This is our fiddle leaf fig, Phil. He’s been through a lot! But at the moment, after years of remarkable growth and recovery, he’s started leaning somewhat dramatically to one side (two new branches are facing the corner in the picture). We just recently tried turning him away from the window to encourage him to grow the other way, but we’re not sure if this will do more harm than good, or what else might be better. Any advice?
Posting this as a warning, hoping it helps someone else avoid the same situation.
The booking:
We booked through Wise Cars for our Iceland trip. Wise Cars issued a voucher through Zezgo, and when we showed up at pickup, the actual company was Nordic Travel Group (Now Car Rental ehf.). Three names, one operation (and worth knowing that NTG appears to have cycled through multiple names over the years including Fair Car and City Car Rental, apparently following multiple bankruptcies).
When you get to the airport, there’s just a guy with a sign that has like 25 different car rental agencies on it in tiny font. They’ll load you into a van and take you to a weird building far from the airport, where they’ll direct you to an odd bank of phone booths, where you’ll have an odd Zoom call with an agent who is definitely not in Iceland. Our agent did all the usual insurance pressuring, and also said that “if I gave [him] a good review,” he’d help me waive any surprise fees.
The incident:
A couple days in, we noticed a dragging sound. When we stopped, we found a large underbody panel had come loose and was hanging. No fluid leaks, no mechanical issues. We had been on paved roads the entire trip, no F-roads, no gravel, nothing rough.
Contacting NTG:
We called NTG. They told us to take the car to a local shop, but added: “Just be aware: the workshop will properly inspect the issue. In case of finding out that is damage/negligence related, you will have to cover all the expenses.” They then informed us that, actually, we had to pay for the repair upfront before any inspection had even taken place.
I called back to tell them it was completely unacceptable to demand payment before the car had even been examined. They hung up on me and wouldn’t pick up when I called back. When my wife called from a different number, they told us our only options were to pay upfront or drive the car 230km back to Keflavík from Vík so they could look at it themselves. Then drive back. For what turned out to be a 7,500 ISK (~$60 USD) repair.
At the shop:
We took the car to Neyðarþjónustan Vík, the shop NTG directed us to. The mechanics there explained why NTG demands upfront payment from tourists: local shops refuse to bill NTG directly because of a long history of unpaid invoices. NTG has burned so many local mechanics that none of them will extend them credit anymore. So.
The mechanic’s work report noted:
“Fix bottom plate/engine cover. Reattach bottom plate. Missing 4 plastic clips and threads torn out on bolts.”
Missing plastic clips and torn bolt threads are wear-and-tear failures, not impact damage. We now have that in writing from their own chosen shop.
What I found when I looked deeper into NTG:
(1) The Consumers’ Association of Iceland has formally warned against Nordic Travel Group / City Car Rental, noting that the consumer complaints committee has ruled against them seven times for failing to refund customers, without those customers ever being paid.
(2) Multiple Trustpilot reviewers describe a consistent pattern of blaming tourists for pre-existing damage.
(3) At least one reviewer describes staff telling customers they cannot leave the premises until they pay thousands upfront.
We’ve since returned the car and had no issues at return. Keeping this post up as a warning about the booking chain and NTG’s conduct during the rental regardless.
Advice based on what we’ve learned:
(1) Avoid booking through aggregators like Wise Cars or Zezgo for Iceland, you may have no idea who you’ll actually end up with.
(2) Be aware that NTG has operated under multiple names following apparent bankruptcies: Fair Car, City Car Rental, and others. They’re all headquartered at “Bogatröð 1.”
(3) If you end up with NTG, get everything in writing and do not sign anything acknowledging liability at return.
(4) Do not pay anything on the spot under pressure, use your credit card’s chargeback process if needed.
(5) The Consumers’ Association of Iceland warning is real and usable as evidence in a dispute.
(6) Hold onto any repair invoices, the actual documented repair cost is evidence against inflated claims.