Dave

I've used Alamo twice at Orlando. The wait in line each time was about 15-20 minutes ... a bit long, but not that bad. The price was right and the service was OK. I plan to use them at Ft Lauderdale in a few weeks .. .I'll let you know how I make out.

Mike

Take my advice: Stick with Hertz or Avis no matter what the price!!

AC

Alamo out of FLL is worse than Orlando. Stick with anyone but them!!!!

Kim

Just used Alamo in Las Vegas -- thought they were great. In and out in about 5 minutes. Drop off was even faster. Sounds like their Florida operations are a problem.

Leon

No, of course Alamao is not a horrible service. you cannot judge them by some war story. We've used this rental agency (located 5 minutes from Tampa International) for the past 10 or so years, and always without a problem. Lines are never more than 5 minutes. You can rent from Hertz at the airport, and that's convenient, but the rates are always much higher. So, if money is not a problem, go for Hertz, and if it is, Alamo. Either way, you should be fine. Since you're pre-paid anyway, what's the big problem anyway?

Frank

Neal Sanders,
Alamo pulled that same 'damage' crap with me in Fort Myers. The car had a dent in the trunk when I picked it up. I had my camera with me and took a photo of the damage with some obvious landmarks in the background that would prove the car was still in the pick-up area when I took possession. When I returned the car, the little gal in the receiving area started whining about the damage. I pulled out the camera and said, "I'm tired of the games you Alamo clowns keep trying to pull. I've got photos that prove the car was damaged when I picked it up. If you want to go the route, I have lawyers too." Nothing more was said, and now I always carry a small camera with me.

elizabeth

I had an AWFUL experience with Alamo. I rented a convertible for a fun trip to San Diego last year. All was well on the 2+ hour drive to LA, but on the way back, there was a little rain, just a little, but the car slid all over the road, it was a strange, five lane highway, at night and I literally could not stay in my lane. When I made it home (barely) I walked around the car only to discover that the rear two tires were COMPLETELY bald, I mean, not even a hint of tread, smooth. I was furious, and I went to the alamo office, where they accused me of doing it. Finally after three days, they comped one of my days rental costs. Never again.

upsy daisy

For Mark!

Kay

Sorry to hear they have not improved. We stopped using Alamo about 5 years ago. We are regular travellers and have rented from multiple companies. In DC Alamo tried to give my husband a car with a broken front headlight (proudly parked in their preferred row). In San Francisco we arrived at 11 pm with guaranteed reservation but no cars (except luxury) but they would not substitute, only shuttle us to other rental counters to try to get a car and then submit our paid receipt to Alamo for refund of any difference over our guaranteed rate in 60-90 days. In Orlando I waited for an hour at 11 pm only to have to still wait for a car to be readied whose brakes sounded terrible so I waited for another that was filled with cigarette smoke. My sister also waited for over an hour at that location.

We now have preferred membership with Avis and Hertz--no trying to upgrade us, sell us tanks of gas, etc. and less waiting. When I have seen a much better deal I have done well with Thrifty and National. We have had mixed experiences with Budget. We have also have limited but good experience with Bob Leech in San Francisco and Advantage in Denver.

Kate

I rented with Alamo in Charlotte, NC in March. Despite having booked through British Airways and paying for the complete package, including fast pick up, the whole process took about an hour. It would appear that the central reservation service failed to pass on any of the details.

In their defence, however, the staff were charming and drop-off took only about five minutes.

Nic

We are back from our holiday in Florida now, having used the slightly DREADED Alamo car rental company and I have to say I have no real complaints. No long queues or dented, smelly, dirty cars.

Although I'm glad I asked the question originally as it prepared me for when Alamo pretented that we needed to pay extra for another driver (we had already prepaid for this as we had gold cover) and they also suggested we purchased EP, but this is covered in our own travel insurance) so I wasn't caught by surprise thinking I needed to purchase any extra cover.

Thanks again for all your comments, by the way my parents used National last time they visited the U.S and were very pleased with them.

michael

Just to echo the comments of all my car rental experiences the three times with Alamo in Florida were by far the worse. We steer clear of them. Everyone understands some wait time in major tourist destinations but twice it was in excess of two hours. Then you have put up with all their shennanigans at the counter.

Tony

I've used Alamo a lot in Houston and Los Angeles and have been very satisfied.

A Mitsubishi Eclipse V6 Spyder (Convertible) for $35 a day.....

Cant beat it.

If I rented a car once a month on business, however, I might switch to Avis or Hertz as their elite programs seem as if they are better to meet one's needs in such situations.

-Tony

Doug Weller

Rented from Alamo at Orlando 2 years ago, no problem.
Hertz last year at Atlanta, after a day we found that the air conditioner was condensing in the passenger footwell. We complained when we returned it, but they didn't care. Ruined a couple of maps.

Doug

passenger

I have something to add to this list of Alamo problems. We just returned from a holiday on the Big Island and rented from them because they had the best rates. When we got there, jet-lagged and exhausted, the agent gave us a lengthy story about how "in Hawaii" our existing liability insurance didn't cover everything and we needed to spend an extra $400 for the two weeks for extra insurance. This didn't make any sense to us, especially since my travelling companion is an insurance broker and knows better! However we were too tired and confused to argue, so we agreed to the extra charge. The next day my travelling companion realized we had been scammed, called her office, and confirmed that our existing insurance (which cost all of $30 at home, not $400) covered everything. We phoned Alamo and they told us to bring the car in because they "had to inspect it." They didn't even inspect it when we drove it off the lot! We brought it in and they removed the $400 charge, but in fact didn't inspect the car even though they told us they were going to. When we returned the car at the end of the trip, they tried to charge us an extra $200, claiming it was "an error". Eventually they removed the charge. Another customer waiting in line with us said that he was returning his car because the brakes didn't work properly. I know this insurance thing is a scam used by a number of rental companies, and that they take advantage of tired travellers by scaring them into spending extra money - we're embarrassed that we were naive enough to fall for it. But hopefully other people can learn from our experience.

notafan

Rented from Alamo also in FLL. Had a guaranteed reservation for a minivan.
When we got there, no minivan available. We needed a van because of the number of people and luggage we had, so they gave us an awful truck van - 15 seater. Then the agent, who was a real "b--ch", proudly told us we would have to pay extra for "the upgrade", when it was their fault they did not have our reservation in order.
I told her "no way, no how" and they were lucky they did not have to pay me for taking the junker.

I thought that was just an isolated incident but on reading all the complaints, it seems otherwise.

Polly

Alamo's Quicksilver Program is not only 'a little faster,' we found it instantaneous. No hassle whatsoever. Everything perfect. The WORST car rental experience I have ever had was Hertz...took almost 2 hours in Seattle to just GET the car.

Linda

People waited for more than an hour at the Fort Myers Alamo. When we went to get the car, it was a mess. It had more dings and dents than I thought possible.Went in to get another---the manager was very rude and angry. He just ignored me, so I went back to the original girl. The second car was almost worse than the first. But, we had wasted so much time already. We had the man at the exit mark that it was scratched and dented all over.

When we brought it back, the guy taking it in had the nerve to start to tell me about the condition of the car!!They have got to know what kind of cars are on their lot!

About the gas charge on the invoice---they took it off when we brought the car back with a full tank.

ALF

I guess you get what you pay for - they have to cut corners somewhere to be able to offer the cheapest rates. I have rented from Alamo periodically, and generally have been satisfied - they certainly do try to convince you to take all sorts of insurance charges. The worst was when we arrived in Reno to rent a car to drive to Tahoe. We were told that we had to buy chains to go over the pass, and the ski rack was an xtra charge, even though the ads said that it was included. They then went to 'prep' the car, and a half-hour later admitted that no car was available. They had a 4-wheel drive van that they could give us as an upgrade. When we refused, they gave it to us at the same rate we reserved. I then said that I didn't need the chains (because of the 4WD) or the rack (the skis fit inside). They told me that I should be happy to get the upgrade and shouldn't quibble over the chains or rack. We didn't get out of there 'till over an hour after we arrived, angry and frazzled.

maria

when dealing with Alamo, just make sure you sign up for Alamo Quicksilver 1st. Have used them often, bypassing long lines with the Quicksilver card (no cost, an expired one will do), in & out of Alamo in 5-10 min. Have used them in multiple Florida locations including Orlando & FLL, also in LA & Hilton Head, SC. When I see the long lines in Fla, I can understand the frustration, but truly the Quicksilver card takes care of all that!!