Goodbye Sani - Outrageous Penalty

Sani Car Rental charged me an extra R3,605.20 for returning the vehicle 1 day early on a 30 day rental hire at Cape Town International Airport! Sani's explanation: because the vehicle was returned 1 day early the contract automatically recalculates for the full rental period at a different daily rate. This was never disclosed to me: not at the time of reservation, not in any of the reservation documentation, not on collection by the consultant, not during a call to the customer call centre when I tried to extend the hire term (but had to return to the branch to do so, so couldn't) and not in the T&Cs on Sani's website. Never - so how is a customer meant to know about this so they can avoid it? Returning 1 day early does not justify a R3,605.20 penalty. Be Warned!

I was also uncomfortable with the pick-up and drop-off inspection. The vehicle already had so many scratches I commented on it to the rep. After a quick and "lightweight" inspection I was given the inspection sheet which was so faint it was illegible. At drop-off Sani spent 10 minutes trying to find a way to hold me responsible for a tiny scratch on a plastic hubcap, until they eventually "found" it had been reported 2 rentals previously. Be Warned!

Goodbye Sani - never again. I've been a loyal Thrifty fan for the past five years and generally had a good experience. But since the takeover by Springs Car Wholesalers t/a Sani we have entered ***boy country. It's simply too easy for companies like this to help themselves to clients' money because they have their credit card details. Shocking treatment by Sani followed by shocking customer service. I'm about to book my next car hire, and it won't be with Sani - I do not trust them at all.