Paradise Rent-A-Car

RIP OFF, RIP OFF, RIP OFF....$18.95 car is worth 18cents...They have you sign contract before looking at car. When you go back to look at it, they tell you it's the tourist season & be lucky you can get a car. The check engine light came on a block down the street, had to put 2 quarts of oil in it & brought it back after an hr. The rear bearings sounded bad. They wouldn't refund any money(accepting cash only should of been the give away) I had to wait another day for another car that was equally crappy......If I had been there for more than a week I would of contacted the Attorney generals office.

Posted 07/16/09 | Report Abuse

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I wish we had read the reviews online for Paradise Rental prior to using them because the 1-star ratings are dead on. Actually, 1 star is generous.

We rented a Jeep in May '09 for $128/day (w/ins.) and were 30 minutes late returning it. When we returned the Jeep they charged us for another whole day ($128) even though the contract states a $69/hr late fee (which I would have happily paid). The owner Faith yelled at us complaining she lost a rental because of us and explained we were liable for her lost rental.

This is on the rental contract but was never explained at the time of rental. In fact, when we asked the owner to show us where on the contract this was printed, he had to take a minute to find it. On the contract it's printed on the left side with a lot of surrounding text while the rental rate and the $69 late fee are printed clearly in a box on the top right. I even called earlier that morning because there was a parade temporarily blocking Ala Moana Blvd. (the street they're located on) and I knew we would be running close. I was never alerted that there was another rental waiting for the car.

To top things off, I've rented many cars and never been treated with such poor service. When I got upset, the owner simply said she was upset too and was happy I would never refer any business their way. So here we are...

Do yourself a favor: If you need to rent a car (or anything else judging from other reviews), take your business somewhere else. There are many other places to rent cars in Waikiki where you won't get treated horribly and won't get ripped off.

Oh yeah, the tank was only 3/4 full when I picked up the car.

Posted 06/03/09 | Report Abuse

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We hired a Jeep for a day on May 13 2009 to tour the Island of Oahu and after travelling 30 to 40 klms realised that the tank was only half full - when we returned the car and advised the staff member at the front desk that we had to refuel the car and it cost us $80 US she said that she had checked the car and that she thought it was full when we picked it up and that they would not credit us for part of the refill - Mistake # 1 Always check the petrol gauge before driving out of the premises. They also deducted $300 US from my credit card as a hold for any damages, insurance excess if required etc The staff member told me that they would not deduct any money but just swipe the card on the old swipe credit card holder machine and hold the docket until we returned the car the next day. They deducted the money immediately (they said they wouldn't) and when I asked her on return of the vehicle what had happened she said that the money would be returned by the next day back into my account and as of today May 19, 2009 they have not refunded my holding deposit back to my card. Mistake # 2 Be wary when handing over a credit card for a holding deposit that takes so much cash from your account. I have tried to phone on several occasions and no answer and there is no email contact to be able to ask them of "WHERE MY MONEY IS" - Michelle R - Australia

Posted 05/18/09 | Report Abuse

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It was our second to last day in Oahu, and we wanted to rent a car and see the island. A shuttle driver alerted us to Paradise, telling us they had decent rentals and were less expensive than major rental companies. (Red Flag) The guy showed up in a new car and took us to the rental company in downtown Honolulu where they handed us the keys to a beat-up, smelly '05 KIA. We all agreed that we didn't care what the car looked like as long as it would get us around the Island. We made it about 30 minutes north to the town of Sandy Beach and the tire went flat. We changed the tire to a semi-inflated little donut which was all that we had in the trunk, and headed to a garage to have the tire fixed. The very nice man who ran the garage/towing company told us that he wasn't supposed to work on rental cars, so we drove back to Paradise Car Rental where we were met by the owner who told us we would have to purchase a NEW TIRE for the car. We informed her that we didn't believe we should have to buy a new tire, since the tire on the '05 KIA was nearly bald to begin with. She maintained that we ruined the tire and had signed a contract. Someone in our group asked about continuing our trip with another car on the lot to which she replied, "All I have left is a jeep, and that will cost you $25 more." What? Are you kidding me? Let's see, $52 for the first piece of crap, $66 for a new tire and she wants to charge us $25 more to continue our trip?? Needless to say, we chose not to do anymore business with this rude and unscrupulous owner. We walked back to our room, feeling ripped-off royally; paying $119 (plus gas) for nothing but a stressful few hours, and wondering how she has managed to stay in business with her twisted customer-service skills.

Posted 03/01/09 | Report Abuse

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Paradise Rent A Car offers rentals on various vehicles in Waikiki. They rent out jeeps, convertibles, sedans, motorcycles and mopeds. They accept small cash deposits and they also have mustang and camaro convertibles. They are open everyday.

Posted 10/20/05 | Report Abuse

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