Absolutely horrid experience at First Car Rental – O.R. Tambo

I have an existing profile with First Car Rental and used it to book a vehicle online, listing my husband as the driver. I paid all fees in advance specifically to ensure a quick collection.

On arrival, I was told we couldn’t take the car because the credit card used didn’t match the driver’s name. This makes no sense, considering their system allowed me to log in, add my husband as the driver, and complete payment online. If this isn’t allowed, the booking should never have gone through.

The staff then insisted I either pay an extra R960 to add myself as the main driver and my husband as secondary — despite me explaining that my licence is expired while I wait for a replacement, which they themselves confirmed would not be covered by insurance. The next suggestion was to cancel the booking, with a 10% cancellation fee, and no refund since it was same-day. They also refused to refund my card or accept my husband’s credit card.

We stood at the counter for 45 minutes going back and forth over a problem entirely created by their broken booking process. Eventually, someone came out from the office and said the manager had approved the rental anyway — meaning this whole ordeal was unnecessary.

We were given a Suzuki Baleno. Before leaving, we had to point out additional scratches that weren’t logged and a rear camera that wasn’t working. On the highway (driving 100–120 km/h), the car started shaking badly. I phoned customer care, and the agent cut the call mid-conversation. When I called back, I informed them we were returning to O.R. Tambo and asked that the branch be notified so a replacement car could be ready.

When we returned the Suzuki, we were told it would be taken back to the depot, despite being clearly unsafe to drive at highway speeds. Once again, this raised serious concerns about vehicle quality and safety checks.

Despite all this, once we arrived back at the counter, we still waited another 15 minutes for a replacement vehicle.

From arrival to finally driving away in a usable car, this ordeal took 2 hours.

Disorganised systems, poor communication, unsafe vehicles, and staff who clearly don’t know or can’t apply their own policies consistently. I would not recommend renting from this branch or company.