It was a late evening in New Orleans. I was pulling the suitcase with one hand and holding my kid with the other hand. The car I booked on QEEQ was waiting for us. I thought I already paid everything online, so I felt pretty relaxed when I finally got to the rental counter.
Then the staff at the counter told me that the price only included the car and did not include taxes and fees. They said I had to pay a bit more than 300 dollars extra. I was confused. My kid was getting restless next to me. I swiped my card while trying to calm my kid down. I felt really upset and something felt wrong.
The next day I calmed down and checked my emails and my booking details. I saw that the price was supposed to include taxes. So I reached out to them and explained what happened. The customer service team followed up with me very fast. They asked me to send photos of the receipt from the rental counter and my card statement. I was taking care of my kid and searching emails and photos at the same time. My mind was a bit messy but they kept following up and did not complain that I replied slowly.
After some days passed I thought maybe nothing would change. Then the customer service reached out again and told me they were already talking with the rental company and trying to get my extra three hundred plus dollars back. I could feel it was not a simple thing for them. It sounded like they needed to check and argue many times with the rental side. For me I only needed to sign one form and send my passport and the final statement.
When I finally saw the refund in my account I was sitting with my kid while he was doing homework. The amount was exactly the same as the extra money I paid at the counter. I felt a big relief. At first I felt wronged and angry. Later it turned into a feeling that someone was standing behind me and helping me handle the problem. As a parent traveling with a kid this kind of steady follow up and real result matters a lot to me.
What is the worst thing for a solo traveler? For me it is seeing extra money taken from my card in a place I do not really know and not knowing who can help me. I booked this car through QEEQ and when I was back in Singapore I checked my credit card bill. I saw a charge of 208.91 euros. It said it was for one extra rental day and fuel and some other fees. My mind just went blank and I thought this is really bad.
My memory jumped back to the parking area at Brussels airport. I arrived around the afternoon of May 7. It was a bit after three. I pulled my luggage to the Europcar counter. There were quite a lot of people in the line. Next to the line there was a big glass window. Outside the sky was gray and the wind kept shaking the ads. When I did the paperwork the staff at the counter spoke quite fast. I was a bit nervous so I kept checking the time with him. He told me how to walk to the parking place to get the car. By the time I reached the car it was around three fifteen in the afternoon. I looked at my phone and felt ok with the timing.
The real trouble started on the return day. I drove back to the airport on what should be May 8 in the afternoon. I tried to reach there again around three something. I stopped for fuel twice. One time around eleven something in the morning and the second time a bit after two in the afternoon. Both times the fuel nozzle clicked and stopped. The screen showed full. I tried to add more but it just stopped again. I took photos of the receipts and of the fuel gauge and told myself it should be fine.
Close to the airport I followed the return directions that the rental staff gave me. They told me to go to a certain parking zone. I followed the sign and ended up at PARK1. When I drove in I realized it was a paid parking. The machine at the entrance used French and Dutch. I stared at it for a while before I understood it. I did not want to be late so I just drove in and parked. When I shut the door I felt annoyed. The wrong guidance was from them but I had to pay extra 12 euros for that parking.
At the return area I parked the car and a staff member came to check. He looked at the fuel gauge and pointed at the dash. It seemed he meant it was not full. I quickly told him I had just filled the tank twice and the nozzle stopped by itself. I showed him the fuel receipts. He stared at the dash for a few seconds then looked at the car and said it was probably a display problem and they would treat it as full. I felt so relieved. I even took a photo of the fuel gauge at return with my phone. The time on the photo showed three fifteen in the afternoon. I remember that clearly.
Some days after I got home I found the 208.91 euro charge on my card. I looked at the bill again and again and felt more angry each time. I knew I returned the car at three fifteen and I spent time to fill the tank twice. Now they said I used one more rental day and also had to pay extra fuel. I sat alone at my desk. The screen showed my photos of the airport parking. I just felt confused and weak.
I first wrote an email to the local rental office. I sent all my photos and receipts and the time stamps. I wrote down what I told the staff at return. After some time they replied and said the charge was correct. It did not make sense to me. I then sent that email again but this time I copied in the support team and asked them to help.
At the start I was a bit afraid they would just say I should talk to the rental company myself. The support staff did not do that. They read my photos and my notes carefully. They repeated my main points back to me in a clear way. They understood that I reached the car at three fifteen in the afternoon on pick up and the return photo was also three fifteen. They also understood that the wrong parking direction sent me to PARK1 and made me pay 12 euros. And they got the story about the fuel nozzles that stopped by themselves. I could feel they really listened.
Over the next days I checked my email from time to time. Every time there was a reply from them I opened it right away. I could feel they were really following the case and not just sending a few standard lines. One time they told me they were still waiting for the rental company to answer and they wanted to confirm the extra day and the fuel part again. I was still a bit worried but it felt like someone was standing there with me.
After some days they told me the rental company had agreed to refund the extra rental day. They accepted that this part was not right. When I read this line I felt something heavy fall off my chest. All the photos and receipts I kept suddenly felt worth it. The rental company said they did add five liters of fuel so they would not return the fuel charge. I was still not very happy about that but I remembered the gauge was a bit strange. I decided to accept it. At least they did not keep a full extra day of rental.
What stayed in my mind most is the feeling during the whole thing. I never felt I was fighting alone. Every time I had a new doubt they tried to check it again for me. They were like someone on my side who helped me speak clearly. For a solo traveler this feeling is really important. In a country that is not mine things like language rules parking fuel and time can all go wrong so easily and you feel very small.
Now when I think back I feel that without this kind of dedicated customer service I would already have given up against the foreign rental company. I might just accept the bill and stay angry in silence. Instead most of the extra cost was fixed and I finally understood what the different fees meant. When I look at my statement now I still remember the stress at the start but I also remember that someone actually followed my case all the way and did not leave me alone.
That day in Mallorca airport I had a suitcase in one hand and my kid in the other. I booked the car with QEEQ and went to pick it up in the middle of May. There were many people at the counter and the light felt a bit dim. My kid started to get annoyed and I felt nervous. When it was my turn I gave my debit card to the staff. He looked at it and frowned. He said they only take credit cards and if I did not have one then I must buy their full insurance to get the car. I was confused and told him my card had enough money and I could pay the deposit. He just shook his head and kept saying I needed a credit card or their insurance. My kid asked me why it was so slow and I started to feel really stressed. I did not want to start a fight at the counter. I contacted their customer service and explained what happened. I also sent a screenshot of my account so they could see I had money. The person on the other side checked the details with me and spoke in a calm way. That made me feel a bit better. I could feel they were talking to the rental company for me. I waited in the airport and watched my kid while I checked my phone again and again. The rental company still kept a hard attitude. They said the contract was signed so they would not refund the extra insurance. They also said a debit card could not be used for pre authorization and only for a direct charge so that was why they suggested the extra insurance to avoid a big deposit. I felt really upset because I never said I could not pay a deposit. I was ready to use my card but the counter staff just did not give me any other choice. I told all of this to customer service and they passed my balance screenshot to the rental company and tried to ask for a refund of the one hundred eighty euro extra fee. In the end the rental company still followed the contract and did not return the money and only gave a small discount. The result was not great but I could clearly feel that someone was following my case from the start to the end. They told me every reply from the rental company and tried to calm me down. As a parent traveling with a kid it is easy to break down in this kind of problem. With their dedicated customer service staying with me the whole time I did not feel so alone facing the rental counter.
The day I returned the car, the sun in Exmouth was really bright. I was lifting my kid out of the Kia Sportage and trying to keep him from running off, while I was also counting our costs in my head. At the rental counter everything looked normal. I handed back the keys, signed the paper and left. In my mind I was already thinking about what to cook for my kid that night. A few days later back home in the UK, I checked my bank card and saw a charge of a bit over one hundred pounds. I just stared at the screen. My first thought was what is this again. After a few checks I saw it was from that rental I booked with QEEQ. I felt quite stressed. With a kid, every trip already costs a lot and this kind of surprise fee really hurts. I contacted their customer service and told them everything I knew. I even went to find the photo I took of the mileage when I returned the car. In that photo I could see my kid’s legs sticking out near the front seat. I thought to myself good thing I took this picture. The staff checked the mileage with me. I said it was 39072 when I returned the car but the paper from the rental company said 39702. I felt it was not fair and I told them they must have written it down wrong and that I had proof. They asked me to send the photo and reminded me to show the time on it. I was doing all this while thinking if I was alone I might not be so careful, but with a kid I have to watch everything. Later they told me they would keep talking with the rental company and that it was about a mileage fee. They also said they would keep following the case. I got some email updates. I remember reading one while cutting fruit for my kid in the kitchen. I felt someone was helping me carry this problem so I was not fighting the rental company alone. At one point they shared a refund amount they could get for me and asked if I was okay with it. I did a quick count and felt it was basically fair so I agreed. I really felt looked after at that moment. It was like they were saying you take care of your kid and we will deal with the rental company. When the refund finally showed up on my card I saw the number on my phone and felt a big weight off my chest. This thing that was hanging over me was finally done. Later they asked me to pay back the part they had fronted for me and I did that as well. The whole thing was not super fast but it also did not feel endless. The main thing for me was I could feel that someone remembered my case and kept checking on it. For a parent, that feeling of someone staying on your side and watching the problem for you is really important. Even when my kid was shouting and I was tired, I still felt calmer because I knew they were still helping me with this wrong charge.
I was really upset at first and also a little lost. I booked my car through QEEQ and I thought everything would be simple. But my trip to San Juan turned into a long story about money and problems. The strange part is that the thing I remember most is not the car. It is how someone kept following my case. I picked up the car around the end of March that week. I only drove it for about one day and then I gave it back. The day I went to the rental counter I was already tired. The air inside was cold but my head felt hot. The staff kept looking at their computer and then at me. They asked for my confirmation number again and again. They said they could not find my booking. My phone signal was bad and there was no WiFi. I stood there scrolling my email like crazy and kept asking myself what is going on. I showed them every piece of information I had. My name my dates everything. I felt like I was taking a test and they were checking every answer. They finally gave me the car. When I later looked at the contract and saw an extra charge of more than one hundred dollars I felt shocked. I have my own insurance and I never asked for more stuff. The number on the paper made me feel sick. The car was not in good shape either. The inside was dirty and it had a strong smell. I just wanted to return it as soon as I could. I kept thinking who will help me with this. I started a dispute with my credit card company but I was worried they might not help and then I would have to pay for everything. So I contacted their customer support and told them about the extra charges and how I only used the car for about one day. They did not talk to me like a robot. They first asked what I was most worried about. I said I was scared that nothing would be solved at the end. They told me to take it step by step. I sent them videos and photos of the car and also my payment records. I thought they might just forget me after that. They did not. Every few days they reached out and told me what was going on. They said they were still waiting for the rental company and told me not to stress too much. One day I had just finished class and was standing in the parking lot when they called. The wind was loud in my ears. On the phone the person went through each extra fee with me and said they would keep pushing the case. I felt a bit lighter in that moment. It did not feel like I was fighting this alone anymore. Even though the final result was not exactly what I wanted they explained where every fee came from and how far the dispute went. My anger got smaller over time. When I look back at those days from standing at the counter waiting while they could not find my booking to seeing the extra charge and then later getting calls and messages from someone who kept checking on me I remember one clear feeling. My problem mattered to them. That feeling of someone staying with the case and not forgetting about me was more important to me than just hearing a quick sorry.
To be honest I felt quite relaxed at the start. I booked the car through QEEQ and then flew to the US. Around the morning of January 16 I went to the counter in Cape Coral and got a Chevrolet Cruze. It was automatic and a four door car. The car looked fine. I even asked the counter staff if all the fees were already covered. He nodded and I did not think too much.
The real stress started after I returned the car. Around the morning of April 15 I brought the car back on time. Everything looked normal. A few days later I checked my bank account and saw a big charge. It was more than one thousand euro. I was confused and a bit shocked. This money was not in my plan. Then I scrolled back and saw that in March there was already another high payment. I felt angry and also a bit cheated.
I tried to remember what happened. Near the end of the second month the rental staff told me that the car I was driving was sold. They asked me to drive back to the station and change to another car. I felt it was strange but they said it would be quick and that all the payment was already done. They gave me a new paper. I thought it was just a normal swap form. I was on a business trip and my time was tight so I trusted them and left with the new car. I never thought the final bill would look like this.
When I saw the extra charges I contacted their customer service right away. It felt like falling into a time zone hole. I was working and at the same time explaining all these numbers. I told them clearly that I had paid in advance for three months and now it looked like only one month was covered. The next two months seemed to be charged again with a very high price. I was worried that I could not match all the contract numbers and also that there might be language problems.
They arranged someone to follow my case all the way. It was not just one short reply and then silence. This person checked on me from time to time. He asked if I had new statements and reminded me to send screenshots when needed. Sometimes the reply was not instant but I could feel that there was one person who remembered my case. I did not need to explain everything from zero every time.
One night I was working late in the office. The lights were bright and my head was full of contracts and figures. Then I got an email from them. The update said they were already talking with the rental company and told me not to worry too much. He also turned the rental company explanation into simple English so I could understand it. At that moment I felt someone was breaking down the complex things for me and I could finally breathe a bit.
The whole process was not easy. Waiting for news made me nervous. I kept thinking if I could really get my money back. Each time I asked for progress they could tell me which step they were at and if there was any new answer. Many platforms just say you should contact the rental company by yourself. This time they stayed in the middle and spoke for me. They kept saying that I paid for three months in advance and it should not only cover one month.
Now things are much clearer and the extra part has a proper way to be handled. I am not as anxious as at the beginning. As a business traveler I really hate to waste time on billing problems. Having one person follow my problem from start to near the end made me feel I was not fighting the rental company alone.
