2.0
My experience with this rental service was deeply disappointing from start to finish. What should have been a straightforward vehicle pickup turned into a series of avoidable failures, unsafe conditions, and complete lack of accountability. The combination of absurd charges, vehicle bait‑and‑switch, unsafe equipment, and zero communication makes this one of the worst rental interactions I’ve encountered. 1. Failure to Honor Scheduled Pickup Despite having a confirmed reservation, the rental office was: Closed at the scheduled pickup time Unstaffed, with no signage or instructions Completely unresponsive to calls or messages This forced unnecessary delays and immediately signaled a lack of professionalism and operational reliability. 2. Unapproved Vehicle Switch When someone finally arrived, I was informed that the vehicle I reserved was not available, with no explanation or apology. Instead, I was given: A lower‑quality replacement vehicle With no prior notice And no adjustment in pricing despite the downgrade This kind of bait‑and‑switch behavior is unacceptable in any legitimate rental operation. 3. Unsafe Vehicle Condition The replacement vehicle was not just inferior—it was dangerously unfit for use: Tires were visibly worn and poorly maintained The car handled poorly from the start One tire blew out during normal driving, putting us at real risk This was not a random incident; it was the predictable result of renting out a vehicle that should never have been on the road. 4. Attempted Charges for Their Negligence Adding insult to injury, I am now being told I will be charged for the blown tire, despite: The vehicle being unsafe at pickup The tire failure being directly caused by their lack of maintenance My immediate reporting of the issue Charging customers for damage caused by the company’s own negligence is unethical and predatory. 5. No Support, No Communication Following the incident, I reached out multiple times over the next week. I received: No response No acknowledgment No assistance No resolution A rental company that refuses to communicate after providing unsafe equipment is not just unprofessional—it’s irresponsible. 6. Limited and Inconvenient Return Hours To make matters worse, the company: Does not accept returns after 6 PM Provides no after‑hours drop‑off option Offers no flexibility despite their own operational failures This creates unnecessary inconvenience and further demonstrates their lack of customer‑centric policies. Final Assessment This rental service failed at every stage of the customer journey: Unreliable operations Dishonest vehicle substitution Unsafe, poorly maintained cars Unjustified charges Nonexistent customer support The experience was not just frustrating—it was unsafe. No customer should be placed in a position where a rental company’s negligence leads to a blown tire on the road and then attempts to bill the customer for it. Until this company addresses its operational failures, safety standards, and customer service practices, I cannot recommend them under any circumstances.Reviewed May 18 2026
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2.0
Really bad , bad customer service , the car was very old and the price that was indicated was in Canadian and we had to pay in US for the same amount very disappointedReviewed May 15 2026
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2.0
Despite our reservation, there were no cars when we arrived at 2am, and had no options to get another car. this was an absolute nightmareReviewed Apr 12 2026
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4.0
The pick up took quite a while. It was just difficult getting to the lot. I got instructions in email and then different instructions from employees. Then getting to the lot took about an hour of waiting and riding in a bus then a van….. I guess that’s what I get for going cheap!Reviewed Apr 2 2026
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4.0
They need to provide a person who speaks English better because there were issues with our rental that were hard to put across. I ordered an SUV but one wasn’t provided. I was told that it would be available in a week which meant we had to drive back to Rio Hato to exchange it. And when we did that, it was to find that it still wasn’t available. I was not happy but to give the gentleman his due they did drive the car to us that same evening. Unfortunately, with the amount of luggage that three of us had the smaller car was just not convenient. It’s not likely I will be renting from economy again.Reviewed Mar 17 2026
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2.0
Please ask about insurance options because they do not tell you. When I checked in they asked if I would like the insurance option to cover the other car or the hire car. I said I would like the insurance to cover the hire car. So it was $55 per day which I am ok with. I clipped the mirrors of the hire car so when I got back to drop it off they charged me $us1000. I said I thought I paid for the car to be covered and then she says no that’s the $75 cover option. I said I’m sure I would have paid $20 extra per day to forego the excess. Anyways nothing I can do about it now but please ask for ALL of the coverage options. For your own good, in LA you’re bound to have an accident.Reviewed Mar 7 2026
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2.0
My flight was delayed by 3 hours and vendor didn’t allow for a delayed pickup or driver transfer. No refund was provided as well.Reviewed Feb 26 2026
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6.0
They rip you off with insurance. It was 2.5x the cost of the rental. Wtf. Dishonest and confusingReviewed Feb 25 2026
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2.0
The pickup process was SO LONG! We were probably in line for two hours to pick up our car. We also needed to provide insurance information that required me to log in and find dates, amounts, etc. If I'd known this in advance, it could've sped things up.Reviewed Feb 24 2026
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2.0
Couldn’t be worse, called them a week before arriving to confirm said everything was good, arrived at the airport and called and said we have no cars, I booked this months in advance, ended up getting a car from budget at the airport and paid $300 more. Never again with economy rent a car. Never got a call back from them, nothing!!! Kayak should be ashamed dealing with a company like this! They had passed it off to a company called caprent.Reviewed Feb 23 2026
review from![kayak]()
6.0
Going into the rental, I was familiar with Economy having used them previously and thought it okay enough to return, based primarily on the rate and the previous experience. The car I received was perfect. It was what I rented and was clean and ran very well. Here's where the "other shoe" drops. I purchased the collision insurance offered when I rented the vehicle, really just as a back up. I planned on self-insuring the rental on my personal policy like I have done multiple times before. Just to be prepared, I brought a copy of my policy for the agent to see if there was any questions that required documentation. First, she told me that the extra insurance that I purchased at the point of rental was not good enough. Then I showed my policy to her, when she told me that their vehicle wasn't covered on my policy. Being stuck and needing to get where I was going, I relented and paid for their insurance. In the end, the insurance was twice the cost of the full rental. Had I realized that this was going to be the case, I'd have gone with one of the bigger agencies that do have on-site access. Just buyer beware.Reviewed Feb 22 2026
review from![kayak]()
2.0
The car smelled strongly of cigarette smoke and had tires that were nearly bald. We never picked up the car because of this. We attempted to contact the Economy via phone and email (their office was closed) to request a change of car or a refund, and never heard back from them. Dishonest agency peddling substandard and unsafe cars.Reviewed Feb 19 2026
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