*AUCKLAND*This is the worst car rental experience I’ve ever had. I wish I could give 0 stars. When we arrived to pick up the car, the staff were rude and completely ignored us for about 30 minutes. Only after that did they tell us to scan a QR code and complete forms that took a long time — something they could have asked us to do while we were waiting. Because of this poor service, we ended up being there for over an hour for a simple pick-up.I booked through Booking.com and paid around $350 upfront for the 6-day rental and insurance. Before I even returned the car, AutoUnion had already taken another $313.57 from my account without asking. This included $140 for an extra 12 hours I never approved, $135.80 for insurance even though I already paid Booking.com for it, and a $54.70 early-morning drop-off fee that was never mentioned at pick-up.When I questioned these charges, they accused me of “holding the car illegally” and threatened to charge a further $25 per hour until the car was returned. That would have made it $350 on top of the $140 they already charged me, meaning I would have paid $490 for only 14 extra hours — despite finding a similar car elsewhere for $70. Their behaviour was aggressive, dismissive and completely unreasonable.Total money taken from them for a 7 day car rental of a very old Toyota Corolla is currently $665 (should have only been $350) and they are still holding a $500 bond. Will update if they continue stealing money without permission.Please read the other low reviews — many customers report the exact same issues. There is a clear pattern of forced insurance, hidden fees, unauthorised charges and bonds being held with no explanation. Their responses on Google and via email are defensive and show no interest in resolving problems or providing proper customer service.For comparison, earlier this year I rented through Discount Car Rentals and had zero issues. Everything was smooth, transparent and exactly what you’d expect from a professional rental company.AutoUnion’s behaviour feels predatory and unprofessional. I strongly recommend avoiding them.
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