Unacceptable scam, forced extra payments, and terrible service at Alicante Airport
Unacceptable scam, forced extra payments, and terrible service at Alicante Airport Our experience with Hertz and Thrifty at Alicante Airport on July 20, 2026, was an absolute nightmare and a financial scam. We had fully paid for our car rental months in prior through Brilliant Holidays (booked during Black Friday and confirmed in Innsbruck, Austria). We arrived at the airport with a large family, heavy luggage, two children, and an elderly relative with health issues. To our shock, Hertz claimed our reservation was cancelled and redirected us to their subsidiary, Thrifty. There, they refused to honor our prepaid voucher and tried to force us into a smaller car that physically could not fit our family and luggage. When we tried to call the booking agent (Oxana / Brilliant Holidays), she was unavailable, and when she finally responded, she absurdly suggested we take a tiny car and drive back and forth twice! Because of their coordination and greed, we were forced to pay an extra 338.80 EUR (plus additional upgrade charges) out of pocket just to get a suitable vehicle (Peugeot Rifter) for our family. To make matters worse, despite having fully paid for baggage through our package, the staff tried to create chaos. We are documenting everything, including our official police report (Denuncia Atestado nº 16937/26), and will escalate this case to ECC-Net and consumer protection authorities. Avoid Hertz and Thrifty at Alicante if you do not want to be scammed and extorted!