Am in London at the moment and went and pickup my Avis hire car I booked through Qantas.com. The car class I booked through Qantas was "premium" with the example car being a BMW3 series. Imagine my surprise when I was handed the keys to a Skoda Octiva. Now I understand hire car companies have caveats that you may get an equivalent car but no way is a Skoda Octiva equivalent to a BMW 3 series.
When I questioned the car I was given I was told I was booked in F class and the Skoda was a car in that class. I said to the women do you consider a Skoda to be a premium car to which she answered no it, and the whole F class are considered to be standard sized saloons. I showed her my Qantas booking where it said my booking was for a premium car and she said again I was booked in F class and I have an F class car and any issues talk to the manager.
I did just that and the manager said I was given a car from the correct class I was booked in. I asked him too if a Skoda was considered premium and he said no, so I showed him my booking and asked him to explain why my booking said premium but I was booked in a class that isn't considered premium.
As soon as he saw it was a Qantas booking he said that they have similar problems with Qantas and other 3rd party booking agents all the time in so far as the agents don't represent their correct example cars for a given class and that I should take the issue up with Qantas.
Now suffice to say I will do just that (provided I can find the correct number or email address the website doesn't really give one for cars). As far as I am concerned I have booked a car thinking I was getting one thing and paying accordingly when I have been given something totally different.
So be careful when booking cars through Qantas an other 3rd party agents. What you get may well not be what you think you have booked.
When I questioned the car I was given I was told I was booked in F class and the Skoda was a car in that class. I said to the women do you consider a Skoda to be a premium car to which she answered no it, and the whole F class are considered to be standard sized saloons. I showed her my Qantas booking where it said my booking was for a premium car and she said again I was booked in F class and I have an F class car and any issues talk to the manager.
I did just that and the manager said I was given a car from the correct class I was booked in. I asked him too if a Skoda was considered premium and he said no, so I showed him my booking and asked him to explain why my booking said premium but I was booked in a class that isn't considered premium.
As soon as he saw it was a Qantas booking he said that they have similar problems with Qantas and other 3rd party booking agents all the time in so far as the agents don't represent their correct example cars for a given class and that I should take the issue up with Qantas.
Now suffice to say I will do just that (provided I can find the correct number or email address the website doesn't really give one for cars). As far as I am concerned I have booked a car thinking I was getting one thing and paying accordingly when I have been given something totally different.
So be careful when booking cars through Qantas an other 3rd party agents. What you get may well not be what you think you have booked.