Allied Rent A Car — Attraction in Los Angeles

Warning to Potential Customers: Avoid -or- Keep details records and pictures.

My partner and I had a deeply troubling experience with Allied Rent A Car that reflects a deeper concerning pattern of fraud and dishonesty experienced by many other customers according to Google reviews and the Better Business Bureau site.

Things went smoothly enough when initially renting the vehicle, however, we ended up with trouble after we returned our vehicle. The rental vehicle was returned in perfect condition, as verified by a set of time-stamped videos and photos we took immediately before leaving the car in their designated return lot. We returned the key to the secure drop box and went off on our flight. Shortly after landing back home, we received a text message from the company claiming there was a scratch on the vehicle. However, the photos and videos we took clearly show that damage that was not present when we returned it. It's apparent to us that the scratch occurred after drop-off.

Additionally, when we were picking up the car, another customer approached and asked what we were quoted for in house insurance, as they were quoted $90. We were quoted $40 but declined after showing proof of our own coverage. It became clear, both from this conversation and online reviews, that Allied quotes inconsistent prices and does not clearly disclose that personal insurance is accepted. So be vigilant about insurance charges as well.

This prompted us to look into reviews on Google and The Better Business Bureau. After reviewing many similar complaints, it's obvious that this is not an isolated incident. Numerous customers have reported Allied falsely accusing them of damage, withholding security deposits without cause, or charging insurance for pre-existing or post-return issues. The consistency of these stories, and the company's dismissive and unprofessional responses, suggest a deliberate and recurring practice of trying to take advantage of their customers.

It’s awful to see a company operate with such blatant disregard for honesty, accountability, and customer trust. We urge anyone considering renting from Allied Rent A Car to think twice. If you are in a bind and have to go with them, take extensive photo and video documentation (of both exteriors and interiors), and be prepared to contest any false claims. We were able to get our deposit back in the end, but it would have been a different story if we hadn’t been prepared.

If you’ve had a similar experience, I encourage you to file formal complaints with the Better Business Bureau and write out a review. Customers should not have to fight to defend themselves against predatory...

I would actually give them zero stars if I could. I created my reservation using Expedia. Our credit card was charged in advance. We waited as several full LAX buses passed us until finally we were able to take one to the rental car shuttle. Then we waited for the allied shuttle to the actual rental car place. This whole thing took about 35 minutes.🚩 When we went in to pick up a car, another customer walking out told us not to use the company because they had such a bad experience. They said they were scammed into purchasing insurance that they didn’t need since they had their own insurance, but the company insisted.🚩 I contacted Expedia at this point because the place also looked pretty rundown, and the customer service that I witnessed with other customers didn’t seem very friendly either.🚩 At this point, one of my daughters had to use the restroom. My husband was directed to a porta potty for her to use. They end up going to a McDonald’s that was nearby.🚩 When I reach the desk pick up the car we had reserved, I realized I left the credit card that I used at home. they did not accept the American Express card that I did have to complete the rental. I was told by Expedia that they would have to contact Allied to confirm that I had not picked up the car. Somehow an agent from Expedia got in contact with Allied. (The contact information that was listed on the receipt is actually the same one that's listed here in GOOGLE. I’ve tried to call several times and I get "call transfer failed." 🚩) I’m not sure which one the Expedia agent used. When the agent spoke to the rental car company, they were told to send an email for the refund request. The Expedia agent send the email a request and told me it would take 3 to 5 business days. I received the following message from Expedia, "Unfortunately, after multiple tries, we weren't able to obtain an approval from the manager responsible to waive the cancellation fee. This means the current rules and restrictions for your booking apply and a refund can't be granted." I never received a car from them yet I was charged a full price for the rental. The customer service was horrible because they didn’t even try to work with me. they didn’t offer to create another reservation in my husband‘s name using his car. It was just like "OK. bye. next." my husband ended up walking a mile to the heart rental company where we were able to get a rental car with no issue. Lesson learned : you get what you paid for... and sometimes you pay for something and don’t...

Oh my god worst place I have EVER rented a car. (and Ive been to holes in the wall ALL over the world). Worst service EVER. And, after waiting inline FOREVER while the 2nd agent is flitting about NOT working, (over 45min) they elected not to rent to me because I was using AMEX platinum insurance instead of theirs. When I told them I had never heard of a condition like that before, and that it wasnt listed on their website or on Expedia, they said, "well then you dont have to rent here, and we dont have to rent to you..buh bye!" SOOOO much wasted time and wasted ubber money to get there. How has the Better Business Bureau NOT closed them down yet? Oh thats right... they are way understaffed since the first Trump admin, and now the 2nd Trump admin is trying to eliminate them all together. How will that protect citizens better? Report this business... dont just write one of the thousands of bad reviews. Because the reviews dont matter... no one is checking them from the map, they are only seeing whats available from the rental consortium portal websites.

EDIT: after reaponse from company to my above review. wow-- thats an insanely peculiar response...why bring race into anything? The political comment is concerned with the BBB, not you or your personal issues, which is well stated in the review. Why are u guys so aggressive? I saw you engage like that, multiple times with people who were in line with me, and one family on their way out who told me the car they received was more than cosmetically flawed, but actually concerned them, so they returned it and went to FOX instead. There's nothing personal in my review about any of your workers, so why would you get so emotionally offended? Or assume socio/political/racial slurs were engaged in any way at your 2 staff members? I think you are grasping for anything to buttress your resentment. And calling out the fine print in your contract does nothing to make up for your lack of staff, their egregious slowness (clearly a dishonest way to cover for a too small car supply), and the bait and switch style scam so notorious there. Its companies like yours that have turned people to booking with more than one company for the same date-- so we have a fall back if one of them engages the way your company does. Any normal company would say, " Im sorry u feel that way, we always strive to be the best" etc etc. but you just come out swinging with insane racial/political discrimination complaints? ...