At first I really wanted to complain. I came alone to Catania in Sicily and thought I planned everything well. I booked a car on QEEQ and also bought AXA Full Coverage. I told myself I paid more so I could feel safe. Then the problem came very fast. I picked up the Volkswagen T cross at the airport on May 5 in the evening. The next night on May 6 I was driving alone in the city. The streets were narrow and I kept going in circles to find a parking spot. I got nervous. When I tried to park the car I heard a small scratching sound. It was not very loud but my heart dropped right away. After I parked I went out to check. There was a clear scratch on the side of the door. My first thought was that the rental company would charge me a lot. On the last day I went back to the Catania office a bit earlier than planned. It was around the evening on May 9. The staff checked the car very carefully. He took photos and his face looked serious. I stood there acting calm but inside I was already doing the math. Three hundred euros deposit plus some unknown repair fee. My mind felt a bit numb. When we finished the return he told me they might charge my credit card. I needed to wait for their final calculation. At that moment I was really glad I had bought AXA Full Coverage. I knew I at least had one more chance to get my money back. A few days later I saw my credit card bill. My mood went down again. The bill showed 442 euros. Three hundred euros was the deposit and the rest was for damage and some extra things. I sat in front of my laptop and stared at the number for a long time. I only had one thought. I must try to get this money back. If not my solo trip would become a solo money loss. I contacted them and put together all the files I could find. The contract the bill the photos. I kept checking everything again and again. I was afraid I would miss something and fail the claim. The first time I sent the documents I was not very sure. I felt something might be wrong. Later they told me I still needed to add more proof. So I complained in my head while I searched for more emails and records. During those days I checked my credit card app almost every day to see if the rental company sent any refund. At the start there was nothing. The 442 euros just stayed there and made me feel annoyed. I was worried the rental company would not give anything back and I was also worried the insurance claim would be very hard. After some time the rental company finally sent me an email. They said they would refund a small part to me. It was a bit more than thirty euros. When I saw this number I felt strange. It looked like a random amount and I did not really understand it. But I also did not want to make it more messy. Later my credit card showed a refund of 37 euros. I checked it again and they asked me to send the new bill to them. By then my mood had changed. At first I was close to breaking down. Now I started to feel a bit more relaxed because at least the rental company was not totally silent. The key moment for me was when they told me the damage part was 263 euros and it could be covered by AXA Full Coverage. At that time I felt like someone was finally standing on my side. All the trouble of finding documents and screenshots did not feel so heavy anymore. I just wanted that money back so my travel budget could breathe again. I remember very clearly that around late May they told me the claim was approved and the amount was 263 euros. When I saw this number my first reaction was not that I made money. I simply let out a long breath and said in my head that I was lucky I clicked that insurance option. Without it this money would be gone for sure. For someone like me who likes to travel alone the worst thing is an extra cost like this in another country. It makes you feel nervous and also a bit helpless. During those days I often imagined the worst situation. I thought maybe the rental company would not refund anything and maybe the insurance would also refuse me. In that case I would have to pay all of it by myself. But they kept checking the details with me and helped me confirm the right numbers. In the end the claim was paid and it made me feel I was not fighting alone. I still felt a bit tired by the process. I had to search for many files and confirm every bill again and again. When the 263 euros was finally paid I felt something very real. It was like my trip was stable again. Now when I look back I think the AXA Full Coverage I bought with my booking is the reason this small accident did not destroy my whole mood. It carried the big pressure from this damage cost for me. Next time when I rent a car I will probably buy this kind of cover again. Maybe I will never use it. But knowing it is there makes me feel safer when I travel alone.
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