COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A Canadian tourist said what was supposed to be a fun family road trip from Denver to Yellowstone National Park turned into what he called a “horrible vacation” after renting a vehicle from Routes Car Rental in Commerce City.
After Denver7 Investigates got involved, the company issued him a full refund.
▶️ Denver7 Investigates helps tourist get refund after unexpected fees, reported vehicle issues
The complaint is the latest involving Routes Car Rental, a company Denver7 Investigates previously investigated after customers reported problems ranging from surprise charges and long waits to difficulty reaching customer service.
“I’d like to make a complaint about Routes Car Rental agency at the Commerce City location in Denver,” Paul Kirchner wrote in an email to Denver7 Consumer Investigative Reporter Jaclyn Allen.
Kirchner and his wife flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Colorado earlier this month with plans to drive to Yellowstone National Park and then spend time exploring Denver.
Instead, he said, the trip quickly unraveled.
“It was horrible vacation,” Kirchner said during an interview with Denver7 Investigates.
Kirchner says he booked the rental through Booking.com and believed the reservation included unlimited mileage and no other fees.
Denver7 Investigates
Colorado customers call out rental car company over surprise charges, long waits
But when he arrived at the Commerce City rental location, he says he was told different terms applied if he planned to drive outside Colorado.
“When I got there, they said, ‘No, it's not unlimited. You're only unlimited in the state of Colorado,’” Kirchner said.
He said he was also charged additional fees, including a toll tag charge he did not expect.
Emails reviewed by Denver7 Investigates show customer service later declined to reverse the toll tag charge because Kirchner had already signed the rental agreement.
Denver7 Investigates previously reported on similar complaints involving Routes last October, when customers complained about long lines, unexpected add-on charges and toll fees.
“We were told that a toll tag would cost us $14 but it's costing us $14 a day, plus a lot of add-ons attached to that toll tag,” Tracy Erickson told Denver7 during the earlier investigation.
At the time, the company blamed some issues on a “leadership transition” and told Denver7: “We need to do more. And we will.”
The Better Business Bureau currently gives Routes an F rating and has posted an alert citing a “pattern of complaints.”
Complaints listed through the BBB include allegations involving customer service, billing disputes, unexpected charges and refunds.
For Kirchner, the concerns extended beyond fees.
He said the vehicle shook during the drive from Denver toward Wyoming. The next morning, he inspected the vehicle more closely and became alarmed.
“There was no washer fluid in the car. The front tires were bald,” Kirchner said.
He said rainy weather in Yellowstone made things worse.
“The car was hydroplaning, and I had to pull over and stop,” he said.
Kirchner added he cut his Yellowstone trip short and returned the vehicle early because he no longer felt safe driving it and worried about additional charges.
“I felt like I needed to take the car back because I didn't know what else they were going to charge me. It was like one thing after the other after the other,” he said.
Denver7 reached out to Routes Car Rental about Kirchner’s complaint and asked additional questions about vehicle inspections, maintenance standards, surprise charges and whether the company had made changes since Denver7’s previous reporting.
In a statement, Routes apologized for the customer’s experience and said its customer care team remained in “regular communication” during the investigation into Kirchner's complaints.
The company said it “would have gladly facilitated a vehicle exchange” had it been given the opportunity during the rental.
Routes also said it issued “a full refund of all charges incurred at our rental location as a gesture of goodwill and to bring the matter to an amicable resolution.”
However, the company did not directly answer Denver7 Investigates' questions about the condition of the vehicle, tire safety concerns or what specific operational changes may have been made following earlier complaints.
Kirchner says he does not believe he would have received a refund without Denver7’s involvement.
“I just want to really thank you guys for doing that,” he said. “You made my horrible trip a lot better.”
Denver7 Investigates also reached out to Booking.com for comment and questions regarding mileage disclosures and rental partner policies.
In a statement, a Booking.com spokesperson wrote:
"We take these matters seriously and are currently investigating this situation with our Customer Relations team. We are committed to ensuring a safe and transparent experience for all our customers and will be in touch as soon as we have a further update to share."
Consumer tip: Before signing a rental agreement, experts recommend reviewing the fine print carefully, including mileage restrictions, toll policies, geographic limitations and optional fees.
Drivers should also inspect the vehicle thoroughly, including tires, before leaving the lot and document any concerns with photos or video.
