‘This Is Why You Never Want To Rent With Alamo’: Man Reserves Rental For Thursday Night Before Road Trip. Then He Tries To Pick It

A couple says their beach trip was nearly derailed after Alamo Rent A Car told them there were no vehicles available that could fit their family—despite their reservation.

TikTok creator @athomewithus92, a pair of husbands who post home and lifestyle content online, shared the experience in a recent video.

“This is why you never want to rent with Alamo Rental Cars,” one of the men says in the clip.

According to the creator, the family reserved a rental vehicle for 8pm because they planned to load the car overnight before leaving for the shore the next morning. But after arriving at the airport rental counter, he says someone told them there was no suitable vehicle available.

The creator says the only remaining options were a “tiny little Sedan,” a pickup truck, or a Toyota Camry, none of which he felt would work for a trip involving children, strollers, luggage, and car seats.

He says employees told them to return the next morning to check again for availability.

Instead, the couple booked a backup reservation through Enterprise Rent-A-Car just in case.

That ended up solving the problem. According to the video, Enterprise was able to provide a larger SUV, while Alamo still did not have a vehicle available the following morning.

The creator claims an Alamo employee later told them reservations were “essentially a lottery and a reservation didn’t mean anything.”

“Thank you so much to Enterprise Rental Car for not totally ruining this weekend and getting us in this nice Expedition,” he says. As of this writing, the video had generated just over 5,000 views.

What Happens With Rental Reservations?

One frustrating part of renting a car is that reserving a vehicle usually does not guarantee a specific make or model, and sometimes not even the exact type of vehicle you expected.

Companies like Alamo typically rent cars by category instead. So customers are generally booking something like a midsize SUV, a compact sedan, or a premium vehicle rather than reserving a specific car.

At larger airport locations, customers are often directed to choose from whatever vehicles are available within that category when they arrive.

That can become a problem during busy travel weekends, flight delays, or high-demand periods when rental companies run short on inventory, and certain vehicle classes get chosen faster than expected.

In some cases, companies offer upgrades if the reserved category is unavailable. But for travelers needing extra room for strollers, luggage, or multiple car seats, not every substitute actually works in practice.

Rental companies also routinely overbook reservations based on the assumption that some customers will cancel or fail to show up. When more people arrive than expected, travelers can sometimes end up waiting for returned vehicles to be cleaned or processed back into the system.

Even with stories like this, Alamo remains one of the larger and more widely used airport rental brands in the country, particularly for travelers looking for lower prices or faster pickup.

Viewers Share Rental Horror Stories

Commenters who watched @athomewithus92’s video quickly started recommending other rental companies they said had treated them better in the past.

“Turo has never disappointed,” one person wrote.

“Try Hertz!” another viewer suggested.

“National is the best,” a third commenter added.

“Enterprise forever,” another person declared.

Some viewers said the couple’s experience with Alamo Rent A Car sounded familiar.

“I rented with Alamo one time and said never again, [worst] experience ever! I’d walk to my destination before renting from them again! I use Enterprise and Avis now,” one commenter shared.

Others noted that oversold reservations are common in the rental car industry, especially at busy airports.

“If you don’t prepay, you’re not guaranteed,” one person wrote.

“Don’t rent from airport locations,” another viewer warned.

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“I heard that running out of vehicles was a common issue with chain rentals, as they’re based off of a first-come, first-served order rather than by vehicle,” a third commenter explained. “Try Turo or privates, it’s more direct and customized rather than a ‘it is what it is’ situation, leaving you stranded or inconvenienced.”

Motor1 has reached out to @athomewithus92 via direct message on TikTok and to Alamo through email. We’ll update this story if we hear back.

 

 

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