If I could give zero stars, I would.

Our experience with Mode Rentals was appalling after our rental car was stolen.

Mode's shocking customer service made a stressful situation infinitely worse. The Christchurch manager, Ryan, was useless and lacked empathy. After waiting hours for a call back, we chased them, only to be asked "why are you calling?". Ryan was patronising, offering no solutions for our urgent travel predicament. After 7 hours of getting nowhere, our only option was to go to their office.

They offered no replacement, no refund for the missed hire period, and kept our $3000 NZD deposit. To continue our holiday, we had to take out a completely new hire. They insisted we could only take a more expensive car as they were closing soon, making us realise if we hadn't turned up, we would have been stranded.

The real nightmare came post-holiday. Mode emailed, brazenly accusing us of causing the theft by leaving the car unlocked & running, demanding another $3000 NZD. This was a complete fabrication. We asked for proof, but they provided none, and emailed as if their word was evidence enough. They were dishonest about using an "impartial" locksmith & never shared any actual report.

Despite zero proof, they aggressively hounded us for payment & ignored our arguments. Unprofessionally, they twice suggested we should just pay & claim it on our insurance—a truly unethical and predatory tactic. Avoid this company at all costs.

Reviewed 10 months ago and experienced in April 2025