CAR RENTAL REVIEWS ON EAST COAST AT MELBOURNE AIRPORT, MEL

The service is decent, and the car is in good condition.

Chose to pick up the car at the airport and return it in downtown Melbourne. After leaving the airport, had to call the store to inform them and wait at the shuttle stop for a free ride.

The service at the store catered to Chinese customers, though there were various pressures to add insurance. When picking up the car, the Indian woman was very impatient. The rental location is not at the airport; you need to find a shuttle bus at the terminal three bus stop to go to the rental company. However, the overall process was fairly smooth.

They aggressively push extra insurance and freeze $1000.

The staff at the Melbourne Airport branch are quite friendly, and they offer services in Chinese. However, the Chinese service often comes with upselling, trying to scare you into buying full insurance, which doesn't feel good. The thing I'm most dissatisfied with is the car condition. Being the cheapest rental company, the cars are usually older models. A 2013 model is still acceptable, but I was given a 2010 Corolla, a 6-year-old car with over 90,000 kilometers and various scratches. I might as well buy a lottery ticket. The old engine combined with an outdated 4-speed automatic transmission results in high fuel consumption.

These few times I've gone

Terrible. When renting the car, basic insurance was included, but the rental company insisted it wasn't and showed us warning statements. We ended up buying additional insurance unnecessarily. Awful company.

It was average. The staff will try to sell insurance. The service was okay.

Convenient, efficient, cost-effective.

The service attitude was very satisfactory. After arriving at the airport, I called the store to get the information on where to wait for the free shuttle, which was actually easy to find. When you exit the terminal, you will see three lanes of traffic. The second lane is generally where hotel shuttles wait. Look for a brown sign with white letters, and you can wait near there. The East Coast shuttle is white with yellow letters and a big 'E'. This shuttle will take you to the store to pick up your car.

The car pick-up process was quick, but it's very far from Melbourne Airport! On the day of return, the keys got locked inside the car. When I called the rental company's phone number, they refused to assist. I had to seek help from the local tracking system, and a service person came to unlock the car! I can only say that the rental company is completely irresponsible in such incidents; it was the local tracking system department that was helpful, providing free service and taking no charge!

The local staff I encountered were very friendly, didn't push for insurance, the process was fast, and the car inspection went smoothly.

Good

Great Ocean Road, 150 kilometers from destination. The car stalled and the battery died in less than five minutes. Called for roadside assistance, waited over two hours, and they sent a tow truck which took us in the opposite direction to a small town without repairing the car. East Coast didn’t send a replacement car in time. We had to spend the night on the street in a small town with my pregnant wife. Feeling desperate, we found a local resident who helped jumpstart the car. Throughout this ordeal, East Coast customer service never called to check on us. When we first called East Coast, a male staff just told us to call the number on the key and mentioned that if the problem was our fault, we would be charged. I advise everyone not to rent from East Coast; it’s very inconvenient if anything goes wrong while you're away.

I didn't get the car at all!!! The flight arrived on time, called the store in advance, informed them that I was out of customs and waiting for my luggage, and asked if they could wait for me a bit. They said no! They close at 10 PM sharp! If the store is closed, come to pick up the car tomorrow! I rushed to get my luggage and out of the airport, took a taxi straight to the rental store fearing delays, and the store was already closed! I had to take a taxi to the hotel, costing me 104 AUD! Took a taxi to the airport store the next morning, only to be told no cars were available for the next few days. Spent another 98 AUD on taxi fares, and in the end, I couldn't rent a car! I strongly advise against renting from this company—they're not reliable, the location is far from the airport, and both picking up and returning the car is inconvenient. Also, the deposit for the car booking hasn't been refunded! This was a truly terrible rental experience! It's not the booking platform's fault; the rental company has serious issues!

Affordable prices.

Fast and convenient

There is no storefront at the airport, and I waited a long time, making several calls, even contacting the domestic rental website, before the free shuttle arrived. It wasted a lot of time, and I will never choose this company again. The deposit of AUD 1000 is higher than other companies, and it was only released a month after returning home. Additionally, my credit card was charged AUD 24.18 after returning, without any explanation or receipt. I rented cars from other companies twice before in Australia and never encountered such issues. It's terrible.

Overall, it was okay. Returning the car was simple. The branch is open until 10:00 PM and the last shuttle to the airport is at 9:30 PM. The pickup experience was not great, and the car's condition was just average. Compared with similar price ranges, the condition of cars in Australia and New Zealand is generally not as good as in North America.

The attitude was decent, but not great.