Contact centre incredibly unhelpful in regards to flight delays
I am very unsatisfied around the communication for my car rental with the call center.
I was flying from Auckland to Nelson, my flight kept getting delayed. I communicated the delays several times with the call center, and they also had my flight details. Items I am dissatisfied with:
- I got told despite the call center closing at 8pm, and the Nelson car pick up closing at 8:30pm there was no way to communicate with them directly.
- I got told that the Nelson location would "probably" be still open when I got there, if my flight was delayed after 8:30pm. I asked if there was anyway to confirm this, I got told no. I asked if there was any way for a contactless pick up, I got told no. I asked again multiple times if there was any way to confirm if they would wait any time after 8:30pm and the only answer I got was "probably". It was incredibly stressful.
- I asked what my options were (for example if my flight was delayed for 10+ minutes after the pick up closed) and I got told that if it wasn't open (which they couldn't confirm) there were no options and that I can pick the car up the next day. I communicated I had no where to stay, and I got told there was nothing they could do.
When I landed in Nelson at 8:20pm, I rushed over to the pick up and the lady there was lovely. BUT - all I did at that pick up was show my license (which you already), pay the deposit (which could have been done prior or on the phone), sign another form (which could have been done prior) and she handed me the keys. There was no inspection of the car or any reason to indicate why it could not have been a contactless pick up.
I'm really confused why the entire situation needed to be so stressful - why I couldn't have a confirmed time that the Nelson pick up would wait if my flight was delayed (like we were only talking 10-30 minutes, not hours), or why contactless pick up couldn't have been arranged. Very disappointed with how the call center handled it, even the wording that was used could have given me a little bit of confidence but it did not.
Réponse : Ezi Car Rental
Hello Siobhan,
Thank you for sharing this — I’m really sorry the experience felt so stressful, especially when you were already dealing with flight delays. I want to look into exactly what happened on the call and why the information you received felt uncertain or unhelpful.
Before I can investigate properly, could you share your booking number? That will let me listen to the call, review the timeline, and understand where the communication broke down.
A few points I can clarify straight away:
We don’t offer contactless pick‑ups. We’re required to verify the identity of the person collecting the vehicle in person, and we don’t take payment online — the physical card needs to be present so it can be tokenised for the bond.
Because of those requirements, the team can’t pre‑complete the rental or leave keys out unattended, even if the process at the counter feels quick.
Once you send the booking number, I’ll review the call and follow up with you with a full explanation.
Kind regards,
Ezi Car Rental Team
EDITED: Thank you for sending your rental agreement number. I listened to the three calls you made. The agent advised you that she contacted the branch, and they confirmed that they will wait for this delayed flight. I understand that the flight kept delaying which made you nervous. However, the agent also advised you that if there were not going to wait any longer, that they would contact you to let you know as they cannot wait indefinitely. I'm pleased to hear that your flight arrived before it came to that.