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Caldera CAR RENTAL
Located at Leof. Iraklidon 38, Ialisos 851 01, Rhodes Island, Greece, Caldera CAR RENTAL (also reportedly operating as Abby Car Rental) has garnered a significant number of negative reviews from recent customers. The overwhelming sentiment suggests a company riddled with issues ranging from deceptive practices and poor customer service to questionable vehicle quality and payment disputes. Prospective renters are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution or consider alternative options.
This is arguably the most frequently cited problem. Customers consistently report being pressured or forced into purchasing expensive local insurance, often at rates described as "300% normal price" or "more than 50% of the whole cost." Many users, despite having valid third-party insurance (e.g., from CarJet or Ryanair), found their policies dismissed, with staff claiming they would not cover damages. There are alarming accounts of staff exaggerating potential repair costs (e.g., "a scratch would cost 2-3 thousand euros") to push their own inflated insurance packages. Some customers felt compelled to pay these extra fees to avoid future problems or due to being given no other choice.
Customer service at Caldera CAR RENTAL appears to be a major point of contention. Reviewers describe staff as "unprofessional," "unpolite," and even talking to customers "like dirt." Specific anecdotes include one staff member pretending not to recognize a customer's voice after providing incorrect drop-off instructions, and another being generally rude to everyone, including colleagues. This apparent lack of politeness and willingness to assist customers often leads to frustrating and drawn-out interactions, particularly during pick-up and drop-off processes.
The quality of the rental cars themselves also comes under scrutiny. One customer explicitly stated that the car they received "wouldn't be even allowed on the road if it were in Finland," citing a "barely working clutch." While another found their car "ok," they admitted they "definitely wouldn't have selected had I seen it first." This suggests a potential disregard for vehicle maintenance and safety standards, which is a critical concern for any car rental service.
Refunds and deposits are another area of significant customer dissatisfaction. Many reported extended delays in receiving their security deposits back, with one user waiting "21 days" despite being promised "a few days." There are also instances where debit cards were reportedly refused for deposits, despite booking vouchers stating they were acceptable, leading to demands for credit cards or additional cash payments (e.g., "100 euros in cash for deposit in to an envelope"). Furthermore, customers faced attempts to charge excessive amounts for alleged damages, with one incident describing an unauthorized attempt to charge 3,000 euros for "internal damages" after a minor accident, which their bank thankfully refused.
The rental process itself seems to be fraught with inefficiencies. Customers reported long queues and wait times (up to 45 minutes for both pick-up and return). The location itself is described as being "in the middle of nowhere" after being picked up by a shuttle from the airport. Conflicting information about drop-off locations (e.g., being told to drop off at the airport only to be corrected by staff there and redirected to the office) further adds to the frustration and wasted time for travelers.
Based on the consistent and severe complaints regarding deceptive practices, poor customer service, questionable car quality, and significant payment issues, Caldera CAR RENTAL appears to be a high-risk choice for car rental in Rhodes. Customers frequently describe their experiences as encountering "scammers" and "opportunists trying to strip you of everything they can." If you value transparency, professionalism, reliable vehicles, and a hassle-free rental experience, it is strongly recommended to seek out reputable car rental companies with consistently positive reviews, even if it means paying a slightly higher initial price. The potential for hidden costs, stress, and unresolved disputes with Caldera CAR RENTAL seems to far outweigh any perceived savings.
I never had such a bad experience with any other company around the world. The most unprofessional and unpolite. If you bought insurance from a third party, they will do everything to convince you that this insurance will not pay you anything in case of emergency.My phone died and couldn't contact the rental car and ask about it, first I paid my deposit. But this woman really got under my skin, and seeing their attitude, I decided that I would pay it, so they would not "make" any problems for me later. Those people definitely can pull some scam on you. She convinced me that only a scratch would cost 2-3 thousand euros, well, when I got the car, I doubted that the whole car cost that much. Okay, so paid insurance, which was more than 50% of the whole cost BTW. And this woman convinced me, that my deposit money would come back to my account in a few days. They were released after 21 days!!! Another worker explained it was not possible to release money earlier even if I paid there in insurance. Why then they lied in the first place?The car itself wouldn't be even allowed on the road if it were in Finland, the clutch is bearly working.When I tried to drop off the car. I called and asked the address where I have to drop off the car. He asked me a couple of times if I had a booking and wanted to pick up the car, I repeated loud and clear that I had the car now, and wanted to return it. The I asked about my paid deposit, he answered me, but even this did not hint him that I was about to return the car.He gave the address at the airport. Where I found the worker and they explained to me that they never accept cars here, it was always at the office. When I came to the office, I asked him why did he tell me, that I should drop off the car at the airport, he pretended that he did not speak to me, and did not know what I was talking about. But it was clearly his voice and he was the only male at the office. Really?Those guys never heard about politeness and are just opportunists trying to strip you of everything they can.If you are okay with that kind of approach and really bad cars for actually avarage price of big companies, then give it a shot :)
Scammers. We booked car rental on CarJet. After we arrived, there was many hidden costs. They haven’t accept our insurance that we bought within on the page and wanted us to pay 300% normal price. Give it a wide berth.
Pay Attention to themI want to share a bad experience that i had with caldera Car Rental in Rhodes. I booked a car, no issue when i did the checkin they alerted me that the the extra insurance for the deductible coverage should be managed directly with ryan air and in case of claims i should pay the deductible asking for refund to insurance company, no problem.Unfortunately just before checkout i had an incident another car pushed me in the car back, no injuries but when i delivered the car, just before having the flight, the caldera desk officer said me that their insurance doesn’t cover internal damages and so it is on top and they asked me 3K euro on top of the deductible. Whitout my approval they tried to do the transaction with the deposit card number more ad more time, cleary my bank refused without my pin. At the end i paid just the deductibleConsider that the internal damages that they estimated in 3K was due to the crash impact that folded the shell (so it internal damages ??) and after the full re-evaluation it was the total amount of the claims.They tried to scam me
Do not rent with these guys - they are actually known as Abby Car rental which has some pretty bad reviews. You get picked up by a very nice shuttle at the airport and then driven into the middle of nowhere. When you get there the fun starts. It took us 45 mins to get our car. Long queue and terrible service from 1 lady in particular - blonde bob lady 👱♀️ When she talks to you it's like she is talking to dirt. For everyone she is the same, even to her colleagues. Make sure the main driver has a credit card as they get very particular about this to hold a €1,000 deposit. If you don't have a credit card find someone else to drive however note once booked you cannot change the name of the driver. To avoid all this hassle they quickly suggest paying an extra €100 - I imagine a lot of people fall for this trap. All in all the car was ok - definitely wouldn't have selected had I seen it first but it did the job. Returns was another 45 mins of fun with blonde bob lady. She seemed to struggle multiple times to refund the €1,000 deposit (no surprise) - luckily her colleague took over and refunded using a different machine effortlessly. Make sure you leave plenty of time to pick up and return the car. Or alternatively choose a company with better reviews.
25 of June I arrived at the Caldera office to pick up my rental car as I had booked.There they didn't accept my debit card for the deposit. I showed him the voucher (there was written that I can have either debit or credit card) and he replied that this is the rentalcars.com rules, we follow different rules and we don't accept debit cards and that they accept only credit cards. Then they forced me to pay extra 100 euros insurance and to give them 100 euros in cash for deposit in to an envelope. which i did because i had no other choice and i needed the car as soon as possible.
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