When the message came that the claim was paid, the first picture in my head was the grey streets in Liverpool. I was already back in Poland for a few days. My phone buzzed, I saw the amount from the insurance, and only then I felt this whole rental trouble finally had an ending.
If I go back in time a bit. Around the end of June I booked through QEEQ and rented a Peugeot 208 automatic from GREEN MOTION in Liverpool. Small car with two doors and four seats. I reached the city around June twenty five, picked up the car around noon the next day, and returned it in early July in Liverpool, one day later than I planned, around eleven in the morning. At the start everything was fine. The city looked nice and I just treated it like a normal short rental.
The problem showed up after I returned the car. The rental staff said there was damage on the car and gave me a bunch of papers and photos. I was confused and honestly I could not tell from the scene when it happened. When I saw the cost I felt very stressed. It was high in euro and for a student like me that is a big pressure.
This was the moment I was really glad I had AXA Full Coverage. I started to organize my own documents. I took pictures of what the rental company gave me and saved everything. Then I sent all the proof they asked for. The claim process for me was basically checking things again and again. The papers from the rental desk, my own notes, and then the part about currency and the final amount. At first I hoped they would use the rate I checked myself so the number would be a bit better for me. There was some difference and I felt a bit stuck. The customer service told me the final payment would follow the insurance company rules so I tried to stay calm and focus on explaining my case clearly.
After that I could feel they kept talking with the rental company and the insurer. I did not see the details but I got updates from time to time. Some days later I finally got the message that the claim was approved and paid. When I saw the number I took a deep breath and did a quick calculation. It covered the damage pretty well and for me that was already a big help.
When I think about it now I know that without this full coverage I would pay all that from my own pocket and my whole month would be broken. Now there were some bumps in the middle but the result is something I can accept and it makes me less scared to rent cars in other countries as long as I have this kind of protection.
That time I rented a car in Mallorca in Spain, it started pretty happy. I booked the car on QEEQ and I went to the K10 counter around July 14 at noon to pick it up. It was a Fiat 500 with manual gear, four doors and four seats. The car was small and kind of cute. For someone young like me it felt easy enough to drive. In my mind it was simple. Drive it for a couple of days and then return it in Mallorca around the evening of July 16. At the beginning everything went fine. The car condition was okay. I drove around the island and even though it was manual I got used to it pretty fast. My mood stayed relaxed most of the time. The problem came as a small accident. It was some time before returning the car. I parked the car on the street. I thought the spot was normal and safe and then I walked away to do something nearby. When I came back, I saw one long scratch on the side of the car. It looked exactly like another car had passed too close and scraped it. The paint was damaged. I froze for a moment and looked around. The other car was gone and no one knew what happened. I felt nervous and also a bit angry but the main feeling was worry. I thought this would cost a lot of money. When I went to return the car, the staff at the rental counter checked the vehicle and of course saw the scratch. Their attitude was normal. They did not shout or anything. They just told me this counts as damage and showed me the cost. It was about 417.45 euros. When I saw that number my heart sank. My budget for these days suddenly changed. I did not feel good but I also knew the car was really damaged and the driver who did it was gone. At that moment I remembered that when I made the booking I had bought AXA Full Coverage. Before this, I only had a simple idea about it. I thought it was a more complete insurance and it covered damage to the car. Now with a real accident I started to read the policy more carefully and tried to make sure that this kind of side scrape by an unknown third party was also covered. After I checked, I felt a bit more calm because it looked like I had a chance to get the money back. First I paid the damage cost to the rental company and got the document for the charge. Then I used my phone to contact the customer service team. Since I speak Spanish most of the time, I was a little worried that it might be hard to explain everything. But they were patient and the communication was okay. I told them the story. I said the car was scraped, the other driver left and I had no contact for that person. I could only give photos and the payment receipt from the counter. They asked me to prepare all the things I could show, like the charge record and my ID. I only had my ID card with me and not my passport. At first I was scared that this might be a problem. Later I found out that using only ID was still fine. This made me relax a lot. I spent some time collecting the photos and files and sending them. The process was a bit tiring but in my mind I was thinking that if I could get back 417.45 euros it would really help me. It is like saving a big part of my money. After I sent everything, I felt nervous for a while. I was worried that something was missing or that this situation might not be covered. In the next days I often checked my messages because I did not want to miss anything from them. They kept following up and asked me to confirm some details. One time they told me to check my bank information again. I went through my Spanish account info and made sure the IBAN and the Swift code were correct. I got nervous again, afraid that if I wrote something wrong the money would not arrive. Then one day I got a message saying that the AXA Full Coverage claim was approved and they would pay 417.45 euros. When I saw this number again I felt the pressure in my chest go away. I was a bit excited and also very grateful that I had bought this insurance. Without it I would have to cover that scratch by myself. After a while I checked my Spanish bank account and saw that the money was really there. The amount was the same as the rental damage fee. I was sitting on my bed looking at the transaction and thinking about the moment when I first saw the scratch. Back then I felt so unlucky. Now it turned into a feeling that the money had come back to me. For a student type budget this difference is huge. In my mind it was like I got saved from a heavy hit. When I look back, the accident by itself was annoying. The car got scraped by a stranger and the driver just left. It really felt unfair. But because I had AXA Full Coverage, the team behind it helped me to handle all the claim steps and in the end they gave me back the full amount I had paid. So that small bad event did not become a long term problem for me. Now when I see words like car damage, I always remember the moment I saw the refund in my account. During the process I was nervous and sometimes afraid the papers were not enough or the bank info was wrong. Still the result made me feel that this insurance was truly useful when things go wrong. If I rent a car with them again, I will probably choose it once more, because I already went through one full experience from a side scrape with no third party contact to getting 417.45 euros back, and for a young person like me, that gives a lot more sense of safety.
Those days in Japan I was driving alone and moving around the city. I picked up a Toyota Auris from the counter in Taito around nine in the morning, the car was clean and the automatic gear felt easy to drive. I felt pretty relaxed when I left the car rental place. I went to many places and one night I parked the car in a parking lot. The light there was a bit dim. I locked the car and walked away and did not think much. When I came back to the car I saw that one side of the mirror was broken. The cover was cracked and the inside part was loose. It clearly looked like another car hit it. There was no one around anymore. I felt confused and also a bit regretful because I did not call the police at once and now there was no way to find who did it. I remembered that some days before, when I was driving on a faster road, something hit the windshield and made a big crack. I got really nervous at that moment and I thought the repair cost would be very high. Then I suddenly remembered that when I made the booking I chose AXA Full Coverage. In the description it said it covers damage to the car and also glass and other parts. So I contacted their customer support and told them what happened and I took some photos and sent them. For the windshield damage, the staff at the car rental counter checked the car and made a damage report. They told me the amount for the repair and I had to pay the Japanese yen first. The number was not small and I felt real pressure paying it. After that they helped me start the claim. After some time the claim was approved and they paid me back almost all of that money. I felt much better and I thought choosing this full coverage really saved me. The mirror case happened later. The rental car company told me that because I did not call the police and they could not find the third party, by the rental contract I had to pay for the mirror repair. At first I felt unhappy because it was not my fault, but then I thought again and I knew there was no proof at the parking lot. So I accepted it. I remembered AXA Full Coverage again and how it covers damage including glass and other parts. I decided to try a second claim. The car rental company sent me the repair quote for the mirror. I paid the forty thousand plus yen with my own money first and then I sent the payment record and the other documents to their customer support. They did not ask me for many new things and the communication was clear. Later they helped me apply for the second claim for the mirror. After some time I got their answer and this mirror damage was also paid back to me. When I think about the whole story, from picking up the car in Taito in the morning to returning it later in Osaka in the evening, my feelings really changed. At the start it was just a normal rental for my trip. Then I had windshield damage and mirror damage. If I did not have this full coverage, I would need to carry two repair costs alone and that is hard for a solo traveler. Now I still think it is not nice to pay first, but I am glad I finally got the money back. I feel very satisfied with AXA Full Coverage and I think choosing it when I booked with QEEQ was a very good decision.
To be honest, if I did not buy AXA Full Coverage through QEEQ, this rental would be a total disaster for me. Now everything is settled, but when I think back to those days I still feel a bit nervous. I rented a Volkswagen up in Amsterdam, I arrived around June 29 in the afternoon, did the paperwork at the Europcar desk and picked up the car. I thought it was just a normal business trip, then a deer crash came out of nowhere. The accident happened around July 11. I was driving in a rural area, a deer suddenly jumped out in front of the car and there was no time to brake. I hit it and the front fender got damaged. Later the license plate came off too. I sat there thinking this is bad, I will need to pay a lot of money, and at the same time I worried about my business schedule. The car could still move but driving without a plate is not legal, so the stress was very high. The staff at the rental counter were very slow to deal with it. My friend and I tried to call and email the branch, but we could not really reach anyone. Every time I saw an auto reply in my inbox I thought this is going to be a mess and the fees are still growing every day. I was scared that in the end I would just get a big bill with no clear breakdown. Luckily when I made the booking I added AXA Full Coverage. Once the situation became serious I contacted their customer service. I sent them the damage photos, the contract and the document that showed the 1000 EUR damage fee. For me the key point was if I had to pay this all by myself. The support team did not use hard words, they simply asked me to send all the files I had and said they would help me with the claim. In my mind I kept thinking that if this really gets covered then I am not in such big trouble. I do not fully know how they talked with the insurance company or how they checked every cost. I only know that they kept following up. At one point they explained that the 1000 EUR from the rental company was the excess and that this part could be handled by the coverage. When the car was finally returned to the Amsterdam airport station around July 19 and all the fees were charged, they helped me organize the documents again and told me that AXA Full Coverage could reimburse the damage cost. When I saw the email that the claim was approved I finally relaxed. I did a quick calculation in my head. If I had paid everything myself it would be about that 1000 EUR damage fee plus other loss around the accident. As a business traveler this kind of hit is hard to accept. Now at least the cost from the deer crash is covered, and I will not carry a big fear about renting a car next time. Looking back, the biggest comfort is that when I thought I had to carry all the loss alone, AXA Full Coverage really did its job and showed me that buying this extra insurance was not a waste. It was something that protected my bottom line when things went wrong.
"You really did not call the police?" This was the first thing the guy at the rental counter in Pisa asked me when I returned the car. I was standing near the return area and looking at the side of the Hyundai Tucson. There was a clear dent on the rear door. I still felt a bit upset. I booked the car on QEEQ and picked it up in Rome at the airport around June 29. For me it was just a normal business trip with a few cities on the way.
The real problem happened one afternoon in the middle of July, around July 11. I parked the car in a parking lot and went to meet a client. When I came back I saw some broken plastic near my car. I walked closer and saw the rear door and the part near the wheel were hit. The metal was pushed in and some paint was gone. There was no one waiting for me and no note under the wiper. I stood next to the car for a while. I felt nervous and also a bit angry. In my head I kept thinking why it had to happen to me.
I checked around and saw a camera on a pole but I knew in a new city it is hard to go find police and ask for the video. It could take the whole day and maybe still give nothing. That evening I had a work call and my schedule was tight. In the end I did not call the police. I just took many photos of the damage, the license plate and also the rental contract.
On July 12 in the evening, when I was back at the hotel, I started to think about how to deal with this. Then I remembered that when I made the booking I had added AXA Full Coverage. At that time I chose it because I travel for business and I like to feel safer. I did not really think I would use it. I opened my email and checked the coverage. I saw that damage from another car in a parking lot was also covered. I felt a bit better after reading that.
I returned the car in Pisa around July 13 at night. At the return point the staff checked the car. When he saw the dent he became serious and took photos. He asked me when and where it happened. I told him it was in a parking lot, that the other car ran away and that I did not call the police. At that moment I was worried. I was afraid he would say they need a police report. He only told me there will be a cost and showed me the estimate. When I saw the amount was 1310 euro my heart sank. That is almost the price of a flight for me.
I finished the return and went back to the hotel. Then I contacted their customer service and told the story again. I also sent all my photos. I was not sure if the missing police report would cause trouble so my tone was a bit tense. They listened and told me not to worry too much. They said my case still had a chance to be paid because it was under AXA Full Coverage. When I heard that I felt calmer.
They asked me to write the time of the accident clearly. I tried to remember and it was around three in the afternoon on July 11, before and after my meeting with the client. The first time I filled a form I wrote it as night time. Later they reminded me to correct it to the real afternoon time. I felt a bit embarrassed and I was afraid the wrong time would make trouble. Their tone stayed normal and they just asked me to confirm and write what I really remembered.
The bank account part was more confusing. I work in Poland and I use a Polish bank for daily life. I also have an account in Lithuania that can receive euro. First I gave them the Lithuanian account but my address is in Poland. They said the insurer wanted the bank country and the address to be the same. It was still me but the countries were different. This part made me a bit annoyed.
To follow the rule I then gave my Polish bank account. Later I found out that this account can only receive PLN and not euro. I really wanted the money in euro because the rental damage bill was in euro. If I got PLN first, then changed currency, I might lose money in exchange and fees and for a business trip it would just make things more complicated.
I told customer service about this and said I prefer to receive euro directly. I was a bit worried they would think I was too picky but they still helped me talk to the insurer again. After some time they told me that the insurer could accept my Lithuanian account. When I heard that I finally relaxed.
Later I got the message that the claim was approved. The amount was 1310 euro and it would be sent to my Lithuanian account. When I saw that the number was the same as the damage cost from the rental company I felt the tight feeling in my chest go away. I am not someone who likes big words but I really felt taken care of in that moment. My regret about not calling the police became softer.
Looking back I know that if I had not bought AXA Full Coverage, this hit and run in the parking lot would end with me paying more than one thousand euro from my own pocket to fix the car. For someone who travels often for work this is not a small cost and it would stay as a bad memory. In this case there were some small troubles with changing the accident time and fixing the bank and address, but the process still moved forward and the money reached the account I wanted.
Now I see more clearly how this kind of full coverage helps in real life. Before I only had a general idea that insurance is better than no insurance. Now I saw the details. When you are on a business trip in another country with a busy schedule, it is good to know there is something behind you if things go wrong. When I look at the photos of the dent now I do not feel that first panic anymore. I just see them as a lesson and a reminder to be more careful where I park the car next time.
I have to say this first. I did not expect that the clearest memory from my Italy trip would be a scratch on a car. I booked the car through QEEQ and picked it up around the afternoon of July 3rd in Perugia. It was a Volkswagen Taigo from Locauto with automatic gear. I was traveling alone with my suitcase. When I walked out of the airport, the sun was very bright. When I saw the car I was pretty happy. I walked around it to check the body and told myself to be careful and not make any trouble this time.
The real problem came a few days later. It was around the afternoon of July 9th. I was trying to back into a parking space on a not so wide street. There was a wall on one side and a car waiting behind me. I started to get nervous. My brain was trying to calculate the angle and at the same time I was thinking the driver behind me was probably rolling his eyes. I thought I was doing okay. Then I heard a light scrape on the side of the car. My heart dropped right away. I got out and saw a clear scratch on the edge of the door. Not a huge bend but very visible. I stood on the street feeling annoyed and kept replaying the move in my head. Maybe I could go slower. Maybe I could turn the wheel a bit more.
At that moment I was really glad that I bought AXA Full Coverage when I made the booking. When I ordered the car I was not sure if I should save that money. In the end I chose to get it because I was traveling alone and wanted more safety. After the scratch happened this choice felt like it saved me. For the next days I drove super carefully. Every time I parked I checked forward and back many times.
The return day was around the afternoon of July 11th in Rome. I drove to the city center return point and circled the area a few times before I found the entrance. The streets in Rome center are narrow and full of one way roads. I followed the map and kept complaining in my head about the signs. When I drove into the parking building the staff came to check the car. At first he moved fast. When he reached the scratched area he stopped and bent down to look closer. My whole body became tense again. I tried to look calm but in my mind I only had one line. I am going to be charged for this.
The staff explained that there was body damage and they needed to charge according to their rules. I could understand him but I still felt worried because I had no idea how much it would be. Later they gave me a bill. It was around seven hundred seventy euro. When I roughly changed it to dollars I knew this was not a small number. For a trip that was already finished in my head having this extra cost suddenly appear was a big pressure. I held the paper and kept telling myself I had insurance like I was trying to calm myself down.
When I went back I started to put all the things together. I opened the photos of the scratch one by one. I really did not want to look at them again but I had to choose the clear ones for the claim. My account is in the US so the amount in dollars was over eight hundred. I was afraid I might calculate something wrong and it would not match. During the claim they explained to me what they needed so I just focused on getting the damage details amount and photos ready. I remember there was a mistake about the time of the accident. It actually happened around three in the afternoon that day. I said this clearly and they helped change it to the right time. That made me feel less stressed because I did not have to fight with some strange form by myself.
When the payout result came I was ready for the idea that they might pay less. So it was a surprise when I saw the final amount was 882.65 dollars. It basically covered what the rental company charged me. When I saw that number I felt my body finally relax. It was like a heavy stone in my chest was taken away. I checked the rental bill again and compared the amounts. In my mind I did a small calculation and felt that I was really protected this time.
Looking back I think if I did not buy that AXA Full Coverage my memory of Italy would be destroyed by one scratch. One small mistake would turn into a huge cost. Just thinking about that makes me uncomfortable. Now when I remember the moment in the Rome parking building when the staff was checking the car I still feel a bit scared but there is also a strong feeling of luck. For me this experience showed in a very real way that this insurance which looked a bit extra at first was actually worth it when something happened. During the whole claim they kept following up with me and I did not feel abandoned. For someone traveling alone that feeling of being taken care of means a lot.
