Travelling from Derby to Margate Kent on a work project, a broken tyre valve left me stranded in Hythe. I contacted the Folkstone Thrifty branch and a lady by the Name of Paula. went above and beyo... See more
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Review summary
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What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
I work for a garage in West Bromwich and Neil who drops off rental cars for our customers is always super friendly and chatty. He’s clear when handing us over information, which is important for us as... See more
Company replied
First time using Thrifty and was very impressed. Particular thanks to Noel at Bristol North - super friendly, explained everything really clearly and kindly gave us an upgrade that was much appreciate... See more
Company replied
Welcoming friendly service and very efficient. Car was lovely and nice to get a cheeky upgrade which was not expected! Thank you to Richard at the Oxford branch on the front desk a true star with impe... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Thrifty Car Rental can offer a wide range of hire cars and vans within the UK. We cater for customers who require manual or automatic, compact or economy through to prestige and luxury cars and vans. Reserve your hire car or van online and see how much you could save with Thrifty Car Rental.
Contact info
Scot House, Matford Park Road,, EX2 8AW, Exeter, United Kingdom
- customer.service@thrifty.co.uk
- www.thrifty.co.uk
3.6
Average
1K reviews
No recent history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 48 hours
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Quick to deliver my courtesy car
Quick to deliver my courtesy car. Friendly staff on arrival, easy to sort collection of the car once I had finished with it.
17 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We are glad you enjoyed your rental with us. Your feedback is appreciated, and we hope to be of help again soon!
Kind Regards,
The Switch Team
Beware the small print!
We were given a courtesy car via Thrifty. Made a crossing both ways on the Merseyflow bridge due to a medical emergency. Unfortunately I forgot to pay the crossing charge. Called Thrifty immediately to inform them and offered to pay the fee or have it taken out of the security deposit. The lovely lady on the phone said not to worry they would pay and then send an invoice. Failed to mention they would charge a £42 admin fee on a £20 fine, BOTH WAYS! Cost me £128 for them to pay £44. When calling Thrifty the really unhelpful man said it was because they had to call to confirm the crossing (which I rang and told them) That's an expensive phone call and surely they wouldn't have needed two calls? Daylight robbery! I would never use them again.
14 February 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. We understand how frustrating unexpected charges can be.
Unfortunately, when a penalty notice comes through, we have to handle each one individually and it is very difficult to link them to the same renter, even if there are multiple for similar circumstances. This process involves admin work like contacting the relevant authorities and updating our records, which is why there's an admin fee for each fine.
We do our best to make sure these fees are clearly mentioned in our terms and conditions, but we appreciate your feedback and will take it on board.
That said, we'd be happy to have another look at the charges applied to your rental. Please get in touch with our customer services team: customer.service@switchcarrental.co.uk and we'll do our best to help.
Kind Regards,
The Switch Team
Another crap QR ran company
Another crap QR ran company. I spent longer trying to get the keys for a hire car at Bristol than the drive should have taken. Useless
7 February 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Chris,
We're really sorry for the inconvenience you experienced with our out-of-hours collection service last night. We understand how frustrating delays can be and this isn’t the level of service we aim to provide.
This was an unexpected system error which our IT team resolved first thing this morning. We’ve also taken extra steps today to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
We appreciate your feedback and hope we can provide you with a much smoother experience in the future. If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out.
Kind regards,
The Switch Team
Paid for a Vauxhall Corsa, got a BMW Series 1 M Sport!
Paid for a Vauxhall Corsa, received a brand new BMW 1 series M Sport instead, with only 10 miles on the clock! Really nice car and fast and efficient service with home delivery / collection options, and very reasonable price. Jason at the counter was very pleasant and helpful aswell (Thrifty Dudley). Would definitely use again
4 February 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Irco,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We're delighted that Jason and our team at the Dudley branch made your experience with us a great one. We appreciate you taking the time to give your feedback and look forward to serving you again soon.
Kind Regards,
The Switch Team
Ripped off badly by Thrifty
Ripped off badly by Thrifty. £120 extra charge post-car rental on credit card, not discussed with us at pickup or dropoff. No way to complain. Car was returned to Malaga airport with full fuel and no damage. Booked and paid for in advance through Easyjet. You should be ashamed. (NB: I got the money refunded in the end by going direct to Thrifty online, complicated process dealing with lots of companies but at least I've got the refund)
However, its now early March 2025 and I haven't actually got a refund from anybody whether it be Thrifty, Firefly or Hertz, they all seem to be the same thing and they've now stopped replying to my requests for the actual refund. I do need the money!
Maybe I need to raise a new complaint to get them to send me the money. Both Hertz and Firefly have agreed with me separately that they will refund....
Case number is: 25174440
24 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are the UK franchise of Thrifty, and we only have information for rentals that have taken place or are due to take place in the UK. Unfortunately, this limits us in being able to address the issues which you faced.
Kind Regards,
The Switch Team
Having had a shunt on the A37 Thrifty…
Having had a shunt on the A37 Thrifty came to the rescue in double quick time - even delivering the vehicle to my home. Faultless service
22 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Nigel,
We’re thrilled that you were satisfied with our services. Your feedback is appreciated, and we hope to be of help again soon!
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Thieves
Thieves. Avoid this company at all costs. They will do everything to rob you, they fabricate car pick up reports to claim for damages. Apart from also being not professional, disorganized and unhelpful.
10 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Dear Mahmoud,
Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us. If you would like to discuss the damage charge applied to your hire please contact us at customer.service@thrifty.co.uk
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
I thought I had a complex booking…
I thought I had a complex booking problem but Jason at Dudley was able to resolve it calmly and efficiently which removed a lot of Stress from a tricky situation. He was able to explain what was required and simplified it amazingly well. Thank you very Much Jason and staff.
And I got a great car upgrade as well !
Cheers !
17 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Rob,
Thank you for the fantastic review! We're delighted that Jason and our team at the Dudley branch made your experience with us a great one. We’re committed to maintaining the high standards you’ve experienced and hope to continue exceeding your expectations.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Manish from Heathrow helped so much…
Manish from Heathrow helped so much with my rental and he gave me a smooth walk through and explained everything to myself. I will fully recommend this service.
11 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Majid,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We're delighted that our team at the Heathrow branch made your experience with us a great one. We appreciate you taking the time to give your feedback and look forward to serving you again in the future.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
20/20 to this branch of Thrifty
20/20 to this branch of Thrifty. Jason and the team are so helpful and customer focused.
So many companies could learn from this, they are a pleasure to deal with. Long may it continue.
Thank you thrifty, Jason and the team.
9 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We put a lot of effort into making our customers feel valued, so we are thrilled to hear that you are enjoying it.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Excellent from the Ipswich branch
The car that I rented was the cheapest option, but i thought It was great, the staff were nice from the Ipswich branch, and as I brought it back a few days early they kindly reimbursed me for my unused time. So couldn’t be happier, I highly recommend!
2 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We’re thrilled that you were satisfied with our services. Your feedback is appreciated, and we hope to be of help again soon!
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Fast and Efficient Support
I had to hire from the Bournemouth Office for 28 days, renewing intermittently during that period. The staff could not have been more helpful, it was never any hassle, and the vehicle I was supplied with was first rate. Special mention to Sean who supported throughout, and to the gent who books the cars in and out. Friendly, kind, and very efficient.I would recommend Thrifty Bournemouth to anyone. Also, very reasonable rates.
3 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi James,
We're delighted that our team at the Bournemouth branch made your experience with us a great one. It lets us know we are making customers happy and doing something right.
We loved being of service to you and hope we can assist you again soon.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Great car and customer service.
I rent from the Heathrow branch at the Sheraton and have always been treated with the utmost courtesy. My car this time was a BMW 320i. It was spotlessly clean and in excellent condition, a real pleasure to drive.
Thank you.
19 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Christopher,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a 5-star review. We're so glad to hear that you were satisfied with our rental. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality service, and your feedback is a great encouragement to us.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Not a great experience
Not a great experience, they charged me unexpected fees after the rental period, and it was a hassle to get through to anyone to sort it out
30 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Beatrice,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and know that we’ll be looking into it. We use all customer feedback when reviewing our processes to ensure a more positive experience for all our customers.
Kind regards,
The Thrifty Team
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Samuel,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality service, and we hope to see you again soon.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
The best car rental company in the UK
The best car rental company in the UK. Staff are very professional and helpful. I am a Customer for life. Special thanks to Khurm for his outstanding service. Highly recommended.
1 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Isam,
Thank you so much for your kind words! Your feedback is invaluable and helps us keep our standards high. We look forward to delivering another excellent experience to you next time.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
When we arrived our luggage wouldn’t…
When we arrived our luggage wouldn’t fit in the pre-ordered car and a discounted upgrade was offered. The car itself was a wonderful! A fabulous Volvo xc90.
The staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating. Would recommend to a friend.
1 January 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi,
Thanks so much for your review. We love getting feedback and take pride in our customer service. Please get in touch if there is anything else we can do for you.
Kind Regards,
The Thrifty Team
Great as always
Great as always. Good price, LOVELY CAR (a BMW), fantastic, helpful and polite service. I’ve used Thrifty twice this year and it’s been perfect every time. Thanks!
7 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review. We are glad you enjoyed your rental with us, and we hope we will see you again soon.
Kind regards,
The Thrifty Team
Charged for fuel despite full tank
Very poor company to deal with. Dropped my car off having filled it to the brim with fuel 100 yards away from the garage. They still charged me £22 for fuel and have not refunded despite being contacted for weeks. Do not use.
16 November 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Martin,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I would like to investigate these charges for you to find out what happened. Please send some details of your hire to customer.service@thrifty.co.uk when you can.
Kind regards,
The Thrifty Team
The M-F car hire firm.
I didn't hire a car off Thrifty. That's because I wanted one for two days commencing Saturday afternoon. Guess what? They're closed Sat & Sun! Pathetic. Part-timers like Thrifty don't deserve to be in business.
Hey, why not close the roads at weekends? ...Seeing as Thrifty are shut!
21 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Thrifty Car and Van Rental UK
Hi Martin,
Thank you for sharing your feedback and we're sorry to hear about the inconvenience you experienced. Our opening hours, including those locations which are closed at the weekend, can be found on our website and at each location, but we understand how this may have caused frustration. We appreciate your thoughts and are always working to improve. If you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@thrifty.co.uk
Kind regards,
The Thrifty Team
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