Dollar Rent A Car
Reviews and Complaints

I recently rented a car from Dollar Car Rental at Buffalo Niagara International Airport and was hit with an undisclosed $139.95 fee from PlatePass after the rental period ended. Unfortunately, this experience has left me deeply disappointed with both companies, and I want to warn others about their unethical practices.

When my wife and I picked up the car, the EZ-Pass transponder was already open and active, and we were given no information at the rental desk about optional toll services like PlatePass. As tourists from a city without toll roads, we reasonably assumed the transponder was part of the service. At no point were we informed that using the transponder would automatically enroll us in a $139.95 PlatePass All-Inclusive package.

After returning home, Dollar and PlatePass attempted to charge my credit card, but the transaction was flagged as potential fraud. When I contacted them, they acknowledged that the fees were not clearly explained at pickup and offered only a partial fee reduction—still expecting me to pay administrative charges I never knowingly opted into.

The transponder was pre-activated when we got in the vehicle. We never had a chance to opt in or out. Even if the terms were buried in a lengthy rental contract, it is unreasonable to expect customers to comb through fine print for such critical information. It is clear that Dollar and PlatePass use this hidden-fee tactic to generate revenue at the expense of unsuspecting customers.
If you are planning to rent from Dollar or any company partnered with PlatePass, be extremely careful—check the transponder before driving off and ask detailed questions about their toll policy.

I hope Dollar and PlatePass address this deceptive practice. But as it stands, I will not be using their services again and strongly recommend renters consider other options to avoid similar issues. To be clear, Dollar/Thrifty/Hertz are all owned by the same company.

In 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed against Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, and their partner PlatePass over allegations of undisclosed and misleading toll-related fees. Customers reported being charged excessive administrative fees without proper disclosure, and some were enrolled in toll programs without their knowledge or consent.

The legal proceedings culminated in settlements between 2014 and 2019. Hertz agreed to an $11 million settlement to address complaints that it had charged customers without sufficient notice about the PlatePass fees. Dollar and Thrifty faced similar legal challenges.

These cases highlight a pattern of complaints about the lack of transparency in toll-related programs offered by the Hertz Corporation. Be warned. Better yet, choose another rental company.

After reading multiple reviews from customers, it's evident that Dollar Rent A Car has been receiving a lot of negative feedback. Customers have expressed concerns about hidden charges, poor customer service, and unexpected fees. Many customers have reported feeling misled and dissatisfied with their overall experience. It seems that Dollar Rent A Car needs to address these issues to improve customer satisfaction and transparency.

I rented through rentalcars.com. On the site I was to pay for the rental amount at booking and then all the taxes and fees at the Dollar rental counter. It showed $95 due at the counter. I paid that amount and got my rental. When I got home a week later, I found an additional $76 charge for taxes and fees. I have contested this with Dollar to no avail. They don't have anyone you can contact as all complaints are handled via Web only. No one communicates back. Be careful not to get ripped off by Dollar or their parent company Hertz.

I reserved a car on Expedia and prepaid $488.92. When I went to the counter at MCO the Agent offered me an upgrade. Did not inform me of the $400.00 fee plus taxes. When I got my final bill, I owed an additional $955.58 for the rental vehicle. If I reserved the same vehicle today, it would cost me $580.68 total. Since I was offered the upgrade without even asking for it, I cannot wrap my head around paying an upgrade fee plus all the taxes and fees. The Agent never stated any of this and even told me I would be receiving a refund from my prepaid booking. When I prepaid $488.92 that also included taxes. Why would I be able to rent the same vehicle today at a cost of $580.68 but when I go to the Dollar counter and told I am going to give you an upgrade, I am charged more than 2x that? Difference is $648.82. This would make sense to no one. This is not an acceptable response from Dollar. I feel Dollar is taking advantage of the customer and I feel ripped off and very dissatisfied. Dollar is offering me only $215.00 (half the upgrade fee) and will not budge. I have reported this to my credit card, state Attorney General's office and the Better Business Bureau.

RENTER BEWARE!

I recently rented a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car for a total of $217.65. When I arrived to pick up the car, the agent, who was wearing a mask and speaking very low, asked me to sign a "contract" that totaled $364.33. This was a surprise to me, as I had received an email upon reserving the car online that had an approximate total of $304.00. I told the agent that I did not want any additional coverage, and she said okay. I asked if the amount I was signing included everything, including the amount I paid online to reserve, and was told yes.

A few days later, I looked at my statement and noticed an additional charge of $364.33. When I called to inquire about this charge, I was told that it was for taxes/fees, airport service, and extra service protection, which I had distinctly told the agent I did not want. I asked to be reimbursed for either the cost of the car or the extra service protection, but was told that once the contract was signed, there was nothing they could do. I was beyond furious with both Dollar and Hertz, as I usually rent from Budget who is always so nice and helpful.

To make matters worse, I believe that the car I rented was unsafe to drive. I cannot believe that I am having to pay $581.00 for a compact car and coverage that I truly believe I was scammed into. I called Hertz the following day to try to resolve the issue, but was told the same thing. Both times I asked to speak to the supervisor's manager, but was told that they were the highest in the escalation process and there was no one else I could talk to.

Overall, I had a terrible experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car and Hertz. I would not recommend renting from them, as I believe that they are dishonest and unhelpful. If you are looking for a rental car, I would suggest going with Budget instead, as they have always been nice and helpful in my experience.

So, I recently rented a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car and I have to say, I was not impressed with their service. I had to return the car to their LAX location, which was about 45 miles away from where I was staying. Before returning the car, I made sure to fill up the gas tank, but due to heavy traffic and high a/c usage, I used up a bit of gas. To make sure that the tank was completely full when I returned the car, I stopped at a gas station right across the street from their return location and paid $3 and some cents in cash. I didn't feel the need to ask for a receipt, but apparently, that was a mistake.

When I returned the car, Dollar rental car charged me a penalty of $10 or $15 for not showing them the gas receipt. I was surprised by this, as I had never had any rental car company require a gas receipt before. The manager was quite rude and insisted that their staff had told me about the policy, but I didn't remember anyone telling me anything. He also pointed out that it was in the contract that I signed, which was at least 2 feet long and in fine print. I didn't want to go through the whole contract, but I believed him.

However, I still think it was an intentional cheat on their part. Who can read such a long and narrow piece of paper with fine print? It's easy for them to not advise the customers verbally and then collect extra money. I've been renting cars for decades and have never had this issue before.

Furthermore, I don't see how a gas receipt can tell Dollar whether the customer filled up the gas tank fully or not. It only shows how much gas was purchased, not how full the gas tank was filled up. In my opinion, this is completely unethical and just a way for Dollar to profit off of their customers.

Overall, I was not happy with my experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car and would not recommend them to anyone.

my recent experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car, I must say that I was left feeling quite disappointed. I had made a reservation through a travel agency and had paid in full prior to my arrival at the Chicago O'Hare location. However, upon arrival, I was asked to produce a credit card for a deposit in case of car damage. The counter agent used some jargon that I didn't quite understand, but I assumed it was standard procedure.

When I was asked to sign the signature pad, I couldn't see what I was agreeing to sign for. The counter agent had assured me that it was just for the deposit, but I later found out that I had been billed for additional insurances that I had verbally declined. It was only after the incident that I learned that these types of add-ons to rental contracts are commissionable incentives for counter agents.

I was quite upset to find out that I had been charged hundreds of dollars for unwanted coverages on my final bill. I had to fight with my credit card company to retrieve my lost money. It was a frustrating experience, and I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what I did.

If you find yourself needing to use Dollar Rent-A-Car, I would advise you to be cautious. Assume that the counter agent will ignore your verbal request to not add unwanted charges. Pull out your phone and inform the counter person that you are recording the conversation. If you are asked to present an additional credit card, ask for a print screen of all charges you are agreeing to sign for.

Overall, my experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car was not a positive one. I would advise others to read the countless reviews before making a decision. It's important to be aware of the potential for fraudulent business practices and to protect yourself accordingly.

I gotta tell ya, folks, I had a pretty rough experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car. My buddies and I were heading down to Manuel Antonio and Santa Teresa, and we needed a car that could handle the terrain. The Dollar salesperson recommended an old Suzuki Jimny, and we had a bad feeling about it from the start.

First off, the salesperson was acting all buddy-buddy with the guy who was supposed to take us to our car. It seemed like they were trying to pull a fast one on us and get us to pick a car that was cheap for them but not so great for us. Not cool, Dollar.

Then there was the GPS. We paid extra for it, but it only worked in the San Jose area. We made it clear that we needed a GPS that would work in Manuel Antonio and Santa Teresa, but they gave us one that didn't work at all in those areas. We ended up having to use our own cell phone GPS, which cost us a pretty penny. Thanks a lot, Dollar.

And don't even get me started on the Suzuki Jimny. The Dollar staff said it would be fine for the terrain, but it could barely make it up the hills in Santa Teresa. There was a line of cars behind us every time we hit an uphill stretch. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

To top it all off, we were delayed on our way back and ended up being four hours late to return the car. We tried to explain the situation to the Dollar staff, but they didn't believe us and charged us for an extra day. Not cool, Dollar.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend Dollar Rent-A-Car to anyone who wants a hassle-free trip. Their salespeople are sneaky, their GPS is useless, and their cars are not up to snuff. Save yourself the trouble and go with a different rental company.

I recently rented a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car for a week and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant experience. I opted for the "managers special" and pre-paid for the entire week, but when I arrived to pick up the car, I was told that I had to keep the vehicle for the entire 7 days because I had pre-paid. I found this odd, but I didn't want to argue, so I decided to keep the car for the full week.

The leasing agent was also very pushy about "pre-paying" for the gas upon return of the vehicle. I declined, but he continued to push. I thought he was being rude, but I didn't want to cause a scene, so I just kept declining.

When I returned the car a week later, I stopped at a gas station and put nearly $27 in the tank. I then drove the 15 miles to the rental agency where they proceeded to charge me $41.37 to top off the gas tank! I was shocked and confused. How could a Kia Soul with a 14.3 gallon tank hold $68 in gas ($27 that I put in, and $41 that your representatives supposedly put in) on top of the already 3.5 gallons that were present when I stopped to fill it up? It's completely impossible unless the cost of gas were over $4.50 a gallon, which it is not.

I think Dollar Rent-A-Car knows exactly whose dollar it is, but through their own greed or dishonest policies, they decided it should no longer be my dollar. I have received multiple emails asking me to rate my experience, and I have given them a brutally honest response every time. I even spoke to someone in their customer relations department who refunded me $18, but that's not enough. By their own rationale, they are entitled to an extra $23 of my dollars.

I wouldn't want Dollar Rent-A-Car to forget whose dollar it is, so I will be sure to share my experience with others. I hope they will think twice before renting from this company.

I recently rented a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car at the SFO location and I must say, I was not impressed. Last year, I had to wait for over an hour to get a car and this year, although the wait was short, they did not have the car type I had reserved. However, that was not the worst part. The service desk lied to us and said they would give us a different car type for no additional charge or we could wait for the original car type we booked. The service agent even whispered to us that she could save us money by taking this other car type. I thought it was a Christmas special, but it turned out to be a scam.

We verified with the employee by showing her our original charge via email, which was around $530, and she said we would save around $200. She pointed out a total cc authorization on our receipt of around $360 and said that would be our end price paid and we would get a refund because we had prepaid more than that. However, when we returned the car, they wanted to charge us $167 beyond our original charge for the "upgrade" we took. We went back to the service desk and was told to see the manager, Rosaria (or a name similar to this) at the office in the garage. When we got there, a male employee said we could deal with him and refused to give us his name or a business card.

He was very rude and blamed us for not checking our bill or verifying the rate with multiple employees. He even said that lots of employees do this. I was shocked and told him that was BS. He then offered to knock the extra charge in half, but at the end of the conversation, he was only authorized to take off $75 of the $167. I felt cheated and scammed by this shady company and its employees.

I would not recommend giving them your business. If you have no choice, make sure to verify everything on your receipt with multiple employees as the "manager" suggested. I am currently following up with someone who claims they are the owner and will update this review if I get a response. If this is not resolved, I will report them to the BBB and dispute the charges on my credit card. It is a total scam being run at this location and they are scamming people left and right. Look at the other reviews, and you will see that I am not the only one who has been scammed by them.

Don't even think about renting a car from Dollar Rent-A-Car unless you want to be taken for a ride, my friend. I don't rent cars often, but when I do, I book with a trusted name in the business. That's why I thought booking with Dollar through Southwest Airlines was a no-brainer. Little did I know, at the time of booking, that Dollar is NO LONGER an American based business.

The first thing I learned about this was at the close of the booking when it was noted that the charge would be reflected as Car Hire in Dublin Ireland. If I had known that before completing the transaction, it would have been a red flag for me, and I would have proceeded differently with my transaction. As it was, I was charged $78 and a foreign transaction fee of around $3.

About a week before traveling, I decided to add a day to the rental. When I called Dollar, they told me that they would cancel my booking and rebook me for one more day, but the cost would be an extra $100. They gave me a phone number to cancel my booking, which, they said, was at the San Diego Airport. But nope! It was in yet another foreign company.

Dollar's customer service is about the worst I have ever encountered in all my years as a consumer. It's virtually impossible to speak to someone in the US who can help solve an issue. The people in the Philippines are very courteous, but language is a barrier, and they have no authority to do anything but book a car. I asked many, many times to speak to someone in the US and was transferred back and forth like a beach ball. No one could or would help me because most of them could not understand what I was saying. So, after almost an hour trying to find someone to help me, I hung up and went online to cancel there. BUT... you can't cancel online!

So, I called the cancellation phone number, and it was in yet another foreign country. At least the person who answered the phone was conversant in more than one language. I was told there would be a $50 cancellation fee, even though I never picked up the car and was canceling before the booking date. They could not give me a confirmation number as that only comes via email.

The cancellation email informed me that the rental was canceled and any monies owed me would be credited to my account. Well... I was not billed a $50 cancellation fee. I WAS CHARGED $55!

I went on Dollar's Facebook page, and after reading post after post warning people not to book with Dollar, I posted about my experience in detail. (I looked, and my post has been deleted. But there are plenty more there if you want to check them out.)

Dollar contacted me and said they would try to get the fee refunded. After a week, I got a message saying they could not refund the cancellation fee because I booked through a third party. (I booked directly with them through Southwest, which took me to the Dollar website. Southwest had nothing to do with this booking.) I said that there was no third party involved. I booked online at their website, spoke directly to their personnel, and Dollar both charged and credited my credit card directly from Ireland. No third party was involved.

At this point, I have filed a formal complaint with Southwest about this company as I feel Dollar does not represent the standards that Southwest offers in its partner relationships. I have also protested the charge with my bank.

I wound up booking with Avis, and I am so glad I did. Avis was terrific. I will never, ever recommend Dollar Rent A Car to anyone!

I gotta tell ya, I had the WORST experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car. I mean, I wish I could give them a ZERO rating! I arrived at the Gillespie St. Car rental facility in Las Vegas on a Sunday, which is a big arrival day for visitors, and let me tell ya, it was a nightmare from the get-go. There were EIGHT reception terminals, but only ONE receptionist checking people in. I mean, come on, why can't they automate this process already? It's ridiculous!

And to make matters worse, the receptionist, Paulette (I think that was her name), was a real piece of work. She was mean, cranky, and short-tempered. I was trying to be as cooperative as possible just to get away from her. Finally, I got the paperwork and headed downstairs to get my car. But when I got there, there was only ONE ATTENDANT serving both the Dollar and Thrifty kiosks, and there were already 20 people in line on both sides. And get this, there were NO CARS AVAILABLE! They were only checking people out as cars came in and were cleaned. How can a car rental business stay open with no inventory? It's beyond me.

To make matters even worse, the cars exiting the facility were taking an average of 90 seconds each, and there were only three booths with one open. It was a total mess. The attendant was running around like crazy, trying to do eight things at once, and we were all just standing there, waiting for a car we had booked weeks in advance. It was hot, dusty, and dark, and it was not what any of us had in mind for our vacation time.

Finally, after waiting for 45 minutes, a car pulled up, but we didn't know if it was for our line or the other line. There was no attendant in sight, and one of the other customers had to go upstairs to find out that the attendant had gone on break! Can you believe it? There were FIFTY people waiting for cars, and she just went on break. It was unbelievable.

With no attendant to help us, and with the inventory slowly accumulating (there were only three cars now), I finally said "screw it" and jumped in the car that was right in front of me. We were OUTTA THERE! The exit booths had acquired an additional attendant, so the exit time had been cut in half, and we finally left the facility after 15 more minutes.

Overall, I have to say that this was the WORST rental experience I have ever had. It was a failure at every turn, and I will NEVER use Dollar or Thrifty for my car rental needs again. I even canceled my rental car for my upcoming trip to Nashville and will be using Uber and Lyft instead.

I recently had a terrible experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car. I was excited to go on vacation to the US from the UK and had booked a car rental with them. However, when I arrived at the counter, I was informed by a very forceful woman that I had to purchase additional insurance and that the price I was quoted was only valid for US citizens. I felt like I was being robbed and sold a false story. I tried to question it, but she insisted that I had to sign the documents to accept the charge or I could not have the car. I was left with no choice but to pay more than double what was remaining on the loan.

I was extremely frustrated and emailed full details of my complaint, but nobody was interested in dealing with it. I even reached out to them on Facebook, but they ignored me for a week. Eventually, they asked for my full name and relationship to the primary renter on the reservation. I provided the information and was told that their team would be looking into it and would update me as soon as possible.

However, when they finally responded, they claimed that the daily rate quoted did not change and that the service for Liability Insurance Supplement was optional and was accepted on my rental agreement. I was not happy with their explanation as the woman behind the counter blatantly lied about it to me to make me pay extra. I felt like they were calling me a liar and allowing their staff free reign to rip off all customers. I was truly disgusted that in a country which prides itself on customer service, they allowed such practices to take place freely and with the full support of the organization.

To make matters worse, they also ignored my requests for information on how to pay the tolls and ended up taking another ?35 from me for a $6 toll. I was enraged and demanded to speak with a senior manager and to know which authority regulates their activities so that I could raise a formal complaint about their entire organization with them also.

Overall, my experience with Dollar Rent-A-Car was terrible. I would not recommend them to anyone and hope that others do not suffer this level of deceit and theft of their highly valued "Dollars".

I returned my rental and never received my receipt to submit a trip voucher. There's no customer support for post returns and I've sent multiple e-mails regarding my issue. No replies, no return phone calls, nothing. When I finally spoke with a representative (selecting different options) I was instructed to emails my issue on the website then hung up. Very disappointed!

I received the car on 3/4 tank of gas and was told to return with the same amount. I returned the car with more than 3/4 tank and was charged $44. I want my $44 returned to my card.

Rental Record #[protected]

Rental dates 3/23/24 to 3/24/24

We rented a vehicle on 11/2/2023 at Santa Ana, CA airport. We opted for the fuel purchase at $4.85 per gallon based on what the representative told us. Gas elsewhere was $5.19. We were told that we would be charged for any gas that was used at the rate of $4.85 per gallon. When we received our receipt we were charged for a full tank of gas, $74.54, when we returned the car with over half a tank of gas. Contacted customer service and they advised that no, we agreed to pay for a full tank of gas. That was not what we were told. This is a scam. We would have only been charged $35 for the gas that was used. In addition to the "extra" fees, our additional charges came out to $147.64 on top of the car rental cost.

My name is Bahaaldeen Aldaqqa , I rented a Mazda6 in Dubai airport on Nov13 ( reservation no is DLR52070) and returned to Dubai Airport terminal 2 on Nov17 at 5 PM to a guy named Arshad

I asked him to get an invoice for the total I paid, he replied that he is alone and cannot move the counter ,, he promised to send me an invoice thru email at the same day and once his colleague will arrive ,, I confirmed to him that it is important to send it and he immediately replied (don’t worry at all , will be sent today)

Unfortunately, still I didn’t receive it ?!

I live in France and prepaid for a rental car for 14 days through a third party company. When I went to Dollar at SNA airport they refused to rent me a car because I did not have a French driver's license. I have dual residency and provided my French ID and debit card, but they would not give me a car in California even though I had a valid California Driver's License. They offered me a car at the day rate which was over 3 times what I paid through the third party. Additionally the Manager said that I could not leave the deposit with my French Debit Visa card and that I needed a French credit card for the contract I paid for in France. The problem is the banking system in France is different than the US and there is no such thing as a French credit card. I have been renting cars for 30 plus years and this was by far the worst service I have experienced.

Hi I just received a copy of my invoice for a car rental with Dollar picked up from San Francisco Airport on Saturday 23/09/2023.

I noticed that I have been cgarged for an [protected]@ 531.00 Dollars.

I did not request an upgrade on the day and merely accepted the car allocated to me at the desk.

My original booking was through a travel agent in Dublin and the booking was prepaid.

The car indicated on the booking form is IFAR - SUV or similar.

Car rental Voucher - Flexible Autos Reference - 4H871501.

Can you please review this charge as I am certain I did not request

this upgrade.

The desk was extremely busy on the day of collection and

I only noticed this charge on receipt of my invoice by email

Regards Sean Mc Ginley

Mobile Number [protected]

On July 29, 2023 I reserved a car at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport for September 2 - 6, 2023. When I arrived at the Dollar counter at 12:00PM there was a large gathering of people in front of the counter. One of the people told me Dollar has NO CARS. I replied we have a reservation. Person responded they also have a reservation. As I approached the counter there was an employee advising that Dollar Rental car was closed for the day as they have No CARS. Employee also communicated during my chat that this is a frequent issue on Thursday to Saturdays at this location. If I have a reservation confirmed I expect a car to be available. This is outrageous.

I was tricked into paying for gas and was charged for liability coverage which I already paid for through economy bookings, I didn't even use all if the gas that came with the car and the extra$ 65-67 i was okay paying but them lying and stating i asked or requested liability coverage which i had alreadypaid for is fraud the rep never asked me about liability which i didn't need so why would I pay for it twice and why force a customer to pay for gas telling them its cheaper at the airport.

Rented car through 3rd party. Understood that Dollar could have additional charges. Picking up car we were asked if we wanted full insurance and Declined. Asked if we wanted Tolls package and we Declined. We were not given a receipt until after transaction was complete. Turns out we were charged and additional 500+ dollars which was more than the original rental price. No one could resolve it and calling any numbers for Dollar leads nowhere. I was told a note was put in but it appears I was lied to.