Super easy to book online and was a smooth process when getting and returning the car. The car was... read more
Super easy to book online and was a smooth process when getting and returning the car. The car was... read more
Had a great experience renting here. They allowed us to rent at the international airport and drop... read more
Rented a Chevy Equinox for 8 days. It was reliable and everything worked on it despite its suspension rattles after 87K miles on Belize roads.
Staff were friendly except for one woman who worked in the office that checked the car out to me. Not outright rude, (perhaps a little) but definitely not friendly for first contact vacationing in a foreign country. Still, checkout was smooth enough and we were on our way.
We returned the car a day early as my son was ill. Didn’t even think of calling to let them know as we were busy enough nursing a sick kid and organizing different flights, canceling tours and accommodation. Figured I signed a contract for 8 days and so I would pay for 8 days. The other woman in the office was very kind and wished my son a speedy recovery. She even refunded a day of rental which I did not expect!
Overall I was happy that I have a local business a try instead of going with the usual large US rental companies even though I have Avis Preferred and Hertz President’s Circle and no status with Crystal.
The car (Nissan Rogue) was well maintained, comfortable and ideal (as a cross-over SUV) for the very many potholes on the Guatemalan side to Tikal. And the paperwork for the border crossing was mostly prepared in advance (not sure why all the additional questions they asked on the day could not have been asked online in advance to speed up the process after 24hrs of travel?).
Where this company loses 2 stars is in 2 key areas - their communication and their credit card deposit process causing large hidden charges.
Firstly, having booked a car many months in advance, and with the Tikal border permit clearly requested so our intent to travel to Guatemala signposted from the start, we were frustrated and nervous to get an email just a couple of weeks before our trip to say the car allocated was not approved to travel across the border. There was then two weeks of back and forwards where we were given new quotes for different cars, some which they then said we were not allowed to hire! It caused a lot of unnecessary stress before a long haul flight and trip of a lifetime. Surely, only quote for cars that are approved to cross the border?
Secondly, I have never had a car rental deposit amount processed before. This is normally taken as a hold, and then released when the car is returned undamaged. Crystal put through the full amount on to my card, which then prompted credit card fees from my bank, and an exchange rate change too, adding nearly USD100 on a 2 day rental!! So caveat emptor. The price you believe you are paying might be much higher than you planned.
That said, everyone is very friendly and trying to be helpful. Gerald was brilliant at the return. But friendly incompetence from the booking staff is not what you need.
Easy rental, good car, no hassles. They also let us use a cooler and have free transport to and from Belize City. I recommend.
The office personel were friendly and made me feel at home,everything was explain before signing.the vehicle I got was the Ford transport,16 passenger van.had no problems the vehicle was very reliable.i would gladly recommend crystal auto rental.
It was really easy to check in and out. No stress and even got a ride to the ferry upon returning the vehicle. I would highly recommend Crystal Auto Rentals for clean cars, friendly service and great prices.
Previous Renters - Crystal Auto has always provided great customer support. Their vehicles are always as-promised and if they can’t provide the reserved vehicle, they have always offered upgraded options. Pick up and drop off at the airport could not be simpler!
Thank you for your great service!