Advantage Rent-A-Car

Advantage Rent a Car is nothing short of a bait and switch faults front. They claim to give the best rates but in reality they are the most expensive rental company, ever! When my wife and I approached the counter at the Denver airport rental facility, that is after waiting in line for almost 1.5 hours, I am told the car that they have on hold is not the car I ordered and the price just went from $ 670 for the week of skiing to over $ 1200 to get the car I ordered. They make the claim that the 4wd SUV I placed on hold for pickup, they called a Jeep Cherokee or better as advertised, was only a 2 wheel drive SUV as not advertised. They had no Jeeps on the lot or any other SUV like it that I could see, or anywhere else as I can tell, I ended up with a KIA Sorrento for over $ 170.00 per day upcharge from a 4wd SUV at $ 95 per day as advertised. Not only was this the worst car rental price but I also had a total arrogant young girl to deal with that displayed nothing short of contempt for us during the whole process. In my business she would be fired on the spot to treat any of my customers like that. I had another trip scheduled with Advantage Rent a Car for further ski trips in 2016 and I am not showing up to be treated like that again. I have rented cars from many, if not all of the major rental companies over the last 35 years for frequent business and many pleasure trips and never have I been treated as poorly as I was with Advantage Rent a Car rental. They only intend to upcharge you during a critical time in your travel plans and take full ADVANTAGE of you while they can. I call the owners of this company nothing short of shysters and best they go out of business to save the reputation of the honest rental companies, and most of them try to be. STAY AWAY FROM Advantage Rent a Car as they are horrible and appalling!!!

1. Check in area felt like a mechanic shop
2. Customer service left MUCH to be desired
3. Rented a midsize, and they tried to give us a Prius
4. Forced us to upgrade to a rental $ 57 more then planned because we weren’t sure if we could fit the snowboards in a Prius. Told us we’d lose the «deal» on the SUV if we tried to see if our boards would fit in the Prius.
5. Charged $ 200 fee upfront for renting (reimbursed when the car is returned)
6. The entire process was unpleasant, especially the staff
7. The shuttle bus driver was very nice and helped us with our bags.
8. We won’t be using Advantage in the future.

Had to pick one star but I would pick ZERO stars if I could.
We booked a Jeep Cherokee or similar car (through Orbitz) for 5 days in Denver to go skiing. We called Advantage to make sure this would be an all-​wheel or 4-​wheel drive car and we where told it was indeed. Arriving at Advantage Car Rental outside the Denver airport to pick up our car we were informed that we HAD to have a 4-​wheel drive in the mountains or the Hwy Patrol would not let us on the roads. Ok. we figured we would need 4-​wheel drive and that’s why we inquired ahead of time. Now we are told that a Jeep Cherokee IS NOT 4-​Wheel drive and we had to upgrade to one to the tune of $ 1,500.00 for 5 days. YIKES! Our reservations stated $ 650.00 for the rental. Now we are faced with terms more than double than what we were quoted. The lobby was dirty, the women’s restroom was out of order so everyone was sharing the men’s restroom and you could see customers everywhere in the same situation as us. It was Christmas and we had no choice but to take this car. Then I was sent outside to walk and find the car and drive it back down to the office area to load my luggage. I found the car and opened the door and yep, it was smoke filled. Guy beside me at the counter same thing. Geez, you would think the people cleaning the cars would note it on the file but heck no. They just hope the customers are stupid and take the car anyhow. It was the worst car rental experience I have ever had! I WILL NEVER get near an Advantage Car Rental place again. The place was disgusting and a rip off and I will never book a car through Orbitz again either.

Very pleasant guy named Jeff helped me out. Not sure if he was an owner, but he was really friendly and accommodating. He upgraded the car, which was great, since I’m not used to driving in snow. The car was close to the office, in good shape, etc. Returns were also easy. Would rent there again.

Zero stars! Absolutely the worst rental car company ever. It took me over 2 hours to get my car. Long lines, poor service, then they gave us a car that «wasn’t ready» so we had to wait even more. I will never use this company again.

THEY SUCK. They do not answer their phone, I will NEVER rent from them again. Stick with Hertz for good service. These guys are hacks and liars. Also they never answer their phone.
Below here is the review I gave them before I knew what they were up to
I actually rented through
, so chose them based on price. I picked up at the airport location. I had a positive experience. I did get a flat tire and there was no spare or donut tire in the trunk. Hyundai Accent. It was not a big deal as it happened late and I did not know it was flat until I was in the parking lot of my hotel. I called them and by 8:30 am the next day, I had an upgraded car, another full tank of gas and was on my way. They did refund the $ 200 deposit less the gas they refueled for me. In spite of the flat tire Advantage worked well for me

I don’t know if all the complaints helped to change things or if the complaints were just from hard to please people, but my experience was awesome. I was really nervous about renting here after reading all the reviews but it was a legit experience. Brand new car, checked in quick, returned car quickly with no problems, and the deposit was back on my card the next day. No complaints here, keep it up folks you did great.

I wouldn’t rent from this company even if they were the last company on the planet.
As many other reviewers have said, this company is terrible. Misleading prices, terrible customer service, and worst of all, a terrible product. My terrible experience started with the line – almost an hour to get a car at 1:00 pm on a Friday afternoon. The highlight of the wait was watching «Paternity Court» on the three televisions they had in the waiting area. Well, two of the three tvs didn’t work, so I guess I should have been happy with one.
I was «upsold» on the insurance and was almost laughed at for not getting the gas. They were out of the car that I had reserved, which makes you beg the question on why even have reservations, so I got an «upgrade» that actually meant less miles per gallon and more money out of my pocket.
The car was a MESS. The back seat was slightly reclined and wouldn’t return to the right level, the car was extremely dirty, and there were scratches on the outside. The process for returning the car was ridiculous – completely disorganized and only one woman trying to check in the 5 cars that came in at once. The woman barely looked through the car, then handed me a receipt, and walked away. When I asked her if that was it, she barely made a sound. Are you kidding me? How is it possible that you continue to exist as a company? I guess you should take the advice of the workers there and just walk away from Advantage.

RUN, do not walk from this rental company. They took advantage of my in-​laws who were visiting from another country in every way possible… The bill which should have been about ~$ 350 ended up being over $ 1000! I feel so ill just thinking about this incident that I can’t even say any more than just «RUN!»

Worst car rental company in the history of sucky car rental companies. Cannot believe they allow their employees to treat customers this way.

If it was possible to give no or negative stars, I would. I never thought to check reviews for a reasonably major rental company from an airport but boy did I regret that! It started with a full bus being driven around to the other terminal to «wait 5 min» for more passengers. It was not far from where we were picked up, just on the other side and there was no more room! Everyone was buzzing about that, but that was nothing compared to what followed. Pulling into the rental place you were greeted with a line that was zig zagged inside and went out the door. The people coming out said they had waited 45 – 1 hour to get their keys. After our bus unloaded, the wait was surely 75 min. Luckily I spotted it before we unloaded and I sent my hubby ahead to the line and I got our bags. There were people strewn everywhere inside and out waiting. Kids were crying. They finally got a clue and added some employees and the line started moving. My husband was almost slyly conned into buying the prepaid gas and the lady acted like he was an idiot by refusing it. 45 min later we walked out to our car. We had reserved a full size because it was cheaper than a mid-​size for 2 adults. We received a mini-​van. I’m sure someone would have been pleasantly surprised by that but we weren’t! It had over 28K miles on it and it had been used and abused. It was basically the opposite of what you would get at another place where they try and pass off a Corolla for a full size car. We were so fed up by this point we didn’t even bother going back in to get something else.
Then upon return, we had an early morning flight. There was one guy out there pointing to where he wanted you to park but then told you to get your contract, write down your mileage and proceed into the building to once again, wait in line. Luckily at 5:45 AM, we were only 2^nd in line. There were already around 10 people waiting for the shuttle. We were not picked up until after 6. We ended up being 4 minutes past cut off for boarding pass printing but luckily the ticket agent accommodated us and others who had the same predicament and printed our boarding passes since we were not checking anything.
We did pre-​pay and our bill, upon return, matched what I had booked so that is the only positive of this experience.
Unless you have tons of patience, time to kill and don’t mind driving abused filthy cars, do not even bother. This place is a FAIL.

Really deserve No Stars
I made a reservation on line to fly into Denver on Southwest Airlines. Linked to the page was your rental car company. Since I had had a great experience in Jacksonville FL I decided to go with your company again. WHAT A MISTAKE. The price I was quoted for the on-​line reservation was $ 141.89 with the Military discount. Which I felt was very reasonable for a full size vehicle so I completed the reservation and confirmed the price etc. During the confirmation it noted I would be required to show my ID upon arriving at the rental office.
I arrived in Denver and proceeded to the rental car area. A sign posted on the counter directed me to the curb to wait for the transit bus. 17 minutes later after other agency buses had come and gone numerous times a small bus showed up for the crowd of 24 people, some who had waited longer than I had. We all packed into the small HOT STUFFY bus. The driver attempted to return to the remote location communicating to the base that he was full and inbound. The staff at the base requested he remain at the terminal as other flights had landed. He explained twice that he was full and people were already standing. He was told to wait. Five minutes passed as we all sat in the HOT STUFFY bus as 4 more people were packed into the crowded bus.
Upon arrival to the remote office I noted a line of customers out the door and part way around the building. Forty-​eight minutes later I was at the counter. I provided my credit card, driver’s lisc, and military ID to the agent. As soon as she started the transaction I knew I was screwed. When I told her where I was going she told me the car I reserved was too dangerous to drive over the numerous passes I would navigate to get to my destination. She then tried to get me to rent a SUV for $ 25.00/day more. I had to repeatedly refuse the upgrade and she repeatedly pointed out that the 4 cylinder engine lacked the power to climb the numerous STEEP grades. She made 5 attempts to get me to up-​grade. Then she started in on attempting to get me to pre-​pay for fuel indicating that the price of $ 3.41/gallon was the best price anywhere around. I indicated that according to Gas Buddy there was a Flying J within 9.7 miles of the airport for $ 3.39/gallon and around Denver that was pretty much the going low price. She even told me the local prices were $ 3.89 to $ 4.09/gallon. I repeatly told her she was wrong but she kept at it. After 7 to 8 attempts she gave up trying to get me to pre-​pay for fuel.
I then requested Collision Coverage ONLY as my personal insurance did not pay for damage to a rental vehicle. She then informed me the ONLY way to get that was as a package for full coverage. I told her that according to the web site I could pick and choose the coverage I wanted. She repeatedly indicated no it only came as a package. I argued again against taking the full package — she finally told me to «PRODUCE» the web page I was referring to. Since I failed to print it out and bring it with me I was totally SCREWED. When I continued to dispute the cost she told me I could try to find a car elsewhere — but most places were out of or short on cars due to the numerous events in the area. So feeling FORCED to take all the excess additional items I signed the form. I then observed that the base rate was $ 40.00 more than the price when I made the reservation — I again was told to «Produce» the paperwork.
So what started out when I made the internet reservation as a reasonable amount of approx $ 142.00 plus roughly a $ 100.00 for insurance plus tax turned into a $ 503.00 plus nightmare. I was charged $ 59.75 for SLI, $ 29.75 for PAT-​PEC, $ 24.95 for RSP, plus all the percentages for concession fee (11.11%), rental tax (2%), and state tax (11.25%) I paid on the inflated cost.
When I got to the car I noted the exterior was dirty and the interior rear seat was very stained. Upon opening the trunk I found 3 large Budweiser flattened beer cans left in it. When I opened the right passenger door I found fast food wrappers and a straw clinging to the side of the seat. After removing all the trash from the car I proceeded to leave the area.
Making my way to the exit I noted a huge bottleneck as 3 lanes of cars were converging to one as a LONE inspector was checking all the cars exiting the lot. After 17 minutes it was my turn for inspection. I filled out the required info on the pre-​inspection form and the handed it in — the inspector made no comments about the poor condition I found the car in– maybe because it is common.
During my travels in CO I noted NO UNSAFE issues traversing the numerous passes in the state of CO. Upon returning to the airport I filled the vehicle at the Flying J for $ 3.39/gallon purchasing only the fuel I needed verses paying for «pre-​paid» fuel based on the capacity of the tank thus paying for fuel I did not use

I would give this company negative stars if possible. The wait was 90 minutes to pick up the car. By then I was so stressed out and frustrated, I didn’t take the time to be diligent about the things I was agreeing to. It ended up being several hundred OVER the quote. I’m still waiting for the deposit to be credited to my account after several days. I noticed the receipt said that it could be up to 21 days to credit me $ 200! When I tried to call to check on hours they were open to drop off the car, I was disconnected twice. I finally just started hitting random numbers until I got a person and they transferred me. The person I finally talked to acted like I should have known they were open 24 hours. I wish I had seen these reviews before I rented from them. It was the worst rental experience I’ve ever had.

This place keeps on getting worse. I wish they would just go out of business and quit torturing customers.
I got yet another charge a month after I thought I was over this nightmare.

I don’t want to give this company any stars.
This was the worst car rental agency ever. The quote I got was for $ 44.78 cents. When I got the the rental agency we went over everything, I was asked if I needed insurance or not but then found out it would be an extra $ 150 bucks I declined. Then asked if I could pay for my rental in cash since they already have my credit card on file. I was denied this option which made no sense, until I finally got out of there and arrived at my hotel, tried to pay with my credit card and it was declined.
I specifically left $ 650.00 on my credit card, for my hotel and car rental, since the rental was only supposed to be $ 44.78…I called my credit card company to figure out what the problem was and they said I had a charge on there from advantage car rental for $ 531.60…
Which was crazy, I was never asked if they could charge this nor was I told that the computerized signature I was signing was to a whole new contract. They never returned the money back to my card until I got home from my vacation…
I called corporate they did not help, they had no explanation of why they charge me so much extra, and did not refund all the charges until I had to dispute it with my credit card, and even at that point they still charged me and extra $ 100.00 that they did not refund.
THE BRAKES ON THE CAR SQUEAKED THE WHOLE VACATION AND WHEN WE CALLED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT, THEY DIDNT DO ANYTHING AND SAID SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENS, IF THE CAR WASNT COMPLETELY CHECKED BEFORE BEING RENTED OUT AGAIN.
DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY.

Most frustrating rental experience I have ever had. And I didn’t even rent the car. I made a reservation and tried to cancel it and get my money back, and instead I was charged double.
Over the course of two weeks, I have spoken with someone twice and been on hold for over 2 hours trying to resolve this situation. I’m about to give up and just take the loss.

I travel regularly for work and usually always book Hertz or Enterprise. Since I was traveling with friends I decided to book with Advantage because it was $ 7/​day through priceline for a full size car. I read all the reviews previous to going and I was prepared. I brought my proof of insurance with me (even though it wasn’t needed) and made sure to document all nicks and scratches before leaving. We filled up the car before return and I almost didn’t notice before getting in the bus that the amount was more on the receipt than I anticipated. Upon return the person checking in didn’t wait for the gas gauge to go all the way up before charging me $ 17 refueling fee. We barely made our flight back on time.
We just returned it yesterday but I’ll be watching for the $ 200 deposit to be refunded on the card. Definitely don’t rent here with your debit card, if you decide to rent with your CC just be prepared.

I want to give them minus stars! I did agree to the upgrade but not all the liability, full coverage and etc.
Great name for a company that totally takes Advantage of you! They are very helpfully if selling you something but not helpful to resolve anything. I am very disappointed and tell everyone DO NOT rent from them. What a horrible way to end your vacation– I totally agree with others their prices are very misleading and horrible customer service! I can not say it enough do not rent from them!!!

Zero stars. Same with what my boyfriend, Jared, wrote.
I’ve been charged $ 415 on my credit card, even though we have a receipt for $ 170.
Apparently, they charge a $ 200+ deposit on your credit card that takes around 6 days to process. They tell you their cars here are $ 6/​day. BEWARE. There are extraordinary insurance fees, taxes and miscellaneous charges. So renting a car turns out to be about $ 45/​day. And that’s for a Chevy Malibu. And that was after haggling the sales rep on the insurance fees.

First off, their prices are VERY misleading. $ 8 a day… $ 10 a day… I knew there were other fees involved but going from that to about $ 40-​$ 50 per day is ridiculous. Also, the woman who spoke to us at the counter kept trying to trick us out of all our money, quoting us for the most she could possibly charge us. When we complained, saying this was nowhere near the prices, after all the fees, we saw online, she dropped the price $ 50.
After we returned the vehicle, we get charged $ 415 on our credit card, though we have a receipt for $ 170.
TOTAL SCAM. Phone support goes straight to India. No help at all. RUN from this company!