Dedicated customer serviceWhen the bank message finally came in I was already back in Singapore for a long time. The room light was dim at night and my phone screen lit up. I saw the long awaited yen refund and my whole body relaxed. I felt tired but also kind of relieved. My first thought was that it was good I booked the car with QEEQ.
The story actually started a few months before. I flew alone to Hokkaido and rented a Nissan Note in Chitose. I picked up the car in late January in the late afternoon. It was already a bit dark and there was some snow on the ground. The counter staff finished the paper work and checked the car. I only wanted to drive to my hotel as soon as possible and I was quite confident about my driving. I did not think there would be any problem later.
Return day was around early February in the afternoon. I went back to the Chitose office a bit earlier. The staff walked around the car. Then he stopped and said there was a problem on the rear bumper and they needed to charge damage. I was very confused and kept thinking when this could have happened. The staff was polite but said they had to take a big amount. I remember it was about one hundred and twenty thousand yen. I looked at the number and my head just buzzed. It was not a small amount in my own currency.
I tried to explain at the counter and I took many photos. I also asked them to write a short note. But there was not much more I could do on the spot. Back at my place I felt more and more worried so I contacted their customer service. I told them the whole story from pick up to return. I said how I drove, how the road was and what the staff told me about this damage charge. My English is not very strong so I typed slowly and tried to use simple words. Sometimes I also mixed in very simple Chinese. The chat still went smoothly.
The next days felt like a long battle. I was on my phone and the support was on the other side. I often asked if they had any reply from the rental company and what the situation was now. They answered quite fast and told me what the rental company was saying. I remember one time I was on the train after work. The signal was not very good and my phone kept vibrating. It was them sending updates. They said the rental company had agreed to refund one hundred thousand yen of the damage but it would take some time. I read that message in the train and I really felt like someone was standing there for me.
Things were not easy at all. The manager from the rental company was said to be on business trip again and again. They said we had to wait and that they must follow local rules. They also talked about Japanese anti money laundering law. I went to ask my bank how to reverse the charge of one hundred and twenty thousand yen. My bank also needed proof and some documents. So I went back to the support chat and said if they could help ask the rental company to write a statement to show they agreed to cancel the charge and also give a receiving account so I could ask my bank.
During that time I opened the chat almost every day and scrolled up and down. In the morning I sometimes saw a message that they had contacted the rental company again. At night when I was about to sleep suddenly a new notification came and it said the other side was still preparing documents. I felt a bit annoyed but I knew if I tried to chase alone it would be very hard with language and time difference and phone calls. So every time I saw they were still pushing the case for me I calmed down a bit.
One time I even asked if I should call the rental company by myself. They said I could try and that they would also keep following up. I finally picked up courage and made an international call. The person on the phone first told me I had called the wrong office and gave me another number. I wrote and crossed things on a piece of paper and my mind was messy. After the call I went back to the chat and told support what I had heard. They helped me check if I understood it right. It felt like a friend who knew the system better was standing next to me and fixing the parts I missed so I did not run around alone.
Later the rental company said the refund had been done. Support told me very quickly. I was happy at that moment but a few days passed and there was still nothing in my bank account. I went to ask again and said the money was not in yet and I was worried there was a problem somewhere. They did not show any impatience. They just said they would ask again for proof of refund. After some time they sent me a refund application slip from the rental company so I could also use it to check with my bank.
To be honest if I did not have this kind of one to one follow up I think I would have given up that one hundred thousand yen. The whole thing took so long. Sometimes I even wondered if they were tired of this case too. But every time I asked there was someone clearly telling me which step we were at, what the rental company was stuck on and what they would do next.
As a solo traveler who went driving alone in Hokkaido this Dedicated customer service experience meant a lot to me. I am not the kind of person who keeps calling and shouting for results. Most of the time I just want someone to help me sort out the links and remind me what I should do next. They really stayed with this problem from the moment my card was charged for the damage. They talked with the rental company many times and asked for statements and account details and later checked if the refund arrived.
When I finally saw that bank message and then thought back to the moment in the Chitose office when I handed back the key it felt like the trip was cut into two parts. The first part was the free driving in the snow. The second part was running around a bill. Because someone followed the whole case with me it did not turn into fear of renting cars in Japan. It was more like a hard lesson that I still passed at last. For me this is also why when friends ask me about car rental platforms I talk about them.
AXA Full CoverageWhen I think about the damage case in Osaka now, my mind is quite calm. I booked the car on QEEQ. I was traveling alone in Japan. The car was a Honda Fit from BEST AUTO. It was a small automatic car and I really liked it. I picked it up on the afternoon of May 12. The weather was nice. I walked to the shop with my luggage and saw the white Fit. I felt this trip in Osaka would be smooth.
The real story started after I returned the car. I brought the car back to Osaka around the afternoon of May 20. I filled up the fuel and cleaned my stuff out of the car. When I gave back the key, everything felt normal. The staff walked around the car. He did not say much. I just took my bag and left, already thinking about eating ramen.
Some time later I got a notice from the rental shop. They said the car had damage and I needed to pay. I got nervous right away because the amount was 120000 JPY. For me as a student this is a lot of money. At first I only saw the receipt. There was no clear damage report and no proper photos. I felt very unsure and only knew I had to pay a big bill.
Then I remembered I bought AXA Full Coverage. I contacted the customer service team. I used simple English to tell them what happened and I sent photos of the receipt from the rental shop. I was a bit worried because my information was not complete. I only had the bill. I did not have a full damage form or good photos at the beginning. I was scared the insurance would not cover it.
After they reminded me, I went back to the rental counter and asked for more details. I talked to the staff again and again. I asked for clear damage photos and an official damage report. After a few tries I finally got better photos and a proper damage document from them. Then I sent all these files to the customer service team again. I waited like I was waiting for exam results. I hoped it would pass and at the same time I was afraid something would be wrong.
Later they helped me file the claim. I just needed to confirm the amount and the currency on my side. I saw 120000 JPY on the document. I checked it again because I did not want to make a mistake. After I confirmed it I just waited for news. Time passed and one day I saw a message that the claim was approved. They told me the loss could be covered and I would get the 120000 JPY back.
At that moment I really let out a big breath. This damage case made me very stressed before. I felt like the last part of my trip was ruined. When the claim was paid, the pressure on me suddenly went away. I felt much lighter.
When I think of it now I remember myself standing on a street in Osaka and staring at the receipt with worry. I also remember running around to get all the photos and damage papers from the rental shop. The process was not simple but the claim was successful and the money was covered. For a solo traveler with a student budget this made a huge difference. AXA Full Coverage turned a very scary 120000 JPY bill into something I could handle, and my first trip alone in Japan did not turn into a nightmare.
Price Drop ProtectorI want to say my feeling first. This time with QEEQ I really felt I earned some money for free. Is it a huge amount. Maybe not. But for someone like me who is still young and cares about every dollar it really matters. I was flying from Singapore to Nagoya and I booked a Toyota Estima on their site. It was an auto car with seven seats so I could share with my friends. I will jump to the later part first. One day I was thinking maybe I should check my booking price again. Then I saw the amount looked a bit lower than what I remembered. I got confused. Did I remember wrong. Or did they charge me wrong. I checked again and again. Then I noticed it was because of their Price Drop Protector. When I first booked the car the price was normal. I just wanted to lock it early so I could feel safe. After some days the price went down. They helped me rebook the car by themselves and gave the price difference back to me. I did not press any extra button. I did not send any email. They just helped me save money quietly. How much did I save. Maybe not a lot for some people. But for me it is like one nice lunch. In my head I was thinking where did this extra money come from. Then I saw it was because the platform auto helped me and I felt it was pretty cool. I also thought if I booked later maybe I could hit the lower price by myself. But in real life I booked early and normally that means I must accept that first price. This service fixed the gap for me. I did not care about how they checked the prices. What I could feel was simple. I did nothing. My order became cheaper and the money they charged was less. For someone with a tight travel budget this feels really good. It is like someone is watching the price for me and pulls me up when it gets lower. So in the end my story with them is like this. I booked a car first. Some time later I found out I had saved some extra money. This free earning feeling fits my young mindset very well.
Price Drop ProtectorWhen I first saw the bill I was a bit confused and I thought in my head hey why is this cheaper than I remember. Then I realized it was because I chose Price Drop Protector when I booked with QEEQ and it really saved me some money.
I am from Switzerland and I was flying to Fukuoka in Japan. A few months before the trip I was already checking car prices on their site. Cars in Fukuoka were not so easy to get and I liked this small Suzuki Hustler from HM Rent a Car. It was automatic and looked very cute in the photos. In my mind I was already thinking it would be fun to drive this car on the streets of Fukuoka. The price at that time was okay for me so I just booked it.
Some days before my flight in mid August I wanted to check my booking again. I saw a note that my order was updated and my first thought was oh no maybe the price went up. I kept talking to myself in my head while I opened the details. Then I saw the amount and it was actually a few dollars less. I compared the old email and the new info and I saw the old price there and the new lower price. They had already rebooked it for me and sent the difference back.
In that moment I felt a small surprise. It was like I suddenly got a bit more travel money for free. Seven dollars is not a huge number but it is not nothing. In Japan that can be one or two drinks or some snacks from the convenience store. I remember thinking wow it really changes the price by itself and I did nothing at all.
I arrived in Fukuoka on the evening of August thirteenth. The summer air was warm and a bit heavy and the airport was not very crowded. I was already picturing in my head how I would pick up the car the next morning. I went to get the car on the fourteenth around ten in the morning. I pulled my suitcase to the small counter of HM Rent a Car. The staff there was calm and polite. They put the contract in front of me. I checked the total price again and it was the same as the updated one with no strange extra charges.
When I saw that number on the paper I thought again about that small price cut and I laughed a little inside. It felt like I had picked up money from the ground. It was not a lot but it felt like someone was helping me save money in the background and I only needed to choose the car and show up.
I was a bit worried before about automatic rebooking. I wondered if maybe my car would be gone or if they would ask me again for some documents. In the end for me it was very quiet. One day I just noticed the price was lower. That was all. When I came to Fukuoka the car was still ready for me. The rental staff knew about my booking and there was no confusion at all.
During the days I drove in Fukuoka I sometimes thought about this again. At night when I went back to my room and lay on the bed with my phone I would suddenly think if I did not use this service I would not have this little extra money now. I am still a student and I need to save for my trips so every small saving feels real.
I also told my friends about it. Some of them never heard of this kind of auto price refund and they thought it was just some kind of ad. I told them my trip was a real example. Before the trip even started the difference was already back in my hands and all I had to do was wait and then pick up the car.
For me Price Drop Protector feels like an extra thin safety layer besides flights and hotels. Car prices can go up and down and I cannot check them every day. This time it felt like someone was watching the price for me. When they found a lower one they moved me to that and gave me the difference. As a young person this makes me feel more relaxed and the pressure on my budget is a bit lower.
AXA Full CoverageThis trip to Hokkaido was my first time driving in Japan winter with my kid. I booked the car on QEEQ and chose a Subaru Levorg Estate from Be Kobe. It was an automatic car and for a parent like me it felt safer and easier to drive. Our plan was to pick up the car around the evening on February 10 around seven and return it on February 24 in the afternoon around four. The plan looked perfect and I thought everything would go just like that.
The trouble started with our flight. We were flying from Australia and the flight kept getting delayed. When we finally arrived at New Chitose Airport it was already close to nine at night. My kid was sleeping and waking up again and again on the plane. When he woke up he kept asking me when he could see the snow. I was a bit nervous inside but I did not want him to feel that so I tried to speak calmly and comfort him while I kept checking the time. When we took our bags I started to realize that by the time we reached the rental office it would be outside normal business hours.
We pulled our luggage and walked with the kid to the Be Kobe office. It was very cold outside and the snow on the ground had turned into a hard layer of ice. The staff at the counter still helped us finish the paperwork but they told me that because we were picking up the car after hours there would be an extra late pickup fee of about ten thousand yen. I froze for a second. My first thought was that the delay was not my fault. But it did not feel right to argue a lot at that moment. My kid was tired and I just wanted to get the car and leave so I paid the fee with my card and told myself I would think about it later.
After we reached the hotel I started to read the insurance I bought more carefully. In the AXA Full Coverage I found a part that mentioned delayed vehicle pick up. When I saw that line I felt a bit more confident. At the same time I had no real experience with claims. I was not sure if this late pickup fee from the rental company would really be covered. That night after my kid fell asleep I sat alone by the window looking at the snow outside and thinking about whether I should try to claim it. Ten thousand yen is not a tiny amount for a family trip.
In the end I decided to contact customer support and explain what happened. I told them that our flight was delayed and because of that we only reached the rental office after business hours and then were charged this fee. I pulled out the flight information and checked the times again. That flight really landed around nine at night on the same day we were supposed to pick up the car. When they asked about the amount and the currency I checked the receipt carefully and told them the numbers one by one.
They asked me to prepare flight delay proof and also the boarding pass and itinerary. During those days I was taking care of my kid in the snow and at the same time using my phone to search my emails. I went through the airline messages and tried to find all the proof I could. This was my first time doing something like this so I worried that I might miss some document and then the claim would fail.
After I sent the documents I still did not feel fully sure. I could only wait for news. Every time my phone buzzed I would check it at once to see if it was about the claim. My kid did not care about this at all. He only cared about playing in the snow and going to the hot spring the next day. For me it felt like I had a small side task during this trip. I hoped I could get that extra fee back.
Later they contacted me again to confirm the fee amount and the currency. I checked the ten thousand yen and how it changed into US dollars and I did not want to say it wrong. For someone like me who is not used to dealing with insurance these small details suddenly became very important. I felt a bit nervous but also felt that I was not just accepting this extra cost without doing anything.
After some time I got the message that the claim was successful and that AXA Full Coverage would pay me back for the late pickup fee caused by the flight delay. When I saw the message I was in the hotel room folding my kid's clothes. At that moment I felt a big relief. I also felt that it was really worth it that I chose this coverage when I booked the car. I remembered how I felt that night when we rushed to the office with luggage and a sleepy child and how worried I was about time and money. Now those feelings slowly calmed down.
For a parent traveling with a child money is one part but the bigger thing is the feeling of safety. Knowing that when something like a flight delay happens someone is willing to help cover this extra cost makes the trip feel more complete. It made me think that for our next self drive trip I will read the insurance parts more carefully again and look for similar protection. This time I really felt that this kind of coverage is not just a small add on. It actually helped me when I needed it.
Price Drop ProtectorIt started with money on my mind. I booked a car on QEEQ for my family, for a Tokyo trip at the end of August. I wanted a seven seat Toyota Esquire so we could put all the bags in and the kids could get in and out easily. The price looked okay at that moment so I just booked it. With kids, I like to lock things in early so I can feel calm.
Some days later in the morning I was on the train and checking my email. I saw a new booking confirmation from them. I got a bit nervous. I thought maybe the car had a problem or the system messed up. I opened it fast and checked. The car group was still a seven seat automatic, the time was still around late August pick up in Tokyo and mid September drop off in Tokyo, but the order number was different. Then I saw a line that showed they were sending me more than thirty euro back.
I was confused for a few seconds. In my head I was already thinking how many snacks I could buy for the kids with that money. Then I read the email more slowly and I remembered I chose a service called Price Drop Protector when I booked. The price went down and they had rebooked it for me at the lower price and sent the difference back. I checked my payment on my phone and saw the refund on the way. It really felt like I just found money.
If I jump back to the night I booked the car it was very normal. The kids were asleep, the house was quiet, and I was alone with my laptop. I was checking Tokyo cars for a long time. I needed seven seats, automatic, and a rental company with okay reviews. I looked and looked and finally chose a car from CRQ CarRent. There were many extra options on the page and I wanted to skip them all. Then I saw this price protection thing. It said if the price dropped later they would rebook and send me the difference. In my head I said to myself, is this really true, but I also knew traveling with kids costs a lot. The service did not cost much so I clicked it.
Days passed and I forgot about it. I was busy planning places for the kids, like zoos and museums in Tokyo. Then that new booking email came and it felt like a small gift from my past self to my future self. At noon that day I was in the office. Sunlight came in through the window. I was holding my phone, looking at the booking and doing exchange rate math in my head. I saw that the saved money could pay for an extra ramen meal in Tokyo and maybe a dessert for the kids.
I did not do any hard work. I did not call anyone to ask for discounts. It was just book the car first and then some days later get an email and money back. The pick up time was still around late August in the morning, the same city, same level seven seat car. Our plan did not change at all. Only the price went down. For a parent traveling with children this kind of no effort saving feels very special.
Around that time I opened my old booking again and compared the first price with the new one. I checked the old order number and the new one and felt very sure about it. I always thought saving money meant I had to check prices every day and compare many websites. Here they watched the price for me. I just clicked that service on a normal evening and on a random morning I suddenly had more than thirty euro to spend on my kids.
When the Tokyo trip got closer I opened the new booking again. The pick up place was still the same Tokyo location. The time was still around eleven in the morning and the seven seat car was waiting for us. In my mind I only had two things left to worry about. How to set up the child seat and where to eat lunch after picking up the car. The money part was already quietly taken care of by that small price drop surprise.
