On June 29, we booked our rental car from Thrifty Car Rental through the on-line booker, Expedia.com. When we picked up our reserved mini-van directly from Thrifty Car Rental located at the Detroit, Michigan, Metro Airport, we had the following very unpleasant experience:
NOTE: This is the first time we have ever used Thrifty for renting a mini-van.
We picked up the reserved mini-van on June 29 from the Detroit Airport Terminal at approximately 12:00 noon.
The first thing we noticed was that the back bumper of the mini-van had sustained some very severe and deep scratches and much paint loss that was not noted in our agreement. We immediately had to bring this to the attention of the Thrifty Car Rental personnel so they could mark it on our agreement, so when we brought the van back in a week, they would not think we had done it.
When we were inside the mini-van, driving it back to our home (a 2-hour-drive away from the airport).. We began to see many other things inside the van that were just unacceptable and very dirty and unhygienic.
These are as follows:
1) The back ashtray was filled with old, very odorous cigarette butts (we do not smoke, and are allergic).
2) There was an old baby bottle underneath one of the seats filled with a rotting liquid (We do not have children under the age of 12).
3) There were various old, used candy wrappers and spoiled candy also under the seats.
4) The seats themselves had so many old and rotting food crumbs sitting on top of all of them, that we had to vacuum and clean them just as soon as we reached home before we could even! En sit comfortably and cleanly in the seats.
5) All the cup holders and open storage holders for pop, etc. Were sticky and had a thick layer of sticky, old residue in them from old pop, food, candy and juices. One or two compartments actually had old food/candy stuck inside of them with mold on top.
Had we not lived so far away from the airport, we would have immediately turned around and took the mini-van back.
We have never had to deal with this kind of filth ever in a new rental vehicle, and we had to spend several hours, working very hard, in order to make the van safe, acceptable smelling and clean for our family to ride in.
We immediately contacted Thrifty just as soon as we arrived home {approximately 3:00 pm on June 29}and told them all of the above.
Thrifty's Customer Care promised us they would launch a full investigation and get back us within 14 days.
We never heard from them again, despite the many, many times we have contacted them to ask what the hold up is. They always promise to get back with us, but never do.
It has now been over one month, and they will not answer our phone calls or e-mails.
Letters to Expedia.com only resulted in their telling us they are not at all responsible for any problems or complaints on agencies booked through them.
Please help.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Sincerely
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