You get affordable rental vehicle agencies that understand your needs and operate in your best interest, and then you get rental car agencies that leave you feeling like you’ve walked into a vehicular horror movie.

This article takes a look at three rental car horror stories from individuals that have had the misfortune of renting a vehicle from a nightmare rental vehicle agency.

*real names of victims have been changed for privacy reasons*

Joe from Johannesburg

My name is Joe and I have a rental car horror story.

I decided to take my family to the Northern Cape for a long weekend break. After Googling rental car agents in the area we were going to be staying, I found one that seemed worth my time.

They had no physical address, which was the first warning sign, but I was just so happy to be paying next to nothing for our stunning rental car.

The deal was that I’d transfer a deposit and 50% of the total cost in advance, and the owner would meet me and my family at the airport with our rental car for the weekend.

We arrived after 5pm, and couldn’t see our rental car anywhere. I found the owner’s number, and gave him a call. He said he was on his way, so we relaxed and grabbed a cup of coffee while we waited.

Day turned into night and still no sign of our car. I gave the owner a call, but it went directly to voicemail.

To this day, we have not been able to find the rental agency owner or the money I paid him. We got scammed good, and we hope this story will convince you to only use agencies with physical rental vehicle branches.

Carl from Cape Town

This is Carl and here’s my rental vehicle horror story.

I’ve never believed in insurance, but what happened to me convinced me beyond any doubt. I had a business meeting in Johannesburg and my company decided to fly me up for the day.

I decided to book a rental bakkie from a lesser-known rental agency, and was surprised to discover that they required no deposit for the vehicle rental – only 50% of the day’s rental fee up front.

This was great news (or so I thought) and I drove off with a smile from ear to ear.

I found myself in bumper to bumper traffic on the way to the Johannesburg CBD when it happened.

Out of nowhere, three men armed with hand guns jumped out of the vehicle in front of me and surrounded my car. One shot a bullet through the windshield and into the vacant passenger seat.

They forced me out of the vehicle, and then forced their way through the traffic and to the next offramp where they disappeared into the urban jungle that is Jozi.

What I hadn’t realised when I signed the rental agreement was that I was liable for the replacement of the vehicle unless the vehicle could be tracked and returned in working order.

I asked the owner if he installed a tracker in the bakkie I had rented, and his answer made me shudder…

It was due to be installed the following Monday.

Karen from Kimberly

My name is Karen and do I have a rental car horror story for you!

My fiancé and I were travelling through the Karoo in a nippy little rental car when we decided to stop for a picnic in a secluded roadside area.

It was over 30°C so I thought it a good idea to leave the car doors wide open. It was parked under a tree about 50 metres away from where we settled for lunch.

We were there for about 10 minutes when we decided to pack up and head back to the car. As we stood up, we heard a car door slam shut and watched as our rental car drove off into the distance with all of our luggage.

My fiancé was livid, but I managed to calm him down while we waved down passing drivers, hoping to find one that would be willing to drop us at the rental vehicle agency.

Someone eventually stopped for us, and 2 hours later we were back at the rental car outlet about to break the terrible news to the owner. We noticed fresh car tracks leading around the back of the building, but thought nothing of it at the time.

The owner was angry, and accused us of trying to con him. We didn’t appreciate his attitude, and decided to involve our lawyer.

After a month of back and forth, it turned out that the rental car owner was a known conman in the area that pulled this sort of stunt on a family of three a few months prior.

Authorities found the rental vehicle under a covering behind the building, but our luggage was never seen again.

Trustworthy Vehicle Rentals in Durban

Rest assured, none of our satisfied Highway Bakkie Hire vehicle rental clients have ever had to deal with anything remotely similar to the above rental car horror stories. Get in touch with us here and we’ll show you why we’re better…