Carzonrent Chennai self drive rental experience
My first self drive was from Chennai- Carzonrent's Skoda back in 2008. However, after that I didn't really have a reliable agency in Chennai to offer self drive. Carzonrent had sold off most of their self drive cars and I had to rely on some private operators, not very economical or reliable.
Surprisingly the car had some extra accessories - such as portable fire extinguisher and video system for rear seats.
There isn't much to write about Swift- it is an excellent car to drive. Now the VDi variant comes with all 4 power windows, integrated turn indicators on the ORVMs etc. (earlier VDi used to get only front power windows) Drove for about 450kms in 2 days and it didn't give any reason to complain.
When I went to return the car, I had to wait for sometime, as the staff couldn't retrieve my rental papers. After some struggle the paper was found and I was free to go after handing over the car. I noticed that they have the latest Innova and also Etios on offer on their fleet, all of them with KA registration.
However, I believe the entry of Zoom, India's first pure play self drive rental company has had its influence on other players [More details]. Recently Carzonrent has relaunched their Self Drive offerings, powered by Myles. The process is simplified, option of cars are fairly adequate and rent is low. After trying their Ertiga in Bangalore this Jan, I recently drove their Swift VDi in Chennai. I have 2 more carzonrent bookings lined up.
I wanted a small car for the weekend and I scanned Carzonrent's website for options. When I saw the image of the car- Swift on their website, I wasn't very impressed. It showed photo of an older generation Swift.
But the rent was affordable at 1500 Rs a day, so I booked it.
But the rent was affordable at 1500 Rs a day, so I booked it.
On the day of rental, when I went to carzonrent garage of GST Road, I was surprised to find a bright red new Swift. Car rental agencies often buy white or silver coloured cars. So bright red was really nice. Surprisingly it had a Karnataka Registration. All their self drive cars in Chennai were of KA registration
The formalities were reasonably fast (They did do the mistake of charging me 30k instead of blocking 30k, which I am awaiting reversal)
Surprisingly the car had some extra accessories - such as portable fire extinguisher and video system for rear seats.
Unfortunately I couldn't play any video in these devices. None of the video file formats I had was recognized by the system. It would only show the still images. Not sure what formats are compatible with them-one should check for compatible file formats before buying these in car entertainment stuffs.
When I went to return the car, I had to wait for sometime, as the staff couldn't retrieve my rental papers. After some struggle the paper was found and I was free to go after handing over the car. I noticed that they have the latest Innova and also Etios on offer on their fleet, all of them with KA registration.
- Overall carzonrent rental experience has been great. However they can improve a bit on following aspects- Coudn't get payback points credited during booking, banks often refuse to help.
- GPS navigation will be nice, but since everyone has cars or know the road.
- Keep latest images on your website
- Social media accounts can be handled better-I don't find them very active or responsive
Wonderful things shared with readers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience !....₹ 1500/- per day is not bad I use to think its very costly.
ReplyDeleteMahesh Divya
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very affordable. For people like me who don't need car everyday, rental is a good way to enjoy occasional driving, without having to buy a car
I heard the amount is blocked from the credit card. Lot of people saying that they didn't received their amount even after 15days!! what about ur experience?>
ReplyDeleteIt is true. Usually I call the help line and log a complaint after which release happens faster
ReplyDeleteGood to read this. I am planning on a trip to coorg from Chennai this weekend. Was sceptical on renting a self drive but then what's life without a little risk?
ReplyDeleteSure. Enjoy your drive.
ReplyDeleteYou can rent from Bengaluru or Mysuru also
Thanks so much for your valuable comments. They are to the point and very helpful.
ReplyDeleteThanks again