Upon arrival at the rental office, a staff member tried to sell me a full insurance package for over 570 dollars, which I declined. Then the staff said that apart from the 3400 dollars pre-authorization deposit, I also had to pay a 268-dollar bank fee. They said this fee is charged by the bank for processing the 3400-dollar pre-authorization. They also mentioned that if I didn't buy full insurance and the vehicle had any issues, they would deduct from the 3400 dollars pre-authorization for each issue, and each deduction would come with an extra 268-dollar fee. Hearing this, I called QEEQ customer service immediately. In the first three hours, the first and second customer support agents said that the 268-dollar fee couldn't be waived, and I had to pay it upfront and discuss a resolution after returning the vehicle. The third customer support agent said that I should pay it upfront, and QEEQ would reimburse me after returning the vehicle. By the fourth call, I insisted that such fees were not in the contract and that it was a breach of agreement, so I would not be renting the vehicle. An hour later, they replied, saying the 268-dollar fee would not be charged, and I could return to collect the vehicle by paying the deposit. But who could trust a company that clearly scams tourists? From 8 AM to 3 PM, I was constantly communicating, and even though the 268-dollar fee was waived, I dared not trust such a shady company. If they didn’t succeed in scamming me with insurance and hidden fees, they would find another way to deduct the whole 3400 dollars deposit after I returned the vehicle. So, I told QEEQ customer service that I couldn't rent the car under such conditions. I decided not to rent it because if I returned the vehicle and they deducted my 3400 dollars deposit, it wouldn’t be feasible for me to book another flight to Australia just to sue them. The end result is that I didn’t rent the car, and of course, the 700+ dollars rental fee I already paid was non-refundable. The fact that they tried to sell me a 570-dollar insurance on a 700+ dollars rental and used a ridiculous 268-dollar fee per transaction trick is absurd. Apollo Rental Company is blatantly predatory, and the whole company thrives on this practice, not just individual employees. Losing 700 dollars is better than losing all 3400.
At first, I thought Apollo and Cheapa Campa were different companies based on the listings, but I realized they are the same company when I arrived. We were served by an employee named Carmel. There was no aggressive upselling like some friends experienced in Europe: the staff explained their services, and it was up to us to decide. Carmel was friendly and patient, answering all my questions with a smile. As it was my first time renting a campervan overseas, I had listed questions about basic operations, gas, water, electricity, and fuel on my phone the day before picking up the vehicle. Carmel answered all my questions thoroughly. According to Carmel, the Toyota we rented was 4 years old. Over four days and three nights, we drove nearly 800 kilometers: from the pickup point along the Great Ocean Road to Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve west of Warrnambool, bringing the total mileage of the vehicle to 200,000 kilometers. For a road as wide as the Great Ocean Road, the vehicle's condition was satisfactory.
About QEEQ:10.0/10
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