Unroadworthy Vehicle Supp****, left Stranded, Then Unauthorised Card Charges

I would strongly advise anyone hiring from Woodford to take extra precautiom and thoroughly inspect tyres and safety equipment before accepting the car.

I rented a vehicle from the Cape Town City Woodford Car Hire (Booking ***) which was supp**** in an unroadworthy condition. The vehicle had worn tyres, an unroadworthy spare tyre, and inadequate emergency equipment - no fire extinguisher and a light duty jack for a heavy car.

While travelling with my family in the Eastern Cape, one of the worn tyres burst and on inspection by Supa Quick confirmed that only 2 of the 5 tyres were in a safe and legal drivable condition, and I was advised not to continue driving due to safety risks. As a result, my family and I were stranded in East London over a weekend, incurring additional accommodation costs and pre-booked cancellation losses. Woodford Control later acknowledged the condition of the tyres in writing, authorised replacement of the tyres at my own cost, and confirmed that late return fees would be waived, and reimbur*****t of costs as the vehicle could not be safely driven. Despite this: There was no proactive assistance from management during the incident, emails went ignored and no calls received; Customer Care has still not responded after 7 days after I formally submitted all costs with supporting documentation; and My card has now subsequently been charged for additional rental days, despite written confirmation that such fees were waived.

I have now no choice been forced to dispute the charges with my bank and escalate the matter to the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA) due to the lack of response and unauthorised billing.

**Supplying an unroadworthy vehicle places customers at real risk. The absence of accountability, communication, and follow-through has been deeply disappointing. I am still awaiting reversal of the charges and reimbur*****t of the costs incurred**