Indie Campers UK Review

This is a scam - attempted to steal £6k from me
This is a scam. Reported to the police.

- Attempted to steal £5993 from the deposit card.
- Witholding deposit for no reason, when we are owed damages.
- Poorly maintained vehicle. Our van broke down through no fault of our own.
- Premium insurance is a lie.
- 24/7 roadside assistance is a lie.

Don't waste your time or money, just get a tent.

We recently hired a camper on collection we noticed scratches and a dent on the camper which we took photos of prior to departing the depot, the representative mentioned they were aware of them.
After dropping off the camper we were sent a damage report and charged €199 for the existing damages!! we sent the photos we had taken which showed clearly all 3 damages were existing however Indie campers have accepted that 2 or the 3 alleged damages were there prior to collection but we are still fighting for them to accept the 3rd damage was existing.

This was by far the worst client experience I had in years....

We rented the van for a week of travelling around Spain.

A series of major issues that resulted in unsafe driving and housing conditions basically ruined our holidays.

1. There was a major water leak coming out of one of the roof windows. It started raining and after 10 to 15 minutes, water literally started pouring out from the room. It was nighttime and we had no other solution than placing a bowl below the leak and waited it out. My boyfriend tried to look at the roof to find the issue and fell on the floor. He could have hurt himself very badly. All this in itself is extremely annoying. What added the cherry on top was that :
I tried to call the phone number that appeared on Indiecanper rental contract and there were no options for me to speak with a human being. I had to search on Indiecamper website for another emergency number. As I couldn't find anything I sent an email and also started a live chat. The person answering me on the live chat was unhelpful and also used a tone of voice that was more of a chit chat between friends than a company-paying client one. She did apologise though and ended the chat telling me to whatsapp a number she gave me. I then wrote to the whatsapp number and didn't get any answer for an hour (in the meantime, water kept pouring inside the van....). The answer I got is that to bring the van back to Madrid for it to be repaired. By doing so we would lose our time (we were 400 km away and didn't have planned to stay around Madrid) and our kilometres (we had a 1600 km plan) and diesel. The operator then suggested for me to find a RV shop nearby and ask someone to repair it, and then invoice it back to Indiecamper..... which means that I, a paying client, would have to spend my holiday time looking for some random rv repair shop, call and see if they could repair the leak, and then wait? No offer was made from Indiecamper to reimburse us of anything at first. The offer only came later, after I spoke with the operator to help me find a repair shop as I couldn't find any!
On the following day and after a sleepless night, we decided to try to find out the leak ourselves. It was due to a hole in the roof window....Our van had two roof windows that were both full of tape and that couldn't be opened, BUT there was a hole on one side of the window..... We decided to seal it with silicone and tape, repairing it ourselves. This is free work for Indiecamper. And again, Indiecamper only offered to reimburse what we paid for the products, but didn't offer any compensation for our work and for the nuisance caused by this fault.

2. The wipers were too old. The rub was falling off. We of course saw that when driving in the rain, on the motorway.......This is extremely unsafe. We had to stop at a petrol station... and pay for and change the wiper ourselves!

3. There was no screenwashing liquid...When we tried to use it, no liquid was coming out. The reservoir was completely empty. So we bought liquid and filled it up ourselves.

I am not renting a van to run more maintenance work than on my own car ! I didn't pay for that! And again, what is utterly wrong is that Indiecamper never offered us any compensation for all this, apart from paying for the parts we bought.

A series of minor, yet annoying issues didn't help us have a great feeling about Indiecamper.

- one gas burner wasn't working
- the upper bed system didn't work properly and couldn't be adjusted
- the curtain in the bathroom was not working. We couldn't close it to have some privacy....
- the kitchen table didn't lock properly
- we were not able to use the roof windows (as per the tape)
- in general, the van was dirty (mice excrements found below the upper bed, shower floor full of dust and unclean...)


And one last thing: when we checked in on Saturday March 19, I was told that I would be reimbursed 76 euros on the total cost of the booking. I never received this money back on my account.

I sent a formal complaint to Indiecamper 10 days ago and I am still waiting for an answer, an apology, some sort of compensation. I still can't believe what we had to go through with them. I'll never use them again.

I booked a Atlas camper for 5 people in November 2021 and by the time of the balance payment (25.05.2022), I noticed the booking has been changed by Indie campers for an Atlas 4 people. No prior notice, no alternatives offered. As we are 5 people with already booked plane tickets and camping sites, the only solution brought forward was a useless apology. Stay away from that unprofessional company unless you want them to ruin your holidays.

The following is about indiecamper's London Branch and headquarters.
The van didn't open the window properly. Also, the toilet cassette cover was not properly covered, so it was difficult every time I took out the toilet cassette. Bedding kit We are four, but there were only two servings in it. I had to buy an extra blanket. There was a fine crack in the cup, so the water flowed down. The handle of the central entrance door was also rattling, so it was difficult every time I opened the door. I can understand the above. But the following are really angry and mean. I bought premium insurance. And I had an accident on the side of the van. There was a damage and I thought I could pay for maximum liability. But this company unilaterally robbed me of 1700 pounds without notice. The sales office in charge said to only do the maximum deposit and approved it without realizing it. It's very mean. Come to think of it, premium insurance is very close to fraud. There is no guarantee. I even bought an unlimited mileage and the staff in charge pays me for the excess mileage. Premium insurance is supposed to give me a replacement car, but I didn't get any replacement. He tells me to do well on my own and come back. If you are going to use this company, think carefully and judge.

The van didn't open the window properly. Also, the toilet cassette cover was not properly covered, so it was difficult every time I took out the toilet cassette. Bedding kit We are four, but there were only two servings in it. I had to buy an extra blanket. There was a fine crack in the cup, so the water flowed down. The handle of the central entrance door was also rattling, so it was difficult every time I opened the door.
I can understand the above.
But the following are really angry and mean. I bought premium insurance. And I had an accident on the side of the van. There was a damage and I thought I could pay for maximum availability. But this company unilaterally robbed me of 1700Pounds without notice. The branch office in charge said to only do the maximum deposit but approved it without realizing it. It's very mean. Come to think of it, premium insurance is very close to fraud. There is no guarantee. I even bought an unlimited mileage and the staff in charge pays me for the excess mileage. Premium insurance is supposed to give me a replacement car, but I didn't get any replacement. He tells me to do well on my own and come back. If you are going to use this company, think carefully and judge.

I thought I'd gotten my ducks in a row by booking 6 months in advance for a campervan in France, when after I submitted an online query about my booking it suddenly was cancelled. I spoke to customer support, live chatted and sent emails, with the same response of 'the cancellation was from your end' and nothing else. I was told to rebook my van, but by this time a month later there were minimum night requirements for all vehicles and I couldn't find anything I needed. I asked if they could re-book for me but they couldn't, even though my original vehicle was still available.
They reassured me that I would get a 100% reimbursement (thought I still needed a van!), but I've only received a partial pending reimbursement, even though the random cancellation happened well before the cut off date.
The worst part is that I didn't know any of this happened as there was no email telling me about the cancellation. So if I didn't have a query, I could have shown up on the day expecting a van for 7 days and gotten nothing. No help at all. Luckily I found another company that was easy to book with.

Bunch of crooks! Immediately charged for a reservation 3 months out. After 6 weeks of working with customer service. Still no refund after reservation cancelled.

The employees at the Edinburgh depot were very kind, but the motorhome they gave us had clogged sinks, broken tail lights, and a missing portion of the bottom level bed.

We had to tape on one of the rear lights, which kept falling off, and even still, the rear lights did not work, which we did not notice until several kind motorists informed us while driving on the highway at night. After realizing this, we had to drive with our hazards on the rest of the way.

Because of the missing portion of the bed, we had to use a suitcase to prop up the mattress in the middle, which was uncomfortable for the person sleeping on that bed.

Due to the clogged sinks (which we did not clog; they did not drain from the start of our trip, and we had not yet used them) which filled with the previous renter's waste water when we tried to use them, we were unable to properly wash, cook, and clean.

We requested roadside assistance three times, which was promised in our contract, but we were told it "was not available" and that we should take the motorhome to a repair shop. We could not do this as we had a busy holiday itinerary, and besides, we do not work for them! The promise of roadside assistance was included in our rental contract for any issue that makes part of the unit unusable during the rental period. Indie Campers did not honor their side of the contract.

When we tried to call support, we were led to a recorded message that instructed us to chat online on the Indie Campers website, which was difficult because we were camping where the wifi was weak (as many campers do).

We had to write several emails and requests for roadside assistance before finally getting a WhatsApp contact number. The person on the WhatsApp contact number refused to get us roadside assistance and asked us to fix the plumbing ourselves by blasting the pipes with water pressure from a hose (which would have made the situation worse, as the drains were not draining), using a plunger (which would not fit, since the drains are tiny), and even using our hands after filling the sinks with Mr Muscle, which was a dangerous suggestion!

We ended up having to spoon out the waste water that filled the sinks with a cup! A very unsanitary situation, given the water was from the previous renter's clog!

We are waiting to hear back after filing a complaint and asking for a discount, but we are doubtful that our request for fair treatment under the rental contract will be taken seriously.

Overall this company was a nightmare to work with. Their website says that roadside assistance is available, but it is not. They present themselves as customer-friendly, but they are unreachable when problems arise. I do not recommend.

Camper wasn't ready on the day we arrived. Had to be put up in a hotel overnight. Hotel was poor quality in a rough part of Frankfurt. Arrived on a Saturday and if had camper would have gone to supermarket to buy food and supplies. However, as didn't have camper had to eat out and then discovered on the Sunday that no supermarkets or food shops open so ended up having to eat out again.

Ladders missing from van so difficult to get in and out of bed. Had to use a camping chair. More difficult for my wife who has an injured shoulder.

Passenger wing mirror damaged and taped up but not on damage report.

Stressful time with customer support team. Took several days to get documents for reimbursement to them as email kept blocking my messages and despite having sent everything then on WhatsApp, they kept asking for the docs again.

Was reimbursed 1 day hire plus mileage and transport costs. Got charged early pick up fee when I hadn't chosen this, was reimbursed. No compensation whatsoever for inconvenience and additional food costs due to being unable to buy from a supermarket on first couple of days.

Very poor service and will not be using again, despite having used before.

Trip to Iceland. Awful experience. To start out, of the 6 outside locks, only the main doors worked, the side door and all the compartments were not functional. Paid for WiFi and was not available. Outlets would not work, only some USB ports. We were given a camper with really used tires, and in Iceland not all roads are paved and rains a lot so clear safety issue.

On checkout, we were told all was good and our deposit would be given back in full. Two days later, when back in US, we did not see the refund but started seeing charges hitting, and when we reached out they said they were fees and expenses they had not picked up on drop-off. Complete scam. Almost $5k for 6 nights altogether. Do not do business with these people.

After facing a broken down van and engine failure on a road trip in Iceland that resulted in two lost days of our vacation, and included being towed over 7 hours back to the depot - indie campers could offer no solution except a "sorry for the inconvenience" email! After I have sent them only two emails on the matter they have now blocked me from all correspondence. Disgusting Service!

I would not recommend Indie Campers in Iceland or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Four of us rented a camper for two weeks and there were multiple issues:

1 - We paid extra for bedding and for outdoor tables and chairs yet realised on the road that we were missing pillowcases and two of the four chairs. After the trip we asked for these costs to be refunded but were told there was nothing they could do? More on the terrible customer service to come…

2 - We were told at the beginning that a chemical tablet had already been put in the toilet cassette - we double checked to make sure - but upon emptying the cassette a few days later because of the smell we discovered that there was never one in there.

3 - Towards the end of the trip the camper’s engine cut out six times in one day while we were driving. Customer service (only available through WhatsApp) put us in contact with the ‘Trip Support Team’ who told us that because the ‘change oil’ light was on that we should go to a mechanic that they suggested to get the oil changed, and that would fix the problem. Anyone with basic knowledge cars would understand that the issue was obviously more than the oil.

We went to the mechanic and were told that they didn’t work on Fiats, and they didn’t know why they were recommended. Those mechanics pointed us to another who could help. The new mechanics ran a diagnostic and determined that there was a faulty valve sensor (?) and that would shouldn’t drive the camper anymore.

We told customer support who began by saying that they could get us a hotel for the night, before swapping our camper. That soon changed to us needing to sleep in the camper in the mechanics parking lot, then ride on a tow truck back to Reykjavik the next day - a seven hour journey. We managed to make it to a campground for the night but customer support was instant that a tow truck back to Reykjavik the next day was “the best option”. Keep in mind that the depot in Reykjavik is unreachable by phone, so there were no other avenues for resolution.

We ended up being towed back to Reykjavik, leaving at 10:30am and arriving at 5:30pm, yet our replacement van wasn’t ready until 7pm. Even the manager there said he was sorry for the situation and that the solution they offered was stupid as the tow truck came from Reykjavik and could’ve brought a replacement van to us! Apparently he was told we were arriving but was given no chance to help provide a solution.

All-in-all we lost two full days of travel and despite being in contact with customer support we’ve been told there is nothing they can do to make up for our lost time, and that we won’t be getting any sort of refund.

This review relates to the company overall; not specifically in the UK, however it is not at all surprising to see similar experiences occurring there.
We contracted to hire an Atlas 5 for 3 weeks. Initial queries regarding an extra driver, additional bedding and so forth, were directed to 'Ask'/Help' contact page as instructed.
Lack of response led to further inquiries, automated responses - clearly AI generated and directing us back to FAQ page. Unhelpful in the extreme.
Eventually received a phone call which resolved that singular issue re booking.
Arrived at collection point - outer reaches of Munich, extremely tricky to get public transport to - to discover the vehicle we had contracted for was absent. Instead we were offered a 'similar' vehicle. I know this is common when renting a vehicle, however the vehicle we were offered was in no way equivalent & in fact a long way short of what we had booked, paid for & therefore contracted to rent.
The list of defects is extremely long & I wont post them here - other than the absolute joke of he toilet: the handle to the external door (for emptying the cartridge) was broken, hence the door could not be opened, hence the toilet was unusable. The solution offered? They gave us the broken handle to take with us.
Suffice to say that the gentleman dealing with us had no response to our queries about how the multiple defects might be remedied before we left the depot, essentially shrugging his shoulders & indicating 'not my problem'.
Overall an absolutely woeful, unprofessional and unethical company.
Multiple issues arose during our 3 week hire, including a leading roof, inability to open the windows in Venice's heatwave due to broken insect screens, and an atrocious smell emanating from the greywater tank which we flushed multiple times to no avail.
Indie Campers did not respond to contact from us AT ALL for the duration of our trip.
Upon returning our vehicle to the Milan depot the representative was heard to say 'this camper is a f...g piece of shit', which neatly sums up our experience.
I am not surprised to see that many complaints about this company are current and involve allegations of various breaches of consumer law in multiple countries, confusing contracts, unexpected & unauthorised charges & deductions from people's account, inept and rude representatives. The company, and its representatives, make it exceedingly difficult to register (well-founded) complaints, and regularly seek to remove poor reviews.
We have- as yet - not been offered a partial refund or recompense for the failure to provide the vehicle contracted, nor the inconvenience of a vehicle that was not fit for purpose. We won't hold our breath.

DONT USE THIS PLATFORM!
They ripped me off, I reserved a van, when I finally got to the van renter, he didn't want to give me the van until he doesn't get an approval for safty deposit from the company (yes he was stupid, it is part of the terms of the platform) we spent 3-4 hours trying to get support from the company, when they answered on phone they told us to talk with the chatbot (what the hell?!?!) and they didn't help. so in the end I didn't take the van but the money I spent for the rental did not come back to me as this company doesn't have any support that works! they can drive you mad on chatbot, hang up to you so you need to start all over again and just getting you so frustrated so you gonna give up on your money. They are thieves, not less.

We contracted to hire an Atlas 5 for 3 weeks. P/U Munich; D?O Milan.
Initial queries regarding an extra driver, additional bedding and so forth, were directed to 'Ask'/Help' contact page as instructed.
Lack of response led to further inquiries, automated responses - clearly AI generated and directing us back to FAQ page. Unhelpful in the extreme.
Eventually received a phone call which resolved that singular issue re booking.
Arrived at collection point - outer reaches of Munich, extremely tricky to get public transport to - to discover the vehicle we had contracted for was absent. Instead we were offered a 'similar' vehicle. I know this is common when renting a vehicle, however the vehicle we were offered was in no way equivalent & in fact a long way short of what we had booked, paid for & therefore contracted to rent.
The list of defects is extremely long & I wont post them here - other than the absolute joke of the toilet: the handle to the external door (for emptying the cartridge) was broken, hence the door could not be opened, hence the toilet was unusable. The solution offered? They gave us the broken handle to take with us.
BTW - I have many, many photos of the defects if anyone wishes to dispute my claims.
Suffice to say that the gentleman dealing with us had no response to our queries about how the multiple defects might be remedied before we left the depot, essentially shrugging his shoulders & indicating 'not my problem'.
Overall an absolutely woeful, unprofessional and unethical company.
Multiple issues arose during our 3 week hire, including a leading roof, inability to open the windows in Venice's heatwave due to broken insect screens, and an atrocious smell emanating from the greywater tank which we flushed multiple times to no avail.
Indie Campers did not respond to contact from us AT ALL for the duration of our trip.
Upon returning our vehicle to the Milan depot the representative was heard to say 'this camper is a f...g piece of s**t', which neatly sums up our experience.
He also instructed us to take our own photos and videos of the vehicle conditions because - 'sometimes my photos get changed'
I am not surprised to see that many complaints about this company are current and involve allegations of various breaches of consumer law in multiple countries, confusing contracts, unexpected & unauthorised charges & deductions from people's account, inept and rude representatives. The company, and its representatives, make it exceedingly difficult to register (well-founded) complaints, and regularly seek to remove poor reviews. Evidence has now been acquired that they are falsifying documents related to alleged refunds.
We have- as yet - not been offered a partial refund or recompense for the failure to provide the vehicle contracted, nor the inconvenience of a vehicle that was not fit for purpose. We won't hold our breath.

Indie Campers are the worst company I’ve ever used!! They ruined my Dads funeral and have been lying to be and ultimately gas lighting me since me return. I have an email saying one thing from one person and then someone else will tell me that I’d misinterpreted a very clear emails. They gave me a cheaper van than I paid for, told me they could refund the difference (obviously) and are now refusing to!! Disgusting company.

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!!!

Awful company. First the van they rented us the roof was broken, staff members said this was fine and nothing they could do and to just get on with it. We said this was not good enough and they found another van. The van they gave us the water was not working correctly so no water throughout the trip. On the trip a car drove into us when parked and scraped the car. We contacted the on trip services team, who were not helpful. Took hours to get a response and the telephone number given just said to email. Once returning the van to the depot the van was checked and the damage looked at. This was agreed we would pay the €199 excess as per the premium policy. This was communicated verbally and by email. Two days late I billed €1600 for an additional damage. Even though this was photographed on the drop off date. I have been told this is below the door line even though when reporting the damage I was told via what’s app this was not and was sent a diagram of the door line on a template van. I have contacted indie campers since and they are saying this is in the terms and conditions. No where on there website does it state where on the van the door lines are. The van was checked at checkout so staff must not be competent to check vans if damage was missed.
Do not use this company or the Venice depot. Staff have no idea what they are doing and are not checking in and out vans properly, no check lots are used they just take pictures on smartphones and lie to you. Still disputing over email. But a bad end to our holiday.

I recently rented a campervan from IndieCampers with the explicit assurance of having functional heating for a silent retreat. Unfortunately, not only did the heating not work due to a low gas bottle level, but the company also failed to provide a viable solution, leaving us in 0-degree weather without heating.

Despite multiple communications and seeking a fair resolution, the company's response was deeply unsatisfactory. They offered minimal compensation that did not come close to covering the discomfort, additional expenses, and stress we incurred. When we insisted on a fairer refund reflective of the actual hardships endured, IndieCampers hid behind their policies and offered a mere 5% voucher for future travel — an option that is of no use to us given our experience.

The entire ordeal was not just about the lack of heating; it was about the company's inability to take proper responsibility for a significant service failure and their disregard for the impact this had on our trip. A company's true measure is shown in how they handle issues and care for their customers. Based on our experience, IndieCampers has shown a lack of genuine customer care and accountability.

I am making this matter public to inform potential customers of the risks and to urge IndieCampers to reconsider their approach to customer service and compensation. No customer should have to go through what we did, nor should they have to fight this hard to have their valid complaints acknowledged and adequately addressed.

I hope this review helps others make informed decisions and encourages IndieCampers to improve their services and customer care practices.

From the moment you take the van out of the parking, the only thing this company cares about is your money. They will take your whole credit card deposit upon the most minimal scratch you make to the van. The methodology they use to calculate the costs of repairing any damage is through an internal software they have - but it is not stated explicitly in the contract - there's a whole community of people who have been ripped off by Indie Campers on Facebook and as far as I've managed to inform myself, this robbing maneuver they perform is on the edge of legal boundaries in the UE