I want to start with how I felt. On this business trip in Bogota the one who really helped me was not the rental counter but the person who followed my case from the booking side. My schedule was very full. Around April twenty seventh at noon I picked up a Kia Soluto from Budget at Bogota airport. It was an automatic car and the pick up seemed normal. I rushed out because I had meetings to catch. Then I jump to a few days later. When I was back at the hotel at night I checked my credit card bill and the numbers did not match. I remembered the prepaid price on the platform was around two hundred ninety dollars. On the bill the new rental charge showed about three hundred seventy four dollars. I felt something was wrong. I also saw another charge for about one hundred ninety dollars and I had no idea what that was. Those days I was running around the city for work in the day and at night I was counting money on my phone. I asked the rental counter and they were not very clear. Sometimes they even said they could not find my original booking. That really annoyed me because cross border talking like this takes so much time. The thing that calmed me down was that I always had the same person from their side following my problem. Every time I sent an email or called I felt it was the same line taking care of me. They knew how much I had already paid what the rental company said and they also remembered that I did not want to give out my bank account. They asked me for the new rental file receipts and bill screenshots. I sent them when I had a break. I said I do not want to give my bank account to the rental company and I asked if there was any other way. They did not just say one sentence and push me away. They really tried to find another path and kept talking with the rental side. After some days they told me the rental company agreed to return the price difference and the amount was even a bit higher than I first thought. Then I started to worry again about how to receive the money because I only wanted the refund to go back to the card I really used and I did not want to spread my bank info everywhere. The person who followed my case stayed patient and also respected my choice. They explained in simple words why the rental company could not send money back to the new card and why they needed to send it through their side. I asked if there was a more safe way. They offered to use a virtual credit card so they could send the refund to me in that form. I felt this was a good idea for me. It made me feel more safe and I did not need to give a bank account. During my trip the busiest days for me were also the days when they were going back and forth with the rental company. For me the important feeling was that I did not have to repeat my story every day. The person on the other side always knew which step we were on and what would be the next move. The case was not solved super fast but compared to my past experience with other platforms where I had to explain from zero to a new agent again and again this time I really felt someone was watching my case and not just leaving me alone. As a business traveler I hate wasting time on these small money problems. This time thanks to having one person keeping an eye on everything I finally got my price difference back and I could focus my energy on my work.
I booked my car on QEEQ and planned to pick up a seven seat car in Venice around ten in the morning in early May and then return it in Verona in the late afternoon two days later. I already planned space for luggage and the kids. When I reached the rental desk everything went wrong very fast. The staff looked at my voucher and shook his head and told me this was not a prepaid booking and I had to pay the full amount again at the counter. I just froze for a second. My kid pulled my sleeve and asked me if we could still drive to our next place.
I tried to ask the staff again and again. The answer was very firm. No payment no car. Time was already a bit past my pick up time and I saw my schedule starting to break. I did not want the kids to wait too long in the airport so I finally paid again with my card and took the car. In the car the kids were happy and talked about places they wanted to see. I sat in the driver seat and only thought about one thing. Will I be charged twice for the same rental.
On the same day I contacted their customer service and told them the whole story. I said the desk asked me to pay again and this means I might pay twice for one booking. I looked for my old voucher on my phone and also the new contract and payment slip from the desk. My kid asked me who I was talking to and I just said I was checking if the money was correct.
During the next days they kept checking with me and asked me to send photos of the new contract number and the invoice and card record. At night when my kids were asleep I sat by the bed and put all papers on the table and took photos one by one and sent to them. I felt a bit tired but I also felt better because someone was really following this case and I was not alone. They also told me they would explain to the rental company that I did not use the first booking and the desk made me pay again so the first payment should be refunded.
One day in Verona after I returned the car I was walking on the street looking for dinner and my phone showed a new message. They told me the rental company agreed to waive the charge and would refund the money and also deal with the extra product I had asked to cancel. I read it twice to be sure. I finally let out a long breath. During this whole time I could feel that one person was always watching this problem for me and moving it forward. When they needed something they asked me clearly and they also told me each new progress so I did not need to chase them every day. For a parent traveling with kids this kind of dedicated customer service really makes a big difference.
"Please do not worry first. We can check every charge together." This line stayed in my mind the most. I had already gone through my credit card bill many times after I went back home and I still felt something was wrong with the fuel and the border fee. I booked the car on QEEQ and used it in Charleroi in Belgium.
It started when I saw the final bill. I stared at the charges on my phone and kept thinking that the total looked higher than I expected. It was almost ninety something euros. The fuel part confused me the most. I was sure I filled up the tank before I returned the car. I stood in the cold wind at the gas station and took several photos of the fuel gauge because I was afraid of this exact situation. Then I saw a fuel charge on the bill and also a border fee and my mind just froze a bit.
I felt pretty annoyed at the beginning. It felt like I was charged extra but I did not really understand all the papers from the rental counter. When I contacted customer service my speaking speed was fast and in my head I thought it would be some copy paste reply. The person who answered surprised me. They listened to my whole story and did not cut me off. They only stopped me to confirm some facts.
After some messages I noticed that the same person was always following my case. They asked me if I had any new screenshots from my bank and they repeated the amounts they found on their side in a simple way so even someone like me who is not great at numbers could follow. They said the rental company showed a total charge of a bit more than ninety euros and they broke it down into the basic amount the border fee and the fuel charge. Then they asked me to check if my card had only one charge or two. If there was a second smaller one then it could be a double charge for the border part and they would go on with that. In my head I felt it was like someone checking the bill with me so the pressure on me was smaller.
The fuel issue was the part I could not let go. I remember very clearly driving to a station not far from the highway before I returned the car. I filled the tank until the pump stopped and the gauge went up to the top. I took photos of the gauge when I picked up the car and when I brought it back. When I sent these photos to the customer service they did not just say it was my fault. They said they would ask the rental company how they judged the fuel level. During those days I kept thinking about this again and again on the metro or in my room. I kept asking myself if I would just lose that money.
Every time I had a new question like when I checked the contract and saw a border fee printed there I would ask again if that meant I paid it twice. They explained again in simple words that the number on the paper was only a display and the real payment was what showed on the card. They did not make me feel stupid. I could feel that they were trying to stand with me and not only speak for the rental desk.
One moment I remember is when they told me they had already checked with the rental company and the local staff said the fuel was not full and they went to add more fuel and they even said they had a receipt. My first thought was why they did not show that proof to me. I told this to the customer service and they passed this question back and asked for more proof. Later the rental company only gave an inspection sheet with my signature on it and it showed a fuel level as six out of eight or something like that. The numbers confused me and I only remembered that I had signed it in a rush when I was trying to catch my next plan.
During the whole process I felt that no matter if the reply from the rental company was good or bad for me the customer service would first tell me the result in a calm tone and then explain step by step. Sometimes they also said honestly that some internal papers could not be shared with me and they had to explain with what they were allowed to see. I still felt a bit upset inside but I could understand how things worked.
For someone like me a young person renting a car alone in Europe and trying to read many English documents this kind of problem is very stressful. Those days I often had class or work during the day and at night when I came back to my place I would open my phone and see that they had sent me a new update. Even when it was not the result I hoped for I still felt a bit safer because I knew someone was still following my case and I was not alone staring at a bill with strange numbers.
Now when I look back I feel the hardest part of this rental was not driving the car. It was the confusion about the charges after I returned it. If I did not have this one to one follow up from customer service I think I would have given up the complaint much earlier and just swallowed the cost. Because they stayed with me through the whole thing I dared to ask every question and learned to check the documents and the fuel gauge more carefully next time and to take clear photos as proof.
For me this experience was not perfect and I still have some regret about the fuel part but having someone stay on my side and walk through all these fee items with me made a big difference. As an ordinary student I was still able to understand what really happened and that part mattered a lot to me.
When I think about this whole damage case the main feeling is that I was not left alone in it. The car was already returned for a few days when I suddenly got a damage bill and some blurry photos from the rental company. I felt upset and also a bit wronged. I was busy with other work and meetings at that time so my mood was pretty bad. When the service team reached out to me their calm and patient way of talking helped me calm down.
A bit earlier in time I had booked the car around April 30 and picked it up in Manchester around May 2. It was a Volkswagen Polo. Pick up was okay and I walked around the car myself. The real problem came on the return day around the morning of May 6. I was rushing to the airport. At the return place the staff told me to park the car in a dark garage. The light was really poor. I tried to take more clear photos with my phone but there were only reflections and shadows. I asked them to come with me to check the car together. They refused very quickly and said it was not needed and they would check later. I felt worried at that moment but I had no choice because I had a flight to catch.
More than two days later I received the damage bill and the photos. When I saw the amount I just felt that it could not all be on me. I did not really have strong proof and my own photos were bad. I was nervous and afraid that I could not explain it well. When I contacted the support they let me tell the whole story from start to end. They asked me simple follow up questions like how the light was when I returned the car and if anyone asked me to sign anything on the spot. One thing that made me feel safe was that they did not just tell me to talk to the rental company myself. They kept using simple words to explain what might happen next.
Later the rental company sent many documents and reports. I felt a bit lost when I read them because of all the terms. I am not a lawyer. I am just a normal business traveler. Every time I did not understand something I sent it to the service team and they helped me read it and told me what it meant in normal language. They also pointed out which parts were just normal rules and which parts looked strange to them too. Once they mentioned that the report said I was not present at check in and that the signature did not look like mine. When I heard that I felt a bit understood because someone else also saw the problem.
There were also some claim forms that I had no idea how to fill in. They never made me feel like I was a bother. They told me step by step what I needed to prepare and what was still missing and reminded me to add it. My work is very busy and I often could only reply between meetings. They kept following up and did not push me too hard. I could send things slowly. The case did not get solved in one day but every time there was a new update someone told me so I knew it was still moving forward and not stuck somewhere.
The rental company stayed quite tough so the result of the damage part was not perfect for me. But I could really feel that in this case I always had one person following it for me. They helped me sort the information and turned it into words I could understand so I did not have to fight the rental company alone. As a business traveler who is always flying around and has my time cut into small pieces by meetings this feeling of being followed up closely and talked to in a simple and human way matters more to me than anything else I really felt that choosing QEEQ was the right decision for me.
"Are you sure this is the right car group" This was the first thing I said at the counter in Milan airport. It was the afternoon of April 28. I rushed to the OK Mobility desk with my suitcase. I thought I would just sign and get the keys. The staff told me I only booked a normal manual car and if I wanted the small SUV they showed I had to pay an extra upgrade fee.
I felt quite confused because when I booked on QEEQ I remembered seeing a small SUV style car on the page. My business schedule was tight and I did not want to argue at the counter. So I paid the fee and drove the car away first. After I checked in at the hotel I kept thinking about it and it did not feel right. Then I called their customer service.
The person on the phone sounded calm. They let me finish my story and then asked a few simple questions. I relaxed a bit at that moment. I felt someone was really listening to me. In the next days I was driving the small SUV around Milan for meetings and at the same time I kept getting updates from them saying they were talking with the rental company about the car group and checking what the staff told me at the counter.
One time I had just walked out of a client office and was waiting by the street. I saw another message from them. They said the rental company still did not want to refund all the upgrade fee. I felt a bit helpless but I also felt glad because at least someone was still pushing this for me. I did not have to fight with the rental company in a foreign language by myself.
What I remember clearly is that they did not just say it was under process and disappear. They explained each new result to me. For example the rental side admitted the model info was a bit confusing and they would send over the invoice so details could be checked again. Normally I would never look at these things but while I was running between meetings and changing plans it felt good to see they were still moving the case forward. I felt taken care of and not left alone.
On May 11 in the afternoon when I returned the car I parked it and walked back to the hall. I got another message about what would happen next with the fee. I realized that from the moment I found the problem at the counter until I gave back the car there was the same team staying on my case. As someone who travels for work a lot this kind of steady follow up and clear help is actually more important than the final amount of money I can get back. Life on the road is already full of things to worry about. When someone helps you watch one annoying problem your mind feels a lot lighter.
“Can someone still help me get my rental bill after the trip is over” That was what I asked myself and I was not very sure at first but the result was pretty nice.
I went to Denver in the US with my kid around late April and I booked the car on QEEQ. I picked up the car at Denver airport from Alamo around April 26 in the afternoon at about two o clock. My booking was a Vehicle Determined Upon Pick up compact or larger automatic with four doors and five seats. For a parent with a child this size was just right.
At the counter that day most of my attention was on my kid. I was afraid he would run around. The staff at Alamo did the paperwork and gave me the car. I checked the car quickly and it looked fine so I drove away. I returned the car around May 1 in the afternoon also in Denver. The return was smooth and I thought the rental was simply finished.
The real problem came later. A few days after I went back to the UK I found out I really needed the final invoice for this rental from Alamo because I had to do reimbursement and some record work. I searched my email again and again. I felt there should be an email with the bill but I just could not find it. I then went to the rental company website and tried to look around but I did not really understand how to get it and I started to feel worried.
I asked myself a question Do I try to ask them for help The answer was yes. I contacted their customer service and told them I needed the official invoice for this Denver rental with Alamo. I was a bit afraid they might say they could not help after the trip or just tell me to deal with the website alone.
Things turned out easier than I thought. The customer service checked my booking details and said they would follow this for me. I asked myself again Do I need to do a lot more The answer was no. I only needed to wait for their update.
At one point they suggested I could also try to get it myself on the Alamo website. I followed the way they told me. To be honest I was at home with my kid pulling my sleeve while I looked at an English web page. My head felt a bit messy. I tried around but still did not get the file. I thought to myself I hope they can solve it on their side.
They kept an eye on it. After some time the customer service reached out and told me they had got the invoice from the rental company and would send it to me. When I saw that message my first thought was Is it really done so fast Then I opened my email and saw the clear invoice. The rental dates the amount and the Alamo details were all written very clearly. I felt much more relaxed.
To be safe I read the invoice from top to bottom again. I checked that there was no strange extra charge and nothing that I could not understand. I asked myself Do I still need to argue about anything The answer was no because everything matched. I told them that the invoice was fine.
The part that impressed me most was the feeling that someone kept my small problem in mind. It was not like I asked once and then was forgotten. There was always someone following my case from asking Alamo for the file to sending it to me as soon as they got it and then making sure I had received it and could read it. For a parent with a kid this feeling of being taken care of really matters.
If I had to deal with the rental company all by myself I think I would spend more time send more emails and keep trying different pages on the website. With this kind of dedicated customer service it felt more like I had someone doing the hard part for me. I only needed to check and confirm. For me holding my kid with one hand and my phone with the other this was very easy and light.
The invoice itself is just one document but for me it is the key to my reimbursement and records. Having someone stay on this case until the end so I did not have to worry all the time made the whole experience very different. I felt truly looked after by them.
