americarsrc.com

The best way to describe Americar/Street Car Rental is like a House of Mirrors; there's a new surpri

The best way to describe Americar/Street Car Rental is like a House of Mirrors; there's a new surprise at each turn. We were attracted to the reasonable rates, $15 per day and we were renting for five days. When we arrived at the Orlando airport, we learned they did not have a shuttle service and after multiple phone calls and finally getting a real person, we learned we needed to shuttle with Routes Rental, and once at their agency, we walked across the parking lot to a small building where our car rental was located. None of this was explained upon making the reservation. Then it gets quite interesting.

Their staff spoke limited English so communicating was difficult. We learned that in order to use our own insurance, we needed to have a policy with one million liabilities. No one carries that much; the standard policy is 100K/300K. So, we had to buy their insurance for $260. We had already pre-paid $100 which was non-refundable, but the contract indicated we pre-paid $81.86. Then we were charged ‘Time Charges” whatever that is for $12.35 per day ($61.75). The next charge was a “Senior Driver Fee” for $20. We also paid $14.99 per day to cover tolls ($74.99). The final charge was a $250 security deposit fee.

Their staff started the car for us and handed over the keys. We travelled about a half mile out when we saw a warning on the dashboard that “Keys Were Not Present.” So, we went back to the car rental and were handed the correct keys for our vehicle. The gas tank was at ¾ full which was also unusual.

When we returned the vehicle five days later on a Tuesday, we were greeted by a Manager, Bernardo, who came in from Miami to assist and determine why there were so many complaints and problems at the Orlando site. He listened to all our concerns; said our insurance policy should have been sufficient and was very apologetic about our experiences. He gave me his phone number and asked me to text him so he could compensate us for the unnecessary charges when he returns to his Miami office the following Monday. He was quick to respond to my initial text messages, but we waited five additional days following that Monday when I texted him again. I mentioned that we had not received our security deposit refund and he responded, "I'm on it." To date, we have not received any compensation as promised, only the $250 security deposit refund which was finally credited to our account two weeks to the day after returning our vehicle. The car itself was good but in closing, this company is all smoke and mirrors.

Date of experience: Mar 03, 2026