Alamo Rent A Car

The customer service at this location is great. The customer service at the call center is poor because they don’t give you all the details. And it seems that the rates have really gone up. A compact for 1 month is costing me over $ 1100.

Satisfied. Good service. Though the wait was a bit long, I feel, it was okay.

Rented a minivan for our San Diego trip at Alamo through
. No clear instructions on your reservation on what to do once you arrive, where to find your shuttle, etc. but we figured it out. All shuttle to car rentals use the same buses. Once you walk over the sky bridge they bus you into an area with all car rentals (I find this method much more efficient). You follow signs to your rental company, get in line, check in, and go into the parking garage where you pick out your vehicle. Keys are in the car so you just pick, drive it out the exit (where they scan, confirm, verify, and check you out). At that point, make sure to point out any damages, problems, etc. For returns, follow signs for rental return, pull up your vehicle to the designated areas and have an attendant check your vehicle out and provide you a receipt. After that, find your way to the shuttle buses to be taken back to the airport. Quick and easy! Our rental (although a minivan) was pretty gas efficient, clean, and new. The only problem was our fuel charge — -was at a gas station where we had to prepay. Of course, we couldn’t guess how much it’ll take to fill up the minivan so we were SLIGHTLY under the FULL indicator. Probably a millimeter. Got charged almost $ 20 for gas because of that. That put a damper in our great rental experience. Minus a star.

Missed our train in San Diego & decided to rent a car to drive home, instead of waiting 3 hrs for the next train. Called Alamo at the SD airport and reserved a car. When we got there, the girl at the counter was very friendly and helpful. The whole process was quick and easy. Unlike Budget car rental (they charged my cr. card for $ 350 as a hold amount, will never use Budget again). Anyway… I would definitely rent from Alamo again!

Purchased a «drive happy» fare for a 2-​day rental in San Diego this past weekend. That says you get to pick from a selection of cars compact or larger. Our selection was 5 of the same large pickup truck. I asked the woman if there was ANYTHING else, I didn’t even mind a compact (and had only paid a few dollars less for the option of not just choosing a compact, which in retrospect, I should have done). She said these were the only ones they had available, they were almost out of cars (although I had the option to pick the compact just 2 days before when I made the reservation). I also told her I drive small cars and was NOT comfortable driving a large pickup truck. Her response? «These trucks are really fun!»
Add to that I paid a ton more in gas than I should have and I learned my lesson on this «savings deal».
Also, there were tons of scratches all over the truck, including on the hood where they had the large «drive happy» signs, which seems ridiculous to put something on a vehicle like that. They did say that I didn’t have to worry about anything of a certain size that didn’t go «into the paint».
The kiosks did work fine on pickup, so that was nice, and returning was quick and easy.

Ali was great renting online is the only way to get a cheap car $ 13 for mid size car it’s almost like renting a bike according to the sale representative Ali. Good thing they let you choose your own car. Finding entrance could be tricky so just make a you turn on Main Street of pacific highway and park in the visitor parking this can save you 5 minutes.

Easy Peasy!
Check-​in took literally 2 minutes, picking out a car took 2 minutes. I was driving out of the airport and on my way in less than 10 minutes. Dropping off the car was just as simple and fast. Nobody beats Alamo on service and price/​value.

Easy check-​in, pleasant and helpful personnel, and good vehicle. Check-​out was equally worry-​free. I will recommend Alamo to my friends.

Vacation has started – Just got off plane –1 shuttle service –excellent
–2 – rental –Alamo –excellent
–3 – our rental Helper Ali –super super excellent –completely satisfied with Ali’s help and service —I give Ali a 10 – score
Made the beginning of my vacation excellent –this experience confirmed my whole trip will be on point –
Thank you Ali—
Alamo has highest ratings for a reason –

I have previously had a good experience but this past trip was not good. I had a Chevy Impala. The car was dirty inside. The leather was stained and there were spill marks on the inside door handle. I would try a different carrier before using Alamo again. Yes the price was cheap, but if you are traveling for business take into consideration if you really want someone else getting into the car.

I travel frequently for business and pleasure. I am top tier with several travel rewards programs (Air, Car, Hotel). I recently started using Alamo because ‘sometimes’ their rates beat out their competitors and not being part of airport property (prior to last month) if you were local you could avoid the airport tax.
For starters, the new facility on Admiral Boland Way is a huge step above any of the rental car facilities of the past. One shuttle from the airport for ALL car companies, close proximity to the terminal, and efficient, modern feel.
As for Alamo, when the process runs smoothly, it seems ok. You check in at the counter, go to the car location upstairs and are directed to a category/​class of vehicle for which you’ve paid. Pick the car you want and head out. Pretty simple and seamless. The cars (i’ve rented) were modern and well appointed for the vehicle class.
However, one thing that I’ve consistently disliked about their service is the long lines and the inability to use the kiosks (which often have long and even slower lines) with a local ID. With chains like National (where i’m Exec Elite), I can bypass the lines and go straight to the car. Not sure if Alamo has such a service, but I have enrolled in their Alamo Insider in anticipation of enjoying a level of service above base, that I’ve yet to experience.
Another thing I took exception with was a recent experience where as a San Diego resident I was required to put down a $ 300 deposit to rent a car. Mind you I am an ‘Alamo Insider’ and I’ve rented several cars from THIS Alamo since being in SD (which have all been returned on-​time and in the same condition rented), so this caught me off guard. When I questioned it, I was told it’s our policy, apparently they just started enforcing it. I understand why they would have/​need such a policy, but as a frequent customer and member of their rewards program I would expect to bypass such policy.
All in all, ultimately you get what you pay for, so if you’re looking for discounted cars, you will more than likely get discounted service. That’s just plain and simple cost/​benefit. But if Alamo wants to step up their game they should try to exceed customer’s expectations while providing lower prices.

This past weekend was my first time trying Alamo, foolishly under the impression that it was a mid-​tier car rental company so there wouldn’t be any problems. Unfortunately, SO MANY THINGS went wrong with this reservation that I had never had happened with any other company.
1. There are no employees to be found in the garage when you go to actually pick up a car. It wasn’t busy in the slightest bit, but we had to wait 10 minutes until we could actually find someone to help us out.
2. The car we got was FILTHY. Didn’t notice just how bad it was until we had driven out of the dark garage (that’s probably intentional). But the steering wheel, dashboard, middle compartment, and doors were all sticky, and the upholstery looked as if it had been to hell and back.
3. Exchanging the car wasn’t difficult, but they only had one other option and it, too, was dirty and had to be given a full wipe down before we could use it.
4. We stupidly left a pair of Ray-​Bans in the car when returning the car (you can probably guess where this is headed…)
5. I called the general customer service to try to get the number for the San Diego branch, and they were either having a bad day or bored out of their minds, because they thought it’d be funny to give me the wrong number FOUR times (mind you I could understand and hear them without a problem)
6. Was finally given a valid phone number to the San Diego branch, only to be hung up on the first time I called.
7. My fiancé arrived shortly after to look in the actual car only to be told that the sunglasses were not found. After my experiences with both the general and local Alamo employees, this was 100% to be expected.
Anddddd, scene. Thus concludes the worst experience I’ve ever had renting a car. Of course it could’ve been way worse had we encountered any mechanical issues, but thankfully nothing happened that actually endangered our lives. Just a colossal headache and waste of time from the very beginning to the very end. All in all, thanks, Alamo! You da real MVP!

We made a reservation via Costco Travel, and got a great deal on a full-​size rental. There was no line or any wait at the counter at Alamo, and we selected a full-​size Altima with a moon-​roof and leather interior. I once rented a car from a different place that smelled like cigarette smoke with lots of air freshener to mask the smell, so it was nice that our car from Alamo was spotless and clean.
Drop-​off was also quick and easy. We were lazy, and didn’t fill up the gas tank, so we paid for the gallons that we used up, and this was also easy, as the cost was charged straight to the credit card from the rental reservation.
Definitely recommend renting here!

This past weekend, I flew into San Diego Int’l ready to continue my travels. To finish said travels, a rental car was necessary.
After stepping off the shuttle, staring me back in the face was the one and only Alamo. This was my first time booking a car through Alamo b/​c I usually go through Enterprise for my rentals. My experience with Alamo was not disappointing. Walking inside the office, I approached the counter and was greeted by Mr. Ali.
Usually, my experience with rental agencies is overwhelming long. With Mr. Ali, he rang me up and booked me for my vehicle. Even went the extra mile to honor the military and hooked me up with a local Mexican restaurant. Having the great service and conversation w/​him made me forget the keys to the rental! I happened to run back in to ask how do I actually «get» the rental. I believe he assumed I already knew, but he easily told me how to acquire it.
From that point, I jumped on the escalator to the second floor. If being on the first floor wasn’t enough of a good experience, being on the second floor was just great! I think I was just blown away that from left to right, front to back, you can see cars upon cars. But of course, they are sectioned off according to the rental agency. I was awkwardly standing for a few secs, not sure what to do. The lady at the Alamo kiosk called out to me and directed me to go ahead and pick my vehicle (based on your vehicle rental type). Never before have I done that! It is always the representative telling what vehicle I will drive. Not today!
At the end, I chose the vehicle I wanted, headed to the exit point, and was scanned out by another friendly face.
I drove away with a big smile.
fin.

I had some amazing customer service by Lindsay at Alamo today!
I had two separate rentals, first a one way from LA to San Diego, and the second a one way from San Diego to Las Vegas. They were separate deals for the same car type and I was scheduled to return the car on Wednesday and pick up the other car. In a perfect world, I’d keep the same car and not have to unpack/​repack my stuff. However, I found myself downtown today and thought hey, I wonder if I can take care of the swap today.
Lindsay offered to return my first rental and then start the other rental 3 days early. It would take some cost off the first rental and add some to the second, making it more or less a wash. So it was a no-​brainer for me to do it all today. I had walked over from my hotel, so I walked back and drove in my car to make it all official. Lindsay even offered to have someone drive me back to my hotel, which was awesome of her.
Everything worked out great and now I have my original car for another 17 days and no need to stop by the rental facility again. Sweet!
Oh, and Alamo is now no longer on Kettner. They’re in a brand new rental car facility for all of the rental services. I submitted an address update to Unilocal,so hopefully by the time you read this, you’ll say «duh, the listing doesn’t say Kettner, what is this guy talking about?»

I have had really bad luck with rental car companies. I have witnessed insanely long lines, cars that break down, and consistently abysmal customer service. The last time I rented a car for a personal trip, Avis somehow managed to charge my husband’s work credit card instead of the personal card that they swiped when we picked up the car.
Enter my new favorite rental car company, Alamo.
A few months ago, I was looking for the cheapest way to get from San Diego to LAX. As much as I wanted to spend a few hundred dollars on an Über, I found that renting a car one-​way through Alamo was the cheapest option. It was around $ 25 for a few hours rental (each way). Cheaper than two weeks of airport parking!
What I love about Alamo is that you can completely skip dealing with any salespeople when you pick up your car. They have kiosks where you can look up your reservation, check in, and electronically sign all of your paperwork. This means that you don’t have waste your time explaining to the agent why you don’t want all of the fancy «bells and whistles».
I have found that Alamo’s rates are about 50% lower for airport rentals than those from other agencies. Pro-​tip: look on Costco’s travel website for extra-​low rates.
The San Diego location has excellent access to I-​5, and the people are always friendly.

I don’t know if it’s a San Diego thing, but I have enjoyed every encounter with people in this city over my four day trip, and that includes the interactions with the people at Alamo. From the front desk employee who helped me manually check in after kiosk problems, to the shuttle bus driver, to the car return line it’s all been a pleasure.
When picking up my car, the only option was a Chevy Impala (not my style). Waiting for a minute, a Ford Fusion became available. No problems driving it from SD to LA and back.

Super Nice people! Ali helped me and he was a hoot! They just made things easy. My ride was pretty sweet too!
I rent a car sometimes when I have to drive to LAX. My personal car is a stick and my leg gets tired putting in the clutch all the time in traffic. The prices are very reasonable and getting to this location is easy. Available street parking for us locals. Easy! Peasy!

I’ve used Unilocal long enough to notice that rental car companies tend to get hammered with lots of negative reviews. Perhaps more so, on the whole, than most other types of businesses. I know. I’ve written a couple negative rental car reviews myself (including for the Avis here in SD & a doozy for the Dollar in Vegas).
For such a maligned industry on Unilocal (albeit maybe deservedly so at times), I think it’s at least equally important to rave about the good stuff as rant about the screw-​ups. & on a recent 3-​day weekend in SD, my experience with this Alamo Rent A Car was just about flawless.
Going to & from the airport, the wait for a shuttle was short. Service from the shuttle drivers was excellent. Once at the office, I used 1 of the electronic kiosks which was quick, easy to use, & had no line. It made getting the rental car a super simple & painless process.
Out at the lot, free upgrade! The car was virtually brand new, clean, & drove like a dream. Returning the car was every bit as easy & practically perfect as the rest of the rental had been. I know I’ve had a couple bad to worst rental car experiences. So when a car rental works out as well as this did, it truly needs to be appreciated. & Unilocaled about.

Great customer service got an SUV for 39.99 a day four days with taxes and fees 200.00 Avis wanted 387.09 I paid 200 for unlimited miles. Great client relations. I asked for discount and they gave me 10% off. They offer shuttle to airport as well. I repeat do not go to Avis unless you want to get ripped off.