Complaint Review: Dollar Rent A Car

We made a reservation with Dollar a couple of weeks before we needed the car. We prepaid for the reservation.

We arrived to pick up the car at the specified time and SURPRISE - no car available. Well, not the size we reserved anyway. A larger MORE EXPENSIVE car was available however.

At 11pm, held hostage with other car rental desks closed, a useless prepaid reservation, we took the larger car which was supposed to be an additional $30.00. Not to create a huge issue and hassle, I agreed to pay the $30.00 charge. Rented the crappy larger car which sucked gas beyond belief. So much for a RESERVATION - DO NOT RESERVE CARS WITH DOLLAR - THE RESERVATION IS USELESS. Look at other poster's comments about Dollar's common practice of bait-and-switch.

Fast forward, I get my credit card statement in the mail a month later. There is no charge for $30.00. THERE IS HOWEVER A CHARGE FOR $418.09!!!!!!!!!!!!! I contact Dollar and ask what is up? They said I "agreed" to all the optional charges. NO I DIDN'T - I HAD A PREPAID RESERVATION!!!!! I explain the whole thing to them, show supporting docs, and they agree to pay me back $146 and some change. Ummm.. NOT ENOUGH Dollar. You owe me $270+. Nope, they say TOUGH, and accept no responsibility for the agent adding all these charges to a PREPAID reservation and using my card to bill me for them when the card was provided for "security purposes" only.

RENTER BEWARE - RENT FROM SOME OTHER COMPANY. AVOID DOLLAR AT ALL COST. DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!!!!! THIS PRACTICE APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PRACTICE OF DOLLAR. LOOK INTO OTHER CASES HERE AT RIP-OFF WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES I ENCOUNTERED (DO A SEARCH HERE FOR "DOLLAR RENT A CAR") YOU WILL SEE CASE AFTER CASE OF THE SAME BAIT-AND-SWITCH WITH TONS OF ADDED INSURANCE COVERAGES NOT PROPERLY DISCLOSED BY DOLLAR RENTAL CAR OR AUTHORIZED BY THE RENTER.

CJ
Portland, Maine
U.S.A.