Do not use Indie Campers
We rented a camper Jeep for three nights, picking up and dropping off in Seattle. From the start, things felt off. There were no signs or indications we were in the right place until we noticed a few vans with the Indie Campers logo. No one greeted us, and we were ignored for a while before Gabriella finally approached us.
We paid an extra $175 for an early pickup, but she said the car wasn't ready yet. She also asked if we needed the electric cooler (two were broken), saying she had only one cord to fix it but needed to get two Jeeps out that day. Of course we needed the cooler--we were camping and needed to keep our food cold!
Then came the shock: she told us they needed a $2,700 insurance deposit, all handled through her personal cell phone, where she stored our credit card details and driver's license info. Never have I paid such a hefty deposit. She even mentioned a family that got stuck for hours trying to come up with the deposit because there are no refunds.
Rather than paying that deposit, we reluctantly shelled out another $115 to upgrade to premium insurance, reducing the deposit to $600, which still felt outrageous. Even with premium insurance, there was no coverage for damage inside the vehicle or anything above or below the door lines.
We drove off skeptical, and it got worse. At our campsite in Mount Rainier, we realized the windshield wipers were broken. The ladder didn't fit the tent and was broken, making it dangerous to use. The water tank was half-empty and broken--the tubing wasn't attached, and they'd tried to "fix" it with tape. We couldn't use the sink or shower the entire trip.
We paid for a bedding kit and were given airline blankets from Delta--seriously, stamped "PROPERTY OF DELTA"! At that point, we drove to the visitor center to get Wi-Fi and called customer support. They gave us three options: drive two hours back to fix the problems, get a replacement car, or file a complaint and try to get a refund.
We did all three. The next day, we wasted 4 hours driving--2 hours to the warehouse, 2 hours back to the park--to get a replacement. The employees even said they weren't supposed to give us a new car, despite the premium insurance stating we should get a replacement. The new vehicle didn't have a working sink either, but at that point, we just wanted to enjoy the park for my birthday.
Later, we found out that employees forged our signatures on the new contract without telling us. Then Indie Campers demanded another $600 deposit before we had even received our first one back. They tried to charge the card we used to add extra miles instead of the card used for the reservation.
When we returned the camper, they wouldn't close our reservation until we paid the second deposit. We asked for a manager--they don't have one. We asked for the regional manager's contact info and were refused. They wouldn't even let us speak to the regional manager on the phone.
We paid the second deposit but refused to leave until the employee conducted the inspection and closed our rental. The employee made excuses, saying he was from the San Francisco location, which has worse reviews than Seattle.
After filing a complaint and sending photos of all the issues, they were unhelpful. They said we didn't follow the contract because we didn't contact them through WhatsApp, even though we called customer support. There's no mention of WhatsApp in the contract. They responded that we should've used a QR code that wasn't in either vehicle, as shown in our photos. They replied, "Sorry for the confusion," but still refused to help.
Their own Terms and Conditions state customers can contact Indie Campers through customer support or email, which we did. But they will find any excuse to avoid helping.
We spent over $3,000 for three nights of misery. This company is a scam. They will try to take every dollar they can from you. If you still decide to rent from them, STAY FOR THE INSPECTION AT DROP-OFF to avoid being ripped off. Take pictures and videos of everything, or you'll regret it.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/indie-campers-kent?hrid=DpBJWJBf9AaY-HLB2apGZg