COMPLETE SCAM OF A BUSINESS!!
DO NOT RENT CARS FROM THIS SERVICE!!
Please warn your parents (who do not use yelp or who may not be as tech savvy) to stay away from this company.
If you do not have time to read my entire review, please at least read this:
My dad's credit card was charged $900 for damages to the rental car's "windshield window" which my parents did not make, and damages which did not exist when the car was returned. If you search up reviews of this business on Google, there are others who have been scammed with the EXACT same situation: $900-$1000 charges to credit cards for "damages to the windshield window".
If you go read through the "not recommended" reviews you will see that there are about 30 other people who have been charged $500-$3000 for damages that were not their faults! Any review here that is anything above a 1 star is FAKE and is most likely the crook owner or one of his crook family or friends.
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My parents found this company through carrental.com. The rental was stated to be $50 a day.
When they arrived at the place which already looked incredibly shady, they were helped by a middle-eastern. When my parents showed their ID to the man, he said that was not enough proof and they would need to provide a copy of their insurance policy.... and so my parents had to wait around for a long time while this stupid guy made phone calls...
When he finally showed my parents to the rental car, it turned out to be an old 2007 Toyota Civic. There were MULTIPLE PREEXISTING DAMAGES on the vehicle however only 5 were accounted for although my mom tried to point out all of the others. The man seemed rushed, telling them they were closing soon and hurried them off on their way.
Then comes the day my parents needed to drop off the rental. This business opens at 7am - 7pm however they offer a "drop off" option for those who have earlier or later flights. You can leave the vehicle and drop off the keys in a box outside. This is the option that my parents took because they had no other choice since their flight was at 6am. Note, there were NO additional damages aside from the ones that had already been there. I have two of the most OCD parents and they did not make any damages to the car.
The next day, my parents arrive back in LA and my dad receives a phone call notifying him that a $930 charge had been issued to his credit card from Universal Rentals. According to the claim, there were damages made to the rental car's windshield window. Once again, there had been NO damages made by my parents. NONE.
My sister and I searched this company on Google and low and behold, there are a NUMBER of scam warnings for this business. A number of individuals who had been placed in the EXACT SAME SITUATION. "Damages to the windshield window" $900-$1000+ charges to their credit card.
UNBELIEVABLE.
THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN. Please spread the word and warn your family and friends to stay FAR FAR away from this business. DISGUSTING.
***** 10/07/14 UPDATE! *****
Several people have messaged me in regards to my review and asking about updates on my parent's situation with this company and I just wanted to let you all know that my dad was finally able to get all his money back after 3 months.
The bank (Chase Bank) finally cleared the charges after further investigating the case and agreeing that the charges and situation was all very suspicious. They requested for my dad to contact the company for more information on the car damage charges however Universal Rent-A-Car never responded or provided more information. In the end, the bank must have found their lack of response and behavior to be strange which is why the charges were thankfully cleared.
Also, after I had written up this Yelp review, I also send out a very detailed letter to the bank describing the whole situation and providing all necessary details to help prove our case. I highly recommend you all to do this as well. Hopefully you all will be able to get your money back as well and I encourage everyone to share your experiences through whatever outlet you can to help prevent this from happening again!