Given up on Turo
Feb 15, 2021, 6:49 pm
#17
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Managed to get just one tire replaced (took a few tries because most places wouldn't accept the liability).
Now Turo has charged us $200 for roadside assistance. They didn't assist at all...
Definitely my first and last time using Turo.
Now Turo has charged us $200 for roadside assistance. They didn't assist at all...
Definitely my first and last time using Turo.
Jul 12, 2021, 11:15 am
#18
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 6
I was going to use Turo, but am turned off by seeing that there is no way to send the owner an email or even call an 800 number with questions.
The biggest problem for me is the pickup location and dropoff. "Near the airport" tells me nothing. We have 2 suitcases and 2 other bags. I need to know EXACTLY where the car is located. How do other people handle this?
The biggest problem for me is the pickup location and dropoff. "Near the airport" tells me nothing. We have 2 suitcases and 2 other bags. I need to know EXACTLY where the car is located. How do other people handle this?
Jul 12, 2021, 11:34 am
#19
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Palm Beach/ New England
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, DL GM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,382
I know of two Turo stories. Neither are positive.
First was Texas friends flying to LA and visiting us in Palm Springs. Their Turo "full size" rental car, which ended up being a bright orange convertible Mustang (for a family of four plus luggage -- a real squeeze), took three hours to be sorted from LAX. They basically missed an afternoon of leisure in the desert.
Second is horrifying: friend from Palm Beach was in Miami, inside his new, parked Rolls Royce on Brickell (legally parked), when he was rear-ended at high speed by a Turo sports car (I think it was a Lambo). Minor sports figure was driving it. Both walked away from the two totalled cars (which sum values exceeded half a million dollars). Their are lingering medical problems however, and Turo basically threw their hands in the air and left it to my buddy's insurance (Chubb). Did I mention the half million dollars in actual damage to the two vehicles?
First was Texas friends flying to LA and visiting us in Palm Springs. Their Turo "full size" rental car, which ended up being a bright orange convertible Mustang (for a family of four plus luggage -- a real squeeze), took three hours to be sorted from LAX. They basically missed an afternoon of leisure in the desert.
Second is horrifying: friend from Palm Beach was in Miami, inside his new, parked Rolls Royce on Brickell (legally parked), when he was rear-ended at high speed by a Turo sports car (I think it was a Lambo). Minor sports figure was driving it. Both walked away from the two totalled cars (which sum values exceeded half a million dollars). Their are lingering medical problems however, and Turo basically threw their hands in the air and left it to my buddy's insurance (Chubb). Did I mention the half million dollars in actual damage to the two vehicles?
Last edited by fastflyer; Jul 12, 2021 at 11:44 am
Aug 9, 2021, 6:23 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Posts: 5
I rented from Turo last week. Was kind of forced into it in the Phoenix area because airport taxes/fees are so high and it was going to be like $500 or something silly for a midsize car. Turo was $200 for 6 days.
It was a less-than-ideal experience. The car died after 4 days, leaving me stranded. Turo reimbursed 1 day + the cost of an Uber but said it was at the discretion of the host to reimburse a 2nd day. The host refused. I left a 1-star review but it doesn't matter: it's one of those fleets where they have 40-50 cars and most of them are 3 to 4 stars (out of 5).
Basically, Turo seems to have bifurcated into two markets: (1) ultra-high-end cars, which hopefully are in great shape and have good hosts and (2) cheap, janky old jalopies that probably aren't worth your time.
I may come back at some point if I want a truly unique ride for a day. Bentley, Maserati, various models of Porsche, the higher-end Teslas....many at more reasonable rates than I would have expected. Didn't see Ferrarri or Lambo, but everything one step down from that was there. But I won't come back for someone's beat-up Sentra again... Lesson learned.
It was a less-than-ideal experience. The car died after 4 days, leaving me stranded. Turo reimbursed 1 day + the cost of an Uber but said it was at the discretion of the host to reimburse a 2nd day. The host refused. I left a 1-star review but it doesn't matter: it's one of those fleets where they have 40-50 cars and most of them are 3 to 4 stars (out of 5).
Basically, Turo seems to have bifurcated into two markets: (1) ultra-high-end cars, which hopefully are in great shape and have good hosts and (2) cheap, janky old jalopies that probably aren't worth your time.
I may come back at some point if I want a truly unique ride for a day. Bentley, Maserati, various models of Porsche, the higher-end Teslas....many at more reasonable rates than I would have expected. Didn't see Ferrarri or Lambo, but everything one step down from that was there. But I won't come back for someone's beat-up Sentra again... Lesson learned.
I have heard of this multiple times. I’m in the Houston area and currently rent two cars. A Tesla model x performance, and a bmw 7 series. Every day I spend a few hours just looking at the turo market. And I’m glad you said something about a cheaper car. I’m assuming the car was around $20-35 / day plus delivery to the airport. At that price range, it’s either a make or break. Could be someone just trying to pay the cost of ownership, and actually care about the customers, and the others just try and rush the job to make as much money in as little time. I can promise you, not every car you rent, even in that price range, will have problems like that. And from a hosts perspective, that host should be kicked off the platform if changes are not made. Turo is a great app, to rent any car from $20/ day to $1500 / day. Hopefully you use it in the future and not let one bad experience ruin that.
Aug 28, 2021, 10:51 am
#21
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Seems like my good experience with Turo was a rare one. I rented for three days with them in KOA this year. I got a 2020 Kia Sportage for $160 a day which was a steal compared to the $500+ the rental car companies wanted. The driver left the car for me in short term parking at KOA with the keys in a lock box. It was annoying that the car only had a half tank of gas in it but I was able to communicate with the owner very easily. All in all a good experience.
Aug 29, 2021, 11:16 am
#22
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I just saw this thread and thought I would share my one experience. Had a 4-day rental in SNA back in March. Booked a Fiat ragtop as it was cheap and seemed like it would be more fun than a Nissan whatever. Booking process was straightforward and the host was very open and communicative. Two days before I was supposed to go, I got a message saying the car "needed work after the last renter" and was canceled. I managed to get something from Enterprise for around $100 more. I am in no hurry to rent from Turo again, at least not without a backup option.
-J.
-J.
Aug 29, 2021, 12:05 pm
#23
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
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We've found that often, "needed work after the last renter" is a euphemism for "I found someone to pay more than you were paying and I have seller's remorse." 
Aug 29, 2021, 3:51 pm
#24
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1,174
"We've found that often, "needed work after the last renter" is a euphemism for "I found someone to pay more than you were paying and I have seller's remorse." "
Similar to Airbnb, "medical emergency came up" is a euphemism for the same cancellation excuse...
"Similar to Airbnb, "medical emergency came up" is a euphemism for the same cancellation excuse...
Sep 27, 2021, 7:31 am
#25
Join Date: May 2017
Location: ORD
Posts: 369
I'd just like to thank everyone for their contributions to this thread. I was considering using Turo to rent a car to drive from Chicago to Asheville and back in November [the answer to the question "When would it be cheaper to use Turo than a rental car company?" is "When you're looking to rent a hybrid"], but having read the stories in this thread, I'm sticking with my Hertz rental. Thanks again!
Sep 27, 2021, 8:02 pm
#26
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: RDU
Programs: IHG Spire Elite/Inner Circle, Hilton HHonors Gold, AA Platinum, Delta Gold
Posts: 209
I've had a few blips, but quite frankly I could never have rented the following vehicles otherwise:
WRX STIM4 Convertible
2020 Toyota SupraCamaro ZL1
MB C43Genesis G70 Sport
For me, Turo is for renting interesting cars, not regular whatever cars. And because it's irregular for dropoff and pickups, you have to have a lot of buffer room on time.
WRX STIM4 Convertible
2020 Toyota SupraCamaro ZL1
MB C43Genesis G70 Sport
For me, Turo is for renting interesting cars, not regular whatever cars. And because it's irregular for dropoff and pickups, you have to have a lot of buffer room on time.
Sep 27, 2021, 8:17 pm
#27
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I've had a few blips, but quite frankly I could never have rented the following vehicles otherwise:
WRX STIM4 Convertible
2020 Toyota SupraCamaro ZL1
MB C43Genesis G70 Sport
For me, Turo is for renting interesting cars, not regular whatever cars. And because it's irregular for dropoff and pickups, you have to have a lot of buffer room on time.
WRX STIM4 Convertible
2020 Toyota SupraCamaro ZL1
MB C43Genesis G70 Sport
For me, Turo is for renting interesting cars, not regular whatever cars. And because it's irregular for dropoff and pickups, you have to have a lot of buffer room on time.
I definitely see the appeal from this angle. I will probably give Turo another try in the future, but not without a backup from a major rental company.
-J.
Jun 28, 2022, 12:17 am
#28
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Much to my dismay Turo was the only option for transportation in Hana, Maui (for those of us who arrive by airplane). So I signed up for Turo and gave it a spin. Fortunately we had a positive (though expensive) first experience.
That said I think it unlikely I will use Turo in the future except when - as here - it was literally the only option. A $135/day rental ballooned into almost $200/day when you add taxes, fees and the bare minimum of insurance coverage. The pricing is just not competitive except where there is NO competition.
I have not heard the horror stories (please post links) but I can easily see how a disagreement easily happen (just as we see with AirBnB). As bad as Hertz is (with false stolen vehicle reports etc), at least there is a defined process that for the most part allows the average customer some measure of protection (i.e. use a credit card that provides insurance, file damage forms before you leave, video vehicle, don't extend your rental, video return condition, insist on a receipt, etc.)
That said I think it unlikely I will use Turo in the future except when - as here - it was literally the only option. A $135/day rental ballooned into almost $200/day when you add taxes, fees and the bare minimum of insurance coverage. The pricing is just not competitive except where there is NO competition.
I have not heard the horror stories (please post links) but I can easily see how a disagreement easily happen (just as we see with AirBnB). As bad as Hertz is (with false stolen vehicle reports etc), at least there is a defined process that for the most part allows the average customer some measure of protection (i.e. use a credit card that provides insurance, file damage forms before you leave, video vehicle, don't extend your rental, video return condition, insist on a receipt, etc.)
Jun 28, 2022, 10:01 am
#29
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Portland/Palm Springs
Posts: 123
I guess I was lucky. The first (and only) time I tried Turo it was a success. Rented a Tesla in PDX. They delivered the car to baggage claim, did a quick walk around and off I went. No issues at all with the vehicle. Requested drop off was in the Economy lot at the EV chargers. Texted the owner the car was there and jumped on the shuttle to the airport. It was a bit more expensive than an airport rental, but I was able to reserve and try a car that was interesting to me.
Jul 3, 2022, 10:13 am
#30
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,929
I’m renting a Turo car right now (from SEA) and have used Turo cars 8x over the years—far less frequently than I’ve gotten cars from the big companies, but I haven’t had any bad experiences that would lead me to swear off Turo altogether. It’s really only been useful on the West Coast and Hawaii though—attempts to use Turo cars in other places have not been successful, mainly due to uncompetitive pricing.
The car I have right now is a tiny Scion and I’m happy with it. Pickup/dropoff is super convenient, at a light rail station parking garage one stop away from SEA. There has been one maintenance issue: the ignition is a little chancy, occasionally requiring me to turn the key 15-20x to get the engine to turn over, although it always does. The owner flagged this when I picked up the car and was immediately available by phone when it happened the first time. (He did tell me at that time that he was going to cancel the next rental so he could get the ignition switch replaced, so sometimes that “canceling the next rental for a necessary repair” is actually true.) The only other bad experience I’ve had with Turo was back in 2016: a car owner in Hawaii deciding about two weeks before my trip that he needed the car for the first day of my 8-day rental and “could I arrive in HNL a day later?” Um, no. I was able to get another car from an el cheapo car rental company for a similar price though, so not a huge inconvenience in that instance. If that had happened this year, it would have been a massive inconvenience/expense. That experience taught me to be more careful about whom I rented from at Turo.
I was a pretty early adopter of Turo (back when it was called RelayRides) because a very old friend of mine has worked for the company since its earliest days, and I heard about it when it was founded. It’s not the best option for all situations, but it is a very good option for some. I was also an early adopter of AutoSlash and LOVE it; I am a constant proselytizer for that website. I occasionally make bookings with both a big company, tracking price with AutoSlash, and also with Turo to see which will win the price war.
The car I have right now is a tiny Scion and I’m happy with it. Pickup/dropoff is super convenient, at a light rail station parking garage one stop away from SEA. There has been one maintenance issue: the ignition is a little chancy, occasionally requiring me to turn the key 15-20x to get the engine to turn over, although it always does. The owner flagged this when I picked up the car and was immediately available by phone when it happened the first time. (He did tell me at that time that he was going to cancel the next rental so he could get the ignition switch replaced, so sometimes that “canceling the next rental for a necessary repair” is actually true.) The only other bad experience I’ve had with Turo was back in 2016: a car owner in Hawaii deciding about two weeks before my trip that he needed the car for the first day of my 8-day rental and “could I arrive in HNL a day later?” Um, no. I was able to get another car from an el cheapo car rental company for a similar price though, so not a huge inconvenience in that instance. If that had happened this year, it would have been a massive inconvenience/expense. That experience taught me to be more careful about whom I rented from at Turo.
I was a pretty early adopter of Turo (back when it was called RelayRides) because a very old friend of mine has worked for the company since its earliest days, and I heard about it when it was founded. It’s not the best option for all situations, but it is a very good option for some. I was also an early adopter of AutoSlash and LOVE it; I am a constant proselytizer for that website. I occasionally make bookings with both a big company, tracking price with AutoSlash, and also with Turo to see which will win the price war.
Last edited by travelmad478; Jul 3, 2022 at 6:33 pm Reason: Added more info