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My wife and I reserved a camper one year in advance. We signed a contract that detailed all of the conditions of use for the camper. We agreed and paid a deposit to hold the van.
Upon arrival at Camper Tales in Cascais the owner reviewed the operation of the options in the camper and added that the van could only be driven for one hour at a time and then needed to be rested for 45 minutes.
Again, drive one hour only, rest for 45 minutes.
This absurd requirement with a very reasonable and logical warning to not allow the air-cooled engine's oil temperature to exceed 120 deg c.
I have owned similar vehicles for years and I agreed; oil temperature must be kept below a specific value in order to not overheat the engine components.
We observed the temperature limitations to the letter, or number I should say, never allowing the temperature gauge to indicate a temperature over
105 deg celcius. This is nearly a perfect temperature for the oil.
I did on one occasion drive for more than one hour at a time but maintained this oil temperature.
The owner berated me via an email and warned me that this should not happen again. It did not happen again and as a result we had to cancel the second half of our campsite reservations to the north and stayed to teh south and central Portugal. Driving at 50 KPH...not MPH but 50 KPH...
this was the vehicle's top speed in order to maintain a safe oil temperature.
The owner has not returned our deposit of 700 euros and now I am thinking I should really ask for half of my rental back as we only had 50% use of the vehicle.
The owner goes by the name of Wouter. He is not Portuguese. He is not a nice man and is very unreasonable to withhold our deposit.
From the website: The only mention of speed and/or usage is this comment:
start
Cruising
Back then, when these vans were made, things went a bit slower than today. Speeding will, apart from a possible ticket, have a negative influence on the fuel consumption which already is more than average. You will enjoy your trip best driving at lower speed than you are used to at home. Usage as off-road vehicle is obviously not allowed. Also be alert on the "southern" way of driving.
The only thing you need to do is to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.
end
We rented the vintage beauty Latte for a week in August with our family of four and had a great time. The only day we had troubles with the engine-temperature, and had to make an extra stop to cool off, was the day it was 45C outside. We hardly used the highway and the maximum distance a day was approx. 160 km. We simply loved the look & feel of the Latte and the way it makes ourselves and others smile.
We were picked up at the airport and on return Wouter brought us to our apartment in Lissabon for our last days in Portugal. Great service!
No complaints, but good experiences at our side.
CAMPERTALES is a total rip-off, terrible campervans that do not move, unreliable and in bad shape, rude owner who does not tell the truth, keeps his deposit and shouts at you when you complain about his not moving campers. Definitely the first and last time, not recommended. www.campertales.com
total rip off and portugal authorties never called us or answered us.
we were so disappointed in our experience - no integrity.
DO NOT RENT FROM THIS WOMEN WOUTER TALES. HE IS NOT FROM PORTUGAL.
wouter camper tales
DON'T RENT
I came to Portugal with my wife to camp
I got ripped off
http://portaldaqueixa.com/marcas/autoridade-tributaria-e-aduaneira
Unfortunately the company or person you rented the van from is an unlicensed operator with the relevant Alvara (license) from the IMTT.
contact me
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A 2nd of Feb, 2017 by Alfredomiro 0 Votes
Hi there you can make a complaint to the transport authorities here :
http://portaldaqueixa.com/login
create a username, state the company website and the registration of the vehicle you rented. Also details on where you paid the money to. They take this sort of thing very serious. You should also have been issued with a full VAT receipt. If not you can again report here http://portaldaqueixa.com/marcas/autoridade-tributaria-e-aduaneira
Unfortunately the company or person you rented the van from is an unlicensed operator with the relevant Alvara (license) from the IMTT. All rental companies must display a license number on their website and you can look up the company on the mitt website, also the booking form that you have must have displayed his rental license. The company cannot rent vehicle over ten years old in Portugal unless they have direct permission from the IMTT. I'm afraid this guy has completely ripped you off. I've owned dozens of these air-cooled vans and fixed them for years, that sounds like you had a bad engine to start with, they are air-cooled and run in countries like brazil so thats complete nonsense. good luck with your quest and sorry to hear your holidays were ruined and your image of Portugal and its great people spoilt.
I have had no luck in pursuing this company. THere is the language barrier.
He totally ripped us off ofr almost 1000 dollars us
there was NO DAMAGE to his vehicle
I treated it as if it were my very own prized possesion
stay away STAY AWAY
I need help please respond.
I am having trouble logging on
email is carolinavw66@gmail.com
thanks!
this guy is a total rip off ;...I own the same vehicle in the states and it has NO TIME OR MILEAGE restrictions.
thanks
Hi there you can make a complaint to the transport authorities here :
http://portaldaqueixa.com/login
create a username, state the company website and the registration of the vehicle you rented. Also details on where you paid the money to. They take this sort of thing very serious. You should also have been issued with a full VAT receipt. If not you can again report here http://portaldaqueixa.com/marcas/autoridade-tributaria-e-aduaneira
Unfortunately the company or person you rented the van from is an unlicensed operator with the relevant Alvara (license) from the IMTT. All rental companies must display a license number on their website and you can look up the company on the mitt website, also the booking form that you have must have displayed his rental license. The company cannot rent vehicle over ten years old in Portugal unless they have direct permission from the IMTT. I'm afraid this guy has completely ripped you off. I've owned dozens of these air-cooled vans and fixed them for years, that sounds like you had a bad engine to start with, they are air-cooled and run in countries like brazil so thats complete nonsense. good luck with your quest and sorry to hear your holidays were ruined and your image of Portugal and its great people spoilt.