Dedicated customer serviceI remember that morning very clearly. My kids were rolling around on the hotel bed and I was packing their small backpacks while staring at my phone bill. I booked the car through QEEQ and my credit card suddenly showed what looked like an extra charge. My head went blank for a moment. I just kept想 about one thing. If I read this wrong it is fine. If this is really a double charge our budget for the next few days will be a mess.
A few days before that we came from the US to Ottawa in Canada with the kids. We arrived around the afternoon of June 5. On the next day around June 7 at about 3 pm I went to the Avis counter to pick up the car. It was a Toyota Corolla with automatic transmission and four doors and five seats. For a family with kids it was just right. The staff at the counter worked at a normal speed and nothing felt strange. I was pretty happy at that moment and only wanted to get the luggage and the kids settled in the car.
The real problem showed up after we returned the car early in the morning on June 9. That day it was a bit after 7 am. I parked the car and woke the kids up and checked that we did not leave anything in the car. Then I gave the keys back to the rental staff. It was quick and simple so I did not think much. When we got back to the hotel I checked my credit card and saw that the charge from the rental side did not match what I remembered from the booking. The more I looked at it the more it felt wrong and my chest got tight. It really looked like I was charged rent twice.
I checked my emails and screenshots again and again. I even went through my photos to find the old booking page. The more I compared the more sure I felt that something was off. Traveling with kids is already harder than traveling alone. The kids were asking for food beside me and I had to calm them while my eyes stayed on the numbers on the screen. I felt annoyed and also a bit tired. In my head I was saying to myself that maybe I should not have used any kind of prepay.
Later I reached out to their customer service. From the start they listened to my story and stayed patient. I sent every payment screenshot I could find. I could feel that they were trying to sort out which money I paid in advance and which money the rental company charged me later. For me this was much easier than trying to argue with the rental counter myself especially when I still needed to watch the kids.
In the next days I felt that one person was always watching this case for me. One time I had just put the kids to sleep when I got a message from them saying they had confirmed that the money I paid when I booked did not seem to be used by the rental place to lower the final bill. They told me not to worry too much and that they would try to get the extra part fixed. I felt a big wave of relief at that moment. At least someone was on my side and working on it so I did not have to stare at the bill alone and guess.
Later when I finally saw the refund notice I was playing with the kids in the room. They were jumping on the bed and I was sitting at the table with my phone. When I saw the message I felt calm again. I know this kind of problem does not get solved in a few seconds. During the whole process the person who talked to me always explained things in simple words and told me what might happen next. As a dad that made me feel more in control and I did not stay nervous all the time.
After this experience my biggest feeling is that when you travel with kids small problems become bigger and more annoying. When someone helps you watch one important problem like money you can put more energy on the children. The extra rental charge being handled in the end was important for our budget. I did not lose money and I did not need to spend more days arguing with the rental company. For a parent this kind of one to one follow up made the whole trip less stressful even if everything else was still busy.
Price Drop ProtectorThat day I was at home packing for my trip to Toronto. My laptop was open on the table and my flight email was on the screen. My coffee was already a bit cold. I suddenly remembered to check my car booking again, so I opened the confirmation from QEEQ. I saw the rental company was Avis and the car was a Chevrolet Impala. It was automatic, with four doors and five seats. I felt it was a good size for driving in the city and around the area. I started to count the cost in my head. From the end of June to the middle of July, the price did not look very cheap. I told myself it was high season so it made sense. Later I was on a video call with a friend and I told him about the car. He asked me if I checked prices again and if maybe it was cheaper now. I laughed and said I did not check because I was too lazy. After I said that, I still thought about it in my mind and felt that if the price dropped I would never know. A few days later I was on the subway. The signal was weak and my phone kept losing connection. Then a new email notification popped up. I opened it and saw it was about my car booking. My first thought was that maybe something was wrong with my trip. I read it more slowly and then I noticed they were telling me that because of the Price Drop Protector they found a lower price for the same car. They already made a new booking for me and they would give me the price difference back. I just stopped and stared at my screen for a moment in the train. I had only one thought in my head. I did nothing and still saved money. When I got home I sat down and opened the email again. I checked the old order number and the new one. The pick up and drop off were still in Toronto. The time was still around the afternoon a bit after three, from about June twenty sixth to mid July. The only change was the price. I do not care a lot about exact numbers but when I saw the difference was more than one hundred fifty zloty I felt much more relaxed. It was like my travel budget suddenly became a bit more free. I poured myself a fresh coffee and thought about it. If there was no such service I would never go back many times to check if the price went down. I am the type of person who forgets after booking and only checks again right before the trip. Now they noticed the lower price by themselves and changed my booking to the cheaper one. It felt like they did a lot of work for me. One time I even opened my bank account to look at the charge. I wanted to be sure they did not take more money. I saw that the final amount was actually lower than I remembered. I smiled at the screen and told myself that they just gave me money for a nice dinner. For a short moment I felt a bit nervous. I saw the new order number and I was afraid that the staff at the Avis counter might not see it or get confused. So I opened the email again and checked the pick up time and place. It was still in Toronto at the airport in the afternoon and still at the Avis counter. I even read my own name out loud to practice saying it slowly for the staff. My worry was not because they did something wrong. It was because I am the kind of person who checks the passport, phone and ticket many times before leaving the house. When I read the email again I saw they did not send any long or complicated explanation. They just told me in a simple way that the new booking was ready, the price was lower and the difference would come back to me. In my head I could see the moment I arrive. I walk out of the arrivals area with my suitcase and go to the Avis counter. I say my name and show my booking. The staff finds the new order and the car is ready. In the end I pay the cheaper price, not the first one. Thinking about this, I felt like someone was looking after me in the background. It was like they were watching the price for me and saying we changed it to a cheaper one for you. I usually do not write stories like this, but this time it felt a bit special. I did not argue about the price and I did not keep refreshing any page to find the lowest deal. I just made a normal booking and followed my plan. Then one day my phone told me that I saved money. As an overseas traveler I already have many things to worry about such as flights, visas, plans and hotels. It was very nice that at least one thing was handled by them in this way. It was not only about comfort. It turned into real money that stayed in my pocket. Later I talked with another friend and he asked if my budget for Toronto was very tight. I told him it was okay because the car rental became cheaper by surprise. He asked me how I did that. I said that when I booked, I chose a service called Price Drop Protector. When they found a lower price they changed my booking and sent the difference back to me. When I said that I also laughed a bit. In my head the name sounded like a shield in a video game but this time it worked on my wallet. I am usually a bit careless and lazy and I did not expect that this kind of service would cover for me. It felt like someone gave me a small push from behind at the right moment.
Dedicated customer serviceOn that business trip to Canada everything was going fine at first and I booked the car through QEEQ. I picked up an Avis car in North Vancouver around the morning of May 30. The fuel tank was not full when I got the car. I even took a photo of the dashboard. In my head I thought this might be useful later. A few days later I returned the car in Victoria around June 7. Before I went to the return lot I filled up more gas so the fuel level was higher than when I picked it up. I took another photo and I felt I did everything very carefully.
When I checked the bill at the hotel I was really confused. There was a fuel charge of over 100 CAD on it. My first thought was this makes no sense because I brought the car back with more fuel. As a business traveler this kind of small problem can really hurt my mood and it also makes expense reports harder. I was a bit upset and also worried that it would be very hard to talk to the rental company.
I organized the photos of the dashboard from pickup and return and then I contacted their customer support. At first I was thinking maybe they would ask me to deal with the rental counter by myself. They did not do that. They listened to my story carefully and asked me for the photos then they started to follow up for me. I felt a bit nervous during that time and I kept thinking if they cannot explain this for me I will be in trouble. They kept giving me small updates so I knew the case was moving and I did not feel ignored.
After some time the support team told me they had got a refund for the fuel charge and the amount was almost all of what I was charged by mistake. When I saw the 100 plus CAD back in my account I felt a huge relief and I was really glad I took those photos. During the whole process I felt someone was speaking for me and helping me explain things clearly. I did not have to spend a lot of time and energy arguing with the rental company and for a business traveler who is always flying around this means a lot.
AXA Full CoverageLet me complain first. It is really tiring to take care of kids and also worry about the car getting scratched. I booked my car on QEEQ and in the middle of March I rented a Nissan Kicks from Avis in Calgary. It was automatic with four doors and five seats so it was good for my family. At that time I gave myself some protection and bought AXA Full Coverage. I told myself if something bad happened I would not panic too much. Later I really got scared for a while.
Here is how it went. First I saw some information from the rental side and it looked like there might be some damage record for my rental. My first thought was that I was in trouble. Would they charge me a big amount of money. I started to do the math in my head. I thought about the cost for my kid and I thought about maybe paying close to eight hundred dollars. I even wondered if I needed to cut other parts of my plans. For a few days my mind was full of the same questions. Do I need to pay. Will the insurance help me.
Then I began to confirm things step by step. I already prepared all the documents for a claim because I was ready for the worst case. If the rental company asked me to pay I would try to use AXA Full Coverage to get the money back. When it came to the key moment the rental company said there was no damage on this booking. The other side also said there was no damage. I was confused for a second and I asked again. So there is really no charge. They said there was no damage fee to pay. In that moment I felt a big stone drop from my heart and it felt like I just saved a lot of money.
When I think about it now I know that if I did not buy AXA Full Coverage I would be much more stressed in those few days. I would look after my kid and at the same time be scared of a sudden charge on my card so I could not really rest. In the end I did not need to use the claim. Still I am very clear about one thing. If something really happened I would at least have this insurance to stand in front of me. This kind of safety feeling is very important for a parent who travels with kids.
One-Dollar FreezeOn this trip to Canada I booked my car through QEEQ. My travel plan was not very fixed and I was scared that the car I wanted would be gone. I saw there was a service called One-Dollar Freeze and it felt just right for me. I only paid 1 dollar first to lock the car. My mind felt a lot lighter because I did not need to pay a big amount at once.
Around two days before the trip I started to feel a bit nervous about all the plans. Then I remembered that the rest of the money would be taken before the rental started and it would be done automatically. I just needed to put enough money in my card. There was no extra step for me. For someone like me who is still in school and always counting every dollar this way of payment gives much less pressure.
When I arrived in Charlottetown around noon on June 11 I went to the Avis counter to pick up my Toyota Corolla. The staff checked my booking and everything went smooth. I thought to myself that it was good I used the 1 dollar booking way before because when I first booked I really did not have that big budget ready.
Later when I was driving toward Halifax I checked my bill on my phone. The payment amount was just what I expected and there was no strange extra charge. For me the whole thing felt like I could save my spot with a car without paying a lot at the start. It feels very friendly for students or anyone with a tight budget.
One-Dollar FreezeWhen I booked this car through QEEQ I actually felt pretty relaxed because I only paid 1 dollar at the start to lock the car. I was in Australia at that time and I was looking at my business schedule in Vancouver and also checking all my costs. I was worried my credit card limit would be tight. If I had to pay a big amount first I would think twice. Then I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option on my booking. I decided to try it. When the order was confirmed the bill only showed that 1 dollar. I even checked my card record. My mind felt lighter right away. The trip felt fixed and I did not feel so stressed. In the days before June 11 I changed some of my other business plans a few times but the car was already booked. I did not need to search again or worry about new prices. I just needed to be ready to pay the rest later. When it got close to my flight to Vancouver I was a bit nervous. I was scared there might be some hidden fees or extra interest. Before the rental started the rest of the money was charged automatically. The amount was the same as the price I saw at the beginning. There was no interest and no strange service fee. I only got a text from my credit card that the payment was done so I knew the car was waiting for me. As a business traveler I really hate it when a big payment hits my card long before the trip. If my company pays me back late it is a lot of pressure on my own card. This time I used just 1 dollar to hold the car and the rest was charged automatically close to the pick up date. The whole payment process felt very easy and my credit card压力 was much lower so I could focus more on my work plans in Vancouver.
