Economy Bookings Reviews

A total scam of a company. Arrived in Bilbao to pick up our car. Wanted to extend the rental for 6 hours. Was told by the company providing the car that they couldn't change the drop off time even though the car was available for the additional time and that we had to contact Economy directly to do that. The problem was that the insurance on the vehicle would lapse at the previously arranged drop-off time.The car provider didn't have a phone

# for Economy!!!! After an exhaustive internet search we located a # but the menu options didn't include an option for changing the reservation....hit "new rental" and got a person who couldn't help us but was transferred to someone who apparently could help. Told her what we wanted to do.... her response was "your file is closed and I can't access it". Apparently if your pick up time is !0:00 am it can't be accessed at 10:06 am when we called. The local guy spoke to her and she gave him the same BS. She then transferred us to "customer service" who can only be contacted by email and they will respond in "3 to 5 business days"! NOT HELPFUL! Bottom line, these people are scammers and exist only in the ether. The local agency told us the same thing. In fact they told us to NEVER use a broker to rent a car. In the words of the agency, "you only want to deal with the guy who has the car and is going to hand you the keys". The insurance issues as between broker and the agency are a nightmare and for which one needs a law degree to understand! DON'T USE THIS COMPANY OR ANY OTHER BROKER! DEAL WITH THE COMPANY....DOESN'T MATTER WHICH ONE-AVIS, SITX OR A LOCAL COMPANY....DOESN'T MATTER. ECONOMY WILL RIP YOU OFF AND MAKE YOUR LIFE DIFFICULT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

I waited 5 hours only to learn there were no cars to rent on my arrival.

DON'T BOOK THROUGH ECONOMY BOOKINGS! I rented a car with Europcar through Economy Bookings because it was cheaper, and that was a mistake. My connecting flight was delayed, so I arrived at my destination 30 minutes later than expected. I figured that this would not be a problem, but when I got to the Europcar rental pick-up, it was closed.

We took a shuttle to our hotel, and came back first thing the next morning to pick-up our car. Europcar said they could not issue us a car until Economy Bookings manually changed the booking to reflect the new pick-up date/time. We called Economy Bookings, and were told that they were unable to change the booking and there was nothing to be done. They said that a refund would be no problem, and we proceeded to find a different rental car and get on with our trip, planning to deal with the refund when we got home.

When dealing with the refund a week later, I was told over the phone that it could only be resolved by reaching out to an automated email, which I did, and didn't hear back from them for over a month, even though it says inquiries should be reviewed in 2-3 business days. We were told that we would not receive a refund because we didn't purchase/couldn't show proof of insurance.

Not only had we purchased insurance (I have the receipt still in my inbox), but that wasn't even the problem! We were never even given the opportunity to present insurance, just turned away. I responded that this was a completely incorrect assessment of what happened, and we would like a refund because we were never even given the opportunity to pick up our car. I never heard from them again.

Don't get scammed by booking through this company, you're better off paying a couple extra dollars and booking somewhere else.

Date of experience: February 26, 2023

The scam is that after reserving on your credit card, when you go to pick up the car, they refuse the same card and then insist on selling you very expensive car insurance. I already had separate cover and so had refused it previously, and it quadrupled from €70 before the booking to €350 at their desk ON TOP OF THE HIRE COSTS!.

The other thing that's horrible, besides being stranded and stressed out to hell is that there is no company called economy bookings at the airport and the papers say 'Surprise' which is a couple of kilometres from the terminal, but it's actually in office called auto one, which is never mentioned on any contract or email and is impossible to find. Absolute ********, do not book!

And regarding your response on trustpilot.com asking me to make contact, I have been calling and have already emailed my complaint and had no answer so far in 4 days. I've been forced to put my credit card on hold at great inconvenience. Don't pretend that you have any kind of customer support!!!!

13th march update, I finally get an email from support saying they will look into it and it will take up to a month. So 6 weeks forced to keep my credit card on hold against these scammers in a foreign country.

Update 21st April:

After being forced to have my only card on hold for 2 months, I finally get this email from economy bookings:

Email with responses in caps:

Dear Mr Page,

MY NAME IS NOT MR PAGE!

You did not inform us about the cancellation of your booking prior to your pickup.

I DID NOT WANT TO CANCEL IT! - I WAS THERE TO PICK UP THE CAR AS AGREED

You failed to pick the car up at the arranged time and date.

THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE LIE, I TURNED UP AT THE ARRANGED TIME AND WAS REFUSED THE CAR

You failed to provide the documentation that is required to pick the car up.

ABSOLUTE LIE, I EVEN CALLED AND EMAILED SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE TO CHECK ALL MY PAPERWORK AND LICENCE AND TURNED UP WITH THEM ALL

You failed to provide a credit card with enough available funds and with the main driver's name printed on it.

THAT IS A TOTAL LIE, MY CREDIT CARD HAS MY NAME ON IT AND THERE'S MORE THAN ENOUGH THERE TO PAY FOR THE CAR

If you were blacklisted by the car rental company.

THIS SENTENCE DOESN'T EVEN MAKE GRAMMATICAL SENSE!

Unfortunately, because we didn't know that you weren’t going to pick the car up, we cannot give you a refund.

I PHONED YOU IMMEDIATELY FROM THE CAR HIRE OFFICE AT THE TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AND YOU DID NOTHING AT ALL!!!

NO SURPRISES THERE THEN!!!

********

Whatever you do DONT use this company, they are SCAMMERS and have ZERO point ZERO one levels of customer service.

[if you try to write a real review at 'economybookings.com / en / reviews / add' you get the error message 'Reservation with this number and email doesn't exist.']

It's fine when everything is going well…

If there is any problem with the app and rental and You are for example at the airport they will not take responsibility and ask You to write a claim via email because they don’t take claims by phone.

After you email them You will receive notice that it will take 5-28 working days to resolve your case and You have to fend yourself. Never more.

Bad bad bad experience, Do not use this website. I had to pay double amount to the broker, Economy Bookings doesn't have any services after you pay.,,, Don't give them your money....

This place is a rip off! The balance due of $159.00 turned into $600.

They have a bogus policy of a ridiculous amount of a security deposit that you may or may not get back…guy at the desk says “it depends”.

Unfortunately I’m stuck with it but I’ll never rent another car from this service. TOTAL RIP OFF!!!

dishonest website,

 bait of a treacherous phishing,

 I booked this March 14, 2023 on the economybooking.com site a small vehicle for 3 days on the island of kos. the site made me an offer at the reasonable price of 48 euros with the cancellation option included and including the complete insurance for the vehicle to which I subscribed. 

but when I booked and settled the payment with my credit card, the site confirmed everything to me in detail, namely the type of vehicle, the dates etc… however it tells me that I paid 95 euros in fees administrative and that I still have to pay on the spot and on my arrival in front of the agency the 48 euros. there, I fall from the clouds. 

I was totally mistaken in my steps and therefore, I canceled the reservation without delay. I was assured that the booking included free cancellation as stated in the ad. I almost instantly received the email telling me that the cancellation of my reservation was accepted, but that the sum of 95 euros that I paid would not be returned to me for two weeks. 

I objected and demanded the return of my money since I canceled the transaction within the same quarter of an hour. a lady called me to ask me the reason for my cancellation. I told him as I explained previously that I do not agree with the price which is at the beginning announced 48 euros and at the conclusion, it ends up 141 euros.

 after 10 days of waiting, I was returned 60 euros and retained 35 euros.

 I strongly oppose this type of business which I find dishonest. the people behind it are unscrupulous. I wasted my time filling out their form and when I changed my mind they still charge me. with a semblance of a platform that is more a kind of phishing, they make easy but dirty money. 

I may claim my money by many reminders and insistence, but the scamps continue to this day to turn a deaf ear. this is the reason to denounce them to the general public.

 on the carjet site, I easily rented the same vehicle by paying 50 euros and with free cancellation 24 hours before the date of taking the car.

 I have only this advice to make: Beware of economybooking.com!

 There are several car rental companies on the web that are honest and clean.

I made a reservation via your website on 15th February.

Booking B41378338 for a total sum of 250.81 USD.

Economybookings.com charged this amount from my friend's credit card.

Since I did not have my own credit card with me Europcar did not accept my booking while registering at the desk in Tel Aviv.

Then I canceled my reservation after 1 hour booking but Economybookings.com still charged my friend's credit card. Since I did not get the car I have requested to get a refund of my money back but Economybookings.com never replied even though I wrote them 3 times.

At least you can reply to my mail as a courtesy. Please refund my money back.

Terrible outfit. Snagged a great price for a full size rental car for $25 per day in Vegas. Billed for $945.60, about $75 a day. Asked multiple times for DETAILED costs to see what taxes or charges were included. NO RESPONSE, only same Total Amount. No Communications. No customer service. Grrrr. Our rental car was struck by a large Elk in Utah and badly damaged. My USAA car insurance paid for damages except $500 deductible. Deductible to be paid by credit card used to pay the INFLATED charges by Economy Booking but need a breakdown of the charges from them. Have requested this for over 4 months. NADA. DO NOT USE THIS INEPT AND DISHONEST COMPANY.

I made a reservation on Dec 12, 2022. The website states that payment will not be processed until reservation is confirmed. They responded with a much higher quote so I cancelled and sent an e-mail confirming the cancellation.

They processed the payment anyway, then refunded the money minus a $67 cancellation fee. Each time I have tried to resolve this I receive a confirmation that they are working on it, then no follow up. I have been trying for 3 months now.

OMG, SCAM....don't use these guys, I just had a reservation with CLUBS rental car, Miami, FL. First off the location was a sketchy off site location with no cars in the lot. They didn't want to honor the price I had with contract with Economy Bookings ($168/week) and said I didn't have the right insurance but could sell it to me for another $1100....OMG...stay away...I tried to call customer service for Economy and was told there is nothing they can do and I wasn't going to get my deposit back. I think the whole thing is a big SCAM...don't use anything from this site. When asked to talk to customer service they said only by email, 7-10 days to reply...unreal...STAY AWAY

These people are crooks! I booked a car through their website for a Thrifty Car Rental. 5 days before the rental is to begin, I phoned Thrifty, with the reservation number sent by economybookings.com, to cancel as my flight departure was changed.

Thrifty was great to deal with and said "No problem, the reservation is cancelled and you will receive the refund within 7-10 days". All good.

Today, I receive a confirmation email from economybookings.com reminding me of my car rental starting tomorrow. I called them and all the sarcastic man on the phone kept repeating to me "Thrifty never told us!" When I said "Thrifty says I will be receiving the refund in 7-10 days" his response is "Well, lucky for us Thrifty doesn't have your money, we do and you are not getting it back."

At this point, RBC (it was booked to my RBC Visa card) says I need to wait 15 days before they can reverse the charge, but it is still absolutely appalling to have a company operate like this.

Stay as far away as you can!!

They absolutely do not respond to my emails.

I'm a foreign military I rented through economy bookings and I paid 1,800$ for a car that I didn't get from " thrifty " because my last name on my debit card is one letter different from my driving lisence, I didn't know that was a big deal coz in my country that's fine .

I called economy bookings for a solution after I went back and forth with thrifty trying to find a way coz I was stuck in " DFW " without a car and they said we can't do anything coz the time of your rent already started and the only way is to email their support team .

I sent a very clear email and they replied after a week putting all the blame on me saying I'm not there on time and I didn't have money on my credit and I didn't bring documents !!!! And that's not true coz I provided everything .

They showed ZERO appreciation and didn't try to help at all !! Like yes I know you have a policy but I didn't receive the car because I didn't want to its just that things took a unexpected turn .

SCAM. I brooked a car rental in Cali, Colombia for Christmas Day. When I got there they said they had no cars to rent for me. They took my deposit of over $300. I’ve asked for them to refund my deposit but it appears they won’t be issuing a refund based on others who also got screwed the same way.

DON'T DO IT!! I booked this in a Covid Fog, less than a week after my mum's funeral so I could go pick up my brother's ashes in Brisbane. Yes, a triple whammy, so booked through these people as they had "East Coast" as their link. So, thinking it was East Coast Car Rental (because that is what I typed in) I stupidly didn't look at the actual web address.

So, in my Covid Fog I booked the car at Brisbane and bought the insurance. I rang East Coast in Brisbane in a panic after I realized this was an offshore company. They said, the insurance was useless, and they were aware of these people but there was nothing they could do. I wasn't the first one that had been caught. I went back and cancelled the booking. Within literally minutes I had a cancellation fee of AU$67! The booking wasn't even one hour old and not for another 4 weeks.

Massive scam and companies in Australia just don't operate like this so I'm absolutely gob smacked and horrified at these people. Just do yourself a favour and don't try and go cheaper. Support your own country and be safe. I cancelled my bank card just to be sure.

I booked online and was given a total price for a rental car in February. Opened my Mastercard statement and was charged much more on the credit card than the total price that was identified when I placed the order. I cannot find anywhere a phone number or any contact data to have a talk. Very fishy company.

Booked a car for 8 days and did not have credit card on the pick up as my account was temporarily blocked due to suspicious activity/hacking. I called their customer service to add my friend’s name on the rental, so we can use her credit card for the deposit as it was FULLY-PAID already but I was told that they cannot do anything to help me but offered to assist for a new booking instead. Like totally disregarding my concern and my fully-paid reservation. I did not get to pick up the car and I refused to book another reservation thru them.

I had emailed them but I was told that I cannot get a refund. This Company has an ODD policy close to being the biggest SCAM and does not offer decent service to Customers.

DO NOT USE this company.

We were to arrive at 1pm and pick up a rental from Payless car rental at the Portland airport.

Our plane arrived late and we arrived at the counter at 5pm

Payless counter rep found the reservation and confirmed they had plenty of cars.

However, economybookings had a block on the reservation. We contacted them via phone and they claimed that Payless had denied the booking and they could do nothing. This was said in front of the Payless counter agent. The counter agent, hearing this , asked the economy booking rep to un block the reservation and they would rent us the car. The economy rep hung up on us.

We got a rental car thru Payless and made a complaint to out credit card company. By the way, Payless are mgr continued to try and open the blocked contract through the next 24 hours.

75 days later we got a response from Economy. Their letter to our complaint read "we could not honor the clients rental due to issues beyond our control". Vague and a total lie.

We have re initiated our complaint and are looking at a class action suit for deceptive business practices.

DO NOT book a rental through this off shore sham. We will update here with a copy of their responses and any ideas on how to respond.

We are also making complaints to the consumer protection agency , as well as master card, Bank of America, and will be noticing AAA and The ARP.

We intent to alert every contact we can.

By the way, our contract was for $403.00. Economybookings normal fee is less than 10% on a booking. They didn't pay a dime, instead keeping the whole fee. They are a scam...