Flash Rent A Car

Location :

Av. El Dorado #103-9, Bogotá
Added by Jopie, at 01 September 2016

Add email
Add business description
Add Social Media
Add Products and Services

• Tacupae Iguaran

  08 September 2016

  First for the impatient, REFRAIN yourself from renting a car with this company. They got my money and promised a superb service but that did not happen to me.
  
  You have to understand that doing business in Colombia is not an easy task. If you want to have a slighter chance of success renting a car there try US-based car rental companies like Hertz, Avis, Budget, etc., DO NOT use any local company like Flash Rent A Car.
  
  I rented a car with Budget on their web site and nobody was in the airport office and I was told nobody was present at the Budget’s booth on Sundays. Yes, you heard well it is just a tiny booth and not an office with a counter and official staff. After an hour trying to hunt Budget people in Bogota I gave up and tried Flash Rent A Car.
  
  The amount of information and paper work I have to complete was insane (personal and commercial references, employment information, name of my supervisor, etc.). On top of the car rate, which they charged upfront using a data phone, they also put a hold a huge secure deposit on my credit card (over the phone), used a zip-zap machine to create two paper vouchers without any amount I had to sign. The scariest thing I’ve ever done considering that the nice lady told me they would not return those voucher since they were used for extra security for them (of course) in case you had to pay for extra things like unpaid tickets, etc.
  
  On the return day they were not at their office at 8:30 am because I had failed to inform them what my departure time was. I guess 8:30 am is too early for them so you have to show due diligence and make sure they know you travel plans beforehand.
  
  When they got there we did the usual car inspection. The “inspector” detected a car damaged underneath the car that had no visible paint damage or even a dent so honestly I was not able to detect such a thing I rented the car. I said, well I’m sure I didn’t it but I’m glad I bought you “complete” insurance.
  
  The “nice” lady and the “weird inspector” told me that I had to pay the repair cost because their insurance policy deductible is way higher than the actual repair. I said it was OK, but they had to submit the claim to the insurance company and when we get the EOB-like response they could charge me the repair. I explained to them that I would need that claim because I was covered by an extra protection policy from AMEX. They basically told me that they would not get any claim document from their insurance company explaining basic things like the cost of the repair, policy deductible and how much (if any) the insurance company will be covering.
  
  I told them that what they were doing was unacceptable. I decided to pay because I lost my temper at that point and things were escalating quickly. They were committing a fraud by forcing me to pay up-front cash before submitting a formal claim and knowing the repair cost or else. I really thought they could have prevented me from leaving the country (a military was there when I arrived to their “office”) if I didn’t fulfill their requests. My gut feeling is they will not repair anything and do the same thing to another foreign customer.
  
  My final advice for you is: DO NOT rent a car in Bogota because driving there is a total nightmare. Everybody is a potential maniac not only bike riders and taxi drivers but also other drivers and even pedestrians. You will be better served by hiring a driver for the entire stay and pay him for the day or on-demand but if you really need to rent a car stay away from Flash Rent A Car

  response / report this review