Bad Car rental experience Cozumel

[Del2451]

Beware of the crooked car rental company Mex Car rental (FOX) just to the left of the airport.
We rented a car from them from August 5th to August 15th we were talked into taking the full insurance coverage ($285.00) so we thought all would be well. However on Tuesday 8th the tail end of Hurricane Franklin passed over the island. The next day we went to our rental car which had been parked outside our hotel and found nearly two inches of water on the floor and about six inches of water in the trunk covering the spare wheel. We returned the car to Fox rentals that day only to be told we would be charged a cleanup fee of $100. The arrogant front desk agent (Alex, terrible halitosis… great customer service tool) told us we must have left the windows open so it was our fault. I attempted to point out to “Mr. Bad breath” we did not leave any windows open and if we did the seats would have been wet which they were not. He said its company policy and not covered in the insurance contract that if you return the car dirty you are liable for the cleanup. I pointed out to Alex that the rubber seal on the trunk was not fixed just lying in the spare wheel tray and he said we must have taken it off, really?
So my point is if you are renting a car in Cozumel do not rent from FOX
The worst possible service one can expect. I have rented cars all over the world and this was a first for me.

 

[kelemvor]

Maybe see if your credit card company can file a chargeback for the insurance that you didn't actually get?

 

[Marc Lieberman]

Always rent from Margarita at Rentadora Isis

 

[Christi]

Sorry you had this experience. I always recommend Margarita at ISIS Car Rental or Fiesta car rental. Both locally owned and operated by very nice honest people.

On another note,just to clarify - Franklin was never a Hurricane, only a Tropical Storm and passed 150 miles south of Cozumel. Yes, we got some rain, but don't want to alarm people that there was any "damage" on the island from a hurricane - not this one anyway We have enough bad press without weather fears too

 

[Del2451]

Thank you Christi for your recommendation's We will look into them next time. and I'm sorry for my bad info it was a tropical storm with no damage, just to Fox's badly sealed car rental

 

[lionfish-eater]

TripAdvisor is full of negative reviews of Fox.

 

[sharky60]

sorry for your bad experience. It's not what we have experienced with them.

 

[bamafan]

A buddy of mine rented a van from Fox. When he returned it they claimed he had changed the tires out and charged him for all new tires. He disputed it with his credit card company. They are definitely not a reputable company.

 

[captnpat1982]

Always rent from Margarita at Rentadora Isis

We have used Isis for years. They are the best and never a hassle. We love Margarita.

 

[DandyDon]

if you return the car dirty you are liable for the cleanup.

Really? Is that really in the contract? Well, how would you know unless you are fluent in Spanish. I try to treat rental vehicles with respect, I usually dump all trash from the floorboard to a trash can, but "dirty"...?!

Flooded would be a different problem. Since you have full insurance, you should only be liable if you abused the car, like driving in water. Parked on a street that flooded during the night is a covered accident. Were there not water marks on the outside of the car?

I remember one rental at DFW that I took to Fort Worth for the night, one years ago when the city was devastated by a hail storm. I returned the car the next day with no rear window and the front window severely cracked. I shouldn't have drove it, but I knew that waiting on a wrecker could take all weekend. They just gave me a replacement from a fleet they had moved in during the night, no problems. But that's stateside, where I never take insurance coverage as Texas liability insurance covers rental cars fully, not that I have ever used it for that.

Maybe see if your credit card company can file a chargeback for the insurance that you didn't actually get?

Yep, they need to go to bat for you.

TripAdvisor is full of negative reviews of Fox.

It can help to search Scuba Board, but I didn't find much. I also tried googling "scubaboard.com: fox rental" but didn't find anything. Tripadvisor is certainly a good site to check even tho the site seems more interesting in booking your trip.

A buddy of mine rented a van from Fox. When he returned it they claimed he had changed the tires out and charged him for all new tires. He disputed it with his credit card company. They are definitely not a reputable company.

I hope his credit card backed him up. That is such an obvious scam, but difficult to dispute at the time.