I got lucky at National Car Rental... Not 80's Rom-Com Lucky, but lucky enough to score a nice Volvo sedan in the Emerald Aisle for my short trip south to Mt. Pleasant. The car drove nicely and had a full-tank range of 480 miles. On the return, the staff was so amazing and asked questions about the car and were talkative and friendly. I wasn't in a hurry and was glad people are talking to people again. Ari checked me in and verified my fuel tank and sent me on my way to the terminal. Thanks for the warm welcome back to the airport! read more

National Car Rental - Lucked out with a Volvo in the Emerald Aisle. Fun Ride! - Car Rental Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Renting from National Car is so much fun, because if you're Emerald Club - you get to choose the car that you want to drive. Sometimes, I even enjoy that feeling of pulling into the Aisle, and running to the coolest car you can pick, with the conquered feeling of joy that you beat a fellow traveler who was eyeing that exact car. However, this place yield far from any emotion other than sadness. This place does have an Emerald Aisle, however, is about a boring a selection of cars as you can get. The only selection you have to choose from is a color assortment of Impalas, Malibus, and Cruze's; all of which do not have heated seats, sun roofs, and some cars don't even have a back up camera. If you want an all wheel drive, you have to pay extra, if you want even a Hyundai, you pay extra. I'd totally enjoy this place more if they allow more diverse rental cars for Emerald Club members, similar to the selection you can get if you rent from Ohare. read more

I only rented from here because enterprise rental had already closed by 11:45pm. After being turned away by Ayllsa (?) who said they didn't have cars available, I booked online in front of her and got an available car. I honestly think she boost up the price because I have NEVER paid OVER $400 for a basic vehicle for only 2days, but I needed a car. I took it back earlyafter realizing the charges and got my enterprise rental for over $400 for 8 days. Smh. I give 2 stars because I was happy to book that same evening. read more

Longtime business traveler, I've consistently rented for 15-20 days a month for the last several months. Switched from Hertz last year after trying National and was impressed by their Custome Service. Unfortunately have seen a backslide of late, with the last rental only having a half tank of gas and was then double charged for a recent parking citation. Really disappointed with the call center experience, asked to call back in a week "to see if they'd refund the double charge," and the CS rep was clearly annoyed I was displeased that they couldn't initiate communication back to me in follow up. Planning to give Hertz another try.... read more

This is my first experience with this MKE National location. I travel frequently and always use National, because they reward loyalty with offering the Emerald Aisle membership. This is the first time I have ever had a really poor experience. The major issue was there were no vehicles larger than an Impala, 4 door sedan in the standard Emerald Aisle. This is never the case at other airports. I typically have a great selection to choose from, and in instances when that hasn't been the case... they apologize and offer up anything from the Executive section. Not with "Jason". I asked for a complimentary upgrade since we were a party of four with a ton of luggage. His response was: "I can get you into an SUV, sure. I'll have to charge you for it." He could barely care enough to turn on his little stool, in his little box, to even look at us. I have never seen this type of treatment from any other National. I saw an SUV on the far side of our selection area and I said "Is that available, over there?" Jason's sweet response: "Yep. And I'd have to charge you for it." I think he liked his little power trip. Returning the tiny vehicle was easy. But I will point out that there were no pleasantries from that employee either. This was what that gentleman shared when we were unloading and he handed me the receipt... "you didn't refill it, so you were charged $xx. The terminal is that way, grab all of your belongings." Then he walked away. I might not have thought much about it, if this initial part of the process hadn't been so disappointing. Note, other locations make sure you were satisfied and then thank you for your business. Here is one more observation... there were tons of mid-level SUVs in the Executive section (standard Cherokees, etc.). Those are always in the main Emerald Aisle at every other location. It's a convenient location... but that's all that this National has going for them. read more

Poor selection of cars. Chevys as far as the eye could see. Blech!! When I rent from the San Diego airport I have my choose of Dodge Challengers and Chargers. I flew into Charlotte, NC and selected a BMW 331i. Any other National Car Rental facility has a great selection but this one lacks in a big way. Next time I'll see about renting from Enterprise or even Avis read more

First things first, I have nothing against the workers here - I know they're just doing their job and doing the best they can. But whoever runs this place needs to get a clue. As many others have stated, the car selection is minimal and there aren't different tiers of cars (Emerald, Executive, etc.) like the majority of other locations. You have to talk to the attendant when you arrive because there aren't any signs indicating where the Emerald Aisle is, and she confirms that you can pick whatever car you want -- essentially, what color Malibu you want to drive. Then when you go to drive out, you have to sign a bunch of unnecessary paperwork. I had already chosen my preference for insurance, and the guy even said "this isn't accepting or declining anything, I just have to say I gave it to you." I just don't get why this location is so different. If you're not going to have a true Emerald Aisle experience, then just make everything have a reservation. I recently found that Harrisburg, PA airport does it this way, and while it was a little frustrating having to wait in line at the counter I at least knew coming in that it wouldn't be the normal National experience. If you adjust your expectations and don't expect the normal National experience, this is probably all fine. Just beware that it's a little different and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. read more

Thumbs down for service!! This is one of the worst locations I have ever rented from. I typically use National exclusively because I am a real fan of their Emerald Club. I typcially rent anywhere from 20 - 40 times per year. I rented a one way rental from this location. When you are a Emerald Member, you are allowed to bypass the counter and pick any car from the Emerald Aisle. This place has an Emerald Aisle, but you are screened by the representative standing in the parking lot. He asked a series of questions before pointing me to a car of his choice. Who does that? Part of the benefit of Emerald is having right to choose. He forced me into a Large SUV when I rented and wanted a full size vehicle. I waited 5-10 minutes in the 35 degree temperature while someone from inside brought the key. The Emerald Aisle normally has the key in the ignition and trunk open. So, this was very different. After getting into the vehicle and driving to exit gate, the gate attendant asked me to sign and verify the vehicle does not have any scratches. When I pointed out the vehicle was parked in a tight space and was not inspected, she asked that check it and complete the paperwork. This is required by Wisconsin but you would think the gentleman who pointed me to the car would have mentioned it. I did this while others patiently waited in line behind me. This again was quite different than any other Emerald rental, which I have been using for several years. I really would think avoid renting here again and would suggest that you avoid this this location unless it is significantly cheaper than its competitors. read more

Line is 7 people deep. There are two National employee but only one window open. What's wrong with this picture?

Dismal selection, ambivalent staff. RENT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE. Can't reserve anything above midsize, and then they only have Chevrolets with no options in the Aisle. No Executive Aisle. If you hunt around and do find something worth driving "it's been pre-reserved for a one-way rental" even though there's no way to reserve that car class at this location. Staff was courteous but didn't have any sympathy or offer any options. Bottom line, rent from another company while in Milwaukee! read more

The lack of customer service here is appalling. We arrived on Thursday and went up to the counter to see an employee named Gayle behind the counter on her phone. We seemed to have inconvenienced her when she finally looked up and said she could help us. While checking in she noted that we were about an hour early and we asked to return the car one hour later than originally booked. She then told us we would have to pay for an entire additional day, over $140 for just two hours total. If that is truly their policy, that is fine! It was the way she lacked any customer service and just stared at us while we were trying to decide if we would literally have to sit down and wait a hour just to pick up the car. There were no "I'm so sorry I wish I could help" it was just pay it or you can wait. We understand policies but the lack of any customer service/kindness is what made us cancel our entire booking and book elsewhere. Shoutout to Expedias customer service for helping us cancel our booking! read more

This has to be the saddest National location in the USA. I am an Executive Elite member and I rent from locations all over the country. I always dread using the MKE location. As usual, today had a selection of any of last year's GM models. I ended up with a 2015 Impala LT with 32k on it. If you're not an executive member, forget about it. All you'll get is a choose-your-color 2015 Cruze. read more

National Car Rental - The Emerald Aisle. This clearly goes against everything National promotes. - Car Rental Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We are in the middle of a pandemic and the Covid case numbers in Wisconsin continue to rise. Public health leaders across the country and around the world recommend that everyone wear a mask when in public and social distancing is not possible. Not a single employee at this location was wearing a mask, despite close interactions with customers. I asked why they were not wearing masks, and was told that they weren't required. Not a single staff member had a mask on their person. Such blatant disregard for the health of customers is inexcusable. I've been renting from National multiple times a month for the past 7 years. Guess it's time for a new rental car provider that cares about its customers not catching a potentially lethal virus. read more

I rent a compact car for my work through our travel agency. Got a quote for $459 for week, I return a car in 6 days and got bill for $1053 I am emerald executive member and I've rent 175 days so far this year, never have this issued. Only this particular location one of the worst ever. Do not try this location big rip off. I was on phone for a day to got this resolved. read more

I love National but I don't love this location. This is the only national that can compete with Salt Lake City for worst National in America. No selection. Just Chevy Malibu. That's about it. No Emerald/executive isle reservations available so I had no choice but to book the Traverse for 185 a day. After I complained onsite they said they had plenty of Emerald Isle cars available. This is a terrible place to rent a car if you are used to National's normal level of service. These people seem uninterested in being a good rental location and are content simply to exist. read more

Terrible service at this location. Coming in late and 9 people in line and one poor person working the counter. No emerald aisle service here. So slow. They give you paperwork like you are back in the 80s. The worst location I have ever visited. Cannot believe an airport this size does not have aisle service. That's why I rent from National. I'm an emerald aisle executive, but not here. Whoever owns and operates this location should lose it. Took 30 minutes for me to get my car. Not acceptable. But at least you have your choices of an impala or a Malibu. No upgrade or choices here. read more

This is a spot renting left over Chevy cars by the dealer. I would suggest renaming this business unit as Chevy rental car.

We always rent from National. We usually get great service. The lady in the garage booth this particular day wasn't overly helpful, but was almost adequate. We got to pick our car. I wanted the Chevy Cruze that was the same color with the same exact wheels as my brand new Chevy Cruze back home! Return here was very quick, as always with National. No hassles, good price. read more

I have to give credit where credit is due, and this National location helped me out when things went awry with my last rental. After a few days knocking around Milwaukee with my Hyundai Tucson, as I got on the road towards Chicago, the tire-pressure warning light came on. Fortunately, I was maybe two miles south of the airport when it happened and able to safely turn around and drive back to drop off the car. Coming in to the vehicle-return aisle, I saw the exact car that I was looking for (a Tahoe LT) had just been dropped off, and I walked up to the counter to explain my situation. Marlene was wonderful and understanding, and agreed to have the Tahoe cleaned, fueled, and made ready for me within half an hour, which worked for me. I waited while chatting with Pam in the vehicle pick-up area, and they got me back on the road with minimal muss, fuss, or paperwork. I am now looking forward to being back again, as the crew here are wonderful and willing to help. read more

I'm starting to appreciate when National has enough cars and the right type. They seem to gravitate to and from certain makes and models. Now they have plenty of Chevy's. The folks at the airport are friendly and fast which is important when traveling for business. read more

I have the absolute WORST experience with enterprise I will NEVER get a vehicle from them again EVER. Everyone I've talked trying to gain roadside assistance were completely rude kept transferring me. The lack of customer service, being unprofessional and lack of knowledge from employees is definitely enough for me to never rent again. If I could give negative stars I would HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SERVICE read more

I rent from National all the time for work and pleasure. I always reserve a midsize and pick a car in the Emerald aisle. In Boston I got a Ford Explore. In Phoenix I got a Jeep Cherokee and a Chevy Tahoe. In Denver I got a Toyota Camry SE. In Fort Lauderdale I got A Dodge minivan. But in Milwaukee where I have rented a half a dozen times, I get a Chevy Cruze or at best a tiny Chevy SUV. Milwaukee National a Chevy Cruze is NOT a midsize car. It is a compact car. A midsize is a Chevy Malibu or Toyota Camry. Get some better cars or I will start to rent elsewhere. And today the first Cruze I pick smelled like an ash tray. Can't you clean your cars. I offered to pay more for a better car but was told there were none. So get more cars. read more

I average a little over 100 rental days every year so I travel a decent amount. This is by far the worst National I've been to. They only have Chevys, crappy ones at that. Was told the reason is because the owner also owns a Chevy dealership. I cancelled my reservation and walked over to Enterprise. read more

I rented a car here , without a reservation, today because of a snafu with a different company. They're charging over $550 for 2 days. This is absolutely unconscionable but I had to get to my son's college orientation and I was in a bind. Yes, this was partly my fault but This kind of gouging does serious damage to your brand, National. I'll be traveling from Boston to Wisconsin a lot in the coming four years and not only will I avoid National like the plague, I'll be avoiding Milwaukee and fly through Detroit . read more

Look - this is another National Car Rental review - how much can one location very from another? National typically does a good job no matter what location and this one is about the same. I would have given this a 5 star review had the car not stunk! I don't mean no power or anything like that - it literally stunk - I told them about the smell - the guy admitted he smelled it to and would make sure they put it through a better cleaning - but did I recieve a discount - NO! Having typed this review - I'm moving this to a three star from the 4 they almost got! read more

I have had nothing but terrible service from this rental place. The staff was rude and very unhelpful. This location is only loosely associated with the national corporate and therefore don't expect national corporate to be able to help you if you have an issue with this rental place. read more

I love National but this MKE location is broken. Not sure where the problem is but there is one.

Worst National Car Rental location in the system. Bar none. The Executive Selection and Emerald Aisle have nothing but crappy Chevys and Buicks, many with 20-30k miles and none worth a darn. Checkout is painful, you have to sign a bunch of crap that Emerald Club is supposed to skip. Staff was slow (5 minutes/car to check out x 1 booth open = 12 customers/hour. Will rent NCR everywhere but MKE. read more

I am not sure if this is a National Car rental problem, or a MKE problem specifically. But I am an Emerald Elite Exec member and could not get a car here. I could get one from Avis, but not National. I tried 4 or 5 times over a 3 day period. When I finally got a car, it was 2X the price, and I could not get Emerald Isle.....it was much more painful than Avis, where I also have exec status. I will definitely be renting from Avis, at least when I come to Milwaukee..... Wonder if the purchase of National by Enterprise is finally destroying a great brand..... read more

I have rented from National at many airports and this is absolutely the worst. I agree with the sentiments that this is a used Chevy dealership in the Executive isle. Other Executive isles give one an option of SUVs, Dodge Challengers, & Ford Mustangs. Not this joint!! The best you can hope for is a Chevy Impala LT with no backup camera, no heated seats, nothing.....Basic car. REALLY!! Then this joint will not allow you to check out with the National App. You have to sign paperwork even though you are an Emerald member. Pitiful!! My company requires that I rent from National but if I could go with another car company at MKE I would in a heartbeat. read more

Customer service was AMAZING at this location. I have never been to Milwaukee before, and Pam at the desk made a great first impression. Her desk presence was outstanding and she made us feel at home and welcomed. Pam acknowledged my boyfriends birthday and wished us safe travels up to the Green Bay game. Thank you so much National! read more

As mentioned by others, this location is a franchisee. Their service is as low as can be. There is no car selection here except your pick of Chevy Cruze at Emerald Isle. Better yet, when I call National's Customer Support, they say there is nothing that they can do because this is a franchised location so they have no control. Rent National anywhere else but avoid this location like the plague. It's not worth your time or stress. NOTE: Enterprise MKE is also a franchisee but slightly better than National and is almost always cheaper. Hopefully with enough noise, National's corporate office will consider revoking this location's franchise rights. read more

This place is hopeless. I realize that there is a whole new world for us all to figure out but not all that is wrong with the world is because of COVID. I get that cars are sitting, I also get the when a car sits too long it needs maintenance to get it back on the road. Pulsing and grinding brakes need fixed and these things don't go away on their own but they do cause SAFETY ISSUES. This is my 5th week in a row and there has been an issue EVERY WEEK! One week I had to get three different cars to get something that worked or didn't smell. These cars often smell like smoke or in the case of week three's ordeal it was a very very strong smell of marijuana. Every time I've refused a car for smelling like smoke or dope, they've told me management doesn't want to charge people for smoking in the units? Are you kidding me? In five weeks I've only had one that didn't smell and I had to take it back because the A/C didn't work on a day it was 94 degrees. Nobody figured that out on the way to the garage? The latest episode was reserved a premium and given an Impala and told that was a premium? Woman that checked me in said that a full size. The Emerald Aisle is nothing but Impalas and Equinox units, nothing more nothing less. This is a franchise owned by a local Chevy dealer or really doesn't care if you like the selection, condition or smell of their units. Avoid! I only go because my company makes me go there. read more

It is funny because I am an Executive Preferred member and Milwaukee is my home but this location is the worst across the nation. Cars are dirty, their employees are rude, half the time you cannot find anyone to check your car back in. I have rented multiple times to drive to Chicago next it has happened to me over a dozen times. read more

Ive been an Emerald Aisle Exec for a number of years and travel extensively throughout the Midwest. The Milwaukee MKE location is hands down, the worst run National location I've ever visited. Over the past few years, I've rented from this location 5-10 times annually for work. Here's what I've come up with: 1- Their selection is terrible. The standard Emerald Aisle is comical because it's simply a row of different colored Chevy Cruz's. The Exec Aisle is made up of Malibu's. An upgrade is if you find one with leather or less than 10k miles. 2 - I've never been able to figure out MKE's set up. National's entire pitch is to "bypass the counter." Now, some locations are smaller and do not have the Emerald Aisle available so there is no choice but to wait in line at the counter. Not Milwaukee! Nope, they have a manned shack in the middle of the parking lot that you are required to check in with before selecting your Emerald Aisle vehicle. You get to stand there while the clerk verifies your reservation and then points you to your row of Malibu's to choose from that are lined up under the Exec Aisle banner. It's especially great when you get to wait in line at the shack because somebody in front if you is haggling or complaining about something. 3 - Apparently, MKE is dominated by Hertz. The National location is a franchised location and clearly doesn't put much stock into customer experience. My advice, if you're a frequent traveler, go with Hertz or Avis when in Milwaukee read more

I totally understand that this location is privately owned and ran but come on take care of the loyal customers. They do not have an executive level of cars at all and the customer service is the worst I think I have ever seen or had to deal with. I am thinking of moving on down the line to rent the next time in the area. read more

I reserved a car with National a few weeks back. When I arrived to pick up the vehicle they wouldn't allow me to rent the car because I was blacklisted from Enterprise which owns them. I am blacklisted because of an accident I had in one of their cars 12 years ago. I have tried everything I can to try to resolve this issue with Enterprise, but the manager I get directed to is unwilling to return my calls. read more

I have to say I am somewhat mystified by finally signing up for the Emerald Club status at National since it looked pretty good on all of their TV ads. What I did not know is that once I signed up they some how assigned a customer profile to me and when I placed my first reservation for a rental car the quote included GPS and some other charges which added up to $105.00 for a day's use. So, I called up the company and spoke with a lady who told me the only way for me to change the profile on myself was to go back on line and do it myself. She advised me that there is nothing that can be changed by contacting the company and speaking with a person. So I cancelled the reservation and then I cancelled my membership with the Emerald Club and National Car Rental. Signed up with Hertz Gold Club and ended up renting the same type vehicle for $75.00 and no hassle. Seems like a lot of effort to attract customers and then having a non user friendly system in place which chases away the same people you are trying to attract. read more

This location sucks! I was charged $835 for a 3 day, 2 hour rental because I dropped the car at O'Hare after receiving their blessing. Then they wanted to be "nice" and only charge me $456! They couldn't even calculate the fees correctly; they based the fees in the $456 on their original invoice of $835. Apparently they think I'm as dumb as they are. read more

Poor customer service. No response to my attempts to communicate. Pulled the old "hail damage scam." Garage where you pick up the rental is so poorly lit you cannot adequately inspect for damage. When you return the car, though, they have you pull into a sunlit area. Then they find extremely hard to see slight marks and bill you more than $4,000. for repairs that will never happen. Really bad form, NCR! read more