Tempest King Shaka Airport - Poor brand experience

On 21 March I landed at King Shaka International Airport, Durban, and went to collect my rental vehicle from Tempest Car Hire.

The paperwork appeared to be in order, and they were kind enough to bump me up from my entry level vehicle class, to a level up, as pretty much all car rental companies do when there are available vehicles. The vehicle they gave me the keys to was a white Ford Fiesta. With bald front tyres. Already raining, I was not prepared to drive an unroadworthy vehicle. Ironically, parked right next to the vehicle they were trying to give me, was another, identical white Ford Fiesta. I declined the unroadworthy vehicle they provided me with (which had just ‘passed’ their own inspection), and asked them to give me the perfectly roadworthy Fiesta that was right next to it. The feedback I received was that it was “against company policy” to upgrade me to a new vehicle. Interesting how it was in line with their policy to provide me with an unroadworthy vehicle in the first place. No better reason could be provided against providing me with the newer vehicle, other than it was against company policy. So, I was bumped down again, and provided with a tiny Suzuki. The principle that they declined to offer me the vehicle which was not booked, and sitting on the lot, after they tried to palm off an unroadworthy vehicle to me, is reason enough for me to never go back to Tempest Car Hire. I literally had to walk past no fewer than five other car rental companies, with extremely similar pricing, Tempest…you need me, I do not need you. Never Tempest ever again, anywhere in SA.

Parting word of advice: Always do your own vehicle inspection! Somehow the bald tyres were ‘missed’ during the Tempest inspection. Once I pointed it out, they were quick to agree that the vehicle should not be on the road, but not interested in making my experience of their brand any better.