Car Rental Warning: Never Use This Sly Company!

by Shelli Stein

I know it seems like I’m on a rant bender since a short while ago I ranted about an Alaska Airlines policy. Now, though, it’s what happened when I rented a car that’s got my knickers in a twist. Or what DIDN’T happen is actually more accurate.

My Car Rental Company History

First off, I’m no newbie when it comes to renting cars. I rent them often and even during the past 15 months when no one was driving or going anywhere due to the pandemic, I still had a few occasions when I rented a car.

I’ve had differing relationships with various companies. I was married to Hertz for a long while, but divorced them yet we still date from time to time. I think that’s allowed 🙂

Eventually I became a car rental agnostic and still consider myself to be playing the field mostly based on price.

Yet there are still a few companies I’ve never rented a car from, and that’s where my rant and story begins.

Car Rental Debacle Backstory

For months I had a FOX car rental reservation in place. It was a one-way rental from one airport to another in southern California. Through the rental I was positioning to catch an international flight. On the morning of my rental I noticed the price had gone down. So I did what any good consumer would do: I booked the lower rate in a new reservation and canceled the higher rate.

Before you tell me that FOX has a strict prohibition on duplicate/speculative/overlapping reservations and that they will not allow you to make a new reservation until some time after you cancel the previous Fox reservation……….I am aware of this. Therefore, the new reservation was made under a different name and different everything. A group of us were traveling, so that was easy to do.

Later that day I went to the airport with a FOX CONFIRMED reservation to pick up the car. Line wasn’t too long so that was a good sign. However, when I got to the agent she told me the reservation had been canceled and there were no cars. I was totally taken aback! I’ve heard lots of car rental pricing horror stories happening these past few months, but nothing like this had ever happened to me before.

I kept asking the agent how this was possible. She told me FOX has a policy whereby they can cancel reservations made the same day as pick-up. The FOX agent also told me their right to do this was clearly stated on their website.  Since this happened, I’ve searched and I challenge anyone to find this POLICY posted anywhere on the Fox rental car website.

I couldn’t argue this with her because all she kept telling me was the reservation was cancelled and they had no cars. Remember, I also had to take into consideration that I now had to find another car and get to the airport for my flight. So I left the FOX counter.

Is this not stupid and ridiculous or what? Infuriating, to say the least.

Imagine you make a hotel reservation in the morning for that very night and when you get to the hotel they tell you they have a policy where they can cancel your same day reservation, so they did just that and now there are no rooms.

Or imagine this scenario with a same day flight reservation and at the airport you go to check-in and are told, sorry we canceled your reservation and all seats on the flight are now taken.

Crazy, right?

People in the know tell me they wouldn’t put anything past Fox because they’re a crappy company but still, what happened and what I was told about their policy of canceling same day booked reservations is utterly ridiculous.

A reservation is a reservation. Though apparently Fox Rent A Car doesn’t think so. Why does it matter WHEN you make a reservation?

Final Thoughts

Obviously I never got to try out FOX’s “customer service” by renting one of their cars. And it follows that I never will. I did feel the need to put a warning signal out there, so consider yourself warned! Stay away from FOX Rent A Car and their sly policies. Life is too short to put up with these kinds of shenanigans.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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10 comments

Lori lightfoot July 6, 2021 - 11:29 am

A reservation is a reservation…. you canceled your first reservation but got made when they canceled the second one! Seems like you guys did the same thing.

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Shelli July 6, 2021 - 11:34 am

Thanks for reading, Lori. Not sure what your point is though. Do you use Fox rental car and have good experiences with them?

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BCF July 6, 2021 - 7:36 pm

Years ago at DIA Fox ended all business from me forever. Parents reservation since I would never use Fox and we were meeting up at the airport. I was delayed, mother called to check on the car and Fox so no problem just come in together when i get in. So we show up at the counter about 2.5 hrs late and counter guy claims we need a new reservation at double the price. I politely point out that’s not how it works and we had checked and gotten the correct answer. Manager comes out and the counter guy claims I am threatening him. Uh pull the video tape buddy. Manager says nothing so I go outside to deescalate. I am hanging out chatting with the gate guy and counter guy comes out with the contract – no idea why – and proceeds to insult me. Long and short this was a free rental when we called fox corporate but never, ever, ever again.

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Shelli July 6, 2021 - 7:42 pm

Yikes, the Fox horror stories keep rolling in. Your go-round with Fox produced a free car, but the cost was still way too high. Thanks for sharing, BCF, and I’m with you…….never again.

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Joey July 6, 2021 - 11:48 am

Never used FOX rental but good data point to know. Sorry this happened to you. :/ Given how there’s no penalty for being a no-show at car rental companies, I wonder if it’s a good idea to make at least 2 car rental reservations (i.e. one at Hertz and another at Enterprise) just in case something like what you experienced happens again but at least you now have a backup reservation at another car rental company.

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Shelli July 6, 2021 - 11:51 am

I’ve never made two for the same rental but at different companies. And if I was going to be a no-show, I’ve always canceled. What you suggest is surely a strategy to consider, though. Thanks for reading, Joey!

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Chase July 6, 2021 - 1:17 pm

FYI even the big guys do this kind of shady stuff. I had a one-way rental booked months out under my company’s CORPORATE rate with Avis (this was 2 years ago before the current situation with cars). Literally two days before I was to pick up the car (local, not airport) the Avis location calls and says they’ll have no cars for my reservation. I was incredulous, as not only was this a confirmed reservation booked 2+ months in advance, this was a corporate booking. They did not care one bit, and I was left on my own to scramble last minute on a solution. I reported this to our travel team who I can only hope followed up with Avis to make sure it never happens again. Talk about unprofessional behavior, but my point is, the bottom scum of car companies like Fox are not the only offenders to such unilateral cancellations.

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Shelli July 6, 2021 - 3:58 pm

Thanks for adding your own warning about other offenders, Chase. And good that you have a travel team to help and handle complaints!

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DaninMCI July 6, 2021 - 4:31 pm

I’ve rented from FOX before but it’s like the 3rd world rental car agency. I hate to tell people to rent from National because it’s so good they will all ruin it but it’s the gold standard in easy car rentals. Sure it’s not the cheapest always but you get what you pay for. It’s like booking a Hampton Inn. You know it will be decent but if you book a Super 8 you aren’t always so sure. That being said rental car companies are a pain in the butt in general. It’s the worst part of trip planning usually.

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Shelli July 6, 2021 - 7:39 pm

Thanks for adding your experiences and analogies, Dan. Well said. Okay, I’ll try National next time……I promise!

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