TEMPEST CAR HIRE DOES NOT HAVE SASRIA COVER /EXCESSIVE REPAIR BILLS / LIMITED MINOR DAMAGE COVER

Learn from our unpleasant experience with Tempest and vehicle damage: 1:The damage bill is excessive. 2:The minor damage cover option is very limited and expensive for the amount of cover provided. 3:Tempest does not have SASRIA cover if you happen to sustain damage to their car during a civil unrest situation.

We recently had a family holiday in KZN and rented a car from Tempest.

Unfortunately we were caught up in the recent riots, and the car received minor damage whilst we were passing a burning barricade at Matubatuba with a police escort (stones being thrown, rubber bullets flying etc).

We notified the returns desk of the damage and I took a picture - pity I can't post it here.

I was not too concerned, as the damage was minor, we had taken Minor damage cover, and it was in any event a SASRIA claim.

I was shocked to receive a bill for R12000!!!! for the damage, less R2500 from the minor damage cover.

On querying it I received a corporate cut and paste answer, and on further query regarding the SASRIA aspect I received the following rather surprising comment from their claims office -"Kindly be advised that unfortunately we do not have SASRIA cover, however we will provide you with documentation to claim from SASRIA directly, we do not have a policy regarding SASRIA".

I have asked SAVRALA for their comment on SASRIA as it relates to their members code of conduct, but they haven't rep**** as yet.

All in all a very disappointing experience.