Paris Car Rental

[Boxer5]

Silverheels and I rented our first Jeep during our stay Aug 6-20. Her jeep on Island was finally unusable. Paris rental had some good rates. When we got the Jeep it rained and I the passenger got soaked from a leak around the window. They replaced the Jeep the next day with one that had just been returned. One day we were headed to the Tourist Trap for our usual lobster roll. As was posted on Silverheels' Facebook page a maintenance crew was working on Centerline Rd and some rocks were in the road. Our Jeep hit one small but sharp rock. We got a flat and as one of the crewmen came to change the tire he noticed that the other tire was flat. We called Paris rental and both Silverheels and one of the crewman told them that the two tires were flat and the crewman also said that both tires were faulty. They said they would be there in an hour. To our surprise someone was there in exactly one hour but with one tire. He said he would have to go back and get two more. One for the front and a spare. The crewmen cleared out an area for us and we sat on the chairs we had in the Jeep. Many people stopped to ask if we needed help. One car gave us drinks but the kicker was the man who offered to take us to Bordeaux for lunch. We told him we couldn't leave the car and when he asked if there was anything we needed I told him a couple of Heinekens. He was back in no time with the beer and wouldn't take any money. Oh, I should mention that a police car passed by and didn't stop but the Parks Department car did. The best of the best came out in the crewmen, people who slowed down or stopped to ask if we were okay, the people who gave us something to drink and the man who brought us those Heinekens.

August 20 at Paris rental to turn in the car we were hit with a bill for two tires. This after they were told that the tires were worn and we waited on the side of the road for 3 and half hours because they didn't send enough tires. Paris never thought to ask if we needed water. They just left us there. Thankfully there were many good people who showed concern for two women sitting on chairs with an umbrella (we had one in the Jeep) on the side of the road on Centerline Rd.

The two men at Paris, the tire man and the man that took our call denied that they were told that two tires were flat and that the tires were bald when we got the Jeep. Oh, did I mention that this car also leaked on both sides. The seats and floor pads were soaked. One of the men at Paris said that we must have left the windows opened because that was a new car!! Yeah we are that stupid to leave the windows opened when the air conditioner was used or when we parked it at night.

So think before consider renting from Paris Rental. Know that they are right and you are both stupid and wrong.

Oh, the lobster rolls at the Tourist Trap we as good as always.

[michigan girls]

That's terrible, sorry you had to deal with that

The Heineken story is great though - what a great guy!

[mnfun2bme]

Wow... love that you had concerned people passing by... and the guys with the beers... even better.... but this is a horrible story about Paris Rental. Sorry you had to WASTE precious time on the island for such an annoying reason.

Do you feel like they were taking advantage of you because you were two women?

[lazylane]

Well, sorry that happened to you, but we have rented thru Paris for years and Janice came all the way to Skinny's in about 25 minutes to unlock our Jeep since we had inadvertently locked our keys in, so I was very impressed with them and her!! I think bad things happen all over, not a reason to condemn a company. They have always been very pleasant and accommodating with us.

[jimg20]

We have never used Paris, and I am glad you had great experiences with them Lazylane. The OP is not describing a mistake - a single problem. Everyone could understand if they couldn't get there sooner. We could all understand them misunderstanding the need and bringing only one tire. What they are describing is a long series of events. By my count, they described eight separate problems with the two different cars.

That IMHO is sufficient to question the judgment, honesty and integrity of at least those people and perhaps the entire company.

JIM

[jmq]

I wasn't happy with Paris in June when they "lost" my reservation and couldn't accommodate me as a"walk in", but they did get me quickly set up with Conrad Sutton. I had used Paris twice before for the off season discount with no issues. I got the sense that they might not to be equipped yet to handle the greater volume of business they seem to be doing these days.

[jmq]

Our Jeep hit one small but sharp rock. We got a flat and as one of the crewmen came to change the tire he noticed that the other tire was flat. We called Paris rental and both Silverheels and one of the crewman told them that the two tires were flat and the crewman also said that both tires were faulty.

Certain things can blow out even new tires - I know, I had one here in NJ last week on a Goodyear tire with only 3000 miles on it. That said, its ALWAYS advisable to check the tires on the rental they want to give you. I have made the rental agency give me another vehicle because of bald tires, because bald tires will also give you traction problems, especially in the rain on the switchbacks.

[ColumbiaSCTraveler]

Sorry for the ending of this story, but I do love the nice parts (the beers, everyone stopping to check on y'all, etc.)!

GREAT seeing y'all this year! Already looking forward to seeing y'all next year!!!

(And this time, rent from somewhere else!!! We use St. John Car Rental, and recommend them.)

[dreamshark]

Thanks for posting your experience, although I'm sure you will get grief from people who have used the same company with no problems. This is exactly the kind of thing I was worried about when the gal at the Paris desk was unable to give me a coherent response to my question "What do I do if I have a flat tire?" I also noticed that they seemed to have an awful lot of different people working the desk and some of them did not seem very knowledgeable. We did not have a flat tire or any other problems with our rental. But all that means is that I don't know how a problem would have been handled. The people I dealt with were all pleasant enough, but that's not really the point.

I'm not quite sure how you ended up needing them to bring you two additional tires. In addition to both front tires going flat, was the spare flat as well? Did you actually pay the charge for the tires? After the poor service you got in dealing with the emergency, that's just inexcusable. If you were just driving normally on a paved road and suddenly both tires were not only flat but worn out and needing replacement, how is that possibly your fault?

[michigan girls]

August 20 at Paris rental to turn in the car we were hit with a bill for two tires. This after they were told that the tires were worn and we waited on the side of the road for 3 and half hours because they didn't send enough tires.

This, to me, is what makes it inexcusable. You should have been offered at least a partial refund, certainly not a bill. How much did they charge you?

[silverheels]

The charge for the 2 tires was $100.00. There was no reasoning with them. They ignored all we said. Still waiting to hear if anyone else had a flat on STJ and if they were charged for the tires. If other companies do this then we won't feel so bad.

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

This whole story steams me. I'm not sure why. Well, ya, I do. You've been horribly taken advantage of and it could be for a number of reasons that don't matter right now.

Did you pay for the car with a credit card? Reverse the charges, talk to your CC company. You don't pay for tires when you rent a vehicle, if they are faulty!