Do You Spain/Malagacar

[chrissiehope]

I know there are a couple of companies called 'malagacar' - which is the one offsite opposite the San Mig brewery ? I have used them in the past, my only problem was they took the deposit with the hire cost, and then refunded the deposit, which mean 2 transaction charges on my credit card & exchange rate differences Reading this thread, I get the impression that theyaren't doing this now ? What do they charge per day for their insurance (yes I know I could look it up, but I need to know which company to look at first !) - we've always taken out the annual policy in UK, but I'm not sure it's worth it this time, as I'm only going for a week this Sep & probably a week next May

TIA

[gus]

The annual policy in the UK is only £50 so their own daily insurance would have to be pretty cheap.

[scotty]

I know there are a couple of companies called 'malagacar' - which is the one offsite opposite the San Mig brewery ? I have used them in the past, my only problem was they took the deposit with the hire cost, and then refunded the deposit, which mean 2 transaction charges on my credit card & exchange rate differences Reading this thread, I get the impression that theyaren't doing this now ? What do they charge per day for their insurance (yes I know I could look it up, but I need to know which company to look at first !) - we've always taken out the annual policy in UK, but I'm not sure it's worth it this time, as I'm only going for a week this Sep & probably a week next May

TIA

I just had a Toyota Aygo for a month from Malagacar.com and including the insurance it was €400 for the month. They showed me that as I rent so often from them I get a discount on the insurance.

[chrissiehope]

Hi Scotty - just loking at Malagacar & thinking of getting an Aygo - how did you find it ? I have a feeling it was what I had a year ago in May, but not sure (senior moments come thick & fast these days !)

[chrissiehope]

Now checking out DYS and wondering about Rentacar ? I've seen them advertised on TV (I think it was them), but had never heard of them before - anyone had any experience of them ? They appear to be airport based - never sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing these days

[scotty]

Hi Scotty - just loking at Malagacar & thinking of getting an Aygo - how did you find it ? I have a feeling it was what I had a year ago in May, but not sure (senior moments come thick & fast these days !)

Great little car . . . . . . wheels on each corner so it goes round corners like a train on rails. Also very nippy. But a tiny boot which didnt bother us.

[chrissiehope]

Thanks Scotty - small boot shouldn't be a problem for 2 of us for a week.... - I might end up using DYS tho', still making my mind up

[LITTLEMO]

Don't forget to use promo code hellofan to get discount with malagacar.com They no longer take a deposit from your account they just block the amount.

[chrissiehope]

Thanks Littlemo - I did know, but had completely forgotten about it !! And good to know they don't actually take the deposit any more

[Pistol Pete]

I booked with Malagacar in June for visit at the end of August. Out of curiosity I checked the price last week and found it had reduced by more than 50%.

So I cancelled original booking and rebooked. Bargain!!!

[jogger]

I usually go with Malaga Car.com but a couple of times I've ended up with punctures and the last time I didn't have the canister to repair, a bmw no spare wheel. This time for one month I did dys got a Megane SW with budget which turned out to be A vis for just over 400 and no punctures.

[Pamela1]

I think ashtondav was right when he posted that malagacar have become a victim of their own success...The queuing and waiting at the airport for the shuttle bus is a nightmare, it would be easier to get a taxi to the car hire building...
On this recent occasion it was no different and finally we were on our way after waiting for the forth shuttle bus to get us to malagacar building...

I have just written a formal complaint after being told at the company desk to put our complaint in writing... This car hire turned out to be a dissaster..the car pulled to one side and the back door would not shut properly, We only discovered the door after arriving at the house which was 170 kilometres...My Son returned the car and they repaired the door..Job done, but his time wasted travelling back and the cost of the fuel for 340 kilometers in order to rectify the problems...A week later we were pulled over by the police, apparently the Mot had expired on 3rd July ..17days before our car hire start date... The police gave us a notice to hand to malagacar..Off son goes again to Malaga only to be told they didn't have a car to give him, no concern shown that the MOT had expired or that we were travelling with children...

When we returned the car at the end of the hire my OTH complained at hire desk about the whole car hire experience and the person who he complained to told him to email the boss and gave him his details..so i am now waiting for a reply and will update with the result..

[D1ckyS]

We too had a pretty poor experience with Malagacar in July. We arrived quite late in the day and, despite them not being busy, were just casually pointed to the car we were hiring. Even in the dim light of the garage you could see that it was covered in dents and scratches, some quite severe. The condition form we were given had no panels marked as damaged so we had to find someone to come and agree the damage and, of course, we took photos. Not what you need after a long flight.
We failed to spot a damaged lip under the front bumper which then fell off a couple of days later. On inspection, it had previously been repaired with a cable tie! I then spent the rest of the holiday worrying that I'd get stung for it.
I needn't have worried as they seemed equally disinterested in the state of the car when we returned it! I'll be looking elsewhere for car hire next time.

[maureenscot]

Awful experiences. Was this the cheap deal with DIY?

[Pamela1]

So far nothing to update, i guess its early days and considering that half the uk seems to be heading to Spain this year they will be busy...

I hired direct with malagacar and always have done but i shall be looking elsewhere next time round...I'm still shocked that they said they couldn't swop the car after my son drove to Malaga to return it with a months expired MOT..I Just think they couldn't be bothered...I don't know what the law is in Spain about driving a car without an MOT but here in the UK it is totally illegal...Im far from impressed at their disconcern but i remember the boom years in Spain prior to recession and the attitude was that of you are just another person because there are plenty more behind you...The problem is these companies do not look into the future because it takes a lot long tine to regain peoples confidence once its lost...

[ashtondav]

Yes, as I reported earlier we had 2 cars. One had a catastrophic catalytic converter failure. Both were in awful condition. What a shame as I was a big malagacar fan.

[El Cid]

.I don't know what the law is in Spain about driving a car without an MOT but here in the UK it is totally illegal...

Same in Spain. No periods of grace. The only time you can drive without a valid ITV is if you are driving to an appointment at the ITV centre.

The fine is €200

Sid

[Roz]

Really upset to read the last few postings regarding Malagacar. We have been using them for the last few years and I must admit the last few times we have had to wait a long time for a bus to take us to the Depot. This time (in September coming) we have booked with DYS, not used them for a long time but the price was so much cheaper so we are going to see how we get on. Such a shame about Malagacar but as everyone has said I think they have grown too big too fast and are not keeping up with the level of clients that they now have. Will be following this topic closely.

[Pamela1]

Received a reply from malagacar, they simply said they are sorry that we were not happy with the carhire this time and offered 25 euros off a NEXT carhire!!! ..this goes no where near to the cost of petrol used to return to their depot twice ( total of 680 kilometres) or the inconvenience and the stress of having to deal with all this while the whole family was supposed to be on holiday.. as for the expired MOT or ITV they have said that they were waiting a date to go and it had expired on 3rd August, he said that they would be in contact with DGT about it...whatever all that means...according to the police it had expired on 3rd July...

I have returned a reply rejecting their 25 euro offer,( im sure i can save 25euros just by going somewhere else)...Having rented 4 cars in total this year from malagacar on full pack rate their 25e offer was an insult..i can only conclude that it will not be long before they start losing business because people can and will look elsewhere...

[jogger]

Well after reading that, I'll definitely not return to malagacar.com which is a pity because the first few times I used them they were good.