Dan Dooley-bad suggestion
 

Well, I've finally been burned by a suggestion from my fellow Fodorites. I used Dan Dooley car rental out of Dublin, based on the many recommendations I've seen on various threads. Never again.<BR><BR>I've rented cars in the Republic and north of Ireland roughly 16 or 17 times, and this was by far the worst. The main problem is the car. They gave me this dumpy tiny Ford Fiesta, and it's by far the worst rental car I've ever had. They also said that it was the equivalent of a Renault Clio, which I find very difficult to believe, as I've driven Clio's in the past, and while I wouldn't run out and buy one, they're not bad cars.<BR><BR>The service was fine. The fees seemed to be really good until I woke up and realized they still would charge and airport and petrol fee on top of everything else. This wasn't a surprise, as I was told about this up front--I'm just used to paying one price for everything, so I hadn't truly factored in this additional 50 punts (or I guess it will be some amount in euros by the time I turn the car in). So in the end, the price really wasn't any better than anywhere else.<BR><BR>It wasn't a bad experience, just one I don't care to repeat. Kind of like Aer Lingus!

Somehow I don't see that you were burned. A Ford Fiesta is a very common compact rental in Ireland and the UK. If you wanted a fancier model or a larger car you should have paid for a bigger one. A Fiesta and a Clio are comparable. Blaming the rental agency - especially when you say the "service was fine" - because you rented the wrong model seems weird to me.

I agree with Tom. What's your point?

<BR>I totally disagree with Ann. I used Dan Dooley this summer for 2 weeks. The car was great! the service couldn't be better, and the price was right.<BR>A message like Ann's could cause a lot of damagr to a company. I think that in this case it is not at all fair.<BR>AA

I am also trying to see the point to Ann's post. The service was fine, the cost was no more than anywhere else even with the added costs (which when I researched and rented were lower than the other companies) and it wasn't a "bad experience". It is very easy to research the types of cars available. I always bring the options up on a web site, so we know what we're getting. It is unfortuanate that you didn't like the Ford Fiesta, but that certainly is not the fault of Dan Dooley. It is one of the most commonly rented cars in the British Isles by all companies. If you had rented from Avis or Hertz and took the lowest price option (still probably more than Dan Dooley) I suspect you would have ended up with a Ford Fiesta as well.

Patrick is correct... I've rented cars in Ireland 3 times, once from Dan Dooley, and 2 times from Hertz...each time I ended up with a Ford Fiesta... they all drove perfectly well with good gas milage and easy to navigate the sometimes tiny village streets. <BR>The only difference between Hertz and Dan Dooley... was the price and the friendliness of service Dan Dooley was superior to Hertz in both respects.

We, too, had a very good experience with Dan Dooley. Picking up our car at Shannon airport was quick, our car was very nice (small but nice), and our return in Dublin took about 5 min. As it turned out, we were grateful for the small car, given the narrow roads!<BR><BR>We had even ruined a tire enroute. We made sure we had a receipt for the new one and our credit card was reimbursed by DD without a problem.<BR><BR>We figured we saved at least $100 by renting w/DD and we will definitely use them again when we return to Ireland.<BR><BR>We travel (and rent cars) often and our experience w/DD was one of the best.<BR><BR>Sorry you were disappointed.<BR>Sandy

I've rented cars in N.I. and the Republic roughly 15 times in the past 10 years. This was the FIRST time I had a Ford Fiesta. And I did not book a Ford Fiesta. I booked a Clio. The thing didn't have nearly the power I needed on those country roads. It was like driving a skateboard.<BR><BR>I've used Hertz, Avis, National, Alamo, McCausland, Budget and Dan Dooley. Aside from one time with Avis, I've NEVER had any complaints about any of the cars or service I've received.<BR><BR>In the end, I did have some problems with the service. First off--the maps that show you how to get to the drop off point are wrong. We were returning our car in heavy fog, and so we couldn't see the sign for Dooley's. We were relying on the map, which showed that from the way we came, if we passed by the M50, we had gone too far. We turned around 5 times, before finally going passed the M50, and finding the damn place. Then we had to wait 20 minutes for the shuttle, as for some reason they were only running one that day.<BR><BR>And Dooley's is so far from the airport. You can walk to Avis, Hertz, and a couple of others.<BR><BR>We hopped over to Liverpool for a match while we were there, and rented a car from Europcar to run up to Scotland. I booked the same class that I did with Dooley's, but they gave me a little Rover (don't remember the model). About 600 times better than that nasty little car. My first time with Europcar--and not my last.<BR><BR>Well, it doesn't matter in the end, as that's the last time I'm flying into Dublin. Hard to believe that any airport can make Belfast International look efficient.<BR><BR>Boy, with all of my complaints, you'd think I'd had a lousy trip. Aside from Liverpool drawing with Bolton (kill me now), it was great fun, and we're even buying a house over there. Can't wait till we get that company car!