Thrifty Car Rental

We recently had one of the worst car rental experiences of our lives renting through Thrifty (and we rent vehicles a lot).

This was a horrendous experience from start to finish and the final bill was

AUD$5776 (well over double what we were quoted when we booked).

I have since tried to contact Thrifty several times via their "customer service" email but they do not reply.

Because they are a franchise business, the head office doesn't seem to give a dam about what is happening in the field.

BE WARNED: DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY; THEY ARE POISONOUS

Been a very long time loyal customer of Thrifty globally & of the opinion that Thrifty was a reliable company with the customers trust and best interests at heart. My recent experience changed my opinion & I write to share my experience with customers who might find themselves in similar situation.

I incurred some minor damages mainly scratches to a rental vehicle from Thrifty Clayton, Australia in a poorly-lit car park. Thrifty charged Single Vehicle Accident & Excesses upfront on my credit card upfront. I requested for a few quotes on damage claim estimates and for them to notify /agree on costs before proceeding with repairs.

Several calls & a week or so later, I was informed that repairs were completed, the alarming high costs, and the remaining of the money will be credited via credit card. I requested for Thriftys SOP and procedures, and what were done to safe-guard the customer best interests in ensuring the most cost effective repairs to minimize costs for customer. I also asked for evidence from Thrifty to show their claims for demurrage or loss of rental income during repairs. Fine if they can show that all the similar vehicles were fully rented & loss of income was incurred, otherwise it would appear that Thrifty was profiteering from the customer on an unfortunate incident. The rental rate charged by Thrifty for demurrage was also higher than the contracted or rented rate agreed.

Thriftys staff was reluctant to provide satisfactory written evidence of the above only offering to speak verbally to the customer specific queries. They were also not willing to consider an amicable solution given they had not procured prior agreement on damage costs estimates or comparable quotes to show the repairs would be done cost effectively or the reasonableness of damage costs estimates, and finally the evidence of loss of income in demurrage.

I am sadly disappointed in how Thrifty has treated its customers in such matters. CUSTOMERS BEWARE!!