Ace Rent A Car

horrible service! shuttle did not arrive until we called 3 – 4 times. with a toddler 30 – 40 min of waiting seems like a long time! when it arrived we did not fit and had to wait another 20 min for driver to come back and get us. car was OK but took forever to finally get it… sales person kept pushing different extras on us while we kept repeating we jst need a car and please speed it up!
Same thing on way back. Long wait and slow service. Never again!

Zero star if I can. Shuttle took 30mins to get us from airport, not good when u have kids. I reserved a midsize car from Travelocity and they all they had available was a compact car. Steve the agent jerk who helped us tried to upgrade us for $ 16 more per day. Then he tells me its up to me if I don’t want to unless I want my luggage all over my kids. Really?!? I refused since we only have 2 luggages and 2 umbrella strollers which can all fit in the trunk. Then he offered the extra insurance I said no since we have 300k coverage with our own insurance. This jerk then asked if my husband can talk since the reservation is under his name. First of all my husband had to turn around to get my kid but its not like he left the building. This agent is so unprofessional and needs a customer service 101 course. I will make sure travelocity knows how ghetto this place is and to remove them from their vendors.
Don’t be fooled by their cheap rate! Cigarette burns on the seat, manual doors, trunk can only be key opened and it felt like it was going to breakdown in the freeway. I’ve rented $ 25/​day from other rental companies and I didn’t get a crappy car like this.

Great experience with these guys when I came to San Diego for an interview. First time ever in SD and the shuttle took a while to get to the airport but the weather was great and the airport itself was welcoming– waiting a few minutes was not a problem at all!
The shuttle driver (Simon) was very welcoming and helpful. Once he learned I was here for an interview he was so encouraging and positive and wished me all the best. Told me he was a lifelong SD native and I would love it here when i move here. Loved his positive and happy vibe which made me want to move here even more :)
The front desk guy (Justin) was also great. Super helpful and recognized me when I returned the car. Asked me how it went and wished me luck on my job interview.
I cam back to the office today and met Steve– he was very helpful as well and took me to his manager– who turned out to be Justin! Great team in place and a place well run– attentive to customers and doing a great job guys! Thanks for making renting a car easy and well supported experience!

Extremely unhappy with this service. The car was only a few dollars cheaper then other mainstream companies but of course we try and save a buck whenever we can. If I had seen these reviews before booking I definitely would’ve went with another company.
1. No shuttle to pick us up
2. Waited at the rental car place for 30 minutes before realizing we had to call ourselves in order to get someone to pick us up. He said he was coming and then didn’t show for 25 mins… We call again and he said, sorry I had a full van so I have to loop around again
3. Final straw… We rented a car for 4 people… The van comes with only room for TWO!!! So unorganized.
NOT worth it :(

Nothing was disclosed regarding all these hidden charges. I made my reservation online. My original review still stands and I will never rent from this place again. My original advice stands… STAY AWAY FROM THIS HORRIBLE PLACE!!!

This past week I took a trip to San Diego and as recent grad, naturally I went searching for the cheapest car rental that I can get for a week. After searching, I came across ACE. And I’ll be honest, I was very hesitant at first due to all the poor reviews but I went for it anyways.
I landed on Thursday morning (11am), grabbed my luggage and I did as the confirmation email had instructed. To call the number provided for the shuttle to pick you up. The lady who picked up was super nice and I was told the shuttle will come in 10−15min. I thought it was a little of a long wait but that’s because I didn’t realize the rental office was off of India St (compared to the other rentals which is a little closer). So it was totally reasonable. Sure you see the other shuttles come and go but be patient, the ACE shuttle will come :) The young driver was friendly and great.
Once I got to the office, I was the only customer there (another one just left before me). The gentleman at the front desk was also very friendly and everything was done professionally and efficiently. I got a Hyundai elantra for my car which was clean and I had no complaints. And I was merrily on my way out.
I checked my car back a week later on a Friday morning (9am). Once again, check out was super easy (I was the only one there) and everyone was nice and friendly.
Overall, I have no complaints about ACE with this first experience. Some might say I was lucky but I would definitely use this ACE location whenever I’m back in SD.

What differentiates Ace from the other rental car companies is that it doesn’t continually send shuttles to the airport, sometimes leaving you stuck there for hours!
When we originally reserved our car, we let them know what time our plane was due to land so that they could send a shuttle. Our plane ended up landing a little early, but we went out to wait for the shuttle anyway seeing as every other car rental company sent shuttles to every terminal every five minutes. We proceeded to watch every other car company pass by us once, twice, three times.
The time we had scheduled to be picked up came and went, so we called them. Of course, the number we dialed doesn’t actually dispatch us to the San Diego location but instead outsources us to who knows where. So after trying to explain where we were and what we were waiting for, we were assured a shuttle was on its way.
More time passed. We watched enviously as hundreds of other passengers got picked up by their reputable rental car shuttles. Half an hour later, we called again. This time we were able to speak to somebody in San Diego. I think his name was Joel. Joel assured us that the shuttle was on its way and was picking up passengers at another terminal and would pick us up in three minutes.
Another half an hour passed. I was getting pretty fed up and was about to call again, when finally a broken-​down van showed up to take us to Ace. There were no other passengers inside, so clearly Joel lied when he said the shuttle was busy picking up someone else. Unless the driver had picked them up, taken them back to Ace, written a novel, and returned to get us.
The reason this gets two stars rather than the single one it probably deserves is because Joel was actually fairly nice in person, even if he had lied to us earlier. The car itself was pretty beat up but fine. And on the trip back to the airport a different driver and shuttle took us. The shuttle was stationed at Ace, where we were returning the car, so it was hard to ignore us for hours on the return trip.

Horrible customer service, crappy cars, and difficult processes both getting and returning the vehicle. AVOID this place!

I booked a pre-​paid rent car and late did a cancellation next day. In the cancellation email i received there is no place mentioning your money would not be returned (in the web site i should have got a warning message when i tried to cancel it, but it didn’t). So i went to book another car from another company. In the end I had to paid ACE without using their car.
I feel that this company operates in the way of JUST trying to get you hooked on. They don’t care about your interest very much. Also, you would not be able to talk to a real customer service representative after the office hours. So, please be careful about using this ACE. Personally i will not use their service again.

We came into Ace rental after a terrible experience at Payless the day before, and were not expecting much better service but were very pleasantly surprised. Blake helped us when we got in and he was extremely professional and helpful. We were able to use my friends vehicle insurance, and we weren’t given the fear/​bully Upsell tactic to buy extra insurance. The car itself was clean and in good condition, all in all an excellent experience. I will definitely go back to ace next time I am in San Diego. Thanks Blake!

I waited 30 minutes at the shuttle pick up in San Diego watching many other car companies send shuttle after shuttle. So where is Ace I wondered? I finally called them and they said they would send out a shuttle in 10 – 15 min… 30 minutes later still no shuttle!!! I’m now an hour late. I looked at other Unilocal reviews and saw the same problem… Next time I’m checking Unilocal

Liars. Liars. Liars.
I do not like writing a bad review. But we rented with them through Expedia and when we went they did not agree to rent us. But happily took our money.
Failed to show us «terms and conditions», which to them is not a contract, that doesn’t contradict what they are saying.
Blake and Justin helped us. One of which was completely useless and had no idea what to do. The other one still failed help us or show us anything that shows a reason to refuse to rent to us. Both failed to get a manager after us asking multiple times.
This has been one of the worst interactions I have had with a «business» ever.
Do not use them, it is a con company.
Follow up: they sent us to another company, that they were friends with, and immediately shot us down there too. Was just ploy to get us off their backs since they had no legitimate reason to terminate the contract that they already agreed too.

Booked car through Kayak and received rental confirmation that showed «unlimited miles»…on the day of rental they said there was a mileage restriction and said that it said in the terms that there was. I went back into Kayak to go through the booking process again and nowhere did it show a mileage restriction. Do not ever rent from this garbage company.

When we arrived at San Diego international airport, we called them and they sent a passages can to pick us up. At first I was irritated that we couldn’t just hop on a shuttle bus like all the other rentals and had for shuttles, we waited 5−8mins. But I realized it wasn’t bad because we got great personal service… Super friendly man picked us up and took us to the rental office. We were in and out of the office had our rental car and on our way! Upon return they were quick and friendly while returning car and fast to getting us to the airport! Great employees!

Worst experience with car rentals ever. My wife made the reservation so when we go to pay they tried to charge us an underage fee because she’s 23. I’m 25, when we tried to have them just change names they said «no were booked.» Trust the reviews, steer clear from a place with such poor customer service.

I rented a car from this place at the recommendation of my hotel. I had a fantastic experience and would definitely recommend! They were super nice and shuttled me to & from my hotel and even offered to stay late so I could make the most of my 4 hours of free time in San Diego. I thought that was very nice of them to offer to stay open later just for me. (I returned the car on time).
It wasn’t busy at all for me and I didn’t have to wait long at all. The car I rented was a 2 door hatchback that was bright blue — kinda cool, and it was a nice driving car too. It was money well spent and the staff here helped make my day very enjoyable.

Reserved a car through the Southwest site. Had the best price on a busy weekend. Read the reviews, so a little concerned.
As soon as we hit the shuttle stop, called them. «van will be right there». 20 minutes later, no van. Called again. Van came a few minutes later. Real nice driver. Their site is pretty far from the airport — 2 blocks from Little Italy and apparently they only run one shuttle, so its a wait. No bueno.
Only one counter person, so the line moved slow. Took about another 15 – 20 mins to get the car. Asked to use their frequent renter number, which I signed up for on the web, but the clerk didn’t know what I was talking about. Clueless.
Finally, got my car, a late model Nissan with 38k miles. Truck was full on Christmas tree needles — obviously wasn’t vacuumed. Car was fine. No breakdowns or anything.
Return was OK. No extra charges. Waited again for the van another 10 mins. Thankfully, it was a pleasure trip so we had some time. If this was a business trip I’d be pissed they’re so slow.
If you value your time, don;t rent from these guys. If you want a cheap, decent car, they’re almost OK.

I have followed the input of Dave R. and discounted the older reviews with much ambivalence. During the flight in, I felt sentiment of apprehension as I usually fear the anticipated confrontation with the sales clerck.
It was a quick and polite service from all staff members. There was no ‘sales pitch’. I reserved a small car and received a Fiat 500. Although the car was not immaculate (no winshield washer fluid and a broken arm rest), it did not defer our travelling around southern california.
Thank you Dave R.

Trust the reviews, I took a chance dispite all the warnings. They might have the cheapest rates but they do for a reason! this place sucked from the second i landed! airport pick up delayed, called 3 times and waited 45 min. Each time i called he said «he’ll be there any minute.» Not even a sorry or upgrade for the inconvienance or anything just a shitty versa THAT BROKE DOWN! Had to send me a new car after scaring me and saying it was my fault and would be charged $ 200. returned the car, no sorry, no discount, zero, customer service!!! saty away!
i will be fallowing up with the BBB

Ignore the old reviews. A company bought out the original Ace Rent A Car and cleaned it up, rehired the staff, and bought new cars. I rented an economy car for 4 days while in San Diego on vacation. I was given a brand spanking new 2013 Nissan Versa, which drove like a dream. The price was great, their airport shuttle was super fast and very nice, the staff was helpful and worked with me on my reservation when my flight got delayed. All in all, I’m glad I rented from them.
*Note* — The people saying that say give you smart cars are full of crap. The economy cars are 4 door sedans and then they give you the option for get a 2 door Kia if you would like. The couple ahead of me took the Kia and were ecstatic about it.