What guarantees does Hotwire offer when you book a car rental?

[Counselor4444]

We are looking to book a SUV or Minivan at Orlando International Airport (MCO) from 8/23/14 pickup at noon to 9/1/14 dropoff at 8:30am.   We will be using Better Bidding's HOTWIRE link.

 

After searching and comparing prices it looks like hotwire is offering a great rate: a standard SUV for $254 with tax.  I don't care what specific make or model we get or what rental agency we get a long as we get the same class of car at the price we paid.  However, I have read reviews of some people who claim some of the lesser known car rental agencies like SIXT tell you they don't have the car available or try to add on additional fees at the counter in an attempt to get more money when you get the car.  What guarantees or customer satisfaction does hotwire offer?  What if I show up to get the car but the rental agency says it isn't available or try to bill me additional fees?  

 

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Regardless of how you book there is always a chance that the rental company doesn't have the car class you booked available, in which case you are usually upgraded to the next higher class of vehicle. This has nothing to do with PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, but rather sometimes the previous renter may not return the car on time, may have had a change of plans and returned the vehicle to a different location (with a hefty one-way rental fee), the vehicle may have had an accident or mechanical issues and is out of service, etc, etc.

Up-sells are common in the rental industry (again, regardless of how you book) and it's up to you to say 'no thank you'.

You can also compare rates using our Car Rental Rate Checker

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.