This was a spontaneous car rental, but everything went smoothly.

Just like the guide suggested, we were advised to upgrade the vehicle. They said my husband is tall and should upgrade to a more spacious car. We insisted on not upgrading, then they said we didn't buy the roadside assistance insurance and would have to bear the costs if anything happened. I told them we did purchase the roadside assistance insurance and showed a passage from our insurance policy. She said she didn't understand why we would buy insurance in China for renting their car. We persisted in not buying their insurance. Later we found out our car was actually quite nice, a Nissan Versa with plenty of space. A nearby staff member, who was African American, even made fun of us, but I retorted in English, making her feel embarrassed.

When we picked up the car, the staff told us that the car we reserved wasn't available, and we needed to upgrade to another car. However, he didn't inform us that the upgrade was free. This isn't the main issue. The main issue is that he told us it would cost $261. My friend and I agreed to it at the time, then he asked for our credit card. He didn't mention any other charges, and when he swiped the card, he didn't confirm with us beforehand. He handed us the receipt without letting us verify the charges and asked us to sign. Due to my limited English, I didn't fully understand the receipt and assumed there wouldn't be any additional problems since we booked through the website. Later, when I checked my bank statement, I found out they had charged more than $700 without informing us. When I complained, it was ineffective. This incident ruined the rest of my trip. Originally, renting the car was supposed to cost me around 5,000 RMB, but due to the website's issues, it caused me significant financial loss, and the website didn't take responsibility.

At the counter, I was asked if I would return the car with a full tank. I said yes, but they still charged me extra for fuel when I returned the car. They also added towing insurance without my consent, resulting in an additional $42.50 charge. I contacted the rental company, but they gave the same explanation, saying there was nothing they could do. However, after my daughter, who speaks good English, called them, they quickly canceled the charges. I've encountered this issue three times, and each time I had to resolve it myself because the rental company was essentially powerless.

The service attitude of ALAMO rental car company is good. I picked up the car through a self-service method, which was very convenient and saved queuing time. The condition of the car was good and returning the car was also very easy.