I recently rented from Drivalia Heathrow and had one of the most frustrating customer experiences I’ve ever dealt with.My flight was delayed nearly three hours, completely outside of my control, and the Drivalia shuttle, which they confirmed in writing would arrive at 15 and 45 past each hour, didn’t show up until almost an hour later. When I finally arrived at the branch, I was told that my prepaid car (booked and paid the day before) had been released to someone else, as they only “hold cars for one hour.”This left me, my fiancée, and our 7-month-old baby stranded late at night with no vehicle. Thankfully, the staff member on site was absolutely fantastic — kind, hardworking, and went above and beyond to find us a replacement. The car itself was also beautiful.However, because Drivalia had given away my original car, I was forced to pay again for the replacement vehicle, even though I had already paid for the first one. It was quoted by their customer service after I complained as I had "requested an upgrade", which it technically was, but not exactly as I didn't request it, I just needed a car or else I was stuck with my family.Again, I did not request or agree to any upgrade; this was simply the only available solution. Despite explaining this clearly and even providing evidence of my original booking and eight unanswered call attempts (to both the branch and customer service), Drivalia refused to refund the original, now duplicate charge.To make matters worse, returning the car was another disaster, disorganized and delayed to the point where we nearly missed our flight so make sure you go with time.After multiple follow-ups, Drivalia responded dismissively, closed my complaint without resolution, and has now stated they will no longer reply as they “made a decision.”I have proof of everything I’m saying — booking confirmations, call logs, and their own written communications.The staff on site deserve praise, but the company behind them operates like a scam, hiding behind policy and refusing accountability for clear service failures.If you value transparency, honest service and reliability, I strongly recommend avoiding Drivalia.UPDATE 10.10:After their reply from the branch manager. After their response, Drivalia is now claiming that I “accepted an upgrade.” Let me be clear, when you’re stranded late at night with your fiancée and 7-month-old baby after a full day of travelling, with your prepaid car given to someone else, accepting another vehicle is not a choice or an “upgrade”. It’s a last resort. I signed because I had no other option but to get my family safely on the road and home. Also, how can you give them any sort of warning of your estimated time if they 1) never answer the calls (which I sent them screenshots to prove), 2) I’m 10,000ft in the air….I maintain everything I said stay away from this scammy company Drivalia.
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