Scam with Pace Car Rental via Carwiz in Cape Town

Hi, Back from South Africa since 24/10/25, we’re having trouble getting our deposit back after renting a car at Cape Town Airport with Pace Car Rental through Carwiz! It’s still a sum over 1000 €!! Lots of email exchanges via WhatsApp where they send me the refund proof dated 25/11, but my bank can’t find any trace of it!! Just to clarify, the car was returned without a scratch, as they confirmed! Has anyone else run into this issue with this rental company, or others for that matter? And if it’s a scam, what are the possible courses of action? I’m hoping there are some… I was thinking of contacting our Consulate in Cape Town to see if they can help with the next steps or even intervene with this rental company! This kind of practice isn’t going to help boost tourism relations with South Africa!! Thanks for your feedback, Dan

Hello,

If I understand correctly, the deposit was debited from your bank card but wasn’t refunded upon return?

I only know Avis Safari Rental that actually debits deposits.

The refund process is quite long but shouldn’t take more than a month.

Also, I don’t understand which agency we’re talking about? Carwiz or Pace Car Rental? Which one actually debited you???

Hello,

If I understand correctly, the deposit was debited from your bank card but hasn’t been refunded upon return?

I only know Avis Safari Rental that actually debits deposits.

The refund takes a while but no more than a month.

Besides, I don’t understand which agency it is? Carwiz or Pace Car Rental? Which one debited you???

Hello Attila, Yes, that’s exactly it! Carwiz is the car rental company, the vehicle provider, and Pace Car Rental is a kind of rental agency—I know, it’s quite confusing, I had a hard time figuring it out too! But apparently, it’s pretty common, except that when I booked, the confirmation header was Discover Car 🤔. However, it was Pace Car Rental who gave us the vehicle at the airport and who debited us at their offices because the terminal wasn’t working! From what I’ve seen on a forum, another traveler was in the same situation. And it’s with Pace Car Rental that I’ve been in talks for several weeks to get the deposit back. They always reply saying that the deposit is refunded after 30 days and that the process then takes between three and seven days, but we’ve way exceeded the deadlines, and there’s still nothing in my bank after their numerous investigations. However, they assured me they initiated the request on November 25th. They sent me, at my request, a bank document certifying that the payment was sent, except neither the bank nor I know if the document is authentic. I sent a message directly to Carwiz this afternoon to ask them to intervene, and maybe I’ll call the consulate in Cape Town tomorrow, but I’m not sure they can do anything—it’s not really their area! I’ve seen on forums that some travelers never got their deposit back 😢. I’m fearing the worst! Thanks for your help, Attila. I’ll post a travel journal as soon as I have time, since you really helped me out! Have a great Christmas holiday. Dan

hi, what a idea to go through so many middlemen—at this point you don’t even know who you rented this car from. That’s pretty serious. 🤪

hello, what an idea to go through so many middlemen—you still don’t even know who you actually rented this car from. That’s pretty bad.

Couldn’t agree more…

Pace car rental is a rental company (like Hertz, Avis, etc.).

Carwiz seems to be a middleman (it’s not the same rental company name listed depending on the city) and doesn’t have a good reputation based on online reviews.

Discover Cars also appears to be a middleman.

Since it’s the rental agency that took the deposit, you’ll need to contact them directly.

Maybe leaving a review on Google Maps or posting on their Facebook page would be more effective for getting your money back?

Hi Attila, It’s a good idea, I’ll wait a bit because my bank needs to investigate, but I’ll do that! I put pressure on them yesterday about Carwiz and Pace car rental, who provided the car and took the deposit. They replied today confirming that the transfer left their end on November 25th, but still nothing in my bank account, so I asked my bank to investigate again. If my bank still can’t find anything, I’ll take it further. Thanks anyway, Dan

Hi there, Just a heads-up—if the amount was paid/refunded via a credit card, it doesn’t go back into your bank account. It stays on the credit card statement... where it’s available for you to use when you next use the card. Did you check?

Hi there,

To my great surprise, Europcar charged my deposit this year...

It’s not necessarily a problem unless the rand takes a nosedive in the wrong direction! !

Hello, Back from South Africa since 24/10/25, we’re having trouble getting our deposit back after renting a car at Cape Town Airport with Pace Car Rental through Carwiz! It’s still a sum over 1000 €!! Lots of email exchanges via WhatsApp where they send me the refund proof dated 25/11, but my bank can’t find any trace of it!! Just to clarify, the car was returned without a scratch, as they confirmed! Has anyone else run into this issue with this rental company or others? And if it’s a scam, what are the possible steps to take? I was hoping there’d be some—I thought about contacting our Consulate in Cape Town to see if they can help with the process or even intervene with this rental company! This kind of practice isn’t going to help boost tourism relations with South Africa!! Thanks for your feedback.

Dan

First, I wanted to send my best wishes to all the kind members who help us organize our trips so efficiently. Second, I wanted to let everyone who responded know the good news to end the year: I finally received the famous deposit refund from Pace Car Rental! It took over two months, but it finally happened after countless exchanges!! As some of you said, it’s worth hoping, even if my banker didn’t believe it! All’s well that ends well, but let’s stay vigilant about these deposits—money is often taken quickly, and we clearly have some trouble getting it back. So, in the end, this rental company isn’t a scammer!! I wanted to share that on this forum. Wishing you all the best and plenty of travel plans for 2026. Thanks again to everyone. Danyele