Beware Thrifty

[mdinme]

I rented a car from thrifty for a week last month and realized after 12 hours it had a flat tire. I called thrifty and asked them to bring me a new car or new tire to POP. They wouldn't, and they had the nerve to ask me if I could put the donut on. I said I certainly could but there was no way in hell I would.

I asked to speak to a manger at that point and asked her to bring me another car or full tire and put it on. She said she couldn't. At that point I said, ok, there are a few local car rental spots near me, find me a car and I'll accept that I have to go pick up the vehicle. She said she'd look into that option and after an hour called me and said there was a car for me over at LBV (I think that was it) near Disney Springs and I could go pick it up.

I drove over with my son, waited in line for 20 minutes and was told by the manager they had no knowledge of my rez and further, they had no cars anyhow.

I called thrifty for a third time (fourth? fifth?) and told them what happened and said, I'm done, have someone come to me and put the donut on, and make certain you refund the $203 I paid.

They provided someone to put the donut on but would not refund my $203. When I got back to Maine I wrote a letter to Thrifty customer service telling them the tale and again asking for a refund which they refused.

In order to travel south from Disney I was forced to rent another car at a significant cost...

I contacted visa today (yes it's a Disney premier Visa) and disputed the charge. We'll see.

I'll never use Thrifty again, only Alamo, which allows me to head straight to a vehicle anyhow.

 

[Cloudy]

What happened after they put the donut on? Did you then return the car and rent from someone else? I think I am missing something here.

 

[firstwdw]

Yikes! We had zero issues with Thrifty at MCO in April and got an amazing rate. We literally had no wait to check in and were able to choose our car. Sorry that happened.

 

[NotUrsula]

Re-read the fine print of your contract before you make a stink. Often, flat tires are a specific exclusion to the warranted condition of the car. If a tire goes flat after you leave the rental depot, there is an expectation that you will go to a repair shop and pay OOP to have the tire fixed. (Are you saying that it had a slow leak? I think it would be pretty difficult to drive 12 hours on a totally flat tire and not notice.)

I got caught by this issue on a trip to Ireland when I rolled over a granite curbstone; I slashed two tires beyond the point of repair and had to replace them myself with brand new ones. Van tires in Ireland are hugely expensive; it was $900 OOP at a shop in Dublin to replace them with fleet-rated tires, even though I had purchased full rental insurance coverage (and of course, I also had to pay the shop a hefty disposal fee.)\

As I see it, if that is the case, you really won't have a leg to stand on. If the tires were excluded, it would have been nice if someone you spoke to had told you so, but as long as an exclusion is stated in the contract, they are under no obligation to orally remind you of what you signed.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Interestingly, Thrifty offers coverage for this and similar incidents. At a cost, of course (which it seems the OP may have declined - which would explain Thrifty's reluctance to come fix it):
"O. Optional Services:

1. Premium Emergency Roadside Service (“PERS”): PERS is a service offered by us at some locations for a per day charge. This service provides you with lock-out, flat tire, and fuel and battery service up to $1,000 for all services per rental during your rental. Also travel interruption reimbursements up to a maximum of $1,000 per rental for travel expenses incurred by the customer when the vehicle is disabled in a collision. " https://www.thrifty.com/AboutUs/content/GeneralPolicies.aspx

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I think you might also evaluate what other options you might have in the case of a flat tire. I have AAA; their coverage extends to my use of other vehicles than my own, since it's my membership as opposed to being tied to a particular vehicle like the emergency road service on my car insurance policy.

 

[LisaS]

If you have AAA coverage you can call them to change a tire in a rental vehicle. This applies whether you are the driver or a passenger in the rental vehicle.

ETA: Looks like I was typing at the same time as Ralph&Pam!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I rented a car from thrifty for a week last month and realized after 12 hours it had a flat tire. I called thrifty and asked them to bring me a new car or new tire to POP. They wouldn't, and they had the nerve to ask me if I could put the donut on. I said I certainly could but there was no way in hell I would.

I asked to speak to a manger at that point and asked her to bring me another car or full tire and put it on. She said she couldn't. At that point I said, ok, there are a few local car rental spots near me, find me a car and I'll accept that I have to go pick up the vehicle. She said she'd look into that option and after an hour called me and said there was a car for me over at LBV (I think that was it) near Disney Springs and I could go pick it up.

I drove over with my son, waited in line for 20 minutes and was told by the manager they had no knowledge of my rez and further, they had no cars anyhow.

I called thrifty for a third time (fourth? fifth?) and told them what happened and said, I'm done, have someone come to me and put the donut on, and make certain you refund the $203 I paid.

They provided someone to put the donut on but would not refund my $203. When I got back to Maine I wrote a letter to Thrifty customer service telling them the tale and again asking for a refund which they refused.

In order to travel south from Disney I was forced to rent another car at a significant cost...

I contacted visa today (yes it's a Disney premier Visa) and disputed the charge. We'll see.

I'll never use Thrifty again, only Alamo, which allows me to head straight to a vehicle anyhow.

Just make sure when you rent from Alamo that you select the Roadside Assistant Protection in order to avoid the flat tire issue you had with Thirfty. Most rental car companies offer this additional protection that you must pay for if you want them to come and change a flat tire for you. The option to add on this additional service is only available when you rent the car not when you have a flat tire and need help.
Roadside Assistance Protection
If selected and paid for at the time of rental, Owner offers Roadside Plus, which provides 24/7 roadside assistance without additional charge.

RSP includes replacement of lost keys (including remote entry devices), towing (not related to an accident), flat tire service (if no inflated spare is available, vehicle will be towed), lockout service (if keys are locked inside the Vehicle), jumpstarts, and fuel delivery service for up to 3 gallons (or equivalent liters) of fuel. RSP services are only available in the 50 United States and Canada.

 

[mdinme]

What happened after they put the donut on? Did you then return the car and rent from someone else? I think I am missing something here.

Nothing. I rented a car from someone else. I do have AAA.

 

[Kaytie]

Knowing now that you have AAA, and that Thrifty was under no obligation to change your tire because you chose not to purchase that coverage - why did you just not call AAA? You don't even need the Orlando phone number, or a Florida membership.

I locked my keys in a rental in Las Vegas. Went to the front desk(faster than my room), called the number on the back of my card, and by the time I got back to the car, AAA had arrived.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts...

• Personally.... Thrifty is my go to rental when travelling. Their minivans and most vehicles have a backup camera. Important if I'm not familiar with their vehicle when parking.
• Hate dealing with flat tires. I would have AAA to change the tire for me on the rental vehicle
• on my personal car.... I have a tire inflator. For slow leaks, I air up the tire and drive to the nearest tire place to patch or get a new tire. No need to deal with the mess to change the tire. New inflators are now cordless!
  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18...on-Inflator-Deflator-Tool-Only-P731/203060297
  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Volt-ONE-Power-Inflator-Tool-Only-P737/206159256
  I have helped several people with deflated tires with my Ryobi pump.
• A bike pump can help too.
  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Bicycle-Floor-Pump-BP15M/207191936

 

[Shanti]

Knowing now that you have AAA, and that Thrifty was under no obligation to change your tire because you chose not to purchase that coverage - why did you just not call AAA? You don't even need the Orlando phone number, or a Florida membership.

I locked my keys in a rental in Las Vegas. Went to the front desk(faster than my room), called the number on the back of my card, and by the time I got back to the car, AAA had arrived.

Even if she had called AAA, they only would have been able to put the donut on. I think the bigger issue was that she needed the rental agency to replace the flat tire with a regular tire & they refused.

 

[bumbershoot]

Even if she had called AAA, they only would have been able to put the donut on. I think the bigger issue was that she needed the rental agency to replace the flat tire with a regular tire & they refused.

They needed her to put the donut on and get the car back. She wouldn't until she decided she was simply returning the car. She has no idea what they would have done if she had put it on (and I have no clue why she wouldn't do that...it's not like it's difficult) and continued to rent from
them.

They refused to replace it while she was away from thrifty. Because it seems she hadn't gotten the extra protection, so why should they have?



In my own car if I'm driving around and 12 hours after leaving my house I notice a flat, I don't think it happened at my house lol.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Had problems with Dollar, the sister company, in San Diego this past weekend.
2 clerks, with lines snaking out the door to get the rental. The wait was over an hour. Others were leaving the line and renting elsewhere. Ressie was $27 total. Looked at the receipt from the clerk, it showed $39 with insurance. Went to the midsize car area, the only car there had a flat. Went back inside, jumped the line, and asked what to do. Was told to get a full size. Went to the exit, received a new bill, the insurance I didn't take to begin with was upgraded and my $27 rental was now $49.

Upon return, I asked the check in clerk why the insurance costs were added and increased every step of the process. He said that happens all the time and reversed the charge.

I probably will not rent from them again. If you do, check your receipts. Charges are being added without knowledge.

 

[Cloudy]

I think in general car rental service has gone down. I guess like the airlines, they keep prices artificially low by charging fees for everything that used to be included in the rental price. I remember when all car rental agencies allowed your spouse to drive free. Not anymore. I once got a flat in a rental (not sure which agency) maybe 10 years ago. They flat bedded a new car for me from West Palm Beach to Okeechobee FL even though I told them there was a tire shop just across the street from where I was located. I guess that would not happen anymore.

Sorry about your troubles.

 

[Yellowjj]

Car tires, keys, batteries and I believe running out of fuel, are not covered unless you take out roadside assistance with the rental agency. Why wouldn't you just put the donut on and drive the car back to Thrifty to exchange it; you know like they asked you too? Am I missing something here?

I don't get why people complicate things that don't need to be complicated.

For the record, I picked up a nail about 2 miles from FLL once with a rental from Alamo. I called Alamo who transferred me to roadside assistance. I explained the situation, threw on the spare donut and drove back. Had no problems. If I accepted roadside assistance, I would have been waiting for maybe hours and had to pay a fee.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Even if she had called AAA, they only would have been able to put the donut on. I think the bigger issue was that she needed the rental agency to replace the flat tire with a regular tire & they refused.

She declined their roadside assistance coverage, so Thrifty declined to provide roadside assistance.

I think in general car rental service has gone down.

Blame it on Seinfeld https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=4T2GmGSNvaM