I was pretty annoyed at first. I booked a car in Barcelona through QEEQ. It was a seven seat Skoda and I picked it up in the afternoon around mid April and returned it a few days later in the morning. I was traveling alone and felt quite relaxed. Then I found out after I dropped the car that the rental company charged me for some damage. In my head I just thought that my money was going to fly away again.
I had bought AXA Full Coverage so my first move was to collect all the bills. Those days I kept checking my email and my bank app. I kept telling myself not to miss anything or I might not get paid. At the start I told customer service that the money did not show in my account yet and one bill was missing. I felt a bit confused but I did not want to skip any document.
I took photos of my driving licence again and again because I was scared they were blurry. I thought if they could not see it clearly it would be my fault. When I sent the bills and the licence I entered this waiting mode. I did other things in the day but suddenly a thought came to my mind asking if they would pay or not. If they did not pay this trip would become very expensive.
Later they asked me to confirm the currency and the amount. I checked every line on the bill and read it many times. I did not want to write more or less by mistake. The car damage photos were not very clear. I looked at them and even I could not see much. I was worried they might say no because of that.
One day I got a message that the insurance side had approved the claim. The amount followed the bills I gave. I felt a big relief and thought that buying this insurance was really worth it. Before this I always felt that claims are super hard. This time I saw that when I prepare my documents well they can handle the whole thing quite nicely.
The moment I got the message that my claim was approved I finally let out a real long breath. Before that I kept thinking that if I had to pay all the car damage by myself this Japan trip would become the most expensive lesson of my life. I booked the car on QEEQ and I was traveling alone in Tokyo. I picked up the car around April 19 in the morning at a CRQ CarRent branch in Tokyo. They gave me a Toyota Prius with automatic gear. For someone like me who is not used to right hand drive I was already a bit nervous. The first few days were fine. I even started to think my driving was actually not bad. Then two days before return so around April 23 I made a small mistake. I was at a road I did not really know and just followed the GPS. In my head I kept saying do not mess up. The car in front slowed down a little. I panicked for a second. The hit was not super strong but the side of the car still got a clear scratch. In that moment I was just blank and I could only blame myself again and again in my head. When the staff checked the car they looked calm but my mind was already counting money and I was thinking this is bad this will cost a lot. I signed some papers while they wrote down the damage. The more I watched the more nervous I felt. I kept thinking about the AXA Full Coverage I bought and if it would really help. I remember when I booked the car I saw this service. It said it covered damage theft glass tires and even parts that normal shop insurance did not cover. It also said it could pay for things like road assistance personal accident lost items and delayed pick up and the limit was up to fifty thousand US dollars. At that time I chose it with a simple thought that some extra cover is better than none. When the accident happened I realized this choice might save me. The days after that were full of emails and documents. From what I could feel they asked me to give proof of the card charge and not just the small POS slip. They also said the rental company had some contract and accident report for me. The rental counter staff gave me some papers including the rental contract an accident report and a hand written receipt. On the receipt they added a line saying it was for car damage and loss of use and they told me the detailed repair bill would need more time maybe two weeks. I felt pretty stressed in that moment. I am just a solo traveler who looks like a student and suddenly I had to handle all these papers. My head was full of questions. So I just checked my emails again and again and tried to make sure every page was correct. The customer service team kept reminding me what I needed to send. I just followed and prepared everything. I sent my bank charge record and all the receipts that I had from the rental company. In my heart I kept saying please let this claim work because my budget for the next few months would be in real trouble if it did not. For a while I thought they would still ask for the full repair invoice and some extra fee invoice. I prepared myself for a long wait. Then not long after that they contacted me and said the insurance company had already approved the claim. When I saw that email I was sitting in a cafe and I just sat there and smiled for a long time. I thought about the whole process from the accident to collecting every document to the final confirmation. I was under pressure the whole time. I was worried about those Japanese papers that I could not really read and I was also scared that they might say this problem was not covered. This time AXA Full Coverage really helped me a lot. The car damage and the related costs were covered by the claim so I did not have to pay a big amount myself. I suddenly felt so much lighter. Now when I look back if I had tried to save money and did not buy this service I might be too scared to rent a car alone in another country again. This experience was a bit scary but the result was lucky for me. It taught me that this kind of extra protection is much more important than I thought when something really goes wrong.
When the insurance company finally said they would pay me in USD, I was sitting in my living room and looking at photos of Tokyo on my phone. At that moment I felt this whole thing was finally going to end. I booked my car in Tokyo through QEEQ. I remember I picked up the car around noon on April 1. The car was a Toyota Prius from IX Rental with automatic gear. For someone who travels for business a lot like me, it was very easy to use. I returned the car around noon on April 7. The trip itself went quite smooth. One night when I drove back to the hotel, I made a mistake in the parking lot. I turned a bit tight and the car hit a pillar. The back door and part of the body got a clear scratch. I was really shocked and my first thought was that I might need to pay a lot of money. The staff at the counter checked the car. They were not angry but they kept telling me the repair might be expensive and I needed to wait for the final amount. In my head I only had one thought. I felt so lucky that I bought AXA Full Coverage when I made the booking. If not, this money would really hurt my wallet. Later they gave me a rough range of the repair cost. Just hearing the number already made me a bit numb. After I flew back to Singapore, I still felt worried for a few days. I was afraid the claim would be very slow or there would be many problems. Some time later the service team contacted me and told me the claim was already reported so I could relax a bit. After that they started to ask about my bank account. First they asked if my account could receive international transfer. I said yes. Then I told them I wanted to receive the money in USD because many of my travel costs are in USD and it is easier for me to use. I did feel a bit unsure when I changed my mind on the currency because I was afraid this might slow the process, but they still helped to check with the insurance side. I gave a new bank account that is used mainly for USD. When they told me the claim was confirmed by the insurance company, I finally felt calm. As a business traveler I care a lot about time and trouble. This accident was like a reminder that I should always be more careful when I drive. Even so things can still happen. During this whole thing there were some steps where we had to confirm the currency and the account details again and again. For me the most important part is that my loss was covered. I did not need to argue with the rental staff at the counter or worry about a huge charge on my credit card. AXA Full Coverage really worked for me on this Tokyo trip and it stopped this small accident from turning into a very bad memory.
My mood was pretty mixed at the start. Why did I feel that way? Because I booked my car in Bilbao through QEEQ and I thought this Spain trip would be easy. Then about two days before return, around April 18, the car touched a pillar in an underground parking and got a small scratch. In that moment my first question was what now and how much do I need to pay. My second question came right away. I bought AXA Full Coverage so will it really help me.
I rented a Volkswagen T cross from Centauro. It was automatic and very easy for a visitor like me. On the return day around April 21 at noon I parked the car and the rental counter staff walked around the car. They quickly showed me a small scratch on the front bumper. They were calm and just told me I had to pay a repair fee of a bit more than two hundred euro. I nodded but inside I kept asking myself if this money could be covered by the insurance.
After I went back to my hotel I put all my photos and papers together. Then I started to think again. Should I contact their support right now or should I wait. In the end I sent everything to their customer service and told them that the rental company had already charged me. I asked myself if this would be very hard and if I would need to wait for a long time.
The result was a bit better than I thought. They replied to me soon and said they had reported the case to AXA and asked me to confirm the exact amount. I thought if I should check the bill many times. The answer was yes so I read the receipt from the rental company again and again and confirmed it was around 226 euro then sent it to them. Later support asked me about the currency and I kind of laughed inside because even this small detail needed to be clear from my side.
In the next few days I kept asking myself if they would really pay and if I would end up paying this amount on my own. They sent me updates and simple messages that they were working on it. For someone traveling in another country this meant a lot and it helped me feel less stressed.
After a short time they told me that AXA had approved the claim and the refund was almost the same as what the rental company took from me. When I saw that email my question changed. Was it worth buying this coverage. The answer was very clear. I was happy that I chose AXA Full Coverage or my travel budget would lose a big part.
During the whole process the rental counter staff only checked the car and took the fee. Their job was simple. If there was damage they charged me. The support team on the other side helped me get the money back. For me it felt like someone stood in the middle and held everything for me. I just needed to give proof and then wait for the result. There were a few small questions back and forth but in the end the money was paid back so I felt quite satisfied.
That morning in Busan I was standing by the parking lot with my suitcase. The sea wind was a bit cold and the sun was not very high yet. I saw the big Kia Carnival from GREEN MOTION parked there. Nine seats and only me driving it away. I felt excited but also a little nervous. It was my first time driving such a big car alone in Korea. I talked to myself in my head and said I was glad I picked AXA Full Coverage on QEEQ because if something happened maybe I would not panic too much.
When something really happened it was actually the second night. The picture in my mind is still very clear. The street lights were not very bright. I was driving slowly and trying to find a place to turn around. There was a post on the side that I did not really notice. Then I heard a soft thump from the back of the car. My heart jumped right away. I stopped at once and got out to check. At the back bumper there was a scratch and some paint was gone. I stood there with my phone light on it and thought in my head that this might cost a lot of money.
At that moment I remembered that I had AXA Full Coverage. I felt a bit calmer. I started to take many photos with my phone from different angles. I also took photos of the plate and the inside and the area around the car. I was talking quietly to myself saying it is better to take more than less. Even with the insurance I still worried because I was in another country. I did not know if it would be very hard to explain everything.
If I jump back a little to when I booked the car I saw that this insurance covered damage and theft and also things like glass and tires. Usually the basic full cover at the counter does not always protect those parts. It also said it can cover roadside help and personal accident and lost items and even problems when you get the car late. The limit was up to fifty thousand dollars. I am normally traveling alone so I felt more protection is better. If something goes wrong it is hard for one person to take all the money pressure. So I chose it without thinking too much.
Now back to the return day. I brought the car back to Busan a bit earlier like on April eighth in the morning before nine. I parked the car and the GREEN MOTION staff came to check it. I was standing there and saying in my head that I hoped it would not be too bad. He soon saw the scratch on the back bumper of course. He wrote everything on his form and then showed me the repair estimate. When I saw the number I kind of expected it but I still said wow inside my mind because it was more than I thought.
I paid the bill right there. When I tapped my card the first thing in my mind was not pain. It was to keep all the papers safe. I told myself that I would ask them for a claim later. So I folded all the receipts and put them carefully in my bag. Then I checked my phone again to make sure I had all the photos.
After that I told the story to their customer service in a simple way. I explained what happened and sent the photos and the repair bill and the card slip. The person who talked to me sounded calm. I did not feel like they were trying to push me away. It felt more like they were saying just give us what you have and we will check it. During that time I still worried. I was afraid I missed some detail in the photos. I was also worried there might be some problem where the repair money and the charged money do not match and that would make things more messy.
A few days later they asked me to add some details and some more damage files. I sent everything I could find. In my head I kept asking how long this would take. I also told myself that since this is AXA Full Coverage and the range is so clear it should be okay.
At one point I felt they were checking with the rental company and maybe the repair side because someone told me that the repair amount and the paid amount seemed different and they needed to confirm. When I heard that I got a bit nervous and also wanted to laugh a little. I said to myself that fixing cars abroad is really confusing. But one thing that made me feel safe was that they still replied to me and did not just disappear.
Near the end of April I opened an email and saw that my claim amount was 352.23 euro. I stared at it for a moment and read the number again. I had a small feeling of surprise like so it is already done. The message meant that the claim passed and I would get this money back. I was in my room and I said out loud that this was great and it was finally solved.
When I look back at the whole thing I first handled the damage at the counter and paid it myself. Then I gave all the papers and photos to them. The communication was not super fast but it was still okay for me. The most important part is that the money really came back and it was not a tiny amount. Three hundred fifty two point twenty three euro is a lot for someone traveling alone and still kind of like a student in style.
I keep thinking that if I did not choose AXA Full Coverage when I booked the car on QEEQ then I would have to pay all of this by myself. Just thinking of that makes me feel a bit scared. Paying a little more for the insurance at the start and then getting a successful claim this time feels very worth it. I was nervous and worried in the middle of the process but at least I knew I had support behind me. For someone driving alone in Korea like me that feeling means a lot.
When I think about this trip now, the easiest moment was actually the day I got the payout. I opened my account and saw extra 412 pounds. I felt my whole body relax. I was really glad that I booked the car through QEEQ and added AXA Full Coverage at the start.
They sent me an email that said my claim was approved and the amount was clear. I only needed to confirm some simple info. For me the whole claim part was not very hard.
The bad feeling came earlier when I returned the car. It was around noon on March 29. I drove the Nissan Leaf back to the Manchester return point with my kids. The car was full of bags and snacks and everyone was tired. I thought the check would be quick. The staff walked around the car and then called me over. There was a scratch near the back door. Under the sun it looked pretty clear. My heart dropped. I thought this might cost a lot.
The staff was calm. He took photos and wrote things down and asked me to sign a damage form. My kids were a bit noisy so I felt stressed. At the same time I was scrolling my phone to find my booking emails. I saw the part that said I had AXA Full Coverage and I felt a bit better. I knew I could talk to customer service and try to get my money back later.
After I got home I put all the files together. I had the damage report from the counter, the photos from them, and my own pictures from earlier days. When I talked to their customer service I just explained the story in simple words and sent all the photos and files. They wrote back quite fast and told me they would deal with the insurance side and I just needed to wait.
For a few days I kept thinking about it. A few hundred pounds is not a small number for us, especially when I travel with my kids and already spend a lot on food and tickets. Then they contacted me again and said the amount was confirmed and the cost would be fully covered. I only had to give my payment details. When I finally saw the 412 pounds in my account I felt so relieved. I was really happy that I chose this insurance because with kids around I cannot watch everything all the time and this made me feel much safer.
