Ran by SCAMMERS. I asked him why am I being charged more after I paid for my reservation in full and he said it was "the other part of the cost and I only made a partial payment" I rejected insurance and loss damage waiver bs they add on as well as emergency roadside bs. Charged me an extra $250 for 5 days. I'm dropping off my car tomorrow and will be calling their customer service as well as my bank to report fraud. Apparently customer service will open up a dispute but at least Wells Fargo will put their foot down and give these a*#holes the business and credit my money back. These guys at Dulles are SCAMMERS. read more

Thrifty Car Rental - Bullshit invoice - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

We arrived at the rental counter approximately 40 min before I had scheduled pickup. I was not concerned about this as I assumed the rental p/u and dropoff time could be adjusted. The individual behind the counter seemed to be clueless (I think was new and his manager was the next machine over and offered little help). Both were Indian and barely spoke English. The man began checking me in taking all my info, license, etc. He provided my a document to sign showing that the vehicle was a 2026 Dodge 2500 and advised that there would be an additional $45 charge for picking it up early. I was aggravated for 2 reasons ... first being that I had reserved a Dodge Ram 1500 (V6 - better on gas) and I was perplexed saying I believed that p/u could be up to 1/2 prior to a scheduled reservation. He told me I was wrong even though I explained that was on the website. He also explained that since I was picking up early they did not have a Dodge 1500. For these reasons, I opted to get out of line and wait at a nearby counter with chairs. My son and I sat down and after approx. 5 minutes, the man came over to us and said that if we were willing to adjust our drop off time accordingly he could check us out now. I said that was fine and explained that I would have expected this anyway as it is common practice at rental car companies. After being back at the counter he still only had a Dodge 2500 available. I explained I did not want a 2500 as it has a V8 engine and the gas usage/cost would be quite high since I would be driving quite a bit. He said if I wanted I could wait until 4:30 pm (time I had originally scheduled). I stop the check in process and go sit again. After about 10 minutes, he comes back over and says he has the truck now. I begin the checkout process again (3rd time) and he again gives me paperwork for a Dodge Ram 2500. I explain I do not want a 2500. He explains they do not have a 1500 and engages the manager who then explains they do not have any 1500's available, did I want a car instead? I explained I needed a truck since we'd be moving a recliner. I was completely mad at this point and said I didn't want to have to pay all this additional gas money, and asked "why do you have a vehicle listed on your site if you do not even carry them"? The manager indicated (in broken English) these were the only truck types they had and if I wanted a truck I'd need to take this. The man who was helping me directly said he'd help by "taking care of the gas". I said "if you're going to give me a tank of gas then fine, as that will make up for the bigger engine/higher gas costs". He then continues with the paperwork which he hands me to sign and says "that will be $108". I said "what!?", "i thought you were giving me a tank of gas". He said "oh no, sorry I take care of gas so you don't have to fill up before you return". I was beyond angry by now. I said "I do not want to pre-buy gas"! "You said you were taking care of it to make up for the wrong truck and larger engine". The workers said "sorry, no i did not mean that". The manager steps in again and says "This is the truck we have, if you take it you can call back in the morning to see if we have the other one" and handed me his card. I went ahead and took the truck since I had NO OTHER OPTION. I called in the morning and it was advised they did not have a 1500 as they do not carry that size vehicle. At this point, I could have screamed. I kept the truck as I was left with no other option and ending up incurring over $150 in gas for 1.5 days. I will NEVER use Thrifty again. I will post on Yelp, Yahoo, and anywhere that will take my review. WORST EXPERIENCE WITH A CAR RENTAL COMPANY EVER !!! I would like my $100 in gas back. read more

Over the past 30 years, I've traveled extensively. Both domestic as well as international. IMO: This is the worst car rental location I've ever dealt with. We declined: All additional insurance. We declined: Roadside service. They billed us both items. I spoke with Thrifty Customer Service who confirmed: They received my Dispute Claim. And will review it. Bottom line: Never heard back from Thrifty. Suggestion: At all costs, avoid Thrifty. Most especially at Dulles Airport. read more

Over priced and charged me over $360 for dropping the rental off at a different location due to flight delays & changes. Attempted to call after 4 times to change drop off location and was denied due to 3 party reservations. Even though the 3 party fully understand & agreed to the change of location. The rental car management still denied locations changes when the airport was only and hr away. Due to there business hours, flight changes and scheduling. Thrifty management only concerns was making a profit instead of customer satisfaction. Second time using this rental over countless rentals with their competitors. I truly recommend to others do not waste time & energy dealing with this company. Spending an extra $30 with another company is well worth the effort and your hard earned money. read more

Wow amazing. Just decided to close the counter because they had no cars. A ton of people just waiting in line with nobody working there and they all prepaid. Just decided to pay $100 for an Uber round trip so that maybe I can get a car later... Not sure if I'll get even my money back. I should open up a rental car company at Dulles too! Just a sign and collect all the money online. No need to give out any cars! Genius! read more

So I don't understand how the lost and found recovers my $10 umbrella that was in the same location as my makeup bag with $175 worth of makeup (I'm low balling) but the makeup case isn't recovered?!?! Very interesting to say the least. read more

STAY AWAY! Scam of a business. We prepaid using reward points and declined any additional insurance or roadside service but was billed for it upon return. Tried calling customer service and was told a dispute was filed but no follow up was ever provided. Extremely poor customer service. 0 stars wouldn't not recommend. read more

We placed a reservation a month ago online, flew here from the other side of the country, and they didn't have any cars. Literally no cars for a giant crowd of people today. If they can't fulfill a simple reservation, you can't trust this business whatsoever. Now we're sitting here in limbo for an indefinite amount of time, thanks to the incompetent management selling off other people's reservations. read more

I haven't even pick up my rental car and I am giving them -1 start... I did my reservation and the drop off time I need is 11:30pm and I left I guest 11:30am while doing the reservation I call right away after I had the confirmation number and now they said they can't modify it! How come! I am not even canceling the reservation read more

The man who checked me in was argumentative and condescending. He told me I reserved an electric car. In fact, I reserved a mid-size Toyota Corolla. He said, "No, you didn't." I said "I am always careful that I don't get an electric car." He just kept coming at me. I don't know if it was because he was not American (but Indian or Paki). He was insanely rude and argumentative. A very unsettling experience. I told myself I will never rent from here again. And I got charged more than I should have. Galling! Just say no to Thrifty (and Dollar and Hertz). They have all these different names and they're the same friggin' company. So confusing and stupid! read more

Extremely poor service. Prepaid for a rental. When I arrived, I was told it would be 4 to 5 hours before any car would be available. Unbelievable! read more

I was a bit apprehensive having read a bunch of bad reviews here and on other review sites about this location beforehand, but I didn't have any other options for a one-way rental to NYC at the last minute. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at the location. It likely helped that I was renting on a weekday after a long weekend, so I didn't have an issue with big lines or with enough cars being ready. The lot seemed pretty full. The employee at the desk named Said who checked me in was very helpful and friendly. I reserved a car for a one-way trip, and upon realizing the first vehicle was not quite large enough, he allowed me to swap to a different vehicle no questions asked. I really appreciated it! Taking off one star, though, because both cars were a bit old - the first option was a '18 Civic with almost 80k miles. The second was slightly better: a '20 Elantra with 40k. Neither vehicle should really even be on their lot anymore, frankly. But hey - it got me to where I needed to go. read more

Thrifty Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

Booked a rental weeks in advance and was told at arrival they had no cars. We were also told the Hertz counter would block us from getting one if we asked them and that we should take the shuttle back to the airport and get on a different shuttle to go to another rental company if that's what we wanted. Said it would be around a 3 hour wait to MAYBE get a car and we have to sit there the whole time they won't call us. Additionally my bf, who booked the reservation, needed to leave for a work function and they would not switch the reservation to my name until we got the car that did not exist. We walked to enterprise 5 min down the road and they were able to set us up with a car and gave us a discount due to our hassle we dealt with. I do not recommend this company to anyone read more

The customer service was superb. I arrived after a ten-hour flight, and had some challenges with my reservation (not their fault). The managers bent over backwards to make something work to accommodate me. Their help meant I could visit with my family, who I don't get to see very often. I am very appreciative for the wonderful support of the Thrifty team. They truly went above and beyond. read more

Made a reservation with Thrifty - huge mistake. I reserved a pick up at 7am. When I showed up to pick up a car, there was none available until noon. For people who made up plans around this booking, this causes a huge inconvenience. read more

Returning the car to this Dulles location at 4:50 in the AM was a complete NIGHTMARE! The woman who works this location overnights is HORRIBLE. She is RUDE and completely UNHELPFUL!! I simply asked her how long until the shuttle came. She said "soon." After waiting 15 mins. I asked her to please call the driver and find out how long. She calls the driver and then tells me he said "soon." Then she goes outside to smoke and drink her coffee. I said "excuse me. I asked you a simple question: to find out how long." She says "I don't have to. If you're in a rush, you should have left earlier." The very nice gentleman that was working with the cars in the lot overheard. HE called the driver and told him people are waiting. The shuttle then came right away (@5:20). I had to run through the airport to catch my flight because of this. If that woman doesn't want to deal with customers asking her questions than she should not have a customer-facing job. NO ONE NEEDS THIS UNNECESSARY ATTITUDE AT 5AM!! I will be recounting this horrible experience on Twitter as well as in my google and yelp reviews for this location. read more

Set up a rental with Thrifty through an Expedia package deal, for my employees travelling to the area. All taxes, fees and insurance were paid for through Expedia. The worker at the front desk forced my employee to enroll in their insurance and would not let him take the vehicle unless he signed, this was a 1am. We spoke with Thrifty the next day, they assured us that we would not be charged for the insurance as it was included. Turns out they lied. I just spoke with Thrifty customer service about this $420 additional charge, they have said that it is valid, first claiming it was for taxes and fees(Clearly covered through Expedia.) Then shifted to it was terms agreed to by my employee. This is a shady business and to top everything off, the car provided had a faulty transmission. Pay the extra couple of dollars and go with Hertz or another reputable rental service these guys are not trustworthy. read more

My flight got canceled traveling from Washington D.C. (Dulles International Airport) to Lancaster, P.A. I had to rent a vehicle to get to the conference. I reserved a vehicle a Jeep to get back and forth to the conference. However, the Thrifty location at the airport told me that I needed a credit card instead of a debit card, which I left at home. I had to pay a $500 deposit on top of the rental charge which was $128. I was due to return the vehicle on Jan. 20 which is the same day as my flight. However, a NATIONALLY ADVERSTISED snow storm came through and it was 6in of snow, which charted unsafe conditions to drive. I received a 2022 Chevy Malibu instead and I was told to bring the car back (drive on ice) and they will switch me in another car, which was the response message that Hertz received to extend the rental one more day. Then, once the storm blew over, I caught a flight the following day and returned the car immediately. I have called and cannot get in touch with the front desk for Saturday or Sunday. (Jan. 18 or Jan.19). When I returned the car, it was clean, no trash, tank on full, and I was billed an extra $63 for the late return. However, THRIFTY went back and charged me another $209 FOR WHAT??? I was told that the car was returned late. So, it was an almost $300 penalty? This is insane, price gauging, and bureaucratic thievery. I was literally in a verified SNOW STORM on Sunday Jan.19 and you charge a $209 penalty plus $63 for an extra day including late fee and now I have paid $191 + 209 = over $400 for 3 days. STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE.!! THEY ARE RIPOFFS. read more

Beware Renting a Car with Trifty. I rented a car via SOUTHWEST. When I booked it clearly states including taxes and everything for $628.19 which seems like is cheaper. However when I returned the car and printed the receipt trifty charged me $681.19 there's an extra charged. I asked the counter and she keep saying it the taxes. I showed her the reservations. She was rude and won't listened. NEVER EVER RENT A CAR WITH TRIFTY. Additional hidden charges are added and get away with it. I should have read reviews before renting a car with them that I'm not the only one got charged extra. READ REVIEWS FROM OTHER SITE ABOUT TRIFTY. read more

Thrifty Car Rental - Reservations - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

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Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty is now owned by Hertz. Hertz has two tiers: 1. Hertz Gold members; 2. Everything else. If you fit into the 2nd tier, here's what happens (i.e. this is what happened to me, and this is what I observed the following week when I returned to the same location). I prepaid for a regular full size car, to be picked up at the El Paso airport (under Thrifty, but could have been Hertz or Dollar -- no difference). My flight arrived on time on 06/14/2023 at 7:30 PM. They is nobody at the counter. There is a sign to go down to the lower level (parking lot). It was 95 degrees. I waited one hour in line. There was one person working in an air conditioned booth. After one hour he came out of his booth and announced that there were no more available vehicles. He said to go away and come back the next morning for an update. That's it. I'm not kidding. The following week I returned to the same location to go back home. I observed the same situation in the parking lot at the airport. The only difference is that it was not 95 degrees. It was 100 degrees. People were waiting in a long line in the oppressive heat. There was only one person working in the air conditioned booth (again). That's how they operate on a daily basis. read more

Disaster of a business model...this is the second time I reserved a car from Thrifty only to be told there were no vehicles and I would have to wait three hours for vehicles to come in and be issued, but there was no guarantee I would get a car at that point. I was speechless. so we're the 15 other people waiting their three hours for a car. read more

I'm not sure how I had so much more pleasant an experience than so many others but I got the car I wanted, it worked well and I found all the employees to be courteous. Other than making my rental free I can't immediately come up with a way to improve my experience. My 1,200th review. read more

We booked a Thrifty rental through Hotwire and picked the car up in Washington Dulles as scheduled. The agent who rented us the car was extremely deceptive, never once mentioning that he had included insurance ($41.99 per day) and roadside assistance ($8.99 per day) on the contract without ever asking us. We've rented cars dozens and dozens of times over the years, and have never had a rental company sneak charges in like that without asking the customer first. We would never have authorized those charges had we been aware of them, because our current personal auto insurance covers any car we rent. Yes, we signed the contract because we assumed the Thrifty car agent would be honest and straightforward. Huge mistake! We will not rent from Thrifty ever again and will advise our family also to avoid them. read more

Showed up at my pick up time of 6am. No attendant at the desk. After waiting several minutes and looking around for help he emerged from the back. The rental process was anything but smooth. Took a very long time. I started to feel better when I saw the Chevy Traverse was a very nice rental. However, the following day I realized that they screwed up my return location. I confirmed with the attendant several times that we would be returning to a different location.I tried the 800 number. Do not bother. They cannot help u with anything but starting off a headache. I ended up having to drive back to the physical location. We had to do a mock return so they could redo the rental with the correct return location. This is a small account of the terrible experience. There is more but you don't need to hear about it unless u want a headache too. read more

I reserved a car with Thrifty. My flight got in around 1am and I had concerns about picking up a car then, but I called in advance and they assured me everything would be lovely. It was not lovely. When I finally got my luggage and took the shuttle bus there it was 2:30 and the graveyard worker said "We don't have any cars." I'm sorry, what? You don't have any cars? Are you serious? What's the point of making a reservation then??? Last time I used thrifty they shafted me hard on a buncha fees and fines and crap. I'm NEVER using thrifty ever again. What a dumpster fire. read more

Well just like most I booked with them, show up at 6pm and they casually tell me it would be 4-5 hours. I had specifically booked a gasoline car but after waiting for 4 hours all they had available was electric cars. I immediately cancelled and went to Alamo was in and out within 5 minutes although I had to pay a bit more. read more

FRAUDULENT BILLING after your trip. This may appear the cheapest when you book but trust me, they bill administrative processing fee of $90 a day on top of what you otherwise pay and directly hit your credit card with it read more

I see lots of negative reviews but I had a good experience. Booked online and the pickup was fast and easy. I was in a car in about ten minutes. Drop off was easy and the shuttle got me to my terminal at Dulles in plenty of time. Shuttle runs all night. I even had to modify my reservation and did that over the phone. They adjusted my cost as I was turning the car in earlier than originally planned. The car did smell like smoke so that it why they didn't get a 5 star here. It was clean otherwise. read more

I usually prefer to give folks the benefit of the doubt but the clerks and customer service are pretty flagrantly dishonest. If you buy through a 3rd party like Expedia-- like I did-- Thrifty/Hertz will try to get you to confirm that you bought insurance and use that to get consent to liability insurance. Even if you immediately notice the charge and call customer service to cancel the liability coverage at the beginning of your trip (including keep records of who you spoke with and when)-- they will immediately claim that it's non-refundable. Furthermore, they claim that that the 'LIS' (I did some research and the term is specifically a **HERTZ/THRIFTY** internal acronym for Liability Insurance that is not in common use outside of their company) text, alone, is sufficient explanation of what the service/charge is and how it is distinct from the Expedia charge. Their customer service call center wasn't much better in that 'nobody could be contacted who could do anything.' I am currently in the process of making a Better Business Bureau (BBB) report concerning fraudulent practices and notifying Expedia of Thrifty's fraudulent activity using their name. If you have experienced similar, I suggest you do the same. In short, don't drive Thefty-- take a cab and save yourself the stress. read more

Thrifty Car Rental - Can you find the definition of 'LIS' in this image? - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

I spoke with three reps none of who solved my problems or connected me to the local desk. One of the reps even told me that there was no rental location at Dulles. I got there an hour late and met Ali; everything was going fine until he began asking me to add things to my reservation. First, the EZ pass. I told him I had my own and did not need his. He said his was only an extra $50, and I should get it. I told him the cost of my tolls and that I did not need his again. Then he started asking about the coverage. I told him I would be putting on my credit card and did not need it. He said, are you sure? You're not going to have coverage, so you are going to be fully responsible for the vehicle. He went on to say that not having liability was illegal and that if I wanted to ride around without it, then I could. I told him about the experiences I had with the phone reps, and while I understand it is not his fault, I was over an hour behind schedule and wanted to move on. I explained to him that I would not be purchasing any other amenities, again. He got upset and started raising his voice at me, saying, DO YOU WANT THE RENTAL CAR OR NOT?! I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN CHECK YOU OUT; I CAN DENY YOUR RENTAL. I noted that it was already paid for, and asked if we could move on. He started reading the prompts on the printed sales receipt at this point. When he got done, I literally said "thank you, is that all" in a calm voice with no tone whatsoever. He yelled at me, asking me if I wanted the rental car or not and that he was going to deny it dangling the paper in my face. I was shocked, and I began to yell back " sir what else do you want from me?!" he said he wanted me to be nicer. I LITERALLY said please and thank you. his exact words were that he did not like the way I looked at him. He said he denied my rental, and he put my ID and my card down on the table and asked for the next guest. I was embarrassed and offended.I did NOTHING to him to deserve this treatment. I went outside to call customer service, who again was not helpful. The first person I talked to told me that their systems were down and I needed to call back in an hour. I explained that I already had a reservation I just needed to get someone else in the location to check me out. I was put on hold then hung up on. The second time I spoke to someone, she said that I needed to get his name and badge number and that there was nothing else besides that they could do. While I was on the phone with her, two other gentlemen came to ask me if I was okay. I explained to them what the other rep said and that I felt it was either because of my race or gender. I watched him check out three white men after me with no issues, and whatever they said to him, he just said okay. He did not question them, make them feel inferior, threaten them, or yell at them like he did me. The two men said they were sorry. One said that he would give me a $25 credit, but he left. The other just gave me a bigger rental vehicle. After he got me through the system, his computer crashed, and no one in the office had any manual RA's so he could not finish checking me out. I had to wait there for an additional hour to be processed. I didn't leave until after midnight. On top of all of that, I had my rental for an extra day because I was running behind schedule coming back and could not get anyone on the phone at the rental place to see if there would be a charge difference in being an hour late or a full day. I looked up the rental prices for my vehicle, which said $50 a day for my type of car. Early that morning, I got a notification from my bank about them charging my card an additional $80. When I turned the car in, my extra day was $60 plus $50 in additional fees that I feel are inappropriate, and simply the math does not add up. This was my first and last time using this service and renting from a Hertz/thrifty/dollar rental service. read more

I don't usually give one star reviews but this place deserves it. I was trying to be frugal and get the cheapest car rental but that was a mistake. We got a mid-size car and the first one we drove off the lot, a Nissan Versa, wasn't shifting correctly. Knowing that I would be in town for a week and need to do a lot of driving, we turned right around and went back to exchange it for another. A lot of cars had dents and didn't seem to be taken care of. The seat was dirty and the interior of the car was not in good shape. We tried a second car, a Hyundai Accent, and when driving 35mph or over, the car sounded really loud. I wasn't comfortable taking it in the highway. So we returned this one after half a day. They tried to charge us for a full day but we ended up getting it voided. They have this weird rule that you have to fill up the tank within 10 miles of returning and prove it with a receipt or you'll be charged $10. The people who work there don't give terrible customer service but they don't really seem to give a crap. I won't be back. And I don't recommend coming here, period. I recommend Enterprise next door. read more

Don't go here because you want red carpet treatment. I've been a Blue Chip member with Thrifty because they always deliver the basics that I'm looking for if I must rent. Got here on a gloomy, cold winter day and the line was only 1 person deep. The employees are clearly under-stimulated and wish to be elsewhere, but I was only there for ten minutes and I didn't want to stick around either! The man who served me was a little hard to understand, as well, but he was courteous and processed my rental quickly without any issues and I was outside picking out a red Nissan Rogue in a few minutes. I wanted to try the white Buick Encore but the low tire pressure light lit up as soon as I pushed the ignition so I jumped right back out. There's a Sunoco station less than a mile away, making it easy to fill it up yourself so you don't have to pre-pay for a tank of gas if you're not adding up a lot of miles. Returning is painless. The shuttle driver pointed me onto the bus as soon as I turned in instead of just driving off so I made sure to offer him a tip. The prices here have always been competitive, too. Until Metro offers an easier way to DCA from the Dulles area, I'll be back at least once a year. read more

Avoid these fraudsters at all costs. Worst car rental experience I've ever had. They're really really bad.

Treated awful!!!!! Do not go here! The guy spoke to me very aggressively, felt like a victim of racism for sure. He refused to answer even basic questions, and reamed me several times for asking questions. DO NOT GO HERE! Thrifty headquarters needs to address the awfulness that is here! The are simply rude! Super shady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

The worst experience with car rental. Came to the rental station at 10 pm after a west to east flight and we saw a huge line. It was just one person from hertz who was helping. And when we asked for backup help she said the next person comes at 11 pm. Doesn't worth it at all to stay for a long time after a long flight and the girl who was working there was so irresponsible. read more

Terrible service. Bait and switch on the car model/type. Avoid this place at all costs If you want to avoid getting scammed.

Terrible experience. I created an account solely to warn others from making the same mistake I did and rent from Thrifty. When I arrived one evening it was lightly raining, just enough that you needed to use you windshield wipers. That was a mistake. The windshield wipers made visibility near impossible! They certainly needed to be replaced. There was a few times I almost ran into something because of my lack of visibility due to the rain and my useless wipers. On top of that, apparently when I was returning the vehicle to the airport I must have drove through a toll road in Virginia (this was at 3:53 AM). It was a $1 toll, but Thrifty had to tack on an additional $15 "Administrative Fee." I will never again rent from Thrifty. read more

This was the worst rental experience of my life. I had to be in DC for a family emergency. I rented the car at Dulles for a little over 24 hours. I was quoted a charge of $98. I told the agent that I will be returning at Regan National. He said that was not a problem. When I returned the car today, the charge is over $450!!!!!!!!! I have never felt more cheated in my life. I called Customer service - the guy first argued that it was within the terms of conditions to make the daily rate whatever they wanted if I returned it somewhere else. When I insisted that he point out specifically where it says so, he could not. Yet, I could not speak to a supervisor. I am only been promised a call back from a supervisor. I am not holding my breath. read more

Great experience with this location , I used to deal with Hertz for the past few years, but their staff had been changed lately and their service is going down day after day. This time I decided to go with Thrifty , the price is very fair comparing with the others , I received an exceptional service from the minute I walked in . The staff is very friendly no surprises or games , the vehicle was ready as they promise . I dropped the car 4 days after and the check out process is super fast and no extras. Mina is a great young man who helped me a lot as for him and you are never going to be regret to choose this agency.. Thanks Mina read more

Thrifty Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - Sterling, Virginia

The filthiest rental car I've ever been dealt. Stains all over the seats, reeked of smoke, dented, gross. AVOID. They didn't have any others left as it was right before Christmas - but my real question is why is a car in this condition even on the lot at all? Other than that (lol) everything was pretty smooth. read more