By far one of the worst rental…
By far one of the worst rental experiences I’ve ever had.
We arrived around 45 minutes early for pickup just to make sure everything went smoothly, yet still received the van almost 4 hours late with absolutely no prior notice from Indie Campers, even though I had already spoken with customer service the day before regarding pickup timing. Even worse, the van was not properly cleaned inside and not cleaned at all on the outside when we finally received it.
The problems only continued from there.
We paid for a “tailored extras package,” but still had to pay extra for bed linen even though we rented a 4 person van with two double beds. Apparently “bed linen included” does not actually mean bed linen for everyone sleeping in the van.
We also discovered there was no adapter included for filling water. After visiting multiple water stations across Portugal, none of them had adapters available, meaning we had to buy one ourselves just to use basic campervan functions. Strange considering we paid extra for a package supposedly tailored to the trip.
The kitchen and stove also did not work at all. You could smell gas, but the ignition button made no sound and produced no flame. Customer support told us to use a lighter instead, despite the fact that we had already explained that the ignition system was not functioning properly and gas was leaking. Apart from being unsafe advice, we did not even have a lighter on the first day and had to spend significantly more money on food because we could not use the kitchen we paid for.
Other issues during the trip included refrigerator leaking, missing equipment, AdBlue warning and refill issues, poor cleaning standards, and general lack of preparation.
The return process was somehow even worse.
Because the van was delivered almost 4 hours late, and Indie Campers refused to compensate us for this major delay, we were told there would at least be some flexibility regarding the return time.
Our agreed return time was 19:30.
The first contact we received from Indie Campers regarding the return was around 20:25 to 20:27 asking where we were. We immediately responded by email saying we would arrive in 13 minutes. Indie Campers then confirmed by email that our updated arrival time had been “properly noted and communicated to the depot team.”
Despite this confirmation, no staff were present when we arrived. We were not allowed to leave the keys in a mailbox or secure location, and no alternative solution was offered. We ended up having to sleep in the van overnight because a physical employee “had to be there.”
Despite all of this, Indie Campers still attempted to charge us for an extra rental day because we arrived after the original return time, after THEY had already delivered the vehicle almost 4 hours late themselves. Their explanation was that they have “certain rules and regulations that we are required to follow.”
Customer service is honestly terrible. They have no authority to solve anything and all they do is tell you to “send an email” if you want compensation or refunds. Whether it was the late pickup, broken stove, missing equipment, return problems, or poor vehicle condition, nobody could actually help. We were constantly passed from person to person and promised callbacks that never happened.
It honestly feels pointless having a customer service department when they neither have the power nor the knowledge to solve any issues.
Overall, this company massively overpromises and underdelivers. The amount of issues during one single rental was honestly shocking. There are also many hidden extra costs. On top of that, the battery barely charged while driving, meaning we constantly had to stay at campsites with electricity costing around 22 to 28 euros per night just to keep the camper functioning properly.
If you are considering Indie Campers, I would strongly recommend choosing another company.