Empire Rent A Car — Local services in New York

I've rented vehicles all over the world, this was by far the worst rental experience I've ever been provided from start to finish.

I went to their website and ask for a quote to go from Long Island to Niagara falls. Their quote stated unlimited mileage (see email picture) so I called the and spoke to Maria and paid after going over the details. When I showed up to pick up the 15 passenger van at 8am when they opened, I was shown a contract that had a limit of 400 miles. It would take me close to 1,000 miles with my itinerary. I was told that nothing could be done at the New Hyde Park location and I had to call. I did, but Maria insisted that I never stated where I was going, which I had, and that their quote is for the NY metro area, which makes no sense. Maria upped my limit to 800 miles. Since I was already running late, I begrudgingly accepted the terms. The person behind the counter was nice enough, but when he took me to do the physical inspection of the vehicle, we looked around the vehicle ( I even to a video around the car as I always do) but he didn't inspect the inside (which I didn't do either as I've never had any issues). The vehicle was given to me with 1/8 tank. That's right, one-eight ! I had to drive to the nearest gas station. When I got to the gas station, I decided to look inside, and was appalled. The carpet was torn, the vents were broken, there was under-carpet exposed everywhere, and the vehicle had not been vacuumed. I couldn't turn back, so I just proceeded. When driving to Niagara Falls, with 12 souls in my care, it started drizzling. As I put the wipers on, the windshield got smushed from the dirt and bugs. I try to get the wiper fluid to go, and it is EMPTY!!! I swerved to the side as it was nearly impossible to see and used a bottle of water to clean the windshield. When it was all said and done, I went to drop off the vehicle and the key drop box doesn't even have a sign nor is it in a well lit area (I took a video of me dropping off the key just in case it was disputed). I was charged an extra $56 for going over the miles allotted. I plan to pursue legal action against...

MARIA CRESPO*Exceptionally outstanding! I volunteered to drive 14 senior citizens for the day so they can enjoy themselves at a local Country Club in Queens, NY. Wasn't sure of the logistics on transportation to the facility. I google van rentals and Maria Crespo picked up the phone. I explained to her my circumstances surrounding the trip. She was the most courteous and understanding person I've had the privilege in speaking with. Her expertise and dire knowledge of the product made my decision easy. Maria Crespo's professionalism and attention to my needs made me feel extremely comfortable. I contacted Maria several day's before me picking up the Van. She assured me the Van will be ready at 8:00am at the Penn Ave location. On the day, I was at the location and the Van was ready and clean for me to take on my journey. I returned the Van approximately 1 hour after closing with absolutely no issues whatsoever. I contacted Maria Crespo the day after I drop off the Van to go over the contract and once again her dedication and experience to her job shined as it did on that very first phone call. My trip started out excellent and ended better because of this phenomenal employee. Thanks to Maria C. for making this car rental as pleasant and smooth as ever. Maria Crespo's is a keeper. I will recommend her and the whole Empire family to all my friends. From the Seniors to myself, we again Thank You for your assistance. Fantastic...

Recently rented a high top cargo van the other week. Called up to reserve and make sure they had one available at this location, which they said they did and would have it waiting for me.

I was greeted by a very friendly and nice lady at the front desk. I was able to get on the road in less than 30 mins, everything was quick and efficient. The van was perfect size for my load. I brought it back later on in the day and the deposit difference has already been returned to my account.

Overall great experience and nice staff. I would definitely recommend using them over Enterprise or other chains because the locations are convenient and you don't waste time with them trying to upsell you a bunch of stuff.

**Only criticism would be to clean the driver/passenger area better. Obviously the loading area in the back will be a bit dirty, but I wish the cupholders and other areas in the front were...