This was sitting in my drafts but decided to share. I booked and paid for a 15 Passenger Low Top Van 3 weeks ahead of my pickup date. On a cold and early November morning at 4:30AM I arrived for my 5:00AM pickup at their LIC location. No one was there. I called and was emailing and waiting until around 5:30 AM and then had to scramble to find somewhere in Manhattan to rent a van for a film shoot I was producing. TIME IS MONEY and this company screwed me over. I received a call from them about 7 hours later. And the man on the phone stated arguing with me about the booking, which I had called to confirm a few days prior. Eventually he apologized and said he just forgot and that's what happened. This literally wrecked my entire day. Why would anyone ever use a vehicle company that isn't reliable. The guy reimbursed me for the cab I took into the city with all of my film gear to cc van rental. read more

Empire Rent a Car in New Hyde Park has been my go-to for cargo van rentals. I've rented from them multiple times to move my kids between Boston and New York, as well as within Brooklyn. The vans are always in good condition, offering the best value around. The customer service is exceptional, with a special shout out to Walter and Maria C for their help in getting me on the road quickly, even when I showed up earlier than scheduled. Love the new updates at this location too Highly recommend Empire Rent a Car! read more

Empire Rent A Car - Love the after hours drop off. Makes it WAY less stressful. - Car Rental Near Me - City, New York

Terrible service Charge my card, Cancel last minute Rude people work there Worst place to rent a car!!! read more

Warning: this is a long review of my terrible experience. Absolute WORST customer service experience of my life. I booked a car for a Saturday, to be picked up at 8 am and drop off in the evening. I booked the car online the Tuesday before the weekend. I received a confirmation email on Thursday with a confirmation number. I come into Empire Saturday morning, and am told that I do not have a car because the weekend requires a two day rental and that they called me at 7:02 AM (!) Wednesday morning to let me know. I checked my call log and showed them that I did not receive a call . They offered no consolation or assistance, and I called the general manager of the company about 50 times, only to have no answer. I kept getting hung up on, and had a customer service rep in Flushing yell at me for calling. Now how does this make sense? I received a confirmation email with a reservation number (as any rental car company does), and was given a car in the email. They claimed they made a call at 7:02 AM on Wednesday (FYI- they aren't open at this time, they are open at 8 AM), yet I got a confirmation email the next day. I even contacted the office Thursday and asked to pre pay for the car, and was told I could pay only in office. All of these factors led me to believe I had a car. The location manager of Long Island City was the most unhelpful person I've ever come across . He made zero effort to figure out getting me a car. Also, every customer service rep I spoke to, stated in a roundabout way that I was lying. One person flat out said that I was untruthful, which was extremely disrespectful. Talk about a great customer experience. I spoke to the bookkeeper of the whole company (resides in Flushing) on the phone of the company and was told there was no two day minimum, and that the reservation wasn't actually confirmed, despite me getting an email because they didn't call to confirm. Looking at the reviews this seems to be a consistent issue, but what really gets me here that makes me despise this company is how rude they are to their customers. I'm sorry, but if I am getting a confirmation email with a reservation number, you shouldn't be making me feel like it's my fault that your customer service team did not do their due diligence in calling me. This is not the job of the customer who would obviously think they had a car after getting a confirmation email and reservation number. We ended up not getting a car because of the way we were treated. We essentially were told that this was our fault that someone from the company did not reach out and confirm the reservation. Overall- terrible system and horrible company. Customer service is awful, and I couldn't believe that as we were told we were getting a car (albeit after two hours of waiting thanks to zero help from the manager in LIC), we were also essentially called liars and made to feel bad. This was an attempt to shop small but I will never ever go to this company again..we were actually scarred by this experience. If i can say one thing, is to never do business with this awful rude company. read more

Renting from Empire Rent A Car was a great experience. They cared about me and my needs. The team was helpful, kind and considerate. From the moment I called to make my reservation and to pick up my car was a great experience. Gloria D. Was great helpful and provided a lot of information. George and Patrick were kind when I dropped the car. I will definitely rent her again. read more

I have recently been notified that my reviews of this company (via another review website) have been contested by this company. Please be warned that Empire Rental is unscrupulous in their business practices and have 0 stake in customer satisfaction. read more

A+ experience. These guys went above and beyond to meet a convenience request. They were responsive and delivered what was promised. I would not hesitate to use them again. Ian and Maria were my contacts and I give them a two thumbs up ! read more

Hi, I made my reservation by phone and car was ready for pick up at morning. I got white Grand Cherokee. The car was good except that somebody smoked in the car before. Although it was non smoking car according my reservation agreement. I would rate with 4 stars because of this but can not do this because the service was excellent. Thanks, Dima. read more

Another rental company canceled my reservation at the last minute so I tried to get a car from Empire instead. The process of even confirming there was a car available involved ~5 phone calls with as many people, all the way up to about an hour before I was scheduled to pick up. Once I finally got someone on the phone, I was told that there would be a $300 deposit on top of the $225 to rent the car, which would stay on my account for 30 days, and did not include insurance. I didn't find out how much that would have cost, but even before insurance I would have been out more than $500 to rent a car for just over 24 hours. Seeing the state of the cars in these reviews I'm glad I ended up canceling my plans. read more

I recently had a great experience with Empire. The company I work for has an ongoing business relationship with Empire, but I recently needed a moving truck for my personal needs. I hired a team and originally asked for a 20' truck, but after finding out where I was moving to and from, Ian suggested a 16' foot truck for better maneuverability and ease when double parking on narrower streets. He took a reservation over the phone and my movers were able to drop off the truck and leave the keys in the box after office hours. read more

I went in to get a minivan at 8am. It was rather crowded so I wasn't seen till 8:30a. But! Gloria was the woman working there. She was working both the desk and the lot (poor choice by management) and she hustled through everyone! She helped everyone and was clear and concise with her instructions. She was very helpful even though she had to do everything herself. read more

Rented a Van at the Sunnyside, NY. location. 5 days, and a lot of mileage later I still think the price was outrageous, the van ran great and did it's job though. I appreciate that but go over the price wit these guys. Kevin was cool, the other dude not so much. I don't particularly like being talked down too. Especially concerning questioning the price which comes out of my pocket. read more

I just read the response to my review. And whoever wrote that response is a terrible liar. I wish you were as professional in person as you are in my Yelp response. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE!! They are so helpful with my wacky scheduling for pick ups and drop offs and Ian is the man. I trust that they always are giving me the best deal and everyone who works there is very friendly. Even when I return their passenger vans all muddy, they forgive me :) read more

I rented a midsize car from the location at 42nd place & Northern Blvd for 2 days, for an overnight trip to Connecticut. Based on that experience I highly recommend them for car rental needs. The staff were friendly, professional and helpful. They were completely upfront and straightforward about how much everything would cost. The car was in good condition and we had no problems with it. The whole process was smooth and hassle-free. They also charged less than the big national companies were asking for the same rental. I will absolutely use Empire Rent A Car again. read more

We live near by and the Enterprise we normally use was closed on Sunday's so we decided to give Empire a shot--- total fail. We reserved online and spoke with a representative in advance, then the day before we were going to pick up the car I got a phone call stating that they may or may not actually have a car to rent me, depending on if someone else returned theirs. They were supposed to call me at 8am the next morning to let me know if there would be a car and to give me enough time to make other arrangements if necessary. No such call ever came. I did get a call at 10am reporting that they were short staffed and needed to know exactly when I was picking up the car so someone could be sure to be there. The gentleman who helped me was really nice and came to pick me up when I was lost (the address in google maps is incorrect and there are several different addresses on their various documentation). The car we rented was just disgusting. The steering wheel was sticky, there was grit covering all the controls, there was trash stuck between the seats and someone had obviously been smoking in the car for a long time- our first stop in it was to buy handiwipes to wipe it down. Upon returning the car their systems were down so we couldn't get a receipt and the only option was for them to charge my card when the system returned and fax me the receipt (which never came). Just one more pain. I think this location primarily works in Budget truck rentals and maybe they have themselves in better order on that front but despite a few kind employees, this whole rental experience was a bust. read more

Upon returning my car, at my insistence, the folks from Empire's main location (Ian) were able to offer me a discount, but the inconvenience they caused me, including completely missing the event I was renting the car for in the first place, means I won't ever be renting from them again. read more

Kevin was a big help. Very friendly and would definitely come back if I had to rent again. Very reasonable rates as well.

Pretty good. Excellent price. I was worried about renting from them because I had read a few horror stories about people renting a car and then not being able to get one when they arrived. Happily that didn't happen to us, kind of... We reserved a Nissan Sentra which is the smallest/cheapest car they offer. We needed it Christmas Eve-Christmas Day. When we arrived they didn't have the Nissan but they offered us a free upgrade to a Toyota Corolla. Fine with us! The only thing that made me nervous is that they were clearly giving us someone else's car. The attendant had to call his boss and ask if they were allowed to give us the next person's reservation. Luckily for us the boss said yes but I did feel bad that the next person would be left without a car on Christmas Eve. We were charged exactly what we were quoted which was nice. Everything else went smoothly. read more

I rented a car recently n it was excellent. The lady at the rez site, Linda, was very helpful even thou i was a pain in the butt bc i kept changin my rez but she was very patient n multitaskin. After i direct called the LIC location n spoke to David the manager to tell him I wanted a specific car. The next day I got what I wanted (I know its not guarantee but he made it happen) Then gettin my rental car was NO HASSLE. CSR Kevin, he was so nice n generous. He did an excellent job. He review the the car n contract with u step by step. I will recommend this location n company to my peers! Also, this was my first time rentin from this company. Thank you n ill definitely will rent again! ;-) read more

Gloria was extremely friendly and helpful. The car was nice as well. I would recommend working with her if she's available.

My daughter and I reserved a moving truck and 12 furniture pads in order to move her half way across the country. We selected the location because of its proximity to her apartment. Prior to the actual pick up, we attempted to contact this location on MANY occasions and they only picked up once. Once we arrived, we read that we should have reserved 24 furniture pads based on the size of her truck and move. When we asked David, the branch manager workiing the remote outlet, about the possibility of renting 12 addtl. pads, he indicated they did not have any more. However, upon inspecting the truck we found 7 more in the back. We initially asked if we could arrange for a pro-rated rate in order to rent the newly discovered pads and even offered to pay the full amount. David responded by indicating we would have to pony up $150.00 additional dollars as this was how it was done. We were so appalled by this amount, we asked if he could call the Budget corporate offices to work this out and he refused indicating we could use our own phone. He was unpleasant up to this point, but became very disrespectful and difficult after this. It now makes perfect sense why he works in a remote, wooden hut on the outskirts of town as he lacks even the basic customer service skills. I would urge anyone considering renting from Budget or the Empire Rent a Car named advertised on his card, to literally run to ANY nearby competitor. Moreover, you will also probably receive a more hygenic rental vehicle. read more

I tried to rent a car here. I waited for over an hour for them to "go get" my car. Their system was down, but, still, they should have known I was coming and have a car ready. An hour and a half later, I am still waiting. They don't apologize. They are smug, from the management on down. According to them, it is my problem I am waiting, not theirs. They offer nothing. NOT EVEN AN APOLOGY. This company is thoroughly unprofessional- I had to call twice to find this location because it is housed in a truck company of a different name. Rest assured, there is no way to know if you will get the car or van you need at the time you need it. Save yourself the stress and spend the extra hundred at a REPUTALBE car company that will treat you like human being and will have your car there for you when you arrive. read more

I went to the LIC location on Monday morning without a reservation the owner was very kind to rent me a moving van on the spot, it was affordable reliable and stress free. That's all I can really ask for and that's what I got! Will recommend this place to friends read more

I live around the neighborhood after reading the reviews, and living so close I had to go and review it myself. I call and the reservations was supported well inform. Once I got to the place I spoke to David. He was friendly show me the car, it was a 2014 Nissan versa well maintain still new as if out from the dealer. He went over all the paper work and in less then 10min I was out and cruising. I recommend this place good price and people who care about your safety. read more

Rented a cargo van which was a little beat up but fine to drive. Kevin was very friendly and made the rental and return process quick and easy. read more

Great service and great prices. I will be using Empire Rent A Car for all of my future car rental needs in the NYC area.

This company is awful. I had reserved my rental a week in advance. They then called me the morning of the rental to reconfirm. When I was en route to pick up the car, I received a call saying they did not have any cars available and that there was nothing they could do. I would never use this company again. You are better off paying a little extra with Enterprise or Avis and actually getting a car. By far the worst rental experience I have had. Do yourself a favor and don't even bother with these guys. read more

i had a last minute cancellation and my fee was waived off. a totally unexpected outcome! thank you so much. i definitely will go back when i do need a car in the future. superb customer service! sincerely, shawn w.wu read more