Rodavante Reviews 8

We got a Fiat Panda that was scratched everywhere, in a very poor condition and the front lights were not even working. Big deal because Madeira is full of tunnels and it’s mandatory to have the lights on. And of course, we couldn’t even drive at night. It took 4 days for them to fix the issue. The surprise was that one of the bulbs was burnt and the other fully disconnected (did they even bother to check before giving us the car?). Then, when returning the car, they found a crack in one the rear lights (plastic cover) and said we had to pay for it, which we agreed to because it wasn’t there when we got the car. They took the full deposit (905€) because their internet “was down and they couldn’t check the pre-established costs”. A couple of days later, to our surprise, we only got back 205€, which meant they charged us 700€ for a piece of plastic. When we asked them what happened, they said they were charging us for the scratches too! After fighting for days we managed to get back 450€. I still couldn’t believe they charged us 250 for a light (A BRAND NEW COSTS 80€!). When confronting them and asking for the invoice from the garage, they sent a made-up invoice that just had “New rear light” and 250€ next to it. Please avoid them at all costs, they’ll find a way to charge you extra and take money from you. Madeira is beautiful and we fully recommend people visiting, but Rodavante ruined our experience.

Can’t thank this company enough for helping our daughter and her friends who were seriously let down by an awful rival company on arrival on Madeira ( Magic islands car rental). They charged them a reasonable £200 when other companies were quoting over 3 times more for just a few days car hire. They didn’t take advantage of stranded youngsters and I hope they do well in business for behaving with integrity!

My last 2 occasions of car hire in Europe were characterised by incompetence and deception. These were with the large international firms. I thought long and hard about using this firm in Funchal but decided to give them a try.
The whole process was perfect. No queue on arrival, a member of staff who entered by driving details on the computer quickly. No attempt to upsell.
The car outside was as booked, about 3k on the clock, a couple of small dents but otherwise clean and tidy.
On return the car was quickly checked over and confirmed that it was all in order. This speed and efficiency is something I have previously enjoyed in the USA.
I was happy with the price and the service.
It's a shame that car rental has such a poor reputation internationally but this one experience was flawless.

Rodavante car rental does not deserve any star!
This company cares more than less for the client. We have rented a small automatic car for 3 weeks. Despite full insurance, the company demands a deposit of 1000 Euro (!!!), in case of damage. We have taken many pictures when picking up the car. While returning it, it was no staff present at the airport. We asked a woman-clerk, at the service desk within the airport terminal`s company office, to check the cars' condition. She came back and said the deposit of 1000 Euro is now released. What a scam!!! 4 weeks later, the deposit is still "due" on our credit card. We have sent emails and inquiries to the company. Answer? ZERO !! Beware the Rodavante car rental Funchal - Madeira. It's a scam and dishonest enterprise!