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Dollar Rent A Car

1 star rating
based on 25 reviews

Category: Car Rental  [Edit]

Neighborhood: Westchester / LAX
5630 Arbor Vitae St
Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles, CA 90189
(310) 645-9333

25 reviews for Dollar Rent A Car

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Photo of Julia K.

 

4

45

Julia K.

Redondo Beach, CA

1 star rating
10/30/2009

I don't own a car.  And I live in LA (more or less - and abroad) so I must have a car. I rent constantly.  This review is rating my two interactions with these guys so far.  And I have one more to go, as I have a pre-paid reservation from Europe, so I must trade in my car in 4 weeks, again.

-1 Star - Shuttle.  While waiting at the LAX stop the first time, the National, Hertz, Avis etc shuttles passed TWICE.  It was a glorious 20 minute wait.
-1 Star - Check in Area and General Facility.  What a dump.  I have been to Greyhound stations that are nicer.  Carpet old and nasty.  The area where you go to pick up the car is  like an old airplane hanger.  Everything is grimy.
- 1 Star - Cars.  Well, this is why you rent from them, right - they have cars.  NOPE. The first time I went, I was waiting in the wierd airplane-hangery space with other customers for 30 minutes (yes, after I was checked in - that took 20 minutes) for "Type 1" cars to be pulled in.  No one there to assist, and that brings me to customer service:
- 1/2 Star - Customer Service.  I feel bad slagging on this, as the front desk help and the guy who checked my car back in were all nice.  But who are these sullen, dirty, angry guys who work in the place where they pull up the cars to give to customers?  And the pissy security guard who is your last contact with Dollar before you leave (at the gate)?  Who crapped on his Wheaties this morning?

I am stuck with this car and contract until Xmas and then I am NEVER going to them again.  If you need a cheap car, go to Fox Rental Car.  They are dirty and grimy but at least it goes faster and the cars are ready.

Photo of Daphne C.

 

3

12

Daphne C.

McLean, VA

1 star rating
10/9/2009

Save yourself the trouble and just go somewhere else. These people are rude and have no understanding of customer service.

I reserved my convertible 2 weeks prior to my trip. I get dropped off at their office, wait in their ridiculous line, and get checked out for my convertible. As I'm heading to the lot I was then told that there was no convertible but I was able to pick any other car?!?!  No thanks, I don't want another car, I just want the car I paid for!  Is that too much to ask for?

It turns out, there were many other groups of people waiting for their pre-selected cars.  Btw-I'm writing this complaint as I'm "waiting" in their garage, hence the frustration. It's been an hour and a half already...

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Photo of Norm G.

 

56

228

Norm G.

Honolulu, HI

1 star rating
10/23/2009

Well, I got what I deserved. I read most of the Yelp reviews of this place, and I rented from here anyway. I should have heeded the call of the Yelp wise ones, and rented from National or Enterprise instead. In fact, I originally reserved a car at National, and subsequently cancelled my reservation because I got a full-size car at Dollar for about $100 less. Big dummy! You get what you pay for. Why do I have to learn that lesson repeatedly?

We got to the location near LAX and there were exactly three workers seeing customers (and there were about 10 or more potential spaces at the counter, but no workers there). So, the line was SLOW, as my esteemed Yelp comrades had warned. Then I got to the counter, and the lady was completely RUDE. She kept trying to talk me into buying the collision damage insurance, even though I insisted I am covered through my excellent auto insurance. She didn't smile and she never said "thank you." Hello? Customer service, ever heard of it?

I was told when I reserved the car that it would be a "Dodge Charger or Similar." When I got out to the lot, the only cars left were Ford Fusions. There were scratches all over the car, which I had to document on a small diagram of a car, in very low light (it was nighttime by then). I had never even heard of a Ford Fusion and it's no wonder. What a cheap piece of doo-doo. Did Ford go out of business? No? If this is the best their R&D team can do, I don't think they will last much longer. The darn controls were not user friendly. The headrests protruded so far forward, my wife and I had backaches by the time we got to my sister's house. No, the headrests were not adjustable, except up and down. Dumb car for a big dummy who didn't heed the warnings of many who Yelped before him. I was so glad to come back home and drive my reliable, comfortable, well-engineered Camry again. I want to be "patriotic" and drive an American car, but where's the pride in workmanship or pride in engineering? It certainly wasn't evident in the Ford Fusion!

You heard it here, Yelp friends and acquaintances: I will never rent from Dollar again! Don't be a big dummy like I was! Trust your Yelp comrades!

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Photo of sam Z.

 

108

113

sam Z.

San Francisco, CA

1 star rating
10/25/2009

Agreed - rivals only Comcast in providing the worst customer service in the world.  terrible.

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Photo of Josie M.

 

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7

Josie M.

Naperville, IL

1 star rating
9/17/2009

I really wish that you could give negative stars. This place is THE WORST PLACE TO RENT A CAR FROM, EVER. First of all, the line was HUGE, the "customer service" people were slow, completely unhelpful, and did I mention slow? I waited in line for an HOUR AND A HALF to get my vehicle, and when I FINALLY made it through the entire line and into the parking lot, there were zero cars for me to choose from in my section. (I picked economy because I really didn't need a big car, wanted low gas mileage, and generally don't care for larger cars.) After waiting an addtional 25 minutes with my 4 year old stepdaughter in the freaking 90 degree sun, the only car in my section was a Dodge Caliber, which is much bigger than I'm comfortable driving, and a freaking gas HOG. I had to fill it up the same day I got it, after driving to Fullerton and back to LA. I called to exchange the vehicle, and when I got back, there were only three cars there, two Calibers and a KIA Spectra that was scratched all to hell and stained on the inside. I chose the KIA, which had faulty A/C (awesome in Cali!) and there was no pickup to the car at all. I spent the entire week gritting my teeth while driving that POS car.
Honestly, don't rent from here...the car selection is awful, the service is terrible, and just walking in the place gives you the creeps. I will however, commend the shuttle drivers because one of them chased  us down when I forgot my hoodie on his bus. Thank you, sir.

ALSO, DON'T USE THE BATHROOM. EVER.

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Photo of Andrew P.

 

6

7

Andrew P.

San Francisco, CA

1 star rating
6/27/2009

Horrible - RUN, don't walk... away from this place.
Shabby, carpet stained, institutional...bleh.
terrible customer service.
Did NOT have the model car that I reserved on line, no apology, the slob of a manager wouldn't even make eye contact with me, let alone apologize.
Do NOT rent with Dollar!!
Three pages of negative reviews should be all you need to ensure that you go elsewhere for a rental car.

Photo of Michael U.

 

135

557

Michael U.

Dublin, OH

1 star rating
3/13/2009

I agree with nearly every other reviewer here that I will never ever consider Dollar Rent A Car again.  

Clearly working on commission these miserable human beings attempt to add extras without permission and simply give instructions to "initial here, here, and here" without explaining.  What exactly did I initial?  $40/day of "extra insurance" which I actively told the man that I did not want when he asked "will you need insurance."

On calling for remedy the first line said no, as a matter of fact they said "You will NOT be getting a refund" in a very snotty manner.  When we spoke to a superior there was less snot, but similar attitude and answer - "well, you did initial."

I travel regularly and I've never once been treated so poorly by a company.  Do not rent from these immoral money mongers unless you're prepared to search through their contract with a fine tooth comb.

Hideous.

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148

Joseph T.

San Francisco, CA

1 star rating
2/25/2009

Terrible rental service with exorbitant penalties.

Rented a Dodge Caliber from here yesterday, got in and drove out, then noticed the gas gauge was not on full - figured I would now have to subsidize this by returning it full.

Rented it at 8am, returned it at 1pm the same day, this is the charges I paid:
$49.99 for the day
$11.99 for the navigation system - which was cool
$15 for early return, wtf?
$8.35 state tax
$10 for CFC - I have no idea what that is. Customer fac is ???
$1.62 for tourism surcharge

So for a 5 hour rental I was expecting it to be $60 and they charged $94.95 - yeah, there were a few mandatory things, but the extra $25 for bringing it in early, and some bullshit CFC fee - please go somewhere else.

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Photo of Yoon J.

 

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2

Yoon J.

Los Angeles, CA

1 star rating
9/1/2009

I've never been a person to really review a place. This is, I believe, my first review on Yelp.

Dollar is the ABSOLUTE EFFING WORST!

I rented a Standard SUV, Ford Escape, and it had transmission problems from the very start. I had unlimited miles and I needed it to drive up to the Bay Area. On the way back, the car wouldn't reverse. We were stuck in Kettleman City in over 100 degree weather. I was able to put it in drive but I had to get a tow when I got closer to LA.

The LAX chain manager, Rene Basa, was not helpful. He claimed that 10% off is the standard they go by. He mentioned since we were able to use the car part of time that his partial discount (2 days off) was satisfactory. He also said that since I didn't choose to ask for a new car (even tho I was in the middle of California, stuck in the middle of NOWHERE! I'm not gonna wait 4 hours for a car to come to me) I called corporate and they also were not helpful. All I wanted was a full refund or a voucher to match the rental I booked.

Overall, I find that Dollar Rental Car seems to believe that $258.00 is the price of the life of three young ladies. Sorry to be melodramatic, but it shouldn't take a person to get into bad car accident or worse off, die because of a failed transmission, to get appropriate reparations and customer service. I wasn't able to use the car half the time I rented it because of its poor quality.

DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR! DO NOT RENT FROM DOLLAR!

It's cheap only because they CHEAT their customers and WASTE their time. Sometimes its worth the extra money going to a different company. YOU WON'T PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK!

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, DON'T RENT FROM DOLLAR!

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, DON'T RENT FROM DOLLAR!

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, DON'T RENT FROM DOLLAR!

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, DON'T RENT FROM DOLLAR!

Rene Basa is incompetent. Dollar is a company that profits off the misery of its customers.

Photo of Bruce K.

 

43

224

Bruce K.

Charlotte, NC

1 star rating
3/8/2009

I don't know why I keep giving Dollar at LAX a chance. Perhaps because if they're not the cheapest, they are at least close to it. I've had them hit me with a fuel charge (I was told to return it as I took it) and a higher LDW (my contract said $9.95 but the receipt said $14.95). Each time, a refund, but not my time to chase them down. I've rented from them at least 6 times in the last 6 months.

I arrived at LAX, picked up my bag from the carousel and walked out to the pickup point, where I waited nearly 15 minutes for a Dollar shuttle. Three Hertz buses went past, as did two each of the other vendors including National, Enterprise and Avis. Still no Dollar. When it did arrive, it was nearly full and a few customers were left standing. At least the driver was apologetic.

A brief drive to their location where we all piled out. There is usually an associate there to greet the bus for the Dollar Express customers, which would include me. Not today. We all had to go into the building. All but one of the other customers lined up, but they have a special line for Express. However the counter person took 10 minutes dealing with a customer service issue before he took the other Express customer and then me. A total of 15 minutes after I exited the bus, I had my contract.

By this time, it was raining. Not a problem, except that there is no cover between the office and the garage where the Intermediate cars are located. I got drenched. Into the garage, the usual boring cars, but a shiny white Dodge Avenger was hiding at the end. With satellite radio! I chose it.

Driving out to the guard gate, there was a line of six cars waiting to be checked out. Another 15 minutes of my time wasted before I was out and headed to the 405. Total time from airport to highway: 50 intolerable minutes. So much for "Express."

On the 405, I noticed that not only was the satellite radio inoperable (Please call 800 number to subscribe) and the terrestrial radio only pulled in one station, but the brakes were squealing and the four rabbits under the hood were very tired. By this time, the cleaner they used to deodorize the vehicle had given me a headache.

Between the long delay to get the car, the subtle chemical smell, the crappy radio and the squealing brakes, I award Dollar LAX ONE star and a place on my "no fly" list. I suggest you do the same.

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Elite '09

41

371

Stacey E.

Fairfax, CA

1 star rating
1/26/2009

They were cheap. We should have known. We rented a Dodge Caliber, which was not very clean, and as we drove to our hotel in Anaheim we thought the wheels seemed out of alignment. We parked the car for two nights and didn't drive it at all. When we came out to our car on the morning we checked out we had a completely flat tire which made the "out of alignment" feeling of the night we drove there make sense.

So, they let a car leave their lot without checking tire pressure. Roadside assistance wasn't able to send anyone out to swap cars in a reasonable amount of time so we changed the tire and drove the gibbled piece of junk back to the airport. They didn't offer to refund the day we spent with a flat tire or any kind of incentive to come back. We won't be back.

I noticed all the cars including the one we had were pretty rough. They'd all had damage to them and they didn't have a record of it. Instead they asked us to go around and check off the damage ourselves on a form (in the dark) and hope to god something didn't show up when the sun came out.
Go to Enterprise or another more reputable car rental, pay a little more and know that you won't end up using your jack or paying for damage you didn't do.

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Elite '09

18

109

Jess R.

Minneapolis, MN

1 star rating
11/24/2008

Never again - I rent pretty much weekly for business and go to LAX quite a bit.  Dollar in other cities are pretty good.  But every time I go to the one at LAX I kick myself.  Thrifty is not that much different in price and I never have had a problem there, but I still book Dollar.  I will not make that mistake again.

I would rant about my experience, but I am saving it for the nice long letter I am going to write their corporate office.  As a long time member of their program, I am astonished at my experience at this location.

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52

19

Sassy o.

Silicon Valley

1 star rating
4/6/2009

i swear i dont rent a car in Dollar anymore! i found out their site, just rent a Jeep for $39.99 per day. it was LIED! if u want rent their car must be careful! i wanted rent a Jeep for 3 days, but they charge me about $ 300. WTF... i cant believe it, i asked them why they charge me too much money for a Jeep? they answer is $39.99 x 3days + gas + insurance.... What!!! i dont understand why i need to pay insurance for rent car, DuDe So Confued!!

CareFullllll

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Photo of raul z.

Elite '09

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229

raul z.

Huntington, NY

1 star rating
8/25/2008

We were taking a vacation; driving from LA to San Francisco via route 1, Pacific Coast Highway.  We went with Dollar as it was the cheapest.  But this should be a lesson to you all... cheapest is not always the best!

We rented a Chrysler Sebring convertible.  After waiting for a very looooong time at the rental facility (there was a line longer and slower than TSA security at the airport) and paying for the extra insurance (which I always believe is a scam but my travel companion wanted to pay for it...  I do recommend checking with your credit card companies as some of them, such as American Express and Capital One, pay for car rental insurance if you use their credit card to rent the car.  Also check with your car insurance as some of them also include car rental protection) we walked to the car.

I did the usual walk-around the car and found many scratches, dents and a very bad dent in the front lower side of the car.  I wrote it up in the damage form.  As we were leaving the lot, I pointed the damage to the "exit guard", he signed acknowledgment of the damage and off we went.

However, I just received a letter from Dollar charging us the whooping amount of $340.00 to fix a damage that was already in the car.  I called the claims department and a very "unfriendly" agent (will hold the name back to protect the guilty) told me it was up to me to have the burden of proof and now I have to fax a copy of the form that states that the guard accepted the damages to the car prior to leaving the lot.  How about calling the office in LA to ask them to find the original form that the guard kept as we left the lot?  Luckily, I do have my form so I have to go through all the troubles to proof I did not do the damage... argh!

By the way, the car had some maintenance issues...  the windshear wiper fluid container was empty and there were other issues with the car... like when going downhill, the steering wheel will shake!  That's dangerous!

More to come... will write an update as events develop...  (No wonder they have a 1-star rating!)

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Lisa E.

San Francisco, CA

1 star rating
1/12/2009

Customer Service at the LAX location of Dollar is appalling. We rented a car there on new year's eve and it took almost an hour to get out of the place. When we joined the line, there were four clerks serving customers. Two mysteriously disappeared, then the third started counting cash instead of serving - in plain view of us all!!! That left a long line of disgruntled customers and only one person serving.

Although prices are a little cheaper than other companies, the customer service is so bad that I will not be using Dollar again.

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steve m.

Buena Park, CA

1 star rating
2/4/2009

one star from me

i recently booked a car rental online and had a pre paid voucher to present to the desk operative

he firstly tried to sell me every add on extra they had , i responded no , i only want whats on the voucher nothing extra

then when i get home he's still added a few extras on without my consent , dollar were unwilling to resolve this over the phone and ignored my emails , so i had to make a 3 hr round trip back to lax to resolve it with the manager

TAKE CAUITION GUYS , THEYRE OUT TO STIFF YOU   , i know times are hard but thats not a nice way to treat customers

the car worked fine , couldve been cleaned up better

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Elite '09

630

3156

Anita L.

Irvine, CA

1 star rating
5/6/2006

UPDATE: Pls read review below for the initial 3 stars I gave it, but I have to update now that we've rented from them several times, the last time my husband left the garage door remote in his rental and we've been trying to call them every single day for 3 days now and no one picks up the damn phone!! We've left messages but no one calls us back, there is no local number and when we call the toll free number, they transfer us and it's the same thing over and over again with the phone ringing ringing ringing and no one ever picking up. I guess if you rent and don't leave stuff behind, Dollar is okay, but who the hell knows if you'll forget something. This is very frustrating.

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We arrived early morning and proceeded to the shuttle bus area to catch a bus to the rental car facility. The shuttle bus driver was just incredible, helping me with all my luggage and my son's car seat etc. When we got there, he helped us unload as well. A great impression for Dollar no doubt.

However, when we got inside the facility, the service was not as good. The people were slow, not as friendly, and a bit blase. I also didn't like the fact that the cars (we got a minivan) were not of better quality. By that I mean that the last time we rented a vehicle, it was from Hertz and Avis and their cars were better equipped with several cup holders, better sound system etc. It's not THAT important, I know since Dollar was a whole bunch cheaper than the other companies, but it would've been nice to have all the extras if you know what I mean.

We rented a GPS navigation system as well which helped me tremendously through the crazy freeways and streets of the LA area.

On many days I had to locate a business using the GPS system. Although a lot popped up when I did searches, most of them were so outdated that when I called the number listed, it either said the number has been disconnected or no longer in service. Very frustrating. I also found that some days, the GPS locator was slow in picking up a satellite signal and thus, went down a few wrong streets. Still, it helped a lot having it.

When we had to return the car, I also experienced the same kind of service inside the facility. Agents were slow and blase. Another thing Dollar didn't have is the auto return which other rental companies have. This allows you to vacate your car and the attendant will just scan your vehicle and you get a receipt right away instead of having to go into the facility to do this.

The shuttle bus driver on our return was even more accomodating, dropping us off right by our hotel instead of having us go to LAX and then catching the hotel shuttle. I was seriously impressed by the shuttle bus drivers' efficiency and customer service and the 3 stars are for them. I had to take off one star for the agents and another for the lack of amenities the minivan had.

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4

Clare D.

Pahrump, NV

4 star rating
1/22/2009

I'm usually pretty stressed when I travel, and I was anxious because of the reviews on this site, but this car rental place was fine. Sure, the facilities could use an upgrade, but as long as the car is good, what do I care how much lighting the rental counter has?

My car was great, I got a cheap rate, and while the counter service wasn't that quick, I had no problems at all. I will probably rent with them again - they are significantly less expensive than Hertz, Avis, etc.

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Elite '09

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113

Cynthia R.

Chatsworth, CA

4 star rating
4/26/2008

I live in L.A., but have had to rent a car recently.

The cheapest rates I find are from http://dollar.com, and from LAX.  $80 for an entire week!  So, I make the sacrifice and trek down to the airport to get it.

First, it's not actually at the airport, but closeby.  So if you're like me, you can get dropped off without having to battle airport traffic.  The shuttles from the facility to the airport are quick, and the drivers are friendly.  

Like others have said before me, the customer service has not been outstanding, but if you join the Dollar Express program, you get your own counter, so at least you don't have to deal with lines.  They also print out your recent at the car, so it's pretty convenient.   Since you get to pick your own car, you kinda feel a little more powerful.. "hmm....do I get the white Dodge Caliber, the red Dodge Caliber, the orange Dodger Caliber, or do I go crazy and get a white PT Cruiser?!"... yep, that's about all they got there!  Though I did get a Honda Civic a couple of weeks ago.  I wondered if maybe it was an employee's car, but no one chased after me, so it's all good!

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Jennifer S.

Downey, CA

1 star rating
9/14/2009

I went to Dollar rent a car and reserved a car for 10 am. I called customer service to see if my checking card was ok for them to hold a deposit. I had cut my credit card a long time ago because i didn't want to use it and i don't need to use it. They said i was set and as long as I have more than enough funds I am ok.  I show up and they declined my card and told me i needed to get someone else to have a major credit card so they can hold 400 and have them listed as the  main driver. My credit check didn't pass they say. I got worried about my credit. My friend came down an hour later and they declined his card as well. We got worried and we needed to leave as soon as possible since we were at the rental spot for about three hours. we walked over to hertz that was a block away...they gave me a car in less than 15 minutes. no deposit required. my credit check was fine...and i had an excellent rate. My friend drove down to LAX for nothing. Customer service was awesome. Dollar rent a car was awful. Hertz was easy and affordable.

Photo of todd t.

 

0

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todd t.

Colorado Springs, CO

1 star rating
9/1/2009

Wow! I cannot believe all these complaints revolve around the same subject matter since last year and Dollar hasn't fixed the problems.  They must think its no loss considering the amount of cars they rent to travelers.  I just rented from them and waited at the airport 15 min. for a bus.  All of us who rented from Dollar and Fox rental joked about all the other companies buses.  We saw 7 Hertz, 5 Avis and 5 Enterprise.  Finally the bus came packed like cord wood.  I thought I was in India.  We could barely fit our luggage.  When we arrived at the rental agency, everyone stood around not knowing what to do.  A lady sat in a chair for express customers and didn't say anything.  We all followed an experienced traveler into the dirty lobby for a over 30 min wait in line.  They had 5 agents working at snail pace with no sense of urgency.  The only urgency/persistence I observed was the agents upselling everyone, which partly explained the long lines.  Instead of helping customers, they would randomly disappear and reappear as if the customers didn't exsist.   When it was my turn I complained to the counter agent about the wait and he laughed and said, "you should have been here earlier, people waited for over an hour."  Like it was amusing to him.  I told him that this would be my last time standing in line at Dollar.  He said, 'thats fine."  Then in a fake customer service friendly tone said, "Oh I mean, sorry to hear that."  The vehicles are scratch and dented all over.  Probably by the employees.  I saw one "parking" a car in the parking garage driving 40 mph at least squealing tires.  Not a good idea considering there were customers all over.  Very little care was taken in cleaning them.  It looked like it was vacummed and windows cleaned.  I dont think they were even washing them.  Anyway I do not recommend Dollar.  Pay the little extra and get a good experience.  You won't get it with Dollar.  Hey but joke is on them.  Fox Rental lost government business for the same kind of complaints.  I'll make sure Dollar at LAX is next.

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9

62

LaLee D.

San Jose, CA

1 star rating
7/24/2008

Purchased a vacation package that included a car rental from Dollar Rent A Car.  Yes it was probably the cheapest choice to go with, but if I'd known the whole checking in and checking out process was going to be so unpleasant, I may have just shelled out an extra few dollars a day to rent elsewhere.  We took the shuttle bus from LAX...we waited a little longer than others that were also waiting around...the Hertz and Enterprise shuttle seemed to be passing us by one after the other.  Once we arrived to the rental station, we proceeded inside and stood in line in the dimly lit building.  None of the agents behind the counters had a smile on their face, they definitely looked like they hated their jobs, & one kept looking up at us in a scary, creepy, intimidating way...and lucky us...he finished up with his last customer and it was our turn.  He asked for our IDs, a credit card, and mumbled a few things about coverage, had us initial here, and sign there and flashed us a quick (forced) smile as he handed us our paper work then pointed us in the direction of where we were to pick up a car.  

The return process of the car was even more of a pain in the @$$.  We pulled in the back of the lot where other cars were lined up in one of four lines.  There were no actual system of where the incoming cars were to park so we just followed  where one of the attendants pointed out.  Another attendant was in the process of checking out the car in front of us, so we unpacked our bags and stepped out of the car with all paperwork ready in hand, only to stand there in the afternoon heat without anyone else to acknowledge us.  The guy that was working with the car in front of us has now moved over to another line to start checking other people out!  We waited patiently while other customers (not so patient) started to pace back and forth, waiving their car rental papers at anyone that would look our way.  We noticed that the attendant was just hopping from one car to the next without really paying attention as to who came in first.  Thankfully another fellow customer decided to take it upon himself to direct the attendant to the next car in line.  I guess situations like this is why it's recommended to head to the airports at least 2 hours early.  We were actually super early and did not panick like others did...but we've rented at other places before and never had such an experience like this til now.

The one star was for our Dodge Caliber rental that was roomy for a compact car.  The car was comfortable, clean, odor-free, and everything seemed to work fine.  But when given a choice, Dollar Rent A Car will probably be our last choice.

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31

174

Geomar R.

Sunnyvale, CA

1 star rating
5/12/2007

I can honestly say that there are only 2 positive points that come out of this experience.

The first is the shuttle experience.  The shuttle driver was the friendliest of them all, including the counter agents.  The counter agent that I had was rude and did not even make eye contact.  On a side note, in case you did not know, they authorize a minimum of $400 from your credit card (that is more than other car rental companies).

The second positive point is the price.  I paid $81 (pre-insurance price) for a Dodge Charger for 3 days, unlimited miles.  For me, that was one hell of a deal because Avis was going to charge me $225 for a full size, and I'm a Wizard member with them.

After all the paperwork, I was assigned a stall to find my car.  Little did I know that I was supposed to pick out a car from that stall.  There was a Honda Accord, Ford Taurus, and a couple Toyota Camry's in that stall, but no Dodge Chargers.  Furious and confused, I headed back to the counter and asked where I could find the Dodge Charger that I requested.  She told me that it was in another stall, on the other side of the building.  Horrible....Just plain horrible.  

The customer service sucks ass.  Go here only for the low prices, but do not expect any smiles or assistance.

Photo of Eric A.

 

4

7

Eric A.

Los Angeles, CA

1 star rating
8/9/2008

I should have known to check here first.  I just got home from Dollar Rent A Car at LAX, vowing to write a review on here.  Hopefully it will stop someone else from going there to do business.

First, the one star is for the fact that I do have a car rented from Dollar.  So ultimately, the actual need that I had was served.  

Unfortunately, there can be no stars for the service.  The customer service rep sent me and my paperwork on my way to retrieve my car - unfortunately there were no cars available to drive away in.  

I take that back, there were plenty of other cars.  Just not the one that, as it turned out based on the group of other angry people standing in Section 3, apparently everyone had reserved.  Now I get it, the reservations online can't always be guaranteed.  But they were just blindly sending us out there for no reason, since they were renting cars that didn't exist on the lot.  It was as if they took our credit card information and rented us the "idea" of a car.

When I went back in to the rep who helped me, she acted surprised, perhaps a little dazed.  Not sure why, since I noticed that a few other customers were irately pacing around.  Funny story - there was no manager on duty at the time.  Two reps looked at each other and chuckled about no one being there.  When one manager finally strolls in (and strolls seems like the appropriate word here.  Perhaps meanders would be a better choice.)  Well, when the manager meandered in, he had a bad "so what?" attitude, he couldn't have cared less that all the people in line were waiting with the same problem.  I was surprised that considering the problems their laziness had caused, that they were not offering significant discounts to get all of us in other cars and out of there.      Nope - all they did was charge the wknd rate for the smaller car they did have available and act like they were doing me a favor by even letting me rent a car.

The thing is, I don't fault them for not having the cars.  They can't control that.  What they can do is have customer service reps who are informed.  The website could be improved to make sure this doesn't happen.  The managers should be more understanding and quicker to offer incentives to ease any tension.  Not to mention actually present on the grounds.   Above all, it doesn't matter where you work or whether life sucks on the job or you know that a bunch of customers are gonna be pissed with you - you still have to be genuine and polite and respectful of the customer.  Then, the customer may still leave upset, but it's less likely they'll blame the manager.  

Now, I simply hate their concept of customer service and will never rent there again for any reason, and I will make sure to tell anyone I can not to go there.

Photo of Ar T.

 

3

3

Ar T.

Los Angeles, CA

1 star rating
2/15/2009

I wasn't surprised with all the comments on here.  I was just at this place an hour ago and i could not for the life of me stop thinking of that rude lady at the counter who's uncouth and does not know what she's talking about.  I had a reservation to pick up my car at 12pm.  I initially wanted to rent the car  for 3 days but a changed of plan ensued cutting my travel to just 2 days.  I asked the lady (latina, around mid 50's or maybe early 60s)  if i could change my reservation and she gave me a snide remark, no!  Then she started being irate.  Great customer service.  So I suggested to why not i just cancel the initial reservation so as to not be charged a $15 penalty (yeaha! a $15 penalty) and she proceeded to yell that "it doesn't matter you will still be charged $15.  I asked her why and she just keep on saying, "well you can't change coz' that's why you reserved".  I'm not sure if it's the language barrier or this lady just probably doesn't know how to do the cancelling, or simply she just doesn't know what she's talking about.  She became more and more irate when all i was doing was asking her (calmly, mind you) why are they charging $15 if it's just so easy to just cancel the initial reservation and make a new one.  I even told her that my friend can make the new reservation so that we can start over again.  Angry and frustrated because of the lack of customer service i canceled everything and storm out of the *#$@ place.

Bottom line, customer service makes a huge difference when you're in a @#$* service industry.  This place is just full of rude, uneducated people who needs to go back to school and learn some manners and the english language too.  

I hope people will read the comments on here and stop going to this business establishment.  They might be cheaper compare to others but they will never again get my business.

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