Neo van Dark

Jul 16, 2025

Be Extremely Careful When Dealing with…

Be Extremely Careful When Dealing with Klaas Wagen Lisbon We had a deeply unpleasant and distressing experience with Klaas Wagen in Lisbon, and I feel compelled to warn others.
After arriving in Lisbon from South Africa following a 12-hour journey, we were picked up by the Klaas Wagen shuttle from the airport and taken to their rental office located kilometres away in a remote area. What followed was truly shocking. We were met by a man with tattoos on his hands and fingers ( unfortunately I never watched his name )—if you encounter this person, walk away or immediately ask for someone else. This individual was aggressive, arrogant, and flat-out refused to give us the car unless we purchased an additional €279 insurance on the spot. We had already pre-booked and paid via booking.com but this guy clearly wants some extra cash in commission. When we questioned this he could not give us a meaningful reason why we must pay for an extra insurance He simply said, "I don’t care — this is Portugal. You either pay or you leave."
This was not just bad customer service — it was intimidating, unprofessional, and a blatant attempt at extortion. I’ve never encountered someone so arrogant, rude and disgusting in a service role. Disgusted and exhausted, we left and took an Uber back to the airport, prepared to make other arrangements. Fortunately, a professional and kind lady from Klaas Wagen’s team at the airport helped us. She made a few phone calls and resolved the issue. We were eventually assisted at the head office by a gentleman who treated us with respect, and we received our car without further problems.
Bottom Line:
Klaas Wagen Lisbon has serious staff issues.
If you encounter the tattooed staff member, do not engage. Ask for someone else or leave. This person almost destroyed our vacation. The company did resolve our issue thanks to the helpful staff at the airport and head office, but the emotional toll and initial experience were unacceptable.