Dedicated customer serviceThe day I returned the car, the sun in Exmouth was really bright. I was lifting my kid out of the Kia Sportage and trying to keep him from running off, while I was also counting our costs in my head. At the rental counter everything looked normal. I handed back the keys, signed the paper and left. In my mind I was already thinking about what to cook for my kid that night. A few days later back home in the UK, I checked my bank card and saw a charge of a bit over one hundred pounds. I just stared at the screen. My first thought was what is this again. After a few checks I saw it was from that rental I booked with QEEQ. I felt quite stressed. With a kid, every trip already costs a lot and this kind of surprise fee really hurts. I contacted their customer service and told them everything I knew. I even went to find the photo I took of the mileage when I returned the car. In that photo I could see my kid’s legs sticking out near the front seat. I thought to myself good thing I took this picture. The staff checked the mileage with me. I said it was 39072 when I returned the car but the paper from the rental company said 39702. I felt it was not fair and I told them they must have written it down wrong and that I had proof. They asked me to send the photo and reminded me to show the time on it. I was doing all this while thinking if I was alone I might not be so careful, but with a kid I have to watch everything. Later they told me they would keep talking with the rental company and that it was about a mileage fee. They also said they would keep following the case. I got some email updates. I remember reading one while cutting fruit for my kid in the kitchen. I felt someone was helping me carry this problem so I was not fighting the rental company alone. At one point they shared a refund amount they could get for me and asked if I was okay with it. I did a quick count and felt it was basically fair so I agreed. I really felt looked after at that moment. It was like they were saying you take care of your kid and we will deal with the rental company. When the refund finally showed up on my card I saw the number on my phone and felt a big weight off my chest. This thing that was hanging over me was finally done. Later they asked me to pay back the part they had fronted for me and I did that as well. The whole thing was not super fast but it also did not feel endless. The main thing for me was I could feel that someone remembered my case and kept checking on it. For a parent, that feeling of someone staying on your side and watching the problem for you is really important. Even when my kid was shouting and I was tired, I still felt calmer because I knew they were still helping me with this wrong charge.
AXA Full Coverage"Dad what happened to the car" my kid asked me from the back seat in a car park in Launceston. I looked at the back of the Toyota Corolla and saw a scrape on the bumper. My mind went blank. I just thought one thing. I am in trouble and this will cost a lot.
I booked the car through QEEQ a few days earlier. I picked it up in Launceston and planned to drive to Hobart and return it about four days later. When I made the booking I chose AXA Full Coverage. My idea was simple. I drive in another country with a kid in the car and I feel nervous so one more layer of insurance should make me feel safer. I did not think I would use it so soon.
My first question to myself was. Is this very serious. Do I need to go to the counter right now. Then I remembered I bought full coverage. So I contacted their customer service and told them what happened. I also sent some photos of the damage. I was a bit stressed at that time. I had to calm my kid down and I also worried that my English was not clear.
They told me not to worry too much and said this kind of damage was inside the insurance cover. They asked me to follow the normal return process with the rental company and said when the final bill and payment came out I could send all records to them. When I heard this I felt a bit better because at least I did not need to pay a big amount on the spot.
A few days later I arrived in Hobart and returned the car. The staff checked the car and told me there was a damage fee of a bit more than 400 AUD. I agreed to pay but in my heart I was not happy. This money could pay for many fun things for me and my kid in Australia. After that I went back and prepared all the things they needed. I put together the charge from the rental company, the bank payment record, my driving license, my passport and the damage photos. Then I sent them all to the support team.
After this it turned into a simple question and answer process. I had just relaxed a little and they came back and asked me if I could also provide both sides of my ID card. I was surprised because I did not think of that. I checked my phone and saw I only had one side so I took a new photo of the other side and sent it. Some time later they told me that the number I gave looked like a credit card and they needed a debit card account plus the exact bank name and branch. I opened my China banking app and started to look for all this info and I laughed at myself because I did not prepare these things earlier.
During this time I also asked them many things. I asked if my files were enough and how long it might take. They kept replying and said they were still following my case and asked me to wait a bit. I was worried they might not pay or maybe pay only part of it because the rental contract showed an excess of more than 5000 AUD which looked really scary.
After some time they contacted me again and told me the insurance side had approved my claim and would pay 459.32 AUD. They reminded me to check my account. I even asked again to make sure. I said so this means I get back the full damage cost right. When they said yes I finally felt really relaxed. It was like this damage became just a scary memory but at least the money came back.
As a parent driving in another country with a kid this whole thing really showed me the value of AXA Full Coverage. At first I bought it only because I felt unsafe. Now I can see very clearly that without this insurance I would have to pay the four hundred plus AUD by myself. The process of sending and fixing all the documents was a bit tiring but when the 459.32 AUD arrived I felt it was worth it and I am more confident to rent a car again for my family next time.
AXA Full CoverageWhen I think about that broken windshield now the first picture in my head is the parking lot in Proserpine in Australia. The sky was really blue and the wind was strong. My kid was in the back seat asking to get out and take photos. I parked the Toyota Corolla from Europcar and thought the car was just right for the three of us. It was around three in the afternoon on April 9 and I was getting ready to return the car. I had picked it up the day before around the same time. It was supposed to be a very normal rental. Then I started the engine to drive to the return area and I heard a sharp pop. I froze. A clear crack showed up on the front windshield. It looked like a small lightning line growing to the side. My kid said from the back seat “Dad what happened to the glass.” My heart dropped and I only had one thought. This is bad and this will cost a lot of money. At that moment I was so glad I had picked AXA Full Coverage when I booked with QEEQ but I still was not sure if it could really cover this big damage. At the Europcar return zone the staff walked around the car. He looked up and saw the crack and his face changed right away. He called me over and showed me the check sheet. He said this was serious glass damage and they had to charge it by their rules. I understood the main idea. The bill would not be small. I started to count our trip budget in my head and I felt really tight inside. My kid asked in a low voice “Do we need to pay a lot of money.” I just said “Do not worry yet. I bought insurance. We see what happens.” At the counter I opened the email on my phone that showed I had AXA Full Coverage. The staff said they would still follow the normal process and the damage cost would first go to me but I could claim it with the insurance. He spoke pretty fast and I was a bit nervous so I just kept nodding. After we left the car lot I sat on a bench nearby and looked at the messages on my phone. My mind was kind of messy. One thousand five hundred and twenty three dollars is not a small number for a family trip with a kid. I started to put together all the things for the claim. I wrote the story of what happened and I checked the plate number and the contract number. I took clear photos of the glass. My kid asked “Will they really give us the money back.” I said “They should. This is what this insurance is for.” But inside I was worried. Later the customer service contacted me and reminded me to complete the details for the claim. I needed to write my home address and my bank account clearly. I used my address in Argentina on Obispo San Alberto. I was nervous and I even wrote my bank account wrong the first time. After some time they reached out and told me the account had a problem and I needed to check it again. I felt a bit embarrassed and also angry with myself. How could I write something so important in the wrong way. I checked my account information carefully and sent it again. After that this thing was always in my mind. Every time I thought about the 1523 dollars I picked up my phone to see if there was any news. My kid joked and said “If they give us the money we do not need to buy less ice cream right.” It sounded funny but it was also very true. On a trip with a kid every little cost is counted. One day I opened my email and saw the message that the claim was approved. The amount was 1523.00 USD. I let out a long breath. Only then I really felt that choosing AXA Full Coverage had saved our budget. Before this I was always scared that insurance had a lot of small rules and they would say this part is not covered and that part is not covered. This time they paid for the glass damage fully and the money came back to my account. I showed the message to my family. My kid only wanted to know one thing. “So we did not really lose money this time.” I smiled and said “No. They helped us take the hit.” There were some small troubles like checking my address and fixing the wrong account but when I compare that to paying 1523 dollars from my own pocket I do not feel these steps are hard at all. When I look back now I remember how scared I was in that parking lot in Proserpine when I stared at the crack in the glass and I compare it with how relaxed I felt when I saw the claim result. The difference is really big. I also feel they followed up very well and when the claim was finally paid I felt that buying this insurance was really worth it. As a parent traveling with a kid this feeling of being protected means a lot to me. If I had not booked through them and clicked that AXA Full Coverage at the start I honestly do not know how I would explain this extra bill to my family. Now this whole thing is just a small story from our trip and not a disaster.
Dedicated customer serviceThe day I returned the car in Melbourne, the wind was pretty strong. I parked the Toyota RAV4 back at the East Coast Car Rentals lot and I felt quite relaxed. In my mind the business trip was done and everything was fine.
A few days later I suddenly got a message from the rental company. They said there was a scratch on the side of the door and it happened during my rental. They sent me some photos. I was a bit shocked, because I did not remember hitting anything and I had no clear memory of any damage.
They said their pick up photos showed the door was fine at the start. I checked my phone but I could not find any photo that could prove it was old damage. I started to feel nervous. The rental staff also mentioned they needed to charge a big excess from my credit card first. When I saw the amount my heart sank. In my head I thought I was really lucky that I bought AXA Full Coverage or this would be very painful.
I talked with the rental staff and I understood that if I wanted to fight it, it might not work well. I thought about my time and energy and in the end I agreed to let them charge the excess first and then do the final damage report. During those days I had already gone back to Hong Kong but this thing stayed in my mind. I kept worrying that I would need to pay a lot in the end.
Later the rental company finished their damage check. They refunded the extra part of the excess but the damage cost was still quite high. That was when I really started to prepare my claim documents. For me this kind of insurance claim sounds very complicated, and it happened overseas, so I felt a bit uneasy. I was scared that my files were not enough or I would make some mistake and then I could not get the payout.
The good thing was their customer service kept following my case. When I asked something, they explained it in a clear and simple way. They also reminded me what documents I should send, like the damage papers and the payment receipt from the rental company. I collected everything I could find and sent it over. I was still a bit worried because the amount was not small.
After some time they told me that the AXA Full Coverage claim was approved and they would pay back the damage fee according to the policy. When I saw the final payout amount I really felt a big relief. It was like a heavy stone was taken off my shoulders. As a business traveler this kind of support is very important for me. If I had to talk to the rental company and the insurer all by myself, it would take a lot of time and energy.
This whole experience gave me more confidence. Next time I book a car with QEEQ I will still choose a plan that has this kind of coverage so when something happens, I am not dealing with everything alone.
AXA Full CoverageWhat if I did not have insurance and had to pay all the damage myself. This thought really hit me only after the claim was approved. When I booked the car on QEEQ I added AXA Full Coverage. To be honest I just wanted some peace of mind. I had a business trip and I did not want to waste time at the counter with extra sales.
I rented the car in Melbourne near the end of April. I picked up a Toyota RAV4 from East Coast Car Rentals at about 1 pm on April 27 and I returned it the next day around 6 pm. The whole trip went very smooth and the car was quite new. It was an automatic so it was easy to drive. When I brought the car back the staff walked around the car and then stopped at the side of the door. He frowned and said there was a scratch there and that in their pick up photos this scratch did not exist.
I was very confused. I did not remember hitting anything. I tried to explain to the counter staff. I said I felt the door side was not very clean when I picked up the car but I also did not take close photos of that part. They told me that the photos in their system showed that part was fine. They also said if they started their claim process they would first charge a big excess amount on my credit card.
When I heard the amount my heart sank. It was not a small number for me. I kept asking the staff for details and at the same time I suddenly remembered that I had AXA Full Coverage. That gave me some courage. The staff said they would follow their rules and charge the full excess first. Later when the damage was fully checked they would compare the real cost and then refund the rest if there was any.
A few days later I got a receipt from the rental company. It showed they had charged the excess and also finished the damage check. The real damage amount was about two thousand Australian dollars. When I saw that paper my first reaction was not anger. I just felt now it was time to use the insurance I bought.
I contacted their customer service and sent all the files from the rental company. That was the charge slip the damage invoice and other things. For me it was just about collecting everything I had and trying to explain what happened. I also told them clearly that I did not take detailed photos when I picked up the car. I could only give what the rental company gave me.
During the talks I was quite nervous. The rental company was very sure that the scratch was not there at pick up and they had their own photos. I was ready for a bad result. I thought even if the claim was not fully approved at least I tried. The support side asked me to send all the documents I had and said they would try to help.
Later they told me the claim was filed based on my documents. I went back to my work and just waited for news. When I got the message that the claim was successful it was around the middle of May. I saw the same number again and this time I really felt relaxed. The damage of about two thousand Australian dollars was paid by AXA Full Coverage. The money that the rental company had taken from me was now coming back to me from the insurance.
When I look back the biggest point for me is that on a business trip it is very easy to lose focus. You rush for time you read emails you answer calls and many things happen at once. You cannot do every small step perfectly like taking clear photos of every part of the car. At the counter when they told me they had to charge the excess if I did not have this insurance the whole story would be much more painful and it might affect my later schedule and mood.
This damage was not a big accident. It was only on the side of the door but the cost was still high enough to hurt. Now I pay more attention to the protection when I book a car and not only the price. For me using AXA Full Coverage with them this time showed me its real value.
AXA Full CoverageI booked this car on QEEQ for a business trip and I really thought it would just be a simple rental. Nothing special. I arrived in Alice Springs in the middle of March and went to the Avis counter in the late afternoon around the fourteenth to pick up the car. They gave me a Toyota Corolla hatchback, automatic, four doors. It looked quite new and clean. When I booked it I chose AXA Full Coverage, because I travel for work a lot and I felt better if I had full cover. I did not expect I would really need it. The first couple of days were fine. I drove to see clients in the day and parked the car near my accommodation at night. There were not many street lights and sometimes there was strong wind and dust. On the morning of the accident, the sky was just getting bright. I walked to the car with my laptop bag, thinking about my meetings. When I got close, I felt something was wrong. The front bumper looked strange. I walked around the car and my heart just dropped. There were clear impact marks on the front and back. There were scratches on the side. Near the wheel I could see some broken pieces. It looked like another car or something had hit it and then left. I remember just standing there for a few seconds, totally stunned. My first thought was that this would cost a lot of money. My head was full of numbers. I kept thinking this car is not cheap and if I had to pay everything myself I would be in real trouble. I forced myself to calm down. I took my phone out and started to take photos. I took close photos of each damaged area and also a few wider ones with the plate and the surroundings. Then I contacted Avis. Driving the damaged car to them was a very strange feeling. Inside the car it was very quiet and I held the steering wheel very tight. At the counter I explained what I found. Staff went out to check the car. Their faces were serious when they came back. They told me they needed to make an assessment and that the fee could be high and I had to wait for the amount. I was already ready in my head for a scary number. When they finally told me the damage amount, I almost could not believe my ears. It was 5831.77 AUD and they said this was the excess that they charged. They also said the damage was very serious. In that moment I was really thankful that I had bought AXA Full Coverage. Without it this money would hit me very hard. For a business traveler like me this is not some small cost I can just forget. After that my days were full of two things. My work and this claim. I spent my breaks sorting all the photos of the damage. I took clear photos of the papers from Avis. I was also checking with them if I could pay with my husband’s credit card and then have the refund go to his bank account. I did not want to make any mistake with who pays and who gets the money back. My phone and email were always in my hand. Every time I had a free second I refreshed my inbox to see if there was a new message. I sent in all the documents I had and thought it was almost done. Then I was told that some detailed damage papers were still missing. At that time it felt like the car was still under inspection or repair and the full repair report was not there yet. On my side I could only keep asking Avis and wait for more documents. Later I got an email that said the repair was finished but the real situation was that the car was declared a total loss. So the final charge stayed as that 5831.77 AUD. Reading the words total loss gave me a strange feeling. I could imagine the car in a workshop, opened up and taken apart, and it made me feel a bit cold inside. Once the rental company had confirmed the amount and their final decision, all I could really feel myself doing was waiting. I remember the customer service explained to me that the amount was not small and they had to check my evidence and the charge from the rental company. Every day I went to my meetings and at the same time I kept thinking about this bill. I kept doing the math in my head. If the claim failed, I would have to accept this big loss. At night when I came back to my room I would sit on the bed with my laptop and think about how the car was totally fine when I picked it up and now it was written off. It felt a bit unfair and also just tiring. During those days I opened my inbox many times. When I saw a new email from them I opened it right away. I could feel that they were also waiting for answers from Avis and checking details. From my side it felt like the case was moving forward but not very fast. I kept reminding myself to be patient and give it a bit more time. Then one day I finally got the email that changed everything for me. It said my claim was approved and they would pay according to the confirmed amount. I read it twice to make sure I was not imagining it. They showed the numbers and I saw that from the 5831.77 AUD charged by the rental company they would pay out 3840.76 AUD under the policy. I felt a big weight lift off my shoulders. In that moment I really understood what this insurance meant. Looking back at the whole story, it started with a normal pick up in Alice Springs around mid March, then that morning when I found the damage, then hearing that the car was a total loss, then all the photos and papers I had to send, and finally the approval. For me this was not just some small rental story. It was a lesson about risk and protection. If I had tried to save money and skipped the extra cover, I would still be worrying about that bill now. Even though there were times when I was nervous and wished everything could move a bit faster, the most important thing is that the claim was settled and most of the cost was taken care of. Now when people ask me if they should add insurance when they rent a car, the first picture in my mind is that damaged Corolla in Alice Springs and that number 5831.77 written on the paper. That is when I remember the extra box I ticked for AXA Full Coverage and how it stopped that heavy stone from landing on me.
