Car Rental Rip Off!!!!

Oh no! They did not give you the little red one did they? The import from Hungary or Bulgaria or somewhere...

If you deal with a local yokel like Sandros, there are a few rules -
1. They only have crap cars
2. If you want to deal with a crap car, make sure you get the least crappy one of the lot
3. Testdrive first, don't pay first
4. Check the car, inside, outside - wiggle the mirrors to see if they've been stuck on with chewing gum - while you do that, wiggle everything else as well, including doors and bumpers
5. Write down every little scrape, bump or mark and make them sign the list
5. Check the spare wheel, and most of all, check that the tire changing equipment is there. Please don't stop there, check that it actually fits the car.
6. Rent by day to reduce your exposure - you can always take it back tomorrow. If the car is OK, rent for a few more days to get a better rate.
8. Don't rent from Sandros if you're not a local and cannot deal with the less than sterling service, no insurance and crappy cars.

We once almost lost the 'nose' of a crappy car from Sandros - yes, the little red import - only in the Dominican Republic :laugh:

ill chime in here...because i deal with a rtental car company at the STI airport. And there are a few trade offs I have found. The car rentals are very exspensive compared to america!!!!!!!...but if you go with the company's with a little older cars the price comes down. But you have to deal with the issues of problems with the cars. I am paying like $60 to $90 us per day for the cars I rent. But they are all SUVs from Nissan Xtrail up to the Mitubishi Montero( big one). But thyey all dented up, and have issues. i went through four cars on one trip in two days trying to get a CD player to work, and one that the ac worked very good as well. But those cars cost over $100 per day at other places, especially if newer...... but your car sounds like the ATV I rented in Puerto Platta....nothing worked!!!!!!! Dangerous as he..llll

thats the biggest danger in the DR I think...the vehicles on the road..you are driving 1 foot away from a car heading directly at you going 50 mph or more each...and any one of the cars coming your way could fall apart right when its about to pass you!........bob

not all local places are like that. i usually rent from here:
http://www.savingscarrental.com/defaultv.htm
the POP office is run by Yohanne, a very nice lady.
yes, the cars are a little older, but i usually pay $24-28/day for the week after taxes and all.
they all have CD players (most of them work) and alarm systems.
one trip, i was in sosua and the next day, the car had to be jumped. i called her and she said to bring it back to the airport, where she gave me another one.
the only thing i ever had to pay for was a tire (rd 1000) that was because i drove on it and it couldn't be patched.

Savings rental is where I rent from in STI....I have met Umberto many times out on the road to fix problems. Its good that they make the effort to come help out, but it does suck , when your day is wasted dealing with the problems. The Mitubishi I just rented last week dies on my way back from Puerto Platta, because of bad gas. the fuel pump died. they knew what it was before they got to the car in Santiago. they had a new pump with them. But they just brought a second car along and i took it and left. they fixed the Montero after i left!...not bad service, but it would have been better to not have the problem. They are great people , but they are dominican !!!!!!!! which means that when you reserve a SPECIFIC car.. and you call every day for three days before you get there to confirm your car will be waiting... they give you the yes yes yes yes....but it is never there!!!!!!!!!!!!! they just have a lacadisial attitude, but they are cheap and they are very very nice......trades offs!!!!!......bob

hedlykarok said:

not all local places are like that. i usually rent from here:
http://www.savingscarrental.com/defaultv.htm
the POP office is run by Yohanne, a very nice lady.
yes, the cars are a little older, but i usually pay $24-28/day for the week after taxes and all.
they all have CD players (most of them work) and alarm systems.
one trip, i was in sosua and the next day, the car had to be jumped. i called her and she said to bring it back to the airport, where she gave me another one.
the only thing i ever had to pay for was a tire (rd 1000) that was because i drove on it and it couldn't be patched.

Click to expand...

Hope your right, I just reserved a Nissan Sentra for Jan 27th in Santiago for 24 dollars a day.

i've met humberto, but usually deal with Yohanne at POP.

i really like their cars because they feel like your own - and don't look like rentals: many of them have smoked windows, after-market stereos, etc.

Yohanne is one of the best

hedlykarok said:

not all local places are like that. i usually rent from here:
http://www.savingscarrental.com/defaultv.htm
the POP office is run by Yohanne, a very nice lady.
yes, the cars are a little older, but i usually pay $24-28/day for the week after taxes and all.
they all have CD players (most of them work) and alarm systems.
one trip, i was in sosua and the next day, the car had to be jumped. i called her and she said to bring it back to the airport, where she gave me another one.
the only thing i ever had to pay for was a tire (rd 1000) that was because i drove on it and it couldn't be patched.

Click to expand...

Yohanne is a very professional woman. Her office is on the corner of the Puerto Plata airport terminal where you exit. Go to the right and she is right in that corner.

For people that are in Sosua and wish to rent a car or jeepeta? Go and see Mateo who has some Honda CRVs for rental. He parks his rentals near the phone company building on the corner of Dr. Rosen. His son's name is Auto. They are decent Domincans and have been in business for a long time!

Now i say right off, I have rented from savings rental 6 times now. because they were the first and i kept going back, even with some issues. Tha said

Yohanne is the eppitome of someone in buisness that says what ever you want to hear even if they have no intent on honoring it.

what that means is she PROMISED me a certain vehicle 3 times and i called several times to confirm that MY SPECIFIC car was available, even to the day before. She said OHHHH YESSSSS.... get there and the car I wanted HAS NEVER BEEN THERE!!!!!!!!!!! she yessed me to death having no intention of worrying about little things like actually keeping her promise....oh we have another car for you!.. But I have been through enough cars there to know WHICH one worked good the last time and which one I wanted......it is totally useless saying to her you want the 2002 blue nissan xtrail ready at the airport on the xx of january....you have it RESERVERED right !!!!!!!!! think again..........it wont happen.... they will rent it one day before you arrive for the week or a few days, because a bird in the hand is better than your word you are coming the next day. They think its good enough just to give you another car. "its just as good, you will like it"...why because they WANT YOU to like it ha ha ha ha.......she is nice, but her word means nothing to me now


bob