Dooley Dan Car Hire

One of the few rental agencies in Ireland that rent out automatic, we ended up getting a stick because they are more fun to drive. Coming from the US, it was mandatory to get car rental car insurance which I can understand why as the roads are very tiny in Ireland’s countryside, we didn’t hit anything but when checking out 2 people in front of us did, one slapped off their mirror and another scratched their fender. You can check with your car insurance to see if you are covered, we were not, most US insurance companies cover rental car use but not for Ireland. There were no hidden fees when we returned the car, and the shuttle to and from the Dublin Airport was great, the drivers were very friendly and helpful.

I would urge anyone thinking of using Dan Dooley Car Rentals (DDCR) in Ireland to reconsider. As per several online reviews you will find that their vehicles are old with high mileage on the clock. But their customer service usually gets reasonable reviews right? Not in my case. I live overseas and rent vehicles several times a year in Ireland when visiting on both business and leisure time. I have rented several vehicles with several different companies and feel relatively well versed to speak about rental car companies. I won’t go into massive detail on my issues but here is a synopsis from my most recent rental and my first time with DDCR: 1. Three-​year old car (2009 model — rented in 2012); 2. 124,000 kms on the clock; 3. Inside dirty and rattled due to age of vehicle; 4. Car had a flat tire. After I complained, Pat Dooley personally offered to assist in my next rental which is upcoming in June. Redemption for DDCR I thought! Not so. After much to-​ing and fro-​ing over emails his «best» offer was a 6.4% discount on the rate I could have booked that day online. Not good enough. As a colleague of mine had already booked with DDCR three weeks previously I asked to be given his rate which was 6 euro cheaper per day than mine. Here is the response verbatim from Pat Dooley CEO of Dooley Car Rentals: «Sorry it is too cheap and that period is filling up fast. Maybe next time. Best, Pat». Sorry Pat, there will not be a next time. Nor will there be for the many dozens of people I am going to tell about your customer service or lack thereof. UPDATE: If I had accepted the so-​called «offer» I received from Dan Dooley Car Rental it would have been E54 more expensive than the quote I am currently looking at on their website (but will not be booking for obvious reasons). I’m not sure what DDCR thinks they are doing but whatever it is, it’s at the expense of the paying customer.