I wish 0 stars was an option. Spend a few bucks more and use a reputable rental company. This place is so shady. Understaffed. Long wait times. Pressure for extras beyond original quote. Charged extra for returning car 2 hours early. Don't be fooled by low upfront quote. They intend to shake you down. - Original quote was 149.43 for weekly rental (base on 5 days). - Upon pickup (FYI, the office is a block down the street from the rental car facility the shuttle drops you at), waited in line for over an hour...With only 2 people in line before us. - At time of check in was quoted higher rate than originally quoted. It was determined that because of the later pick up (due to long wait) the rental period was less than weekly rate. After arguing the rate difference, service agent extended the return time to obtain the original weekly rate. - Agent aggressively pushed rental insurance despite the fact I carry full coverage. Auto insurance cards were not sufficient; had to download full insurance policy. Still, because the policy used wording the agent was unfamiliar with ("other than collision" rather than "comprehensive") she continued to insist we purchase their insurance coverage -- we refused. - Then agent insisted that $30 roadside assistance charge is REQUIRED in addition to original quote. I suspect this is optional coverage, but after 2 hours we acquiesced to this bogus charge. - Vehicle was ultimately returned 2 hours EARLY (since return time had been extended 2 hours to obtain the originally quoted rate). - $80.45 additional was charged to credit card days after return. I called to inquire and was told that since the car was returned EARLY, we were subject to the daily rate instead of the originally agreed upon and paid weekly rate. And was told no adjustments would be made since the contract was closed. DO NOT USE THIS RENTAL COMPANY!! Renting a car should not be as frustrating a buying a car. Every customer in this location was complaining. After their fraudulent upcharges, you are not saving any money, just getting older cars and a one block walk down the road from the shuttle drop off. read more

5 Star price BUT ZERO star service. 1. It took 50 minutes to checkout. One person was working the register and was moving slower than the sloth from Zootopia. The manager sat outside smoking a cigarette (INSIDE of a smoke-free Rental) and refused to help. 2. Our rental was filthy. They basically ran it through a sprinkler and left the bird poop all across the window shield and left trash in the door pockets and center console. (There was half-eaten food, cups and water bottles left behind...kinda hard to miss.) First and last visit for me. I like a good deal but I'm not willing to compromise service. #NOAdvantage read more

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On one hand, $50 cheaper than the second-cheapest option. So it saved me a lot of money to use Advantage. The car was a new-ish Fusion Hybrid, which was a perfectly fine rental car, great gas mileage to get from Washington, DC to York, PA and back. All good things. The down-side is that after a long flight and FREEZING outside at the pickup area outside of IAD airport, I saw about ten Budget, ten Enterprise, and ten Hertz shuttles go by until the Advantage shuttle came by almost 25 minutes after I stood outside by the curb waiting. Got me there later, got me into some traffic, and cost me about an hour of a really short three-day weekend on the east coast, which was perturbing. Also, when I tried to call to get ahold of someone in their office to ask about the shuttle, I got into an automated phone system and couldn't even reach anyone (the shuttle finally just arrived, unprompted, albeit almost half an hour after I stood around). It's an inexpensive option. The car was good. But they seem to skimp on staffing so you need to realize that if you want more, you should just pay more and go with a premium company. This is the IKEA to the real furniture you always are welcome to pay more for... read more

This whole company seems shady, a manager from this advantage car rental location, used my lost phone, I forgot it in a car I rented.He sent me two phones which are not mine.He promised me to send me a return label which is taking ages to be sent to me so I can get the phones sent back to him. After looking at reviews about this company, I see there is a lot of complaints and there has to be a way the company can be brought to table where the company has to resolve all the mess. Just follow the link and read the reviews; http://www.corporateofficeheadquarters.com/2012/08/advantage-rent-car-corporate-office.html?m=1 I am waiting on label so I can send the phones back though and also want to know what happened to my phone. read more

Advantage Rent A Car - They sent me 2 phones for a Samsung Galaxy S4 , what a joke!!!!! - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

If I could post negative stars I would! This company should not be in business. I booked through the Southwest website. I read every detail of the reservation. When I arrived, they took a surprise "security deposit" for 10 days on my credit card! I can afford it but many who arrived could not (which resulted in loud debate for each customer as they fought this) It took more than ONE HOUR TO GET A SHUTTLE FROM THE AIRPORT! When we returned the car, there was only one person working the desk. It took nearly an hour to return the car if you wanted a receipt. The car we got had clearly been broken into and had a damaged window that whistled the whole time we drove it. The car was dirty and someone leftover food was in the door. Beware and rent elsewhere read more

Wow! This was the most unprofessional "business" I have ever dealt with. My first and definitely last experience with them. This was the filthiest car I've ever seen, and I have a teenage daughter! When you add up the fees and charges, don't forget to include the dry cleaning costs.... 1/2 of the stains on the driver's seat are now on my uniform pants (see first photo). The car was full of scratches and dents which I pointed out to the person that makes you sign the form stating that the car is in good shape and was told, "I don't see nuthing wrong with this car, sign here". Wow I had very limited time while here and didn't want to waste it trying to arrange a descent car. As I pulled out of the lot(the normal exit is a broke as this company) and enjoyed the dirty public restroom smell, I called customer service. By the time I actually got to speak to someone, I was 45 minutes away, and told to bring the car back for a replacement. Since I had the car for less than 20 hours, I couldn't really spend 2 hours doing that. I asked for a call from the general manager. Another thing to plan for with your charges is fuel. I picked up the car and the top edge of the needle was aligned with the bottom edge of the full line. Not being familiar with kias, I assumed this was full. When I filled up, the needle was well above the full line. (See picture, and yes that's how dirty the instrument panel was). At 9:00 at night while putting my son to bed, I received a call from a manager. (Again, so unprofessional). She told me I would only be responsible for the taxes and fees and offered to bring me a different car. She also said she would text me her phone number, email address and meet me when I drop off the car. None of which happened. When I returned the car, I pulled up near a group of employees standing around smoking. I unloaded my bags and started to head into the building when one finally approached saying, "hey, where's your contract ". So I walked back to the car and pointed out the contact sitting in the visor. He asked if I needed a receipt and seemed very annoyed when I said yes. He then took me inside to print one. When I stepped back out, other customers were complaining about their experience here as we waited (15 minutes) for a shuttle to the terminal. I asked an employee standing near by if anyone left happy with their rental. He just laughed and walked away. The lack of care for customers is very evident in every aspect of Advantage's business. The reviews on here are right on. I made the mistake of booking a car through Hotwire and got stuck with these unprofessionals. That is another mistake I will not repeat. If Hotwire doesn't want to take care of their customers and are happy to take their money in exchange for services like this one, they too have lost my business. UPDATE: It was nice to receive the same response as everyone else explaining that they have fixed the problem. Clearly, posting this untrue reply on everyone's review of the exact same problems, shows that not only have they refused to fix their known problems, but that they never will and never care to provide the customer service that they promise over and over. VERY DISAPPOINTING! read more

They are closed, like padlocks on the gate, abandoned lot. Yet they keep renting cars. Fun times. BTW save yourself blood pressure medsl and avoid their customer service line. If I was on the amazing race, I would love for my competition to use these people. read more

Writing this review from a different vantage point, as I didn't fly into Dulles Airport or shuttle to pick up my car rental; I was dropped off via Lyft. My Lyft driver picked me up from home, and we headed to IAD. Neither of us were too familiar with the area I was being dropped off at, but Advantage was somewhat easily found off the dimly lit industrial road lined with other rental companies. I was extremely weary after reading the Yelp reviews, but overall am glad I booked with Advantage and had a really great experience, which seems unique compared to the rest of the Yelpers on here -- appears I got lucky! I saved over $200 booking a minivan with Advantage compared to other places; we were renting for a week in the summer to drive to Atlanta, GA and Hilton Head, SC. The more popular companies had prices of $750+ for a weekly rental. I reserved and paid for the car a month in advance via Hotwire, and hoped for the best. It was around 9PM on a Thursday when I headed inside to wait in line with my four-year-old son in tow. My Lyft driver popped his head inside to ask where he should leave the compound since the gate bar was down and Zeeshawn pointed to gave him quick instructions on how to exit. One person was ahead of me and Zeeshawn greeted me once it was my turn. I gave him my last name and showed him the confirmation on my phone. Zeeshawn went through the contract with me, and explained the $300 refundable (should nothing wrong happen to the car) hold that would be placed on my credit card. He asked for car insurance info and accepted what I gave him, and didn't push me hard on buying add-on's like gas, insurance, tolls, etc. I signed and initialed everything and he handed me the keys to a 2010 Toyota Sienna. I thanked him and told him I appreciated his customer service, and he withdraws his hands holding the keys and says, "You know what? Let me upgrade you to a better van! It's in row B4" And proceeds to swap the keys out and hands me the key fob to a brand new, white 2018 Chrysler Pacifica! I thanked him profusely and walked out into the parking lot to check out the new whip. Sweeeeeeeet! It was freshly washed (still had water drops on it) and I did the walk around to check out if anything was wrong with the exterior of the car (as well as I could since it was now 9:30pm and dark out -- used a flashlight on my phone) and initialed the form. Got my kid securely in and we checked out the interior. Had leather seats, XM radio, navigation, and bluetooth. Pretty swanky compared to the basic ass Sienna with cloth seats and AM/FM radio with no navigation that I had walked past. LOL Everything was very clean -- the inside was cleaned out well from the prior renter (kudos to the cleaning team), didn't smell bad (the scent of the inside was faintly of new car smell mixed in with leather seats kinda smell), not a spec of dirt was on the black carpet, and it had the paper mats on the floor. It barely had 6K miles on it. I was impressed because lets be real... minivan rentals are treated like crap, lol. Minivans are usually put to the test -- especially while traveling with kids. I didn't find a single Cheerio during my inspection. I put on my fav XM station and rolled up to the front gate, handed the attendant my initialed checklist and he waved goodbye, and told me to enjoy my trip. We put 1754 miles on that Pacifica in a week. It was a good van to us and served its purpose well during our multi-state road trip. I drove the car back to Advantage and dropped it off in the parking lane for returns, and an attendant came to grab paperwork from me and was very pleasant. I walked inside to check out at the service desk and was in and out in less than ten minutes with a receipt in my hand. No extra charges ever hit me after the return of the rental, and the hold was promptly removed from my credit card. I'm thankful we saved $$... and didn't experience any of the horror stories I read on here, lol. Thanks for the nice ride, Zeeshawn!! read more

The worst. Also operates as Ez-Rent. When I arrived early a.m. there was only one guy working the checkout line and he was slowwww. He kept excusing himself and running out to the lot to do some other task, so I waited forever. I was the second person in line and I got the only vehicle they had on the lot. Everyone in line behind me was going to be without a car. I reserved and prepaid an SUV and all they had was a sedan. I asked to have the manager call me and they took my info but I was never called. The car was washed outside but still had previous renters trash in it. Do not go with this place....pay a couple of extra bucks for a reputable agency. read more

Unfortunately I had to leave a one star review based on their shady business practices. Flew in and out of IAD, car was in good shape, wait wasn't too bad for the shuttle and the reservation. The most disappointing fact occurred a few weeks after the reservation, a $31 charge to my credit card. Upon digging, I discovered that I had to pay for the transponder/EZ Pass in advance to use the toll roads around Virginia at the time of reservation. This wasn't made clear to me nor was there a huge disclaimer on the transponder in the windshield saying "Will not work if not activated prior". I only used a toll road once to get back to IAD faster, due to not feeling well and was charged $6 for the toll and a $25 "convenience fee" by Advantage for the toll violation. They do nothing for that "Convenience" since everything is handled electronically. Also this is $25 PER INCIDENCE so I'm super lucky I didn't go on any other toll roads. If you search online you'll discover most car rental places engage in this super scammy business with toll roads but Advantage takes the cake and so they earned their 1 star review. I would think twice before using them again. read more

One of the ADVANTAGEs of renting from this place is how well it makes you physically stronger. The "return the tank 100% full" seems practically impossible without driving your car, but it's a chance to become buff by pushing it instead. Sadly, I didn't feel up to the challenge and decided to drive it instead. Costly mistake. Must have been some challenge penalty because I had to pay $10 for bringing it back 95% full. You have heavy bags you think you can't lift on the shuttle? Nah, that's negative thinking. Lift them all up by yourself. That's only half of their workout regiment, finish it up by lifting them all down yourself too! Best car rental/gym service ever. read more

Caveat Emptor! Unfortunately I can't put 0 or minus stars for these RUDE SCAMMERS. Don't go there. They are attempting to collect $2500 from my daughter for a scratch on the car that she was not responsible for. read more

When I picked up my car, I handed the man at the exit my paperwork. Before he did any review of the car, he tore off my pages of the inspection paperwork, then he provided to inspect the car. I thought nothing of it and continued on my drive. I noticed some damage later that day and I worried about it. When I returned the car, they mentioned the damage and I told them about what happened when I left. Their reply was that it was my responsibility. Looks like they are in fact trying to make me pay for previous damage with crooked dealings. I think the local DA will be interested as well as their corporate office. This is fraud and criminal activity. read more

I have worked here for almost 6 years but I am not afraid to say that our locations has so many problems. First, the Pay sucks. Second, the management is probably the worst unqualified people to ever become managers. They are too lazy to do their own job so they give it to the employees to do if for them. For example the daily inventory that they are required to do every morning, they don't do it. Next, they ask you for a favor such as switching your days off for a couple weeks or months so they can hire someone new to cover the employees day off. For example, I am usually off on Saturday and Sunday but they asked me back in November or December of 2014 to give up my Sunday's and come to work early every Sunday Mornings until they hire someone. Being the nice guy I agreed to help out but now it's been 6 months since That and I am really frustrated. I am still young I want to go party on Saturday nights but I can't do that because I have to be at work at 7am Sunday. I have even gone as far as given them my two weeks notice so I can quit, but all the managers did was pull me aside and basically suck up to me by offering me my Saturday and Sunday's off when ever they hire a new employee. I am at the point where I am now considering not even showing up read more

By far the worst customer service I saw set up I've seen. When I walked in there was one person waiting in line. I stood in line for an hour. If both reps were dealing with serious matter I would understand. Frustrated still but still would be more understanding. The gentlemen rep was constantly joking around with the customer and I noticed no progress to complete the transaction to help the next guest in line. The other rep was having difficulties and no one came to assist her. I was getting extremely frustrated when the supervisor was just tending to the cars and not anything else. There was 2 reps and 4 computers. They could have opened one more because 20 minutes into waiting I had 10 more people behind me. After it was my turn, the process was still the same. The gentlemen rep was still joking with the last guest causing my rep to fall behind on her work. I will never go to this rental location again when I visit the DC area or traveling Dulles International. read more

Terrible Service! I normally dont post reviews but I have to warn others to be careful with this particular Advantage, I dont know if the people that work here are lazy or trying to con you out of more money. We got our car which was an impala, I checked the car before leaving the lot to head to the exit booth. The car had LOTS of scratches all the way around, not to mention these huge side scratches. The guy at the front gate looked like he was barely awake. I told him that there are scratches all around the car and for him to write it. He looked at me and said "yeah yea" and handed back the paper to sign. He didnt write anything on the side of the car, he only wrote scratches for front and back bumper. I said to him again, "you didnt write anything on the paper about scratches on the side of the car". He said in a stern voice "yes yes its there, its OK". I didn't trust him so I put in "SIDE SCRATCHES" next to my signature to protect myself. (im glad I did!) At the end of the trip I went to return the car, the guy checking the car in said "Ohh what happened here" pointing to the side of the car. I told him that I mentioned that to the guy at the gate but he refused to put it on the slip, however I told him since he didnt write the side scratches on the car I put it next to my signature "side scratches" After seeing that and telling my story he didnt charge me for the pre-existing side scratches. I was appreciative for that... Thats not the end of it, when I got back home about a week later I got charged $63+ for "toll roads" even though I didnt use any toll roads, I was in suburbs of VA most of the time, even so I couldnt accumulate that much in toll road fees even if I tried. I am currently trying to dispute these toll road fees as I didnt use any toll roads, another BS scam, trying to charge me for more. If they dont refund the toll road charges im just going to notify my credit card company in the next day or so of unauthorized charges on my card. Overall a very bad experience with this Advantage! read more

I am a very frequent traveler. I avoid advantage like the plague when it comes to renting cars. On a last minute trip to DC everyone was sold out so I was forced to use them. Next time I will just go without a car. I picked my car up at night. It was not the class I reserved (premium and this car was not premium) but I decided to just let it go as it was raining and freezing. I do a quick walk around and there's a huge dent in the side door and damage to the side of the car. I mark it down. Upon returning. Of course they do what's on par with any other scamming rental company and start looking at some other damage in the same area as the big dent. Obviously related to the damage I marked down but start showing me how that part isn't clearly marked on my slip and I may have to pay. The audacity is pretty hilarious to me. I am sure I won't pay anything as my credit card will fight it but save yourself the headache with these scammers and go with a real company. No wonder they're 1 star rated. Great work advantage. You should be proud. read more

1 staff member at the counter on Memorial Day Weekend. Poor or cheap planning on the managers part and means there's a line to the door. Would have liked to spend my day outside enjoying the car we reserved instead of standing inside a rental car spot for hours. Disappointing. Highly recommend going elsewhere. Worth the extra cost. read more

Advantage Rent A Car - One lonely counter person and a sea of people who tried to plan ahead. - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

One of the last rental car shuttles to arrive. 2x man front desk was friendly. Cars are beat up, every single hub on car was severely warped. When exiting lot, there was no one actively manning exit gate. A couple of cars backed up until they drove up to gate to process us out. Drop off opens at 0530. No one manning front desk prior to that, but the shuttle to airport was standing by when I arrived at 0515. It was raining on return trip and noticed their shuttle only had one blade. At least it was the driver side. All in all, was a decent experience without major complaints. I got a car, and got to the airport on time. Will see how their billing is as there wasn't anyone to process me out. read more

Well, I'll be as fair and honest as I can. For a quick cheap way to get from point A to point B with nothing else, this is fine. And the woman than checked me in was friendly. But after arriving at the airport, with a reservation, I waited 40 minutes in 95+ degree weather and had to call to ask where the shuttle was. Finally get picked up, and wait in line for 20 minutes to get a car, there is 1 maybe 2 parties in front of me. I get assigned a car, the outside was FILTHY, bugs on the grill, mud, bird poop etc. I don't even drive my own car looking like this. I got in the car and the wheel was locked so it wouldn't start and I had to walk back in and wait for someone to help. Returned to drop off the car, now 25 minutes of waiting. To the point the shuttle driver said just give me your keys and contract and I'll have them figure it out, we need to get you to the airport. Overall, not a great experience. Probably wouldn't use them in the future, but again, if you don't need the frills and just need something to get around in, they would work for you. read more

I don't know about other people but I didn't have any problems with them. Pretty straight forward and I got out, found the car they assigned me and out of the lot all within 15 minutes. No fuss. Just make sure you ask all the necessary questions you need to know before you take the keys. My advice, research a bit on what hours they are open and close based on your flight schedule and if it doesn't work out for you, move on over to other places. They were friendly and very helpful. The only thing that I will complain about, out of all the other rental companies, they only have one shuttle going around, compared to others who have 3-4 shuttles going around, you will have to wait a bit for it to come by and pick you up or drop you off. read more

+ plus for the price--saved about $15 for the 2 days rental over competitors + plus for the fairly courteous staff--shuttle drivers, person at the drive out gate, person checking me back in at the lot - minus for the infrequency of shuttle pick-up from the terminal (Sunday 8:30pm). It seems like the other companies looped around 2-3x before this shuttle came after a 15-20 mins wait - double minus for the check-out counter persons. He tried to scare me into an upgrade: "You have a economy car. It is very small with only 2 doors. I don't recommend it for this kind of weather. It is not safe." 2 weeks ago when I rented this car--it was indeed record breaking cold and snowy. But I really don't appreciate all the fear he tried to put into the situation. I declined because I wasn't sure I could trust the dude about anything. I was given a Jeep Patriot which I imagine was a free upgrade of sorts. Not sure if I would return or recommend this place. And I would definitely watch out for their office time. They don't currently have an arrangement where you can pick up when their office is closed. During the winter when there's a higher chance of flight delay and missing the office, perhaps try another company that's opened 24/7. read more

Well guess this will be just another bad review. Arrived guy at security couldn't be bothered had to get out and ask him. Then pulled up front told couldn't park there to wait to pick up car had to park on end as far as possible from building while they were in fire lane goofing off. NO customer service to say the least! Hopefully rental won't be as bad as it stated. Just remember a happy customer tells a few friends but ann unhappy one tells everyone !!!!!!! From reading others employees could care less!!!!! Called 800 number for customer service they said so what then just a minute came back said hello then hung up. Guess it starts at the top!!!!! read more

They only have 1 car on the lot for me to choose from. The other cars have some kind of issue like expired stickers or missing keys. The car they gave me has so many scratches & defects I might as well circle the whole car. When I told the guy I was unhappy with my choice of car & that it was so jacked up he just shrugged his shoulders & said there's nothing he can do. How is that for customer service. They should be paying me to drive this junk of junk with bird poop all over it! read more

Terrible service with no regard for their customers. Made reservations through Hotwire so got stuck with a prepaid rental car if not would've gone elsewhere. The people working the counter just simply don't care! Especially Zeeshawn who instead of checking me in decided to run out to get a soda was more important than acknowledging customers leaving them standing in line. read more

The shuttle was quick to the airport. I only waited about 10 mins for it. Got to the rental company and was in and out in about 30 mins. So far, no surprise charges at check out. Very cut and dry and simple. read more

The shuttle took forever to pick me up at the airport. When I rented the car they said I didn't need an EZpass based on where I was going. I immediately ran into a toll and had no cash. Then I got confused and accidentally got stuck on a toll road. I tried to pay the toll before leaving the area online but was unable. I got home and they charged me a $50 fee for not paying it the tolls. I called to complain and they wouldn't fix it. I will never rent from Advantage again. read more

I've been waiting by the curb for over 30 minutes so thought I'd write a review of this disappointing experience with Advantage. Every other company has rolled by to take their customers to the rental centers. Advantage? Heck no. They'd rather have you standing out in the freezing rain. Try calling them? You ask. Of course. On hold 15 minutes only to be told it could be a while. Last time I ever rent from this half-baked company. Oh and I've now been here waiting for 40 minutes. Pitiful. Update. My hands are finally thawed enough to update. Over an hour later, I am finally at the rental counter with a half dozen other customers. You guessed it. One clerk to check everyone out. How can this get any worse? Actually I'm afraid to ask that... add another 20 minutes to my wait. 3rd update. Yes it got worse. So the entire ordeal took 2 hours and 15 minutes. The lone lady at the counter apologized but could not offer anything but a weak smile. As she gave me my car keys, I got a "I think it is in B8." "You think?" was my response. "ya, hit the car alarm if it's not there...". It wasn't there. The lot was dark and potholed. That car sounded like someone punched the muffler and the alignment was so far off that I can't believe they allowed it to leave the lot. Came back and got a second car. Of course I had to wait in line for the sole clerk. Went back to the gate, and that guy apparently opted to go on break. Waited for him for 10 more minutes. The windshield on a cold rainy night looks like someone mopped it with a snot rag. Can't wait to see the car in daylight. I'm sure I will be even more impressed with this clown car company. I WILL NEVER RENT FROM ADVANTAGE AGAIN. read more

Don't do it.... You may be lured by the low, low prices, but they will get you. Advantage cars come equipped with something called EZTOL, a service you must first notice, then elect, and then pay for in your rental agreement. By electing EZTOL, you authorize Advantage to pay all tolls on your behalf and you pay Advantage for that service. If you don't elect EZTOL because you wish to pay tolls in cash or because you have your own vehicle transponder, you will still be zapped with a $25 PER OCCURRENCE fee every time you transit a toll station. In other words, for transiting the toll booth 3 times with my OWN EZPASS device, I was billed $79.50 by Advantage: $4.50 for the actual tolls, and $25x3 in penalties for each transit. When you try to sort this out with Advantage, you will be confronted by a customer service system that does not answer the phone and whose voice mail is so full it is not accepting additional messages, despite the fact that the recording advises you to leave a message. I also experienced the weirdness, mentioned by other reviewers, of being asked to provide proof of insurance upon rental -- something I've never experienced with other rental car providers. I had to call my auto insurance company to provide verbal notification over the phone. Bottom line: If you have the time to take your insurance agent and your lawyer with you to review all the documents for the fine print and penalty fee traps Advantage has laid for you, then go ahead and rent here. If you just want the normal experience that the average car-renting public has come to expect from more reputable and well-known companies, then run away quickly from this place. It is a scam doing business thinly veiled as a car rental agency. I think this might be the first Yelp review I've ever written. Congratulations, Advantage! You pushed me into it. read more

My review of this rental car company is some what mixed. Did we get the car we reserved for at the price we reserved? Yes! Was it problem free? No! Did it work out in the end? Yes! Would I rent from Advantage again? No! I reserved my minivan through Hotwire "Hot Deal" option and chose the company with the lowest rate, "Advantage". I had no idea what this company was but assuming that all rental companies were just about the same (i had rented through budget, Avis, dollar, thrifty, enterprise, etc), i decided to give this company a chance. Then my worries began. Shortly after I purchased and paid for the rental, I went on Yelp to see what the people were saying about the company. And the reviews were bad!! A lot of the negative reviews were about how long they had to wait to get their rentals as well as "hidden" charges. I figured that I can get there a bit earlier to counter the potential long wait time and that hidden charges would not be an issue for me as i already prepaid. On the day of the rental, I arrived about 40 minutes earlier for my minivan. This is when things got interesting. I was told that they did NOT have a minivan for me. In fact, they did not have any minivans available. Nothing! They then asked if they can give me something else for now and call me later when a minivan became available. I said absolutely not because I am going out of town with the family and I cannot come back for another car, which led to a long awkward silence, after which I was told to give them some time. I must have waited about good 20-25 minutes looking for other rental places, which by the way found a cheaper deal for a minivan with other rental companies. While I was contemplating on requesting for a refund from Advantage and go to the other rental company, I was told that they were able to secure a minivan for me. Then I waited for another good 10-15 minutes for the car to be ready, which then showed up whereupon i drove out of there with a huge sigh of relief. It should be said that because they had to get my rental in a hurry, they did not do a good cleaning job. The previous minivan renters must have had pets as the back seat still had a lot of pet hair and crumbs on the floor. Oh well... better to get my car this way than no car. In retrospect, I think the company is struggling to stay in business because the lot was pretty empty with only three people working on site (one at the counter, one checking the car in and out, and a manager hidden somewhere). And while the front desk person was courteous throughout the process and I ended up getting my rental, this experience definitely did not instill any confidence that something like this wouldn't happen again. So, yes, I got what I needed at the price I paid, but no, I will not be renting at this place. read more

They have only one shuttle to pick you up at IAD to bring you to the rental desk. The parking lot at night is not lit so I could not properly inspect a very scratched vehicle. The employee would not offer a flashlight. The rear right tire was leaking air. And the car had not been cleaned at all. I was on a business trip. This is a low-budget, cost-cutting operation. Pay the extra to use Hertz as you will be left wanting. Also, no employee was empowered to solve any issue at all. They just listen and tell you the company does not let them fix the issue for you. The Parking lot has not lights on at night so when you look at the adjacent lot (Alamo?), I felt like an idiot for choosing Advantage. Not a world-class standard operation. If you have less to spend, a good choice I suppose. My mistake all around. Never to return. I am also contacting the BBB about them. There are some serious issues with how they process you brought at arrival and departure. read more

Tahsina & Joanne were wonderful and gave me the best deal in no time. I was in and out the door with a great car in no time. They even gave me some tips and offered to upgrade me because of a snow storm in the nearby cities. Glad to be a first time customer here. I will definitely return, God willing. read more

Beware when renting from Advantage at IAD!!! The car I rented has a slow leak, causing me to have to continually put air in the tire. It smelled like smoke and the transmission was slipping throughout my trip. When I told the agent, she said she would have the manager call me. Never heard from anyone. Called three times, no one was ever available. Called corporate twice, finally spoke to a customer service manager who was super rude. She gave me the direct number to Joanne the manager at the airport, but that number did not go through. I also learned that the car was rented directly after I had it, which meant the issues were never addresses. NEVER AGAIN!!!! read more

Pretty bad customer service, even just speaking to them is unpleasant. I understand that not everything can be perfect, but even trying to talk to someone at the company, they make it seem like you're bothering them. Be sure to ask very detailed questions, understand exactly what they're offering you because they will try to stick you with additional costs at the end. Explaining that it's, "how every car rental company in America does it..." Came here to drop a review, noticed they have a 2.3 star rating and figured that makes sense. Guess I should have checked *before* using them. Buyer beware. read more

After countless attempts to reach someone by phone, I went into this place fully prepared to give them a 1 star. But wow was I surprised by their in person customer service! When we arrived late on a Friday night Victor was on duty. He was welcoming, friendly, and quickly put us in a beautiful car. Dropping off the car was fast and easy. Also, the driver of the shuttle to and from the airport was very nice and friendly. Advantage has horrible online and telephone service but their staff on site is wonderful. read more

Advantage Rent A Car - The fancy controls on a Chrysler 300 - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Just don't rent from them. My company booked a car for me while I was in DC for a week on work. When I arrived to the rental car center, they told me that the only two cars they had on the lot were mini vans. I told them that I did not reserve a mini van and did not want one, as I preferred the compact car that was already pre-paid for me. They made me feel like it was my fault that they did not have the correct car. They gave me a compact car with a plate that was expiring in a day, requiring me to have to return to the center the next day to swap the car. No customer service, absolutely no attention to detail, and I will never be giving them business again. I will be recommending that my employer also never use them again. read more

Yeah. Not much to say about this company other than they are "cheaper" due to the fact that they charge $25 service fees on speeding tickets, and other outrageous service fee charges for "toll violations" even though some violations cannot be helped (like people accidentally going through a toll, or being forced to drive through as they don't have CHANGE- who uses change booths anymore?!) I wanted to contest my speeding ticket, and was not able to, as they already paid it. So that they could make sure to be able to get their car back in the lot for rental. Never mind my right to contesting was taken away, you charge $25 for something you don't deserve and should never charge the consumer for. This is bull***, and yet another story where companies are not regulated and receive unjustified profits by cheating the consumer. You can look at the numerous negative reviews for this company to see other immoral things that they do to customers. Way to go America. read more

Well, I'll be as fair and honest as I can. For a quick cheap way to get from point A to point B with nothing else, this is fine. But after arriving at the airport, with a reservation, I waited 40 minutes in 95+ degree weather and had to call to ask where the shuttle was. Finally get picked up, and wait in line for 20 minutes to get a car, there is 1 maybe 2 parties in front of me. I get assigned a car, the outside was FILTHY, bugs on the grill, mud, bird poop etc. I don't even drive my own car looking like this. I got in the car and the wheel was locked so it wouldn't start and I had to walk back in and wait for someone to help. Returned to drop off the car, now 25 minutes of waiting. To the point the shuttle driver said just give me your keys and contract and I'll have them figure it out, we need to get you to the airport. Overall, not a great experience. Probably wouldn't use them in the future, but again, if you don't need the frills and just need something to get around in, they would work for you. read more

Rented an economy car for a day. Took a shuttle from IAD which took 7-8 mins to arrive. Shuttle driver was super friendly. At the Rental center, there was only one associate so it took around 10-15 mins to get the car. But he upgraded me to mid size SUV. All in all it was good. read more

Awful experience: 1. The airport shuttle at IAD made us wait for 30 minutes in 22 degrees F weather at 10 pm. I counted 3 Hertz shuttle arrivals/departures in the same time. 2. They cancelled my reservation because I was not within the 2 hr predicted arrival time (plane was delayed). 3. They asked for proof of insurance to the person before me, at midnight on a Friday 4. There system went down during booking and I spent 75 minutes in the rental hut read more