********** transactions

Word of advice to all - NEVER NEVER NEVER USE DOLLAR THRIFTY or give them your card details. They are a bunch of *********** ******s and i for one am planning on laying a formal complaint with the ombusdman.

I rented a car at Cape Town International Airport on Sunday 29th October. I paid a holding deposit of R2000 and then the actual rental of around R3700. These transactions were done separately via a card machine and pin. They DID NOT OFFER INSURANCE and told me the holding deposit is for if something went wrong with the car. During this time, a gentleman is there fighting about monies that have been taken from his account! Silly me, i ignore this warning sign and that is most likely where I should have said "do not imprint my card". I asked the gentleman who works there what the card imprint is for seeing as I have paid with a card machine and pin and he assured me it was just to validate that I indeed used that card to pay but assured me no amounts would be run on that card. Great... Fast forward to the following Sunday I call and ask them to extend the car for one more day, I then ask if I must pay via eft or can they run my card seeing as they have my imprint. They do it. Great. Next day I ask for one more day extension and I am met with a TERRIBLY RUDE woman over the phone at green point branch. Eventually she says she will call airport and extend the car. Later that day, lord behold I have a puncher / tire burst and slight reverse into a steel object - there is NO DENT on the car but a deep scratch. Next day I return the car, sign the damage papers and explain the tire punch and the deep scratch and get on the plane. Surely if there is any cost it must come out of the deposit... that why its been paid!

2 hours later I land in Johannesburg and my phone starts beeping... Dollar Thrifty has run my card for R1180 AND R200 in two separate transactions. Effectively cleaning out my account. I call them, they apologise and assure me they will refund my account. Next morning i get a R2000 refund.. Still no explanation on WHO AUTHORISED THE R1180 and R200 because I did not nor did I get an invoice or email about these transactions up till now. This morning I wake up and they have run my card for R2300 (more than they even refunded me). I have called them 4 times this morning, they have again cleared out my account AGAIN and I cant even buy R5 airtime to call them. At each spot I am told they will call me back and 3 hours later... NOTHING!

I called my bank ***** and dispute departments and they both agreed that they should not have run my card without calling me, invoicing me or requesting my permission. The bank said that they are NOT Permitted to enter my account without notifying me especially because I paid by card and pin and not for them to use the imprint on my card to do other transactions. Seeing as they had the R2000 deposit, any damage should come out of that and not for them to continue to run my card EVERYDAY with no viable explanation.

I plan to report them to the ombusdman and thankfully there is a lot of posts on your facebook wall where you have done the same to people. if i had to contact those people, w could join forces and form a class act against you and your unorthodox practices. Using their cards to run transactions that are legally not LAWFUL!!! You have a SERIOUSLY angry customer and I not only want the refund if R1180, R200 and R2300 that has been run AFTER I GAVE YOUR CAR BACK but i want a detailed description of what charges has the R2000 holding deposit been allocated to. All these amounts mentioned are SEPARATE to the actual rental money of R3700 paid! Can you imagine??? Failure to show the charges will mean i also require that full amount bac****!!

Ultimetly i paid a 2000 holding deposit because i was told that is your form of insurance if anything happens to the car... i was never offered any other insurance. If the tire situation is more than the holding deposit, by law, you are obligated to 1) invoice me the excess fee, 2) call me and request permission to enter my account and 3) your company has NO right to use a card imprint when i paid with a card machine and pin and was assured that the card imprint was just to show i paid instore and NOT for the processing of any payments. You guys have cleaned out my account, its not even a credit card, its a cheque card so you have taken actual cash and i am now -R78. What i want is an immediate reversal of the three transactions and if there is any access over and above the R2000 holding deposit then i will request an invoice and make payment via eft. you guys are NOT permitted to enter my account again.

My cell is ********** . I plan to post this thread to ALL dollar thrifty pages even your international head office then i am laying a complaint with the ombusdman, the south african vehicle rental leasing association then i am going to report your transactions as disputes and **********!!!! I suggest someone calls me today or im taking this whole thing further!