Avoid Simba Rentals at all costs! The overall experience was extremely unsatisfactory and unreliable. I have considerable experience with overseas car rentals and self-driving trips, particularly from Sydney Airport, but this company's service was unparalleled—in the worst way possible—and broke every expectation I had.
1. Sydney Airport shuttle bus wait time exceeding 30 minutes
Unlike major car rental companies that have depots close to Sydney Airport near King Park with shuttles running every few minutes, Simba's shuttle pickup point is on the other side of the airport and requires phone or online booking. Even after booking, the shuttle took over 30 minutes to arrive. Online bookings repeatedly malfunctioned, and the phone number provided was an automated service with no human interaction. During the 30-minute wait, no one proactively verified whether my booking was successful. I initially booked a 10:00 AM car pickup, arrived at the airport around 9:00 AM, and called to arrange the shuttle. However, the shuttle arrived only after a long delay (past my planned pickup time), and it was already 11:00 AM by the time I finally got my car.
2. Shuttle driver’s safety and service at Sydney Airport
The shuttle driver demonstrated no initiative in assisting with luggage, even when noticing that elderly individuals and children were present. (At first, I didn’t care much, but seeing a young foreigner later actively help with luggage made the lack of service even more apparent.) Moreover, the driver abruptly accelerated and braked when my baby was not yet securely fastened in the car seat, causing my child to fall to the floor from the safety seat.
3. Overcharging at the rental office
The rental office charged us for things beyond the agreed-upon fees, including additional toll charges, administrative fees, and a one-way rental fee—all of which were supposed to already be included in the prepaid order. When I raised concerns, the staff simply stated that I could contact the rental platform if I had a problem, but clarified that even if the platform reached out to them, they would still insist on these additional charges. Honestly, if the shuttle delay hadn’t caused such a significant impact on my travel schedule or if I had been traveling alone, I would have canceled the booking and opted for another rental company on the spot.
I am usually pretty laid-back and not very particular about small issues, but the constant stream of problems was overwhelming in this case. The absurdity of the entire experience was truly beyond anything I have ever encountered. It really was a uniquely bad experience. Avoid this local company if you can! I generally have a good impression of Australia and its friendly, kind people, but this rental company was terrible and left me with a poor impression of their services.
The car's condition was average, but at least there were no scratches or noticeable marks, and it was very clean.
However, there were no floor mats, so we had to be extra cautious, worrying about accidentally making the car dirty.
They forcibly promoted insurance. Due to language barriers, we ended up purchasing duplicate insurance. This made our car rental experience in Australia very disappointing!
During the rental period, there was a traffic violation, and they transferred it to my name, charging a 55 AUD handling fee! Very unreasonable, as many companies don't charge this fee.
Very good service, all communication was in English. If something wasn't understood, the staff used Google Translate to help. The Kia Carnival 8-seater was excellent, and its screen could connect to Google Maps on the phone. Getting in and out of the car was slightly inconvenient.
The service was just so-so, and the car wasn't a Corolla but a small SUV I didn't recognize. It ended up being my first time driving an SUV, and it was even a right-hand drive one, which was funny since I'd only ever driven hatchbacks or sedans before. Luckily, there were no scratches or accidents.
The staff were very nice. This is one of the few rental companies that accept 'UnionPay', which makes it an easy choice for the future. I would recommend it to others as well.
About QEEQ:10.0/10
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