Stay away from this agency and save yourself a trouble. Here is my story with these scammers…read more.. We were a group of 9 people. We made our reservation 5 months in advance, paid everything upfront, and purchased full insurance and every available protection. Before the pick-up date, I emailed the agency several times to make sure everything was in order. My final email was sent the night before our arrival. You can imagine my shock when we arrived at the Bergamo Airport desk the next morning and were simply told that our vehicle was NOT AVAILABLE. I asked the employee to provide an alternative vehicle. She told me to send an email. So I did - several times. No reply. I asked her to call her colleagues and help us resolve the situation. She refused, saying it was not her responsibility. I genuinely could not believe what was happening. I then insisted that she at least give us a phone number we could call. She literally dictated the same number shown on the agency's website. So I called. After waiting for around ten minutes, I finally reached a real person. The woman struggled to communicate in English, told me that I had called the wrong number, and then simply hung up. After more than an hour of completely useless interactions, we had no choice but to rent a vehicle from another company. Of course, all the benefits of booking and paying five months in advance were gone, and we were left dealing with the stress and additional cost at the very last moment. It honestly felt like a scam.

Got a phenomena rate for a car rental from Jan 18 to Feb 4th…read more We have been avid car rentals for our Journie's throughout Europe. First time with this company. Our rental was from Lisbon 'airport location'. We were met by a fellow 'João' known as Joel. He kept encouraging us to buy his car insurance but we turned it down because we have car insurance through our credit card. I inspected the car upon pick up. The first thing I noticed was through the inspection they were recording all the scratches and marks on the car and the tires. I knew this rental was going to be a problem from the start. I noticed that the tires were original tires with 35km. So the tires were well used. On the third day we got a flat tire. I looked to the trunk to change the flat with a spare tire. I was told by 'João' that there was no spare tire. It is not mandatory in 'Portugal' the car had to be towed to their service shop. Cost was $250 Euro. In addition they charged $250 euro for the repair of the flat tire. So a total of $500 Euro for a flat tire. Spoke to João and he basically said that this happens and that this is just general wear and tear. Summary: When you deal with this type of car rental co they have revenue models that drive their cash flow over and above the cost of the rental. They basically had old tires on the car and got it replaced for free along with a $250 euro 'tow'. The cost of the actual rental was $130 euro. Recommendation: Go with a regular car co. And avoid these smaller outfits. They will find some way to draw more money out of you from the rental. They creat an environment where you have to buy their insurance ($20euro) per day in hopes of getting any help. In speaking with João it was obvious that this happens often and that they are use to these types of events. Safe travels in Europe. Remember you get what you pay for in dealing with these small sneaky companies that know how to extract $$$$ from your wallet. Stay away from 'Sicily by car'

Had an amazing experience with Hertz at Catania airport. We worked with Francesco who was…read moreincredibly friendly and helpful, and allowed us to hire the cars we needed very quickly. Cost was less than we had expected, and the cars were clean and new. We experienced excellent service when they were returned also. THANK YOU!

Returned our car after 7 days driving in Sicilia. Had a minor accident with a tight street in…read moreAgrigento. Easy to locate office at airport- just follow the signs to rental returns. The hertz employee was awesome when I told him I had damaged the machina. He looked at my contract and thanks that I had insurance on the car. No issues he just took pictures and we were done. He also didn't charge me for a 3/4 filled tank of gas. Overall today's return was seamless! Thank you hertz! ***At first getting the car in Palermo the wait at the airport was over two hours- they know people are coming in with reservations and still they only have one staff giving out cars to customers. Hertz get your act together and don't ruin it for your loyal customers!

We use Avis when we travel in Europe and ALWAYS get the insurance to cover vehicle damage - which…read morehas paid off big time in the past. Driving in Italy can be a terrifying experience for the uninitiated. They all seem to know what each other are thinking and somehow manage to avoid running over pedestrians and bashing into each other. Most of the time. For the tourist however, who is an unknown quantity, the seemingly unorthodox driving methods can take one by surprise. Not to mention the parking! Even among my Italian friends, some from the island itself, Sicily drivers are considered a bit wild. If you have ever visited Italy, you may notice many vehicles with broken mirrors, dented quarter panels and other miscellaneous car damage. I would NEVER, rent a car without the insurance when traveling in Italy. It will not save money in the long run, and with it, there is no need to worry about what other drivers may do to the vehicle. You pick it up, you drop it off and no nasty surprises. In regards to this particular location, it is a bit of a walk from the airport to the AVIS office and a short bit of the walk is along a street with no pedestrian walkway. Just drag your bag into the street and follow the large billboard pointing the way. Use the 'street view' on maps to check this our in advance, and take a look while walking for the 'return' entrance. You'll need this info on your way back so you aren't driving in a circle because you missed the correct entrance. We have an 'Avis Preferred' account which normally means we skip the line, and the paperwork and car are waiting for us, ready to go. Not here. Although several people were at the desk when we arrived, no one seemed to care that we were waiting. When we finally got someone to assist us, the gentleman took an inordinate amount of time to get the paperwork ready. I could not begin to imagine what exactly was taking so very, very long. Once we managed to get through that process, we were sent out to the car park, only to find our car was not where we were told it would be. The paperwork gave us the make, model and license plate of the vehicle, so we wandered around the lot looking for the car. We did eventually find it, parked next to a small building, covered in dust as if it had been there a very long time and was not expected to be rented. The car itself worked fine mechanically however, it did already have need of some body work. The fact that the vehicle already had body damage leads me wonder: was the car chosen for us upon arrival, because we had the insurance? As other folks have mentioned, this particular AVIS does not seem to be organized with customer service in mind. At the very least, you are now prepared for the 'more relaxed' attitude of this Sicilian location, and know the insurance is invaluable. Happy travels!

I reserved a vehicle with Budget in June for pickup at Catania Airport on August 10. My family and…read moreI were traveling from JFK, but due to activity from Mount Etna, our flight was diverted to Rome. After an exhausting journey, we arranged another flight from Rome to Palermo and then hired a driver to take us to Catania Airport. Because we knew we would arrive one day late, family members in Sicily called Budget on our behalf and specifically asked them not to release our reservation. They explained the situation and confirmed that we still needed the vehicle. We were assured that arriving on August 11 would be okay. When I finally reached the Budget counter with an exhausted child after two full days of travel, I was told that my original rate (748 Euro) would no longer be honored and that the price had nearly doubled. This was especially upsetting because Budget had been notified in advance and had assured our family that the reservation would be held. Fortunately, my partner went to another rental counter and was able to book a car immediately for a price within approximately €200 of our original Budget reservation. Still a lot of wasted mney but not as bad as 1380 Euro. That made Budget's attempt to nearly double the rate feel even more unreasonable. Based on my experience, Budget at Catania Airport demonstrated terrible customer service and unfair business practices. Travelers should be extremely cautious, document every conversation, and obtain any assurances in writing. I would not rent from this location again.

I use Walk Around Sicily during my last trip in Sicily for same transfer from Catania airport to…read moreTaormina and back to Catania. It was easy to confirm... just with their on booking on line and confirm with Massimiliano who was very kind. Vehicle are new, clean and roomy. Prices are in line with the local market.

Excellent service, easy and immediate booking with online payment. The driver (Massimiliano) was…read morevery kind and available to wait for us due to a delay. The car was flawless, new and spotless. I can only recommend Walk Around Sicily for your taxi transfers from Catania Fontanarossa airport.

Locauto Rental Cars in Milan Linate Airport provided my family of 6 the most damaged, beat up POS…read morevan for our Christmas holiday to the Alps When picking it up there was not a single part of the vehicle that was not scratched or dented. They left us with no choice but to take the vehicle and said there was no large vehicles they could substitute for us. The large side door that I was expected to get my family in and out of the vehicle through was so damaged the door would not close properly and would open while we were driving. It was nearly impossible to close without slamming the door 3, 4 or 5 times in order to get it closed completely. The vehicle was a diesel and we had the DEF fluid warning lights come on about 25Km into our drive. The check engine lights came on and off throughout our 1200KM drive to and from the mountains. When we returned the vehicle and asked for a $200-300 reduction in the $200 / day rental we were scoffed at. Further written complaints to the company were treated with the same distain. This company should not be in customer service and has no regard for their customers safety or experience.

The staff was wonderful to us (we went through Enterprise). They gave us useful information (I had…read moremessed up the reservation on my part) and there was no wait to get a car when I straightened out my documents/reservation. I want to shout out Salvatore, Marco, and another lovely employee (I cannot remember her name, but she was also a great help)! They were polite and genuinely kind! The car they gave us was stylish, new, very clean, and was an incredibly comfortable drive. However, it was way too big for Sicilian streets. I am glad we got protections, because we had a few near misses. We might've been paying a lot more had it not been for the coverage. A couple of recommendations 1. Book a small car, preferably an economy car-Sicilian streets are narrow and hectic. It's hard to parallel park with a compact SUV. The spaces in most areas are suitable for an economy car. 2. Bring additional documents JUST IN CASE. I would recommend your passport as a backup. They needed another form of ID in addition to my Driver's License that I didn't have with me at rental, so I needed to go back to the apartment and retrieve it. It's just best to have it handy. I also think they only accept major credit cards for out of country travelers, so keep that in mind. 3. Ask an employee to help with the car return. It was a bit confusing since all the rental car agencies are grouped under Locauto and you do have to park specifically in the lot area of the company you rented with. It's just best to ask someone exactly where to take the car and save yourself driving around the garage trying to figure out exactly where to go. 4. Protections-having the protection saved us, so we are glad we had them added. I'm not sure about the fine print that the other reviews are mentioning, because at least for us and the damage we incurred, the protection covered us. Besides the size of the car and the difficulty to maneuver through narrow spaces, the overall experience in it was pretty good! The whole rental process flowed efficiently, and we were overall content with how things went. Thank you so much! :)

Used these guys a few times in Italy. Besides being way to pushy about us buying extra insurance…read morecoverage, they were unremarkable. UNTIL we got back home in the states. We've gotten 2 communications from them. The first said we damaged the car. We had not and we'd passed their inspection when we returned the car. We objected and it was dropped. Now, 2 months after leaving the car in Italy, we receive an "invoice" from Sixt that we'd gotten a citation and needed to pay Sixt for that. Obviously we didn't and we won't pay. But Beware of these thieves!

Last November 24th 2018, I had problems with Joyrent . Previously I booked and payed the rental car…read morewith Joyrent, paying 50£ about plus a very cheap car insurance proposes by the Rental Car Booking Portal. When I landed in Catania and I went to Joyrent office a very rude employee didn't accepted this insurance. She told me that I had to buy their insurance. I refused, because I had bought another insurance. At that time the employee started to make me problems with my debit card, telling me that Joyrent does not accept debit card. It is not true. It is false..!!!!! I could not pick up the car and I had to change company to have another car. That's was a real nightmare. I wasted my money for nothing. Never more with Joyrent. Stay away from this company.

Absolutely rotten and corrupt Europcar office. They will do *anything* they can to suck more money…read moreout of you. We had reasonably priced online booking when we arrived in Catania, but unfortunately the person who made the booking had broken his collar bone two weeks before the trip an could not drive. We were prepared with other drivers, but because the original booker couldn't drive, they refused to honor the reservation. They forced us to re-book under the new driver's name for twice the price. Additionally, when they did the rebooking, they erred and did not duplicate the terms (we were picking up in Catania and dropping off in Palermo per the original booking). So when I got home, there was an additional charge on my credit card for a one-way tax that should never have applied. Thus far they have refused to refund this fraudulent charge and I'm having to take it to my credit card company. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY.

Any car rental agency at the Catania airport is pure chaos! Lines are very long very slow and the…read moresystem is confusing: you need to take a number first but make sure the numbers are for your rental company. There might be several agencies working out if one counter. I waited about 45 mins and I am fluent in Italian! My buddy waited over 1 1/2 hours to get served. Be prepared.