They gave me an all-inclusive price of $51.84 for Thursday nite thru Sunday evening for an econobox ("Kia Rio or similar"). That includes all the taxes and concession fees and whatnot. This is significantly less than the usual suspects like Enterprise (who I love). I'll probably spend more on coffee probably that weekend. But...too good to be true?
So I didn't forget about my post here; it's just...things still aren't resolved.
The pick-up was OK. I wound up with a giant Town and Country minivan, no additional charge, because that's all that was available I guess. It was fully loaded with every bell and whistle, so, that was a nice plus, considering I reserved an economy.
During the contract signing, the agent convinced me to buy the pre-paid gas option. I never buy these, but he claimed this one was different--that I'd get a credit for any gas left in the car. In other words, I'd pay up front for a full tank ($62.68 for the van), but if I brought it back at, say, half-tank, I'd get half of that back.
I wound up bringing it back at 3/8 tank. And guess what, they charged me the full amount, $62.68. My $50 rental is now a $125.25 rental.
I spent over 50 minutes on hold listening to the same three smooth jazz tunes while I waited for someone to answer at their billing number. They confirmed that indeed the pre-pay works just like everywhere else, where you only come out ahead if you bring the tank back empty, and only get a credit if you bring it back full. I explained that I specifically asked that three times--twice when buying it, and once when I returned it, and everyone said I would receive a credit for a partial tank. Not their problem, apparently.
The best she could do was send me a $25 gift certificate for a future rental, which I might get in 2-3 weeks. She said if I wanted an actual refund, I have to call the Orlando desk.
I didn't ask for a number, stupidly, thinking it was on my contract. It's not, neither is it on the website, nor can I find one in online phone books. So I called the 800 reservation number, figuring they'd answer a lot faster than the billing people (they did). They spent five minutes looking for a number for the Orlando desk, before telling me they didn't have one either, and they'd send an email to that office with my contact info asking for a call-back.
I gave them my contact info but I seriously doubt I'll get a call-back. So now I'm just going to try to dispute the amount with my credit card company and make the problem theirs. As of now I've spent an hour trying to get back $20 back or so. If I get angry enough I'll figure out which regulatory office in Florida to complain to. It's not the money anymore; it's the principle (as they say).
This is where the el-cheapo aspect bites a person--when there's a problem. No email addresses, no phone numbers, no one answering the phone when you call. If you don't make the mistake of believing their lies on the upsell and just stick to the basic rental, I'm sure they're OK. However, I shudder to think what happens if you have a mechanical problem or there's damage.
Good luck.
[EDIT an hour later]
I just disputed 3/8 of the fuel charge (around 23.50) with my Visa card, and they instantly credited it. That means the bank treated it as a policy charge-off-- a case when the amount is low enough that they don't think it's worth their time investigating whether my claim is legitimate or in trying to resolve it with the merchant (because they'd spend MORE than that amount in labor). While my problem is solved, it unfortunately means that Firefly gets to keep their extra $23.50, since the bank doesn't usually do a merchant charge-back of policy charge-offs. Congrats, Firefly, you screwed Chase Bank out of the money.
I still won't use Firefly again, because it's clear a) they are unethical and b) they are impossible to resolve problems with. I may still decide to file a complaint with the state of Florida just to help preserve my sense of justice.
You're off to a great start, Firefly. Soon your reviews here in the US will read just the ones in Europe, I guess.