North Island: Auckland - Waitomo - Matamata - Rotorua

Very satisfied

The customer service of the rental car company could not provide the correct drop-off location as per my request. They just kept repeating the complicated drop-off instructions! The overall service level of the staff needs improvement!

I returned the car on time, but they charged me an extra day with no way to file a complaint.

They said no automatic transmission... was forced to upgrade

For the first 4 days, I got the Hyundai iMax 8-seater van I had booked. The rental company provided a 2017 new car in great condition, and the pickup process was simple. On the fourth day, we needed to exchange the car in Wellington to get the same model in Picton on the South Island. However, AVIS in Picton couldn't provide the same model and gave us a 5-seater Highlander instead. They suggested we try our luck tomorrow morning if we don't pick it up today. Due to our itinerary and hotel reservations, we had no choice but to continue with the smaller vehicle for another 5 days. Key issues: 1. They did not provide a matching model and downgraded us, ignoring our concerns. 2. The service attitude was poor; they demanded payment for scratches on the previous vehicle (which was clearly noted by the front desk to have been caused by the previous renter). 3. They were verbally sarcastic and ignored our request for a similar 8-seater model. They showed disdain for Chinese people and accused us of being unreasonable when we left. Note, six adults and six suitcases crammed into a 5-seater SUV—it was unbearable.