Elephantrentacar Reviews 90

Having used this company before, I booked a Mazda 2 (knowing that I probably would not get the car of my choice!) in March 2015 for our holiday in June and received the usual email confirmation stating “Please note that all payments will be made locally on arrival in Euro currency cash or card. (Credit card number needed for security reasons)”
On arrival at Paphos airport at 22.00 I was surprised when I was required to pay 400 eur deposit by credit card in addition to the cost of the hire car and half tank of petrol. I have never had to pay them a deposit before and I am sure that it was not mentioned in their terms and conditions when I booked.
I was asked to sign an agreement form and given the keys to an Opel Meriva A (which was at least 5 years old and which, annoyingly, did not have a power outlet to plug in my sat nav, the flap which, according to the handbook, it was supposed to be under was superglued up). Fortunately there was enough battery power to last the 40 minute journey to the villa.
I had the misfortune to bump into a pole in a supermarket car park causing minor damage to the car. I did not have my mobile phone with me at the time but I phoned the hire company as soon as I got back to the villa. They initially said that they would call out to see the car but then phoned back to say they were too busy so I agreed to take the car to their premises when next in Kato Paphos.
They said that I was responsible for up to 400 eur because I hadn’t hit another vehicle. When I said that this was not on the hire agreement they insisted that this was the situation.
I took the car to their premises in Kato Paphos the next day and was told the repair would cost about 150 eur which they would deduct from the 400 eur deposit. Again I tried to dispute this arguing that the terms on the back of the pink form simply suggested that I needed to complete an insurance report form but they would not listen.
On return from holiday, I found that they had deducted 150 eur from the deposit so I posted some critical reviews on line commenting on this. As a result, I was bombarded with phone calls from them and they agreed that they would return the 150 eur. I pointed out the various claims they made on their website including “we include in the price given a range of car hire insurances, which are designed to meet our Cyprus car hire customer's needs with no hidden extras.” They insisted that motor insurance in Cyprus is different from the UK (and possibly the rest of the world!) in that damage to the vehicle is only covered if you hit another vehicle, phone the police from the scene of the accident, wait until the police arrive and obtain a written police report. It would appear that, in other circumstances, there is actually no cover for damage to the vehicle but they may decide that you liability is no more than the 400 eur deposit – I notice that they did reduce this to 250 eur and it now appears to be 200 eur
I would strongly recommend that, before booking, you read through the terms and conditions on their website and make sure you are totally confident that you fully understand the circumstances in which you may be liable for some or all damage to the hire car and, more importantly, those where you have no insurance cover whatsoever eg:
If a non 4x4 vehicle is driven on a non-paved road or sandy beach (off road) – so that rules out the likes of Lady’s Mile Beach and most beach car parks.
If failed to take in mind traffic regulations (sic) – overlook a “give way” or “stop” sign and you apparently have no cover whatsoever.
I worked for a major insurance company for 30 years and was involved in setting cover levels and writing appropriate policy wordings including motor insurance for the 20 years before I retired and I find their terms extremely difficult to fully understand (and more than a little worrying!). In fact the “traffic regulations” exclusion reminds me of Vehicle and General Insurance which collapsed spectacularly in the early 1970’s and which incorporated that sort of wording in their policies to minimize claims costs!
And, when you pick up the car, make sure that the terms on the back of the pink form match those on the website.

I was very happy with the service I received from Elephant car hire in Paphos. The service is very professional and friendly. They deliver what they promise. I highly recommend them.

I had checked out so many sites to obtain prices for one weeks car rental and all came up as a low price and all looked very tempting. That is until you realise that extras are almost always required to 'top up' insurance or provide a credit card deposit to cover for mishaps. Elephant were the only company to guarantee the price quoted, no hidden costs and no credit card required for whatever might blight your hire period. We were met at the airport, paper work completed in minutes and on our way to the airport soon after. We were attending our daughters wedding so there were others there to discuss the subject of car hire and trust me we were the only ones completely satisfied. The car was clean and of the type offered in the rental. 100% satisfied and will use again.