When you are renting from a place called "Rent a Wreck" you can't expect that everything in the car will be in perfect working order and that it runs smootly and efficiently. As long as you have pretty low expectations, you won't be disappointed. However, if you expect the same level of service and quality you would get from a mainstream rental agency, you will be miserable. I was on a road trip with four friends and my friend's car broke down. It ended up needing to be towed and repaired and was not able to get us to our destination. We were panicked and the cab driver recommended Rent a Wreck after we mentioned not wanting to shell out a ton for a rental (and needing to either get to our destination or get home). We left with a "boat" car that was able to fit all of us and our stuff. The radio didn't work well and the seats had tears. But it got us to our destination and home safely and without spending an arm and a leg. Would I use this rental company all the time? Certainly not. But in a pinch, they worked well for what we needed without forcing us to blow our entirer road trip budget on a rental. The best use for this is an emergency while your car is in for repairs or you won't be traveling a lot or don't want to pay the high prices of the other national chains. Customer Service We called on short notice and the agent was a little snippy but was helpful. Vehicle Selection Even though you are choosing from "wrecks" there is a decent variety of models, sizes and years.

Jenjlg

USA

I have used a wide variety of car, van, and truck rental companies over my lifetime. I have used them for business, pleasure, or moving. I avoided Rent A Wreck due to its name, but I actually will rent from them if my first choice of Avis is not available. Hertz is my last choice. Customer Service Rent A wreck seems to educate their customer service folks. They are always friendly and courteous. I have never had a problem or question that they could not handle. I once needed a vehicle for a little over a month due to an accident and my insurance company hooked me up with Rent A Wreck. I am glad USAA recommended Rent A Wreck. I also recommend them. Vehicle Selection The vehicles at Rent A wreck range from the economy vehicles to moving trucks. The vehicles are not brand new, but they are all safe and have always been in good working condition. I trust their vehicles with my families welfare with no hesitation or worries.

jamesphewitt

USA

This must be the worst company I've dealt with in my life. They charge people's cards that they are not authorized to charge. They're all about just getting money from you , so much so they will even lie and cheat you. If you have a problem or dispute they could care less about resolving the matter. They are deceitful, rude, disrespectful and extremely unprofessional! They simply do not value their customers. Customer Service Poor customer service. They don't care how they treat their customers. They are rude and obnoxious! Vehicle Selection The vehicle was somewhat decent. It was the least of my problems!

UmmTahir

USA

Rent-A-Wreck customer service in Billings, MT was friendly and helpful. The vehicle was clean, comfortable and performed well. I was glad I could rent a 4wd vehicle at short notice! Thanks for the no-hassle experience.

RobinWeinmeister

Hysham, MT

The local agency of Rent A Wreck near Seattle airport is BAD. They gave me a Saturn sedan that is a 2000 model and has more than 140,000 miles put on it! The worse thing is that the air condition did not work. And when I complained it with the agent, he told that the air condition is an option and I don't pay for it!! The malfunction light is on ... the car set is a trash ... STAY AWAY FROM THEIR DIRTY BUSINESS! The local agency is: RENT-A-WRECK OF SEATTLE 20019 INTERNATIONAL BLVD. SEATTLE , WA 98198 Local Phone Number: 2062498945

zengxuhui

Mississippi State, MS

I started to write a very long, detailed review of Rent A Wreck in Providence RI but really, the bottom line is to avoid them. I have rented from them twice but this last rental was so disfunctional that I will never rent from them again. Although the vehicles are "wrecks", their blurb on the Rent A Wreck main site states that "their vehicles look good and run great" a total lie on both parts and that "you won't pay alot for your rental but you'll be treated like you're spending a mint" when in truth, they are more concerned about being right about things than being committed to their return customers. Their vehicles are not maintained and they expect you to take care of any minor repairs to battery and tires. Yes, if I caused the problem by leaving lights on or running over a nail, I will take care of that but when the entire battery terminal is badly corroded and the wires need replacing, just to keep a charge, I should be compensated for lost use of vehicle time, gas to drive the 60 miles for repair, and for using my AAA service call. The owner said the industry doesn't usually compensate people for bad experiences...is he serious?? the kicker was when they charged my credit card for $200 because I had not returned the car when in fact, it wasn't due until the following day. Stay clear of these folks if you want your vacation to be stress free and relaxing!

InnkeperGayle

Lompoc, CA

Greensboro, NC Reant-A-Wreck     Bad Business! I was quoted a price of $49.99 per day. I needed more than the 100 miles per day they offer but was turned off by the $25 fee  to upgrade to unlimited miles. The fast talking owner, told me he would add an additional 50 miles for free if I kept my business there. (I was headed to Triangle Rental) Ok so I went ahead with the $49.99 rental with the free 50 miles added. Both of us rushed through the transaction and he explained the $100 security hold. He said they'd place a hold of $100 on my card until I return the vehicle. I returned it 3 hours later to get a receipt for 69.99. He charged me $59.99 for the day and I only drove 115 miles. So basically I paid for miles I didn't even use that were supposed to be free in the first place. $0.66 per mile. Their standard rate for over mileage is $0.25 per mile. Now it's 5 days later and I'm still having trouble getting my $100 back. It is showing as a debit / withdrawal on my bank statements and they blame it on the bank. He lied about giving me free miles and lied about the $100 hold just to get a sale. He could have been honest and told me the hold takes a few days. Pay the extra $10 the competitors charge for peace of mind and better service.   On the good side, the vehicle was clean, good on gas, and performed well.

thecomputerguy06

Greensboro, NC

This has been my worst rental experience ever. I went there because I was really short on money and just needed a car to get back and forth from work while my car was being repaired from an accident. First off, the car was literally beat to hell but I wouldn't have cared if that was the only thing. The air conditioner was broken and all it did was blow out hot air. The right front brake grinded and the ABS light kept coming on. And, they took a $350 deposit which wasn't even disclosed at the time of the reservation. And when returning the car, there was no financial discount due to these things. How can a company in their right mind rent a car that is grossly negligent and unsafe regarding the brakes. When contacting the corporate office, they wrote back and explained that a car should have working air conditioning (especially in the San Fernando Valley in June) and should be in proper working order. Both of these things were unacceptable but because these are independently owned, they have no control over what kind of compensation I could get. If I wouldn't be getting refunded by my insurance company, I would be taking these jerks to small claims court. Don't rent from these guys. It was only about $20 cheaper than Hertz or Enterprise and at least with them, you get a properly working vehicle...

HappyCamper1234

North Hollywood, CA

Albuquerque, NM Rent a Wreck contract clearly stated that the location opened at 8 am but when we called to verify, we were told they didn't open until 9, which was too late to get to the airport in time. We were told we could either get there at 9 or pay extra to drop it off elsewhere.  The woman on the phone was even rude enough to hang up on us mid-sentence, as we tried to get more info out of her! She also tried to blame the error on us for not remembering everything the web site said months earlier when we booked the car. We were looking at the contract that was in front of us then, not a web site!! Someone like this does NOT need to be in the customer service industry - that's for sure!! If they are too cheap to change their contracts to read the proper time, the very least they could do is bring this up at the time the car is picked up so it isn't a surprise later on and maybe even hand change the contract in front of the customer, having them initial it. Personally, we will think twice about using a Rent A Wreck again, especially the one in Albuquerque.

wearytraveler

Santa Fe, NM

Rent-A-Wreck is a bit of a maverick among car rental companies. They do things a whole lot different, and those differences often make them a good choice when you need a quick back-up car in your own hometown. Unfortunately, Rent-A-Wreck is generally a poor choice for a traveler because the company has far fewer locations than major rental companies, their rental offices are almost never at airports or central downtown locations, their hours are mostly limited to basic business hours, so you can't pickup or drop off cars late in the evening or on Sundays, and their cars aren't as upscale as the major companies. If you happen to have a Rent-A-Wreck location in your area, they're worth checking into on those occasions when your car is in the shop and you need some wheels for a couple days, or when the in-laws are coming for a holiday visit and your 2-seater Miata just won't fit your suddenly extended family. At times like that, Rent-A-Wreck *CAN* save you some green. Rent-A-Wreck's **rates** are usually quite reasonable. They always beat Avis, Hertz, National and Budget, and I find them to even beat Enterprise and Thrifty on small economy cars, though they don't seem quite as aggressive on full-size cars. At least that's my experience with locations in the Houston area. Each location is an independent franchise, and they set their own rates, so your mileage can vary. One thing I like about Rent-A-Wreck is that their prices don't seem to have wild swings like they do from the majors: at Rent-A-Wreck you won't find that an economy car costs $21.99 on Monday but $43.99 on Tuesday. At Rent-A-Wreck, if they tell you it's $21.99, it's going to be $21.99 tomorrow too...I like straightforward pricing. It smacks of honesty and integrity. And while the name might turn you off, the **cars** aren't really "wrecks" at all. They've usually got a year or two under their tires, and they've got at least 25-30K on the odometer, but they're not junkers by any stretch of the imagination. The fleets are another thing that can vary widely. There's no "standard" car at Rent-A-Wreck, and if you reserve a mid-size car, you might get the same kind of basic Malibu you'd get from Avis, or you might end up with something unexpected, like a Nissan Altima (a car you don't see too often on rental car lots). There's not many truly "fun" or "luxurious" cars on a Rent-A-Wreck lot, but the locations in Houston at least always had several full-size pickups for rent, plus a few mini-vans. I like renting pickups once in a while, for things like moving stuff to storage units or picking up large purchases. The cars are usually pretty decent, and the rates are too, so I do recommend checking out Rent-A-Wreck if you have a location near you and you just need temporary wheels. I don't think they're worth going out of your way to visit though, and I think companies like Enterprise will sometimes still beat their prices (particularly for weekend rentals), but they're okay. I wouldn't ever think of using them when I travel though. They just don't have enough locations to warrant my attention, they don't do airports, and their hours are inconvenient as can be for a person trying to catch an early morning flight or coming in on a redeye.

mrkstvns

Austin, TX