Bit disappointing
We rented a camper from McRent in Porto via goTravelhome.
Upon pickup, we received friendly but quick instructions (and a link to videos on YouTube) plus the familiar pre-inspection. Note: only of the exterior.
The interior looked good at first glance (except for the refrigerator, whose shelves were rusted).
However, on day 2, it turned out that 1 headlight and 1 taillight were not working. They may have been broken from the start. On the phone, we received a curt response saying "that the lights were working when they handed over the vehicle and that there were fuses and bulbs in the car; surely we could replace that ourselves?". We were already near a garage and asked for permission to have it repaired by phone on the spot. After a lot of grumbling, this was eventually allowed. The bulbs turned out to be broken after all, but the garage refused to use the bulbs from the spare set. Okay. We were instructed by the rental company to pay and hand in the bill upon return, and then it would be reimbursed. Well, not really. Upon our return, the employee in Porto had no authority and "could only register matters."
On the way, we lost the fridge grate; it probably rattled loose and wasn't properly secured from the start. A rubber cap also went missing from the storage control panel because the lift bed kept sliding past it.
That resulted in a hefty bill later on, because the entire panel had to be replaced.
When returning the camper, we also had quite a few points for improvement (including loose drawer fronts, a smelly greywater tank, missing drain plugs in the shower, grubby upholstery, many rattling parts, and a manual in Spanish that was also for a different camper model), but that was completely ignored. The duct tape we used to secure loose parts was ripped off without comment. They did suddenly make a fuss about a small crack on the inside of a window (it was already there, but there had been no internal inspection at all when we picked up!).
Both times I called or texted the head office in Lisbon while on the road, I was spoken to quite unfriendly.
Fortunately, we had bought out the deductible. But – certainly after reading other reviews – it seems that McRent frequently uses the 1500 deposit to slyly get hold of new parts..
Also, regarding the handling of the damages, we received either a meaningless answer or, eventually, no response at all.
And a week after arriving home, I received a text asking if I could email the bill for the lights again, as they had lost them. And then the message that they could not reimburse it because the bill turned out to be a "quote" and did not have a VAT number on it (which they hadn't mentioned on the Phone! ). Everything was written in Portuguese, so we hadn't noticed.
After intermediaton by Gotravelhome (3 weeks later) we received the costs for the lights back, plus some money for the inconvenience. And a polite explanation for the other costs. So that is a plus!
By the way, the claim that McRent's campers are a maximum of 2-3 years old is also incorrect. Ours was much older (we saw that on the registration certificate).
Pros:
• powerful engine
• we were able to leave our suitcases behind on the return day, because our flight wasn't until the evening
N.B. We have rented campers frequently in the Netherlands and abroad, so we can make a good comparison.
