Alamo - London Gatwick Airport Information, Car Rental Instructions & Policies

Please make the Alamo a bit larger so the customer can see it easier. Now it's a bit hidden below the enterprise sign so it took me a minute to find out which is the stand. Everything else was excellent.

Alamo really stood above previous experiences with other rental companies. They were quick and efficient and the value was outstanding. I will rent from them again at LGW without hesitation.

A false nail and ice cream wrappings were found in the car during our rental. AC was not working throughout the whole rental, and was needed on a particularly hot day in the UK

Very Good

No contract or invoice sent upon collection or completion of the rental Not good in that respect!

Insurance offered with car was affordable and sufficient

Small cars were not available so I was offered a bigger car with no extra cost. Super helpful and friendly staff who do not mind talking through the whole car with you.

Quite a disorderly queue at the counter which was very busy.

There is some upselling of insurance, but you can just tell them you don't need it.

Generally satisfied with the rental and return process, but the efficiency in handling breakdowns was notably low, even though I had bought full insurance at the counter. During the drive, the front left tire burst, and I stopped by the roadside to call in the accident. I wanted to change the tire myself, but the A200 car had no spare tire, only a compressor. I called at 6 PM, and the wait time on the phone was quite long, at least 15 minutes. After explaining the situation, they said they would contact the relevant personnel and mentioned that it would be completely free. They arranged for Alamo at Luton to handle it, but the Luton staff clearly didn't want to deal with it and just gave us the number of a towing company. We contacted them via WhatsApp, and they provided an account and asked for £65 upfront before they would send help. After transferring the £65, a Romanian arrived at 8:30 PM, charged £245 in total, and towed the car about 6 km to Luton Airport. Upon arrival, they said all tire repair shops were closed and suggested either replacing the car or getting the tire fixed the next day. Replacement would only offer a manual car, which I declined, opting to fix the tire the next day. The Luton staff suggested I drive to the tire shop myself the next day despite the flat tire, claiming it would be fine to drive slowly as it was a premium tire. I didn't trust that and didn't want to ruin the rim by driving the 4 km with a flat tire. We had a hotel booked in Manchester, and Luton suggested we let Gatwick Alamo handle it. We had the car towed to a Holiday Inn for the night. The next morning at 7 AM, I called Gatwick Airport, and they said they would send someone within three hours to take us to get the tire fixed. By 10 AM, I called again to confirm, and they assured me someone would come by noon. By noon, they said they would arrive by 3 PM. Haven't they heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? We called the towing company from the previous day, and a Pakistani guy arrived within 25 minutes, towed us to the repair shop, and even took us out for lunch while the tire was being fixed. Thanks to the brotherly friendship of Pakistan! I called Alamo to inform them not to send anyone as we had it handled, and they said to invoice Gatwick for the charges. No issues after that. When returning the car, I mentioned the accident report to the staff, and she couldn't find it in the record. She asked which number I called, so I showed her my call log. Luckily, I had a recording of the first call; otherwise, she might have dismissed it. She took photos of our receipts and said the bill would be sent, and refunds would be processed within 10 days. It's been five days now, and I haven't received any email. Watching for further developments.

No lines, but it took more than an hour to process my order, extremely inefficient. The car prepared for me was 1-2 categories smaller than what I booked, and our luggage couldn't fit in the trunk. Fortunately, after coordination with QEEQ, they agreed to change the car, but there were no larger cars available on-site. After waiting for more than an hour (the rental desk clerk kept making calls), they still couldn't find a suitable car. Eventually, I had no choice but to take a smaller BMW 320d, which caused us to have to put a suitcase in the back seat. This car is a diesel hybrid, extremely fuel-efficient, consuming less than 5 liters per 100 kilometers.

Hidden charges. Complete scam.

Very satisfied

Overall quite satisfactory

Pretty good

The queue time was reasonable. Despite many customers, three counters were open simultaneously, so the wait time was about 20 minutes, which was fair. The parking lot is right behind, making car pickup very convenient.

The representative's attitude was not great. We arrived 20 minutes early to pick up the car but still received it almost 30 minutes later than scheduled. Less than an hour into driving, the screen showed a 'low engine coolant' warning. At the next city's service point, the rental company said this brand's cars often have this issue and to just ignore it, though the warning kept appearing throughout the trip. The trunk can only fit three 28-inch suitcases, which is somewhat different from the official description.

Booked whilst standing in the Alamo premises que, due to an issue with another car hire company ,But the company policy meant I was made to wait 2 hours before being allowed to pick up the car. Even though it was ready to be picked up immediately.

Pretty good.

Alamo was extremely unpleasant. During car pickup, the receptionist seemed to intentionally delay by persistently promoting additional services. If you refused, they would keep staring at the computer or nagging endlessly. To avoid delaying my next schedule, I reluctantly agreed and ended up paying double the cost. During the vehicle inspection, they were nitpicking as if using a magnifying glass to find issues, almost as if wanting to make up a fault to charge extra. Thankfully, I drove cautiously, and nothing went wrong. It increasingly felt like a scam, so I decisively canceled my subsequent car rental plans with Alamo and switched to Avis. To highlight the main point again: Alamo in London is terrible!!! I've uploaded all the documentation to prove the situation is true.

Upgraded the vehicle.

Excellent!

The pre-authorization deposit was directly charged, and there was a 200 RMB loss due to exchange rate differences during the refund.

Overall, it was fine, but the wait time can be long during busy periods.

The car provided was not the one I booked. I booked an E-class but was given a Series 3, and they even asked for extra money. You’ll never get the car you originally booked. Never. Never...

Excellent service, very efficient.

Satisfied

Very satisfied. My original reservation for a Volvo XC60 was upgraded to a Volvo XC90 by the store. The vehicle was very new, having only 5600 miles on it, and the trunk space was much larger compared to the XC60. The staff was professional and attentive.

No need to wait in line; service is quick and immediate!