, haven't been back to this thread for awhile...Yes, most likely you'll still wind up waiting in line outside at the Blue Chip window...They don't seem to print contracts up in advance here, so you'll most likely wind up waiting in line at the Blue Chip window..

You go outside to the Blue Chip window rather than to the counter inside..

Sorry, haven't been back to this thread for awhile...Yes, most likely you'll still wind up waiting in line outside at the Blue Chip window...They don't seem to print contracts up in advance here, so you'll most likely wind up waiting in line at the Blue Chip window..

You go outside to the Blue Chip window rather than to the counter inside..

Hopefully jackal can confirm this, but I think the official Thrifty standard for Bluechip members is that you have the keys to your car within 60 seconds of getting to the counter. Anything outside of that and I would be asking for the Service Guarantee. I don't advocate standing there holding a 60 Minutes style stopwatch in their face and jumping for joy at 1:01 :p, but if they're fumbling around and you're spending upwards of 5 minutes at the counter (or 20+ like one Toronto experience of mine), then it shouldn't be unresonable to suggest that they haven't met their standards. Of course, that time guarantee is only good once you actually GET to the counter; I don't know of any standard in regards to line-waiting time.

Hopefully jackal can confirm this, but I think the official Thrifty standard for Bluechip members is that you have the keys to your car within 60 seconds of getting to the counter. Anything outside of that and I would be asking for the Service Guarantee. I don't advocate standing there holding a 60 Minutes style stopwatch in their face and jumping for joy at 1:01 :p, but if they're fumbling around and you're spending upwards of 5 minutes at the counter (or 20+ like one Toronto experience of mine), then it shouldn't be unresonable to suggest that they haven't met their standards. Of course, that time guarantee is only good once you actually GET to the counter; I don't know of any standard in regards to line-waiting time.
Yep--sorry, I thought I mentioned the 60-second rule up-thread.

And you're right--I don't think there are official standards regarding line wait time, but I would certainly feel justified in claiming the Service Guarantee if I had to wait for 20 minutes just to get up to the counter.

I wished I 'd known about the guarantee last month at LAS. I had a later flight and blue chip line was closed so I had to stand in line at counter. I was third in line but there it too twenty minutes for the two agents to get through the customers. Most of the time was the agents trying to up sell insurance and pre pay tank of gas. When I brought the car back I had slightly less than the 75 so they tried to charge me for 3 gallons of gas at $7 a gallon because I had left the gas receipt back at the hotel. I had to stand at the counter line yet again for another 20 minutes to get that charge reversed. In addition they charged the wrong credit card so they had do it all over again. After the beat up Ford Fusion I had at ORD last week with 35K miles I think I might be handing black my blue chip. Let someone else experience the pain for a change.

Having not previously rented from Thrifty in LAS, can someone fill me in about the rental process at the new facility? Do I get to choose from a long line of cars or does the rental agent make the choice for me? I am a Blue Chip member.

While we're on LAS, does anyone know if it's possible to drop off a car before 5am?

I've just been told that they are closed from 1am to 5am, and that drop-offs are not available during those hours - which makes returning a rental before a 5:30am flight a little difficult...

Having not previously rented from Thrifty in LAS, can someone fill me in about the rental process at the new facility? Do I get to choose from a long line of cars or does the rental agent make the choice for me? I am a Blue Chip member.

this past June Blue Chip members are listed on a board that directs you to a specific parking stall that has your vehicle and contract all ready to go. in years past it was choose one from the line. My "Wildcar" in June was a Loaded Grand Marquis RT

Sorry if this has been covered before but a long search located nada.

Was booking a car for LAS and while reviewing the charges and fees seemed to have what appeared to be discrepancies in the math
Rental Time Charge $43.20
AIRPORT ACCESS FEE (10%) $4.98
Customer Facility Charge ($3.75 per day) $11.25
RENTAL TAX (12%) $7.92
STATE TAX (8.1%) $5.35 Vehicle License Fee ($2.20 per day) $6.60
Total Estimated Mandatory Charges (USD) $79.30
Estimated Grand Total (USD) $79.30

My math isn't always the best so I used a calculator;
10% ACCESS FEE ought to be $4.32 not $4.98
12% RENTAL TAX ought to be $5.18 not $7.92
8.1% STATE TAX ought to be $3.50 not $5.35

So what am I missing in either my search or the number that should be used for the percentages. Is something added to the "Rental Time Charge" to get the $49.80 charge needed for the 10% ACCESS FEE to be $4.98

Even more puzzling is what is added to get the $66 needed to get the RENTAL TAX & STATE TAX results that are indicated?

The $5.23 is not going to be a deal breaker for me but my curiosity is piqued. :)

Sorry if this has been covered before but a long search located nada.

Was booking a car for LAS and while reviewing the charges and fees seemed to have what appeared to be discrepancies in the math


My math isn't always the best so I used a calculator;
10% ACCESS FEE ought to be $4.32 not $4.98
12% RENTAL TAX ought to be $5.18 not $7.92
8.1% STATE TAX ought to be $3.50 not $5.35

So what am I missing in either my search or the number that should be used for the percentages. Is something added to the "Rental Time Charge" to get the $49.80 charge needed for the 10% ACCESS FEE to be $4.98

Even more puzzling is what is added to get the $66 needed to get the RENTAL TAX & STATE TAX results that are indicated?

The $5.23 is not going to be a deal breaker for me but my curiosity is piqued. :)
My conjecture is that:

1) The base for the "Airport Access Fee" is the sum of "Rental Time Charge" plus "Vehicle License Fee" ($43.20 + $6.60 = $49.80).
2) The base for the "Rental Tax" and "State Tax" is the "base for the Airport Access Fee" plus "the Airport Access Fee" itself plus "Customer Facility Charge ($49.80 + $4.98 + $11.25 = $66.03).

That is, you are paying a fee on a fee (access fee on a license fee), and tax on a the rental time charge plus fees and charges. I'm not saying it is morally right, but I suspect it is legally right.

My conjecture is that:

1) The base for the "Airport Access Fee" is the sum of "Rental Time Charge" plus "Vehicle License Fee" ($43.20 + $6.60 = $49.80).
2) The base for the "Rental Tax" and "State Tax" is the "base for the Airport Access Fee" plus "the Airport Access Fee" itself plus "Customer Facility Charge ($49.80 + $4.98 + $11.25 = $66.03).

That is, you are paying a fee on a fee (access fee on a license fee), and tax on a the rental time charge plus fees and charges. I'm not saying it is morally right, but I suspect it is legally right.

I'd suspect you're right, VLFs being a fee that goes directly to the agency (it's the "fuel surcharge" of the rental industry). As a self-imposed, self-collected fee, it's also considered normal income and is usually taxable.

Airport access fees/airport concession recovery fees are similar; they are used to "pass through" the lease concession fee for doing business on or with the airport, but they are technically considered additional income (since the airport's concession is not technically a pass-through fee).

CFCs may or may not be taxable, depending on the authority that imposes the fee (here in Alaska, it's a state-mandated fee, since the state provided the bond for the new rental facility, so the state mandates it to be exempt from all taxes).

My conjecture is that:

1) The base for the "Airport Access Fee" is the sum of "Rental Time Charge" plus "Vehicle License Fee" ($43.20 + $6.60 = $49.80).
2) The base for the "Rental Tax" and "State Tax" is the "base for the Airport Access Fee" plus "the Airport Access Fee" itself plus "Customer Facility Charge ($49.80 + $4.98 + $11.25 = $66.03).

That is, you are paying a fee on a fee (access fee on a license fee), and tax on a the rental time charge plus fees and charges. I'm not saying it is morally right, but I suspect it is legally right.

I'd suspect you're right, VLFs being a fee that goes directly to the agency (it's the "fuel surcharge" of the rental industry). As a self-imposed, self-collected fee, it's also considered normal income and is usually taxable.

Airport access fees/airport concession recovery fees are similar; they are used to "pass through" the lease concession fee for doing business on or with the airport, but they are technically considered additional income (since the airport's concession is not technically a pass-through fee).

CFCs may or may not be taxable, depending on the authority that imposes the fee (here in Alaska, it's a state-mandated fee, since the state provided the bond for the new rental facility, so the state mandates it to be exempt from all taxes).Thanks jmd001 & jackal. I was never very good at those "train A leaves Middletown for Newtown at 5pm traveling at 60 mph etc. etc. questions :D

As I said it is not a deal breaker just curious.

Hey folks sorry to dig up an old thread but seemed the most appropriate place to post. We are going to Vegas for Thanksgiving week and I'd like to get a Mustang convertible for a drive out to the canyon with the wife and kids (kids love the muscle cars and are pretty young so should be fine in the back). Thing is I just have to rely on whatever their "standard convertible" is (Ford Mustang or similar). What convertibles do they have at LAS? Wouldn't want to end up in some crappy Volvo.