CarFlexi cancelled confirmed booking after rental company refused vehicle – now refund is R0.00

I am extremely dissatisfied with the way CarFlexi has handled my booking, order number CFEF0A8D.

I booked and paid for a rental vehicle through CarFlexi for collection in South Africa. The booking was confirmed and I was issued with the relevant booking documentation/voucher.

The local rental company subsequently informed me that they would not honour the rental because they had conducted a credit assessment and claimed that my credit score did not meet their internal minimum requirement of 700.

This was not a cancellation because I changed my mind, failed to arrive, failed to provide the required documentation, or breached the rental conditions. The rental company refused to provide the vehicle.

I was then told by the rental company that because I had booked through a third party, I needed to approach CarFlexi for my refund.

This is where the situation became unacceptable.

I attempted repeatedly to contact CarFlexi and obtain assistance. Getting meaningful customer service was extremely difficult. I also attempted to resolve the matter telephonically and was transferred between branches/departments, with calls being disconnected and no satisfactory resolution being provided.

I subsequently received an email from CarFlexi stating:

“We kindly inform you that your booking with order number CFEF0A8D was cancelled.”

However, the same email then states:

“0,00 ZAR have been already refunded to your credit card according to our cancellation policy.”

In other words, CarFlexi has cancelled the booking and claims that the amount refunded is R0.00.

This makes absolutely no sense.

I did not voluntarily cancel a perfectly usable rental. The vehicle was refused to me by the rental supplier because of their own credit-score policy.

If a minimum credit score of 700 was a mandatory condition for this particular rental, then I want CarFlexi to identify exactly where this requirement was clearly disclosed to me before I paid for and received confirmation of the booking.

If it was not disclosed, I do not accept that the financial consequences of the supplier subsequently refusing the rental should simply be passed on to me.

I therefore require CarFlexi to:

1. Provide a full breakdown of every amount I paid in relation to booking CFEF0A8D. 2. Explain why their cancellation email states that the refund is R0.00. 3. Identify the exact clause in the booking terms applicable to my reservation that permitted the supplier to refuse the rental based on a minimum credit score of 700. 4. Provide evidence showing where that minimum credit-score requirement was disclosed to me before payment/confirmation. 5. Process the appropriate refund without further delay if no such disclosed requirement exists. 6. Provide written confirmation of the refund amount and transaction/reference number.

I have retained the booking documentation, correspondence with the rental company, emails, screenshots and records of my attempts to resolve this matter.

I am not looking for an explanation that simply points me from CarFlexi to the rental company and then back again.

CarFlexi accepted the booking through its platform. The supplier refused to provide the vehicle. I did not receive the rental service, and I am now being told that R0.00 has been refunded.

I would like CarFlexi to resolve this properly and provide a clear written explanation and refund.

Order number: CFEF0A8D