East Coast Car Rentals
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I booked a car with East Coast Rentals…
I booked a car with East Coast Rentals via Booking.com and, overall, the experience was disappointing due to a lack of transparency and communication. I had already purchased full coverage insurance through Booking (covering damage, theft, and excess fees), and I know from previous rentals that rental companies are informed of this when the booking is made. However, at the counter, the staff did not acknowledge this at all. They simply said that “with what I had included,” I would need to leave a $1000 AUD deposit and be liable up to that amount. No explanation was given about the Booking insurance or how it applied. Feeling unsure after a long trip, I paid an extra $150 AUD for their own coverage — something I wouldn’t have done if the situation had been explained clearly. The car (an MG) functioned okay but had very dim headlights — far from ideal when driving at night in Tasmania, where wildlife is common. Only when returning the car was I told there was a dial under the steering wheel to adjust the lights — something completely non-intuitive that no one had explained, and which the staff dismissed with a “read the manual” comment. The most frustrating moment was the fuel situation. I refueled the car completely about 30 minutes before drop-off. The staff then used that same car to drive us to the airport and back — a journey after our rental had ended. When he returned, the fuel gauge showed one bar down. I received a call while already at the airport gate, saying I would either need to return and refuel or be charged $4 AUD per litre. I went back, topped off the tank with $7 AUD, but the gauge didn’t move. I added another $2 AUD, still no change. The gauge finally updated during the drive back to the airport — clearly a delayed reading, not an actual fuel issue. I found the whole situation unnecessary and unfair. The staff wasn’t rude, but the overall experience felt poorly handled and not transparent. I wouldn’t recommend East Coast Rentals, especially to international travellers.