How to Ruin your Holiday; 101 - First Step, book through Europcar, Melbourne Airport

The pick up process was disgusting. 45 minutes in line after having booked is a disgrace and meant we had to cancel booked activities in Melbourne City. Why I had to stand in line while people who had not booked ummed and ahhed over choices or had to have every said twice due to language barriers is beyond me. Why I had to write on scrap pieces of paper which were then scanned or give details that I had entered under my booking was also staggering. My past rental experiences at all other large airports in Australia have taken 10 to 15 minutes. It was unbelievable. I happened to see the manager in the car park and asked her how this could be, she suggested I join the loyalty programme, nothing about how they can sort the issue inside that was going on. When I suggested having a separate desk for people who had not booked she said this had been tried and did not work as they got served faster thasn those who had booked in the end. How the hell does that happen. There were 5 staff working, if you make just 1 line for those who have not booked then it must become faster for the people who have booked with four people serving them. If there is no one in the non-booked line then that person can also serve a booked person. Where is the reward for booking ahead. This was a monumental clusterfuck that affected the whole day for a group of visitors who had one day to spend in Melbourne. One of the group had to cancel seeing his sister for lunch who he had not seen in 5 years as we had other booked activities to get to. I would not be writing this if this was the way it is in Australia but past experience means I know it isn't and something was wrong with this company office. Further we did not get a Nissan X Trail as requested, we have had the X Trail twice before, and I am aware how that is never guaranteed the Subaru Forrester was nothing on the X Trail. A real disappointment and will not be using Europcar again.

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