As I was conducting a cursory search for a rental car for a trip to Europe of which I plan on traveling later this year, the lowest rates I have consistently found were with a rental car company called Flizzr — and the rates at times even included unlimited kilometers; collision damage waiver; and theft protection.
Have You Ever Heard of Flizzr?
I tried to find information pertaining to this company on FlyerTalk; but to my surprise, absolutely no discussion of it exists there — not even the brand name itself — nor did I find anything at the official weblog of AutoSlash; so I did some more research.
Flizzr is apparently a budget brand of Sixt — much like Firefly Car Rental is actually a division of Hertz — and was launched within the past four years or so…
…but be aware that in exchange for the lower rates, you usually will not be able to enjoy the benefits typically offered by the parent company — nor will you likely receive good service, if you believe the reviews offered by contributors at TripAdvisor who advise to avoid this rental car company.
“BEWARE AND AVOID – CHEAP COMES AT A PRICE”, warned TripAdvisor member Refdef. “Cheap headline rate but very bad experience in Spain. Unable to contact them via the customer help line due to some special rate number. No response to web contact form. I’ve no idea what would happen if you had a breakdown. Maybe stuck without help?”
TripAdvisor member Muki A claims that the reason why rates are less expensive at Flizzr than with its competitors “is because they offer you a great deal and once you give them your credit card THEY CHARGE YOU OVER 4 TIMES THE AMOUNT.” The example given is that “We just rented a car from them in Luton and prepaid online 80 GBP for the rental, with no added on extras; insurance covered on the credit card; a returned car in perfect condition and a full gas tank, we were surprised to find a 350 pound bill after we returned the car!”
Additional charges are supposedly not only added at the time they have your credit card — but also after the vehicle is returned, according to TripAdvisor member ljdwine: “It appears to be their business plan to find damage to the exterior of the vehicle days AFTER it have been returned and email you an inflated bill for repair cost. ( 2,460.88 euro’s in my case ).”
A “horrible” experience was imparted by TripAdvisor member Alina C: “I prepaid for a car for 12 days and because my flight was delayed they just gave the car away. No refund, no resolution” was given.
Unfortunately, other members of TripAdvisor echoed similar experiences and advice — and with one or two exceptions, no one has refuted the claims — meaning that if I do rent a car, I will think twice before considering renting from Flizzr.
Summary
The temptation to rent a car from Flizzr is tempting to me — if only to impart my personal first-hand experience to you in a future article here at The Gate…
…but although I offer 13 tips on what you can do to prevent from being scammed by a rental car company, I really am not all that motivated to purposely endure potential frustration and irritation with any company while I am traveling, as I strive to ensure that my travels are as free of hassle and impediments as possible.
Have you heard of Flizzr? If you have rented a car from this company, please impart your experience in the Comments section below.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.
