Car Break-In and Theft in Downtown San Francisco, Insured but No Response

The terrible staff forced us to buy third-party insurance, claiming it’s mandated by California law and refusing to rent the car otherwise. They even got a Chinese-speaking person to try to deceive us. Although they eventually refunded the insurance, it does not change the fact that the front desk service was awful.

Thrifty's human-computer interaction machines are very user-friendly. If you have already booked a car, you can have a video call with the company representative directly on the machine. It’s as good as talking to a real person, and everything can be done in a few minutes without having to queue at the counter. It’s surprisingly advanced and convenient.

I booked a sedan but was strongly pushed to upgrade. When I resisted, they gave me a hatchback, claiming that the model I booked was unavailable. I ended up with a Ford Focus hatchback, only to see the model I had booked right next to it in the parking garage.

The rental process was very smooth. Originally, I wanted to rent a Jeep, but I got a Kia Sorento instead. Thankfully, the handling was quite good.

Affordable Prices