Ilha Verde Rent a Car Reviews 205

WE ASKED FOR MAX PROTECTION SO WE COULD AVOID ANY TROUBLE BUT THE INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THE BOTTOM PART OF THE CAR(VERY STRANGE),ON OUR LAST NIGHT WE GOT OUR FUEL STOLEN(ALSO STRANGE COINCEDENCE), THEY TRIED FROM THE POMP ENTRANCE BUT THEN THEY CUT LE TUBE UNDERNEATH THE CAR ,SO THIS DAMAGE WAS NOT ONLY AGAINST OUR WILL BUT WE ALSO SUFFERED A "THEFT""!!OF COURSE THE COMPANY AFFERMS THAT THIS DAMAGE WILL NOT BE COVERED AND THIS COSTED US 1.643,00€!!!!WHEN WE FINALLY GOT TO THE AIRPORT,WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS SAME THEFT HAPPENED TO OTHER TURISTS LEAVING THAT MORNING( STRANGE COINCIDENCE!!)

This is regarding the Invoice RA 1042023 MA BA-93-XR .

Don't even try to ask me to email customerservice at ilhaverde com - this was done and no response received.

Damage on the wheel rim and the tire is shown on the photo I've taken prior to driving the rented vehicle (Dec 24th at 8-13 am local time - Azores); find pictures attached. Note - the rim damage as even noted on the original contract after I pointed it out to your rep!
The invoice also charges me for baby seat, which was already prepaid at the counter on Dec 24th: find credit card payment proof attached
At the very least in addition to a refund I expect a formal apology from the regional manager.
Ideally I expect not to be charged for the original rental given the circumstances that transpired: it's your company representative's fault that I've driven away on torn tire.

If this email is not responded to and refund for the amount charged for damages is issued within next 2 business days I will be forced to proceed as follows:

Tell the story on the popular US/EU travel blog that I own and operate (157,000 subscribers) telling the story with pictures about renting a clearly unsafe vehicle
Submit a complaint with European Car Rental Conciliation Service
Submit a complaint with Direção-Geral do Consumidor (DGC)
Submit a formal complaint to the US Attorney General. When enough of these complaints pile up: it'll affect your company.

Lastly, I will submit a dispute with my Credit Card bank (JP Morgan Chase), clearing showing the pictures of pre-existing damages and the rental documentation.

I am expecting your response.

Thank you

Horrible Horrible experience. This was in São Jorge island. I booked my rental over 5 months ahead through priceline and Avis. Ilha Verde was the representative. If they had a zero that's what it would be. It started out OK. The initial process with Monica. Then I followed Fábio to see the car and go through the inspection. We get there there was a HUGE scrap dent on the side car was dirty inside. I say to him in Portuguese this car is unacceptable it's embarrassing to drive in this condition he doesn't even acknowledge me. So I said In English I can't take that vehicle. He says this is the only one we have IF YOU DON'T TAKE IT YOU WILL HAVE TO WALK BY FOOT. I walk back to the rental station to talk to Monica she said that was the last car they had. Fábio walks back and repeats in front of her and my wife again what he said outside 2 times. I was so angry my wife stepped in to calm things down. I was traveling with my sister in-law and husband so I didn't really have a choice. If it was just me and my wife I would had refused the car and got my money back and use a taxi to get around. AVOID

Terrible Experience – Dishonest Deposit Charges

I had a terrible experience with this rental company. My Peugeot 208 was slightly damaged during a theft attempt. ILHA VERDE own policy clearly stated I was covered for theft and damage with a maximum excess of €200.

Despite this, they withheld £702.87 from my deposit, claiming a part called the “control stalk” (manípulo de luzes) cost €574.71 — even though it costs no more than €50 retail. They also added admin and repair fees on top.

When I disputed the charge, they changed their story, saying the entire set (bloco de comando) needed replacing — which was unnecessary. Even then, the cost doesn’t justify what they charged.

This goes against their own terms. They inflated repair costs and ignored the protection I was promised. I feel scammed and would strongly advise others to avoid this company.

SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE
We arrived at Rent-a-Car Ilha Verde at 13:39 and completed check-in smoothly. We were then directed to the parking area to receive the car and a baby seat (<10kg). We waited nearly an hour. The first seat provided was unsafe, unsuitable for our baby's weight, and lacked instructions, brand, or model information. We refused it.
A second, identical seat was offered and also refused. We were told there were no other options. After several calls, a third option — a baby carrier — was presented, but it was also inappropriate. No instructions were provided at any point.
By 16:30, after almost three hours without a safe solution, we turned to another company that provided a compliant and secure seat. None of the options from Ilha Verde met the minimum safety standards required by law.
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Versão PT: Falha Grave de Segurança

Chegámos à Rent-a-Car Ilha Verde às 13h39 e fomos encaminhados para o estacionamento para receber o carro e uma cadeira de bebé (<10kg). Esperámos cerca de uma hora. A primeira cadeira entregue era inadequada, sem instruções, marca ou modelo, e não cumpria os requisitos mínimos de segurança. Recusámos.
A segunda cadeira era igual à primeira. Após várias tentativas, foi-nos apresentado um ovo de bebé, também impróprio. Às 16h30, sem solução segura, recorremos a outra empresa que garantiu uma cadeira adequada e legal.
Nenhuma das opções fornecidas pela Ilha Verde cumpria os requisitos mínimos de segurança rodoviária infantil exigidos por lei.

One star is even too positive. A long queue because they are not organisede, not well prepared. They create chaos. Waiting time more than 1 hour, for an in advance reservation car, all data like licence, ID and creditcardnumber were there already they retype everything, at least 10 minutes. Search for the car in the dark, with an inaccurate indicating where to find. Manager not supportive, and not problem solving oriented.

When I read other reviews (after signing the contract), I got a bit scared. But our experience was nothing but good!

What we liked:
- Easy booking
- Nice people at the car park, to take/give back the car. When we arrived, they even gave us some tips about upcoming events on the island.
- All bumps and scratches got duely noted when we took the car (even without asking), so no scheming to make us pay for existing damages
- We had a problem with our first car (the battery was dead), and the war was replaced within the hour by a very nice gentleman
- Overall all very pleasant and efficient interactions, even when we had a problem with a car

Extra information:
- We rented a car for 2 weeks in August
- We took an insurance with full coverage
- We stayed at about 40min from Ponta Delgada

The Cars we had were really good and almost new. Make a video of the car before, and you dont have to worry about anything.

Would give ZERO stars if possible. No customer service, long (1.5 hour) wait to pick up despite having a reservation and checking in online beforehand. Unsafe car (slipping clutch, bald tires), very rude and passive aggressive employee at Sao Jorge airport (Monica) for turn-in, who wanted us to double park far away, would not accept documents, and threatened not to return our 1200 Euro deposit because we would not run back and forth from lot to check in desk (where whe was going anyway) to retrieve duplicate documents. She then escalated with mocking faces and refused to give her manager's name, then disappeared when my wife tried to find her regarding the large (now hostage) deposit.

We had a great experience, although I have to say, we were a bit reluctant after reading the reviews.
We ordered a Renault Twingo and got a Clio with just 50k on the meter.
Easy to get the car and the same bringing it back friendly help and a smooth process. No remarks what so ever !!!

60 days and i still didn't have back my deposit, they are a shame!

After 15 days I still have not received the deposit of 1200 Euros even though everything was ok at check-in. Zero customer service.

I did a lot of research before renting a car and specifically chose Ilha Verde because they were the most reputable. They were awful!

It took over an hour to pick up my reserved car at the airport. The line inside was chaos but I finally had my turn and was directed to the lot outside but there were no employees to be found. There were a number of us wandering the lot aimlessly looking for help. Cars were being returned and just left because there was no direction on where to park them. Finally an employee showed up and we received cars. I basically had keys thrown at me and the guy was gone. The car was dented and scratched beyond belief and unfortunately, for the first time in my life I forgot to take a video of the car upon receipt. Of course it was the only time I needed it.

A couple days later the car wouldn’t start. I tried calling via WhatsApp but was told my party was not on WhatsApp. Note that I called the number that said 24 Hour Roadside Assistance. Luckily there was a police officer nearby and after trying a variety of phone numbers, she finally reached someone for me.

They did show up in 20 min as promised and the guy jumped the car. He agreed that it was strange it had died and that it shouldn’t have. I also told him there was a problem with the brakes and he looked at them from 5 feet away and was in shock at how bad they were. He told me it was unsafe and that I should immediately swap it out for a new car. I also asked about how to get in touch with them and he told me that the 24 hour roadside assistance number is NOT the number to use when needing roadside assistance. He told me to message a different number on WhatsApp. I did to let them know I needed to swap out the car but received no reply. I emailed customer service about the same but l never got a reply. The next day I went to the Ponta Delgada Ilha Verde location to swap out the car. I walked inside and there were at least 15 people waiting and no employee in sight. I waited nearly 2 hours and finally gave up and left.

When I returned the car I was told I’d had an “accident” in the car, evidenced by damage. Again, the car had excessive damage upon pickup but I was told that since I didn’t take a video proving it, I have to pay for it. They charged me 500 euros on the spot. I did purchase full coverage but apparently I inadvertently bought it from a 3rd party instead of direct so i will begin that battle for reimbursement right away.

Ilha Verde was awful and has no qualms about putting people in unsafe vehicles. Stay away!

A very nice young man processed our paperwork, he showed us where the numbers were to call if we had any problems. I told him I didn't have a voice plan, only data on my phone so I was using What's App. He said no problem, we use Whatsapp. The car was Dacia POS rattle trap, but it's all they had.
We took the very well-traveled gravel road out to the Calcada do Gigante hike. We must have hit a rock in the road on the way back to the paved road, and blew the tire, but the car was a POS rattle trap that was noisy, so for about mile we didn't realize we had a flat. The rim was fine, and we changed the tire
I called to let them know, and got no answer.I figured it's a low volume rental at the airport on Santa Maria, so no one was there. I tried three times the next day, no answer. I tried the roadside assistance number, but they don't use WhatsApp. It's a 10 mile by 6 mile island and we weren't doing a lot of driving, and we were returning the car the next day so we figured it wasn't a problem. While we were getting gas before returning the car, an employee of Ilha Verde was at that gas station. He noticed the "donut" tire. He was very rude. He asked if we were going to tell them about the tire, I told him we tried. He asked again if we called, we said yes, that we'd used WhatsApp, he asked if we called the correct number, we said we had. My husband pulled the yellow folder out of the glove box, the employee took it, pointed to the number, and asked again if we'd called that number, once again we said yes. At this point it's clear he doesn't believe we called, I offered to show him my WhatsApp call history. He was just plain rude. Treating the consumer that way is not doing the business any good.
He wasn't much better when we returned the car at the airport. He said that their internet was turned off so WhatsApp didn't work. So, this is our problem? Perhaps the nice young man shouldn't have told us that using WhatsApp was fine.
We told them the tire was essentially shredded. Then there were accusations of taking it on really bad roads. All together an awful experience. A three-day rental that cost over $500, a POS rattle trap car, and a seriously rude employee. We had bought the full insurance, so we finally just walked away. I'd read lots of bad reviews, but a travel agent set up the rental. On the other two islands, we used other companies, and had fine experiences.

Pick up the car at Pico airport was a poor experience. No cars available (and we were not the only one). They said we have 300 on Pico Island, but all rented and other people don’t return the car in time. We have to wait for two hours to get the car. It seems this situation happens more often. Staff was friendly but looked helpless. Also returning the car in Madalena was time consuming, finally we just left the key because we had to catch the ferry. To date still a reservation on my creditcard, although it should be removed within 15 days. Just two stars since staff tried to solve, but this company should change their policy.

First they tell you “it’s dark, take picture in the morning”, then they charge you 300€ for a damage that “you can’t prove you did not commit”. And we did not…

TERRIBLE The pico airport location is terrible. The line after a flight arrives is easily 1-2 hours. We were at the end, 2 hours. But before it was our turn there were no more cars, this is not a joke. 5 bookings for cars left, no cars… we had to wait for the next flight to depart for cars to come in. In total 4hrs wait! It was
So busy that cars don’t get checked and cleaned most probably because people are waiting for the cars. Headoffice doesn’t pick up the phone. This whole situation was really bad, the staff tried to a certain extent.

Bad experience. We had to pick up our car 2 days later in Flores (flight cancelled) and got no refund.
Very unfriendly. Smaller car than expected.

Pick up process in Pico was a nightmare. The line was maybe 10-12 people, and it took 2 hours to get our car. There were only 2 people working. We finally got to the front of the line and one of the people left. I think they are the only option on the island, so customer service is clearly not a priority. They need a better process and better staffing.

We got an old car (99.500 km) from Ilha verde. Very dirty car with al lot of defects. We had to clean the windows and mirrows before we could leave. It was not full but the lady said the meter was broken. There was no radio and airco was not working. Full scratches and holes in the seat. Flat tire we had to the service point.
All the maintenance sign are burning orange with !! mark.
Car was not worth the money we paid ..