Reviews
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Pick up good.
Douglas Kirby -
Good information and materials.
Denise Albrecht -
Generally okay, but could be cleaner.
Christofer Tonn -
Apollo Motorhomes were fantastic.
pandtfenton -
Good service and good equipment.
harryb
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STAY AWAY from Apollo.
Horrible service. Motorhomes are very old, smell and in bad and yuck condition. Our vehicle broke down 10kms after we left. Road side assistance suggested to definitely not continue with the vehicle. No understanding from Apollo and they said their mechanic check and everything is fine.
The day we picked it up, 3 people from the previous day returned to claim many many faulty things. That should have triggered us. We returned the next day as well ... Apollo showed zero sign of understanding and have no idea of customer friendliness.
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RIP OFF .
Warning. Appolo campers take $5000.00 deposit on your credit card , and when camper is returned they claim damage and "Extorted" me for a jacked up price 0f $800 to repair the number stone chip. Yet all the existing damage of lots of dents and deep scrapes had never been fixed from years of previous damage to that they would if Extorted jacked up repair cost claims from previous renters but never actually ever fixed. Do they advertise cheap hire rates but shaft you on repair claims and that's where they make the their profits from extortion rather than hire.
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Terrible experience.
Vehicle did not have current rego displayed for which I received a fine for. Was charged $200 for cleaning after returning inspection was told it was fine. Kept $100 bond also. You end up paying ATLEAST 35% more than the advertised price, after they corner you with extras and insurances. Overall a very bad experience. In such a competitive market at the moment, hire through someone else.
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We arrived to pick up 3 vans all pre registered.
3 hours later we were shown the vans. Having small children travelling with us was hard keeping them amused. One van had a bent bumper and only one indicator light was working on the left rear. We weren't shown how anything worked in the vans. They obviously were not checked properly as I opened the crockery cupboard there was a broken dessert plate and we hadn't even left the yard. We were also told for the first time each van had a $5000 bond on them which we weren't informed about when booking.(some people don't have that on credit cards to use as a bond) We were then told it would take up to 3 weeks to get a credit back. We asked how come we were renting a van with bent bumper etc why wasn't it fixed to be told the company isn't spending any money. We were told about paying $35 for the gas bottles so we didn't have to refill them as we were told not all gas stations have that size fitting. We paid the $35 and that night we went to use the gas and the gas bottles were empty! We went to a ordinary petrol station and filled them very easy. One campervan had no towels in it another pre-check not done. One van was only filled to 3/4 fill of diesel we queried this and was told just bring it back 3/4 fill. We took photos encase we got charged. We were told the day we return the vans it would be good if it was early in the day. We dropped them back by 10:30 but was told they didn't have time to check them over and would email us the next day. After been home a week we got a email to say we hadn't paid a road toll and they took it off the credit card. We then had to email and forward them the receipt of the road toll we had paid. Very quick to take the$4:95 off the credit card but was also told we may have to wait for 3 weeks for the $4:95 to be credited to us. We waited 2 1/2 weeks for our bond back we got 2 bonds
back and then had to email again to see where the third bond was. It was then paid back.
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Vehicle and staff were overall fine, but getting called home by my government in light of the Covid pandemic, and they wouldn't credit or refund me the lost days.
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Getting our camper took over 2 hours, however we heard some guests commenting it took them 4 hours to get their rental!
Be sure to budget that in when picking up (and choosing a pick up time doesn’t seem to matter either FYI). Our camper was on the newer end and aesthetically looked nice and clean. Apollo provided basic cooking utensils, plates, a kitchen towel, bath towels and bedding. Our camper from day one however had an issue with the fresh water tanks. After just minimal use of water (hand & dish washing) on day 2,the fresh water tank showed it was low. When we tried to refill the water though, the tank wasn’t allowing for more water (was overflowing) so we thought we were refilling it incorrectly. After a couple more days of the same thing occurring we finally called their service line. They said the floater in the tank was probably off and unfortunately it could be repaired but it would take a few days (we called around a holiday). We just tried working with the issue. Towards the end of the trip and just ignoring the water tank level warnings (and refilling daily) the water seemed to be even more faulty in that it sputtered while in use. Luckily we were at the end of our trip so just dealt with it. However if we weren’t able to refill the tank daily we’re not sure how we we would have managed (we were told the fresh water tank should theoretically last for 2 days and keep in mind we only used the water for minimal dish n hand washing, no showering). Something also to note is the instructions provided by Apollo werent helpful for the various van models they provided. We had to figure a lot of details out on our own which was quite frustrating (concerning the bed, microwave, tv, water tank, heater). Also the tv never worked for us even when near larger cities where you’d think getting a signal would be easier.Dropping off the rental was very frustrating and took over 2 hrs although we were told it was much quicker to drop off. There was no organization all.
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This was the worst motor home experience of our lives.
We have rented these vehicles in many parts of the world and have never encountered one as poorly service and maintained. Not only was it dirty and smelly, (the first van was rejected for the same reasons) virtually all mechanical systems on the van had problems. On top of that, there were even safety features that were non-functional. The department who inspects vehicles for road safety in New Zealand should investigate Apollo. (They should change the name of the company to Appalling.) Here is a list of non-working items found only after we had traveled quite some distance from the pick up point. Empty LPG tank after having been assured by two reps that it was full. LPG heater not working correctly. Electric heater totally non-functional. (Night time temperatures were down to 5 degrees.) Passenger seat broken. Damaged windscreen wipers. Partially functional handbrake. Detached rear view mirror. Some interior lights non functional. Grey water often leaked back into the shower compartment. Oil warnings were on for most of the trip despite the oil level being correct and having the vehicle checked by a mechanic who assured us everything was okay. (This was probably due to the fact that the oil was like black tar--it was obvious that it had not been changed regularly, if at all.) Please do not rent from this company. It was obvious by the condition of the vehicle that they DO NOT have their customer's welfare at heart.
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Motorhome was not in the best condition.
The car itself was very good, rather new. The motorhome part had some serious disfunctions (heating did not work, sewage in sink do not work, roof was leaking at three spots). Good Thing it was not raining all the time. Cleanliness of the motorhome could also have been better. We got the impression that the Vehicle had not been properly cleaned from the previous users.
Apart from this the experience was great. Wonderful country, easy going people, relaxed (in comparision to us hectic Europeans). Campgrounds we used (mostly TOP 10 Holiday Parks) were in good condition and services in a good relation to the Costs.
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It took 5 hours of waiting in the Apollo CHRISTCHURCH branch before we were given our campervan.!
I have never seen such an understaffed, poorly organised set up anywhere.
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Wad the worst customer service 1 hour you drop off 2 hours to pick up.
Do not use Apollo if you value your time, they don't value you're custom
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Worst experience ever!
Let me start by saying that the van was good and handled well... That is my only up side and why I gave a 2 instead of a 1 rating...
It took 2 hours to pick up with only 3 people in front of me, and the 15 minute return of vehicle took an hour. Hidden charges that they don't tell you about on their website, like the comprehensive insurance that isn't really comprehensive as it doesn't cover windscreen or tyre damage. So, if you don't upgrade to the most expensive insurance and you get a chip in the windscreen you are up for $500 replacement fee. Your hands are tied unless you want to risk fate, and they know it. They also didn;t disclose to us the very important fact that there is a 7c per kilometer charge for diesel vehicles that is needing to be paid on return of vehicle. The guy next to us had to cough up an additional $360 for the supposed 5000 kilometers he did in 12 days. It is fine if you know up front before you book the vehicle, but everything about them is hush hush so it looks like they are cheap, but really all they are doing is hiding the real cost of rental.
The van was good as I said except for the bedding. If you like sleeping on a plank with very little cushioning, then you will love it. We had to buy a mattress topper to make it semi good enough to sleep on. Upon return you have to take everything out of the van, so if you have excess food or have bought bigger mugs, because you want a decent cup of coffee and not a tiny thing like the one supplied, then it all goes back to the apollo team it seems, who divide it up to whoever wants it.
No bins to throw food out, very poor service standards, exceptionally long check out and return times, deceptive practices of non-disclosure, for us, not a good experience...
We did the South Island with Maui, and because of this experience, we will never use Apollo again anywhere in the world... Maui here we come.
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Apollo motorhomes has probably some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced.
Please rent from another company!!! We purchased insurance with our campervan and I dunno what it really helped with. Our vehicle broke down due to the alternator not charging the battery. Roadside assistance was useless and so unhelpful we were put on hold and transferred numerous times. Finally after 2 and a half hours of it being dark on the side of the highway someone showed up. He explained the alternator won't charge the battery and this wasn't on us it's the vehicle itself they rented us. He attached a battery to our faulty one and told us to drive to the next town because it wasn't safe where we broke down. He said he would follow us in case we break down again..why not send us a tow truck ? I guess they just want to save a buck in anyway. Luckily we made it to the service station and he said we could camp there it's a self contained vehicle...again we tried to contact that "amazing" roadside assistance number and were put on hold and getting no results...No compensation to stay in a hotel or motel or offer of another rental vehicle just told to camp out in a service station that happened to be parked next to a fire station. The fire station ended up going off with their alarm 2 hours after we finally managed to sleep freaking us out. After a horrible nights rest we got a tow truck with a rental car to get back to Christchurch. So grateful we made it back in time for our flight home because no way would apollo consider refunding us for being the cause of us missing our flight back. Of course we wanted to go speak to them in person since the phone is too difficult for them to give us a direct answer and continue to transfer us around and have us on hold. However they were closed for good Friday and we had a flight to catch. Now that we are back home we have tried to reach out and no refund yet.... so far just charges from them on our credit cards.
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Unfriendly staff.
After about an hour on the road the oil warning light came on. Service guy on the phone was useless. The fridge smelled like a dead rodent. The person we rented from told us the smell would go away once the fridge gets cold. Guess what, it didn't. We had to return it early because we couldn't stand the smell anymore. No refund for early returns. Do yourself a favor and rent with someone else.
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Picked up our Apollo Vivid at the Auckland branch.
The car was great; new clean and everything we hoped for but the staff at Apollo branch made the start of our journey not so pleasant. Communication is key in this sort of business and that is something that this company needs to improve big time. Overall every staff at the branch that we were in contact with made no good impression - very unprofessional in their manner and didn't seem to take their job very seriously.
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This was the only company that had 2 Berth campervan available after Christmas 2018.
I ended up booking it even though they had bad reviews. To make sure there is no delay in picking up the campervan, I turned up very early and was the first customer to pick up a RV. I read reviews that sometimes there was a long wait time (up to 4 hours). It took an hour to get the campervan.
The only thing I did not like was the pressure they put on to buy the insurance. Seriously, the lady ended up doing some sort of chart to explain the savings since they charge NZD 5000 for bond. There is some credit card surcharge so she kept forcing me to take the insurance so I don't have to pay 5000 dollars. I got my insurance from a third party company which is half the price. In addition, she tried all sorts of technique including that I have to pay extra 5000 dollars if someone else crashes into the RV because they would not be able to hire out the vehicle. I still stuck to NO. Finally she gave up trying to sell any extras. The lady also was not patient in checking the existing damages. When she missed some, she kept saying that is wear and tear.
The RV itself was great. It was very comfortable and everything worked. However the grey water filled up very quickly that we had to drain it every day. One of the headlights was not working however the sun set at 10:30pm so it was not a major concern. The RV was quite clean and well maintained.
When I returned the vehicle, I was able to overhear an another Apollo representative trying to pressurise another couple to pay $75 to clean the RV so they don't have to do it. She mentioned it might take 2 to 3 hours to clean the campervan. This is total rubbish. It took us 30 mins to clean the RV including the shower area and 30 mins to drain the grey and the sewerage tank.
Why does Apollo pressurise you to get their option pack? Seriously, it is so unprofessional and annoying.
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Touring the South Island over New Year.
Television didn’t work. Offices generally closef and despite numerous calls still not resolved after 4 days. Disappointing having psid over $4000 for the hire
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NIET AAN BEGINNEN!!!!!
De campervan die we hadden besteld hield op met rijden na 800 km. Na 3 dagen vast te staan kunnen ze nog steeds geen vervangend voertuig regelen. Ze dachten ons mooi te dumpen op een van hun holiday campings, om daar dan 3 dagen te staan. En het is tenslotte kerst!!!!
Je hebt elke keer een ander persoon aan de lijn, waardoor je elke keer hetzelfde probleem moet uitleggen. Ze maken geen notities en beloven dingen die niet worden vastgelegd.
Nooit hier iets huren. Vreselijk personeel. Ze geven niets om je planning en sponseren niets..
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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Voor onze reis door Nieuw Zeeland hebben wij een cheap Hi top camper gehuurd via Totally Campers, waar we via hen bij Apollo terecht kwamen.
Bij het ophalen van de camper in Auckland vonden we de medewerker uiterst onvriendelijk en warrig, ze had duidelijk niet veel zin om ons te helpen terwijl wij heel enthousiast waren om onze reis te beginnen. Ze vergat de heater mee te geven waarvoor we wel hadden betaald, het lukte niet om fotos te maken met de iPad, dit moest ze meerdere keren over doen en ze was erg geïrriteerd.
Ze wilde ons nog allerlei extras aansmeren zoals schoonmaken en een volle tank voor 225 dollar.( achteraf bleek dat helemaal niet nodig)
We vroegen nogmaals of we volledig verzekerd waren, dit bevestigde ze.
Nadat we de camper hadden meegenomen, zagen we dat de camper helemaal niet schoon was, het stonk in de camper en de lakens des te erger.
Bij inleveren was de sfeer bij apollo in Christchurch erg vervelend, er zaten meerdere boze klanten. We werden geholpen door een dame die in het begin extreem vriendelijk was, maar waarbij na terugkomst van de camper inspectie al snel duidelijk werd dat ze op geld uit was.
Er zat een kras op het dak, wat dus blijkbaar niet binnen de verzekering valt, en ze kon geen fotos vinden uit auckland die de warrige vrouw dus niet had geüpload) ik zou daar een mail van gehad moeten hebben maar mijn e-mailadres stond verkeerd in het systeem.
Ze heeft een half uur naar rapporten en fotos gezocht, ondertussen zei ze steeds dat ze bewijs nodig had dat wij het niet hadden gedaan.
Aangezien wij na een tijdje boos werden vanwege het feit dat ze ons nu 2500 dollar wilde aftroggelen voor een kapot dak wat we niet gedaan hadden, bleef ze maar zeggen dat het wel goed zou komen.
Na een uur kwamen de fotos ineens tevoorschijn en was alles goed, kregen we de refund terug.
We vroegen om bevestiging via de mail, deze kregen we maar er werd behoorlijk arrogant op gereageerd. NIET DOEN, organisatie van niks!!!!!
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You need to be keep EVERY fuel receipt and be aware that they will try and sue for fuel contaimination if anything goes wrong the vehicle.
If you don’t speak English or don’t keep your fuel receipts they will blame you, and the mechanics are part of the rort, so be very aware. I’d avoid them but if your budget is tight then just be be cautious.
