- Posted by: Arne Woudstra
- January 26, 2007, 12:37 pm
Tourists beware when choosing your rental car in Cape Town, as you might end up paying for an not so roadworthy vehicle!
The South African news website IOL reports on this in an article on several tourists in Cape Town who have been stuck with a broken car and received no money back.
The car rental company in question is called Best Beetle, and is known around Cape Town for the old but funky Volkswagen Beetles that they rent out. The condition of the cars is not always up to standards however, and several people are making claims on the company for a return of their money.
Before you sign a contract or make a transaction always..
- See the actual car you are about to rent
- Check the papers to make sure it is roadworthy
- Read the contract thoroughly and make sure there is a clause for getting your money back when the car breaks down
But don't let all this bad news put you off! Many people have had excellent experiences with their rental car in Cape Town, and I'm sure if you are aware of all this you will too!
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About the Author
Arne Woudstra is the first editor of Africa Travel Guide. This Dutch-born travel enthusiast, took up the role of editor at Africa Travel Guide while completing his marketing internship at a travel company in Cape Town, South Africa. Arne plans to study further, specialising in online marketing at the University of Amsterdam in Holland in 2007.
Michel
1:00 pm, July 31, 2007
I fully agree!!
I just came back from Capetown where I rented a beetle at Best Beetle.
As long as you pay them, there’s nothing to worry about.
BUT!
As soon as there is something to be repaired, the troubles start. When you rent their car, they will ask you for a deposit of 2000 or 4000 Rand.(=200-400 euros)
As soon as the car breaks down(which happens quite easily because of the very, very poor condition of ALL their beetles) they will use YOUR deposit to get it back/repaired!!!
In my case they send me away with no-profile-left on the tires, saying in South Africa and Namibia it would not be a problem at all. But in fact, it was.
There was no choice for me, other than to buy some new tires, but never received anything back from Bestbeetle!!So that’s more or less their catch of their low prices…
In the end, the guys even accused me for doing things wrong (wrong tires, bad rims etc etc) and got angry??!!
So to be short: Yes, it’s nice to rent a beetle. But be very, and I mean V-E-R-Y- careful with these guys!!!
Be warned…
khao lak
4:37 pm, December 20, 2007
Here’s the complete guide to
Chris
10:24 am, June 23, 2008
Hey…I agree,
I just rented a beetle from these guys for two months, and although I loved the beetle (nicknamed it Putt Putt), I ended up paying more money renting it, with all the maintenance costs, than I would have paid renting a car from Hertz.
In fact, on one occasion, the parking brake itself tore off while I was using it and I couldn’t drive the car anywhere until I paid an astronomical price to get it fixed, which of course I didn’t get a reimbursement from BB!
just be careful….