[Slick]

I am planning to travel to Bangalore and want to rent a Self drive for a week.
The plan is -
Bangalore - Coorg
Coorg - Kabini
Kabini - Bangalore

I intend to rent the car from the Airport & drop it back to the airport. (Is this possible)

Need help in shortlisting a rental service,
Which would be the better service, Zoom or Myles.

Preferred Vehicle would be Innova or XUV ( We are four Adults & two kids).

Also from what I have read above, I'll take pictures (get it noted with them) of the car during pickup as evidence of any scratches.

Anything else to keep in mind ?

- Slick

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Slick

I am planning to travel to Bangalore and want to rent a Self drive for a week.
The plan is -
Bangalore - Coorg
Coorg - Kabini
Kabini - Bangalore

I intend to rent the car from the Airport & drop it back to the airport. (Is this possible)

Need help in shortlisting a rental service,
Which would be the better service, Zoom or Myles.

Preferred Vehicle would be Innova or XUV ( We are four Adults & two kids).

Also from what I have read above, I'll take pictures (get it noted with them) of the car during pickup as evidence of any scratches.

Anything else to keep in mind ?

- Slick

Both Myles and Zoomcar have pickup and dropoff points within the Bangalore airport itself.Zoomcar rates are fuel inclusive while Myles' rates are fuel exclusive.In terms of service both are more or less equal,nothing really to choose in between them.

[Slick]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Both Myles and Zoomcar have ....

Thanks, That helps. I will book an Innova with Myles cars.
-Slick

[KK_HakunaMatata]

I came across Autoriders self drive car rental service website and they are operating in 8 cities in India. http://www.autoriders.in/

Has anybody used their services?

[roy_libran]

Guys - I need to go with my family to ASSAM (Guwahati - Jorhat - Guwahati - Shillong - Guwahati) in October this year.

- Is there any possibility of doing this route with a Self Drive?
- Will it be safe, with a kid and wife?
- Are there any Self Drive rentals available in Guwahati?

Thanks.

[Slick]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Both Myles and Zoomcar have pickup and dropoff points within the Bangalore airport itself......

Thanks,
We had a great trip, we booked a Myles Innova and did a Coorg - Kabini trip in May.
The Innova was a bit beaten but no issues in reliability or Comfort.

It was a great trip,

- Slick

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

I came across Autoriders self drive car rental service website and they are operating in 8 cities in India. http://www.autoriders.in/

Has anybody used their services?

Not as efficient as Zoom or Myles.They are an old operator and afaik they have very limited inventory of cars now a days.

[revverend]

Hi

I am planning to drive down from Coimbatore to Wellington on Friday,14/10 and return on 17/10.I am looking at self drive options from/to Coimbatore airport.So far,among the regular service providers,Myles has only one vehicle available,Innova which I am not keen on.

Coming to the local providers,the only one I can see online is SRN self drive cars.They have a Polo on the list,which I am keen on,at Rs.2000/day.Has anyone had any experience with this vendor ?

http://selfdrivecars.in/

Revverend

[vivek.ks]

I am going to Kerala for a 4 day trip. Looking for self drive rental cars, however unable to find any car. Every car comes with driver and even those are very few now.

BHPin's in Kerala - Would appreciate your help.

[singleton]

Review of MYCHOIZE (ORIX)

Background:
A long weekend was coming and a few of our friends decided to go on a trip to Kerala from Bangalore. Since it was easier to get a big vehicle instead of taking individual small own cars, we decided to rent out an SUV.

I had in my past used XUV from Zoomcar and was pretty impressed with the whole process. Now there were many more options in the market, so I decided to check a few. Tried Zoom, Voler, Justride. The car we were looking for was not available in the date range we wanted in any of these places. Justride was the closest one (they had an XUV which we did not prefer due to lack of luggage space).

Booking process:
I booked an XUV on Justride since there was no other option. One week before the vacation, an article on economic times talked about a new self drive rental startup called mychoize. I immediately checked their site and found that they had Innova available on the same date. The pickup centre was also nearby (SV Road) and the price was also less by ~2K.
I called up their helpline from website (turns out it is a Delhi number) to confirm their policy around additional driver, security deposit, insurance coverage, interstate tax, vehicle condition etc. The guy who picked up the phone said everything was positive - good condition vehicle, additional driver ok, max co-pay as 6K, interstate tax refunded..

Somehow the way he spoke, he didn't sound too convincing (First Red Flag), but I decided to take the risk, go ahead and book the vehicle. The website experience was far from great (zoomcar site is much better and easier in comparison) and I was allotted an Innova. I called up the Delhi call centre to double check and make sure that the booking is confirmed and they gave me a local Bangalore mobile number to call up and check (very unprofessional - second red flag).
I called up the Bangalore number, and the person confirmed all the details, except the car details as he said the “system allots the specific car” only a day in advance. I didn’t find any issue with that.

Vehicle Pickup:
My pickup was scheduled for 12 AM. Reached MyChoize office around 11 PM. The place was dimly lighted, and here were many cars lying around (Innovas, XUVs, Sedans). The contact person got the Innova to the main parking area.
My immediate feeling was – this doesn’t look like a new vehicle at all. All the images of new self-drive cars being heavily abused by people ran through my mind. Opened the vehicle and inserted the key – and lo! The ODO read 108170 (1 lakh 8 thousand kms) !!
I was dumbstruck. Taking a vehicle with 1 lakh plus kms on the ODO, that too driven by multiple drivers seemed to be a big risk. Anyway I got down, checked the vehicle thoroughly.

1. ODO – 1 Lakh +
2. Spare tyre – Bad condition (unknown make)
3. Interiors – Average
4. Exterior – Average (Scratches here and there)

I wasn’t sure what to do. Called up the Delhi call centre and talked to the Bangalore local guy and explained that I was promised a new vehicle, and asked them to give me a new one. The only answer was “it is system allocated and we cannot change it”. And cancellation fee (don’t remember the amount) is applicable if I cancel it now.
if Realized that there was no point fighting. Half-heartedly signed the papers, took the vehicle and left. I made sure that I have complete photos of the exterior and interior of the vehicle captured.

Drive:
I was driving an Innova for the first time. I wasn’t too impressed, and it felt like a slow elephant. I have driven many SUVs before, but this was different. Very uninspiring drive.



We reached Kerala border and I got down to pay the interstate tax. Tax comes to 6K+ for 7 seater vehicles. I called up the Delhi call centre again to confirm the refund and they again said yes. To be extra sure, I called up the Bangalore contact also, and then they gave me the next surprise - the refund is only 80% !
After that the drive was pretty uneventful. We spent the vacation in Kerala and reached back after 3-4 days.

Vehicle drop-off & refund:
The drop was pretty smooth. The guys checked the condition of the vehicle and I showed them the pickup time photos whenever they raised their eyebrows. One guy questioned whether I replaced the spare tyre after looking at the condition; I asked him to keep track of his stuff better from next time. They took the vehicle without any further issues, provided the receipt and took the interstate tax receipt and gave a copy; I was informed that the refund will come to my account.
2 weeks passed and there was no sign of refund (6K security deposit + 6K tax). I sent an email stating my concern, and a few days later got a reply that my refund of 6K is being processed.
I got wild, sent a strong mail saying that the refund is 12K (or 10K if the 80% tax was refunded), but that mail never got any reply. Sent 2 more reminders in the coming days and still no reply. Finally called up their Delhi call centre and was told that the Bangalore centre deals with all state tax refunds and the centre is not aware of any such things !!
I spent the next 2 months sending emails and calling up the different contacts in their Bangalore centre; soon they topped my list of one of the most ridiculous set of people and processes I have dealt with. Finally after a couple of months of calling, emailing and finally showing up at their door, I finally got 4700 (100 rs cut there too since there was no “change” in their office).

Final opinion: Avoid them like plague – for 2 reasons – Pathetic quality of vehicle and the complete unprofessional attitude of their people.

[Fan@Automotive]

Mod note: Please avoid using more than 2 smilies per post. Thanks.

Adding to this thread is my recent (first and probably the last) experience of renting a car.

Preface: I had my vacation in Maharashtra planned over the last two weeks in December 2016. Due to last minute changes in the plan only one car was in a viable condition to participate in the journey and we were 6 people. We made alternative plans. We reach Mumbai through different modes, parked my car there only to rent a self-driven car (7/8 seater) and continue.

We tried different car rental services. Most of them were sold out considering it was holiday season (fair enough). And one car rental company called Just Ride India had XUV 500 available. We browsed the website (seemed very classy) made payments, got clarifications from the customer care. All smiles to begin the journey the next day. Collecting the car was still pending though.

That Day We took an auto and reached the pickup point expecting to meet someone in an office. To our surprise we saw a lot of cars parked on the road side. Got a glimpse of the car. Called the executive and there he came out of another car. We had an awkward moment, no office. He took a photo of mine, scanned the original ID proof and uploaded it. We still had some hopes, only to be shattered in what happens next. The executive led us to the car. Our hearts kind of broke down.

Exteriors: It looked shabby from outside. Lots of scratches, dents, mud flaps hanging, dirty windows and glasses, broken wipers. Did not feel like touching the car.

Interiors: It was worse. Thick layer of dust everywhere. Tap the seat hard and a cloud of dust is seen. Dirty floor mats. No IRVM. Broken driver arm rest.

Took a few deep breaths and asked the executive about the state in which the car was delivered. The ones below were the reasons:
- Sir, we received the car from another ride late last night
- Sir no man power
- Sir, adjust karlo
- Sir, the vehicle is due for service and it will be sent for service after your ride
- Sir, holiday season

God bless the consumers in this country!

We pestered the executive to clean the car and hand it over to us then and there. He arranged for a guy, who wiped the instrument panel and the steering and told done Sir.

We had a few spare bed-spreads, which we used to cover the seats and protected ourselves from the dust.

Apart from this the ride and our vacation was fun, thankfully.

[Enobarbus]

Originally Posted by Fan@Automotive

Apart from this the ride and our vacation was fun, thankfully.

If I was in your situation, I would be really upset and would have probably cancelled the booking.

You must be a "Sthitha Prajna" (One who has a steady mind and is not affected by anxieties, thoughts and worries) not to be affected by this at the beginning of your holiday but to go ahead make the best out of a bad situation. God bless you.

Correct me if I am mistaken, but I just noticed that this is your first post since joining in Jun 2014. Thanks for finally taking the plunge.

[Fan@Automotive]

@ Enobarbus,

"Sthitha Prajna" - I will take this as a complement and will definitely try to live up to what it means. But the fact was, we had limited options OR cancel a part of our vacation.

And yes, my first post . Was just following a lot of threads, reviews and travelogues, but this car rental experience needed to be voiced out. Hope things change for good, in future.

[ranjitp1]

Zoom or Myles(or is there a better option) would be a better option for a self drive pickup from the T2 terminal at Mumbai.Thanks in advance for any info.

[sach.sri]

i am planning for a self drive rental ex-Bengaluru. PLanning for a trip of 12 days. This is my first time doing a self drive rental - need some advice which agency to go for?

Have looked at zoomcars and myles. Zoom rentals include fuel for the allocated km and their prices are almost same as what Myles charges.

however i have a query regarding the number of KMs that can be driven - do we have a daily limit on KMs that can be driven? or the limit is for the full duration?

So my view is that Zoom will be a cheaper option than Myles? or is that not the case?

Zoom is now mandating that the refund of the deposit, etc happens through Paytm. No option otherwise.

Also, couldn't find any call center number for zoom where i could talk to someone about my queries. What happens if you book a car - and have issues? Is there any number where one can talk to someone in zoom?