We've had similar experiences in other places with different car rental companies. We've seen it enough that we now always take the zero deductible coverage with the rental car company. No, it's not right, but it's cheaper than trying to dispute the unscrupulous behavior of these company employees.

One other hint: ALWAYS take photos of the car and damage and email them to yourself and/or the company on the date you pick up the car. Emailing them to yourself documents the date of the photos if your camera does not print it on there. Then, take photos upon the return. My husband has even been able to sometimes get the employee in these photos. They tend to mess with you less when they know you took photos!

The sleight-of-hand and fraud described is one outfit - one person. No brand or location can be predicted to be bad or good - except Mexico which is a den of thieves. Visitor count is off this season (again) so cars are available everywhere - if you smell a rat, split. AVIS and HERTZ tend to pick good players in the Caribbean - the other brands don't give a hoot.
But all the cars get smashed/crunched/dented and abused - start out knowing the car is about to break apart, the spare tire is missing, the A/C doesn't work, fluids are low, and the engine is weak. Get fixed what you can before you drive off - and do the inspection yourself - three times around and inside. This is one subject where being the overbearing ugly American is what is needed to survive. As with most auto matters in life, the industry seems to attract bums. Take control !

Hi, we just had to deal with Thrifty car rental. We specifically rented from Thrifty because we thought we'd get a reliable and clean car. I should not have taken their rental car at all. Day 1: I went through three cars to finally get a car with a bumper falling off it, two bald front tires, and a brand new tire in the trunk. I had to take the car as there were no others. I called and complained about the car. I rationalized that my expectations were too high so I kept the car. Big mistake. One of the front tires blew out as I was passing Thrifty on my way in to Simpson Bay. I immediately turned around to ask for the tire to be swapped and/or a different car. An employee named David started yelling at us because we didn't have the yellow customer rental copy with us. David didn't want to be bothered with looking up our rental. Next, Jack, the manager, came out and accused me of driving around the island from beach to beach with a flat tire. I was livid. Then, they got all eight of their mechanics to surround us and threaten to beat us if we raised our voice. We were angry because Jack wanted to charge us for the tire and who knows what else. Then, they refused to give us another rental car. I know. You're thinking why would you want another car from them. This happened on a Sunday afternoon about 4:30 and we're traveling with my mother whose legs hurt. The employees charged us for the car rental, even for the days we didn't use it, then REFUSED to write PAID on the receipt. In fact, the last employee, Sunil, walked off. We didn't know we were finished. When we asked Sunil what was going on, he said that's it for now. Meanwhile,someone was yelling 'There's damage. They will be charged more.' That infuriated me. Sunil wouldn't talk to us anymore. His shift was over. He refused to write PAID on the receipt as he smirked. Finally, the manager, Jack, who couldn't handle the situation at all, wrote PAID on the receipt. We'll see what happens with our credit card. I recommend renting from Paradise Car Rental. The beaches are beautiful in St Maarten. Stay away from the locals.

WOW! We were considering renting a car for the day our cruise ship docks in St. Maarten. Thanks for your story - we will searching for a driver and car to hire for the day instead. Terribly afraid 4 women (one elderly) would look way too much like easy "marks".

I live on the island, and I have heard other 'horror stories' about Dollar / Thrifty Car rental, so Allaroundtheworld's is not, apparently, an isolated case.

There are plenty of other choices.

Sounds like the rental contracts above didn't include insurance. Would anybody know what a US credit card CDW (collision damage waiver) provision is worth? On a US territory or on another Caribbean island? Not only re what is covered by primary or secondary insurance, but who does the fighting.

Well here we go! Before leaving for St. Maarten last week I read many forums and blogs in order to protect us from scams overall. 2nd day in Marigot less than 25 ft and 5 minutes from our rental car the rear drivers side window was shattered and a small beach bag mistakenly left on the back seat was stolen! Not even close to the problem; after getting help from a nice gentleman getting off work (11:30am) we were told to go to the police station as they don't come to you. A report later brought us back to the THRIFTY CAR RENTAL where we were told that the deductible was $850.00! Home now, we received a estimate for $1847.00 ! The car agency added other repairs to this estimate not related to the window! SCAMED AGAIN IN THE CARRIBEAN! By the way, there was another poor guy dealing with the same issue of a broken window BOTH TIMES we were at the THRIFTY car rental. Anyone have any suggestions? They have my Mastercard debit card number from the original rental.

After almost being a victim to thrifty at SXM, I was happy to find a forum with people who had similar experiences.

This weekend, we rented an economy car from them. It was old and had many dings on it. We went over all of them even pointed out one that they didn't mark on their form. We were blown off and told its noted.

Not taking that as an answer, we took a few pictures of the damage, even had one with the employee standing next to it.

Upon returning the car, they pointed out that scratch, told us it isn't noted and that we have to fill out forms detailing and acknowledging the damage.

They kept telling us don't worry, you won't have to pay if you have a VISA, they'll cover it.

Refusing to let VISA pay for a fraudulent claim, I showed them the pictures of the damage. Even though they had a date stamp, and the employee who wasn't even at work the day we returned the car in the pictures, the manager told us the pictures don't prove a thing and must be faked.

They proceeded to pressure us into signing the forms that we damaged the car for over an hour and telling me I forged the pictures. They even made a show of calling the employee at home who checked us out and they said he said over the phone he remembers us and doesn't remember that scratch and he's sure he noted all the damage, all the while reassuring us if we just sign these forms, our credit card company will cover the damage.

While all this was going on, we heard a similar pitch thrown at a couple returning a car. They gave in as they had a flight to catch. I was willing to miss my flight on principal.

When they finally realized I wasn't going to give in, they changed their minds, decided that I'm an honest person and wouldn't lie to them and tore up the forms.

They were well practiced in this routine and very reassuring that the credit card company would pay all I need to do is sign.

I'd recommend not renting from them, but if you do, to document everything and take lots of pictures.

The above horror stories are obviously not just 'one offs' perpitrated by a single rogue employee.

It appears that this is a 'ROGUE FRANCHISE' of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc., and it needs to be sorted out without delay.

Not only are the employees apparently regularly scamming visitors to this island, but they are also giving the entire car rental industry here a bad name - not to mention the island itself.

My suggestion to each and all of you is to write a letter, providing FULL details of your treatment, and address it as follows :

FOR THE PERSONAL ATTENTION OF :

Scott Anderson,

Senior Executive Vice President,
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.,
World H.Q.,
P.O.Box 35250,
Tulsa, OK 74153 -0250.

The above person is responsible for the franchises of the Group, worldwide, and I am sure he would enjoy a trip to our sunny island in order to terminate this franchise forthwith !

You could also copy your letters to the Tourist Bureaux on both sides of this island - their addresses can be found on their respective websites - as visitors arriving at the airport usually rent cars there, whichever side of the island they are staying.

I also suggest that, in your letters, you refer Scott Anderson to the Fodors website, and in particular to this thread on the blog - that way he will realize that the letter he has received from YOU does not refer to one isolated case.

Please post details on this thread, of the responses which I am confident you will receive.

That's geeat advice, i think these incidents should not go without fight. Extortion is the worst feeling, and especially on vacation, no one needs that.

Thanks bdshotsauce.

I just HOPE that the above people who have taken the time to have their say on this thread, in this forum, TAKE THE TIME TO DO AS I SUGGESTED.

It is one thing to have a perfectly legitimate 'moan' on a forum like this, but it is quite another to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Having spent a bit of my time establishing, on their behalf, exactly to WHOM their comments should be addressed, I will be very disapointed if I find that the suggestion made in my earlier post has not been acted upon.

Nex time try to rent a car from a French side of the island. French side has a European type of insurance and should cover all this scams.

Come on you people who have - quite legitimately - been complaining about this rip off outfit, which is obviously a rogue franchise, trading on the name of a (supposedly) well run international car rental operation, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT IT ?

Have ANY of you bothered to contact Scott Anderson, as I suggested ?

It would be really nice to know that at least some of you have, and to hear what response you received.

I really hope that consumers DO contact Thrifty's Franchise division. It's great information that DavidSXM has provided.

It's really incredible that they said that you had created the photos with the employee in them. That's a new one on me!

Now - Just a reminder - take the rental company's insurance coverage when you are in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The $400 extra that you might pay for the week for a zero deductible/CDW is SO worth it. It sure beats an $1800 bill for a window!

Since it would seem that nobody else has apparently bothered to contact Scott Anderson, this afternoon - as I had nothing else to do, and was feeling public spirited - I did it for you !

His secretary was referred to this thread which, while I was speaking with her, she read, and will acquaint Mr. A. with the details of the problems which you experienced.

Maybe - just maybe - something will now be done about these rip off artists who are getting this island a bad reputation.

HI DAVID,
I'M SHOCKED AT YOUR ADVISE/RESPONSE.I USUALLY GO TO ST.MAARTEN THREE TIMES A YEAR FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS AND WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR BEFORE.WE RENTED CARS FROM THRIFTY MANY TIMES WITHOUT TAKING THE INSURANCE AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM BEFORE.THE STAFF IS ALWAYS COURTEOUS AND POLITE.THEY MAKE YOU FELL WELCOMED.
I BELIEVE THAT THE ORIGINAL COMPLAINANT SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THIS WHOLE EXTORTION TO THRIFTY'S MANAGEMENT AND I'M SURE THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD HAVE BEEN AMICABLY RESOLVED.

Hi Bidya_Khan

SINCE WE ARE NOW ALL APPARENTLY USING HIGH CASE, I WILL ALSO DO SO !

YOU HAVE POSSIBLY NOTICED THAT THE PERSON WHO STARTED THIS THREAD IS NOT ALONE IN HAVING HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH THIS COMPANY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THE OTHER COMMENTS. I DO HOWEVER AGREE WITH YOU THAT ALL OF THE PERSONS CONCERNED SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN UP THEIR INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS REGARDING THEIR TREATMENT WITH HEAD OFFICE.

F.Y.I., MY SON-IN-LAW ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS COMPANY LAST YEAR, BUT HE 'HARD NOSED' THE GUY WHO WAS TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT HE 'THOUGHT' THAT MY SON-IN-LAW WAS IN A RUSH TO CATCH A FLIGHT - WHICH HE WAS NOT, AS I WAS IN MY CAR, WAITING TO TAKE HIM TO LUNCH BEFORE A MID-AFTERNOON FLIGHT - SO HE WAS IN NO MOOD AT ALL TO KEEL OVER. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, THE EMPLOYEE WHO WAS 'TRYING IT ON' BACKED DOWN FAIRLY QUICKLY.

YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES MAY HAVE BEEN OK, BUT THIS OUTFIT HAS A VERY BAD REPUTATION LOCALLY FOR TRYING THESE TRICKS, AS SOME OF US LIVING HERE HEAR THESE STORIES FROM THIRD PARTIES RE-VISITING THE ISLAND.

IF I WAS NOT PRETTY CONVINCED THAT SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THE WAY THIS FRANCHISE IS BEING OPERATED, I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE DONE WHAT I DID.

THE REAL PROBLEM - APART FROM THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE BEING RIPPED OFF - IS THAT IT GIVES THIS ISLAND A BAD NAME.

FORTUNATELY - AS YOU MAY POSSIBLY BE AWARE - BOTH AVIS AND HERTZ ARE IN A BIDDING WAR TO BUY DOLLAR / THRIFTY (PROVIDED NEITHER FALL FOUL OF THE ANTI-TRUST LAWS) AND PRESUMABLY THEY WILL RESOLVE THE EXISTING PROBLEM IN NO TIME FLAT - ASSUMING THEY ARE MADE AWARE THAT IT EXISTS.

I've rented from Thrifty 3 times now....and have never had a problem. Actually today, I got an email from Vic asking how we were and I'm sure he was wondering if we were coming down this February. I personally - would never rent from anyone else. And by the way - I'm a frequent renter with a competitor brand - Enterprise/National/Alamo - yet - I find for leisure travel in SXM - Thrifty has been the best.

I am very shocked to read this. I've been renting from Dollar/Thrifty for 8 years since I started visiting St. Maarten once a year since 2001 (originally from Thrifty after they merged with Dollar apparently) in St. Maarten since they were at their old location. They have been very friendly and have never scammed me before. I've been visiting St. Maarten for 16 years now, and had some bad experiences with other companies, local and franchise, including Hertz. I've actually met Jag (I believe not Jack) a few times. They have been professional an courteous. I have had some damages that happened (not of my own fault but their are some crazy drivers in St. Maarten) and they charged me, and I never felt overcharged. It always seems fair. Twice they have gone out of their way to help me. Once, I had a flat and busted rim and they sent someone to repair it at 10pm at night. No charge, i just paid for the new tire and rim. The second time, I left my bag with camera and meds in the car after I returned it. It must have been a hustle for them because I only realized I was missing the bag when I went through the security checkpoint. I called them, and they literally had a few people searching for it. They found it, and I had to re-clear security, go downstairs and they returned it to me, with nothing missing.

I do find it strange that the original poster has not replied to his/her own post since starting this thread. I also find it strange the personal vendetta that DavidSXM has going for this company. After visiting St. Maarten for so long, I've come to learn that on this small island locals can tend to get very vicious and jealous of each others success. I almost want to say that this DavidSXM is probably a competing car rental owner, just out to tarnish a competition he is jealous of, or has some other personal woes with the owners of the franchise.

Hi Roger

For your information, I am absolutely NOT in the car rental business in any way, shape or form, nor have I ever been. It is very dangerous to jump to conclusions.

Obviously the incidents related above BY SEVERAL PERSONS - and the first hand experience of my son-in-law - do not appear to be isolated instances, and I have also heard a number of other tales of woe from frequent visitors here who I have met.

I fully accept that many people have probably successfully rented from this company (as can be seen from this thread) however, a very disturbing patern certainly seems to be emerging.

My concern is that this island already suffers from enough 'bad mouthing' - some certainly justified, but some certainly not - and it seems that the activities of at least some of the staff of the Dollar / Thrifty franchise - as convincingly recounted above - are just making matters worse.

Oh and by the way Roger, before you make ANOTHER incorrect assumption, I am in no way associated with the tourist industry either, nor have I ever been !

I retired here some years ago, having travelled extensively for both business and pleasure, and I am - I openly admit - very protective of the reputation of the island on which I now live - on the French side, of course !

David, I respect your love and defense of SXM!

I have a strange problem though, with the Users on this thread, the OP (original post) only has 2 posts to the user name, and both are of strange behavior. Additionally, none of these complainers never came back to address these issues, did anything about it, nor thanked you for seriously helping them out. If I'd been a "victim" I'd be all over the place and I'd be on this thread a bunch of times.

I smell a rat!

I think people that travel in general can see this.

Hi blamona

I absolutely agree with you - in part !

If I had received the treatment that these 'victims' had, I would be the first to contact 'head office' to complain very loudly, and to revert to this thread regularly.

Unfortunately, as is frequently the case in situations like this, all they appear to want to do is just have a moan on a blog - and no doubt tell any of their friends who want to listen - what a 'rip off' island St Martin is ! It is the latter part which I find unacceptable, and rather worrying.

However I still do find it difficult to believe that these stories are ALL part of some sort of dark 'conspiracy' to blacken the name of Dollar / Thrifty Rent a Car (or more specifically this particular franchise).

I also say this, having personally witnessed the highly overt attempt to force my son-in-law to accept responsibility for minor (but no doubt potentially credit card expensive) blemishes - which to my certain knowledge - already existed prior to his renting the vehicle, but which were not detailed on the original rental contract.

He flatly refused to do so, and I don't think he will make the mistake again of not insisting that EVERYTHING is noted on the rental agreement before accepting a car !

A few weeks later I bumped into some friends at the airport who had arranged a rental from the same company, and who I strongly advised to photograph the car from every angle before accepting the vehicle. They subsequently told me that the staff there were not at all happy when they saw this happening - I wonder why ?

Sadly all of these threads do negatively affect tourism in SXM too don't they? Negative impact on the overall feel of travel in St.Martin. Extremely frustrating if untrue.

I am from Long Island and I love St. Maarten!
I wish I could go every year, but every other is the best I can do. I rent my cars from HERTZ when I do go and never had a problem. I DO take photos of all angles of the car, I DO make sure all damage is noted on the paperwork. I had my worst rental experience here in the states, in Florida, and learned my lesson. A picture is worth a 1000! See you in St. Maarten next year!

I'm so sorry to hear that so many people have had such a bad experience in St. Maarten. I don't know what side of the Island that your visiting but the Dutch side is much more friendly then the French. Not say that they aren't friendly on the French side, but the dutch rely much more on turist. Anyway, I have been going to St. Maarten every year for the last 18 years and have never had the problem that anyone has mentioned. To be honest I know they want to make money but for them to lie about damage on cars is shocking. I use to rent my car from bugget car rental, but for the last 6 years I have rented from Kevin from our time share at the Belair Beach Hotel. It is much eaiser than unload and reload your luggage into several cars the hotel car rental will pick you up from the airport then when you unload it into your room not another car then when your ready to leave they load you up again and take you into the airport instead of having to tip the other guys to bring you bags from the curb to the line. Anyway I hope to hear better stories then this because St. Maarten is a wonderful Island on both sides and everyone should enjoy there vacation there. Tip: try to rent a car from the Hotel your staying at most of them offer this.

I just returned from St Martin and had a similar experience. We had 2 locks broken on our car when we picked it up. The guy made note of it but on the form he checked the locks were OK. The trunk was up and the guy never looked at it. I made the error of signing the sheet that he had , never looking at the fact that he had marked OK next to the locks. When I returned the car, lo and behold , they wanted 700 dollars to fix the "damage". I argued for a while but really to no avail. I have filed a claim with my CC company as well as one with Thrifty to look into this blatant fraud. I also called Scott Anderson at 1-918-6607700 to voice my concerns but have not yet heard back. I encourage all of you who have been scammed by this company to call and complain.

Sorry to hear all the bad experiences...We had our share, but on the bright side, we tried a new company last year, and I must say...we're hooked! They're called 'Leisure Car Rental St. Maarten' It's good to know some companies still put customer service as their number one priority. Try them out. Tel:011(599) 581 8577. Email: info@leisurecarrentalsxm.com. Site: www.leisurecarrentalsxm.com

I recently rented from Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental and I have to say it was the most pleasant experience I have ever encountered at ANY car rental. The facilities were stunning(!), service was tremendous and was very happy with our vehicle.

Basically from what I have read on this post, everyone here has a problem with damages. No one likes to pay for damages. I would hate it. But I believe if you are a principled person, you must understand that while the vehicle is in your possession, you must understand that anything happens to it will be our responsibility. I think its best to go over the car very detailed to avoid problems period.

I dealt with a gentleman by the name of Vic, who was extremely courteous. Email him directly at customerservice@sxmthrifty.com to get the best rates. I am happy to give them a shout out as they were absolutely terrific.

I agree SarahJames - Vic is a great guy and very professional!

We rented from Payless oer Thanksgiving 2008 and lost our keys in 80-10 feet of sea grass. We were charge $845 for the lost keys, the justification being that the keys could be used, if found, to steal the car and all the locks needed to be replaced. The charge was not covered by our private car insurance or credit card, which had rental car coverage. We disputed it with the credit card, to no avail. This ended up costing more than the entire rental - way more. Disappointed, to say the least!

We're going back to the island this Thanksgiving, and very gun shy about renting.

Believe you me, I have no axe to grind, but the stories that I have heard about Dollar / Thrifty would definitely make me think twice about renting from this outfit - even if Vic is apparently a "very nice guy".

My son-in- law (see an earlier post) was (almost) ripped off by the check in people there, but he is, fortunately, sufficiently well travelled to know how to deal with the problem.

As there are so many other alternative companies from which to rent, why take the chance of having aggravation.

By the way, if the car is on Dutch plates, the insurance is also rather different from that of a car on French plates - be aware !

UPDATE!!!!!!!

I recently posted about this company trying to claim that I was responsible for damage that was already on the car. However, I called Dollar and complained. They started an investigation into the situation and LO AND BEHOLD , THE SAME CAR HAD CLAIMS FOR THE SAME DAMAGE THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH!

Where I am from, that is called FRAUD. They refunded the money that was charged to me illegally and refunded the cost of the rental. They stated that they are looking into the situation.

BUYER BEWARE

robmarble1

That only goes to emphasize what I have said in previous posts on this thread.

Quite why anyone reading the various horror stories would want do business with this franchise - which appears to be run by a bunch of cowboys - blows my mind !

There are plenty of other rental options which do not have the unsavoury reputation of this one.

Caveat emptor

I just left ST Maarten yesterday and experienced similar scam where 3 employees pointed out a tiny ding that broke off a thumb size break light cover.

They saw the ding so fast as if it was in the back of their heads.

While sitting in shuttle waiting for the ride back to the airport, I saw 3 others people that came after me got upset and have to file damage report like I did just to keep going so that we will not be late for our flight home.

Thrifty/Dollar car rental scam at this location is still is still live and well.

Having a hidden camera to expose this scam in action to educate people via youTube, TV show or blog like this one will eventually do some good one day.

I'm not coming back to this island and I'll tell my friends, families and everyone else about it for the 50 years or as long as I live.

May a huge hurricane wipe them out one day.

I had a similar experience where I knew that the scam was planned and that the guy performed it like a trained actor.
My specific problem was a passenger door lock scam that was neatly played by the boss/manager of the day. The girl, who had checked my car out three weeks before just sat there and I believe is fully in on this scam. The manager came directly out, saw no dents or other marks on the body and then walked over to the passenger door lock and tried to lock it with the key. He did not try any other lock. It would not lock and he claimed that it was damaged when I had the car. It had not been checked by agent before we took the car and not marked on my rental car sheet as being defective. The door worked fine and the doors all locked with the key using the driver's side lock, which as the only driver I used every time. The car was at Oyster Bay Beach Resort the whole time, except for our few trips out when nothing had ever been left in the car and no one ever seems to have been near it. This was so well played that I am sure it was done on that vehicle many times before and will continue to be done in the future. The car was a white I 10 , license # R 1041. I would be interested if anyone else had this happen to them at Europcar and especially with the same car.

I read the posts on the rental car damage rip-off scam by Thrifty/Dollar car rental agency in St Maarten. I usually do not post in any forum, however I feel compelled to add my comments to this issue. My wife and I have been going to St Maarten regularly for the last five years and have twice been charged for “damages”. The first time was two years ago for a dent in the rear of the car. At that time I did not think much of the issue, as if you are a frequent traveler to St Maarten you are familiar with the creative parking habits of the island, and just had the insurance cover the charges. However the July 2010 visit on return of the car the person that checked in the car found the front passenger door lock to be broken in record time less than 10 seconds, this threw up the red flag for me. As I question the finding I heard another renter discussing the same issue on the vehicle they had just returned, broken door locks must have been the damage of the day. I did not have time to argue the charge, as I needed to get to the airport to catch my return flight. In my August credit cart statement I received a $696 additional change from Thrifty car rental St Maarten. Upon investigating the charge I was informed it was for door lock repairs on the vehicle I rented in July. I complained to my credit card company, Thrifty Rent A Car and the car agency in St Maarten, to date have not received any response to my claim. The only action I was able to take was to protest the charge to my credit card company, which also was a futile endeavor. The credit card company Diners Club Carte Blanche reply was the merchant has a valid charge slip and honored the charge.

Something needs to be done about this situation, and as I have seen in the previous post and my experiences we cannot expect any assistance from certain credit card companies and Thrifty Car Rental. I guess we the travelers need to be more vigilant and pass on information to make it harder for these thieves to flourish. I include Diners Club in the category as thieves, as their only interest seems to be receive their payment from the cardholder and fees from the merchant.

Blatant plug, I also have an AMEX card, have been a member for over 20 years and have never experienced any dissatisfaction when I had issues with merchants charges. In the future I will be using my VISA card in St Maarten at merchants that do not accept

Hi grinch49

Can I suggest that you - and the other persons - who have been ripped off by this franchise contact the Dollar / Thrifty HQ in the US and make sure that they are aware of these scammers.

There is plenty of evidence of the nefarious activites of these characters, and even though Head Office has already been made fully aware of the problem, nothing has been done to stop what is, apparently, happening very regularly.

I think you ave a valid case for re-imbursement.

We just returned from St. Martin and also got ripped off at Thrifty/Dollar but with what appears to be a new scam. Having read about other scams, we took pictures (video actually) of the two cars that we rented. The cars were fine and had the usual small dents and scratches that we noted. We drove the cars all week without any damage and inspected them before we left the house to return to the airport. When we got to Thrifty, there was the usual commotion of unloading the bags, etc. Several of us noticed an older yellow car that was trying to squeeze in between our rental car and another parked car but did not think anything of it. A couple of minutes later, 3 or 4 Thrifty employees were all on the side of the car where the yellow car had gone by and were pointing at an area on the left rear quarter where there were several scratches and a slight dent. Clearly, the yellow car had caused the damage. One of my friends told them that he saw the yellow car and that it had caused the damage. The employees pointed to a new yellow car that was now in the back of the lot and said that it could not have caused the damage. When we went to the rear of the building the older yellow car was nowhere to be found. It was clear that this was done deliberately--not enough damage to make the vehicle look too bad but enough to make an insurance claim. We vehemently argued with them, especially Sunil who was mentioned in prior posts but he would not give me my credit card slip back which covered the security deposit for the car. We ended up leaving to catch our flight (which they were counting on--when I said I wasn't leaving without my credit card slip, he said "fine, miss your flight). I refused to sign the accident report form. When I got home, I called my credit card company and tried to pre-report this and dispute it but because it had not posted on my account yet, I have to wait for it to hit my bill and then dispute it. My credit card appears to cover it under the Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver Insurance but I won't be sure until it hits my bill. Two pieces of advice: film or photograph the car at the rental place when you get it and DO NOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL THEY INSPECT IT AND RETURN YOUR CREDIT CARD SLIP. Also, make sure to put it on a credit card that has the damage waiver. We actually took out the insurance because we had 8 people and 2 cars and wanted to make sure we were fully covered with different people driving the cars. When we pointed this out to Sunil the weasel, he pointed out that it has an $850 deductible. These guys are crooks so do whatever you can to protect yourself. I would use another rental company if you can find one that is honest.

I am stunned to hear of all of the malicious articles I am reading on top. I am part of a group that visits St. Maarten 4 times a year.

I have been visiting this wonderful island for over 20 years. Myself and our many friends, sometimes rent as much as 25 cars in one setting, ALL from Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental for over 7 years.

Let me first state, that this is by far the best and most professional car rental we have ever dealt with. Their service, cars, rates, staff, just everyone is superb.

From what I see above, people who are complaining are writing about damages. When you are picking up a vehicle, with any car rental, it is your duty to go over the vehicle in detail, to ensure that all damages are marked. This way there will be no issues when you return.

A yellow car driving intentionally to scratch a vehicle? OMG this is so ridiculous. Takes a agent 10 seconds to notice a broken lock? It takes one second to notice that. Deductible? All car rentals have this. Read your contract. Professional actors? I cannot help but laugh. These posts I have been reading are so ludicrous! If you have a damage on your vehicle, you should acknowledge your responsibility.

As far as I know, Dollar/Thrifty is regarded as the best car rental in St. Maarten, and they are the largest car rental also I think. I know the owners and they are extremely reputable people. Such a huge operation could not have been built with 'SCAMS'. It is apparent that people know about this negative article, and are just writing to blow up this article even further. I know this company, and my friends are familiar with all the staff, and they are very genuine and professional people.

In regards to damages- I have had to pay for damages a few occasions from Thrifty. I acknowledged all my responsibilities because I knew I was wrong, and that the damages were not there when I picked up the car. I have had to pay for a broken lock already recently. The agent went around the vehicle and showed me the locks. My most recent trip in December to our timeshare at Pelican (crazy whats going on there with the employees, but thats a whole other topic), they made me check the locks myself. When I returned the vehicle, the passenger lock was broken. I noticed this during my rental. I know for a fact that the vehicle was not like that when I picked it up. I acknowledged this, worked with the manager and settled the damage. It is not fair for the company to absorb the loss of replacing the locks. Many persons here are very unreasonable.

To whomever is reading these posts, I strongly consider you renting from Dollar or Thrifty. They are the best down there and makes you have a much more pleasurable stay on this lovely island. To all fellow timeshare holders, I recommend you to use Dollar/Thrifty. Tell them you are a long time visitor to St. Maarten. Try them. I bet you will become a long time renter with Thrifty.

Moondog46, next time check your locks properly beforehand. I have not heard many positive things about Europcar. I had a couple of friends who recently rented from them and they switched to Thrifty and have been very happy.

St. Maarten, as beautiful and unique as it is, is ridden with crime and unlawful acts. Vandalism of cars is a given, for all car rentals, not just Europcar. It is an island wide problem. Check your vehicle thoroughly when you pick it up, so that you don't have an issue when you return. Drive safely. Try not to stay out too late. Dont drink and drive late. Dont walk in any dark alleys at 3:00 am, the usual thing around the world.

Based on the above reviews, it seems as though some of you may have had bad experiences with thrifty. I would suggest you contact the manager with your concerns so that he can improve the services that he offers for your next trip to St. Maarten.

I must say that my experience with thrifty has been great. I have been renting from thrifty for the past 3 years now, and they have been reliable as it relates to the services that they provide. My recent trip was over the holidays and it went by with no problems at all. The service was excellent.

I must admit that the island is no longer as friendly as it used to be, so I advise you to take precaution and make sure your rental is parked in safe locations. When renting the car, make sure to acknowledge all prior scratches/indentations to the manager to reduce any misunderstandings that may occur when returning the car (please take pictures if you can). As a customer myself, I do not like to be taken advantage of, so please take necessary precautions and be safe.

carltonjohn23.

Despite your lengthy disclaimer regarding the numerous bad experiences endured by others (including my own son-in-law, by the way) at the hands of your 'friends' at Dollar Thrifty Rent a Car, it is a well known fact here on the island that this is a 'rogue franchise', that nobody in their right mind should use - given the numerous other alternative non-fraudulent car rental operations that exist to choose from.

Though I agree with you that, in a few cases, people MAY be exagerating the problem (if that is possible) but surely you must agree that your 'fantastically good experience' with this outfit flies in the face of the multiple detailed complaints of fraudulent activity by the employees of this rental company - of which the franchise holder (a friend of yours perhaps ?) must surely be aware.

I also note that you have only become a member of Fodors within the last 5 weeks (you appear to have only joined this year) so could it be that your 'friends' at Dollar/Thrifty are now aware of the reports of their scams being circulated within this forum and have asked you to join up and send a fulsome rebuttal of their activities and a reccommendation of their operation ?

It's just a thought which crosses my mind.

I have no personal affiliation with Dollar/Thrifty. They are not my 'friends'. I have always known this car rental to be very reputable, and my group has always used them without fault. It appears that all the complaints above are in regards to damages, and I guess no one wants to pay for their damages. That's too bad.

I'm sorry about your son-in-law. I'm sure it no doubt put a hamper on his vacation experience. Next time at any rental agency, ask to speak to a manager and see what fair and reasonable solution can come of this.

In regards to to your alleged accusation that I am doing this for my 'friends', I dont want to address this matter and lower my standards to your level with your bickering.

I managed to come accross this article, and figured that while there may be some bad experiences, and people like you are trying to tarnish a company's reputation, when they have done such a great job for me, I feel it is my right to come and bring forward my great experiences.

I'm certain thousands of people have been very happy with this company's services. Unfortunately, good work rarely gets recognized in the real world. When people get bad experiences, they make it known to try to blast a company/person/friend or colleague. Its sad. Its like my former employer. Always bashing people in public who made mistakes. Never rewards or appreciates those in public who does a fine job.

This is life. I've been treated great. Time to do my little part and show that are superb to me. Don't chastise me for voicing my opinions.

carltonjohn23

F.Y.I., my son-in-law is - fortunately - a highly experienced traveller, and the very obvious 'try on' by the Dollar/Thrifty staff when he checked in his rental (I was personally there with him and witnessed what happened) did not succeed. With someone less experienced, and in a rush to catch a plane, it probably would have done so.

If these guys are 'totally blame free and run an impeccable operation' - as you seem to suggest - it AMAZES me that there are so many tales of woe which have been posted by their clients on this forum, over a period of months. Don't you think it somewhat odd that no other car rental company has come in for similar, very regular, criticsm here ?

Whatever you may try to suggest, these stories cannot ALL be sheer fabrication, and surely it cannot be just 'a coincidence' that Dollar/Thrifty is apparently the only car rental company which attracts these regular tales of apparent fraudulent activity.

Anyone coming here has a wide choice of car rental companies from which to choose - so why take the chance of dealing with a franchise which gives every appearance of being operated by a bunch of scammers - presumably with the knowledge and acquiesance of the franchise operator himself.

Unfortunately, not everyone reads this forum, so there will always be plenty of 'rip off targets' for the staff of Dollar/Thrifty whose activities need to be curbed - if not by the Head Office of the company, then by the Sint Maarten and/or Saint Martin Tourist Authority, as they only serve to give the island a bad name.

Dear forum posters, readers, and customers of Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental in St. Maarten,

My name is Tariq McSood and I am the Managing Director of the Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental franchise in St. Maarten. One of my long time customers, informed me of this article that had many negative reviews of my business. I decided to post on this forum to address the concerns of many who have posted on this article.

I would first like to state that Dollar/Thrifty is NOT a scam operation. I can personally attest that none of these damage charges were meant to scam anyone. When reading these posts, it brought alot of sadness to my heart reading them. Since reading this article a couple days ago, I have called a meeting with my rental agents. Some of the agents that are mentioned here, have been severely reprimanded for making my customers unhappy.

I am very sorry to all the persons who have been affected by these damages, and or who feel that they have been wronged in any way. I have worked extremely hard to build Dollar/Thrifty into a huge operation that it is today. We recently moved in to our new beautiful facilities, and we currently have the largest fleet on the island offering new vehicles at low rates. My staff has been known to give unparalleled service which is why this article has perturbed me so much. I am happy to at least see a few positive articles in here. We have a large loyal base of customers who return to us every year, because they are very happy with the cars and service they receive.

Please email us at customerservice@sxmthrifty.com or call the office at 54-52393 and ask for Tariq. I will be happy to listen to you, work with you, and make you have a much more comfortable car rental experience the next time you visit our island.

I am once again sorry for any inconveniences caused to you and your family. Our goal ultimately is to add value to your vacation. Please contact me to report any of your grievances, car rental requests, charges, inquiries etc. I am here to serve you.

Thank you Mr.McSood for taking notice of these posts, the first of which was placed almost exactly one year ago.

It obviously has taken a while for the news to reach you, but at last it would seem that something has been done about the situation which seems to have prevailed for so long.

Hopefully the 'talking to' that you have given to your staff will put a stop to the nefarious practices which obviously have been prevalent in the past - let's face it ALL the persons who have posted over the last year cannot be fabricating their tales of woe!

I wish you well in your operation, and no doubt IF your little chat with your staff doesn't cure the problem which certainly seems to have existed, no doubt there will be further posts here for you to read.

Panoramic Car Rental is the ACE vehicle provider in St. Maarten is no better. Last year when I rented a car there were at least 10 places of damage. When I returned it they made an issue of one. I won out. This year, I reserve with them through a third party website, got a confirmation and when I arrived at the airport to get the car, the agent said, "no car". He talked over a radio to a "boss" and would not let me talk to him.

Really appreciate the advice given by 'mom23rugrats'..........

OMG, we will be going to St. Martin in June for our first visit and will be wanting to rent a car. Are there any reputable car rentals on the island where you won't get scammed?

Most of them - and there are many - are perfectly OK.

Thrifty/Dollar in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten has a scam going. Avoid getting ripped off and seek out another car rental location. Our first car had a broken door handle on the inside of the door that we didn't notice until we got to the hotel. They exchanged it but the process was time consuming -- not what you want on your first day of vacation. Then they gave us a car that began to leak transmission fluid after we had had it for a few days. When we examined it, we noticed that the pan underneath was completely damaged and there were several dents that were rusting. We did not hit the bottom of the car at all but the rusted parts began to leak fluid visibly when we had it. We returned it and asked for a replacement. They inspected it and said we were responsible for the damage. We had taken photos of the rusted parts which could not possibly have happened in a few days time but they ignored this. We were then given another car and when we inspected it this time, we got underneath the car and found that this one was also just starting to leak fluid but it was a very slow drip. Then they brought out another car and it was the exact same problem. This car also was leaking fluid. The fact that they tried to gove us two more cars with transmission fluid starting to leak did not persuade them at all that we had not caused the damage. They still claimed that we had caused the damage to the car we rented because it began to leak visibly when we had it. They finally brought us a newer car that did not have leaking fluid. This whole process took a few hours on a morning when we would have rather been at the beach. We have photos and will dispute the extra charges with our credit card company but do yourself a big favor and AVOID using Thrifty/Dollar in St. Maarten. Both companies are run by the same people who are scamming innocent people for money.

It would apprear that - despite the assurances of Mr. Tariq McSood, the Managing Director of this outfit, in his post on this thread on February 12th - NOTHING has changed.

If he reads this, he would do well to consider getting rid of the bunch of scammers that he seems happy to continue to employ.

Wow, just in time. We were going to go online today to rent a car for our St Maarten trip. This definitely will influence our decision. Thanks for the information.

Please read this entire letter that I sent to Visa to get the full jist of what these people are capable of. This letter is to make sure that Thrifty Car Rental 102 Airport Road Simpson Bay In St Maarten N.A. doesn't attempt to make an additional false charge against my Visa. We had three different cars in one week. The employees don't care that going back and forth to exchange poorly maintained veichles can ruin a vacation.

My husband and I arrived in St Maarten late in the afternoon on May 17th 2011 and proceeded to Thrifty Rental to pick up our car reserved through Expedia for seven days to return on the May 24th 2011. We were the first people to the rental counter. We had arrived first we were the last to leave of 7 couples arriving with us to pick up cars.

The person waiting on us was new and didn't understand the computer system well. We showed him the reservation made through Expedia showing a total dollar figure and he didn't know how to back into the number in his software.

We decided to take the car so we could begin our vacation and speak with Expedia to resolve the overcharge after we returned home.

We were given a car we looked over the car found dents and scratches had them noted on the proper form and left. When we arrived at Simpson Bay Resort we found out there wasn't a door handle to open the passenger side door.

We learned that Thrifty maintains a desk at the resort from the resort front desk personnel. We found the person manning the desk and explained the lack of a door handle. His first response was well let me call the main desk so they don't think you removed the handle this is 15 minutes after picking up the car. He called the main office where we rented he than told us he had another car for us outside.

The resort rental person wrote out a damage transfer sheet showing we were getting another car we were told to keep our original contract with it.

The day before we were to turn the car in we drove down the hill from the resort to go to breakfast. I noticed the car would lurch rather than take off smoothly. I took the car into the rental agent at the resort desk as he was close. The agent explained he didn't have a car that day at the resort, he further explained we would have to take it back to the main office a couple of miles down the road.

I asked him to drive the car before we took it to the main office I was concerned that the car was not safe. He was reluctant to test drive the car but eventually obliged us my husband got in the car with him.

He took off at a high rate of speed on the resort ramp leading from the front desk. My husband asked him to slow down three times he explained the lurching was more noticeable at slow speeds and it was dangerous to drive fast where so many people were walking. He stopped driving fast than he noticed the lurching as we had.

My husband was reluctant to drive the car back to the main office he suspected the transmission. He didn't want to be stranded between the resort and the rental place. The resort agent assured us the car was low on transmission fluid and said the car would make it to the rental office no problem. Any other car rental company would bring you a car or have the vehicle towed to their location. This company has no concept of service or safety.

We pulled up to the rental office an employee came and we explained what the vehicle was doing. He got into the vehicle drove it back and forth it did the same thing. He went into the office to arrange another car. A few minutes later another man came out and saw some fluid on the ground near the left front tire.he than commented that we must have hit the oil pan.

He drove the car around the corner to the wash area my husband and I followed. My husband told them he wanted the car jacked up so he could take a closer look as long as they were accusing him of damaging the vehicle they complied. After jacking the vehicle up the mechanic with the agent standing there looked at my husband and repeated you have hit the oil pan.

We both replied that we hadn't hit anything, My husband knelt down and looked he could see the plastic cover that is supposed to protect the oil pan was completely eaten away. My husband responded that the entire bottom of the plastic protective cover was worn away he also pointed out that the dents and scratches in the oil pan were rusted not shiny metal as you would have if the damage was recent. My husband brought his face closer to the pan asked the mechanic and the rental agent to come closer he again pointed out that there was no new damage showing that all the scrapes were rusted over the front leading edge was scaly rust it had been there along time with no new bare shiny metal showing. He also pointed out that there were no puncture holes or oil on the pan.
The mechanic said yes it is rusty but it wasn't leaking. My husband replied again that we had not hit anything that this was obviously old damage he also stated that we were able to drive the vehicle to the rental place without the engine seizing. My husband stated again that the agent at the resort rental desk said the transmissions oil was low and that was the cause of the lurching. My husband stated the oil must be leaking from the filler bolt on the pan or from somewhere above. My husband repeated there is no puncture holes on the pan and no oil showing anywhere on the pan.

My husband is a Private Investigator he is accustomed to running investigations and asking questions to obtain answers. He had the feeling they were going to attempt to run a scam by the way they were acting prior to him asking them to jack up the car. They stopped answering. While the vehicle was jacked up my husband continued to take pictures of the dented rusty bottom of the pan and it's worn out cover. He then told the rental company he wanted the plastic cover removed so he could look closer and take photos even though the cover was worn away from the bottom my husband wanted to see the sides of the pan they complied removing the cover. They wouldn't say anymore about the vehicle they asked us to leave the wash area.

They brought us another car my husband took a beach towel I was holding to transfer to the new car and lied down on it on the ground in front of the vehicle after getting the man's attention. He ran his hand on the inside bottom of the plastic cover . When he pulled his hand out it was full of oil from this replacement vehicle. The plastic cover had a crack approximately 8 inches long but not completely worn away. The man than told my husband I will get you another vehicle. He brought around another car of the same make and model my husband lay on the ground again ran his hand on the same location again his hand came out covered in oil. This plastic cover also had a crack which my husband photographed.
At this point my husband who is usually reserved and quiet said what kind of a racket do you have going here, attempting to blame me for a leaking pan that all of the vehicles you bring out have.
The man said nothing he brought around an upgraded much newer vehicle. Again my husband got on the ground ran his hand this time the plastic cover was not cracked and no oil was leaking. Before leaving they asked my husband to write out a statement my husband said I have nothing to report we did not hit anything he told them he could not report what he did not do. He told them that it is obvious that you don't inspect or provide proper maintenance to your vehicles' as I has just found two more with the same defect. The man from the car rental said they wouldn't give us a car unless we wrote out a statement. My husband wrote out exactly what he told them that he had nothing to report. I have a copy of the statement my husband wrote.
The following day was our day of departure we came to return the car we were given the day before. My husband started the check in process. When you rent the car Thrifty requires their customers to allow them to take two separate imprints of your card on credit card slips. On one of the credit card slips they write the contract amount. On the other slip they write 850.00 dollars or leave it blank I can't remember and require you to sign both. They said when we left the island they would give the slip back to us that represented the deposit to tear up.
We finished the checking out my husband said you haven't given me the deposit credit slip you asked us to sign. The man replied that it looks like you have a damage report here. My husband replied that we had not damaged the car and suggested that the man read the statement my husband wrote.
My husband asked to speak to the manager they said he was at a meeting and encouraged us to call their customer service number. My husband told them that they wouldn't be able to get away with what they were doing that he had taken pictures of all of the leaking cars they had attempted to give him prior to giving him the upgraded car. He told the agent he wanted to show these pictures to the manager. This agent replied again that the manager was in a meeting. We had to go to the airport to catch our flight and left.
I'm attaching the pictures along with the explanations of each picture my husband wrote. The pictures show the vehicles oil pan area they attempted to say we damaged, the other vehicles they brought out that were leaking oil and the final vehicle we took which was clean and dry.
This company needs to be stopped my husband will be sending these pictures to Expedia, as well as Visa. His intention is to send this package to Thrifty headquarters, Media outlets, and the Insurance Industry to learn if Thrifty or Dollar at the same St Maarten address (companion businesses under the same roof) have made similar claims against other unsuspecting innocent people and got away with it.
Thank you, Chris Birchall
Below is the Corporate headquarters address and phone number of Thrifty Car rental. There must be a franchise agreement that thrifty Car rental issues when they take on a new dealer. This agreement must state the condition of the cars, maintenance levels and operating procedures. Do not hesitate to call send pictures etc to Thrifty headquarters to report abuses.

Thrifty Car RentalCorporate Headquarters
(800) 847-4389
5310 E. 31st St. (918) 665-3930
Tulsa, OK 74135 Fax: (918) 669-2213
http://www.thrifty.com
President/CEO: Gary Paxton
VP Sales/Mktg./Advertising: Brian Carpenter
brian.carpenter@thrifty.com
Staff VP Sales: Bob Thunell (918) 669-2440
bob.thunell@thrifty.com

This message is to Bella Claireon and Roger who suggested that David was a competitor of Thrifty or in the travel business after stating he lived on the Island. My name is Chris Birchall I'm listed as Cotton1 in this thread. Please read my post above.

On the Fodor's Around the World site Ive counted approximately 48 negative post about Thrifty Rental Car in St Maarten. I highly doubt that 40 some people came home from St Maarten and said gee I'm bored why i don't I make some negative comments about Thrifty in St Maarten and post them on Fodor's.

Please let me explain what I'm doing since you questioned what people are doing about Thrifty St Maarten other than whining on this thread as you suggested. My package with pictures has gone to 123 travel blogs and or travel review sites, Mondial the company that handles the Insurance claims for Visa, the State Department Washington DC, the American Consulate in Curacao, the Canadian Consulate located in St Maarten.

I have emailed the same package of letters and pictures to Brian Carpenter VP of Marketing at Thrifty corporate headquarters in Oklahoma which he ignored.

Since Brian Carpenter decided to ignore us we decided to devote our staff and ourselves to compile a list of travel agencies, airlines, all the major hotel chains and independant travel consultants to send the list of complaints, my letters and pictures throughout the world.

We are compiling complaints relating to all Thrifty outlets from the travel blogs and review sites. these complaints will be sent to the marketing departments of each and every airline and the corpoate headquarters of all major hotels and travel agencies throughout the world.

It is obvious that Thrifty Corporate isn't doing anything to intervene or compensate the victimms of fraud perpetrated by their franchisee's particularily at the St Maarten location. They will not beable to ignore loss in profits do to public opinion as we get it rolling.

We will continue to monitor the travel blogs and copy the post. After we have collected several thousand or less complaints) we will forward them with the addresses of the travel blogs and review sites to the news media including 60 minutes until one of the outlets reports on them.

Thrifty Corporate has a responsibility to protect the public. I'm also assumming they have a franchise or business agreement that spells out the condition and maintenance of vehicles as well as operating procedures of their dealers.

We are attempting to obtain that agreement through a third party once we do it will be turned over to an attorney.

Please Take a look at the third or fourth complaint down on this thread that begins with WOW. This is the reaction we hope will take place as people from around the world read the practices of Thrifty / Dollar Rental Company in St Maarten.

Chris Birchall

Well done ! It is high time to get this bunch of scammers stopped in their tracks.

Obviously Mr.Tariq McSood (the holder of the Thrifty / Dollar Car Rental franchise on this island) either couldn't care less, or actually condones, the activities of his apparently crooked employees.

What it appears they are doing is in fact criminal, and the authorities - probably via the Sint Maarten Tourist Bureau - OUGHT to be taking an interest, and doing something about it. Mr.McSood is, however very well connected locally !

I doubt the Tourist Bureau or any other entity on the Island could care less at this point. That is obvious by their lack of intervening up until this point. What will get their attention is the loss of business from tourist. People will read the post we are putting out all over the internet and eventually say why should I bother to go to this island and have stress. This is what isd happening in Mexico. You can screw some of the people some of the time. You can't screw all of the people all of the time and get away with it.

Cotton1 - I think that you are going way overboard, and getting well and truly carried away by your own idea of the likely effects of what you are doing - or intend to do. !

OK, so it is a well established fact that Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental IS a 'rogue operation', but I really do not think that you can SERIOUSLY believe that the efforts that you are making to ensure that the world and his wife become aware of that fact are really going to STOP PEOPLE FROM VISITING this island - if you DO believe that, you are suffering from delusions of the importance of your actions (of which I hasten to say I fully approve) !

Just because there happens to be a particular car rental outfit which is regularly 'scamming' unsuspecting clients, it certainly is VERY far fetched indeed for you to think that your exposure of the practices of just one of - literally dozens - of car rental companies on the island, will be sufficient to cause potential visitors to go elsewhere - you must be kidding !

There are plenty of other companies from whom visitors can - and do - rent cars, and enjoy stress fee vacations. So I really think that you are crazy to assume that your exposure of the activities of just one car rental company will in any way seriously impact the head count of visitors here next season, and cause such a drop in the amount of tourist revenue derived by the island, that the authorities will get a wake up call.

My last trip to St. Martin was in September 2009 and I rented from Paradise car rental. I was very pleased with the service and especially the rates ($110 and up for a week). They rent small Hyundais which are great for small parking spaces and the narrow streets. I agree with taking the full insurance coverage. I am going again soon and have reserved with Paradise. I will give a follow-up report. Has anyone had a bad experience with this company?

Cotton/Chris Birchall - are you sure you are addressing your message to Bella Claire? You have an "on" after the claire - I've read this thread for months...and commented twice based on my experience. I stand by what I wrote as it is truth for me. Would I rent from them again after seeing post after post - nope - it's disheartening they have such a scam going with nothing being done. Would I avoid St. Maarten/St. Martin - hell no. Please clarify who you were addressing your message to - if myself - I'm offended - I've always posted with integrity and what has been MY experience.

In response to DavidSXM on people not choosing to avoid St. Maarten based on getting ripped off by Thrifty, I disagree. I think it can have an affect on the travel choices people make. I heard once that another island had an increasing crime peoblem and made the decision to go somewhere else. It may be emotional and not based on actual statistics, but these things do make a difference on the choices people make.

Suchaturi

I CAN understand people who decide not to visit a vacation destination because of a percieved CRIME problem, but I really cannot believe that any sensible person would decide not to visit an island (in this case SXM) just because the activities of ONE - of literally DOZENS - of car rental companies, has been exposed as a 'scamming' operation.

Are you SERIOUS ?

I used Dollar Thrifty in St. Maarten twice. I thought they were the best, most professional car rental I have dealt with- anywhere in the world. Sorry for those who had bad experiences, but I'm just stating my view. They were super good.

Well, there is ONE client who hasn't been screwed !

Obviously it is up to anyone who wants to rent a car on this island, but if it was MY choice I would avoid this bunch of scammers like the plague - even if dasilvabrasil above is in the minority who 'got lucky' and were not given the usual 'treatment' by the crooked employees who Mr.Tariq McSood is apparently still happy to employ.

There's a HUGE choice of alternatives, so why just one person - apart from people who were obviously instructed to say 'good things' abut this outfit, including one who only having joined this Forum days before posting multiple positive comments - have to have any credibility, I really don't know.

It's up to you to make your choice !

Very seldom do I ever write. I'd have to agree, most people do not sit around and write a negative post, review a product because they have nothing better to do. I have been a long time St Maarten (SXM) traveler and rented from many different companies there, some which are not around and as my screen name say’s I have seen many changes.

I can’t defend or deny the practices, but I have been lucky in my car rentals since 1986. I have never had to pay anything additional beyond what I agreed to rent the car for. I have had windows busted (vandalism), vehicles damaged (some hit me), my own accident (no real damage), breakdowns (no air, won’t start, etc) and probably other things long forgotten.

I have always checked the car when asked. In the early days they would give you the keys and tell you your car is over in the lot or garage and have a great stay. I guess money poured into the island like there was no tomorrow. What really prompted me to write was the busted door locks. Years ago when they started giving out cars with the remote open keys they told me they disabled the locks as well as the trunk locks because people just take a screwdriver to them anyway. Honestly, they do not fix the damaged cars if they still can run. They rent them, run them down and sell then to other renters or the locals years later. In general, brand new fleets have been a thing of the past.

When I did encounter problems I expected it would take time to resolve, I didn’t let it bother my day and didn’t worry I was missing beach time. I enjoyed having every minute on SXM. Having a car that didn’t work on SXM versus being at home fixing something, I’ll take SXM any day. Two hours on the beach and no sunscreen will make up for a week of lost sun. I am also the person that doesn’t mind checking into my job and getting work done remotely when I can. After all, without that job I might not have the opportunity to be there. I never used to be that person, in the early days I was a laborer and you can’t hardly do that remotely. What I am saying here is, I have respect for the path I have taken and give it for the path others are on, it goes a long way.

I have also always declined insurance. My policy at home covers me and so do some of my credit cards. I also never leave for a rush to the airport. I can’t give away all my secrets, but vandalism is not the renters fault unless somehow you gave cause to the action of others. Poorly, maintained vehicles are not the renters fault. I have had these discussions with the rental companies and I guess luckily I have never been charged. Getting up in their face about it doesn’t help, but if you let them come to these conclusions themselves, I think they usually do.

I imagine what is happening is a sign of the times. The island doesn’t get any bigger but the population has more than doubled. Tourism may be down, but there are still more planes coming in today than years back and overall there is probably less money going around. If you have this many complaints there probably is something to them and maybe some of them could have been handled better. What really got me was the comment about going right to the door lock, because they do know they don’t work and is intentionally not fixed. It’s sad, but pictures are the way to go. Take them every day, every place you park, check your oil levels and all that other good stuff and call your insurance carrier and see if you are covered. Above all, enjoy your stay in SXM and watch out for the car rentals relative damaging cars, because his relative that fixes them, most likely doesn’t make out on the repairs.

I just joined this debate as I was looking for a rental car in St Martin. BTW I have seen similar problems in Tampa Florida with these 2 agencies owned by the same entity. Its now spead to the mainland. I insisted on writing damage no matter how small (they claim no need to do so) after a agent told me to do so..he also told me that this is especially true when the leases are up which means when they return them I guess to the manufacturers..they try to gig the renter. So if someone knows a state attorney's office they should write them. Since St Martin is a foreign country but Thrify is a US company it may be time to get a class action lawyer interested. We may not gaim anything but even if the lawyers make millions it will be enough to get the parent motivated to clean up this fraud like behavior.

Can you all give me specific of an agency who you use that gave great service?

Thanks

Wow!! I just read through this entire “forum” and found the information confirming what I have been saying about “Thrifty / Dollar” car rental on SXM for quite some time. I too was ripped off by these scam artists, with the lock routine, to the tune of $175.00 US. I agree with what others who spoke of the orchestration, choreography, and scripting of the entire staff (read cast). From what I have read, I guess I got off very lucky.
I found Mr. McSood’s comments interesting as well. I was particularly intrigued by his statement, “I will be happy to listen to you, work with you, and make you have a much more comfortable car rental experience the next time you visit our island”. What, will we be getting our money back, a reduced rate on the rental, or just “listened to”???
I, like several of the posters, said I wanted a police report, and was told that I would have to go into Philipsburg to make out the report, they pointed out that I had already turned the car in so I would have to rent another car to get there, and I too was subject to a flight back to the reality. As I read the comments posted here, and the names of several stateside execs, I too tried that approach, to no avail.
I do have one new suggestion. If someone were to send this entire discussion to Theo Heylinger, (theyliger@gmail.com) the St. Maarten Commissioner of Tourism, it just might see some action. Not that anyone of us who were ripped off will get any compensation, but the island has an interesting way of “keeping their own in line” so to say. Now, that is assuming that Theo is not a major owner / stockholder in Thrifty / Dollar SXM, or Tariq’s primary financial backer, or both, which could always be the case.
Finally, I feel a little sad that so many tourists are getting ripped off. The island’s economy is still suffering from 9-11, rising airfares, and the soft economic situation around the world. The cruise ship visitors are supporting some segments of the SXM economy, but the time shares, resorts, and hotels and restaurants on both sides of the island are still not doing well. This is just another reason for a potential overnight visitor to go somewhere else, and that is sad. That translates to less work for the working people of SXM, they are the ones who really get hurt and that is the saddest part of all.

We are planning on renting a car for our honeymoon in September, and thankfully we will avoid Thrifty/Dollar at the airport. I did see a recommendation from jacquesf for Leisure Car Rentals - (Tel:011(599) 581 8577. Email: info@leisurecarrentalsxm.com. Site: www.leisurecarrentalsxm.com) and was wondering if anybody can back the recommendation, or suggest another car rental company they had a great experience with.

I created an account here just respond to peanut556. I would not hesitate to recommend Leisure Car Rental. We just got back from our St. Maarten trip, and rented with Leisure. Our car was new, the staff was very professional, friendly, and helpful. We got our car no more than five minutes after retrieving our bags. This was a great advantage, since the Simpson Bay Traffic was really dreadful

Okay! First follow wiley1827's advice and do a thorough inspection,inside and out,(3 times) before you accept a vehicle. Make sure any damage is annotated on the contract. Check your car insurance here (stateside). You should be covered for rental cars. Make sure (call them before you go). If you have an incident tell them to contact your insurance company. They have more experience dealing with crooks and charlatans than you. If for some reason they will not call your insurer, call them yourself. Taking pictures is never a bad Idea. How do I know? ...My wife worked for an insurance company for 15 years, she knows her stuff.

Let me preface the following by stating that the 2 trips that I have made to this beautiful island have been very enjoyable except for my experiences with these scam artists.
I have read all the other postings and one other thing that you should inspect is the spare wheel, have them remove it from the trunk, and also have them remove the hub caps to check for damage to the rims.
I rented from these con men in 2008 and during the inspection pointed out several dents in the front right rim to the very pleasant young man who was carrying out the inspection. He told me not to worry because they were all like that. If you have ever driven in St Martin you will know that the roads need a little work and that it seems as if there are more potholes than road.
3 days into our 7 day stay, We noticed that the front tire was partially flat so I removed the spare from the trunk only to find this was completely flat with a huge dent in the rim on the underside of the wheel so that it wasn't visible during the inspection.
I took the car to a local garage and paid to have the flat fixed rather than drive across the island to the rental office.
When I returned the car I told them about the spare so that the future renter would not get stranded. When the employee saw the spare his eyes lit up and he called the Manager over and wanted me to fill out a form for the insurance. I informed him that I wouldn't because I had not been involved in an accident and that the spare had never been used by me.
The Manager became very abusive and then seemed to suddenly lose his ability to speak or understand English.
I had a plane to catch so really couldn't continue the argument. On my return to the US, I contacted my Mastercard to have them not pay the damages and I also checked with their insurance dept to see if this sort of damage was covered anyway and of course it isn't. I receive a bill from Dollar/Thrifty for $325 which, of course, Mastercard payed it despite several phone calls and emails from me. I contacted Thrifty and Dollar USA and was informed that they had no control of Foreign Franchises. I sent several emails to Carla Douglass at Dollar in St Martin regarding this issue and also pointed out that their rental policy stated that any damage to a wheel would be billed at $200 not the $325 that I was charged.
I never received an adequate reponse.
So, a final warning. If you are attempted to rent from these thieves. either take out the full insurance, which I'm sure they just pocket, Or inspect everything and make sure they write everything down.

DavidSXM
You seem to be on top of the St Maarten scene. I have heard the islands are having a problem with seaweed. True? Is St Maarten having seaweed problems? Thanks!

MESKI

Hi Meski

We have, for some reason, had a lot more seaweed this year than is usual, but it isn't really a problem in the area where I live.

What seems to happen is that it gets thrown up over night, and is cleared by the beach operators first thing in the morning, and you certainly don't have to fight your way through it to get to swim !

We just got back to the States from SXM on Sunday. We rented from Paradise Car Rental. That's all you really need to get around. We rented the GPS just to make sure we didn't get lost. After having been there for three/four days we no longer needed it, but I felt it was worthwhile.

Make sure you follow the obvious rules - don't leave anything in plain sight in the car, always lock it, etc. etc. We didn't have any problems other than the cigarette lighter fuse was blown when we got the car. Fortunately we were just down the street from the car rental place, so they swapped it out (although it did take an hour to do it - if I had a pair of pliers it'd have taken me 10 min).

The one thing that caught me off guard was when coming out of customs into the main terminal at the airport, the car rental companies are plentiful and can be a bit insistent that you come to their booth. Fortunately my wife spotted the Paradise booth and we made a beeline straight for it.

If anyone tells you that you don't need a car in SXM, they didn't leave the resort. If you want to see something other than the resort, definitely get a car.

Also - for those of you visiting in the next few months, please plan ahead. There is some road construction to the south of the airport that can cause significant backups in both directions. The two lane road is down to one and we spent the better part of 45 min working through about a mile of road. It isn't a deal-killer, but planning for it is important.

F.Y.I.

The road referred to above re-opened as two lanes yesterday.

The traffic in the Simpson Bay area is always bad anyway.

I never return from the airport to the French side of the island, where I live, via that route. I always go the opposie way, through Maho and Sandy Ground.

I have been using Tropicana Car Rental for the past 8 years and have never had an issue with returning a car. This year my wife's family is joining us and, never having visited before, were considering using Thrifty as it is a familiar name back here in the U.S. After they read this post they will be using Tropicana. They may not have great facilities, but thee cars work great and they have always treated us fairly and honestly.

Thanks David SXM, I am replying on the Sargasso thread.

Meski

Was in Sxm 2011 winter, did a rental, took pictures, went to town shopping, angle parked the vehicle, came back from shopping and found a smudge of yellow paint with a minute dent on the front right corner of car bumper area. That was not there when we got there, we did a walk around prior to leaving, (the 4 of us) and were surprised and alarmed at how this could have possibly happened the way/angle this vehicle was parked and the area to the car that this could not have happened while being parked there. This was bs. it cost 150.00 affixed to my visa, I swear to God, they have henchmen walking around with wooden mallets and spray paint and inflict these damages to the cars that they themselves specifically rent out.Its a shame you might have to pay someone to watch over your rental while you shop!
I'll be cabbing it this year!!!!

also, why use plastic doing a car rental, pay cash and relieve yourself of any rip off to your credit card after turning your rental in.

Tguns

I don't know of ANY - legitimate - car rental company, on this island (or anywhere else in the numerous other countries in the world where I have rented cars for that matter !) that will agree to rent without the provision of a credit card as security against damage (real or PERCEIVED !) to, or loss of, the vehicle concerned during the period of the rental contract.

Does anyone else ?

DavidSXM: Tguns just registered and could be a troll (and if not, his is one of the weirder pieces of advice I've seen )

I just got back from St. Martin and rented from Leisure car rental. It was the most painless car rental experience I've ever had. Jimmy, the manager met me at the airport and I was out of there in 10 minutes. The return was equally painless. I took many precautions after reading this forum - took pictures, used my American Express to charge it as it provides insurance, and paid $10 a day extra for collision. I found Leisure to be very efficient and honest and would definitely rent with them again.

akpat

I have also heard good comments about Leisure Car Rental, but I always hesitate - for reasons which should be obvious - to recommend ANY car rental company !

This information has been extremely helpful. My family and I plan to vacation in St. Maarten for the first time during Jan. 2012. I was advised by a friend who has gone there to definitely rent a car. With this ammunition, I will be a better auto renter. I will post again after I return with my experience.

stevepush2

If you are on the island for more than just a 'run ashore' from a cruise ship, a rental car is ESSENTIAL, otherwise you will not be able to make the most of your stay.

I have been renting villas in St. Maarten from Luxury Retreats for many years. They always provide my family with a free car rental. Every time we come, we are always displeased with the car rentals that we receive and the service. We complained, but we accept it and it came with the villa so never took it further.

This last time when we arrived in December, we were treated to a spectacular new car in mint condition. The agent came to our villa and signed up on time. He was very presentable and extremely professional and friendly. The car rental in the past I think was Value/Prestige whom we were always unhappy with. This new car rental was none other than Dollar/Thrifty, of which this article has posted so many comments on.

I became aware of this article when searching on google for their website and was shocked to read some of these comments. I felt it was my duty to sign up and make a positive review for my experience.

On my second day, I stopped by their main office to rent a booster seat. The main office was gorgeous, and everyone there was so polite and professional. They are a HUGE car rental, so obviously they are servicing most people very well.

I asked for my vehicle to be picked up the day we were leaving. They arrived on time, finalized the paperwork which was smooth. This was another agent, and he also was very professional and courteous.

Luxury Retreats and Pierres Caraibes, you made a great decision to switch to this awesome company!

VillaRenterSXM

Pierres Caraibes is an extremely well established operation, specializing in the sale and rental of high value property on this island, and therefore I am not at all surprised that Dollar/Thrifty were only too happy to secure such a prestigious contract, and would no doubt take great care not to do anything to jeopadize their relationship with the source of high quality regular business.

Having said that, it does not mean that the regular scamming operation perpetrated by the staff (apparently with the full knowledge of the franchise holder, who has himself contributed to this thread) will not continue to be practiced on the 'casual' renter.

There are enough horror stories about this company - only SOME of which are to be found above - to make anyone contemplating doing business with them to at least think twice !

I don't think Pierres Caraibes and Luxury Retreats would go into business with this company if they weren't sure of the quality of their service and product.

I had some friends who also stayed with their timeshare at Simpson Bay Resort, and rented from them and heard similar extremely positive rave reviews.

I am heading back to the island soon first week in February. I'll let you know if they were a one hit wonder, which I doubt.

VillaRenterSXM

I know very well Pierres Caraibes and some of the persons who work there - one of whom was instrumental in locating for me the property in which I have now lived here - on the French side - for a number of years, and I fully agree that it is a highly reputable company. I have no personal experience with 'Luxury Retreats', however I do know that they too enjoy a good name locally.

The point that I wish to make is that, whatever arrangements may have been made between the above companies and Dollar/Thrifty, the latter will value their business enormously, and bend over backwards to ensure that their mutual clients are treated with the utmost courtesy and care.

The inescapable fact is, however, that there have been so many instances - some reported in this thread - and others, some of which I have heard recounted by visitors here who I have come across in my local 'watering hole' on Orient Beach, that a distinct pattern has emerged in regard to the scamming methods used by the staff of Dollar/Thrifty - apparently with the full knowledge of the franchise owner - who, some months ago, as I have already pointed out, felt obliged to contribute some 'platitudes' to this long running thread.

Not ALL these horror stories can be total fiction, and the methods apparently used by the check in staff of the rental company seem to be well practiced, and do not appear to vary.

There are numerous highly efficient and reputable car rental operations from which to choose on arrival at PJIA - so why take the chance of being ripped off ?

I just came back from St Martin and rented a vehicle from "Quality Car Rental". It was a day rental and we used the car to go from the airport to Orient Beach, parked the car and then drove back at the end of the day.

The rental agents kept on telling me how I was lucky to get a brand new car. They made me sign the docs at the airport and when we went to pick up the car they said there was no need for a review of the car as it was brand new. I did do a walk around but the car did appear to be new and saw no marks or scratches.

When I returned it took them all of 5 seconds to point out a small dent at the bottom of the front spoiler that required you to stand back about 10m to see or bend down and look under the car.

I told them that it is was impossible as I drove to one location, parked in a way that it was impossible for another car to hit me from the front and then returned a few hours later.

I was shocked and realized straight away that I had been scammed. There were no forms to be filled in or anything. The manager simply added $350 to the credit card slip and went away.

I will be disputing the amount with my credit card company.

I'm sure there are many reputable car rentals out there, I'm just voicing my view that contrary to this article, Dollar/Thrifty was amazing for us.

Sorry TeeDee1198 for you experience with Quality. Never heard of them. Maybe your credit card company may be able to approve your charge back. Always do a thorough check of the vehicle and take pictures if necessary.

I read this thread with interest as I am getting ready to rent a car for our annual trip to St. Maarten. What surprised me the most was that nobody mentioned Ace Rental Car. We rented from them last year for a two week period, during which we went through 3 cars- On car 1 we had a flat tire after leaving the rental place. The next day car 2 lost the power steering on the curve near the airport (we were quite lucky to be able to get the car uder control). We held our breathe with car 3. Ace has really good rates but their cars seem to get junkier each year, so we will not be using them again. I will say however that they begrudgingly worked with us and did not try to charge us anything extra. The biggest problem is that a lot of their cars are more than just dented and shouldn't be on the road. I should say we have used them more than once but won't use them again.

Shakespeare had something to say about DavidSXM and his constant protesting of an establishment he obviously doesn't like.

We work with the Gov here and other places, I have had worse experiences in Chicago and NY, not to mention Charlotte.

Thrifty / Dollar has been our choice here for over a year and several hundred rentals [not all GOV ID'd either] have been flawless, except for the usual rental woes.

Vic / Sunil personally have been very professional and attentive to our diverse needs on the Island.

I'm sure DavidSXM will comment immediately, hence a big agenda, which bothers me and several others here also.

If you are the victim of a crime report it, see something, say something.

Have been using Unity for over 10 years. They were referred to me by people in other forums. Have never had a problem. Always get a good car at a very reasonable rate. Michael at Unity is a great guy and honest man. Try them!

Good morning HomSecSXM

Since, as you say, you work for the Government, surely you will realize that the staff of Dollar/Thrifty will have been instructed not to pull any of the tricks on users booked through Government that it is evident that they try on tourists returning a car in a hurry, and who they will never see again.

It would be highly unfortunate for the franchise if the no doubt very valuable, and prestigeous, Government account were to be lost as a result !

It is quite ridiculous to turn a 'blind eye' to the numerous horror stories from tourists about Dollar/Thrifty - they can't ALL be figments of their imaginations !

It is high time that the Sint Maarten Tourist Board took up the matter with the franchise holder - even if the gentleman concerned does have 'Friends in High Places' - in order to persuade him to curtail the (criminal ?) activities of his staff, as they cannot do anything to enhace the reputation of this island as a tourist destination.

After all, blogs such as this actually DO get read by potential visitors BEFORE they decide whether or not to vacation for the first time on 'The Friendly Island'.

We had a similar experience with Dollar in St. Martin several years ago. Our rental was broken into which caused damage to the door lock. Not only did I lose a phone and watch out of my purse in the trunk (don't leave anything in the car there) in broad daylight, but the car rental folks tried to hit us for $800+ in damage to the car, even though we had bought full insurance. Luckily we had used our Am Ex card and they covered us and denied the claim. The folks that ran it were very shifty. Don't use them.

I wanted to give St. Maarten a try this year but I am having second thoughts after reading this thread. Should I just go to Aruba again? (Rhetorical question). If it is that bad with car rentals, perhaps it is even worse with apartment rentals. I usually go for a month or more and I do not want to blow my vacation.

Student20

It really is silly to judge this entire island based on the nefarious activities of one rogue car rental franchise !

There are plenty of other perfectly good alternatives to Dollar/Thrifty, and just because the employees of this outfit indulge in the (criminal ?) activities reported, it certainly doesn't mean that such behaviour takes place all over the island - or in regard to rental properties.

Come to The Friendly Island - you will find that it's nicer than Aruba anyway !

As promised, I would write a review when I came back about Dollar/Thrifty services, to see if they were a one-hit wonder.

Not to my surprise, they were absolutely terrific and professional this second go around. We got a new 2012 Hyundai Elantra (beautiful car!), and the staff was extremely courteous and professional.

I actually scraped the bumper. When I returned, the agent pointed it out to me and asked me to fill a damage report. I asked to see the Manager, as I wanted to settle it right there and then. He gave me an estimate, was very professional throughout the whole proceedings, and it was taken care of very easily.

This is as good as it gets. Fantastic, seamless operations, that's refreshing for a Caribbean island and especially the previous rentals we have used before.

VillaRenterSXM

It's really nice to hear that SOMEONE has a good word for this outfit !

Sometimes I wonder if these occasional 'glowing endorsements' are written by the owner of the franchise (or by one of his friends or associates) in order to counter the numerous tales of woe related by many others - but then perhaps I am just being cynical Mr.McSood!

Good day DavidSXM,

It appears you do indeed have a vendetta against the owner! I have no affiliation whatsoever with them. Just a simple customer very happy to give a 'glowing endorsement'.

VillaRenterSXM

I have NO 'vendetta' with the owner of the franchise, - who I do not even know - apart from by reputation.

It just appears to me that he has no desire to control the well known activities of his employees - partially documented on this thread - about which he is well aware as he has posted here HIMSELF !

In my view, it is highly unfortunate for tourism in general on this island - which is the only means of support, directly or indirectly, of the vast majority of the population - that one 'rogue' car rental franchise should continue to operate in the manner for which it is well known, and with the obvious knowledge of the proprietor, thus potentially detering tourists from visiting, and injecting much needed money into the economy.

The cases reported in this lengthy thread are obviously by no means isolated incidents, and many other persons have no doubt been 'ripped off' but not bothered to report their unpleasant experience here.

The activities of these people must leave their victims with a very bad impression of Sint Maarten / Saint Martin, which they will no doubt convey to anyone who is prepared to listen to the tale of woe about the end of their vacation on 'The Friendly Island', and also act as a deterrent to others possibly planning to vacation here.

Any suggestions on a rental company to use? Thrifty and Dollar are the ones located at our resort, but I'd rather be safe then sorry! Perhaps if specify we are an Army family they will be kind to us ha just kidding.

I admire your persistence David!

I would recommend strongly to use them KrystalDawn. There are many car rentals out there, so go ahead and make your pick, I'm just letting you know mine.

Hi KrystalDawn

Why take the chance ?

There are plenty of alternative car rental companies which, unlike Dollar/Thrifty, do not attract dozens of bad reviews - despite the ocasional 'glowing' one, usually provided by someone renting a property through the excellent Pierres Caraibes Real Estate Agency, with which Dollar/Thrifty has a valuable contract. Consequently - and not surprisingly - the staff treat clients from that source very carefully, and do not practice on them the 'rip off' tactics so regularly reported in this thread.

I just returned from SXM yesterday and can verify that the scam artists at Thrifty are still attempting to fleece customers. My husband, having come across some of the blog posts about Car rental companies on the airport strip, took care to photograph the car when picking it up. We had the car for just 3 days. My husband was on an earlier flight to Florida while I was returning home to Nevis a little later. I returned the car and sure enough, the guy who was checking the car Jag/Jack called me to say there was damage to the rear left hand bumper in the form of scratches.
I immediately said that we had not done this damage and hat my husband had photographed the car when picking it up. Jag.\/Jack showed me the paper of noted damages and said that those scratches had not been noted.
I told him that their company are known for scamming customers and that we do not accept his claim that we were responsible for these scratches lowdown on the bumper. In fact I told him we were aware of the scams. I took his paper on which he was checking the car and wrote upon it that we do NOT accept responsibility for the scratches and told him that it was clear that his colleague didn't note this deliberately. The scratches are low down on the bumper, so difficult to see if doing a quick check.
However, it turned out that my husband HAD taken a photo of the rear of the trunk and when I enlarged the photo, there indeed were the offending scratches that had been conveniently omitted from the original check.
I told Jag/Jack that if he took one cent from our deposit he would be sorry. I am a ravel writer and I will take great pains to ensure that every magazine I work with will be informed of the continuing scams at Thrifty SXM airport.
I WILL be writing/ emailing Mr Thompson, CEO of Thrifty HQ in Oklahoma and I will also be forwarding letters to SXM police fraud department and same to Theo Heyliger, Tourism Minister and to the Chamber of Commerce. This scamming has to stop immediately and there should be consequences for the scammers.
For those of you out there who charge DavidSXm as having a vendetta, shame on you. It is so rare these days for anyone to stand up for others. As a travel writer this is part of my job in the pieces I write to make people aware of places to go and where to avoid. To anyone going to SXM, please boycott Thrifty/Dollar and use a local company such as Kenny'sCar rental who always has good well kept cars and unfortunately for us he was too busy and didn't have a car for us this time. Beware of scammers and Scammers beware of me, for I never put up with Rip Off artists.

JaneNevis

Firstly, thank you for your support.

Many people on this island are fully aware of the activities of the employees at the 'front line' of the Dollar/Thrifty operation - as is the well connected owner of the franchise who has even felt it neccessary to contribute to this thread himself in defence of his staff !

I wish you luck in getting something done about these people, whose activities are not just 'scamming' - they are in fact 'criminal' - and obviously damage the image of 'The Friendly Island'. That is a fact that should certainly interest Mr.Heyliger and the Sint Maarten Tourist Bureau.

Despite being accused by VillaRenterSXM of carrying out a 'vendetta', all I am actually doing is making potential users of Dollar/Thrifty aware of the rip offs that they are likely to encounter.

Don't forget to post again after (or IF !) you receive any constructive responses from the persons who you intend to contact, so that we can all learn what (if anything) they have to say - or DO - in the light of the numerous adverse (incriminating) reports that have been posted here, which cannot ALL be isolated cases blown out of proportion by the contributors.

Thank you all for your comments.
We are visiting for a week soon and will not rent a car now but will use taxis and the public buses [jitneys?]
It probably won't cost any more and we won't have to worry.
Again thanks.

Hi Normandog

You will regret not renting a car - even if you are sensible enough not to do so from the Dollar/Thrifty operation.

There are plenty of other reliable car rental companies here, and rentals are inexpensive - TAXIS ARE NOT - plus you would always have your own transport readily to hand, rather than having to call for a taxi which may take a while to arrive anyway.

The bus 'service' is not really a viable option for a tourist, in my view - and the busses don't necessarily go exactly where YOU want to go - but of course it's up to you whether you choose to listen to local knowledge or follow your instincts !

Thanks DavidSXM.
Maybe a good idea would be to rent at the airport after I arrive and see that the car is in good condition before I sign up?

Hi Normandog

Many people take photos of any existing damage when they collect the car, and do be sure that any dents or scratches are marked on the paperwork by the car rental guy who checks you out, also check that the locks are functioning OK.

I don't want to give the impression that all the rental companies here are operated by scammers, as that certainly isn't the case. I just consider the above sensible precautions to take anywhere.

My question is not about car rentals, but because there seem to be a lot of knowledgeable people, i want to ask about hotels. my husband and i will visit the island in July for about 5 nights. We want to stay on the French side, looking for upscale hotel with beachfront & amenities. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

Hi erp

Take a look at the websites of La Samanna and Le Domaine de Lonvilliers.

Another excellent hotel, but not actually ON the beach is L'Esplanade, which is located at Grand Case - a small town which is known as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean'

Thanks for such a quick reply. Well, beautiful hotels, but a little too upscale. What do you think of Grand Case Beach club, Le Petit Hotel or Hotel L'esplanade? We don't want to rent a car.

Hi erp

Of the three hotels that you mention, L'Esplanade (which is in the same ownership as Le Petit Hotel) is the most luxurious, has a pool, and is a short walk to the nice beach to the right of the Grand Case Beach Club.

Le Petit Hotel is a 'Boutique' hotel, with no pool, but with the use of the pool at L'Esplanade which is about a mile and a half walk away.

It only has about 12 rooms, and is very nice but, in my view, not well located, though it IS right on the beach. It is also on the main road which you have to use to get to Grand Case village - at least after dark when it is not advisable to wander around on the beach - and part of the road has no sidewalk.

The Grand Case Beach Club is a good all-round bet, and is very well run, but if you DO book there, make sure that you get a front line unit which has been recently renovated.

I hope this helps.

Thanks David. Great info.

TO DavidSXM: I, and my family are coming to St. Maarten at the end of May. I have read this entire blog and I will definitely stay away from Thrifty/Dollar, thanks to the information you and many other forum users have provided. In addition, a couple of other rental agencies did not receive high marks. My question to you, as a current resident of the island is: What car rental agency DO you recommend? Suggestions from other bloggers would be most appreciated.

My family and I have been coming to the island since the 70's. I will tell you unfortunately it is not just Thrifty. We continue to have issues with different car rentals. I believe last year we used Avis and they tried to do the same thing. My mother, well pitched a fit and made a scene, and they backed off. We are coming back to the island in less than a month and I thought I would try and take care of the rental car to take some of the stress off of her. I was going to ask David if there are any that he recommends as well. Or if he thinks it's worth going over to the French side to rent a car like someone mentioned? I was thinking of using Hertz this year however they are quite a bit more expensive than some of the others. However I think it's worth it to not deal with scams. One more thing I would LOVE to get an answer about is gratuities. My grandmother used to tell us when we were young that gratuity was included on the French side restaurants. Every year we ask random people and sometimes we get a yes and sometimes we get a no. I tried to google it last year and really could not find much. Would love to know more about that. Thanks so much for any information you can give us.

Hi skjamieson

I hesitate to recommend a rental car agency !

The reason is that IF something goes wrong, I don't want to have to take the blame !

You should remember that the 'big name'outfits, such as Hertz, Avis, National - and unfortunately Dollar/Thrifty - are only really franchises, and are locally run.

The names SHOULD give you some comfort but, as you can see by the comments about Dollar/Thrifty, they are only as good as the manner in which the franchise owner chooses to operate.

Even if they are 'reported' to the main company, nothing seems to be done about their activities.

Maybe another contributor to this thread will be prepared to 'stick out his / her neck' and give you the name of a company with which they have dealt before on several occasions, and with which they have been completely satisfied.

Certainly the large proportion of the many car rental companies here are NOT run by rip off artists !

Please also remember I don't rent cars myself, because I have my own, but I have a number of friends, and acquaintances, who have rented successfully here - but not from Dollar / Thrifty !

As far as renting a car from the French side of the island is concerned, it IS possibly more expensive, as the Dutch insurance limits third party liability - usually to Guilders 90,000 - which won't be much use if you happen to kill the President of a major US company who happens to be on holiday here !

You should ALWAYS take the extra insurance offered - at a high price I might add - unless your credit card affords suitable coverage.

The French side policies offer unlimited third party insurance, so it's worth considering that factor unless - as stated above - your credit card company will 'pick up the slack' if you do something diabolical.

The tipping convention here - certainly on the French side of the island where the service charge IS included - is to leave an extra 10% to 15% IN CASH, over and above the total of your bill. You should never add this sum to the bill if paying by credit card. Cash only please !

On the Dutch side, I do not think that the convention is to include a service charge on the bill, but it is just as well to ask, and if it is not included, then 10% (minimum) to 15% is the norm.

I hope that all this helps a bit !

This has happened to me at both Paradise and Avis Exactly as described above. A small scratch. Watch what you sign when you take the car. Paradise asks you to sign a blank form consenting to all damages. I refused and they still tried charging me when I left. Avis wanted to charge me for a broken key! It was received and returned in the same condition but they insisted it was broken and wanted $125. The paradise charge was $329 for scratch (the car had multiple). They then submitted to Visa that they had the scratch fixed on the same day I left....a Sunday!!!! Straight fraud

On behalf of my entire team, Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental in St. Maarten would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

I would like to apologize to all people once again who have had unfortunate experiences with our business due to damages. To DavidSXM, I would be happy to meet with you any time, so you can see that our business is indeed very professional and service oriented. Please pass by any day during this week after 3 p.m. and it would be my pleasure to meet with you.

Our management team has just completed extensive management courses, and our staff is currently undergoing another customer service training course, something most companies in general in St. Maarten does not do.

Partially due to this article, we have changed the way we do business in the past year. I would like to think that the quality of our cars and our service is elevated to an unparalleled benchmark here on the island, allowing us to possess the title as the largest car rental in St. Martin/St. Maarten.

Our philosophies have modified to focus 100% on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. On all occasions, even on damages, we are very fair and reasonable with all our customers. Our goal is to add value to your stay here on beautiful SXM.

I wish everyone a Happy Easter, and hope today remains the most well-attended Sunday service of the year.

For those of you who have had troubles or stalemates in the past, let today mark a resurrection in your life, a turning point in which your life makes a turn for the better.

Thank you all for your comments, you have made us a much better company, and we do hope we can serve you in the future.

Sincerely,
Tariq.

Good morning Mr.McSood.

I too hope that you had a Happy Easter, along with tme many other residents of The Friendly Island.

I am also delighted to hear that, at least partly as a result of the postings in this very long thread, your staff at Dollar/Thrifty is undergoing 'customer service training', the success of whch, hopefully, will be reflected in the reduction in - or better still elimination of - adverse comments to be found here in the future.

I have to say that the fact that you have, AT LONG LAST, responded proactively to the numerous criticisms in this thread - STARTED IN FEBRUARY 2010 - goes a long way towards proving the utility of columns such as this, even though it has taken OVER TWO YEARS for you to take poaitive action.

As I am currently in Europe undergoing surgery, for the moment at least, I will be unable to accept your kind invitation. However I trust that, as a result of this very lengthy correspondence, some good will have come about, and that in future the clients of Dollar Thrifty will not have their memories of SXM marred by bad experiences suffered at the hands of your staff just prior to their departure.

Good morning David,

Thank you for your comments. It is certainly not our intention for anyone to have their vacation experiences ruined. Unfortunately, some customers will have damages on their vehicles, which is normal, and inevitably will have their beautiful stay here end on a bad note. Damages to cars are part of the operations of car rentals worldwide, and while I cannot eliminate this or unhappy clients due to damages, we will certainly do our best to limit it. Our goal is whenever damages do occur, it our staff's responsibility to ensure the proper procedures are taken, our clients are well informed, and everything is smooth and professional, the way it should be.

I truly hope that your surgery is not serious, and that the operation is successful, with fast recovery and rehab if necessary. Many times the after-care is just as important as the actual surgery.

Take care and all the best to you.

I'm leaving for SXM Thursday morning and, after reading this thread, there is NOTHING anyone could say or do that would get me to rent at Dollar/Thrifty.

I'm sorry you feel this way, which is understandable upon reading this thread. We are in no way representative of the perception this article gives, but in fact are a proud, family owned and serviced oriented company. I do hope you find a comfortable means of transportation for the island, as having a rental is the best way to fully enjoy it.

I wish you a wonderful stay here. It is a beautiful island with plenty to see and do, or just to relax.

You mentioned that the person checking you out was not paying attention. STOP RIGHT THERE. You take the slip from their hands and mark it and I guarantee the will begin to pay attention. Then your check out will go better and subsequently return is with out issue. Come on people take responsibility.

Hello all and especially to Davidsxm.
An update on my particular experience of the Thrify employee scams. As we had taken photographs upon picking up the car we had evidence that the scratches which Jag claimed we had caused were actually existing and not caused by us. Not noting this particular scrape low down on the bumper was, in my opinion, a deliberate attempt to scam us upon the return of the car as they had effectively done on so many customers before. See the many posts in this thread.
The photographic evidence worked to prevent Jag and his cronies from deducting any payment from our deposit.
I am delighted to note that at long last the Owners of the Thrifty franchise have taken some action to prevent the criminal activity that has defrauded many of their customers.
However I agree with DavidSxm that this should not have taken TWO years !!!
I live in the Caribbean and travel frequently to St Maarten and other islands. I have never come across this scam before and hopefully such practices are now a thing of the past.
St Maarten deserves better.

Do bussiness on the French side of the island. Scams, violence is everywhere on the Dutch side.

Tguns says he will be cabbing. Juste make sure to be very careful with cabs too. Alot of illegal ones can get you in ALOT of trouble. When in Sint Marteen, think SECURITY.

You will not find illegal cabs at PJIA (the airport), though they DO exist at the cruise ship port, and outside the casinos in particular.

When you are ANYWHERE outside your home base - think SECURITY - not just in Sint Maarten / St Martin, as caroline123 suggests.

Thank you David! I appreciate your response. I just wanted to update everyone as we just got back from the island two days ago. I am sad to report once again the car rental was a nightmare. We rented from Avis and the same old scam was tried. My brother got in around 8 and rented a car from Avis. Unfortunately when you rent a car at night it's very dark. I suggest everyone to wait until it's daylight if they get in when it's dark. Take a cab to your hotel or villa and go back in the morning. Check your car out completely. Read the sheet they make you sign and make sure every scratch, hubcap missing, and dent are recorded on the sheet. Also no matter what anyone says TAKE PICTURES. This is what saved my brother. He told the Avis worker he was full of it and pulled out his camera. Make sure you take pictures with the rental agencies workers in them. Do not back down. Say you have a lawyer on the island, do whatever it takes. It makes me sick that they can get away with this. Once he knew my brother had pictures and wasn't going to fall for his scam he shut up. But he originally said a dent wasn't there when he rented it and it was going to cost so much and if he didnt report it, it would be taken out of his paycheck. Thankfully we've gone through this enough and are familiar with their scams. It makes me sad for the people that go through this everyday on the island that do not know. It gives people the wrong impression of the island. my mother said she was going to write a letter but I'm sure nothing will be done about this. It's been a problem for years and it doesn't change how I feel about St. Martin, but it's very stressful and I can see how it would make people not want to go back. I would recommend St. Martin to anyone thinking of taking a vacation there, just take my advice on renting a car. You will thank me later.

My post is for DavidSXM,

I am coming in on a Cruise ship for just one day, and I noticed you said there are illegal cabs at the cruise ports and Casino, both places I am going to be/want to go.

Would you rent a car for a single day? Were in we arrive at 10am and the ship leaves at 6pm ( naturally I don't want to deal with the same airport rush scam but in my cause a cruise ship)

If no on a rent-a-car for the day how can one get a reliable tax guy to drive us around for the day and what would something like that cost?

Next I am going to bug you on were one would go with only a day, to see the sites. I've read a few site-seeing web pages, but I am looking for the non-touristy stuff ( and I want to check out the casino for an hour or so )

What's your thoughts? I've read all your posts here and you seem to be on the ball

P.S. There is no way all these posts can't be (even 50% ) right about thrifty. I'll never use them .,.

Hi Chris_A

I would not advise renting a car for the day, though I know that some cruise passengers do so - the 'formalities' take up too much of your short time on the island.

Your best bet is to 'rent' a taxi for the day. The price is 'negotiable', so I can't help you too much on that, though I met someone the other day who was with a group from a cruise ship who had done this, and the cost was $60 each.

I think that it had been pre-arranged for them by the cruise line, and it involved a complete round the island 'tour', with pick up at 8.30am and back to the Philipsburg by 2.30pm.

The only 'bad' thing about it really was the very short length of time that they had at each of the stops en route.

If you deal with one of the 'official' taxi drivers at the cruise port - it's pretty easy to figure out who they are - the driver will be very happy to give you a fixed price for the day, and will know exactly where to take you for the best photo opportunities, a look at the best beaches (Orient Bay is a 'must') etc., which if you have never been here you might not perhaps find easily or as quickly on your own. He will also know exactly where all the potholes in the roads are !

What you need to do is tell the driver what YOU want to do, and the driver will figure out the route accordingly.

The best casinos are in the Maho area near the airport - there are none on the French side of the island - but I would suggest that you leave doing that until the last stop of your 'tour' having had lunch in one of the beach bar/ restaurants on Orient Bay and, if you haven't blown all your cash - or had your credit card blocked - have the guy drop you in Front Street in Philipsburg, not too far from the cruise port, and indulge in some of the best duty free shopping you will find in the Caribbean.

If you do that, don't bother to buy cameras or electronic items, as all you will save is the local sales tax where you come from, but watches, jewellery etc. are a good deal - if you haggle ! Booze is also so cheap that it is unreal ! $8 to $10 is pretty typical for a liter of brand name gin or vodka !

It is a bit difficult to find anything here which is 'non-touristy' as tourism is the sole 'economy' of the island, but the French side is completely different from the Dutch side. The latter is full of high rises, time share, casinos, KFC, Burger King, plus 11 licenced brothels (if you still have time !), but you will not find ANY of those 'attractions' on the 'civilized' French side where I live !

If you fancy a death defying zip line go to Lotterie Farm, where ther is also a fairly decent restaurant. Marina Royale in Marigot is also a nice attractive port for small pleasure craft, and has a good range of restaurants to choose from, if you don't want to get sand in your food !

I hope that the above helps, but do NOT deal with a 'taxi' driver who is not 'in uniform' or is driving a vehicle that is not obviously a licenced taxi.

Have fun and please do try to make some money in the casino !

We rented a car from Thrifty on June 2nd. First, they would not honor the website price ($40 higher). Then when adding up the charges, they were adding taxes on top of taxes. When I tried to explain to the girl that you don't tax tax, she seemed confused. We walked around the car and noted several defects. After one day, I stopped by a smaller car rental place (Travelrentacar) and found I could get the same car for almost half what Thrifty was renting it to me for. So I returned the car to Thrify - we did the walk around and all was fine. then the girl went into the office, came back out and said she had to check the locks. She went directly to the passenger side and noted that the lock was damaged. I pointed out to her that it was noted on the paperwork. She tried to say that the note meant that the lock was originally okay. I pointed out to her that there were 5 or 6 other check offs that had no notation but the were fine. She continued to insist that the lock was damaged while in my possession. (she never checked the driver's door) I told her there was no way in hell I was paying for that lock and to get the manager. She disappeared behind a door, came back and said she wasn't charging for the door. They are STILL a scam! Do not rent from them!

We had a similar horror story with Thrifty.
On previous occasions we had rented with the local car companies with no problem. With Thrifty we had to replace a car because a defect with the locks (luckily, we were still on the lot with our bags in the car). Twenty minutes later we had our bags in the new rental and then an agent came out to tell my friend there was a problem with the credit limit on her card. She got out and went to lobby. After a couple minutes I went in and there were 6 customer agents there telling her she needed to pay three times the quoted price because of her card. I told them " no" , put it on my card. I asked them if they really needed 6 people to gang up on my friend ( it was obvious as I stepped into the lobby).She was visibily shaken. They said she had already signed the contract and that they could not change it. I told them we were returning the car immediately, so tear up the contract. That's when they decided that they would put it on my card.
When I returned the car they could not find the contract to close it out and said I had paid so I could leave. I told them I would wait, that I wanted a a copy. It took them several more minutes so I asked to speak to the manager. I told him I had a flight to catch but needed to tell him that St. Martin Thrifty had the worst service I had ever experienced with a car rental company, that they should be ashamed because they are the first and last impressions people have with St. Martin, and that if I had not been here before I would think this was an island full of crooks. AND I was in a hurry and wanted my paperwork. The agent who had been working with me produced it within seconds.
I did not call Thrifty corporate when I returned home because I thought that this was an isolated incident and had been resolved with the manager. Little did I know.
St. Martin is an awesome island, one of my favorites, but I tell everyone, especially at the travel company where I work, never to use Thrifty on St. Martin.

It is very unfortunate that this customer chose to blog about us, but not give the entire story. First of all he had no direct reservation with us, the villa that he stayed at ( We are the exclusive Car Rental for them), made the booking for him the same day. Our agent delivered and signed him up at the villa, giving him the set rates as per our agreement with the villa. He was informed that we do a pre-authorization for $850.00 as a deposit (standard for virtually all car rentals), to which he agreed.

On return to the office, our agent discovered that the credit card was declined. We tried to contact the customer at the villa, but he had already left. We left a message that he should pass by our Main Office asap.

He showed up at our Main Office the following morning, did not have another credit card, could not give us the $850.00 deposit. We even offer to take a reduced deposit of $500.00, so as to accommodate him. This he refused, but still wanted to keep the car. We called the villa, to see if they will guarantee the car rental for him, but they said they cannot. We then apologized, and informed that in the absence of a deposit, he will have to return the car, which he did. Our agent checked in the car, and noticed that the passenger lock appeared to be damaged. This was pointed out to the customer, and he became aggressive saying that he is not responsible for the lock. Although the lock appeared to be damaged, it was still working, and as a result our General Manager informed our agent to waive all charges for the damaged lock.

He paid the rental for one day, and left.

To all visitors of St. Maarten, damaged locks are very common. Unfortunately there is crime in St. Maarten, and theft is very common place. DO NOT LEAVE ANY BELONGINGS in your vehicle, as this can lead to criminals tampering with the locks to get in to the vehicle. Some experienced island renters leave their vehicle unlocked to prevent possible break-ins (via breaking glass or through door locks). This sometimes works, but can also result in greater damages and theft(car radios, car computers, other stripping, access to trunk and theft of spare wheel and tools, etc). Please be careful at all times and take all precautionary measures to ensure safety for you and your family.

Dear Word3,

St. Maarten is indeed an awesome island and we are happy that you are thrilled about it as we are to live here. You are correct that a car rental is indeed one of the first and lasting impressions you will have when coming to St. Maarten. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and your friend.

We are trying to recall this event but cannot identify the exact customer. Therefore, we have decided to address this on a generalized basis.

As per our General Rental Conditions, a renter must have a valid credit card with a deposit of $850.00. This is standard on St. Maarten. Some other companies do up to $1200.00. The only reason we can imagine the client's amount increasing, if if the customer wanted to use her debit card. As a rule, we do not accept debit/checking cards, unless you take the Full Insurance. This is the reason the total for her rental increased. Most credit cards offer some insurance protection to you here in St. Maarten, but not debit cards.

It would appear that the writer of this blog decided to use her credit card, so her name was added to the contract, and a pre-authorization of $850.00 was taken.

Cars are only assigned after all paper work is done. An agent, and the renter go around the vehicle and all pre-existing damages are marked, and signed off by the renter. There is also a section in our contract where the renter is asked to sign to acknowledge that all locks are working. If a renter is not satisfied with the car, a swap is immediately done, and the checking process is repeated.

Most International Airlines require that check in be between two to three hours before flight time. Customers should adhere to this, since whether it is returning a car, checking in at the Airport, or going through security, all take time to do so. We will always do our utmost best to get you to the airport as quick as possible.

Dollar Thrifty Car Rental is the number one Car Rental on the island, we have a very large loyal and repeat customer base, we are located at most of the large resorts, we satisfy the rental needs of most of the villas on the island, and not to forget the local Government, and private sector businesses.

We once again apologize if your friend felt 'ganged' up upon. We can assume this happened on a Saturday or Sunday. On these days, we double our rental agents and staffing. It is their natural inclination to provide assistance to all of our clients, and I apologize for the 'crowding' effect. Due to your report, we have spoken to our staff about this. Although we only try to help out of our pure duty, it is certainly understandable how someone can feel uncomfortable when there are many agents in the room. These are our busiest days, with hundreds upon hundreds of people arriving for pickup or returning their cars. It is only our intention to expedite the rental process as fast as we can to get you going with your vehicle, or get you back to the airport in a timely fashion. The vast majority of people we have served, always commend us for our speed in making the rental process easy and smooth.

We do hope you continue to visit our wonderful island. If you would like to book with us again in the future, it would be our honor to serve you again. You can email us at customerservice@sxmthrifty.com, reference your case, and we will provide you with great discount price/upgrade on your vehicle. Should you not wish to rent with us again, we certainly understand as this is always your prerogative. We ultimately just want you to return to our island and have a great stay!

Thank you.

Just got back from a week in SXM. I rented from Lesley Bruce at Kenny's Car Rental. I got a good rate and the process was very smooth and hassle free. Even though my incoming flight was delayed and didn't get in until very late, Mr. Bruce met us the airport with the car, we handled all of the paperwork right there, he gave us directions to our resort and we were on our way. I feel confident in recommending Kenny's. Email Lesley Bruce at bruce@sintmaarten.net

This is a LOT of information to digest. I am trying NOT to panic as we are about to travel for our first extended stay this month. We will need a car for a WEEK, or that's what we are thinking! HELP! WHO do we look to then? Or, do we rely on public transport?

You almost have to rent a car in St. Maarten. Just rent. If you don't want to go with Thrifty, then book with another company, local or not. But do make a reservation and relax. I've rented from both local and international companies and never had a problem. Everyone has a favorite, but the original post goes back a couple of years, though this thread seems to have a life of its own. Be sure to buy insurance (ideally from a third party, which is almost always cheaper than from the rental company itself).

Good day terrijsc,

What Doug says is indeed correct. The best way to truly enjoy St. Maarten is to rent a car. You get to enjoy the island at your own pace, and it is pretty easy to navigate after a couple of drive arounds. We would obviously be very happy to provide you with our services. Feel free to email us at customerservice@sxmthrifty.com.

Our insurance pricing is equivalent to those that you buy from other companies such as Orbitz/Expedia, etc. Also, please check with your credit card company, as there is a good probability that it will cover you for the collision insurance, thus saving you some money. Most credit cards does not cover liability insurance and it is always recommended that this is taken to ensure full coverage, and for you to have a peace of mind and drive worry-free.

Thank you.

Someone mentioned something about cash rentals earlier in this forum. Well we’ve recently started planning our next sxm vacation, I googled ‘sxm cash rental’, and came up with this: www.leisurecarrentalsxm.com/cash-deposit.html
My Family and I rented from Leisure Car Rental before with no problems, but there are some crazy drivers out there! I think this time around, we’ll get Zero Deductible Insurance, and pay cash upfront with no deposit. I will post again when we return.

Booked a "7 Passenger Pathfinder or similar" through Economy rentals near SXM.
Rental:
Economy Midsize SUV
Economy Booking Reference: NBTZ10D6A0
Nissan Pathfinder or similar
Automatic
Air conditioning
Passenger(s): 7
Luggage: 3
Pick-up:
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 | 12:00 PM | Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) | In terminal
Phone: F-599 545-3737

When we arrived at Paradise rental cars, which said they had our reservation, they told me it was for a 2 door Jeep Wrangler and that since we are expecting a tropical depression to come through, they are giving us a Hyundai Tucson instead. (As the lady tells another rep "I am giving them the Tucson because of the condition of the Wrangler")

FIRST OF ALL the 2 door Jeep Wrangler is a 4 seater. and the Hyundai Tucson is a 5 passenger vehicle. When asking for a vehicle that was comparable to our quoted rate and reservation, they argued for 15 minutes stating that they received a different booking code and dont have a Pathfinder. All though it clearly says "7 passenger or similar" on our booking, which was handed to them to read for themselves.

We finally settled on a Hyundai Sante Fe which is technically comparable to the Nissan Pathfinder. This particular car had scratches all over it, a broken rear taillight, pealing material all over the interior, and terrible floors which were covered in a one piece vinyl strip. As we were pulling away we noticed a flat tire... pulled it into the back and had them check it. Turns out, it was unrepairable.
Okay.. over an hour later, we are still here. They put on the full size spare, so I ask for a donut or an additional spare just in case we have a flat. This was going to require us following one of their reps to a tire shop and having them fix it. We asked for another car and they went back to the Tucson. They said that was their only option and they couldn't give us the 4-door wranglers they had in stock due to the price difference. At this point we decided to cancel with the company as this seemed like a trend toward crooks. We said we were going to go to the other car agencies and they insisted that there are none walking distance. Turns out there was a National and Alamo across the street. Did I mention that they ran my card for $1000USD. I will add that they were extremely friendly, but should have gave us the 4-door wrangler instead of having it sit in the parking lot. This is off-season and there is a Tropical storm approaching. This company obviously doesnt give sh** or want the business.

After reading horror stories from previous reviews, I was really apphensive about renting a car in St. Martin. I just returned from my trip and can highly recommend Alizes Car Rental Company (http://www.alizes-car-rental.com/About-us.html). Marten met us at the airport with a sign so we could easily identify her. She took us to our waiting car which was a newer model with good tires and a good spare tire and everything was in working condition. The transaction was quick and easy so we could be on our way. While we were sightseeing at a remote beach, I accidentally locked the car keys inside the car. With only one phone call, Marten, personally came to our rescue in a short time. She unlocked the car and we were on our way again. She provided dependable and courteous service the entire trip. When it was time to turn the car in for a very early flight, she allowed us to leave the car in the airport parking lot with the keys locked inside. No hassle! Very good experience and reasonable rates. I would rent from her on each visit.

Thanks, FancyCaper, for your recommendation of the Alizes Car Rental business.

After seeing your post, we clicked on the website and reserved a small Kia car. We met Martine at the airport, just as she described, and left the chaos of all the other rental-related activities in the terminal to go directly to the car we had reserved in the parking lot. While the posts in this Fodor blog were pretty scary, we had a much different check-out experience with her, though we were very careful to note any scratches, dents or doors that didn't lock (they all did) before signing the contract.

We were off and running after about 10 minutes, filled the tank up (you start with a quarter tank) and proceeded to drive all around the island over the week. As others have recommended here, your island experience would be difficult and expensive if you had to depend on taxis and busses. Renting a car is the way to go. We were able to do and go where we wanted, but we were careful about where we parked because we did hear some stories about how con-men occasionally tried to stop you or even flatten your tires. There are some travel anxieties on the island that we heard about, but we had nothing but good experiences in all the trips we made. It's good to be aware.

When we returned the car again, Martine's check-in process was easy and honest. Since the island is so small, we were able to drive wherever we wanted and it still cost us only $8 to get the tank back to a quarter-tank as required. Alizes Rental was a great way for us to go. No issues and exactly as described on her website.

Is there a renting car anyone would recommend? I am going this november to st martin for my honeymoon

We are going the end of April and have been referred to Value Car Rental. Anyone have any experiences? We were there in 05, but can not remember who we rented from at that time. At that time we had nothing short of an awesome experience during the entire visit to the island. This time we are taking our 23 yr old and 17 yr old.

catull ... please start a new thread. This one is years old and related to a different car-rental company.

To Allaroundtheworld,
Thank you for sharing your story. Reading the entire threat was immensely enlightening. I appreciate so many replies (144!) that continues to this day, which help readers get the big picture about St Martin`s Car-Rental scams. With this wealth of info shared here, from dozens and dozens of scammed tourist, I trust the naive non-seasoned tourist reading this feed will now be armed with what to know, and what to do when renting a car in St Martin.

To several people on this forum: I will not mention who you are but I I`ve seen you on many travel forums. Your mission is clearly to play-down anything bad in St Martin. You are dangerous people. Instead of trying to always stear everyone away from whats happening in St Martin, how about getting of the computer and going into the community any doing something about it. Offer your time to set up a sting in any beach parking lot to catch and prosecute the masses performing daily car burglaries?


Lastly, I say to everyone, please do not give scam artists an inch. I could not have said it any better then a lady who spoke up earlier in this thread about ways to fight back. Please read her comments. To see, go up to:


JaneNevison Mar 18, 12 at 11:42pm

I am very disappointed in some of the comments I am reading. I have been renting from Thrifty in St. Maarten close to 10 years and have NEVER had any incident or issue. In fact, this is the only car rental that I do rent from while there. Anytime I've ever tried another company, I've had issues. ACE Rental Car for example has lost several reservations of our and we had no car upon arrival.

I've rented from Thrifty 3 times now...most recently Feb 15 - Feb 24th. I've worked with a guy named Vic Dabie who has been great. Vic gave us a great rate, and there was no issue whatsoever when we returned the vehicle (and Vic wasn't there). Months ago I too was a little leary after reading the posts, yet decided to go on my own personal and past experience with Vic and Thrifty and I am glad I did....and will do so in the future.

And to Bart5151...not sure who you are talking about, but I can assure you my posts are always 100% honest.

HAVE BEEN GOING TO ST MARTIN FOR 6YRS. ALWAYS RENTED FROM HERTZ. LAST YEAR WE WERE SCAMED BY THE DAMAGE GAME. WE WERE ALSO GIVEN AN UPGRADE THAT WE THOUGHT WAS FREE BECAUSE IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY.
WE WOUND UP PAYING $940 FOR A 10 DAY RENTAL. TRIED TO CONTACT HERTZ CO. BUT THEY DO NOT RUN THE RENTAL CO ON ST. MARTIN.