Renting a car 'As Is' - Who has had to return a defective auto?

[Hisgirl]

We love renting convertibles and had a mustang at the end of April. This is the second year in a row we've had a convertible and it's really been fun!

This time however, on our first evening, we noticed the back window wouldn't come all the way up. With a one inch gap and rain on the way, we called and asked Alamo for a replacement.

They offered to send a driver and a new car but it could be as late as after midnight. We ended up driving back to MCO and standing in line over one hour with others exchanging out defective cars.

I was curious how common this is.

 

[rwdavis2]

I have never had it happen over dozens of car rentals.

 

[Hisgirl]

We had not either, up until this time. We were shocked at the huge group of people in the parking deck swapping out cars.

 

[OKW Lover]

For the OP; was driving over to the Car Care Center to get a replacement not an option?

 

[Hisgirl]

For the OP; was driving over to the Car Care Center to get a replacement not an option?

That's an excellent question! We called and spoke to Alamo and they never suggested that, only that they could either send a driver with a car, much later that night, or we could come back to MCO. Now I'm wondering why they didn't suggest the car care center!

 

[elle101me]

We have had to return cars twice. The first time we had a rental from Dollar that died in the middle of an intersection on 192. That was fun.
The second time wasn't as bad. We picked up our rental from Alamo and upon driving out we realized that the dome light wouldn't turn off. We turned around in the cellphone lot after you exit the airport and took it back to exchange. We didn't have to go back through the line. We just went back into the airport and back out to the desk in the garage.

 

[ilikecarrentals]

I've had numerous rentals and had never had to return one. I like convertibles too, so much fun for vacation.

 

[DVC-Don]

I had to return two cars on one trip to Alamo. One kept shutting down while driving and I had to sit on the side of the road for a few minutes and then it would start up. Second kept flashing warning lights. That was in Tampa on a non-Disney trip.

A third time I saw oil pouring out at the condo parking garage. That one I solved on my own by sliding under the car and tightening the oil filter. Again, Alamo.

 

[Hisgirl]

I know they try to sell a road side assistance. Seems weird that they wouldn't be obligated to come pick up their own broken down car by the side of the road. I have AAA but dang, that just seems odd.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I used to rent weekly for work. I have had some fun experiences. I have done it both ways, had them bring out a car or just gone back and gotten a new one.

They generally will come pick up one that's dead or unsafe to drive. But the services they use are slow and inefficient.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

About 15 years ago, we picked up a rental from National at the Jacksonville airport and headed north into Georgia on our way to St. Simon's Island. About half way there it started to rain. A real deluge in fact. The windshield wipers were inoperable. I had to pull over to the side of the highway and wait out the storm, then drive back to the airport to exchange the car. Quite a waste of time. Needless to say, I now routinely check that wipers and lights are all operational prior to driving to the check out booth when picking up a rental car.

 

[richmo]

One time in Clearwater years ago, I had a Ford Taurus that tended to stall accelerating from a stop on some U-turns in the middle of US-19. I don't know if they're still there, but they weren't for the feint of heart. That was on business, so it was probably Avis, and they had me return it to TPA, where I was given a Mazda 626 that I was much happier with.

The only other one I remember was a Toyota Yaris I had from MCO that had a tire that kept going soft (I would guess there was a screw or something in it). I filled it up a couple times before taking it to the Car Care Center, where they gave me another vehicle (and Alamo gave me a $25 credit for a future rental when I returned the replacement vehicle at MCO, which I thought was nice).

 

[Kaytie]

I once chose a Chevy HHR late at night, which I quickly loathed. Either Alamo or National - I think the former - let me swap it the next morning.

 

[dreiwhit]

Back in the late '80s, my folks rented a Chevy Corsica when their car was in the shop. For some reason, that car would have a hard time restarting after you shut it down. It went back to the rental agency quickly. I can't remember which agency it was.

 

[bumbershoot]

Seems weird that they wouldn't be obligated to come pick up their own broken down car by the side of the road. I have AAA but dang, that just seems odd.

Didn't they offer to bring the op a new car, though? There was just a delay involved.

They generally will come pick up one that's dead or unsafe to drive. But the services they use are slow and inefficient.

All tow/gas/tire-fixing services are slow and inefficient in my experience. Aaa being the worst.

 

[ktate82]

We have had several rentals, and only had to return one. This last February we rented a small SUV from Budget. When we left MCO, DH's seatbelt wouldn't stop dinging (even though we unclicked, re clicked, and such) so we circled around, returned, and got another SUV. It took a bit of time, but we didn't have to go back inside at least.

 

[FofMM]

We rent from National at MCO always and have only only had two car issues. One car had intermittent AC which we caught before leaving airport, turned around and got a new car in about 15 min. The second return was Noisy Rear Brake issue which showed up after a few miles and that was handled at National's location at Dolphin (or is it Swan, I mix them up!) The reason we have stayed with National all these years is they helped us with a one way rental to get back Home to New England just after 9/11. They left the excellent rate we had for the Disney Vacation rental and added no penalties for one way to Massachusetts.

 

[Chirple]

Rented a minivan from Alamo at MCO. One night my husband and his friend took the vehicle out to have dinner at the ESPN Club. They noticed some movement on the backseat. Turning on the light, small roaches went scattering. I called Alamo after they told me (and I stopped freaking out) and was able to exchange it at the Car Care Center.

 

[Hisgirl]

Didn't they offer to bring the op a new car, though? There was just a delay involved.



All tow/gas/tire-fixing services are slow and inefficient in my experience. Aaa being the worst.

Yes, they did.....after CONSIDERABLE pressure from our side.They first asked if we had added the extra roadside service. We told them no, and that made me start to think about where their obligation begins and why anyone would want roadside service.