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Popular Transportation | Other Transportation Tips | All Tips (15)
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FUNWAY RENTALS - biggest scamartists on the Island
"The biggest scam artists on the Island" is a better way of describing the company FUNWAY RENTALS in Apia, which I STRONGLY URGE you to STAY AWAY FROM! They are unreliable, untrustworthy scam artists that will try to force any kind of BS and lie upon you.
Me and my fiancée had the unfortunate displeasure to deal with these liars and this is what happened. After booking a specific car, the 2-door 4WD Toyota RAV4, which I specifically asked for (because there was just the 2 of us and it looked new, clean and exciting to drive) over one month before the specified day, I was reassured and received a confirmation from them that the car would be waiting for us (which in the case of this company really doesn’t mean a thing).
As we arrived on the day and time we had advised, I saw the car I had booked in front of the doorway and another person stepped into it, so I naturally asked what was going on, pointing out that that was my car that I had booked, and all I heard was that my would be there at 11.30-12.00 at the latest (we were there at 10.30). I asked if it was the same car, make and model and was assured that it would be (which turned out to be a complete lie!). At 12.30 (after a 2hour wait) the car turns up; an OLD Kia that looks like it would fall apart any minute – with a soft rooftop that was broken! (which would be devastating for our luggage as it rained heavily the following day), torn seats, smelly from cigarettes inside, no air-condition etc. I asked the guy if this was a joke, and he replied that that was our car! And he said, in his own words “Take it or leave it”! as if “I don’t care if you had booked another new car over a month ago, I don’t care that it was confirmed and I flat out lied to you promising you the same car which you waited 2h for.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and asked how this was the same car that I had booked?! He replied that it was a 2door 4WD - Except that the make, model, year, condition was immensely different! It was just ridiculous. I asked what sort of price he could offer for this car – read piece of junk - (thinking that I might start considering it for half the price of the RAV4) and heard that it was the same price! And after pointing out to him the differences between the two cars that even a blind person could see, he reluctantly (as if he was suddenly a good Samaritan) said he could go down from 130 to 120 WST/day, so 10 WST (approx. 3US$)/day less! That was it and we left to go to another agency!
Please be aware of these crooks! Note, there was NO apology from their side for their mistake and lies, not to mention the inconvenience it meant to us! NO regret whatsoever. NO offer of help to try to find another rental company. Absolutely NOTHING! This was by far the most unprofessional, unfriendly and unserious company I had ever dealt with! As we finally found another rental company and told the story, the representative of the other one apologized 3 times (although she had nothing to do with it!) and could not believe her ears. I can truly recommend Discovery Rentals, who might be a few $ more expensive (literally a few) BUT are a serious, professional and customer oriented company that is a pleasure to deal with. Budget rentals are also recommended; the nice lady didn’t have a 4WD but allowed us to use her phone to call other companies in search of it, and also regretting our situation (needless to say, half the day passed by, which is a lot considering our rental time was 2 days - ¼ of our time to drive around was wasted because of the scam artists of Funway rentals).
So be warned; if you want lousy if not non-existent customer service, absolutely no guarantee you even get a car even if you booked it a month before and got it confirmed, if you want to risk waiting around for hours for nothing, than I would recommend Funway. If not, turn to a proper, decent rental company like Discovery rentals or Budget for a normal rental experience. And, if you still decide to deal with Funway, DO NOT under any circumstances give them any money before you see the car! I didn’t, thank god, because I’m sure I wouldn’t even get them back. They are as UNSERIOUS, UNPROFESSIONAL and UNFRIENDLY company you will ever find. “The cleanest cars on the island” should be replaced by “the dirtiest scam artists on the island” for a more truthful description of them.

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    Taxis in Samoa
    If you are taking a taxi, make sure you agree on a price with the driver before you go, to avoid awkward situations, as they may come up with different prices and strange solutions. When asking several drivers i usually ended up with just as many prices.

    On Savaii a taxi driver suggested that the owners of the place I was going to could pay him something extra, and when we arrived he told the owners I had promissed him that they would pay him the double of what I had allready paid him. I'll let this story go in the drivers favour and say that it perhaps was all due to a missunderstanding.

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    Taxi's
    Taxi's in Samoa run on set fares not meters. Around Apia it is either 2 or 4 Tala. There is a list of what it should cost to go to main destinations at the tourist info center. It does pay to check this before you take a trip. Most dreivers are very honest. But only most of them.

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    Air points
    Samoa doesn't have great economies of scale working for it when it comes to air travel an tickets can be relatively expensive. Eg when we went (from Auckland NZ) it would have costed around NZ$1200 to fly there as compared to $NZ380 to fly to Sydney. On airpoints however both trips cost exactly the same. If you have airpoints and are in NZ maybe Australia but not sure. You may find that the Pacific Islands are the best way to use those airpoints.

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    Rent a Car
    to Me...that is the best way to get around..
    save you from getting squashed in the buses...
    If you didnt know...in Samoa...when the buses are fully packed..other people tend to sit on other people in order to fit everyone else who does not have a seat...
    so if you dont like this idea...RENT A CAR...
    you have your own space and can do watever you want and enjoy the nice breeze...
    BUT..if you want to experience the bus ride to the rural areas where the beaches are at...then go rite ahead..bt dont say i didnt warn you...lol

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    Overview
     
    General Tips
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    Restaurants
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    Hotels and Accommodations
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    Things To Do
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    Off the Beaten Path
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    Tourist Traps
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    Warnings or Dangers
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    Transportation
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    Local Customs
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    Packing Lists
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    Shopping
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    Sports Travel
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