Car rental in Santorini port
May 24th, 2015, 11:32 AM
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Car rental in Santorini port
Hi
I would like to rent a car in Santorini port and drop it off in the port as I am arriving and leaving by ferry
The only rental I company that I came across in the port itself got some sketchy write-ups
Did anyone have a good experience with a company in Santorini that provides car pick up in the port ?
Just decided to rent today and I am already in Crete
Thanks
Sandy
I would like to rent a car in Santorini port and drop it off in the port as I am arriving and leaving by ferry
The only rental I company that I came across in the port itself got some sketchy write-ups
Did anyone have a good experience with a company in Santorini that provides car pick up in the port ?
Just decided to rent today and I am already in Crete
Thanks
Sandy
May 29th, 2015, 08:18 PM
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If you live outside the EU or UK be sure to bring an International Driving Permit with you. If you live in No. America you can get one at your local AAA/CAA office, no test or membership required.
Jun 24th, 2017, 07:53 PM
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I hope that my experience with Spiradakos was unusual, but I must admit that I was extremely unhappy with it. I made my arrangements well in advance – I was to be met at Santorini’s airport and I would return the car to Santorini’s ferry port. It began well enough – a very nice gentleman met me at the airport and drove me to the agency’s office in Fira. And then the nightmare began:
• Despite my prior arrangements, and my documentation of them, the man there insisted that there would be an extra 10 euro charge for me to return the car to the port. To avoid that charge, I would need to return the car to the agency and have someone drive me to the port. It felt like a bait-and-switch, but I decided it just didn’t matter – I would have to pass the agency anyway, and why not just let someone there drive me to the port? After all, I’d have a better chance of enjoying the views. I didn’t argue, I simply agreed.
• He then stated that I had to be at the port a minimum of 2 hours in advance of my ferry departure. That struck me as bizarre, since I had a reserved seat and nothing I had read in advance suggested that I would need to be there much before the scheduled departure. But maybe it was true? I noted my surprise, but that man was adamant – with so many passengers to be screened, one needed to be there at least 2 hours in advance. Again, I agreed – and doing so was a painful decision for me, as I had very little time on Santorini. Of course, I did NOT need to be at the ferry port more than 20 or 30 minutes in advance and there was no screening – just a quick check to ensure that I had a ticket before boarding. In exhange for the unwelcome experience of spending several hours in a completely uninteresting stretch of overpriced cafes, I gave up the chance to walk a bit of Santorini’s famous ridge. And in exchange for convincing me that I had to be at the port earlier, Spiradakos was able to rent that car again about 2 hours earlier than they could have if I had kept it as long as I had arranged in advance.
• As documentation that I provided to Spiradakos proved, my credit card company provides CDW coverage free of charge IF one uses the card for the rental and IF one clearly declines the rental agency’s CDW, so my plan was to do exactly that – and it was what I actually did. But in the process, I was given a truly scathing lecture about how Americans insist on doing things OUR way even when it is contrary to local procedure; credit cards are not welcome in Greece; CDW is mandatory; I was a perfect example of a “rude American,” etc., etc., etc. It took every bit of self-control I had to respond evenly, quietly, and firmly. I get it – the agency wants those ridiculous insurance fees and CC charges MUST be reported – they can’t be kept off the books. And I bet a lot of tourists fall for the arguments this man made. But directing an insulting and enraged tirade at me was really not necessary.
• The car had a lot of dings and minor damage around the lower edges on all sides, and I asked them to provide some indication of that damage on the rental agreement chart – as is routine, IME. They kept refusing, saying that they know about it, so there’s no need to document it. Well, if they know about it, there’s also no reason NOT to document it, and in fact, the purpose of marking that document is precisely to make it clear that we both acknowledge the condition of the car at the time of rental. I kept refusing to sign the agreement and proceeded to take photgraphs of each and every bit of that car until they finally marked the damage on the agreement, at which point I signed and took possession of the car. BTW, when I returned it, two men took a very long, careful look at both the car AND the marked rental agreement before agreeing that there was no new damage.
• In contrast to what I had been led to expect, the car’s luggage area was not blocked from an outsider’s view. I had planned to wait to check into my lodging until I had visited several places that would close for the day, and had made sure that my accommodation knew of that plan. But with no way to hide my suitcase, I had to check in first. That meant that I had to spend time to find the apartment (which was not in the direction from Fira that I hoped to go once I had the car), find parking, wait for someone who could check me in (and of course, they didn't expect me for hours), wait for a porter…. Yes, I would have had to do all those things under any scenario, but I had hoped to do them after places I wanted to see closed for the day. With the delays at the rental agency and the time spent to get to, and check into, my apartment (not to mention the time I lost to trying to calm down – I was shaking by the time I finally took possession of that battered car!), I lost more than 2 hours of my precious time on Santorini, and as a result, I was unable to see one of two museums and several churches that I had hoped to see.
• With the time I lost the next morning (when I had hoped to hike a bit), this car rental agency cost me more than 4 hours in all – more than ¼ of my waking hours on this island. Yes, I know, I planned for a short stay and yes, I know that one must expect the unexpected, but honestly, I don’t think these particular delays would have been necessary had Spiradakos honored its written commitments to me or approached me with honesty or courtesy. It’s one thing to adapt to unavoidable circumstances; it feels quite different to have to adapt to circumstances created by a business’s rude and dishonest approach to it’s clients – at least IMO.
@ brotherleelove: I’m sure you would never have receommended Spiradakos if you had any reason to expect that I would be treated this way. I’m sorry to report back so negatively.
• Despite my prior arrangements, and my documentation of them, the man there insisted that there would be an extra 10 euro charge for me to return the car to the port. To avoid that charge, I would need to return the car to the agency and have someone drive me to the port. It felt like a bait-and-switch, but I decided it just didn’t matter – I would have to pass the agency anyway, and why not just let someone there drive me to the port? After all, I’d have a better chance of enjoying the views. I didn’t argue, I simply agreed.
• He then stated that I had to be at the port a minimum of 2 hours in advance of my ferry departure. That struck me as bizarre, since I had a reserved seat and nothing I had read in advance suggested that I would need to be there much before the scheduled departure. But maybe it was true? I noted my surprise, but that man was adamant – with so many passengers to be screened, one needed to be there at least 2 hours in advance. Again, I agreed – and doing so was a painful decision for me, as I had very little time on Santorini. Of course, I did NOT need to be at the ferry port more than 20 or 30 minutes in advance and there was no screening – just a quick check to ensure that I had a ticket before boarding. In exhange for the unwelcome experience of spending several hours in a completely uninteresting stretch of overpriced cafes, I gave up the chance to walk a bit of Santorini’s famous ridge. And in exchange for convincing me that I had to be at the port earlier, Spiradakos was able to rent that car again about 2 hours earlier than they could have if I had kept it as long as I had arranged in advance.
• As documentation that I provided to Spiradakos proved, my credit card company provides CDW coverage free of charge IF one uses the card for the rental and IF one clearly declines the rental agency’s CDW, so my plan was to do exactly that – and it was what I actually did. But in the process, I was given a truly scathing lecture about how Americans insist on doing things OUR way even when it is contrary to local procedure; credit cards are not welcome in Greece; CDW is mandatory; I was a perfect example of a “rude American,” etc., etc., etc. It took every bit of self-control I had to respond evenly, quietly, and firmly. I get it – the agency wants those ridiculous insurance fees and CC charges MUST be reported – they can’t be kept off the books. And I bet a lot of tourists fall for the arguments this man made. But directing an insulting and enraged tirade at me was really not necessary.
• The car had a lot of dings and minor damage around the lower edges on all sides, and I asked them to provide some indication of that damage on the rental agreement chart – as is routine, IME. They kept refusing, saying that they know about it, so there’s no need to document it. Well, if they know about it, there’s also no reason NOT to document it, and in fact, the purpose of marking that document is precisely to make it clear that we both acknowledge the condition of the car at the time of rental. I kept refusing to sign the agreement and proceeded to take photgraphs of each and every bit of that car until they finally marked the damage on the agreement, at which point I signed and took possession of the car. BTW, when I returned it, two men took a very long, careful look at both the car AND the marked rental agreement before agreeing that there was no new damage.
• In contrast to what I had been led to expect, the car’s luggage area was not blocked from an outsider’s view. I had planned to wait to check into my lodging until I had visited several places that would close for the day, and had made sure that my accommodation knew of that plan. But with no way to hide my suitcase, I had to check in first. That meant that I had to spend time to find the apartment (which was not in the direction from Fira that I hoped to go once I had the car), find parking, wait for someone who could check me in (and of course, they didn't expect me for hours), wait for a porter…. Yes, I would have had to do all those things under any scenario, but I had hoped to do them after places I wanted to see closed for the day. With the delays at the rental agency and the time spent to get to, and check into, my apartment (not to mention the time I lost to trying to calm down – I was shaking by the time I finally took possession of that battered car!), I lost more than 2 hours of my precious time on Santorini, and as a result, I was unable to see one of two museums and several churches that I had hoped to see.
• With the time I lost the next morning (when I had hoped to hike a bit), this car rental agency cost me more than 4 hours in all – more than ¼ of my waking hours on this island. Yes, I know, I planned for a short stay and yes, I know that one must expect the unexpected, but honestly, I don’t think these particular delays would have been necessary had Spiradakos honored its written commitments to me or approached me with honesty or courtesy. It’s one thing to adapt to unavoidable circumstances; it feels quite different to have to adapt to circumstances created by a business’s rude and dishonest approach to it’s clients – at least IMO.
@ brotherleelove: I’m sure you would never have receommended Spiradakos if you had any reason to expect that I would be treated this way. I’m sorry to report back so negatively.
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