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.
One-Dollar Freeze"You only paid one dollar to book the car?" My friend stared at me on video call and asked me that. I laughed and showed my phone screen and said, "Yeah, I booked it on QEEQ. The page said One-Dollar Freeze. I paid 1 dollar first and the car in Toronto was locked for me."
The funny thing is that the stress came before the relaxed feeling. At that time I was planning a solo trip to Canada. Plane tickets and places to stay already pushed my card a lot. I also wanted to drive myself in Toronto and rent a small SUV like a Nissan Kicks near the airport. When the payment page showed up, the first thing in my head was not the car. It was my credit card limit that was almost full. I was thinking if I should wait for the next bill and then book. Then I saw this One-Dollar Freeze option. It said I only need to pay one dollar now to hold the booking. The rest would be charged automatically before the rental started and there was no interest.
I really let out a long breath at that moment. I just tapped a few times and the booking was done and my card was only charged 1 dollar. I was sitting at my desk in my room. The desk lamp was on the keyboard and I felt like I had reserved my spot first and could think slowly later. For someone traveling alone like me, plans often change on the way. With this way of freezing the booking first and not putting a big amount on my card at once, my mind felt a lot lighter.
Jump to a few months later. I pulled my suitcase out of Toronto airport. The June sun was bright and the air was a bit warm. I opened my phone to check my booking. It already showed confirmed and the pick up place was clear. I thought of myself on the day I only paid 1 dollar and I smiled a bit. I remembered how I was worried about money back then. When the trip came closer I slowly fixed other costs and my card limit came back a little. Close to the start date I checked my bill and saw the rest of the rental fee had been charged. The amount was the same as before with no extra fee and no strange interest.
I sat on a chair in the airport waiting area and scrolled through the bill. I checked the booking in the app again and compared the numbers. Everything matched so I felt safe. There was no sudden surprise like extra money taken and I did not feel that heavy pressure of paying a big amount long before the trip. If I had paid the full rental at the start my card limit would have looked very bad and I still needed to buy other things that month. This way with only 1 dollar first and then giving my card time to recover was just right for me.
On the pick up day in early June I reached the rental counter a bit earlier than the time I booked. I pulled my suitcase through the terminal. The air outside was a little humid and smelled like it just rained. I told the counter staff my name and booking details. The person checked for a short time and then nodded and said the booking was already fully paid. I said a quiet thank you inside. Since I only paid 1 dollar at first I was a bit afraid there might be some problem and they might ask me to pay a big amount on the spot. It turned out everything went very smooth. I only needed to handle the deposit and some normal paperwork and then I got the car key.
The car was in a parking spot downstairs. It was a small SUV like I booked. The color was clean and the inside looked pretty new. I sat in the driver seat and closed the door. That moment it felt like the trip really started. For someone who travels alone this feeling is important. What was more important was that I did not have the fear that my card was already maxed out. One-Dollar Freeze moved the money pressure several months later instead of putting all the weight on those first planning days.
One day I stopped at a small coffee shop and ordered an iced coffee. I sat by the window and watched the cars and people on the street. Then I suddenly thought I should check my bill again. I took out my phone and looked at the record of the automatic charge. It was sitting quietly in the middle of the bill and it looked normal with all my other spending. There was no extra cost. I felt even more sure that choosing this payment way was right. It felt like saving a seat before an exam and then starting to study. Your mind is not hanging in the air all the time.
If I did not have this one dollar booking option I might have waited too long to book a car or maybe picked a worse way to move around. For a solo traveler I want my plan to stay flexible and I also do not want to get hit by a big bill right at the start. The One-Dollar Freeze they offered made me feel I could move step by step instead of throwing all the pressure on my credit card in one shot. I later told some friends about this. Every time I said I booked my car with just 1 dollar at first they would stop and ask me more.
For me this Toronto car rental experience was shaped from the very start by that one dollar and the easy feeling it gave me. From the moment I made the booking I knew there was a car waiting for me but my wallet was not emptied at once. For someone who goes on the road alone that feeling matters a lot.
Dedicated customer serviceThat night in Montreal the wind felt a bit cold. I was standing at the hotel door with my kid in my arms and staring at the booking on my phone. I had booked a car on QEEQ and planned to pick it up at Budget the next morning. The plan was to drive from Montreal to Ottawa and then back. I even planned where to stop for food so my kid would not get too tired. Then on the evening before pickup I called the rental location to double check. The staff told me this location did not allow one way rental and both bookings could only be pick up and return in Montreal. No driving to Ottawa. My mind went blank. My kid asked me if we were still going to Ottawa. I really did not know how to answer.
I checked the info on Kayak many times. I checked my email too. I really did not see any clear note that one way was not allowed. As a parent traveling with a child the pressure was big. Time was tight and we were supposed to pick up the car the next morning. I decided to call their customer service and explain everything. I told them what the rental staff said and that I had a backup plan with train tickets but the train and taxis would cost much more. I was worried that no one could really help me and that I would just have to pay for everything myself.
From that first call I felt like there was one person always following my case. Later I understood this was their Dedicated customer service with one to one follow up. That night I spoke quite fast because I was nervous. The person on the line stayed very patient. They kept confirming details like when I made the booking what exactly the location staff told me and if I had any phone record for that call. I knew I had to find these things myself but I could feel that they were thinking about the next step and how to help me complain to the rental company.
The next morning the plan was to pick up the car around May 18 instead of the 17 but I decided I could not take the risk. I canceled the booking and took my kid on the train to Ottawa and used taxis between places. For a parent this is much harder than driving. We had a lot of luggage and my kid got tired more easily. On the way I kept counting the extra cost of train and taxis. It was not a small number for me. At the same time I kept all the tickets and payment records so I could show them later and try to claim the difference.
During those days we still went on with our trip but every now and then I saw new emails from them or new questions asking me for more documents. Sometimes I sat on the bed in the hotel room and sent pictures of taxi bills and train tickets while putting my kid to sleep. Sometimes I checked my phone during breakfast and looked for bank payment records. It was a bit tiring but I could feel that someone was always watching my case and it was not just one email and then silence.
One thing I remember clearly is when they asked if I could provide my phone call log to the rental location. They said the rental company needed proof that I really called and was told no one way. I never thought call logs would be useful. After they explained I went back to the room and checked my phone. I took screenshots of the calls I made in Montreal and sent them. As a parent traveling with a kid I was already very busy. But seeing them dig into the details like this made me feel it was worth spending extra time because it meant someone was truly trying to help me.
They also asked me to separate the train cost and taxi cost and to check which dates were inside the original rental period and which were not. I looked at each bill one by one. Some were on May 19 and they later told me those could not be counted. I felt a bit sorry about that but their explanation was clear and I could accept it. I felt they were not just brushing me off. They tried to include every cost that could be claimed and also followed the rules.
Time passed and we kept moving between Montreal and Ottawa. My kid was happy with the trip. In my head I still thought about the case from time to time. I wondered what the final result would be. Once or twice I saw reminder emails because the rental company asked for more documents and I was slow to answer as I was out with my kid. When I finally replied they were not annoyed. They just continued from where we stopped and pushed the case again. It felt like I was not forgotten. On this trip it was like I had a remote teammate helping me clean up this mess.
Later the rental company gave a not very clear answer. They seemed to say they could only cover either the price difference of the new booking or part of the transport cost and I had to choose one. I was worried they might change their mind again. During this time customer service stayed in the middle and passed every message. They helped me check which cost could be counted and which could not. They also reminded me that for the new rental only the original booked price could be used and any extra service I bought at the counter was not part of the claim. To be honest if I had to talk to the rental company alone I think I would get lost in all the rules. With this one to one follow up I slowly understood how much I might get back and what I must pay myself.
This Canada trip was not easy for a parent with a child. I had to plan around my kid and then this rental problem came on top. When I look back I feel that without this kind of dedicated customer service I would have given up and just taken it as bad luck. The process was long and I had to keep sending things but I did not feel my time was wasted. It also made me trust their service more because I could feel they treated my case seriously and stayed with it from start to finish. For someone traveling with a kid that feeling of being taken care of matters a lot.
