Bait and Switch at ''Shifty''
 

Thifty Rent a Car should be renamed ''Shifty'' due to their bait and switch policies.

In January, I priced cars with unlimited miles for a trip to Florida with all the major companies. Shifty was slighty cheaper and I booked with them. I had specified unlimited miles and that I was driving to Florida. On arrival at the local office, I was told that the rate I was given only applied if I did not drive outside of a few states, that did not include Florida. An unlimited milage rate that included Florida was significantly higher. At that juncture, I simply did not have the time to start over again pricing rentals, so I was victimized by the bait and switch. When I returned the car, I asked several questions about this operation and the girl at the counter had volunteered that another customer who had come in an hour or so before had the same problem with the national office quoting an unlimited rate but then the local office putting geograhic limits on it that made a mockery of an unlimited rate.

I will never deal with the fraudsters at Shifty again!

I had a slightly similar incident with Enterprise two years ago. We rented a car to drive from New Orleans to South Florida (I know that we are all suppose to fly ;) ). After showing them the Orbitz reservation that didn't indicate at all that the mileage would have been limited the lady at the counter gave us the unlimited mileage option.

If they are not willing to waive it I would write a complaint to Attorney General of your state. You will probably get an apology and credit fast.

Thrifty sucks!
 

The Thrifty at LAX one time refused a 15% off coupon that had been confirmed twice by the toll-free number. I had the res agents' names and everything. They just flat out refused to honor it. They did give me an upgrade, though. I was furious, but I calmed down before I was able to write a letter.

Thrifty franchises in the Carolinas are known for using GPS tracking devices to enforce geographic boundaries...sometimes they may tack on a per-mile fee if a vehicle is taken out of a predetermined area.

This is a horrible violation of privacy and yet another way that car rental agencies can tack on additional fees.

I just returned from a trip to Denver and got the "bait and switch" fraud treatment at the Thrifty DEN airport location.

The reservation was made at Thrifty.com and the DEN office charged a rate that was 20 dollars higher. They refused to honor the rate on the confirmed reservation and knew they had captive customers at their remote location. I won't be returning to Thrifty anytime soon. :mad:

How can they just refuse to honor it? Did they basically say "Too bad so sad! You don't pay what we say, you don't get a car!"? If so, I'd say nail their butts to the wall!

Rogue franchisees, man. The corporate HQ can't control them. It's an issue with all car rental firms but with Thrifty (and Dollar) it's extreme. Corporate promos, campaigns, price quotes, etc. are meaningless if the local franchisee ignores them. I never rent from Thrifty anymore. When you chase the absolute cheapest rate, you get what you pay for, and sometimes with these guys a lot less.

It seems like all of the problems encountered here could be solved with a phone call to your credit card company. If you've got the documentation, the card company will usually get you your money back, discount, etc., with no hassle.

DEN seems to be a common theme here. I had a printout of my resertation that said "Dodge Stratus or similar". When I go there, the agent told me I had reserved a 2 door, but for $10 more I could get a 4 door, which I needed with three people. I did, and when I walked out to the numbered space - Dodge Stratus.

As an aside - what a POS car. I had the accelerator flat to the floor all the way up the mountains - it would kick down a gear, wind up to 68mph where it would upshift at 6Krpm, then slowly lose speed until about 62mph, kick down a gear and repeat. For miles and miles on end. 2 adults, a 5 yr old and luggage in just the trunk. At one point it couldn't even hold speed at 65 after kicking down the gear. I can't imagine it would be driveable with 4 adults and luggage in the mountains.

Hmmn, not good reading for one that holds a DEN reservation for a Jeep Grand Cherokee or 'similar' for next month. I just could not pass up $245.99 base rate for a week. Hoping for a better luck. ANy Blue Chip members - any experiences?

So Did Anybody Try Complaining to Thrifty Corporate
 

after you got home and what was their reaction?

I had a bad experience with the Thrifty in MEM. Awful location which seems to be located in a former gas station. Only posistive was that I was upgraded from a midsize to a 300m. When I got home I realised I was given someone else's receipt so I called the Blue Chip number to see if they could email me the correct one. They did and asked if there was anything else. I told them about my experience and they filed a complaint for me with customer care. A few days later I received an email from customer care apologising and they refunded 1 day of my 3 day rental. That made me happy, especially since I had already expensed the full amount!

What About Denver?
 

I appreciate the Memphis reply but need to refine the question. Did anybody get any resolution from Thrify HQ about their Denver problem? Or even a reaction? Or try?

I've had Thrifty fix a few things but nothing this fundamental. I've had another vendor fix a rental amount after the fact just by calling in and complaining. Denver is on my travel list. Do I need to avoid Thrifty at any cost?

The poster said he did not even get what he paid for. ANyone actually take the car anyway and then dispute the overcharge with letters to both corporate and the credit card company --- and succeed?

At least one argument the renter could make was that he mitigated the damages by going with the same agency instead of go to another agency, pay walk up rates and then hold the original agency civilly liable for the difference.

Thrifty at DEN
 

As wierd as it may seem, I've had nothing but good luck with Thrifty at DEN. As a blue chip member, they've treated me very well. The three times I've rented there I was given an upgrade, twice to a Grand Cherokee.

To the poster that was charged $10 for a two door, sadly there is a two door stratus coupe, but the scheme to charge you $10 was a rip off scheme... You should not have had to pay. I would complain to corporate. Usually they'll upgrade you to a full size for less than $10...