Thrifty Car Hire in San Francisco Airport

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Driver's age: 26-65

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Thrifty car hire deals near San Francisco Airport

Below you will find information for every Thrifty car hire location in San Francisco Airport, including address, phone number, and reviews

View Thrifty Locations near San Francisco Airport

Thrifty reviews

5.6

FairBased on 239 verified guest reviews

5.6Value for money

5.5Pick-up/Drop-off

6.7Comfort

7.1Cleanliness

1.9 Poor

Anonymous, Oct 2021

Customer Service Manager, I'm writing today to bring to your attention the issues I experienced this past weekend regarding the rental car procured through Thrifty. (Confirmation/Case/Rental Record # 148071442) and to request reimbursement. On Wednesday, September 1, I arrived at the San Francisco Airport rental car center just after 12pm, observing virtually no lines at any rental agency with the exception of Thrifty/Dollar. The line at Thrifty/Dollar was approximately 40 people deep, and there were just two customer service representatives behind the desk. As I waited in line (not moving more than a few feet every 10-15 minutes), the line behind me grew significantly. One more customer service representative appeared, making it a total of three representatives helping 60+ individuals with their reservations. Having made my reservation six weeks ago, I was appalled at having to stand in line for over 90 minutes to pick up the car. I was assigned a 2020 Nissan Altima and finally left the airport to proceed in my trip. Not long thereafter, I was driving across the Bay Bridge amongst very busy traffic moving at speeds of at least 60 miles per hour, and on the Nissan's dashboard a red light began flashing as though there was a car directly in front of me that I was in danger of hitting. There were no cars ahead of me for at least four car lengths, but the Nissan's emergency system took over and braked, stalling the engine, and taking the car down to approximately 35 miles per hour, causing the cars around me to slam on their brakes. This could have caused a major accident on the bridge and was extremely terrifying to both me, and my travel companion. This continued to happen - at least four times - as I navigated to the far right lane (there is no shoulder on which to pull over on the Bay Bridge) where I proceeded to drive slowly until I could exit the freeway and make my way to my destination using city streets at slower speeds. At this point, the dashboard displayed an error message (which you can see in the attached photograph—or if no image can be attached can be provided upon request) that stated: “Forward Driving Aids Temporarily Disabled / Front Sensor Blocked / See Owner’s Manual” of which there was none. As if all of this were not bad enough, I proceeded to call Thrifty customer service when I arrived at my destination (around 4:30pm) to request a replacement car. After over an hour on hold, the representative first indicated that I would need to return to SFO, which was absolutely not an option, being more than an hour away. They then indicated that I would need to make my way to Oakland Airport to obtain a replacement car. I explained that this was also not an option, as it was 40 minutes in the wrong direction, and that I had important events that I needed to attend that evening (starting at 5:30pm). By looking at a map of the local area, I discovered that there was a Hertz rental office just a few miles from where I was, so suggested that a replacement vehicle be made available there. The customer service representative I was speaking with indicated that an "equivalent vehicle" may not be available at that location. At this point, Thrifty's main priority should have been getting the unsafe, malfunctioning vehicle off the road and putting me into a safe car - regardless of whether it was an equivalent vehicle or not! After spending well over 2 1/2 hours on the phone - much of which was on hold and which cut into an important dinner - I was finally informed that someone would be coming to collect the malfunctioning and dangerous vehicle, and that they would drop off a replacement. I received a text indicating that AAA would be there in an hour to pick up the car (text also available upon request). I was finally able to attend the dinner, later returning to the home I was staying at, only to find that the Nissan was still there. It had not been towed, nor had a replacement been provided. Furthermore, I had not received any updates as to the status of either action. It wasn't until 9:30pm that I received a call from AAA informing me that they were unable to tow the car. So, after wasting more than four hours of my day -- waiting in line for over 90 minutes to get the car to begin with, and being on a call with Thrifty customer service for over 2 1/2 hours -- I still had no solution to the issue, which is totally unacceptable. At that time in the evening, I realized that there was no option but to wait until the morning to try and get this resolved. At 8:30am the following day (Thursday, September 2) I began calling customer service again. I was put on hold for an extremely long period of time, and finally had to have my travel companion take over so that I could get ready for the day ahead. By the time she was able to speak with a manager it was close to 10am, and we had less than two hours to get to an appointment that was an hour away. She again asked to have me go to one of the airport to pick up another car, which would have made us hours late for our appointment, and which she reiterated was not an option. She was also told that the local rental offices may not have an equivalent vehicle available, to which she responded that it was Thrifty's responsibility to put us in a safe vehicle regardless of the type of car. The customer service representative was finally able to procure a replacement car at the Hertz location just a few miles from where we were located. While this ensured that we were able to make our appointment almost on time, it is worth noting that the replacement automobile (also a white 2020 Nissan Altima) was filthy inside and out, the gas tank was less than 3/4 full, and the brakes on the car squeaked and squealed constantly. I can't say that we felt safe driving it, but there was little choice at this point. I'm appalled at the entirety of my dealings with Thrifty. In total, I spent more than 7 hours of my time dealing with this issue, which should have been treated as a major risk/liability to your organization. It is unfathomable to me that this would not have been immediately escalated and resolved. Out of respect for the danger my travel companion and I were put in, as well as the amount of time we spent getting this resolved, I'm requesting a refund of the rental fees paid. I appreciate your timely response. Sincerely, Jesse Brodkey

6.0 Okay

Anonymous, Oct 2022

The car was clean and good. I think that 2 things ahould be noticed: 1.,I ordered the car to 11:00, when I came to pick up the car at 13:00, the let me wait more than 20 minutes till the car was ready. 2. I was explaoned that I can return the car without a fuel tabk full, and that I'll pay 6.13$ for a galon only for what i used, and that i need to give a deposit of more than 100$, and that what I did. When i returned the car, i was charged for the whole amount, and when i talked with thrifty thet explained that if i dont return the tunk full, i pay all the amount, that wasnt what I was explained.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Aug 2021

The counter clerk informed us that it would be a 2 hour wait for a car, but was able to offer us another type of vehicle with a shorter wait. He was great in keeping us updated and we were out in about an hour.

4.0 Mediocre

Anonymous, Mar 2023

Vehicle had several maintenance issues. It had clearly been in a crash previously and not properly fixed.

1.9 Poor

Sheraz, Sep 2021

Upon arriving at arriving at San Francisco Airport there were only 2 people working at the counter and it was absolute chaos. The lineup took 2 hours with very unhappy people Many people who has had paid upfront for their rentals were told that the cars they had paid for were not available including ours. We are a family of 5 which required a suburban or similar vehicle to fit all of us comfortably with 4 full size suit cases and carry-ons for a a two week roadtrip throughout California. After the agent made multiple calls we were finally able to get the car we paid for. Upon receiving the car we noticed how dirty it was, stains in the cupholders from drinks, a filthy windshield on the inside and smelled horrible. It was all that was available. The vehicle provided also had over 55000 miles on it and the brakes had a very heavy pulsation. At that point it was after 11 pm and we just wanted to get to our hotel and deal with it the next day. The next day we brought back the rental for the exchange and the person at the customer service desk was very rude and reluctantly switched our rental. upon inspection of the replacement vehicle I noticed it had a piece of plastic hanging from the front bumper which would have ripped off while driving and had body damage throughout this vehicle was also filthy. We asked for another vehicle and finally got another one. This one drove fine but was also very dirty and also had high mileage @ 48000 miles. Since this reservation was prepaid without any changes allowed we were unable to get a refund or cancel all together. We also had some changes to our plans and requested to drop off the vehicle at the end of our trip at a different location and offered to pay any difference to Thrifty but this was not allowed. Our drop off location was at LAX airport and to find the drop off location for Thrifty was a huge headache to find. All the signs directing Thrifty on the road are incorrect since they have moved their drop off location. There is even a HUGE giant billboard on the street which indicates Thrifty but it is no where to be found. After driving around for over 30 minutes we asked another rental company and they directed us to drop it off at dollar rental. I rarely write reviews but feel it to be necessary in this case to help avoid others from going through these headaches that we faced. Stay away from Thrifty!!!

FAQs about hiring a car from Thrifty at San Francisco Airport

How much does it cost to hire a car from Thrifty at San Francisco airport?

You can expect to spend around ₹ 6,036 per day on average on a car hire from Thrifty at San Francisco airport. Depending on what time of year you plan to visit, daily hire prices may be as low as ₹ 2,700 per day or as high as ₹ 12,487 per day which is a 79% difference.

What is the most popular car hire type from Thrifty at San Francisco airport?

SUV cars are the preferred type of car to hire from Thrifty at San Francisco airport. This is a popular car type among drivers thanks to its value at an average hire price of ₹ 6,712 per day. While 19% of momondo users settled on this type of car, you can always choose a different one based on your needs.