Car hire at Santo Domingo Las Americas Airport

Sub-par car and extortionate insurance policies

Pros: Functional SUV in a country where even the main roads can be sketchy, friendly and reasonably professional service.

Cons: SUV felt poorly maintained, with sloppy steering, a glitchy transmission and numerous dings and small broken parts that we didn’t discover until on the road (a broken windshield wiper for example). The worst part was that my online quoted $360 weekly rate ballooned to over $1300 when all the local BS nickel & dime fees were factored in (including mandatory insurance when I was told on arrival that my third party Allianz policy which I’d already paid for was not valid in the Dominican Republic, even though I’ve used that company everywhere from Tanzania to Thailand). It’s very hard to maintain a rental fleet on a Caribbean island with limited resources - I get that. However, I felt like I was hustled/extorted, and should’ve been informed in advance that I had to buy ‘local’ insurance in order to drive my car away. Shame on Avis.

The car wasn’t on its best conditions

Cons: It had a strange smell inside, it had a plastic piece that flew off while we where driving, the suspension had some issues

Pros: Nothing!

Cons: I ended up with no vehicle and had to cancel the reservation. This is very typical (and chronic) of the Dominican Republic; I show up late a night with my family to find that they want to squeeze us into a car that barely fits 5 people (we are 6). This is not the car I had selected and was willing to pay for (my reservation indicated that it was for a vehicle that can sit 7 people + 3 pieces of luggage). Understanding that this happens all the time, I proactively started calling AVIS in DR a week in advance to avoid surprises. I was suggested to call the date of (again) in order to confirm that we were indeed traveling that date, and to guarantee that the correct vehicle would be there for us. I called the date of the flight, assured the care was already there, and still got a compact car with the excuse that there was no availability. I ended up taking a taxi at 2 AM out of the airport with my whole family (we just don't fit in a compact car!). I was not offer a discounted rate for the crappy/inferior piece of junk they were offering us. In addition, the staff is never helpful, and become rude and belligerent when one tries to indicate that they dropped the ball and all they offer you is to cancel the reservation (obviously for one to deal with the mess of being stuck at the airport). They are so incompetent! By the way, please note 1- I am Dominican, and 2- It happens with all major multinational car rental companies (not just AVIS) in DR, 3- They do try to coerce you into accepting bogus additional services and fee, threatening you that it is mandatory in DR, and holding you and your family hostage. So goddamn frustrating to start one's vacation (repeatedly) on a bad note because, notwithstanding one's best efforts and willingness to pay, one cannot get the vehicle that one needs and reserves, and have to waste one's vacation dates dealing with these type of issues. Such an unpleasant experience (again and again!). Thank you for your time and help.

Pros: Good service as usual.

Cons: Tank was half full when I started, but Avis employee noted that the tank was 2/3 full and I did not pay attention to what he wrote down. When I returned the car half full I had to pay $20 extra for fuel. Given the already very high car rental price in Dominican Republic compared to Europe due to high insurance charges, this was quite annoying.

El coche no estaba en sus mejores condiciones

Cons: Tenía un olor extraño en el interior, tenía una pieza de plástico que volaba mientras conducíamos, la suspensión tenía algunos problemas

Pros: ¡Nada!

Cons: Terminé sin vehículo y tuve que cancelar la reserva. Esto es muy típico (y crónico) de la República Dominicana; me encuentro tarde por la noche con mi familia para descubrir que quieren meternos en un coche que apenas encaja con 5 personas (somos 6). Este no es el coche que había seleccionado y estaba dispuesto a pagar (mi reserva indicó que era para un vehículo que puede sentar 7 personas + 3 piezas de equipaje). Entendiendo que esto sucede todo el tiempo, comencé proactivamente a llamar a AVIS en DR una semana antes para evitar sorpresas. Se me sugirió llamar a la fecha de (de nuevo) para confirmar que de hecho viajábamos esa fecha, y garantizar que el vehículo correcto estaría allí para nosotros. Llamé a la fecha del vuelo, aseguré que el cuidado ya estaba allí, y todavía tenía un coche compacto con la excusa de que no había disponibilidad. Terminé tomando un taxi a las 2 de la mañana fuera del aeropuerto con toda mi familia (¡simplemente no caben en un coche compacto!). No me ofrecieron una tarifa descontada para el pedazo de basura crappy/inferior que nos estaban ofreciendo. Además, el personal nunca es servicial, y se vuelven groseros y beligerantes cuando uno intenta indicar que se cayó el balón y todo lo que te ofrecen es cancelar la reserva (obviamente para uno para lidiar con el lío de estar atrapado en el aeropuerto). ¡son tan incompetentes! Por cierto, por favor note 1- Soy dominicano, y 2- sucede con todas las grandes compañías multinacionales de alquiler de coches (no sólo Avis) en DR, 3- intentan obligarle a aceptar falsos servicios y honorarios adicionales, amenazándole que es obligatorio en DR, y reteniéndole a usted y a su familia como rehenes. Tan goddamn frustrante comenzar las vacaciones (repetidamente) en una mala nota porque, a pesar de los mejores esfuerzos y la voluntad de pagar, no se puede conseguir el vehículo que uno necesita y reserva, y tiene que perder las fechas de vacaciones que uno se ocupa de este tipo de cuestiones. Una experiencia tan desagradable (¡una y otra vez!). Gracias por su tiempo y ayuda.