Leave a Review Kyte
Advice for first-time renters … and for Kyte
We recently rented a car through Kyte’s Los Angeles airport location. We were very pleased with the cost savings, but there were some misunderstandings regarding the pick-up process.
In making the reservation, we reserved for the time our airplane was arriving. First mistake. We didn’t take into account the time it would take to retrieve our luggage (much longer than anticipated).
At Los Angeles airport, Kyte provides you with a voucher so you can take an Uber to their lot (smart, in my opinion). But the Uber driver was stuck in traffic trying to get to the airport. Again, we had to wait much longer than anticipated.
By the time we arrived at the Kyte lot, our car had been given away. We were able to get a replacement car, which was not exactly what we were looking for, but it sufficed.
So, advice to the first time renter, be proactive in communicating with Kyte if you’re running late (we did not realize there was a chat feature in the Kyte app).
Advice to Kyte: advise airport renters to select a reservation time after arrival… and be proactive in reaching out to renters if we are running late.
Kyte is a great concept, and overall we were very happy with our experience. We will be renting from Kyte again, but hopefully others can avoid the “learning curve” struggles we went through.Show lessPeter McFadden
Developer Response
Hi Peter, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: wug2tbrlScamming company awful service never again
This company may look cheap but you’ll end up paying more. Zero customer service. Car rental was $35 per day but in order to extend it by one day they wanted additional $120 which forced me to come back driving at night. I was charged for cleaning fees for normal usage $100. Literally for crumbs they found under the foot mat. I can’t even tell if it’s mine or the previous passenger because who bothers taking pictures of the car under the foot mat before they rent a car.
Literally, I had a bad feeling that they would pull up something so I took really good videos of the actual car that even show the seats were clean and we’re made dirty by their employees. But they’re asking me if I had footage of the place where you put your feet under the mat????
Normal companies would be embarrassed to charge you for that. I’m not a dirty person, but let’s say that if you rent a car for a week and use it non stop then car will have some minor sand/grass in it. I rented a car dozens of times in my life and was never ever ever charged for cleaning fee. This is an embarrassment to the company.
They’re telling you not to fuel that they will do it for you, but forget to mention the rates is 30% higher. They don’t even have 24 seven customer service. Even if it’s cheaper, it ends up being more expensive. Do not trust this company with your credit card.Show less2good2bxxxxxx
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: bujyo13hTold me to drive illegally
Normally I would give Kyte 5 stars, but today was awful. I’m a loyal Kyte customer as I rent a car at least once a month from them. Today the car that was delivered had a 2 months registration expiration. I immediately contacted customer service ( it said that they respond within 10 min) almost 25 min later they asked for a picture of the license plate. I sent that in. Another 20 min goes by before they respond that they had informed the ground team and would let me know. They then closed the chat and said they would open an email thread which never happened. I messaged again and got a new person. They did send the email thread and said they were waiting for an update. 2.5hrs later I was informed to drive the car and if I got a ticket they would cover it. I responded saying, your telling me to drive illegally, is that correct? No response after. Never did get an answer on if that was the resolution. Great service, but awful customer service!Show lessLen_Kagamine_owo
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: 3napkr18Be wary of surfer scams
It’s a shame as I have some friends that are angels at Kyte and I’ve had a good experience in SF but my experience outside of SF was nothing short of a scam. My surfer took a side photo of the dashboard that showed gas was not at full (we had topped up 10mins prior to returning). Have the support team even heard of Parallax Error????
Furthermore, my surfer waited at a spot that had a lot of cars and red kerbs so I couldn’t stop there, and I stopped 50 ft in front good but couldn’t find him as a result. He subsequently charged a late fee for his own inability to literally look at the road. This is ridiculous.
Additionally, I had a plane delay and had to change my pick up timing by 15mins. It was an additional $25 charge. I’d recommend using a traditional rental that is more upfront with costs and bot having to deal with surfers. I had to pay an additional $60 in fees and I would certainly have just used a traditional rental if I had known better. I have cancelled my upcoming booking back in SF and will stick to Turo and other traditional providers.Show lesstherealdydx
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: 2yie8zraSaved Our Trip
When me and three other boys took a trip to nyc we were only supposed to be be there three days. But our flight home got cancelled, and the next flight back to Chicago was a whole two days later. No possibility of connection flights or anything. So we all stayed in our cramped friends apartment for two extra nights. One of the boys didn’t have any of his work equipment or way to contact work. And two of the boys needed to get back to camp, school, etc. so when Tuesday rolls around, we’re all ready to go home. But our flight gets cancelled again. So we go back at midnight to the cramped apartment to look for more options. No flights until three days later. No connection flights. Not any flights out of surrounding airports. Not a single rental car available in all of nyc. Until we discovered Kyte. We ordered an SUV for 9am and we’re happy to see it waiting for us at 8:45 full on gas. We drove all the way back to Chicago, dropped it at the meeting spot, and all got home safely. Kyte saved us from spending thousands extra in New York, helped one of the boys get to work, and ultimately saved our trip.Show lessSunnymish
Huge savings for airport rental
I recently rented a Kyte car at SEA. The instructions for navigating to the pickup location were good, but I got a little confused in the light rail station and had to ask how to get to S 176th St. Once I passed that hurdle, I got confused again as to the exact pick-up location. It ended up being a small, short-term, empty parking lot… directly across the street from a Hilton hotel. It would be helpful if the instruction cited its proximity to the Hilton, as it’s an obvious visual landmark, and perhaps included a photo. Another customer was waiting and was also confused whether he was in the right spot. The car was decent (Dodge Charger), similar in condition to other cars throughout the industry these days. The huge plus was in the cost savings. I saved about $400 for a 6-day rental as compared the the best deal I could find inside the airport. As long as you pay close attention to instructions, are willing to walk a little, and are able to arrive early / on-time for pick-up and return, you can save a bundle with Kyte. I highly recommend Kyte and will try to rent from them in the future if I travel to one of their locations.Show lessSteve^S
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: zfpd87csHit or miss - gamble at your own risk
Delivery to your location is great but not unique as you can get that from eg. Uber valet (in NYC) The other selling point is the cheaper price but the cheap price definitely comes with risks. I’ve used twice. 1st time, everything went as planned - no problem. 2nd time, we received notification that the surfer arrived but actually he wasn’t there. We WAITED 2 HOURS for the surfer to actually arrive. During which time the customer service just kept saying “we’ll let you know when he’s there”. Their surfer mgmt system is horrible and customer service adds no value, even when you ‘speak to a human’ (there’s no actual speaking, everything is through messages) it’s all just standardized responses. Basically this is a startup that’s trying to keep operating costs as low as possible and they’re cutting on customer experience… hoping their growth will come from new customers, and not caring about return customers. Also, both times the car was filthy (previous user’s trash still stuffed in the pockets), once the tank was only partially filled and a fuse box was broken, and likely the tire pressure was uneven as the car kept pulling to one side. Luckily we were using for short 1 hr drive; I would not have used if was for a longer one.Show less안형태
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: tjbmrnzkSaved me from the hassle from renting a car from LAX
First time using Kyte and absolutely fell in love with the service, the concept and the affordability. Just WOW. I reserved a car from a traditional car rental company. Took 30+ minutes to have the shuttle take me from the airport to the car rental building. When I got there, I saw a long line that was barely moving. It was going to take another 30+ minute for me to get the car. Found out about Kyte when waiting for my rental car desperately. Reserved a car from Kyte. The surfer delivered the car within 5 minutes of the booked appt time. The hands off took 5 minute for me to get a car!!!! And even better!!!! I found out the Kyte reservation was almost 15% cheaper than the original reservation that I had with a traditional car rental company!!! Better price for exceptional service!!!! You gotta give this app a try!!!Show lessatigerdancing
Developer Response
Your kind words about Kyte are really appreciated. We love making our customer’s days and we can’t wait to have the opportunity to make you smile again! Thanks for choosing us!Get what you pay for
I’ve used Kyte a half dozen times now in NYC. The convenience of delivery is great and the surfers have been mostly timely (I don’t love too far from one of the company’s Manhattan lots near 60th). Changing times has been smooth if there’s ample forewarning. However, the conscience and flexibility disappears at the two-hour line. A 15-return window with variable NYC traffic is a invitation for Kyte to begin accruing fees. What’s worse, when the surfer ditches, then I’m stuck with a vehicle in Manhattan with nowhere to park it until Kyte finds a new surfer. Hustling through every toll and not topping off the tank because I’m trying to compensate for traffic easily adds up to $100 extra for a rental. Sometimes, the cheaper rental price is a good trade off, but sometimes it’s a loss. It makes me almost want to go back to brick and mortar rentals.Show lessiChuckle
Developer Response
Hi there, we would love to know what went wrong and what are our areas of improvement. Feel free to email us to support@drivekyte.com please be sure to reference this code so we can connect your email to your review. Code: 8jwo2rrlBest Idea Ever
I’m a college Student from Harvard and I came to nyc to see my family and need a ride this was the best idea dropped the car right in front of the door and pick it up from the same location the person who delivered my car was very professional even left me 2 bottles of water, a car freshener and some Clorox Wipes so we can wipe down and stop the spread of Covid however when returning it don’t states the fees of how much gas would be like other rental companies it just says transparency rate if it’s not returned full. Everything with the car to the customer service to the delivery of the car was just perfect. I also wanna mention that this is the best app to use instead of going to a rental company such as Avis & Enterprise. This is game ChangingShow lessProfesser Mike
Developer Response
Thanks for the awesome review about Kyte, Professer Mike. We’re so pleased to hear it's working just as it should and that you’re enjoying it so much! If there is anything else we can do, please let us know. We hope to see you when you next need a car rental.
