3,731 reviews
- Yes
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- No, I received a worse vehicle
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- No, I received a better vehicle
AI reviews summary
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Bargain Car Rentals generally delivers a cost-effective and satisfactory experience for travellers seeking budget-friendly transport, backed by clean vehicles and efficient airport shuttle services. However, a segment of customers reports frustration regarding counter communications over insurance coverage and unexpected post-rental charges. Overall sentiment is polarised, with many enjoying seamless transactions while others advise careful reading of terms and conditions prior to arrival.
All round excellent value. Very prompt and courteous airport pickup and drop off. Likewise with the vehicle pickup and drop off which was very quick and easy. Clean and well looked after vehicle. Show details
We thought that we had a good deal on a hire car whilst on holidays. After booking and being told the fee and clarifying any excess as we had travel insurance, once we arrived to pick up the car we were advised that the travel insurance would not cover us and we had to purchase a further insurance policy for $45 per day, costing us an additional… Read more
$600 on top of the original policy price. It therefore didn't work out to be a the good deal that we thought it would be and in hindsight we should have just gone with the hire car company that we had previously used in the past as we didn't encounter this pressure!! We also didn't receive the vehicle we requested.
Would I use bargain again? No because there is no bargain when we were forced to purchase additional insurances through fea, which we were never originally informed about.
Warning to anyone hiring a car, do your due diligence and be careful of companies like these!
Bargain car rentals keep debiting the account of second driver who never drove the rental vehicle who was just a back up when they can’t locate the account of primary driver . They refuse to send a letter to person’s address . Show details
Reviews with attachments
Great experience: clean car in good shape, unlimited km perfect for long drives, pick up drop off was quick. Show details
Car was clean, some damage not noted on collection advice. Paid for airport drop off (states Darwin airport), in reality the drop off is not at the airport it’s at a Bargain rental depot outside the airport, you then have to wait around for a shuttle bus. Not told this when collecting the vehicle, if I was told I would have returned it to collection address and Uber’d to the airport. Under hand, left a bad taste. Show details
Great vehicle for the money. Highly recommended this car. Customer service fare. Show details
We loved our car it was perfect for what we needed The whole process from the initial booking to pick up and drop off was all to easy Definitely value for money and great service I recommend getting the comprehensive insurance as it gives you total piece of mind highly recommend Show details
Its a perfect place get rental for a bargin! All instructions for vehicle pick was stright forward to me. Show details
Update. The claims department contacted me suggesting that I place a claim with my insurance company. They would arrange quotes and send us the bill. In the mean time send them pictures or videos time date stamped showing the existing damage. I did this and they dropped the claim. Completely unconscionable behaviour. Bullies looking for innocent… Read more
people to pay for existing damage to their vehicles. It’s a wonder that the chip even showed up as the car was filthy when we received it.
The off airport pick up in Cairns is a disgrace. The man upon check in was rude. We were given no explanation as to how anything worked (the outside of the car was fairly grubby but the inside was clean) in the car and after we had said no to their overpriced insurance, were told that there was an additional chip in the windscreen upon return. Their ‘claims’ team will be in contact apparently. If they knew a chip was there and are sending their claims people after us, why was the first chip not repaired? We took a video of the vehicle upon pick up (thank goodness) which shows the chip was already there. These people are shameless. I will never use them again, despite them being cheaper. We hire cars only a few times a year and have never used them before so did not know. If you choose to save money I understand, (but if we took up their insurance option, it would have been double the price of Avis or any of the others,) so make sure you take a video and really comprehensive pictures.
The worst insurance coverage I’ve ever seen on a rental car and I’ve rented many times all over the world. Before booking read the terms and conditions because the insurance coverage is very limited and unusual. Eg- You are not covered for hail damage or hitting an animal, (neither of which were covered in the standard rental insurance). It all… Read more
renders travel insurance covering rental car excess of limited use. Based on this it seems you could hit a kangaroo or the car ruined by hail, write off the car and be up for the full cost of the entire car regardless of your travel insurance excess coverage. So maybe you have to feel lucky to rent with Bargain. Apart from the unique insurance arrangements the customer service was good and the car was clean and had no problems.
We normally always use bargain car rentals and have had previously excellent service. This time around we used a shuttle pass to and from the airport. We had the same driver and elderly gent and he was terrible in his service. I made him aware that the seatbelt in my wife’s seat did not function. He was not interested and my wife travelled in an… Read more
unsafe unrestraint bus to the depot. We got the same fellow on the way back and service was again terrible. I will not be doing business with Brisbane again based on this experience.
Latest follow-ups
Beware – Beware - There seems to be a systematic approach to attributing known damage to the vehicle to unsuspecting customers when returning the vehicle. Police report being filed now. Show details
Follow-up · Company was initially hostile with me then ghosted me. I’m sure this strategy to try to rip off customers comes from management.
Thank you for your review Adam, and we are… Read more
Find out how Bargain Car Rentals compares to other Direct Car Hire
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An easy, quick and pleasant experience – The pickup and transfer to and from the Gold Coast airport was simple with minimal waiting. The counter business was handled efficiently and pleasantly. In no time I was on the road. Returning the vehicle was quick and straightforward. Show details
Follow-up · The car was an MG3. Fuel economy was not measured but seemed reasonable. Transfers were easy and quick.
Tops – Can't fault these guys. Been using them for many years. Only wee issue can be a lengthy wait at reception when booking in. Show details
Follow-up · Rehired again this August, but from Gold Coast this time. Excellent service, car and price. Thanks guys.
Positive reviews
Always a pleasure to deal with Bargain Car rentals. Cheapest prices, smooth and seamless picking up and dropping off the car. Staff are incredibly friendly and happy. Thanks heaps for making our holiday awesome! Show details
This is the second time we have rented from Bargain Car Rentals and for us the experience both times has been really positive. They are certainly great value for money, they were always polite to deal with and for us being picked up at the airport was a real bonus. The car was clean and tidy and suited us perfectly. Would happily rent from them again and also recommend them to others. Show details
These guys offered a rental price so cheap I was sceptical, but the car and rental experience were excellent. The Launceston Airport location is so close it's walkable without luggage and so close they don't need to hang around for multiple… Read more
customers to load into the shuttle (although when we dropped the car off, the shuttle driver checked we weren't at risk of missing a flight if he did a quick shuttle run while we unloaded the car). The car itself was a brand new MG and spotlessly clean, the check in experience was very quick and efficient. The shuttle service also drops off right outside check-in, saving you from having the schlep all your luggage from the on-airport car rental return yard.
Follow-up · To answer follow up questions - insurance was not included. I opt to buy domestic travel insurance that covers rental car excess and is much cheaper than purchasing excess reduction insurance from any car insurer. Fuel policy didn't have a km limit, returned full for no fee.
Negative reviews
If you’re renting a car in Brisbane, don’t use these people, they returned my $500 dollar security on the day I dropped off the car then took it back two days later, said there was a scratch, funny thing is no one came out to inspect the car upon return, when I asked why they told me staff shortage. Sounds a little crooked. Bad business practice. Show details
Beware. Rent elsewhere. Like others who posted reviews with the exact same experience this past month, we have been sent a $1000 bill to replace 2 tiny windscreen chips that we are certain were not caused during our rental. With two passengers in the car at no time did we hear one stone, let alone two, hit the screen. The chips were not… Read more
visible to the naked eye on our pre rental inspection — no normal person would have spotted them.
Bargain puts the onus solely on the driver to have photo or video proof that the chips existed prior, without needing to do so themselves.
Make sure you read the negative reviews before renting with Bargain. We will never rent from them again.
Avoid Bargain Car Rentals Melbourne Airport at all costs. My experience was dishonest, unhelpful, and incredibly disappointing. After paying for a confirmed booking, they refused to honour it based on requirements that were never made clear beforehand. They then refused to take any responsibility or offer a fair resolution. To make matters… Read more
worse, they made false claims about my conduct rather than addressing the real issue. It felt like they were more interested in protecting themselves than treating a genuine customer fairly.
If you value transparent policies, honest customer service, and your money, choose another rental company. I would never use Bargain Car Rentals Melbourne Airport again and cannot recommend them to anyone.
Recent reviews
Very disappointing experience with this rental company. I was charged for windscreen damage that I do not believe I caused. My wife was in the passenger seat the entire time, and we would have noticed if the windscreen had been hit by a stone. I also had video of the car before I drove away, but because I did not take a close-up of the windscreen,… Read more
the company dismissed my complaint and still made me pay for the repair.
I paid for the repair, but I refused to pay the $110 administration fee because I believe it was unfair and poor customer service. Despite this, they charged my credit card for the fee without my permission. I would not recommend this company based on my experience.
Find out how Bargain Car Rentals compares to other Direct Car Hire
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Sydney Airport = Worst. Hobart = Best – How can the same company perform totally different? At the Sydney airport they know nothing about customer service. They have a guy (Josef) who treats customers like dirt. Their lot is crowded, disorganized, a total mess. In Hobart they have a professional counter, neat parking lot, they treat you like a value customer and they even go the extra… Read more
mile and wait for your flight to arrive despite delays.
I am puzzled at how the same company can allow Josef to treat customers like dirt, while they set high standard (that show) in Hobart.
My advice to the company. Get your Sydney franchise in order as it is seriously hurting your reputation; and get rid of people that don’t know how to treat customers. Josef is more adept to working at a slaughter house than in a customer facing role at your Sydney branch.
BEWARE RENTING IN WINTER - I have been very satisfied with Bargain for years out of Launceston Tasmania. Very good experiences with cars and staff. However, I often visit in the winter and not once did anyone in the office advise me that insurance coverages on the vehicle are suddenly void if I happen to drive the car on a road when it is snowing… Read more
or likely to be snowing - even though I said I was driving to Cradle Mt resort in August. It snows down to 600 meters in Tasmania at times. I and lots of other people also visit Cradle Mountain in winter on excellent sealed roads. I only just discovered this important nugget of information in the fine print of their lengthy terms document. And then find, Bargain offers no snow or winterization add on, even though I now know after checking that other car rental firms in Tasmania DO offer it. When I called Bargain for clarification I was simply told if it starts to snow while I'm driving to simply pull over somewhere and wait until the snow is gone. Are you kidding me?! I'm not talking about driving on roads closed due to weather or driving in a blizzard. I am talking about driving on open sealed roads in a state where weather happens, including snow, sleet, etc., and suddenly I am supposed to sit on the side on the side of the road for potentially many hours or even a day or overnight, to wait for all signs of snow on the road to disappear before I can continue driving without voiding my coverage? If you rent cars in a region where snow happens, then you design coverages to suite the conditions!! Or, you should not rent cars in Tasmania! Very disappointed.
Worst car rental experience in my life. Called the shuttle twice, but didn't turn up so had to Uber there. Incredibly unpleasant counter attendant told me I didn't have a booking, when I showed him the booking.com booking he began a tirade of blaming them. Tried to upsell me on insurance that costs more than the rental telling me I'd be up for… Read more
$10k liability if I didn't - despite already buying full cover at a quarter the price from booking.com
After taking my money and lecturing me on how bad booking.com is then refused to give me the keys which ended up in a 25minute argument.
They also charge $5 PER TOLL admin fees. The toll charges are likely to exceed the booking.
I can't stress how bad this experience was.
Very disappointing customer experience. Due to a flight delay, I arrived after the office had closed and was unable to collect my vehicle on the scheduled day. When I attended the office the next day, I explained the situation and was advised that I would not be charged for the previous day because I had not collected or used the vehicle. Despite… Read more
this, I was later charged for that day.
I was also informed that the insurance I had purchased through the booking platform was not sufficient for the rental company’s requirements. I was presented with the option of paying additional insurance costs or leaving a security deposit and accepting significant financial risk in the event of damage. This was not clearly explained during the booking process and resulted in unexpected expenses.
The final cost of the rental was far higher than anticipated for a short rental period. I left feeling frustrated and disappointed by the lack of flexibility and transparency.
I would encourage future customers to carefully review all charges, insurance requirements, deposits, and collection policies before booking.
great quick service!. no fuss approach. Even better at the van dropping time. In, drop, out!. Fantastic. People there are friendly and helpful. I had an issue with changing gears on the van, and everyone there was happy to drop what they were doing to give a hand. The van motor was not at its best, that is why not getting 5 starts, otherwise it would have been a great experience. Show details
Booking was easily made. Customer service was very good. Price of the vehicle for a week was extremely cheap, even with the roadside assist add-on. The car that we were supposed to be given was different to the car we received, but it was clean and reliable. Shuttle bus service to and from the airport was easily organised. Will definitely use Bargain Car Service again. Show details
Awful company. Beware of scummy hidden costs! Worse than it's competitors. They say "bargain" but have hidden ways to rip you off. Car was sub par a well. Easily the worst deal I had in the car rental market over the last 5 years.
This is the second time we've used Bargain Car Rentals in Tasmania, once from Hobart and now Launceston. Both experiences have been very positive - great staff, good vehicles and good prices. A pick & drop off is available service from and to the… Read more
airport, and the office is less than a 3 minute drive. Convenient, efficient and trustworthy operation from our two experiences.
Follow-up · We hired an MG HS, a quite comfortable lower- priced, but well-appointed SUV for 4 adults. The shuttle bus took about 10 minutes to pick us up from the airport, which is less than 1km from the rental lot. 4 suitcases in the rear had to be arranged well to fit in, but it worked. Pretty good fuel consumption. There were no extra fees incurred.… Read more
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Please publish as this company bargian car rentals is billing the secondary driver , me , who is… Read more