Thrifty Car and Van Rental Bristol City

94 reviews

Scot House, Albert Cres, Bristol BS2 0SU, United Kingdom

www.thrifty.co.uk

+441179779777

About

Thrifty Car and Van Rental Bristol City is a Car rental agency located at Scot House, Albert Cres, Bristol BS2 0SU, United Kingdom. It has received 94 reviews with an average rating of 3.5 stars.

Photos

Hours

Monday8:30AM-5:30PM
Tuesday8:30AM-5:30PM
Wednesday8:30AM-5:30PM
Thursday8:30AM-12:30PM
FridayClosed
Saturday8:30AM-5:30PM
Sunday8:30AM-5:30PM

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The address of Thrifty Car and Van Rental Bristol City: Scot House, Albert Cres, Bristol BS2 0SU, United Kingdom

  • Thrifty Car and Van Rental Bristol City has 3.5 stars from 94 reviews

  • Car rental agency

  • "Would not recommend"

    "STAY AWAY AND LEASE ELSEWHERE!! BE AWARE , PROFFESIONAL CON MEN AT WORK! Was given a courtesy car from direct line , supplied by Thrifty"

    "DON’T RENT HERE! When I went to pick up the car, they asked me for the ID and for my drivers license, and since I’m not from England they also asked me for two profs of address (something that nobody told me in advance, and I couldn’t find in the email they sent me without reading every little letter), I had to be calling my employer and trying to find the fastest way to get these documents, as I needed to rent the car at 12:00 and I ended up getting it at around 16:00"

    "Negative #1I went to collect the van and they took over an hour to process it even though I was the only customer at that moment"

    "If I could give it a half star I would"

Reviews

  • Inflexible Twin

Would not recommend. I did not rent by choice it was through someone’s insurance who hit my vehicle. When the car was dropped to my house they were over an hour late despite ringing me half an hour before they were due saying they’d be on time. When they did arrive they just handed me the keys and left. No check for Id etc to see if I was the right person. No pre check on the vehicle, photos, no walk through of current damage. The car got picked up and within two seconds of arriving I was told there was a new scratch. Which I believe was there before. I know it happens it’s wear and tear, I did say to the man picking it up and he reassured me that I wouldn’t be charged for it so not to worry. Keep in mind the man who took the keys got me to sign saying I had handed they keys over. However ten minutes later I got an email with my signature saying that I agreed to the damage. He only told me about damage after I had signed. Shortly after I was told I have to pay £50 for the damage. The photos that were sent I can’t tell what anything is, it just looks like dirt on the bottom of the car. If I’m honest it’s all been a bit chaotic with them. I would just say to anyone renting from them if you really have to make sure you take photos of every square inch of the vehicle, damage or not as that’s the only way you possibly won’t have to give any money. I regret not taking more photos.

  • Z G

STAY AWAY AND LEASE ELSEWHERE!! BE AWARE , PROFFESIONAL CON MEN AT WORK! Was given a courtesy car from direct line , supplied by Thrifty. On collection the where at my house 7am banging my door (without notice) and causing a scene with my neighbour, they pointed out a stone chip (approx 1-2mm) hard to see without really looking for it. The chap collecting the car was trying to get me to sign the paper saying I’ve scratched it because there computers don’t have the option for stone chips! Then they charged me for scratching the car even though he said it was a stone chip!! Con number 1!! Secondly after the drama of all that, they then, without notice took another £55 charge from my card, to which I questioned and the lady on the phone told me that she doesn’t have to provide me proof and I should of read the Small prints! After then chasing there head office for proof of the charge , it was originally for a £30 ticket! To which Thrify charged me £55 for!! That was Con number 2!! The attitude and customer service was terriable theouout and I strongly advise to stay away from this unbelievable shamble of a company. Unbelievable there allowed to trade in the manner they do. Please please use a credited company and NOT THRIFTY!

  • Violeta Cique

DON’T RENT HERE! When I went to pick up the car, they asked me for the ID and for my drivers license, and since I’m not from England they also asked me for two profs of address (something that nobody told me in advance, and I couldn’t find in the email they sent me without reading every little letter), I had to be calling my employer and trying to find the fastest way to get these documents, as I needed to rent the car at 12:00 and I ended up getting it at around 16:00. Very slow service, they don’t tell you in advance what documents you need!! When I was driving the car during the rental, the oil little light kept blinking, and then another light for engine problems, I called them to see what happens, to ask if they had checked the car before the rental, the woman didn’t even know how many wheels does a car have and had no idea of anything, she said that we could go to the closest rental place to change the car, but obviously that wasn’t an option for us, she said that “It should be fine, don’t worry about the lights”. We kept driving and the next day to return the car. The lady was looking at every detail of the car when we returned it, and thankfully I got my deposit back, but the service is poor and not nice at all!!!

  • Khai's Happy Feet UK

Negative #1I went to collect the van and they took over an hour to process it even though I was the only customer at that moment. Negative #2 fuel tank not full but gauge shows full. Before taking off I checked the fuel gauge how much miles can it travel and it showed 517 miles. After refuelling full tank I checked the gauge and it showed 578 miles. Negative #3 the van they gave me was filthy and smelly and that’s the only available van that they’ve got so I didn’t have a choice but to get on with it. Negative #4 they’ve sent me an email with a photo of chipped alloy wheel saying it was a new damage. I went back and clarified that the chipped was already there when I took the van and it’s obvious that the chipped looked old. So they said not to worry as they won’t charge me for it but I have to asked for an email from the manager confirming that they won’t charge me anything. It’s easy to say they won’t but they might. I have also pre-booked and paid for another car for next month but I’ve already cancelled it. No I don’t wanna go through another stressful transaction with them no thank you! TRY THEM AND SEE FOR YOURSELVES!

  • Chris Tucker

If I could give it a half star I would. Having rented many cars from other providers, I have never experienced such a poor service throughout the rental process. When I went to pick up the car it took awhile to be served and then the service seemed really slow. The walk around the car was quick in a dimly lit environment and on a wet car. At some point during the rental the windscreen was chipped in the drivers zone. When I returned the car I told the guy at the desk about the chip and he initially marked it down as a 4mm chip. A couple of hours later I received a call stating the chip was not 4mm but 11mm which meant the windscreen had to be replaced. They took the money from my account and I have been trying to chase for an invoice to confirm the charge that have been made, but it has been like pulling teeth. After chasing them, I was sent an invoice with no financial details on it, not exactly a useful document to send a customer. I've never experienced such reluctance to provide an accurate billing.

  • Ngaio Anyia

Absolutely terrible service. Rented the car and said it was going to be used to visit family in the country where it was parked for a week in the middle of nowhere (no other cars/people for miles) before being driven back and returned today. Woman went to inspect the car without me being present and once I'd arrived had 'discovered' a dent. Despite being told the dent could not have been made by me, I was asked to sign a piece of paper saying I accepted responsibility which I did not sign, explaining I would be disputing this dent/charges. They told me they would send me pictures I could use for this dispute (which are yet to appear) but my daughter took some on her phone. Within two hours £480 had been debited to my card without any prior warning or discussion from the company. I have told my bank to stop the payment immediately and will not be allowing this to go through. Disgusting fraudulent, horrible company. DO NOT USE!!!!

  • Daniel

Don't let yourself fooled with the low prices! You will end up paying ridiculous amounts of money for damages you didn't do! They are extremely clever when you're checking the car for scratches, dents or any damages. They will distract you from a damage with another then claim you did it when you return the car. Very kind and friendly at first; when I returned the van the bloke went straight to a dent as if he knew it was there before even inspecting the car. I clearly didn't dent it and became a victim of their fraudulent business. When I said the damage could not have been made by me the bloke just laughed and had a stupid smug on his face. I was told that photo evidence will be emailed to me and it never happened. Clearly cause there wasn't any. Save yourself some discomfort and find other renting companies.

  • Alex Boughton

Have rented from this Thrifty branch twice (I thought I'd give them a second chance) and they still appear to enjoy treating all customers like car thieves until they can prove otherwise. I got off lightly last time but all three couples in front me were turned back for "administrative reasons" - despite having documentation that would get them a hire car in any other place in the world. Also, be very, very careful when returning the car as what Thrifty regard as damage and what the rest of the world regards as damage are two different things. Overall, this is a genuinely appalling customer experience - not worth saving a few quid for. Thank goodness there is strong competition in Bristol...

  • Charles Rivett-Carnac

On the plus side, the van Thrifty provided was clean, easy to drive and very new. On the down sides, it took around 40 minutes from arriving at Thrifty to leaving with the van. I was up-sold “Risk Freedom Insurance” at the desk which, I calculated afterwards, is only worth it if you give yourself an 8% chance of seriously damaging the van. In addition, when querying a charge for an additional day's insurance taken off my deposit that I was not expecting, the staff communications were confrontational. Overall, it worked out to be very expensive and my experience left a sour taste. When we next need a van, I will try Enterprise across the road.

  • Charlie Stockford

Appauling experience! Booked through Rental cars who were very helpful and I rang to check that the booking had gone through and the lady said to make sure we had the right paperwork. Ensured that we had the right paperwork (or so we though) and my husband on arrival had an extremely unhelpful woman who told him that most of the documentation he had brought was no good although he had passport, driving licence and bills. Everything has to be dated within last 8 weeks (who has that?!?) and you cannot use a business credit card! Do not use them - rude, unhelpful, no idea about customer service and quite frankly very disappointed.

  • Martin Bowles

Don't waste your time with this company.. it seems you need to have your mum, the midwife who delivered you and Santa himself with you to confirm who you are befire they will hire to you... massive overkill on the documents which I had even rang and checked prior to walking 45 mins to the office. There was a couple in there when we were leaving also kicking up a fuss about being overcharged "the same price I booked it at" and reading the reviews here I am pretty glad we didn't actually hire. Get yourself to Europcar slightly more expensive but a better all round experience.

  • Rich Hepburn

I chose Thrifty as the rental was the best value on the market. However, my experience was terrible! They fabricated damage and informed me later on the day of return. I challenged it as it wasn't there when I returned the car so they backed down. Then, they fabricated a story that I smoked in the car and admitted it, to get another £60 out of me. They are cheap for a reason- their business model is based on dishonesty and deception. IT WOULD BE LESS HASSLE TO HITCH HIKE YOUR JOURNEY THAN RENT FROM THIS PLACE.

  • Leyton Gregory (Gregory & Main)

Have used this company on several occasions and each time I can't fault them. Really surprised to see bad reviews here, but clearly they are either unfair or the branch have bucked up their ideas. Service is quick, well explained and professional. Leanne and the team have also worked hard to find the right vehicle for me and this, with many other positive notes, is the reason why I don't go anywhere else.

  • Bernhard Fock

Zum ersten Mal hier gemietet. Das Service und Personal war freundlich und professionell. Man muss als Tourist auch Aufenthaltsdaten (z.B. Rückflugticket) angeben. Es hat ca. 30min gedauert, bis wir losfahren konnten, was ich als normal empfinde. Wir haben einen tollen Wagen zu einem guten Preis bekommen (Upgrade). Die Rückgabe und Rückerstattung der Kaution war schnell und problemlos.

  • Gregory & Main Estate Agents

Not sure why there is so many bad reviews, as I've been using this company for years and they've always made it very clear about ID and documents required as part of their T&C's for renting a vehicle. The service is never quick in the car rental industry and patience is expected. Leanne and the team are very professional and I rate them highly.

  • KMG Reigate

Two extremely unhappy customers in here while we were in the office. They want 3 separate forms of address confirmation - who carries that? Then they tried to give us a car with an enormous gash out of the tyre. No key drop so you have to bring the car back at their convenience. I suppose you get what you pay for. Suggest you go elsewhere.

  • Andrew Evans

I have rented a car from them a couple of times now. The service is great and so is the price. You can drop the car in a different location for a slightly higher fee. If you pay in advance there is usually a good discount. The website booking interface is easy to use. I would definitely hire a car from them again.

  • Sarah Drury

I had a good rental experience here, cheap and it all went smoothly. As long as you have everything sorted in advance, know what ID you need to bring, have insurance sorted, make sure you fill up before returning etc, you shouldn't run into any problems and will be able to take advantage of their cheap rates.

  • Hamish Hay

Despite all the bad reviews, I had a very good experience here recently, and the staff seemed friendly and professional. They do check the car very thoroughly when you bring it back though - so make sure you check for any damage, scratches or dents on all parts of the car before accepting it!

  • dan marino

Broken down away from home and cannot hire a car because I don't carry a utility bill in my back pocket - which of course everyone does....had everything else but a utility bill - nothing less will do! I used to own a hire company once - and this I can assure you is pathetic!

  • Mike Brosa

Shocking place, they'll scam you for every thing they can! I was charged double the hire price for a tiny scratch on a wheel, probably there before I took it and enterprise don't even worry about minor scratches to wheels - save yourself the bother and go elsewhere

  • quentin fischer

Terrible. I paid on a website in advance to rent a car. But when I arrived they told me being resident in UK for 6months wasn't enough to be able to rent a car there. I still don't know if I'll be refund...

  • Jaume Clave

Little is worse in this world than trying to hire a rental car. I feel terrible for everyone working here but they don't make it easy to be liked. Could not have been slower and more painful of a process

  • Stelian “Steleaga” Gradinar

Am inchiriat o masina noua cu 800 mile merse.. Peugeot..) cu 35 lire pe 3 zile.. cind am venit s-o dau in primire am intirziet cu o ora si nu mi-a luat nici o taxa.. am ramas multumit.

  • Mildred Locke

Awful. Hired out our van to someone else and then dressed it up as a failed ID check, then refused to deal with us further. Go local, don't give these faceless companies your money.

  • Martin Francis

Really fast and cheap. 24hr hire for online price of 23 quid. Ford Transit Custom I hired was better that my car. It was so new and had all the gadgets. Can't fault how it all went.

  • Lok Lui

Friendly & Helpful staff. from quote to drive away with a hire car only took 30 minutes. I was able to rent a car in Bristol and return it in Birmingham.

  • Najib Jubrail

The staff are brilliant and the service second to none my Australian brother in law was very pleased and happy thank you very much Najib and Leslie Bell

  • Sheila Jay

Thrifty car rentals, St Phillips, Bristol provided excellent service over the Christmad period. I would absolutely recommend Thrifty Car Rentals …

  • Jasper Addyman

Very friendly staff, she sorted all my queries and was efficient and gave me a bigger boot space to accommodate my babies buggy.

  • Karl Juice

Worst car rental experiance ever!! Terrible staff look at you like your going to steal the car! I NOW USE ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL.

  • Will Elkeles

Very poor I would strongly recommend not coming here because they have really terrible customer service. DONT COME HERE

  • Fred Manby

The worst car rental experience ever. Terrible service. Absolutely ludicrous security checks. Never, ever again.

  • justyna schleiss

Smooth and professional service. I was renting at another location and returning in Bristol. Very satisfied

  • David Martin

Typical great service and value from Thrifty. Shame it's not at Bristol Airport, but Uber got us there.

  • Peter Rowe

They were very good, car was great and I got my deposit back in 5 days! I would use them again.

  • ilaria auriti

Horrible experience. Avoid by all means. Lucky enough they have competitors around the corner.

  • Abdulaziz farhan Duale

Unbeatable prices and outstanding customer service. Oh, and very generous with upgrades.!

  • Marcelo Cardoso Moreira

Muito burocráticos . Não consegui alugar um carro em Bristol e ainda queriam me cobrar.

  • Alan Parry

Cheap and quick. I needed lots of ID to be able to rent a van. Bewarned!

  • Richard Tucker

Great staff, very accommodating and good vehicle selection. Low cost

  • rozapus

Had a great car got my deposit back in 5 days would use them again

  • James Goodship

Fairly speedy, good service but no out of hours drop off.

  • Anthony Hannan

Does what it says, good choice of vehicles available

  • Jason Jenkins

Staff very good and helpful nice van very resonable

  • k-ras special

Willing team of people working in there …

  • Tom Roberts

Not impressed with the service or after service.

  • Tom SL

Good prices and friendly stuff. Recommended.

  • Valentina Zomparelli

Posizione comoda e staff cordiale e gentile

  • Kavita Arora

No cars available, bit of a disappointment

  • Dylan Venables

Horrendous service and robotic rude staff

  • Radmila Zas

Good clean cars, and affordable prices!

  • Richard Campbell

Hopeless! Half hour to check in a car.

  • Gareth Huddart

Always treated me good here

  • Robert Logan

Quick and courteous. Great.

  • ludovico ciprini

Buona illuminiazione

  • Andy Pienaar

Very helpful staff

  • LJ Langdon

Helpful staff

  • Edward Jones

Very friendly

  • Zahir Malk

Best car hire

  • nick henley

Nice staff

  • Tom Wood

Very bad.

  • Ionut Nastase

The best

  • Andy Sainsbury
  • Allan Surridge
  • umar saddiq
  • Oli Harris
  • Luvs Skunk
  • Omar Abdulkadir
  • TheRaz5555
  • Ralph Telfer
  • Simon L
  • McT
  • Lázár András
  • Paul Reardon
  • Paul Lansdell
  • Owain Griffin
  • Matt Clarke
  • Steve Codd
  • Mikhail Arutyunov
  • Levente Petrov-Todorov
  • Chris Welch
  • Jackie B
  • Maurice Dunne
  • Sale Maha
  • Troy Roe
  • Matthew Kelsey
  • saj jethwa
  • Charlie Evans
  • Jay Farr
  • mike payne
  • Paulo Antunes
  • alan curtis
  • Darcsuby

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