Member Since: 08 Nov 2008
Location: London
Posts: 1
SMH Car Hire Cape Town branch and Johannesburg head office
Dear Traveler,
Dear Land Rover,
Dear Land Rover Experience,
Dear all
I would like to give a warning to all off you.
As a Land Rover Experience client, I would like to give you an example of how to steal the clients money by renting 4x4 best car ever. The best Off Road Car Ever made - Land Rover Discovery 3.
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Subject: SMH Car Hire Cape Town branch and Johannesburg head office.
Names:
Neil Kemp : General Manager Jhb & Cpt
Dewald Trollip : Cape Town - Branch Manager
If you don`t want to loose your money from your bank account without any warning, if you don`t want to be robber, if you want to sleep in peace and you want to memorize your holidays without any black pages instead of perfect photos just... do not hire your car in SMH company.
I`ve lost nearly 1000 British Pounds and almost 2000 GBP in total in the name of SMH interests.
If you want to hire a good car and avoid any trip loss please follow what`s written.
This is an South African car hire company with Cape Town branch.
Me and my wife hired a car in SMH car hire company in October 2008. http://www.hirealandrover.co.za/contactus.html Our honeymoon trip 4x4 off-road car to view South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. We have arrived from London to Cape Town late at night and we were very welcome.
We`ve checked the car, signed agreement and we drove along the South African west coast to Namibia. We`ve crossed Namibian border and just few kilometers away from Namibian border on the D316 road (marked on the map) we`ve had first flat tire. No biggie. Just a flat tire. We can fix this - I thought, cause we have another - spare wheal underneath our LR3. Bad luck, but simple road - 4x4 car and simple accident. I took the spare wheal and what I found is that this tire was fixed before - it had a strange blue stacked out silicone on it. The tire looked actually pathetic in overall but it was only one spare wheal we`ve had so... no choice. Decision: Let`s call this guy from SMH (Dewald Trollip) to ask him what should we do with this suspicious spare. He told us by the phone - mount it. There is no risk. Go for it back pack boy... he said. Ok, after 20 minutes we`ve been back on the road D316. We`ve met a nice couple on the bikes travelling along whole African continent - North-South from London. We`ve been tired a bit so we`ve been tried to ask them for any nearest Lodge around this area. I wanted to ask these people for a phone number to the nearest lodge and what we have found on the stop that we have another flat tire! Pretty bad for us, because we don`t have another spare wheal. I`ve was so upset about it so I`ve walked around the car and we have found another flat tire!!!! Third tire in a row!! It was 12:00. High noon. We have been in between of privet properties fences, flat area... desert alike. Almost no phone range. Bikers had to move forward so they gave us a simple b&w copy of a travelers advisor catalogue page with the phone numbers on it and they had to move forward. I`ve called this guy from SMH (Dewald Trollip) and he said to me, that he will try to help us. After 4 hrs silence and the heat from above I`ve called him again. He said that he can`t help me now, because no one in Namibia have the tires for Land Rover Disco 3. He will try to help us by sending us someone to get the car from the road to the nearest car station - workshop kind to fix the tires. We have been waiting until very dark. As you know the darkness on the desert comes very suddenly. I`ve took this case on my back from now on. I`ve made over 40 calls to every one from the Namibia travel book we`ve had. I was trying to get any one, ANY ONE from Namibia to get us from the desert and the car. Or fix the tires on the spot no matter what. We`ve been asking every one for help. My first words were: "This is an emergency call, please help". Every time we were giving our location, LAT and LONG, road name etc to the people. Some woman from some Lodge said... than we need to stay where we are and in next 2 hours someone will pick us up to the nearest Lodge with the car. It was incredible, that a strange woman decided to help us. We had to trust the situation we have came across and adapt to it. Off course, our car hire SMH (*&!$%) company wasn`t responding at all. It was 2300hrs. Approx after 2 hrs driving 40km/h on the back of the pickup with the LR3 lifted behind we`ve reached BP station at the RSA/Namibian border. At the end of the day I`ve demanded by sms to send us a new tires from SMH to Namibia with no excuse, NOW. Otherwise I will give him a huge bill for his act of irresponsibility.
Car tow total cost - 1200ZAR. Next day, we`ve fixed the old tires at the BP privet workshop. Finally the SMH guy (Dewald Trollip) has decided to send us 3 new tires. This delivery procedure - 6 hrs. Thanks god. We could continue our trip. The old tires were carpet alike. The guy from the BP car workshop said, that it is impossible to mount these tires on the 4x4 car. So irresponsible from SMH car hire company. But, what could we do. Drive forward and try to be very careful. Big trip, bigger time pressure. Time to move on with new tires mounted on the front and old ones on the roof rack and at the back of the car. After a day. We get another flat tire!!!! FOURTH!!!! Bad luck? No. One new spare new tire was mounted underneath and two new tires were mounted at the front. They were ok. Two old tires were fixed at the back. One of the back tires went flat on the sand road. That was not just bad luck. It was just SMH wish thinking that everything can be fine with this ragged tires and nothing can go wrong with the UK tourist. From now on we had to go very slow, no matter what kind of road we might drive through. 40/50km/h. It took ages to get to the Dune 45 !!!! One old rear tire and we were starting to be afraid about what might happen with the car next? Where? When? At DUNE45 Lodge we fixed all old tires again just in case. And time pressure was so big from now on that we had no time to stay longer but move forward with just fixed tires as a spare ones. Absolutely no trust to the tires from now on.
We gave the car back after the trip. There were no flats any more on the way back to Cape Town. Because of the time pressure we couldn't go to Botswana unfortunately. We kept old tires to give them back to the car hire company. Just to show them how bad they were. As it was promised to us we wanted to get this 1200ZAR back. I haven`t mentioned about my 300 pounds phone bill I`ve paid regarding my phone calls in Namibia to get us from the desert road. Let just forget about it. We`ve decided to get back to London with peace of minds. See the photos we`ve made and watch great movies was the prior now. It was adventurous so we wanted to keep this memories like that. Back to reality.
But hold on.
After a week we found, that a 1000British Pounds is missing form our bank account. The SMH car hire company decided to charged us again! We`ve called our bank that there is some mistake on our credit card statement. But our bank confirmed twice, that the 1000GBP transaction occurs twice and this is the SMH car hire charge from 22`nd of October. I`ve called the SMH in Cape Town regarding their second charge. Mr. Dewald Trollip said to me on the phone that he doesn`t know anything about it and if SMH has charged us, so this is mistake and he`ll refund this amount back on our account. Because there was only one SMH charge which occurred on the beginning of October, when we have paid for car hire. I`ve looked again on our account credit card statement and I`ve found that the money has gone a couple of days ago. Transaction date - 22nd of Oct. So I`ve called him again and he denied. It is not true. I`ve called my bank and they said that this is no mistake in it at all, SMH charge us two times. I`ve called SMH back and they denied again! What a bad day I thought. I`ve decided to avoid Cape Town branch contact and I`ve emailed the Johannesburg head office - Mr. Neil Kemp. Suddenly Cape Town manager Dewald Trollip wrote me back: Yes, it was me... I`ve charged you because there were some discrepancies in the car. I thought: What? What discrepancies? - Well, two rubbers cups are missing, some scratches on the mirrors, rims`ve are scratched and in overall the car was dirty as never before. And the tires were in very bad condition. You have destroyed them guys probably. - Unbelievable! With SMH the agreement highlighted paragraphs that SMH Cape Town branch has broken I`vet called head office. Mr. Neil Kemp. After agreement discrepancies presentation via email and by the phone I`ve asked him to refund this amount back on my credit account. In big short cut... after this guy evidences presentation and broken agreement paragraphs - His answer was simple: This is not my problem actually and - good bye. If you have any problems with the agreement so please contact or Cape Town branch manager Mr. Dewald Trollip.
It was quite bad experience. Land Rover head office in South Africa has recommended this company as a trusted one. I`ve tried to prepare my self to go to the most trusted car hire LR company and I`ve met a biggest liars ever. This is an African trust - consider that. My advise as a traveler - do not rent a car from THIS -SMH- COMPANY - SMH might steal your money without any warning. Lies are their everyday's circumstances. Just to get your credit card number and than your money. Excuse - they ain`t have one.
It wasn`t my first time I`ve hired a car. AVIS is great you know... no problems at all. But they do`nt do LR3 or Defender. The SMH cheap company is VERY UNTHRUSTED car hire company that I`ve ever came across before.
Dewald Trollip has send us an email - 23rd of Oct.
"Once I have the answers I will email you again and let you know what will happen with all the charges and what the amounts are."
Remember, he charged our account on 22nd. of Oct.
Simple SMH motto - just lie to your client if you will consider no money income to your pocket.
They had to pay for the new Tires delivery probably and this is why they charge us for it. Because their car hire money from us has gone on the tires delivery day.
Have a nice and good Trip. South Africa is beautiful. But don`t trust SMH. That`s for your own good.
As a summary: If Land Rover is a best off road car. 4x4 best machine created for people. The most wanted adventure car for all people. Please, I am asking you. Do not let these guys rent a Land Rover to anybody - ever. These guys are responsible for the Land Rover world wide name. Don`t let them destroy this name.
sent them a e mail to let them know how S**t they are Home of RLD Hidden winch mounts Spare wheel Locks Trailer Body Fabrication ray@rld-tech.co.uk D3/4 sump plates MY 14 sump plates and the Discovery Sport wheel protectors Discovery 5 wheel locks
more Helsport tents and other things for camping Law of Mechanical Repair:
"After your hands are coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee!"
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Law of Mechanical Repair:
