I prepaid a one-week rental with SicilyByCar and arrived with every document in hand at Bologna airport, only to be stone-walled at every turn:
Debit-vs-credit card standoff – The agent refused my Mastercard because it’s technically a debit card, even though it has never been rejected elsewhere and the booking site never flagged this as an issue.
No alternative payment accepted – When I offered my travel companion’s credit card for the security hold, I was told that would require adding him as a driver—“not possible”. I then proposed paying the €200 deposit outright in cash or by card. Also “not possible”.
Zero flexibility—even for a day – I offered to return the next morning with a different credit card. They still refused, claiming they wouldn’t hold the vehicle despite my having already paid for the full week.
Needlessly hostile tone – Every suggestion (paying extra fees, changing the booking, fetching another card) was met with curt, dismissive replies. No effort to find a solution—just “computer says no.”
Fortunately, Booking.com intervened and cancelled the reservation, so at least I recovered my money. But I lost valuable holiday hours scrambling for a replacement car.
Bottom line: If you value time, courtesy or the slightest trace of flexibility, avoid SicilyByCar entirely. There are plenty of rental firms in Italy that still understand the meaning of customer service.