In October 2023 I landed at CUN with a travel partner whom has never been to Mexico. I messaged my car rental agency and let them know I will be waiting for transport. As I wait in the designated spot a woman approaches and asks whom I am waiting. I state my rental agency and she says, “yes, he just left. You took too long. Let me call him.”
She proceeds to tell me, along with a male on the phone stating he is with the rental car agency, a long list of reasons I will need to take a taxi and it will cost around $400 US dollars. I say no and walk away.
As I am speaking to the rental car agency I do not realize they have now approached my travel partner. Tell him they are going to run his debit card, they attempt twice, machine does not work. Luckily, my partner forgot to tell his bank of travels and bank is denying out-of-country transactions. They demand cash and state it will be applied to the deposit for rental as our arrainged shuttle to rental agency left. He proceeds to give them $386 cash.
He is sitting in a taxi when I realize what has already happened. As I approach him and tell him to exit the taxi I have two individuals get between my partner and I. Blocking me from talking easily ensuring they have the narrative they want explained to him. We are told this taxi will take us to our hotel and our rental car will be delivered the next day.
I eventually am able to talk to the taxi driver alone and the taxi driver tells me I am not being told the truth. As this conversation is happening the individuals from the airport are calling back to back, speaking only in Spanish, believing I can not hear or understand them. They tell the taxi driver to drop me off anywhere close to hotel zone and blame me for bad address.
During all this my rental company is in transit and all is resolved with the exception of my travel partner learning an expensive lesson within 5 minutes of leaving the airport in Cancun, Mexico.
The transportation problems in Mexico have increased over time. I love visiting Mexico but because of transportation issues I have started visiting other countries. That is what is sad, the country I love to visit is no longer what it was and I might not ever be back.
Anastasia from TN