We encountered serious issues when renting a car, linked via Local Rent. First, they insisted on cash payment despite our credit card agreement, with excuses about a broken payment terminal. That was the initial warning sign. During pickup, there was a delay, and the paperwork was handled inefficiently. The rental agreement had a restriction on traveling from Mestia to Ushguli, which wasn't in our plans.
The car, a Toyota Prius, unexpectedly wouldn't start in Mestia. Assuming a dead battery due to dim lights, we contacted them only to be accused of breaching the rental terms by allegedly going to restricted areas. In truth, they remotely disabled the vehicle as an extortion tactic, demanding €500 to activate it again, despite GPS data proving we hadn't left Mestia. Later, they claimed they deactivated the car out of a "fear" that we might travel to banned zones.
Local Rent's support was inadequate and slow, more focused on gathering evidence than providing timely help. This added to our frustration. After six hours, we managed to expose the extortion, and the car was reactivated. A partial refund for one day was eventually offered, but they argued over the actual time the car was unusable.
Avoid this company. Their unethical behavior, including trying to extort €500 by remotely deactivating the car, severely affected our trip. Neither company offered adequate support, leading us to strongly advise against using their services. This experience turned a part of our trip into a significant disappointment. Photographs show that we never aimed towards Ushguli, with evidence confirming we stayed in Mestia, and the spot where the car was disabled for six hours.