dollar.com

Warning to Others Based on Our Experience with the Service

We are sharing this review to alert others about our experience with the service during an ongoing rental in Australia.
From the start, the experience was fraught with issues. At pickup, we encountered an unwelcoming and dismissive attitude from two staff members. After a considerable wait, a third staff member eventually completed the rental, but the overall impression was already quite negative.
This was a long-term rental, and it was clearly stated at pickup that we would be traveling 17,000–20,000 km over several months. This was explicitly mentioned and acknowledged, so we expected the vehicle to be suitable for such a long-distance journey.
According to the service sticker on the windscreen, the next service was due at 38,700 km. We inquired if the vehicle would need to be swapped or serviced during the rental due to the extensive distance planned, but this was categorically denied, as we were informed that the company uses an internal maintenance system that indicated the vehicle was serviced and approved.
We are now at about 53,500 km, meaning the vehicle is operating approximately 14,700 km beyond the specified service interval.
During the rental, we faced a serious safety issue. We arranged for an independent external inspection, which confirmed that the rear tyres were significantly worn and unsafe, clearly not suitable for the agreed rental duration and mileage. We were explicitly warned that continuing to drive the vehicle would pose a serious safety risk. Written documentation from this inspection is available.
Given the condition of the tyres and the overdue service, we cannot reasonably trust that other critical safety components, such as the brakes, are in acceptable condition.
Despite this, we were informed that all costs for roadside assistance and tyre replacement would be our responsibility, and that we were required to return the vehicle with five fully functional tyres, regardless of the condition of the tyres originally provided.
What ensued is deeply troubling.
The issue was formally escalated to the Head Office, Claims, and Executive Customer Relations. As of today, there has been no response for six days, while the rental remains active and the vehicle has been independently deemed unsafe.
In parallel, we experienced a significant system failure. On 20 December, we received an automated email stating that the vehicle had not been returned, despite having nearly two weeks left on the rental. We had to contact the company ourselves to rectify this.
Due to the complete lack of support and the urgency of these safety issues, we are now compelled to resolve the situation ourselves. Since no assistance is being provided, we will have to rent a replacement vehicle from another service for one week, entirely at our own expense, just to continue our journey safely.
From our experience, this reflects a systemic failure across customer service, internal systems, escalation handling, and safety responsibility.
Based on what we have gone through, we would strongly recommend against renting from this service, especially for long-term rentals or travel involving significant distances.

Date of experience: Dec 22, 2025