Woodford Car Hire Arvostelua 

I'm stuck at King Shaka Airport for more than two hours. Contract signed, credit card block... Promise to have a replacement ready in 15min... Almost 3 hours later... Still waiting on the promise. Levin smooth talker... Nothing happening...

Mechanical/electrical fault.

Please check your vehicles prior to collections/rentals.

I want to give special recognition to Mandisa Zamahlubi Xaba at Woodford Car Hire for some of the best customer service I have experienced in a very long time.

We had originally booked a Suzuki Jimny with another rental company for a trip to Kruger, but when we arrived to collect it, the vehicle had a mechanical fault and they were unable to provide us with a suitable replacement. We then spent hours going from one rental company to another trying to find a 4x4 or SUV, but everywhere was either completely sold out or required a credit card for the deposit on the larger vehicle classes.

By the time we reached Woodford, we were exhausted and starting to think our Kruger trip might simply not happen.

Mandisa completely changed that.

Woodford had a Toyota Fortuner available, but because I only had cheque cards and not a credit card, I unfortunately couldn't meet the deposit requirements for that class of vehicle. At that point Mandisa could very easily have said there was nothing more she could do.

Instead, she went above and beyond to find us another solution.

What impressed me most wasn't simply that she eventually managed to get us into a Toyota Corolla Cross — which, incidentally, turned out to be absolutely perfect for the trip, incredibly comfortable and a fantastic car to drive — but the attitude and passion with which she helped us.

Mandisa genuinely seemed emotionally invested in getting us to Kruger. She kept looking for options, trying to find a way around the problem, and treated our situation as though it actually mattered to her personally.

That level of work ethic, ownership and genuine care for a customer is incredibly rare.

There is a huge difference between somebody who simply does their job and somebody who takes pride in what they do. Mandisa is very clearly the latter.

She is an outstanding ambassador for Woodford Car Hire and, in my opinion, the perfect example of what South African customer service can be when someone genuinely cares about the people standing in front of them.

Thank you, Mandisa. You helped turn what had been an incredibly frustrating day into the beginning of a fantastic Kruger trip.

Woodford is very lucky to have you

A disappointing experience. We rented a car from King Shaka Airport for a leisurely 3 day roadtrip from KZN to Cape Town. As Australian tourists from Melbourne the services of Woodford Car Rental was recommended by family in Ballito. The first rental for 2 weeks was fine. The second rental for a additional 3 days to do the much anticipated roadtrip, was very disappointing. The car was not in the indicated parking bay. When it waa found for us, whilst we were waiting in the parking area in the drizzle, it would not start. When a car was eventually found for us we discovered it reeked of smoke. We specifically asked for a smoke-free vehicle. What a disappointment and 3 days of having to put up with a smelly car. You have successfully ruined our roadtrip experience for us. Not impressed and will not be using your services again. We were assisted by Efar.

Excellent service…not just once …but every single time. Thank you Desigan and Kreslin for always going the extra mile for me! Definitely recommend using this car hire!

Most terrible company in South Africa no end of fraudulent activity and corruption and bullying. Would definitely not recommend this company to anyone stay away please… they hide information and pressure you into doing business with them without letting you read the contract.

I would like to express my appreciation to sabelo for providing exceptional service. As a client who hired a car, I was impress with the level, professionalism and support shown through the entire process.
Thank you Sabelo for going the extra-mile. I would highly recommend customers to deal with Sabelo

My neighbor recommended Woodford to me. I was a bit hesitant about renting a car there, but car rental companies always have some bad reviews. We traveled for a month, and it was fantastic. The woman at the desk was very cheerful and funny. We even got a free upgrade, and returning the car was incredibly quick and smooth. Things might go wrong sometimes, but we had a wonderful time with a great car.

Would definitely choose them again next time!

Avoid the O.R.Tambo branch at the very least. I rented a car at Johannesburg (OR Tambo) International, booked under the Alamo brand but handled locally by Woodford Car Hire, and the experience was poor from start to finish.

At pickup, the front-desk service was among the worst I have encountered anywhere: rude, unresponsive, and unhelpful, to the point that my wife and I both remarked on it.

The real problem came at return. At the time of hire I purchased full comprehensive insurance with ZERO excess. On returning the car, the agent claimed a small scratch on one wheel rim and is now demanding that I pay for the "damage" and is withholding my (substantial) security deposit — despite the zero-excess cover they themselves sold me. Being charged for a risk you have specifically insured against, through the very company that sold you the insurance, is indefensible.

I am disputing the charge with my card issuer, have referred the matter to Alamo/Enterprise as the franchisor, and am lodging complaints with the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa and the National Consumer Commission.

If you rent here: photograph every panel, wheel and rim in detail at pickup and return, get all damage noted in writing, and be aware that a zero-excess waiver may not stop them coming after your deposit. I cannot recommend this operator.

This was my 4th time using Woodford Car Hire King Shaka Durban Airport. Each time the booking process has been easy and the vehicle as promised has been ready for me on arrival from the UK. As a South African coming home to happy and friendly service of the Woodford staff is such a pleasure. Last Friday 14th August, we returned the vehicle to the airport and with 4 large suitcases and sad faces to head back to the UK, Sbo' offered us a lift to the upstairs departure gate in the car we just returned which meant my daughter and I didnt need to struggle with our suitcases a far distance. This was hugely appreciated. Will definitely use them again on our next visit.

we brought the car clean and without damage back.
they give our 900 euro borg not back.
never again with woodford.
we had a flat tyre. i did put a tyre on the car, they said to me that they pay for it,but they never did.
so this cost me another 150 euro.
dont rent a car here!!!!

I paid a R15000 deposit and took out insurance.
I got a small chip in the windscreen and was told insurance would not covered it but the cost was around R7000. I thought that was fair.
After 2 weeks of waiting, I sent an email and got no response. I then called and was told someone would come back to me. Nothing
I then reached out via their website enquiry page. I was told it could take 4 weeks for the claim to be sorted out.
Imagine my surprise when i checked my bank account and A$1335 had been debited from my account.
All up, it cost me R30302.50 for a new windscreen.
I then got the final invoice from Woodfords showing this. No invoice from the glass supplier to confirm the actual cost. I took out additional insurance in Australia but cannot put a claim in as they need the original invoice for the windscreen and not the one Woodfords made up. I have requested this 5 times and got nothing back
I have reached out to the CEO of Woodfords, Essa Ebrahim Suleman, via SAVRALA and got no response.
083 278 6271

It is starting to look like this type of dishonesty is part of their business model

Excellent service. Pick up and drop off seamless at CT intl.
Car clean and in good order- staff professional
Highly recommend

Rented a car on 10th July 2026, 2 days later a tyre was flat, it could be seen that that tyre already had been fixed since the rubber came out. After I informed Woodford I returned the car and got another one. The next day I received an invoice. Woodford wanted me to pay an administration fee for the exchange of the vehicle. When I called their customer service I didn't get a satisfying solution. I had no other choice than going to the branch to talk to the branch manager who than cancelled the case. On 28th July I returned the car at OR Tambo Airport, the next day I received an email confirming that everything was alright.
However on 3 August 2026 I have noticed that Woodford had debited the full security deposit of ZAR 8000 from my European credit card. Is this some kind of a scam? Be careful when renting a car from this company. I am no longer in SA and am wondering how the company will sort this out.

The service was good everything went smooth from start to finish and they refunded me same day after returning the car

Unpaid 6 years Savings — Woodford Group

I worked for the late Mr Mohamed Owais Suleman, former CEO of Woodford Group, for 6 years. Since his passing in an accident, I have not received my 6 years accrued savings I am legally owed from my employment.

I have sent numerous emails to the current CEO, Essa Suleman who is the brother, and formally reported this matter to the CCMA which had no threshold to determine the case. Despite this, months/years later, I still have not been paid what is due to me.

I'm sharing this publicly because I've exhausted the private channels available to me and believe the community should be aware of how this company has handled a former employee's legitimate claim.

If anyone has had a similar experience with Woodford Group, or has advice on how to escalate this further, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Victor Okoth

Terrible service

Appalling service. On collection of vehicle they suddenly wanted proof of employment in addition to everything else. I'm a freelance guide with 4 customers standing there trying to explain that I'm not an employee of anyone. If youre a student,retired or freelance dont bother going here. In addition it's been three weeks now and they still haven't returned my deposit. The customer "service" person I was dealing just stopped responding to my request for an explantion. Do not give these people your money.

Clean cars, well maintained, friendly and efficient staff. Highly recommended

Fürchterlicher Service, Versicherung zahlt nicht bei Unfall, nie wieder

Can’t do debit car deposit
Wanted me to take out a new contract for a small bump
Wasted so much time with these people not happy