Dedicated customer serviceAt first I felt a bit nervous. I booked the car through QEEQ, picked it up in Queenstown and planned to return it in Christchurch. Around July eighth or ninth at midday I got the Honda CR V from the Europcar counter. It was automatic and easy to drive for my business trip. The problem was the money. When I paid at the counter I saw the deposit and the extra insurance fee. I kept asking myself when will the deposit come back and did they charge me more than I expected.
I checked my credit card bill by myself. The more I looked the more confused I became. One deposit amount stayed there and I also got a message about a failed charge. I asked myself if I made a mistake or if the rental company charged me again. I could not understand it so I decided to contact their support. My questions were simple. Did my deposit get refunded and what was that strange failed charge.
On their side one person followed my case. They told me they would ask the rental company. I asked again if the rental company only took the insurance upgrade and if my deposit was still frozen. They explained line by line and shared the amount that the rental company confirmed. They said only the insurance fee was taken and the rest of the deposit was released. I still worried and I asked about the failed charge message. I wanted to know if they would try to charge me again. They did not ignore me. They went back to the rental company to check if there were any unpaid fees.
After a few days I checked my card bill again. I saw that the deposit was not in the actual charged list anymore. Only the insurance fee that I agreed to stayed. I asked support one more time if there would be any extra charge later. Their answer was clear. The rental company had confirmed there were no pending costs. They also said if I ever got a new charge notice I could send the bill and they would check it with me. The whole process had some back and forth but I felt that someone was really following my problem and not just telling me to talk to the counter staff alone. As a business traveler who rents cars quite often this kind of care matters to me and it made me feel much more safe about booking through them.
Dedicated customer serviceI first want to ask something. When a parent travels with kids and meets confusing fees, who can really help to make things clear. I booked my car on QEEQ and picked up a Honda ZR V from Europcar in Christchurch. It was around the morning of June 19 and I went to the counter with my child. Everything was fine at the start and I thought driving to Queenstown and returning the car around the afternoon of June 22 would be simple.
The real trouble came later when the violation fees showed up. My phone showed a charge from the car rental saying it was a violation management fee. I was very confused because I remembered I had already paid around 30 NZD for parking once. I started to think something was wrong. At home I checked all the records while still watching my child. I had to read all the bills and codes in English and it felt more and more messy.
I tried to talk to the staff at the rental counter. They talked about contract rules and their process. It did not really help me understand and I still was not sure about the difference between the fine and the management fee. At that time their customer service team contacted me and asked me to send all the payment records I had. I sent the 30 NZD payment screenshot and the electronic ticket I could find. I was quite anxious because my kid asked me if we were being fined a lot. I had to calm him and also try to understand these fees.
Their team kept talking with the rental company. Each time they got a reply they explained it to me again. They did not use hard words. They talked step by step and showed me the difference between a management fee and the real fine. They also helped check that I actually had two parking violations so the rental company charged two management fees. The final result was that the rental company still kept the fees, but during the whole time I felt someone was really trying to check things for me and not just telling me to talk to the rental company on my own.
When I think back to the days driving from Christchurch to Queenstown, the trip itself was nice. The problem was the surprise fees at the end that made me feel bad. Their careful follow up let me handle my kid and my own work without having to fight with many people at the same time. I could feel they were standing on my side and helping me understand everything.
AXA Full Coverage"Are you really going to drive in another country" This was the first thing my sister asked me on the phone. I told her I booked a car on QEEQ and I also bought AXA Full Coverage. I said this insurance covers a lot so she does not need to worry too much.
I picked up a silver Toyota Yaris at the EZU office in Christchurch around ten in the morning on April 30th 2026. It was an automatic car and looked pretty new. I was very careful at first. I checked the body and took photos. In my head I kept thinking that I must not have any accident because it was my first time renting a car in another country.
The real problem came near the end. One night before returning the car I parked at a supermarket. When I came back I saw a long scratch on the side of the car. Some paint was gone. I just stared at it and started to blame myself. Maybe I parked too close to the line or someone hit the car and left. I felt very stressed. I thought I might need to pay a big amount.
Very early the next morning I went to return the car in Christchurch around five something on May 4th. It was still a bit dark. The staff at the rental counter saw the scratch during the inspection and his face got serious. He told me they needed to charge me for the damage. I did not catch every single word but I understood that the number was not small. They took a big damage deposit from me and I felt my travel budget was broken in one moment.
After returning the car I sent a message to my sister. She replied to me and said you bought AXA Full Coverage so try to claim it. That made me calm down. I started to collect my photos and documents and then I contacted customer service. The people at the rental desk were different from the people at customer service. I confused them at first but then I understood who was doing what.
After some days the rental company confirmed the official repair cost. I heard the final damage fee was 598 NZD. It was less than the first number so that was a little bit better. But they had already taken more from my card so they needed to refund 402 NZD to me. I do not have a credit card. I only have a Japanese bank card. This part made me nervous because I was scared the refund would be difficult.
Customer service asked me if I could use another person card for the refund. I had to ask my sister for help. She complained that I was not careful but she still sent me her credit card information. I passed it on to customer service so they could talk to the rental company. After that I just waited and checked the account many times.
The rental company also sent me a long email in English. It talked about the original charge and what was needed for a claim with a third party insurance. My English is not very strong so reading that email was tiring. My main understanding was they charged the high amount first then they would adjust after the repair and refund the extra part. I forwarded the email to customer service. I was really glad that I had AXA Full Coverage because I did not want to argue alone.
Around late June they told me the rental company had processed the refund but the money was not yet in my sister account. I kept asking my sister every few days. She checked her bank again and again. At the start of July she finally said she received about 410 NZD. I wrote down this number and sent a screenshot of the bank record to customer service.
Now the problem was the remaining part and how much AXA Full Coverage would pay. They helped me calculate. They checked the total amount the rental company took from me then subtracted the refund and looked at the real repair cost. They said the damage part I could claim was 651.82 NZD. I remember this number very clearly because I wrote it in my notebook.
After that there was a long period of back and forth. I got emails and sometimes calls asking me if I wanted the payment in NZD or another currency and if the amount was fine for me. In my mind I just wanted the case to finish because this scratch followed me for weeks.
Customer service talked with the insurance company and sent all the photos and papers. They included the repair document and the refund record from the rental company. At one point I saw a number of 618 NZD in an email and another number of 651.82 NZD somewhere else. I got worried that the final payment would be lower. I answered and said I wanted the claim amount to match the 651.82 NZD they calculated before. They told me they would try to keep that amount and even advance it.
After some more waiting the money finally arrived in my account. When I saw that payment I felt a big weight leaving my shoulders. The scratch on the car was no longer a scary thing. It became an accident that was already solved. I knew clearly that if I did not have AXA Full Coverage I might have paid most of the damage myself and also dealt with all the confusion about refund and different amounts.
When I think about this experience now I can still remember the moment in the parking lot when I first saw the scratch and felt lost. I also remember the moment when I opened my banking app and saw the claim money there. For a young person who is still studying this was a lot of pressure. I had to explain that I have no credit card and ask my sister for help and check many emails and numbers. The good thing is their customer service kept pushing the process forward and the insurance part worked. The damage claim was paid and I did not get stuck with a huge bill just because of one scratch.
AXA Full CoverageI want to start with a little complain. Having a flat tire in New Zealand is really stressful. I booked my car on QEEQ and I picked it up around the afternoon of June 19 in Christchurch. Alamo gave me a Toyota Corolla. It was automatic and felt easy to drive.
One day I drove out of the city. The road was quiet and I was enjoying the view. Then the car shook a bit. I stopped and checked. The tire was flat. I looked at it and my first thought was that this would cost a lot of money.
I called the rental company and they sent a tow truck. The staff checked the car and said they needed to tow it and fix the tire. He told me there would be towing, some rental cost and tire repair. The numbers sounded high to me. Around more than four hundred NZD in total. I said ok but inside I was thinking about my travel budget getting broken.
On the way back I remembered that I bought AXA Full Coverage. When I bought it I just thought it was extra safety. I did not expect to really use it. I told them what happened and the support team asked me to prepare the invoices and some photos. I was worried if all parts could be covered, especially the tow truck and the tire repair.
Later I sent the tire photos from the scene and the bill from the rental company. They asked me to confirm the amounts. I checked the invoice again. It was around 180 NZD for rental, about 100 NZD for towing and almost 300 NZD for the tire repair. The total was a bit over 400 NZD. These days I kept thinking about that flat tire moment and I was still a bit nervous that they might only pay part of it.
After some time they told me the approved amount was the same as the invoice and everything could be covered. I confirmed I could receive NZD and then I got around 400 NZD back from the claim. It almost fully covered the whole accident cost. I went from being scared about my budget to feeling like it was just a scare.
This flat tire was not a nice surprise but it made me feel that this insurance is really useful. It even covered the tow truck and tire repair. For an overseas visitor like me it gave me a lot more peace of mind.
Dedicated customer serviceMy problem was very simple. I needed an invoice that I could use for my company tax. This trip was for business. I arrived in Dunedin around June 28 and picked up a Kia Carnival from ACE Rental Cars the next morning. I returned the car on about July 3 in the afternoon. The car part was fine. What made me a bit nervous was my company finance team asking again and again for the invoice.
I felt a bit stressed. I thought maybe I would need to contact someone in New Zealand again. I sent an email to them and asked myself one question. Will they reply very slowly. Someone reached out to me quite soon. The person spoke in a calm way and first checked my company name and my email. I answered one by one. They also repeated each item to make sure it was correct. It felt like we were doing a small Q and A together and I felt much more relaxed.
Then I asked another question. Where do I actually get this invoice. They told me that I could download the receipt from my order page and that I could add my company details and tax number there. It sounded easy but without this clear direction I think I would click around the website for a long time. In that moment I felt that this was all I needed.
During the whole process I asked one question and they answered one question. I did not feel they were pushing me away. I felt that someone was watching my small problem and helping me close this business trip step by step. It was only about one invoice but I really felt they took care of my needs. For someone who travels for work a lot this is very important. QEEQ left a strong and good memory for me here.
Price Drop ProtectorI want to start with the feeling. At the end I saw that my car rental price became lower. I actually saved a bit of money and I only noticed it when I checked my bill. That trip was for New Zealand. I planned to rent a car in Queenstown because I was going there with my kid. A car would make it easier to move around with him. I booked through QEEQ and chose a Toyota Yaris from Yes Rentals, automatic, four doors, five seats. For us it was just right. My kid could sit in the back and it would not be too tight. We planned to pick up the car around late morning on July 30, around eleven something, and return it on July 31 in the afternoon.
When I made the booking I was a bit stressed. I am a parent and I have to think about a lot of things. Trip costs, safety, my kid’s mood. I paid the normal price and did my budget in my head. It looked okay so I did not think too much about the price after that. I did not keep checking it every day.
Some time later I was looking through my emails and my booking details. I saw that they made a new booking for me and the price was a little lower than my first one. I checked the payment details more carefully. I saw the price difference was sent back to me. It was only a few dollars but the feeling was special. It was like I suddenly earned money for nothing. Then I remembered that I had chosen the Price Drop Protector service. They keep watching the price for me. When the price goes down they help me rebook with the cheaper rate and then return the extra money I paid.
For someone traveling with a kid this is really helpful. My mind was full of other things like the route, the weather, food, naps for my child. I did not have the energy to track car rental prices all the time. They handled it for me. I did not need to do anything extra. I did not even feel the rebooking process. I only found out later when I saw the refund of the price difference.
The amount was not big but I felt happy. It was real savings. It meant I could keep a bit more budget for my kid. Maybe buy a small toy or have a nicer meal. When I think about this, I feel that Price Drop Protector fits parents like me very well. I do not have to watch the price and I still get money back when the rate drops. It feels like it quietly saves money for me while I am busy with my child and the trip.
