Thrifty Car & Truck Rental Alice Springs Airport

I booked a car for my business trip in Alice and received a booking confirmation. When arriving at the airport, Thrifty advised that there is no car available for me!! They should have not confirmed the booking without having any available car. And should have informed me in advance so that I can make alternative arrangements before arriving at Alice! Extremely disappointed!

I hired a car from Thrifty at Alice Springs Airport which was included in my holiday deal to drive to Kings Kanyon and Uluru and back to Alice Springs. I am from Melbourne and this was my first time in the Northern Territory and therefore have never driven through the outback. Upon arrival to hire the car I noticed that the staff were not very friendly at all and basically were just eager to get the paper work signed so I could leave. I asked them if there is anything I need to know driving through the outback as this was my first time. Their reply was 'no you should be fine'. I asked them whether I need a map or if 'Maps' on my phone was ok. 'Just stay on the main highway and you should be fine' was the response given. An hour and a half out of Alice Springs we got a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere in 43 degree heat and no phone reception. The blood drained from my body as I realised my son, my sister and myself had never changed a tyre before. When we opened the boot to check what I thought would be a replacement tyre I was mortified to see a 'safety' tyre instead with the most basic flimsy equipment to jack up the car and remove the existing tyre. We were out there for two and half hours with no car or life in sight, no contact with the outside world in the gruelling heat absolutely distressed trying to jack up the car which continued to collapse on us and remove the bolts on the existing tyre which was an impossible mission. We finally changed they tyre and arrived absolutely exhausted at Kings Canyon 6 hours after our departure from Alice Springs. Upon informing Management at the resort there of our ordeal they immediately expressed much frustration about Thrifty and sent them an email advising them to stop sending people out in the outback in cars that are not appropriate or appropriately equipped for such incidents in these harsh conditions. 'A safety tyre is not good enough, they should have replacement tyres for these trips', was their comment as this happens quite often. Kings Canyon resort only gets deliveries coming in once a week and we were very lucky to have gotten there the day before their next delivery which allowed them to quickly order a new tyre for us otherwise we would have been stranded there for the week. When I called Thrifty the next day and informed them of what happened, they did not offer any assistance or support in any way, shape or form and simply advised that it was my responsibility to figure this out and cover the costs of getting a new tyre. I paid $300 to get the tyre delivered and replaced and spent the rest of my holiday feeling very anxious about the drive back to Alice Springs. I cannot believe the poor customer service and lack of assistance or support by Thrifty in these situations. I do not recommend anybody hiring a car from this company who does not provide appropriate equipment to change a tyre, does not offer a replacement tyre but expect you to drive 80 ks per hour to your destination in the outback and nor do they give appropriate information to the hirer prior to embarking on such a journey. Finally the lack of support and assistance in these potentially dire and very stressful circumstances shown is almost inhumane, beyond unacceptable and unprofessional.

Wasn't interested in matching other company rates

Super !!!