Dedicated customer serviceThe scene I remember most is me sitting at my desk at home staring at my phone. There was an email saying the money was sent to my account and the case was closed. I finally let out a long breath and felt glad that I booked through QEEQ.
A bit earlier in time it was around the beginning of April. I was in Costa Rica and picked up the car around noon on April 1 in San Jose. I had booked a Mitsubishi Montero Sport with Avis with automatic and seven seats. I wanted a big car to drive all the way to Liberia. When I reached the counter the car they gave me looked smaller than what I booked. It really felt like a downgrade. I was confused and not happy but I also did not want to lose time so I just took the car and left.
The real problem showed up on the bill. Back at the hotel I checked the paper and the amount looked wrong. It seemed like they charged me for a bit more days than we planned and there were some extras that I never wanted. Things like extra roadside help and glass and tire cover. I remember I only agreed to add one extra insurance at the counter. For the rest I said no. So when I saw the details I was pretty upset.
I first tried to deal with the rental company myself. I sent emails and said I only accepted one extra insurance and that the car was not the same level as my booking. The rental company basically said they would not return any of the extra charges and they did not admit any downgrade. Their reply felt very firm. At that time I was already back in the States and the time difference made everything more tiring. I felt angry and also kind of powerless.
Then I contacted their customer service and that was when I felt there was someone walking through the whole thing with me. From my first call there was one person who kept following my case. It was not a new voice every time with a new story. He checked with me which insurance I really accepted and helped me organize my side of the story. Then he went to check the amounts and the rental days with the rental company and with their own team. From how he talked I could feel he also thought it was strange that the contract charged around eleven days like that.
For a few days I checked my phone almost every day to see if there was any update. Every time there was progress they reached out to me first. They told me what the rental company said and what they planned to do next. One time the rental company sent me an email and said clearly they would not refund the extra fees and they copied them in the email. When I read that email I felt kind of crushed and thought this was the end. Then the support person contacted me again. He calmed me down and told me that since the rental company refused they would try another way to help me.
At the end they offered a payout of about one hundred dollars so I did not have to keep fighting over all those weird charges. I felt that at least someone was on my side and was willing to clean up the mess a little so I agreed. After that there was the usual step of filling my bank details. I even made a mistake with the account name and the payment got rejected so we had to do it again. They sent me a new link and patiently explained what I should put as the account name. It did not feel like cold canned answers. It felt like they really wanted to help me finish this.
From picking up the car in San Jose to returning it around April 10 in Liberia my feelings about the rental were mixed. On one side the extra charges from the rental company made me really annoyed. On the other side there was always someone from their side watching this case talking to me and giving me updates so I did not feel abandoned. When I knew the rental company would not give any money back and they still decided to pay part of it themselves I felt respected.
So when I sat at home and saw the compensation finally arrive I thought that if I had fought with the rental company alone I would probably just lose that money quietly. The whole process was long and a bit tiring but having one person follow up from start to finish and explain and coordinate step by step slowly brought things to a result I could accept. For a visitor from abroad going to Costa Rica this kind of dedicated help mattered more to me than the exact car model I got at the beginning.
Dedicated customer serviceI have to say if I did not book through QEEQ at the start I would probably be very mad about this rental. I booked an SUV in Liberia Costa Rica for a work trip. It was a Mitsubishi Montero Sport with Avis. My plan was to rent it for about a week. On my booking it showed that I would pick up the car in the middle of February around 3 pm and return it a week later around 2 pm. I arranged my meetings around that time.
On the pick up day I reached the Avis counter a bit early. It was around two something in the afternoon because I wanted to finish the paperwork and then go to my meeting. The staff at the counter was okay at the beginning but soon he started to talk about many extra fees. He said I had to pay a few hundred dollars for more insurance and some services and said this was how it worked there. He spoke very fast and kept pointing at the contract. I felt nervous because this was a business trip and my schedule was tight. I did not want to argue at the counter. I remember I clearly refused the full coverage because my credit card already has that type of insurance. But he kept saying I still must pay for some extra things. I felt something was wrong but I was afraid to be late for my plan so I just paid and left with the car.
The real problem started after I returned the car. I went back to the Liberia location a bit earlier than I planned maybe after one in the afternoon. I parked the car there. To me the car was fine and the fuel was basically at the level they asked for. The staff did a quick check. I thought everything was done. A few days later when I was back in the United States I checked my credit card bill and saw a huge extra charge. I was shocked. There was more than one thousand dollars of extra fees. On the bill it showed third party insurance extra driver road assistance glass and tire cover one tank of fuel and something called Miscellaneous Charges with a very big amount. I did the math. I only agreed with a small part of the cost that was about forty dollars. The rest I never clearly accepted.
At that moment I was angry and also stressed because I was on a business trip and I did not want my energy to go to this kind of problem. I contacted their customer service right away. In my mind I was ready for a long fight. The person who replied to me surprised me a bit. They went through my situation step by step and did not push the problem back to me. They said they would ask the rental company and asked me to share what I remembered about the times and what fees the counter staff told me about. I was pretty emotional. I said I only accepted that small ADR fee and all the other parts should be refunded. They did not cut me off. They helped me make my story clear.
In the next days I could feel that someone was really following my case. From time to time I got emails with updates about what the rental company said and what each part of the cost meant and what I could still do. For example they asked me if I had proof that the fuel was full when I returned the car and if I had any photos of the car with the time shown. They explained that these things could help in the talk with the rental company. I later realized I did not keep many photos so I knew that put me in a weaker position but at least I understood why it was harder to argue and I did not feel left alone.
They also broke down the money for me. They told me which part was the one I knew like the fuel and the ADR fee and which part was a damage cost that the rental company claimed. They also explained that the big Miscellaneous Charges was actually connected to the damage. When I heard the words damage fee I felt very upset because in my memory the car was fine when I brought it back and I even talked to the staff about it there. I remember I told them I did not agree with that cost. But after the customer service helped me check everything I learned that the rental company gave them a repair bill. So it was not just some random fee.
This whole story was not easy and I did spend time writing emails and explaining things. But during the process I always felt there was someone on my side. They turned a very confusing and scary bill into something I could understand in simple words and then told me what choices I had. For a business traveler this feeling of being taken care of is very important. Some of the fees did not end up exactly how I wanted but without this one to one follow up and explanation I would only keep a memory of being charged a big amount for nothing. Now at least I know where the money went and why this trouble happened in the first place.
AXA Full CoverageCan you really get your money back when a rental car is damaged in another country? I only truly relaxed when I saw the claim payment arrive in my account. I had booked the car on QEEQ for a business trip to San José, Costa Rica in mid March. I picked up a Mitsubishi Asx from Europcar around the morning of March 11. The air was hot and heavy when I walked out to the parking lot with my carry on. I saw the silver car and felt pretty happy. I thought this car would carry me through all the client meetings. Near the end of the trip, the accident happened. One evening I was driving back to San José. A car next to me suddenly changed lane. I turned the wheel fast and my car scraped the barrier on the side of the road. The sound of the brake was sharp and harsh. When the car stopped I froze for a few seconds. My hands were shaking. I got out and checked. There was a big scratch on the bumper and a dent. The street lights were slowly turning on. The air smelled wet and heavy. My first thought was I am in trouble now this will cost a lot. I returned the car about the afternoon of March 20 at the San José office. The desk staff walked around the car slowly. His face turned serious. He started taking pictures and brought out some papers. He tried to explain the damage cost. His accent was a bit strong. I only caught that it was over one thousand dollars. My heart sank. I saw my travel budget breaking in my head and also thought about how I would explain this in my expense report. I had bought AXA Full Coverage from them before the trip because it said it could cover damage, theft, glass, tires and so on and the cover could go up to fifty thousand dollars. Standing at the counter I felt lucky that I bought it. At the same time I was worried the claim might be a mess and maybe they would not pay at the end. Back at the hotel I took clear photos of the damage one by one. The light on the car paint was too bright. I had to squat down to find the right angle. My trousers got dust on them. In my head I kept blaming myself for not being careful. I also kept thinking if this claim does not work this trip will become a loss for my company. When I reached the customer service team I sent them all the photos. The wording on the policy was a bit hard for me so I just kept asking one thing. Can this case be covered. They told me to send all I had and said they would help deal with the rental company and the insurer. As someone who flies a lot for work the last thing I want is to fight with a rental counter alone and argue about terms I do not fully understand. Over the next days I went back to my normal work. I joined meetings and replied to emails. In the back of my mind I was still thinking about the claim. From my side I only saw that they kept following up. When they needed to confirm an amount or a currency they contacted me and asked in a calm way. There was no feeling that I was bothering them. When I first saw the number it was a little over one thousand US dollars. I checked it with what I remembered and also with my card pre authorization. I confirmed I wanted it in US dollars and I told them how much I expected to be covered. For a business traveler every amount is part of the cost control so I was ready for the worst outcome. One morning at the office I turned on my laptop and an email popped up. It said the claim was approved and the payment would be 1184.74 US dollars. I read the number twice then checked my account. When I saw the money really there my shoulders finally relaxed. It felt a bit like finishing a big project overnight and the client saying yes. The stress just drops away. When I think back the main thing I feel is this. Without AXA Full Coverage I might still be arguing with the rental company or I would have simply paid the one thousand plus dollars myself. First I was scared at the counter when I heard the damage bill. Then step by step I got that money back. As someone who travels to many countries for work a small accident on the road can break a whole budget. This time the car damage was fully reimbursed and that gave me a lot more trust in this kind of extra cover from them. Next time I drive in a country where I do not know the roads so well I will feel less nervous.
Dedicated customer serviceI booked my car on QEEQ and went to San Jose in Costa Rica with my kid. The plan was to pick up the car around ten in the morning on March 17 at Routes and drive a Toyota Rush or a similar car for my family. That morning the sun was very strong. My kid was a bit restless beside me while I dragged our bags to the counter. I felt a bit nervous and hoped I did not miss any document.
At the counter the staff told me that my personal insurance did not meet their rule. They also said I arrived late so they could not promise the car I booked. They only had a smaller car for me and they would add extra insurance fees into the contract. I was confused right away. My kid asked me why we had to wait so long. I just told the kid to sit and rest first.
I tried to explain that my insurance was from Canada and it was full coverage. The staff kept shaking their head and said they did not accept this kind of overseas insurance. Their tone was very firm. I did not feel safe but I still had to sign and take the car. On the road I felt I paid more money than I should and the car was smaller than I planned. It was hard to fit the stroller and all our luggage.
When we got back to our place I felt worse and worse about it. I decided to contact customer service and told them everything that happened. I told them about the added SLI and ERA and the downgrade of the car. At the start I probably sounded a bit angry because I felt it was very unfair. I had checked the rules before the trip and still ended up like this.
The customer service person who took my case was very patient. They did not blame me for being upset. They asked me step by step what happened and asked me to send photos of the contract, the invoice and my own insurance papers. For quite some time I got messages from them quite often. They kept telling me how the communication with the rental company was going and what the new progress was.
I remember clearly that this person did not just push all the blame to the rental company or to me. They explained the terms in simple words. They told me that local rental companies have their own rules for overseas insurance. Even if my Canadian insurance was full coverage they might still not accept it. They also reminded me that when you arrive late the car model cannot be fully guaranteed. When I heard that I still did not feel very happy but at least I finally knew what was really going on instead of being pushed back and forth.
One night I was putting my kid to sleep and I saw a new message from them. They said they had gone back again to ask if there could be some kind of compensation or discount. The whole thing was not easy but at that moment I felt someone really remembered my problem and cared about it. It did not feel like the kind of support where they answer once and then disappear. The way they wrote was not very formal. It felt more like a friend who knows the local rules and helps me think about my choices and what they mean.
In the end they sent me a coupon and also walked me through the whole story again. They gave me some tips for next time in similar countries such as checking early if my insurance is accepted and leaving more time so I do not arrive late. When I read those messages I felt that even though the start of this rental was pretty bad and the rental counter experience was not good, at least during all the days after that there was someone following my case and trying to keep my loss as small as possible.
As a parent traveling with a kid this kind of one to one follow up feels very important to me. When something goes wrong it helps a lot when someone is really listening to you, helping you understand the problem and not forgetting you in the middle of the process. That support took away a lot of my stress during this trip.
AXA Full CoverageIs it really safe to rent a car alone in Central America without worrying about accidents? When I booked my car on QEEQ, this was already in my mind. I chose to pick up the car in Liberia in Costa Rica around the morning of March 19th 2026 at about nine o clock. I got a Toyota Yaris from Amigo Rent A Car. It was an automatic small car. I planned to drive to San José and return it there a few days later. Since I was traveling alone, I bought AXA Full Coverage from the start. I thought if there was any scratch or glass damage I would not need to be scared all the time.
The first few days were actually fine. The roads were a bit rough but I drove slowly and tried to avoid bad parts. I really thought I would never need the insurance. Then on the way back from a small town to San José something happened. It had just rained and there was some mud and many small stones on the side. I was driving behind a big truck when I suddenly heard a loud pop. A small rock flew up and hit my front windshield. There was a clear small crack. I was shocked and my mind went straight to the cost. I was afraid the rental staff would charge a lot and speak many words I could not fully follow.
On the return day I went to the San José office a bit earlier than I planned. It was around the morning of March 25th at nine. The staff checked the car and very quickly saw the crack on the glass. He frowned and told me this was new damage and I needed to pay for it. He took out a form and showed me the amount. I could understand the basic idea. It was not a small number. At that moment I was really nervous. I kept thinking if my card limit was enough and if I would have to cut my budget for the rest of the trip.
Then I remembered AXA Full Coverage. I tried to stay calm and asked the rental staff to make the damage cost clear and give me all the papers. I still paid them first as they asked. After that I kept all the receipts and took photos of the car and the crack. I stood outside the office, circling around the Yaris and taking pictures again and again. In my head I was thinking if this insurance really works and if the claim will be too hard.
When I got back to my place I started to organize everything. I put together the damage photos, the receipts and the rental contract. Since I was alone, I was scared to miss anything. I really did not want the claim to fail just because I forgot one small thing. After I prepared all the documents I sent them in the way I was told. When I finished sending them I felt a bit nervous. I could only wait for news and I did not know how long it would take.
After a few days their customer service reached out to me and checked some simple details. They asked things I could answer easily like when it happened and where the damage was on the car. The person sounded calm and polite. I did not feel like they were doubting me. I relaxed a little and felt that they were trying to help me solve the problem.
Some time later I checked my money and saw the claim was paid. The amount was 159.44 British pounds. My mood changed from thinking I would lose a lot of money to feeling really glad I bought that insurance. For someone like me who counts every pound, this amount is important. It can cover several nights in a basic hostel or a few better meals.
What stayed in my mind is that the whole thing did not feel too complex from my side. I could understand what was going on and I just waited quietly while they handled it. Then the refund arrived. I also thought about what would happen if I did not buy AXA Full Coverage. That small crack on the glass would be fully my problem and a big part of my travel budget would be gone.
On this solo trip to Costa Rica my biggest fear was car trouble on unknown roads with no friends around. When the damage really happened my first thought was that I was in big trouble. But then I remembered I had already bought the insurance. Because of that I did not break down. I stayed calm and followed the steps of taking photos, paying the rental company, and then going through the claim. Now when I look back this problem did not ruin my trip. It made me feel that if I buy the right insurance, renting a car alone in another country is not as scary as I thought.
One-Dollar FreezeI was standing next to the parking lot in Quepos Costa Rica looking at the seven seat Isuzu MU X. The sun was on the car and the silver color was a bit shiny. The air felt warm and a little wet from the sea breeze. My bags were already in the trunk and I was getting ready to go see a client. At that moment I suddenly remembered that when I first booked this car I only paid 1 dollar to lock it. It still felt a bit unreal to me.
If I go back about two weeks I was in Canada and busy with other projects. My boss added this Costa Rica trip on short notice. I looked at the schedule and did some budget math in my head. The flight tickets were not cheap and the hotel was also tight on price. I did not want to put a big charge on my credit card all at once so I kept delaying the car booking. A friend told me to try QEEQ. I went online and checked some cars. I liked this Flexways Isuzu MU X. It was automatic and had seven seats. It looked good enough for business and also for taking my team around.
After I chose the car I thought I would need to pay a big amount in advance. I was still thinking if I should wait a bit. Then I saw something called One-Dollar Freeze. It said I just need to pay 1 dollar first and the rest will be charged automatically before the pick up date and there is no interest. I did not really believe it at first. I read it a few times and saw that it was really that simple. I told myself that 1 dollar is no pressure so I might as well lock the car and think later.
That day was in early March. In the afternoon I was in my office with my laptop open. I was replying to emails and at the same time I made the booking. When I clicked confirm my credit card only showed a charge of 1 dollar. I checked my statement and felt quite relaxed. The rest of the limit on the card could still cover flight changes and business meals and other costs. For a business traveler like me this feeling is important. I do not like a big hold on my card right away.
In the days after that I did not worry much about the car. A few days later my bank sent me a text. I saw that the rest of the rental fee was charged before my trip started. The amount was the same as I saw before and there were no extra fees. I was working on my presentation at that moment. I just looked once to see that the payment went through and then went back to my slides. It felt like the plan was smooth. I did not need to remember some due date for the final payment and I did not need to worry that my booking would be canceled because I forgot to pay.
When I arrived in Quepos I went to pick up the car around ten in the morning. The time was about one day later than my first idea but it did not really change my plan. The air outside the airport was hot and a bit heavy. I pulled my suitcase out of the hall and saw the rental staff with a sign. At the counter I just followed the normal process. I showed my documents and signed the papers. There was no problem with payment because the money had already been charged before. I already knew the amount so I did not have to stand there and calculate things at the last minute.
I remember while I was in line the person in front of me was arguing with the desk about some fee. He looked stressed. I stood behind him and felt a bit lucky that I had sorted my payment in advance. My mind was calm. I only needed to confirm my booking number and the car model. Then I took the keys and went to check the car. The Isuzu MU X was clean inside and the seats felt comfortable. When I sat down I again had that feeling of being glad that I booked it earlier with just 1 dollar.
For me the best part of this One-Dollar Freeze was that there was no interest and it did not use up a lot of my credit card limit at the start. At that time I was planning two trips for work. My card already had some holds from flights and hotels. If the car rental also took a big amount at once I would need to adjust other spending. Instead I only paid 1 dollar first to secure the car. The rest was charged later automatically. I just needed to make sure my card had enough space before I flew out.
Business trips can change a lot. A small change in plan can move all the costs around. During that time I felt a bit nervous. I was afraid I would miss something in the budget or that something big would appear later. Since I only paid 1 dollar at the start I felt I had some room. If I really had to change the plan the loss would not be too big. When my schedule finally became stable and I saw the full payment go through I could remove this item from my mind and focus on the client meetings.
I returned the car near the end of the month at about ten in the morning. I drove it back to the drop off point in Quepos. After the staff checked the car I got ready to go to the airport. I thought about the whole process from that moment in my office when I clicked pay with just 1 dollar to the smooth return of the car. This payment style felt very right for me as a business traveler who moves around a lot. At the start when my budget was tight it helped me avoid heavy pressure on my card. Later when the rest of the money was charged it felt natural and easy. I did not have to fight with numbers in my head all the time. I could just focus on my work and my meetings.
