The upgrade gave us a much larger car, which took some getting used to.

The website clearly stated that with a Chinese driver’s license and a translation, we could pick up the car. We even got the translation through the rental site, but the rental company didn’t recognize it! We spent over half an hour trying to explain, but they still refused to give us the car, saying our translated license wasn't valid. We previously used this translation for a whole South Island trip, and Hertz accepted it without issues. Hence, I’m not sure if this is a problem with the rental company or the communication on the rental website. It seriously disrupted our plans and cost us a lot in taxi fares!

1. They did not recognize the NZTA certified translation. They insisted on a different format from the QEEQ platform, which was just an A4 paper, even though the content was the same. In the end, they only glanced at it and handed it back to me. The service is far worse compared to AVIS and HERTZ. 2. On the day of rental, the Auckland domestic terminal was staffed by a lady who appeared to be of Indian descent. She greeted Westerners enthusiastically but was indifferent towards Chinese customers. 3. The Thrify website clearly states that they accept NZTA certified translations, so why was the Thrifty Auckland domestic rental point so difficult? 4. Despite the difficulties during pickup, the return process was relatively smooth.

Communication was terrible. The interactions with the rental platform were shocking, and a relatively simple issue wasted over 3 hours of my time, leaving me very disappointed. Although the staff were very polite and genuinely tried to help, their competency was truly questionable.

Service is average