Disappointed in Silvercar by Audi

[momvesting]

Hello all,

Unfortunately my post is not actionable, but more of a cautionary tale. Almost 2 weeks ago, we booked a short trip to the LA area and rented an A4 through Silvercar. I had an email from Silvercar offering a promo of 2 days free on a 4 day rental. Although the trip was technically only 3 days, the times of the flights (8 AM arrival, early afternoon departure) required a 4-day rental. When we arrived at LAX, it took longer than expected to pick up the car (not our fault or Audi's, the flight was on time, we had only carry on, but there was a wait for the shuttles), and I don't know if this delay counted in how long the clock was ticking on the 4-day rental.

Anyhow, because of the delay when we arrived, we made sure to return the car earlier than originally planned, just to make sure we did not miss our flight. The original cost was $130.58, plus a $200 deposit to be charged to our AMEX. They charged it six times (!!) but fortunately it just sat there as pending charges, just to stress my husband out. So instead of picking it up at 8:00 am, we didn't get the car until 9:03 am. Instead of dropping it off at noon, we dropped it off at 8:55 am. So now we have a 3-day rental, which invalidates the promo. We were charged $242.19. After some contact with customer service, they agreed to at least apply a one-day promo, and to credit our account for $84.94. So 1 day free on a 3-day rental is still more expensive than 2 days free on a 4-day rental. That was nine days ago, and still we have no credit. I contacted them today and they said they will forward the issue to billing and I will hear something in 2-3 days.

I just thought with their big Black Friday event happening that you should be aware that you may or may not get your promo if you choose Silvercar. I know I won't be using them again. The car was nice but I'd rather have a boring Kia or Nissan that costs exactly what it says it will.

[student]

Thanks for the story. It may not be actionable but I find the story useful in my next car rental decision.

[earlyout]

If I underestand you post correctly, you were 8 minutes early checking in the car. You knew it was a 2 days free for a 4 day rental. Why didn't you just wait for 10 minutes before turning in the car and make it a 4 day rental?

[momvesting]

Until we got their electronic receipt from customer service we did not know the exact times for either the pickup or the drop off. You have no idea how much I wish I would have! My husband is just a nervous Nelly and we ended up at the airport sooooo much earlier than we needed to be, but taking an hour to get the car when we arrived stressed him out.

[oldfatguy]

I'm not sure why this would be a cautionary tale for anyone. Your rental wasn't eligible for the promo. If they do eventually credit you for a day, that is an act of goodwill on their part, but certainly not something I would reasonably expect.

[eye.surgeon]

My experience with alternative airport car rentals like touro and silver car is they're rarely worth the hassle.

[rich126]

I understand the logic often doesn't make sense but you knew the rules and now are upset because you didn't follow them and then didn't give you something that you didn't deserve?

Car rentals are tough in general and you could have similar issues with any of them. Flying can be similar. A flight from Baltimore through Denver to New Mexico may be cheaper than a flight from Baltimore to Denver. Or a roundtrip flight is much cheaper than two one-way flights between the same cities on the same day/times.

I'm not sure why its Silvercar's fault.

[Nate79]

Cautionary tale to follow the rules of any coupons or promos.

[snackdog]

Even with the original discount you were paying more than $40/d which is no bargain for a rental.

[neilpilot]

Even with the original discount you were paying more than $40/d which is no bargain for a rental.

Except of course if it's an A4 at LAX.

[Trader Joe]

Hello all,

Unfortunately my post is not actionable, but more of a cautionary tale. Almost 2 weeks ago, we booked a short trip to the LA area and rented an A4 through Silvercar. I had an email from Silvercar offering a promo of 2 days free on a 4 day rental. Although the trip was technically only 3 days, the times of the flights (8 AM arrival, early afternoon departure) required a 4-day rental. When we arrived at LAX, it took longer than expected to pick up the car (not our fault or Audi's, the flight was on time, we had only carry on, but there was a wait for the shuttles), and I don't know if this delay counted in how long the clock was ticking on the 4-day rental.

Anyhow, because of the delay when we arrived, we made sure to return the car earlier than originally planned, just to make sure we did not miss our flight. The original cost was $130.58, plus a $200 deposit to be charged to our AMEX. They charged it six times (!!) but fortunately it just sat there as pending charges, just to stress my husband out. So instead of picking it up at 8:00 am, we didn't get the car until 9:03 am. Instead of dropping it off at noon, we dropped it off at 8:55 am. So now we have a 3-day rental, which invalidates the promo. We were charged $242.19. After some contact with customer service, they agreed to at least apply a one-day promo, and to credit our account for $84.94. So 1 day free on a 3-day rental is still more expensive than 2 days free on a 4-day rental. That was nine days ago, and still we have no credit. I contacted them today and they said they will forward the issue to billing and I will hear something in 2-3 days.

I just thought with their big Black Friday event happening that you should be aware that you may or may not get your promo if you choose Silvercar. I know I won't be using them again. The car was nice but I'd rather have a boring Kia or Nissan that costs exactly what it says it will.

Thank you very much for posting. Interesting story.

Having previously owned an Audi I would never, ever rent one. Terrible quality.

[Jack FFR1846]

I don't know. I've owned an A4 and S4 and either would be a far better car to drive than the rattle traps that rental cars provide. For me, there weren't any small issues. They were all pretty catastrophic failures (covered by warranty). Very high quality builds.