Bear Rentals

Beware of the bear – Hired a 4x4 for 5 days . The car was poorly serviced (7000kms over due for a service ) the gearbox blow up and they tried to charge us $12,500 to have it repaired . We had to pay for a lawyer to defend our case and it ended up costing so much money .

Great Weekend Adventure – Bear Rentals seems to be the only company you can hire a Defender from in the whole of Australia. They have a range of Tdi’s and Td5’s all A LOT newer than my ’84 110 back home but nice to see a good range of wagons, 110’s and even a 130. The setup in The “European Bear” is a pretty simple but useful draw system with a luggage cage, rooftop tent… Read more

and awning. The bedding and gear is all good quality and the team certainly know their stuff. They offered me a 4 day discount package I couldn’t resist which included full insurance. They were very happy to have a yarn in the warehouse about where to head and their favourite spots and there’s an adventure camping shop in the warehouse with all kinds of gadgets and gear and if you’re there to hire a Defender you get a discount so I bought a new Leatherman and the guys threw in a cool enamel mug for me as well! Really good customer service, all round good people and some classic Defenders!

Don’t bother – Tried to get a simple quote for a 10 day hire. After about four emails in which they tried to make me double my hire I gave up. They treated me like I was doing them a favour not the other way round.

What a great way to experience Australia! – I hired a Bear and trailer for the summer to take my family for a trip to Australia - we couldn't have had a better time - thanks Bear! The customer service was fantastic and Jesso handled everything from start to finish, including recommending a cafe that we could go to for breakfast while we waited for them to open (which was a godsend when… Read more

getting off a long haul flight).

I was a bit concerned orignally by the age of the vehicles but Baloo who was seven years old didn't miss a beat and I can't wait to come back and hire again.

The trailer is great if you've got kids - we were able to set up camp with the trailer and use the bear to explore - then at night we could chuck the kids in the roof top tent and have our own space!

Highly recommend all round!

Can't recommend Bear Rentals – Hired two Bear Rentals “European” Landrover Defenders from Perth on two occasions, for 5 weeks altogether. On the first trip the vehicle broke down repeatedly due to clutch and ignition problems and need roadside assistance and resulting in extensive delays. On second trip after having been sent to the wrong pickup location and arriving much later… Read more

as result was greeted by a broken windscreen and gear stick knob coming off. Other things that I discovered as malfunction or missing during the two trips included aircon, heating, gas stove, radio, sun visor, interior lights, door locking mechanism, user manuals. Have been promised a one day rental refund for delays on my first day but that was later cancelled by a cleaning fee, applied three weeks after I returned the car even though I had been told it was returned in an acceptable condition. At times the company felt reasonably responsive and apologetic in regards to all the issues that occurred, but on my second trip messages were not replied to or in unsatisfactory fashion. For my next 4WD adventure I will explore other options.

Warning – Warning!! We rented a Land Rover Discovery with a folding trailer for 30 days. Very old and poorly maintained vehicles (about 421000 km) with missing equipment (no license plate, no first aid kit, no tools, very bad tires, fridge does not work for 15 day’s, no roadside breakdown assistance!! ....). Communication with Bear Rentals is very… Read more

difficult. Mostly you reach only the answering machine and do not always called back even in emergencies (can take up to 6 days !!).

As we returned the vehicle we had to return it at a depot because nobody has time for it from Bear (you have to document the condition for Bear).

The deposit and the refund for defects are confirmed by mail from Bear but not transferred (65 days after delivery).

Reported the case to Customers Complaint and handed it over to a lawyer.

Stay away from Bear you waste time and money

Stay away from Bear! – We rented a vehicle from Bear Rentals. On the second day of having the vehicle we needed a boost. On the third day we needed to have our battery replaced. Our vehicle was unable to go over 80 km/hr. We had to take the vehicle to get diagnosed. When we were in a major city it was in the shop for 2 days to be repaired. We were told to rent a… Read more

vehicle and they would cover our costs. We have yet to receive any compensation. When the vehicle came out of the shop it was not repaired properly. Eventually the vehicle would not go above 60 km/hr and it was unsafe to drive. We dropped it off at a depot and picked up another vehicle from a different rental agency. Although the customer service with Bear was very good, the hassle we endured with their vehicle was not worth it. We have yet to receive any of the compensation for our last week without the vehicle. As we don't live in Australia, it seems that they get to keep our money as their is not much else we can do. You would be better off renting a 4x4 from another company and buying camping equipment. It would be cheaper and far less hassle involved.