"Worst rental experience - alleged 'damage' costing 1000 EUR"

I am writing this review for the benefit of all readers who, like me a few months back, was trying to balance between paying a higher price with a reputable company, or paying a lower price with a less transparent company. Learn from my mistake - I ended up paying a higher price with an ironically named company, Faircar.

I rented a car with the company in March 2016 for about a week. To be fair, the car itself ran fine, and the trip was enjoyable. During the collection process, on a Sunday, a friendly Faircar representative met us and collected the car, was polite and all.

After I returned from Iceland, I was hit with a 800EUR repair bill PLUS a 190 EUR ‘administrative fee’. The company claimed that I had dented the front bumper. They sent me before and after pictures, which were inconclusive. If I had damaged the car, I would gladly pay up. I bought insurance which covered me for up to 50x that amount.

But this complaint is not about the fact that damage was charged. It is about the opaque way in which Faircar does its damage assessment; a process that, in my opinion, lacks in transparency.

During pickup, the representative made no complaints about the car, and picked it up from us. She then drove off in it. No inspection of the car was done in our presence, to point out the alleged damage to the front bumper, which would have been obvious on sight if it were truly there. Instead, the vehicle was driven off and we later receive photos of alleged damage. In the email notifying me about these charges, Faircar insisted they were a ‘family-owned business’ and that they were ‘honest’. Sure.

The damning thing is that all of this is hidden in their T&Cs (terms and conditions). Their T&Cs state that customers HAVE TO REQUEST an inspection at the point of confirmation of the rental, or else it will not be available. Why would a company which claims it is honest and transparent seek to deny customers an inspection in front of their eyes?

Although the rental period is stated on your voucher as the time you return the car, it is stated in their T&Cs as the time of inspection. An inspection that is not carried out in front of the customer. An inspection at a time not known to the customer. An inspection that the company charges you EUR 190 for.

The implication of this term is that you are potentially liable for any damage, up to the point where Faircar decides to send the vehicle for inspection. In my case, I was technically liable under the contract for any damage caused on the drive to the inspection garage. Is this legal? Well, it was in the contract. Is this fair? Only you can decide.

As I trawled through review websites, aggrieved, I found that I was not alone. Their Facebook cover image proudly displays a 9.1 rating on Trustpilot. In truth, their rating is now 6.7.

Please, if you are now making that choice between Faircar, and any reputable car rental company, I hope you choose the latter. Not only to protect your own wallet, but also to send a message that such business practices should NEVER be tolerated.

(If you must (or have already) rent with Faircar, remember to INSIST on an inspection when you drop the car off.)

"Estafa"

NUNCA con Fair Car

Far Car NO revisa el vehículo en tu presencia.
Fair Car NO se presenta en el momento de entrega del vehículo (así te privan del derecho a revisar el vehículo).
Fair Car NO atiende el teléfono de emergencias.
Fair Car te da los documentos para que los firmes sin fecha.
Fair Car utiliza fraudulentamente tu tarjeta de crédito, intenta estafarte a tí y al seguro a todo riesgo, si por suerte lo has contratado.

Mi consejo: Busquen otra compañía mas honesta.

"Great service"

FairCar offers great service. They have picked us up at the airport even though the flight had a one-hour delay. Before renting the car and during the rental period I had some questions; those were answered timely and clearly. When I returned the car a FairCar employee gave me a lift to my hotel. I did not have to pay anything extra for that. Very convenient!

"Christmas car hire"

We hired a Nissan quashqai +2 over the Christmas period and received a lovely car the staff where friendly and met us and dropped us off at the airport highly recommended

"our second booking with fair car!"

It was our second trip in Iceland and our second car booking with fair car and also happy like the first time. For our next trip, we will book again with them and we recommand Fair car to all friends and people who want to come in Iceland. We have nothing to do, Fair car pick up us at airport and return us the last day...every thing is good and easy.
The owner of fair car give very good advice for guest and are very friendly. Thank you Fair car.!

"Very nice"

Faircar staff is very nice. I had a nice trip with Faircar.

"Great service at every moment"

We appreciated the service, all the explanations, the kindness and the availability. The car was perfect for our needs on this trip, and the tires with nails a very good thing. The website too is very clear and detailled. We paid what we signed for. A great deal.
We don't hesitate to recommend this office.

"Simple, friendly, inexpensive and reliable."

Our flight was delayed for two hours due to poor weather conditions in Keflavik. Even so, when we arrived, Justina was waiting for us to shuttle us over to the rental spot. Picking up the car was simple. We rented a Suzuki Splash in mid February and this thing was a little beast. With the studded tires, I had no issues with staying on the road, even with icy and whiteout conditions. We purchased gravel protection (which literally saved us because we ended up behind a truck near Vik that threw a couple hundred rocks at us over the course of a half hour). When we returned the car, Thor drove us back to the airport and him and I swapped stories of cities in the US where we've both lived. Really great team, great cars and a great company. Highly recommended.

"Iceland visit"

Really impressed with this company, staff were friendly and helpful ( unusual in a car hire company). The car was ideal, coped very well with blizzard conditions and comfortable.

"EXCELLENT LOCATION AGENCY"

Agency not necessarily offered by various travel sites (purchase tickets, accommodation) and we found a forum. No regret, serious agency. friendly staff, recover from you at the airport on time. Simple steps. mutual trust rendering the vehicle. The choice fell on the price, the cheapest we could find. impeccable vehicle. Agency to recommend.