MasterKings rent a car

There was a small mix up with my booking alongside me asking for a favour due to the pandemic and having to switch flights. Antonio and his team couldn't have been more helpful, solving all problems and delivering an efficient and trustworthy service. Would recommend them to anyone. Thank you for making this an easy part of my visit to the Algarve.

I rented a car with them in summer 2020. When I returned it they charged me 150 euros for missing “documents” I was never given. I rent in Faro multiple times a year and the companies never give the client the original insurance and registration documents, the contract covers these. I didn’t think much of the fact that they weren’t there. I should have read the small print on the contract! When I returned the car I was running late and they insisted I had been given these documents. They would not entertain any kind of discussion and wouldn’t check with their office in case of a mistake etc. At the time, they refused to even tell me what “documents” were allegedly missing. They then refused to provide me with a proper tax receipt for the transaction, it was only after I chased them via Zest that one eventually appeared 2 weeks later. At the time they also refused to give me access to the complaints book. Companies operating in Portugal must provide a tax invoice when asked and must also provide a complaints booked when requested. Threes are legal requirements and I should not have had to chase them for this, irrespective of whether or not they had me trapped with the small print on their contract. I suspect I was targeted because I was late and they knew I didn’t have time to kick up too big a fuss at the airport. Stay away from them if you can.

The car they delivered was bigger than we had ordered but was ok. Very clean, but the vehicle had sloppy steering and a super sensitive brake! And they delivered the car with less than a quarter tank of petrol which almost brought us unstuck on the A22! Our biggest beef was that we ordered the car for a 9am delivery but they didn't arrive until after 10am and then they sat outside the wrong building and never rang me to tell me they were there. Claimed they couldn't get through to me, but the office lady was able to ring me so that was BS! Very unprofessional and unapologetic. The late arrival was very stressful as we had an appointment to get to. I wouldn't use them in future. (The car broker Zest, on the other hand, was brilliant)

We have used Masterkings through Zest Car Rental for seven years. At all times we have received excellent service at very reasonable prices. The vehicles are in first class condition and there is a good choice. We shall definitely use them in the future and do not hesitate recommending both companies to anyone wanting to hire a car from Faro airport.

SCAMMED...... Car hired from Masterkings via ZEST from Faro Airport for 13 days on 31 August. Masterkings are NOT a normal car hire operation and do not operate from the Car Hire Offices and Secure Lot that other established companies do. They share a desk in a temporary, open air structure at the opposite end of the airport in Car Park 4. First impressions were of a totally disorganised outfit, with crowds of tourists surrounding this spot anxiously waiting for cars to be delivered (weather was 30degsC & no shade available). The queue to check in was long and the cars were not in the carpark so we had to wait an additional 30 minutes after signing documents for the car to be delivered to the airport. We inspected the car, a Ford Focus estate, and found a number of scratches to the front, rear and side. Went back to report the damage to the busy desk attendant who was not interested whatsoever and said he knew about the scratches, they were minor and he did not need to inspect them with us. I wasn’t too concerned as we had booked through ZEST car rentals and had zero excess CDW included. It was a very poor start to the holiday but the car ran OK and we had no problems with it. We returned the car on 13 September in EXACTLY the same condition. The staff did not wish to inspect the car. A week later we noticed a credit card charge from Masterkings for 300 Euros. Phone calls and emails by us to Zest revealed it was for ‘damage’ and on 22nd September Masterkings took photos showing a surface scratch to the rear (the same that we identified on 31st August that they were uninterested in). Several things are totally wrong here:- 1. ZEST‘s department dealing with customers refused to speak to us. (How bad is that in terms of customer service)? 2. Masterkings made no effort to contact us prior to taking 300 Euros! (Against best practice). 3. Masterkings provided photos dated 9 days after we returned the car. They have no photos dated 31st August or 13th September (the dates we took possession & returned the car). 4. ZEST have chosen to believe Masterkings but have NOT investigated the matter fairly. 5. We paid ZEST for a ‘zero excess CDW’ …so why should we pay anything anyway? Unless ZEST are part of a ‘scam’ along with Masterkings ? This is a complete SCAM – Masterkings and ZEST have provided no evidence that the car was scratch free before our rental . We strongly advise people to AVOID car hire from ZEST and Masterkings. We believe we have been subjected to FRAUD by Masterkings and ZEST are at best incompetent and at worst collaborators!