Indie-competent, "New Zealand's South Island franchise struggles."

The Lisbon, Portugal entrepreneur Hugo Oliveira's concept in 2012 to create an international camper van rental company was cutting edge and creative. The 2023 expansion to Christchurch was another step toward expanding the company's successful global model.

Recently we traveled to Christchurch to rent a Indie Poptop Camper for a five day tour of the South Island, albeit a compressed time to visit an area so packed with places to see. We shuttled to the Christchurch office and met with Phil who checked us in and gave us a short explanation of the camper van we were to use. He mentioned there would be an oil light on but not to worry, maintenance was scheduled when we returned the van in six days. It was our first red flag.

Excited for our adventure we drove off and headed toward Mount Cook. As we pulled out noticing the oil light lit as warned, we also noticed we only had a quarter tank of gas, an added red flag. We pressed on but noticed the camper van struggled anytime we needed to climb. We didn't think much about it and arrived at our first nights stop. The next morning as we made the turn to Mt Cook and more climbing the engine light came on. We now had a the oil light, engine light and an obviously compromised vehicle moving slowly uphill. We attempted to contact Indie through the Q code as instructed but we did not have strong enough cell service to go through the steps. We decided to change our plans and divert to Queenstown where we knew they had an office. We arrived at noon and spent hours trying to get help from Indie. At one point they sent us a list of local garages to take the van to the following day. The vehicle wasn't safe to drive farther so we had to sleep in the parking ones the Queenstown Events Center and drive in the morning to their office as instructed.

We arrived at the office the following day at 9am and no one was there. We contacted Indie again and they said they'd work on it. Fortunately at 9:30am the manager Shane arrived but had no notice we were coming for help. He was helpful but it wasn't until almost noon that he was able to exchanged vans for us. We were also charged a second bond on the van and they said they couldn't refund the previous one until we completed the trip. It made no sense to us but we just wanted to get on the road so we paid it.

We were upset we had lost more than a day with van issues but decided to be positive and create an abbreviated plan. We headed for Milford Sound. The new van was exactly what we had hoped for, it climbed easily and we were reassured from this that the previous van was compromised from the time we left Christchurch.

We visited Milford Sound and found a campsite just outside of it surrounded by snow capped mountains and cold air—-we had a hail storm as we checked into the campground. Once we parked we planned our evening of heating the water, cooking our dinner from the groceries we picked up and going to bed after a frustrating couple of days. Unfortunately, Shane had forgotten to change the empty LP gas tank so we had no hot water, gas grill or hot water. It's hard to describe how disappointed we became at that moment.

That evening we ate peanut butter sandwiches, took a cold sink cleanse and tried to stay warm that night. In the morning the temperature in the van read 7 degrees. Our fourth night continued our focus on discussing the ineptitude of Indie Campervans. We only had five nights scheduled and what we expected to be an exciting trip was marred by the constant problems presented by Indie Campervans.

The next morning we drove out of the park, headed back toward Christchurch for our fifth night. We found a place to exchange our empty LP gas so we would have the amenities we expected every night. The van was due back by 11am so we had a full day of driving so we could arrive on time.

We believe the people we worked with at Indie at good intentions but low competency. We were first given a van that was obviously compromised mechanically as recognized when we were told to ignore the oil light as it was scheduled for service the following week. The second van wasn't prepared properly and we suffered for that too. In summary, Indie Campervans of South Island New Zealand lack competency and because of that our trip was significantly compromised. We are extremely disappointed

Indiecampers.com. The deal sounded great, but it was too good to be true. Pick up a campervan in Indiana, bring it to Arizona, for adollar per day. Pickup a campervan in Munich, bring it to Sardinia, for a euro per day. Yet I took the bait, the European option. I couldsee the problems from when I got the Indiecampers hub near Munich. The staff running the place were graduate interns fromHungary, who didn't know what they were doing. It was chaos. They didn't know the fi ne print nor could they share it with me orothers. Such things as the fi ne print of insurance. I didn't even know there was another option other than the basic. Such things astips for driving the vans -- the need to take wide turns, etc. There was no introduction to the vans. The only instruction was a fewvideos on internal things within the van, not how to drive it. On the second day I turned and grazed a wall, leaving damage, but Icould not get in touch with anyone in customer service to discuss it. T tried for days to reach Indiecampers, to no avail, and to inquirehow to properly use the heat. Couldn't reach them. Dropping the van off in Sardinia, they didn't even know I was coming. I got adamage report a day later, which detailed damages and indicated a liability of 0 -- which, I, of course, knew was incorrect. Havingscoured the fi ne print which was not alluded to in any way in the pickup process, there was to be a 2500 euro max for a customer topay They ended up utilizing my credit card on fi le to charge me $676.48 above that max. And, in my request for a refund, they justsaid that the damage merited that charge and that they gave me a discount from the actual damage -- not mentioning at all the maxindicated in the insurance. The company is preying on people's intense desire for exploration and adventure -- and is hoping thatpeople look the other way when they take advantage of them and ignore basic proper business and customer service practices.

Oooh. This is going to be a long list of issues.
1- the Paris depot, we arrived at the correct time of 4.30pm to collect out Atlas 5. One one person welcomed us, or gave us any indication that their were actual employees present. Just about 20 very angry people, storming about. Then they changed our booking to a 4 birth so they could give us a different campervan. But it only had 4 seatbelts, we are a family of 5 so this was not only unacceptable, it was illegal. Extremely long story short. We waited for 6 hours to get, what was a broken down van, to begin our holiday. The bumper had fallen off, the inside was disgustingly dirty, it had no drawer fronts, the seats were taped together etc. Minus day 1.
2-We had it for 1 week when the bumper fell off while we were on a round about. Unbelievably dangerous to say the least and really shows you how well the vehicles are looked after. Customer support, not at all helpful. They told me to illegally drive it to a garage, pay to have it fixed and they would reimburse us later. (I'm very glad we didn't after reading reviews) we limped it back to the Paris depot. EVENTUALLY got a new one and set off again. - minus another day. 2 days lost
3- We got stuck in gravel while on the roadside at a beach. Indie campers support did basically nothing except tell me that our insurance didn't cover this and to sort it ourselves. -€800 for a tow truck. -minus 2 days. 4 days lost.
4- the second campervan was very rough, bits hanging off, bumper smashed in places, keys didn't really open the side doors, filty, most of the inside was either broken, stuck or disgustingly dirty. The bedding was dirty, the sheets they gave us couldn't be closed because whoever dry cleaned they had melted all the poppers. The toilet didn't work, the drains didn't drain, all the taps leaked and the windows would break of you opened them out too far.

BEWARE! The speedometers in BOTH campervans clock your speeds as faster than you are actually going. So... it will register that you have done more milage that you actually have.

Oh but the cherry on the cake. We arrived home nearly a week ago today and we have been charged €2337.89 for repairs to the campervan... an indicator light was missing (it was very loose due to the poor condition of the bumper. We had to keep tightening the screws but inevitably it fell off) and then one of the little plastic housings off the top of the campervan had fallen off too. We were not aware of this. But apparently that little casing is worth €1233. They charged us today, despite our premium insurance policy with a deductible of €199. Which apparently covers absolutely nothing. The complaints department emailed me back today basically outlining parts of the contract and how the two plastic things wernt covered. But with absolutely no explanation for the costs. Just some headed paper with indie campers on it and the price. Which, as far as I can see, they have pulled out of thin air.
I do wonder how much they charged the people who had the van before us for all of the repairs that obviously wernt done to the van...? Including the smashed windscreen.
This experience has absolutely ruined our holiday and really left us with a bad taste. Never again will I rent from indie campers and I will not let any breathing person do the same. I shall litter the internet with my poor reviews and tell the whole world how awful of a company indie campers really are!

In synopsis,
DO NOT GET A CAMPERVAN FROM INDIE CAMPERS AND IF YOU ALREADY HAVE, CANCEL YOUR BANK CARDS!

Let me paint the picture of our RV rental experience, starting from the moment we picked it up in Seattle (Kent) – it was a disaster. The RV was filthy, with dirt coating the floor as if it hadn't seen a cleaning in ages. Despite the agreement with Indie Campers that either we clean the RV post-trip or pay for cleaning, it was evident that nobody bothered to tidy it up.

Heading into Washington state, we thought we were prepared with snow chains rented from Indie Campers. But when we inquired via live chat if the depot employee could demonstrate how to install them, as promised, we were met with a firm "no" upon arrival. To add to our frustrations, essential features like the vent fan in the dining area and the fridge were malfunctioning. Even the generator required multiple attempts before it decided to cooperate.

The employee's feigned ignorance about these issues was infuriating, especially considering this was a 2024 model. During contract signing, we were pressured into marking the RV as suitable for use, despite our reservations. This lack of transparency continued as we were left clueless about mirror adjustments and the RV's gas tank size – leading to a costly surprise of over $500 spent on gas alone, with a pitiful 11mpg fuel efficiency.

But the grievances didn't end there. Our supposedly sealed RV harbored an unwelcome guest – a field mouse that had taken up residence under the gas stove, contaminating our groceries and requiring us to foot the bill for trapping and disposal. Customer service's suggestion to shoo it away with noise in freezing conditions was utterly impractical.

Mechanical issues plagued our trip further – broken drawers, erratic USB charging, and a bathroom vent fan leaking water everywhere after rain. Dumping the tank proved to be a messy ordeal, with the gauge consistently misreading its capacity. Communicating with customer service via WhatsApp, with no local support available, only compounded our frustrations. Their solution? Pay out of pocket for a mechanic, with the vague promise of reimbursement.

Seeking a refund was met with disappointment – a mere $268 offered for a trip that cost us around $2k, a pittance considering the litany of problems encountered. Additional charges for excess miles felt like a money grab, especially when denied the option to opt for unlimited miles retroactively.

As grad students on a budget, the financial strain coupled with the stress of a ruined vacation was unbearable. Indie Campers' abysmal service left us regretting our decision to trust them. In conclusion, I implore anyone considering their services to steer clear – this company is nothing short of a scam, offering more headaches than relaxation.

Hands down the worst company I have ever dealt with. STAY AWAY FROM THEM. They will look for any reason to take money from you, possibly thousands of Euros.
Whilst on rental in Holland, an elderly man clipped the rear of our rented camper. Minimal damage – broken light lens and scratched bumper & panel. The third party and I filled in the correct paperwork, he acknowledged responsibility and we carried on with our trip. Upon returning the van the depot manager said no problem, returned our deposit and off we went. He also said he had a room full of the parts needed for repair and it was not big deal.
A couple of days later my wife got an email from our bank. Indie campers had tried to take 2 charges from her credit card, one for €977.42 and another for €1954.84 – nearly 3000 Euros in total. She declined the transactions. Indie Campers then took, via PayPal, €2260 – the full amount of our deposit. An email from Indie campers was received stating that as the van was damaged, they would hold the deposit, despite already returning it. The also sent a damage report with costs, 3 items were listed. Cracked light lens at €715 (a €50 part), scuffed bumper corner at €849 (a €30 part), dent on panel - €696. A sum total of €2260, the exact value of our deposit – what a coincidence!
We contacted them, explaining that the third party had accepted liability and asked when we should expect our deposit. The reply stated that once the third-party insurer was contacted and liability accepted, they would return the deposit.
We contacted them a few more times over the next weeks asking for updates, and in each case received the same response from an advisor who I am convinced is a Bot. It stated that they are very sorry, appreciate our patience, looking into it, doing their best etc…
Eventually I contacted the third party himself who was able to tell me that Indie Campers had been in touch with his insurers some time ago, that liability was accepted by them, and that the claim was for €750, not the €2260 quoted by Indie Campers in their earlier damage report – a difference of around €1500!
After hearing this we contacted Indie Campers again, telling them what we had learned. The so-called advisor could not explain the difference between the money they took from us, and the value of the claim they are pursuing and once again said sorry, that they would look into it and all the usual platitudes they offered in previous correspondence.
I am now unsure if we will ever see our money again. The only possible explanation I can find is that Indie Campers aim to profit from customer misfortune such as this. If you don't believe me, study carefully the negative reviews here (over 1 in 10 customers leave 1 star) and all other the Internet (I wish I had), ignore the positive reviews – what happed to us could happen to anyone, and consider joining the Facebook group called 'Indie Campers have ripped us off' and you will see that we am not alone.
On a side note, the van they provided was much smaller than the one we booked and the toilet leaked so there was a constant smell of urine throughout the trip. They couldn't even get that right.
STAY AWAY!

Don't make a mistake! We lost 2500$ with this company.
If i could put 0 stars, I would.
My husband and I were very excited about our trip to Iceland, we planned out the itinerary, found a hotel for the first night and rented a camper van from Indie. We figured the trip is going to be for 2 weeks,so we need something comfortable. We paid everything ahead. The van for 2 weeks turned out to be 2500$. We paid everything ahead, almost a month before our trip. Our plane was arriving to Keflavik at 5am, so we chose early pick up, at 7.30am, for the van (+175$). We showed up at 8am and were told the van is not going to be ready for another 1-2 hours,because they are changing the tires. Alright, we were so tired,that we didn't care and just took a nap in the office. When the van was ready, the fun part (not really) started. They took our information for registration and we had to give them a credit card for a 2000€ deposit. We gave them 6! Credit cards and all of them were declined by their system. All of the cards were working, we never had any issues with them before or after this incident for any amount of money we were spending. At first we thought the cards were declined because the guys at the office were typing the information on the ipad and i know for fact that my cards work with the terminal anywhere in the world. But nope, We never had any problems paying for things whether we were paying online or through the card reader after this. We stayed in office for 5 hours, trying to figure out what to do. Our cards worked,but we were being told over and over again "your cards are the problem ". After 5 hours of stress we gave up, crossed the parking lot and rented a van from a different company. For 2200$, and never had a problem paying for it right there. When i contacted the indie campers, i was told that since i agreed to cancelation policy they were not going to refund our money back and we should have went to that office the next day and try something else (so basically ruin another day of our vacation) to figure it out. But since we were not going to do it, they considere it as a "cancelation " and we're getting no refund.
Don't make the same mistake. Go to Go Campers, they have nice, friendly staff, they have a free pick up and drop off at the airport and you'll not lose any of your money.
The weather in Iceland VERY unpredictable and you need a reliable vehicle to feel somewhat safe and you'll not get one of those with these guys.

At first our experience with Indie campers was pleasant, the staff member at check in was laid back an very nice.

However upon returning the van this experience took a turn for the worse 3 days after returning our camper I was alarmed that a €304 amount had been withdrawn from my account, without my knowledge, and then received a damage report from Indie Campers for a 5cm scratch and a request to pay another €304 as this was the amount that had actually attempted to withdraw from my account.

Upon returning the vehicle the staff member at Indie campers did a thorough walk around of the van with us, took photos and noted any damage.

We had had an accident in a parking lot and this was noted, they returned our security deposit as we had the premium package insurance and charged us the €199 fee for the damage. I contacted them to question why we had been charged and why this hadn't been communicated with me prior to the money being taken from my account, Indie campers response was that they under their contract can conduct assessments up to 30 days after the vehicles have been dropped off and the security deposits returned and can then take money from your account accordingly if they find any more damage.

They then utilise a
"price list" which is not public information, to determine the relative cost of any damage on a vehicle and then deduct that from the customers card. In our case, a scratch >15cm was actually €604 worth of damage, not only is the €604 claimed amount an extortionate cost to repair said damage, under their Ts&Cs they do not actually have to repair the vehicle.

After questioning this they have claimed that the price includes time out of the fleet for the van to be repaired (is this not included in all the insurance costs we have already paid and said repairs to be done on this) and on top of this the staff member upon returning told us that Indie campers very rarely if ever repair any scratches or damage etc and by the looks of the fleet that we saw, I don't believe that they do fix any of the damage and use this clause in their contract as a money grab and a way to mislead and steal from their customers.

We have also had friends with very similar issues with this company. After a long and strenuous email conversation with their team they have also lied, not completely read my emails and ignored many of the questions I have asked them.
All in all after spending around €3,000 for a 20 day trip and then being charge another third of the trip afterwards I would not recommend Indie to anyone!

Go for any company apart from Indie, in the end it is going to cost you more money and stress, has left a very bitter taste in my mouth to what was a great trip otherwise.

Booking was simple. Communicating with the host was fine. However the good thing's stop there. The van we hired for a week cost us over £1100.
Window latches broken, held shut with pieces of wood... Interior lights not working, aircon leaking, radio barely worked, belts screeching, blinds falling to pieces, provided chairs rusty, FRIDGE THAT DOESN'T WORK, table that's falling to pieces, electrics in a hole in the floor where water can easily get inside.

Now the van was on the cheaper side, we get that, you get what you pay for... Because of the faulty fridge and being in Spain... with the 30degree weather we couldn't store any food. We ended up giving the van back a day early and just getting a hotel. You'd think the hosts would come to a compromise and refund some of the money... no.

After pulling into a petrol station 10 minutes from the hosts, cleaning it thoroughly top to bottom, inside and out they still found a way to charge us over 500 euro. Well, the hosts got 450 euros from us, whilst Indiecampers pocketed 100 on top... I challenged this and they said it was "conversion fees". 100 euro conversion fee on 450? I don't think so.

Among the things we were charged for were a ripped broom handle, ripped bedsheet, bent bed?, missing items (nothing was taken), not emptying the grey water (100% was emptied before we gave it back, if you went to the petrol station we stopped at you would see on the cctv we did, along with all the cleaning we did). We were also charged for not emptying the aircon, the aircon you have in every car, since when do you empty aircon, and if we had to they didn't tell us... Also charged for the broken lights that were already broken before we picked it up. There's more charges to list...

We did break a window, however when we handed the campervan back the host inspected the van, ticked off everything as fine, agreed on a price of 100 euros OR LESS for the window. Everything else wasn't mentioned when he inspected it at drop off.

Wouldn't recommend if you hiring from outside the country, Indiecampers support are no help, hosts will sting you for charges knowing there's not much you can do being outside the country. Pay everything on credit card, take photos before/after, take photos of all paperwork, I'd even record them at handover because who knows who your dealing with.

Had a really bad experience with IndieCampers.
TLDR:
- charged ~1400€ for a small chip on the windshield that would have cost 160€ to repair at CarGlass
- poorly maintained and cleaned van
- False information given at check-in and check-out regarding AdBlue

We rented a van from Geneva for a 1.5 week trip in France.

Windshield: On the way back, 2 days before the end of the rental, a small pebble hits the passenger side windshield, causing a tiny chip less than 1cm. After discussing over phone and whatsapp, we agree with IndiCampers to try and get it repaired at a Carglass on our way. Unfortunatly, during peak season, all the carglass places we stopped at had a one week waiting time. They did confirm, however, that it could be repaired with resin for a cost of 160€. At check-out, the employee tells us that we'll be charged 215CHF for the chip, the standard cost at IndieCampers, but that we can contest it through Whatsapp. After discussion via whatsapp, email, etc., instead of a partial refund, we receive a new invoice, automatically debited from our credit card for 1200CHF! Without any explanation. We ask for the repair receipt, the van's mileage at the time of the repair, but once again, their whatsapp service avoid these questions and we still have no explanation. I'm sure the van was rented out in the same condition right after us, and the repair didn't cost them much, was covered by their insurance, but they're making 1400CHF off our back. I call that a SCAM.

AdBlue:
At check-in, the employee who had us fill out the contract explained that id the vehicle runs out of AdBlue, we need to refill it, keep the receipt, and we will be reimbursed. After 200km, the vehicle asks for AdBlue. I buy some, fill it up, and keep the receipt. At check-out, another employee confirms once again that we'll be reimbursed by sending the receipt to the WhatsApp chatbot. Someone responds that no, the policy is: they lend us a vehicle with over 50% AdBlue, and we have to return it with over 50% as well. I reply that with only 200km, I find it hard to believe there was over 50%. No further response from them regarding AdBlue after this message and still no reimbursement.

Van quality: The van had damage on the side, a cupboard door that wouldn't close and would sometimes open during the journey, causing pots and pans to spill out. Another cupboard door was jammed, making that storage space unusable.
The fridge had been cleaned with soap but not rinsed. A layer of frozen soap covered the walls. We didn't realize it immediately, and all the food we put in it tasted like soap, so we had to throw it all away.
We found belongings from previous renters in the van, showing that the cleaning wasn't done thoroughly.
A power strip was provided but wasn't compatible with the van's outlets -> useless.

I back entirely what this couple experienced. Do not, under any circumstances, use IndieCampers. You will regret it. It is an appalling company. They have no interest whatsoever in you as a customer; they want your money and don't care how they get it.
We hired a Mercedes Marco Polo in Marseille. On our first night the bed failed, one side wouldn't go down fully. Rather than help us (all contact was over Whatsapp because IndieCampers doesn't want to help via phone - their staff would face too much abuse), they told us to drive to the nearest Mercedes repair company. That company was not contacted prior to our arrival. After a day there - they actually used my Whatsapp to communicate with the engineers (no phones, remember!) the engineers couldn't repair the bed. What did IndieCampers do? Nothing. They didn't deliver us a new van. We had already lost a day of our holiday travelling to the engineers. But, IndieCampers said we had to drive 100 miles back to their Nice base to get a replacement. We decided to persist with our holiday: me sleeping on the one seat that went down, my wife and baby daughter sleeping in the pop-up roof bed.
Here's the best bit. IndieCampers tried to blame us for the broken bed. We asked for a refund (we took out their pathetic insurance), but were told they would waive the excess miles (a few quid) instead. However, these excess miles had been run up acting as their delivery driver taking the van to the engineer centre, which was a good distance. There was no way we broke the bed. How could we? You just push a button. The guy who gave us the camper in Marseilles, admitted it had only just arrived from another depot. So, he didn't test it. But, we were blamed.
It gets better. When we complained that they were accusing us of breaking the bed and explained how inane that was, they then said we had been involved in a collision which had damaged the near side mirror. This was a blatant lie. They knew it. But, they were desperate to be as unpleasant as they could in the hope we would go away. They try every trick in the book.
This company is appalling. Don't go near them. They have no interest in you as a customer. They 'upsell' pointless insurance and then make up ways to get even more money out of you.
There are scores of reviews about how bad this company is. Don't risk it. You are fodder to be targeted. If you read a good review, I would ask yourself whether this dot.con business was actually the author of that review.