Car swapping is quite common in Turkey. Didn't like driving a Renault and wanted a Hyundai, but still ended up with a Renault. As expected, the gear shift logic was terrible.
Out of my four car rental experiences abroad, this was by far the worst. Here's what happened:
① On the first day, I was assisted by a middle-aged staff member at the Alamo (part of Enterprise) counter at Izmir Airport. He strongly recommended upgrading from the originally booked five-seater Ford Tourneo to a BMW X1, which he said was a diesel automatic. He also pushed for some additional insurance (even though I had already bought comprehensive insurance through the rental platform). Since I was traveling with my family, I reluctantly agreed to the extra daily cost. This decision turned out to be a mistake.
② Near noon on the second day, just at the entrance to the town of Alacati, the car started emitting a burning smell and white smoke from under the hood. We immediately pulled over, and I suspected that a belt related to the alternator had snapped. This happened after just 110km of driving. I called the rental company and the Izmir branch around 1 PM, asking for road assistance. By 1:30 PM, I received a text saying help was on the way, but it took over five hours for the rescue vehicle to arrive. The rescue personnel revealed that they had only been dispatched an hour earlier. Throughout those five hours, I continually texted the rental company asking for updates, only to be met with vague responses or silence. The local police were no help either.
③ At 6:30 PM, the rescue vehicle towed the car to a repair shop. I had to find a taxi to Izmir Airport (80km away, costing me 440 lira) with all our luggage and family. I hoped to get a replacement car from Alamo (Enterprise) to continue our journey, but was bluntly told that without a technical report on the broken car, no replacement could be issued. They suggested waiting for the next morning. Given their inefficiency and our disrupted itinerary, I decided we had to switch rental companies. This decision proved wise as we never got the technical report even ten days later when I returned to my country.
④ I requested a refund for the unused rental days and insurance, as well as the deposit. The counter staff refused, stating that the remaining rental days were non-refundable and the deposit could not be returned until the car's fault was determined, which was absurd considering the car only broke down due to inherent issues.
⑤ Over the next few days, I repeatedly inquired about the technical report through text messages. They kept saying repairs take time and hence the report wasn't ready. Even after ten days, I received the same response. What atrocious efficiency! Pardon my language, but this inefficiency is infuriating.
The direct and indirect losses because of this incident were: the afternoon on the second day wasted, missing the visit to Ephesus, having to drive to Pamukkale late at night, extra rental costs of approximately 1600 lira with a new company, taxi fare of 440 lira from the breakdown site to Izmir Airport, and several hours of anxious waiting with my family, causing stress and helplessness.
I hope this account helps anyone considering renting from this company to fully understand the potential risks. Make an informed choice to avoid my ordeal.
The service guy entered the wrong credit card information and told us our card couldn't be used. After trying twice, we called our bank back in our home country and discovered he had made a mistake. Additionally, we booked a Peugeot 2008, but they gave us a Renault Captur. The problem is, there was a clear price difference between these two models when we made the reservation.
We explicitly requested not to add any extra insurance, but the rental company still added it. The list was in Turkish, so we couldn't find out in time.
Pay for Car Rentals with Crypto
In addition to credit and debit cards, you can now pay for online car rentals with cryptocurrency! Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) are accepted. Curious about how long a Bitcoin transaction takes or how to pay with Bitcoin? Read our FAQs for more details.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can disable cookies at any time within your browser settings.OKRead More
Customer Service
Relevant Reviews on Alamo Izmir Airport Domestic Terminal
Josephine Chaucer
-
-
-
-
View more >Pag Christiana
-
-
-
-
View more >Webster Benedict
-
-
-
-
View more >Marico Wagner
-
-
-
-
View more >Lambert Southey
-
-
-
-
View more >