ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL – BORDERLINE ****

I made an online booking to rent a bakkie for my business. The booking process was smooth, payment went through immediately, and over R8,000 was deducted straight away from my business credit card. I even paid extra for three drivers. At no point during the booking or payment process was I warned about any additional restrictions.

I am currently out of town, so I sent my second-in-command to collect the vehicle with the same company credit card that was used for payment. He was then told they cannot release the vehicle because he is not the cardholder — despite it being a business card and despite the fact that I paid for multiple drivers.

I called the Hatfield branch and spoke to a man (not even sure of his name) who was extremely rude, unprofessional, and literally hung up the phone on me. When I called back, he was ****y, dismissive, and very reluctant to hand the phone to a manager.

Eventually, I spoke to Jacques, the manager, who was just as stubborn and unwilling to help. No solutions were offered. No accountability was taken.

So let me get this straight:

They take your money immediately

Then suddenly introduce a long list of Ts & Cs AFTER payment

Refuse to release the vehicle

And when you ask for a refund, you are told they’ll “see what they can do”

Taking R8,000 instantly is easy, but giving it back without a long process is suddenly a problem? I am running a business, not a lending facility for car rental companies to sit with my cash.

What about my terms and conditions as the customer?

I then checked HelloPeter and saw similar complaints — including one posted just yesterday. The pattern is worrying: take money upfront, no cars available or no release, and delay refunds. That starts to feel less like incompetence and more like something questionable.

I immediately contacted Pace Car Rental, and they assisted me immediately, professionally, and with a smile.

DO NOT USE WOODFORD CAR HIRE HATFIELD. In my experience, they take your money without delivering the service and then make refunds difficult. Avoid at all costs.