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Business Profile

Auto Rentals and Leasing

Rent-A-Wreck

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Auto Rentals and Leasing.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 3 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 3 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:10/08/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore info

    Complaint statuses

    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I rented a car through *********** I was charged ******. On Sunday i was billed directly through the rental company for ****** and ****** charges. I contacted expedia and was told by **** the agent that there is nothing that can be done. And would only give me the reference number of *********, which i honestly do not believe. The original deal was for ****** I'd I kept the car until 10/08. However because I returned early on my trip I returned the car and was told my bill was to be ****** per my receipt. But now I have paid 1200 dollars. No one is taken responsibility for me even being charged 25 % more then the original total price This is not good business at all none of this makes since and both companies collectively have put me in a financial situation. I even stated that when I returned the car I would just keep the car until Tuesday if my unused days could not be refunded. But I was screwed all the way around.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:08/11/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    UnresolvedMore info

    Complaint statuses

    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    Car was rented on July 26. 2024 around 12 noon. The car incurred a flat tire around 2:30pm (EST) in *******, ********. The company was notified immediately. I asked what the protocol was for such and incident and if I had to pay for a new tire if that was needed. The person I talked to said he did not know and would consult with the manager. Within a few minutes a 'manager' contacted me and was verbally abusing. He stated (yelling), "THOSE ARE NEW TIRES. YOU CAUSED THE TIRE TO BURST. IT IS YOUR FAULT." The tire burst on an Interstate highway and not one employee asked if I was okay or safe due to the tire bursting on a fast highway. As stated to the previous person, I restated that I was fine to pay for the tire if need be but was clarify before I began any work on the vehicle. The rude man on the phone hung up with no support or resolution and basically told myself that this was my problem and if I wanted to continue to use the car I would need to fix it myself. I then proceeded to call AAA and paid for the expense myself. After an hour AAA arrived and were unable to put the spare tire on the vehicle as it was a '4 Lug nut' tire and the vehicle was a 5 lug nut. There was no **** or lug nut tool in the car. This car rental did not even provide the appropriate spare tire in their car, and necessary tools to change if needed. When the business was confronted with this, they provided no support, no options, no apologies and no accountability for the error on their end. Again, they did not ask if I was safe and out of ***** way. I then proceeded to call AAA for a tow. It was getting late in the day and all service companies were closing in the area where the tire would not be repairable that day. This was huge inconvenience as my son was due to play in National tennis that afternoon and missed his team practice. He received an **** into *********. I stayed with the vehicle until AAA would arrive but never arrived. I was stranded for 5 hours with no support. I ordered ****.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 08/15/2024

    I also have documented of times I called and spoke with the company. 
    At the point when AAA arrived to change the tire,  Rent a Wreck was contacted and notified that there was no ***** no lug nut wrench and the spare tire did not even match the rental car I had. The person I spoke to acted like I was incorrect and that was impossible. There was apology or responsibility taken. They offered no solution as ti what I could possibly do. They told me I didn't get their insurnace. I told them ot was company policy to ensure all cars rented to customers to provide the vehicle with a spare tire, **** and wrench in order to change the tire. As well, the tire that was in the trunk, was evererly damages and dinted (see picture). The conversation ended with the assocting telling me to inform them as to what I would do with the vehicle. I then contacted AAA for a tow. The weather was very hot and humid that day with little to no protection from the heat other than being in the car. I waited several hours for AAA with messages stating the company was busy and it would take time to get to me. My husband called me and I was in tears. I was stranded and didn't know what to do. My husband called and spoke with ***** who apparently offered no solutions. About ***** min by before I got a call from Rent a Wreck and spoke to ***** myself. He reported that he attempted to contact a tow and was also having a difficult time. I was crying on the phone and at a loss. ***** asked, How can I make the better? I told him I will not pay for this rental due to the inconvenience it has caused myself and my sons tournament. As well, to provide with me a new car. He said he would do his best. He asked what hotel I was staying at. It was 5 hrs and me tow going to arrive and I needed to get to my son. I had to order a ride to ********* from ******* (********). I was hungry and exhausted.  ***** reported to me that he would do his best and deal with the car. He confirmed I would not receive any charges for the current rental (which I only had for about 3 hrs). I told him I would leave the keys in the consul. I notified the gas attendant of *****'s plans to call a tow himself and the car would be gone soon. ***** stated that he would contact me the next with plans to get me another vehicle. On July 27th, no call was made from anyone at Rent a Wreck. There was no call for my safety and if they could assist with transport. I did not reach out to Rent a Wreck on July 27th. It appeared they did not want to take responsibility for their company being incompetent and responsible for not supplying the vehicle with the necessary equipment to keep it safe for their customers.  On the afternoon of July 27th, I went to Rent a car from *****. I am requesting Rent a Wreck pay for this rental as well (receipt attached in orginal complaint). Recently I saw on my bank statement that Rent a Wreck still charged the the full price ($827) to my credit card. I disputed these charges with my bank. It has been so time consuming dealing with this company. Completely negligent. 
    Thank you.
    If you need any more information, please let me know.
    *********************-Baldonado 

    Business Response

    Date: 08/26/2024

    Hello, 
    Id like to start off by saying our customer ran over an object which caused one of the tires to blow out. She was over 150 miles away from our office, which made it quite difficult to reach our customer. As we saw this was a tough event to deal with and quickly tried to accommodate our customer, we offered to send a tow truck to take her a new car and send back our car. The earliest the tow truck could reach our customer was by 10 pm that same night. Our customer refused the offer, stating that it would be too late by then. We would like to mention that the car had all 4 new tires. We understand this situation was very unfortunate and we have deep empathy for our customer, as we do for all. Due to our only office being in *******, it was not easy to reach this customer, yet we truly tried our best and offered the most in our power. Although Rent-A-Wreck ******* felt awful for our customer, we had no negligence in this manner. We live up to honesty and conscientiousness and truly tried our best to accommodate our customers. 

    Sincerely, 
    *************************/ Manager  

    Customer Answer

    Date: 09/03/2024

    Complaint: 22126128

    I am rejecting this response because: The business is not being truthful in many regards. There was no assistance. I did not complain about the flat tire and told the company I would get it repaired. Flat tires happen and the manager clearly targeted me for damaging the tire. The manager avoided the fact that there was no ***** lug wrench or correct spare tire in the vehicle. I handled the issue on my own calling AAA. A tow was not offered until I was crying on the phone at 8pm, being stranded for 5 hrs at that point. As well, AAA does not give you an exact time for pick-up. The 10pm tow was not accurate. The vehicle was not picked up until the next day. The manager did not contact me the next day for a solution as he offered on July 26th. Bottom line, a rental company HAS to have the necessary equipment in the car if such an incident occurs. Had the equipment been in the vehicle, I could have driven the car and had the tire repaired. This did not happen and the topic has been avoided with no accountability for not providing the necessary equipment in the vehicle, This is negligence on their part. What I am asking for is not unreasonable. This company did not provide options early enough and lied about AAA coming at 10pm.....then why was the vehicle picked up on July 27 if he scheduled a tow on the July 26th? Thank you BBB of Chicago. 

    Sincerely,

    *********************-baldonado    

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