I've encountered issues with National twice now. The first time, they deducted €25 shortly after I returned the car, supposedly for processing a fine. They took the fee but never provided any service. It's been a year and I still haven't received any fine, so I'm not sure if it even exists. I've tried reaching out multiple times but no luck. The staff's attitude completely changes from before to after you rent the car. If there's a fine, why not show some proof? Don't tell me it's impossible to get it; companies like AVIS manage to do it.
This time, they used various sales tactics to push insurance, even threatening that not buying their insurance would risk a €2500 charge. On the platform, it said the payment at the counter would be €150, but at the store, the staff insisted on their own invoice showing €225, ignoring the platform's agreement. Adding a €250 deposit, they wanted a total of €500 withheld. After explaining, the staff confirmed €150 over the phone but refused to adjust the contract, promising to correct it later. I naively trusted that, but when returning the car in another city, they only honored the contract’s €225. Four days later, they deducted €225. Again, deceived.
I'm not targeting any specific rental location or staff; it's the entire company's ethos that's problematic. Everyone I encountered, including online support, displayed the same pattern: courteous before renting, terrible after. Their strategy is to extort more money under a friendly facade.
Read More > Reviewed: Feb 8, 2020