Never Rent from Auto Europe... or Dollar.... Never!
by Liv | Published on March 8th, 2010, 5:38 pm | Travel
So I've got a bit of complaining to do. Deal with it, I'll try to keep it rational... but this is my complaint thread against Dollar Rent-A-Car and more importantly.... Auto Europe. I'll be fair, Roberto at the Dallas Fort Worth Rental Car center was super empathetic apologizing for the fact he couldn't accept my pre-paid reservation.... but his a-hole of a boss who refused to honor my reservation should be hung by his testicles.... because after-all your f-ing company left me stranded in what can only be described as DFW purgatory. See the rental car center is isolated away from the airport, and you're bussed in from the airport... So you can suspect my dissatisfaction with having no car, and no way to my hotel. In fact no way to nowhere...
Again this was prepaid. I had found the reservation through Momondo, a U.S. based travel reservation site. When I found a rate of about 90 dollars, I jumped at the chance. Clicking through I ended up on a website called AutoEurope.com. I followed along with typical web-cart to check out filling out the form with my U.S. address and information. There was even a drop down menu box requiring you to choose the country of origin (me) which I carefully chose United States of America. I submitted the form and moments later received my reservation and my card was charged in Euros. "No prob." I thought. I'm familiar with Europe, even been there... and my bank doesn't charge an international fee so I'm good. So I printed out the reservation, and smugly grinned even when Auto Europe; a few days later, added their own international fee to my card. Again "No worries" I thought, it's still a lot cheaper than anyone else in the rental car business. This was more than a week before my flight. No one called me telling me anything was afoot with my reservation... nothing, nobody...
The day I landed in DFW all was going smooth when I stepped off the bus and got in line and waited. Roberto, who looks like Angel Batista (David Zayas) from Dexter asks where I'm from?
- auto_europe_dollar_rent_a_car_dude.jpg (140.47 KiB) Viewed 1026 times
I'm like "North Carolina" with my fake southern accent. He's like, "Do you have an International Driver's License?" I'm like "I've been international and drove, does that count?" He goes on to explain that the rate and the reservation is only for people of Europe and that he can't rent me a car for that price. "WTF?" Serious. Some Irish dame can rent a car for a 1/3 of what we can in America at our own freaking rental car prices? What? Like the Euro is stronger than the dollar already? Seriously, What? This is Texas!!! I'm about to go Tea Party on your ass. I demand to see you boss. So Roberto... kindly goes back to his boss who I had caught a glimpse of earlier and who looks like he touches underage children on the weekends at church, and then returns and says "No can do." However they could rent to me at the regular rate of $340 and I would have to seek a refund from Auto Europe on my own.
This is when I broke out my mobile phone and called Auto Europe's customer service. Oddly I received some chick with an American accent who said she could cancel my reservation and place a new one for me at a higher rate but....
... there's always a but.....
I'd incur a penalty charge equal to the amount of the reservations....
So basically, no car, and I'm being charged 3 times as much money because my family immigrated from Wales. This by an American company; Dollar, and the reservation company basically got paid 60 some Euros for shoving their big long muffler up my rear and twisting it. I hung up, thanked the actor playing Dollar Rent A Car's puppet and said "you're not getting my money." No not really, more a long the lines of "Guess I'll be requesting a chargeback from my bank!"
Thank you Roberto, I know you're just the middle man, but you company is crap... Apply at Enterprise.
Because that's just what I did. I pulled out my business Enterprise card, ripped open the mobile web on my phone and got a quote for $180. Why didn't I book with them in advance? I don't know. I was enticed by the savings.... Enterprise has always treated me like gold and I'm going to remember that next time. In fact I walked to the counter asked if they had cars, and hit the send button on my phone while being handed a bottle of cold water, a soothing smile and more than just empathy... but a lovely, and beautiful set of keys to a Nissan Sentra....
Mind you, the beautiful and wonderful Enterprise staff upon hearing of my situation upgraded my vehicle, (originally a clown car) and did everything they could to make it so I got to my hotel carefully and without any further trouble.
What I've learned: Don't rent from AutoEurope, ever. Don't rent from Dollar (though you can high five Roberto and tell him Dexter is a serial killer.) And if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
