Alamo Rent A Car
Reviews and Complaints

My senior parents were taken advantage of.
They booked a car online and upon checkin were asked where they would be travelling to, which was Sedona (for the first time).
The employee mentioned that the engine of the Compact car they had reserved may not be large enough to handle the air conditioning as they would be in the mountains and they should upgrade to a larger vehicle.

Illegal ALAMO SUV caused Police to pull me over!

Three issues: Filthy vehicles, breach of privacy and illegal cars.

Firstly, the SUV selection I could choose from were all dirty and had litter inside the vehicles. I picked the least nasty one. It had a dirty exterior, french fries under the back seats and used juice bottles under the front seats. It was still better than the others that had cigarette burns in the upholstery and grease and soda smears on the dashboards.

Secondly, in the glovebox was paperwork from the previous renter. All his personal info, how much he paid, etc... that was a shock!

Third, and most egregious, the SUV I drove for 4500 miles had EXPIRED TAGS on the license plate! They expired in November of 2008 and I drove the SUV in January of 2009! I was pulled over by the police and it was truly infuriating. Getting pulled over is always scary, but to find out that it's not your fault and you're PAYING for the privileged to drive an unlicensed vehicle is just unacceptable.

To apologize for their awful and illegal rental, Alamo took a measly $25 off of my bill and offered me a coupon for future use. I haven't accepted the coupon as I'd rather have a full refund.

We rented a car in May of 08 and paid in full. I was charged in July for Transfer Liability Fee and again in October for a parking fee, admin fee and a toll fee. How did they get authorization? Total thieves!

I rented a car from Alamo online for 15 days
I paid in full,
I wasnt late in returning the car, when I took it back I was told nothing more to pay, BUT a day later, I was charged $200
I contacted Alamo Customer Service via their website,
I got a message stating they would repoly in a timely manner (whatever that is ?)
It has goine on for over a month, they havent contacted me, I still havent received any reply about the overcharge or what it was for
I havent received a refund
I left ALL my contact details on my message to them, still no phone calls, no replies
I have never known such poor customer service fropm ANY company and total disregard for customers
I wish I knew who runs this appalling company, I could either email them or call them (even though I'm in the UK now)
I wouldnt use this company EVER again
I work at Heathrow and am in a perfect position to let people know what Alamo is REALLY like
AND how appalling their customer service is
I thought that Car hire companies needed and wanted customers, obviously not in the case of Alamo
I wont recommend to any of my Heathrow collegues, and there are a lot of people working there and an awful lot of passengers pass through here, and I will put the word out about this company
Does anyone know who own/runs/CEO of Al;amo and how to contract them ?

I rented a vehicle from the Manchester, New Hampshire branch on Aug 1st. I returned it on Aug 4th in the A.M. A week after returning the vehicle, I see and exorbitant amount of money charged to my card on behalf of Alamo. In calling the customer service line, I am told (with quite a bit of attitude and a complete lack of courtesy)that I returned the vehicle empty, and I was charged for 15 gallons of gas (the vehicle I rented does not have that large of a tank) at over five dollars a gallon. I explained to the woman that I filled the tank the night before. And that the fuel neck attachment had been ripped from the quarter panel of the vehicle which was noticed when I went to fill up, which inidcated prior damage to the vehicle which was apparently not well repaired. (I work for a collision center, I'm quite aware of how these things work) At some point, there make have been a leak if the guage is reading empty. The woman told me I should fax the reciept from the fill up to be reimbursed. In the mean time, I called the Manchester airport to inform them of the extremely dangerous situation of one of thier cars possibly leaking gas. I was treated with disdain and indifference and cut off before I could even warn the gentelmam on the line of the possible danger. If this is how the safety of clients is regarded, I wonder what incentive there is to trust this company. Beyond all of that, I was reimbursed only a partial amount of what I was charged for the gas, which is cleary unwarranted, as I have submitted the proof of my intent to return the vehicle with a full tank. If you look at the milage used while the vehicle was in my possesion, it is quite impossible that I used over a tanks worth of gas. I would very much expect to be refunded the full amount I was erroneously charged as well as expecting a prompt and hopefully much more courteous reply than I have experienced so far in my dealings with this company. I have submitted a complaint via the customer website but will not be surprised if I have to take it further to see any resolution.

I rented a car by Alamo through a car rental site where my agreement clearly stated that the cost included all the necessary insurance and the first tank of gas. The voucher that I provided upon rental was kept as payment but upon returning the car, the terms of the agreement were dismissed and I was charged $60 for re-filling the gas tank.

Despite indicating the clause on the agreement and refusing to authorize the payment, the Alamo rep proceeded to charge me, said he could do whatever he wanted and then refused to discuss the matter any further, moving on to the next customer and ignoring me.

I will never use Alamo again, this is the second time in a few months that I have either had a problem with my rental, or a complete attitude problem from the representative. Although it may cost me a little more to rent from Dollar, they have always been respectful and helpful and it is well worth the extra money.

As for Alamo, I refuse to pay for rudeness and they can keep their old, haggard cars. Alamo should know that in this day and age where prices are so competitive, one of the key distinguishers is customer service and if this is any example, they'll soon be losing business like crazy.

Watch out for this car rental. I rented a car for one day from this location and was deliever the car where the guy ran around the car and hand me the rental papers and told me "Your good to go" and ran off. Upon returning the car the next day, the girl checking the car in walked directly to the left rear bumper and said there was a scratch on the bumper. She marked the paper and told me to go inside to the office to file a damage report. The representative at the counter said they would check into prior incidents on this car since there was no way this scratch could've happen with me driving home and back. I never recieve a call back. I called twice more to inquire about status and both representative said they would check into the incident and call back. Never happened. I get a letter in the mail indicating the claim against me for the damage. Upon calling their Insurance rep. back they told me the damage was on the right rear bumper. When I ask about prior incidents, she said it was checked already and there was no incident reported. I still have the signed paper by the check in person indicating the left rear bumper scratch. I have requested photos and repair documents from Alamo, but I won't hold my breath on that.

I reserved an economy car from the Washington Reagan Airport from March 11 to March 19 for $9.99 per day plus taxes. My RES number is [protected] and contract ID is 7014163. The economy car turned out to be a two door while I needed a four door. The next size up, a compact, was available with a charge of $35 per day. Since it was late and we were all tired I took the compact car. However, I found a much better rate from one of your competitors, Avis, so I returned the car on March 13. The two day charge was $269.62 which works out to be more than $130 per day, which is more than 3 times the $35 per day I was quoted.

According to your early return rental policy, the charge for an early return should only be $15 per day which means I should have been charged $70 + $30 for two days plus taxes, much less than the $269.62. Please credit my debit card which is on file. Needless to say, I will be telling all my family and friends about the extremely high prices you charge and the lousy customer service I've received. I will also be telling eveyone about the low prices I received from Avis and their good customer service.

Alamo Car Rental (Pittsburgh, PA) is deceitful. After renting a car for period of one week, they charged me with a parking ticket (not once but twice) that I did not see. The original ticket was $16 but Alamo added another $50 service fees. Then, 20 days later, while I paid the first, they charged me again, this time $77. They refuse to acknowledge they are charging twice for the same thing. I’ve tried to call but Alamo’s policy does not give their customers a way to voice their complaints about these things. Currently, I’ve stopped my credit card payment 3 times with the first two rubber stamped by Alamo that “double dipping” for parking tickets (plus extreme fees) is what they do. Don’t rent from Alamo.

Alamo lied to us and pulled the bait and switch on a recent car rental. Here is the letter that I sent them regarding what happened.

I recently rented a vehicle in Costa Rica from your Liberia location. This was the worst rental experience I have ever had.
I will start off by saying that I made an online reservation for my 4x4 Terios and received a confirmation ( confirmation #[protected]). When I arrived at the location, I was told that they did not have the vehicle I requested, nor did they have any similar vehicles, or other 4x4 vehicles. They gave me the smallest car that they had and said that that was all they could do and they originally said that they were going to charge me the same price for the smaller vehicle. I showed them my reservation form (again) and told them that I had to have a 4x4 for where I was driving and that I wasn't paying the higher price for the smallest car. They finally said that they would drop off the correct vehicle at my hotel that evening. The evening came and went and they didn't show or call. I called them the next morning and went through the same conversation. They said that they still had no vehicles and they weren't sure why nobody called. Then, they said that they had several vehicles coming in and that I should call them that afternoon and request one of them. That afernoon I called and they told me that they had no vehicle for me and that I should talk to the Alamo person that would be at my next hotel from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (Occidental Grand Papagayo resort) because he had a vehicle for me. I went to the Alamo desk at 2:00 pm that day to find that nobody was there and was told by the hotel staff that the Alamo employee had left early. I immediately called the Liberia location and was told that they would have the employee that works at the Occidental Grand Papagayo drive my vehicle to me in the morning and switch vehicles with me. The next morning I went to the desk at 8:45 am and asked to switch vehicles, but he told me that he didn't drive my vehicle in. He called the Liberia location while I was standing there and told me that there were no vehicles there; however, he would definitely have me by the afternoon. That afternoon I went by the desk again and he told me again that he didn't have my vehicle and he tried to convince me that my small car was adequate for 4 people and all of our luggage and that I didn't need a larger 4x4 vehicle. I thought this was absolutely crazy. The next morning I arrived at the desk again and was told again that he didn't have my vehicle. Finally, that afternoon, they brought the correct vehicle. We missed three days of travel because of the fact that we didn't have a vehicle that we could travel in. I notified the staff of this upon check out, but they didn't seem to care.
Your staff lied to us repeatedly and deceived us and they were unwilling to help us resolve the issue. In the end, I paid the bill for a car that we could not use for 3 days.

Watch out for Alamo Auto Rental on Kauai. Week of Feb 19 - 26, 2008. They run a scam on extended insurance coverage. After the agent asked if I wanted the extended coverage, which I did not, and I initialed the 3 to 4 "I decline" coverage lines, and sign the rental agreement, they quickly swamped forms. I asked to have a copy of what I just signed, the agent refused saying “it’s ok this copy will be on file, please sign this one other form.” I felt the agent was a credible person of a credible company, so I blindly initialed. When I returned the car, I was surprised to learn the last form actually stated I “accept all additional coverage.” I asked to see the manager. The manager was rather harsh in greeting me with “this is your signature, right?” I asked to see my original. They said it was sent to corporate. I asked for their number. They refused to give it to me until I gave them the rental agreement in my hand, which was the version they swap. Therefore, I gave it to them to copy. It was right after they had a copy that I realized they would show this swap agreement as the original. I grabbed the copy, but as soon as I had the copy, the agent loudly said “give us back our original!” At that time I knew it was not a single occurrence and the whole place was in on the scam.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon at Orlando Airport and had a reservation for a compact car from Alamo Rental Car. The price of the rental was $108.00, I also prepaid for a full tank of gas which for the compact car was $30.00. We were staying at one of the Disney resorts so would not be driving more than about a 100 miles in total, but the $30.00 was worth it to not have to stop and fill up on the way back to the airport. When we got to the area to pick up the car there were about 2 dozen people waiting and there were no compact cars left... a gentleman was directing people to other vehicles and we were told to just take a Chrysler Pacifica and go... we thought wow, what a great rental company..they oversell but don't hold people up because of it. At the Orlando airport when you pickup the vehicle you go through exit stations where they record the license plate of the vehicle and check your paperwork. The gentleman there said not a word and we were on our way.

When we returned the vehicle after only having driven it a grand total of about 80 miles (3/4 tank still full), we were shocked to learn that the prepaid gas cost was $80.00. When I complained to they guy checking in the car he said that that was the cost to fill up a chrysler pacifica. He said to go see the manager in the booth. This guy was really bad (talk about crappy customer service). When I told him that you oversold and GAVE me a larger car and that I would not pay $80.00 for the gas he looked me straight in the face and said "Oh! Yes you will". When I again said I had reserved a compact car not the Pacifica he said "But you enjoyed that Pacifica!". Oh My... are you kidding me - you forced it on me. Then he said you were going to prepay anyway, I said yes but for $30 because that was convenient for me, not $80... I asked for a customer service 800 number and walked away. When I called the 800 number from the airport lounge I found out he gave me a bogus 800 number...

I found the real number myself and even their corporate customer care was unwilling to adjust the prepaid cost...

I eventually resolved it through my credit card company... but I will never rent from Alamo again... what a scam... offer great rates on compacts, oversell and force a larger vehicle on the unsuspecting consumer and then tell them they enjoyed it and would have to pay for it! ARRRGGGHHH!

I recently took a trip and had a friend do the same trip, while planning, I turned him onto Alamo for our SUV rentals. We both made the reservation, for the exact time because we were on the same flights, staying at the same place. We picked up the cars, IDENTICAL, even same color. Later I learn that he was charged $100.00 less than I even though we had the exact rental pick up and drop off, same car etc. So I call Alamo, and they could care less, even after I turned someone else onto their business, giving them a customer who usually rents through another company.

I find their customer service the worst possible and besides a crabby person on the phone who more or less simply said too bad, even though I was extremely polite and nice on the phone about the issue.

I reserved a car picking up and returning SF airport. However, my flight was changed and I had to change returning to Oakland airport. Charge was changed from original $194.00 to $1229.00. I called Alamo twice, the repersentatives said the charge is Time & Distance, and refused to adjust the rate and refund me. I email to their customer service and was told I will receive a reply in 24 hours but I received nothing.

I booked a car for 2 days and 1 hour online, at 66 dollars. Returned the car on the 2nd day at 11pm. So i returned the car earlier. after 2 days, i see a charge of 174 dollars from Alamo on my credit card bill!

I called the customer service line. Spoke to a representative Anita. Before i could say anything, she started yelling at me for no reason. I keep on repeating myself saying "can you let me speak for 1 second so i can tell you what i need" She does not let me and was continue talking over me. Then she said "if i want to call you a ###, i can call you a ###, nobody tells me how i do my job!" Then i asked to speak to her manager. She told me that i don't get to talk to her manager, and she just hung up on me.

I called back and asked for her Manager. Her manager Jone Hayes says he does not believe that Anita said these things. I said "if you guys record all of the calls, then you can play it back and you will know" he said "no we dont record our calls!" i said " then how can you say you know she didnt say these things".

Anyhow, after all, they still didnt credit back my money, and instead charged me for 3 days! of 90 bucks just because the manager said Anita is his friend?!?!..and don't want to tell me the name of the real manager of Anita. So all this time i was talking to?!?!...who?!?!

I rented a van from Alamo at the Boise Airport on September 18 and returned it on September 27. I feel I received extremely poor service from Alamo employees in that office two times.

The first incident was when I picked the car up. I phoned Alamo a few days before my arrival, informed them that we were traveling with two handicapped people who had a wheelchair and a scooter. I asked what type of vehicle would pick us up at the airport - or whether it would be possible to pick up a car right at the airport without taking a shuttle - because it is impossible to get the wheelchair and scooter up the steps of some rental car shuttles. I was told that they did not have any type of accommodations for handicapped travelers and the rentalvan could not be picked up at the airport. She said that one person in our party would have to take the shuttle to pick up the van, and then drive back to the airport to pick up the rest of our party.

At the airport (after 18 hours of travel with no food and no sleep) I waited 45 minutes in 50 degree temperature that I hadn't planned on or dressed for, and pouring rain, before I was picked up. I had to go back into the terminal twice to call and inquire about my pick up, which I was told should be in about 5 minutes. I went back and forth to the phone in the terminal in a wheelchair, whith great difficulty.

When I was finally picked up, it was in a large SUV that would easily have accommodated our entire party, our luggage and mobility equipment but there was no time to go into the terminal and get everyone. When I arrived at the Alamo office, the man there informed me that he had no idea why I wasn't told what type of vehicle we'd be picked up in, or that I could have rented a van from National and picked it up right at the airport. It would have saved me a great deal of time and trouble if I'd been correctly informed when I asked.

The second incident of very poor service was on September 26. My mother was not familiar with automatically locking doors, and she tossed the key to the van onto the car seat and closed the van door. The doors all locked, with the keys, my scooter, my mother's wheelchair, our purses, wallets, cell phone and jackets inside the van.

I have multiple sclerosis and can't walk more than a few steps without assistance. My mother is elderly and has severe arthritis and tremors, and is less mobile than I am. With our limited mobility we could not walk far to look for help. I managed to walk with extreme difficulty to a pay phone, which was out of order. It took about 45 minutes to find a park maintenance worker who let us use his cell phone. At this point my mother and I and two young children had already been outside at the park for about 4 hours.

I informed the man who answered at Alamo that they keys were locked in the van. I told him that we were two handicapped women and two young children; and that my purse and cell phone were in the van so he wouldn't be able to call me back, and that our mobility equipment was also locked in the van. He first told me we would need to come to the airport in a taxi to pick up a spare key. I told him that would be very difficult for us, so he said he would bring a spare key to us. He said he was leaving right away and would be there shortly, we were approximately ten minutes from the airport.

Two hours passed with no one showing up. I tried repeatedly to use a pay phone, which was a very long walking distance for me, considering my limited mobility. We finally found someone who was willing to let us use her cell phone. This time the woman who answered at Alamo informed me that they do not have a spare key to the van at all! She said it was my fault that they keys were locked in the van, that they had called me back and left a message on my cell phone - which I had already informed them was locked in the van - and that was then end of their responsibility as far she she was concerned.

She then asked if I would like to have the number of the locksmith that they use, which I would have to pay for myself. Seeing no other choice, I took the number of the locksmith and called him. He was there in less than ten minutes and had the van open a few minutes later.

I am wondering, first, what would have happened if we had taken a taxi to the Alamo office, as the Alamo employee instructed me to do, only to find out that they do not have a spare key at all? How would we have paid the taxi driver, with my wallet still locked in the van? And second, why didn't the Alamo employee, after promising me that he was on his way to open the van, call the locksmith immediately and send them to help us? He was aware of our situation, which was somewhat desperate and getting worse by the hour, especially as the evening got cooler and we had no jackets. By the time we finally got into the van we had been outside more than 6.5 hours without food or water.