Enough Said!

November 30, 2010

To Whom It May Concern (Scott and Jucy Customer Service Representative:

My name is Melissa Goodman and me and Alexandra Hewett are travelling through Australia for 7 weeks. After arriving following a 6 month trip to Asia, we were shocked at how expensive it is to not only travel around from place to place, but also hostels and eating out so we decided that the best way to see as much of Australia as possible in the cheapest, safest and most dependable way would be by renting a caravan. So, we spent the entire day researching all the various rental companies that hire out caravans in Sydney. We looked into Wicked, Traveller's Auto Barn, Get About Oz, Drive Down Under and many more before finding Jucy. We were pleased with the polite service we received and information we were given, plus the amenities that came with a Jucy rental, which we were told included a tent, extra canisters of gas for the hob and an Ipod adapter for the stereo (none of which we received in our Jucy Crib Rental. We discussed the benefits of renting a Jucy versus other caravans and were assured that Jucy offers the best caravans and the best customer service. Additionally, we were told that the vehicles were newer than other companies and always serviced to ensure safe and fun travel.

After these discussions, we decided to go with the Jucy company and rented a Jucy Crib with the Stress Free Insurance coverage, which we picked up from your Sydney location on November 26, 2010 under the booking #U – 15094. It was booked for 50 days and was due to be returned to the Sydney branch on January 14, 2011. While at the pickup site, we were taken through a series of vehicle information of which we took notes to ensure that we would not have any issues on the road. This information included how to check the oil underneath the passenger seat, where the spare tire is and the tools for changing the tire, all about the refrigerator and spare battery as well as when further charges may apply i.e. damage caused by driving on unsealed roads etc...We were also told about the toll roads and how to pay for the tolls should we use those roads and walked around the vehicle to mark any scratches or damage to the vehicle on a vehicle check sheet and off we went on what was meant to be an exciting, memorable and stress free road trip.

Approximately 1700km into our journey (4 days later) on November 29, 2010 at about 4:30pm, we were driving on A87 from Port Augusta towards Coober Pedy, when we noticed that the car was making a strange clicking noise so we immediately slowed down. A few moments later, we noticed a strange burning smell and the engine and oil light came on so we pulled off to the side of the road about 80km outside of Port Augusta and at that point the car would no longer start. It is important to note that we never went above the noted speed limit on any road and only drove on sealed roads as per our rental agreement. We had no service on our mobile phone, as we were in the middle of the outback so we had to flag a truck driver down for help. He kindly let us use his satellite phone and we initially called the number on the Rental Agreement +61 (0) 3236 9882 and received a message stating that this number was no longer in service. We dug around through all of our Jucy paperwork and eventually found the free phone number 1800 150 850 and called it, hoping this would be the number to call in case of an emergency, as we were not given this information at our pick up date during our vehicle orientation. The number was engaged so we attempted to call back several times until we got through. At that point, I spoke to a man who told me that he was in New Zealand and that he could not get in touch with his manager after putting me on hold for a few minutes and that the Sydney office was closed and there was nothing that he could do until the following day at 9:00am when someone from Sydney would get in contact with me. I was very upset, as we are two young women stranded on the side of the road in the Australian outback and it was getting dark and I told him that this was unacceptable at which point he passed the phone over to a woman who pacified my upset telling me the exact same thing as the man previously.

At this point, we hung up the phone and decided to take a ride from the trucker who had stopped (just to note that we did make this decision on our own regard; however, we were left with no other choice, as the Jucy customer service gave us no phone numbers to contact for roadside assistance and did not arrange any sort of tow). It was after 6:00pm when we arrived back in Port Augusta. Once we arrived back in Port Augusta, I again called 1800 150 850 to explain my situation. A woman told me to contact 1300 369 349 and tell them my location and details so I could be assisted; however, when I contacted this number, they told me I needed a membership number. I called Jucy back to get this membership number and was told that the membership number was the Reg number (196 LRP) so I then called back 1300 369 349 and was told that this Reg number, they stated that there was no account with that number. They also tried to look under the name Jucy Rentals to no avail. After some more discussion, she asked me where I was located and when I stated that I was in South Australia, she gave me another number to call 1800 818 385, which I did and was told the same thing regarding the Reg number not bringing up any account information. I was then told to call Jucy back at which point I had a break down and began to cry. I called Jucy back and was told once again to call 1300 369 349, which I did...again...only to be told the same thing. I was extremely stressed out and upset by this point and was unable to talk clearly.

As I was crying and she could hear panic in my voice, she put me on hold and called Jucy back for me on a 3-way call. We all discussed the situation; however, I was hard to console and frustrated so the hung up with me and told me they would call me back. Eventually, someone from 1300 369 349 called me back and told me that they did find the membership account and that my Jucy vehicle is covered for Basic Roadside Assistance meaning that they would tow the car for free for up to approximately 64km to the main station, which was over 90km away from our location. I was told that I would have to pay $3.20 per extra km over their allotted limit and gave them some credit card information, as I could not get in touch with a Jucy representative and did not want to liable for leaving a Jucy vehicle on the side of an outback highway. The tow truck picked up the keys from me after 7:00pm and towed the Jucy car to 7 Caroona Road, Port Augusta phone number 8641 1044 and was told that he would call me back to give me details about the vehicle tomorrow morning.

Before I was able to contact the mechanic, Scott from Jucy called me to discuss the situation that transpired on November 30, 2010. He assured me that Jucy would pay for the towing charges and that he would let me know what was happening with our Jucy vehicle and what would happen next. He contacted the mechanic and called me back to let me know that we would have to catch a bus to Melbourne to pick up a different Jucy vehicle. This has caused us no end of issues in relation to our travel schedule, as we wanted to go to Ayers Rock and up through Alice Springs before making our way back to the East Coast and down to Sydney to meet my sister on December 26, 2010. This will now put us several days off of our schedule. Additionally, there will be a higher cost for petrol, as well as two bus tickets to get to Melbourne from Port Augusta and a hostel room for tonight, as there are no buses leaving from Adelaide to Melbourne until tomorrow night (December 1, 2010) at 8:15pm. We will not be in Melbourne to pick up a new Jucy vehicle until December 2, 2010 at 6:30am.

All in all this has NOT been a stress free experience, as we were told it would be when we booked the vehicle and the full-insurance to ensure that we would have a relaxing, yet exciting road trip. We did everything we were told to do when we were orientated to the vehicle and even checked the oil and water every 500km, despite not being told to do so in Sydney at the pickup. We never drove over the speed limit or on unsealed roads so we are very upset that this has happened, but more than that was the customer service I received yesterday while we were stranded in the outback. I think it is TOTALLY unacceptable that we were told there was nothing to be done and given no phone numbers to contact until the following day. We were left to rot in the outback and had to trust a strange man in truck to help us, as we were left with no other options. On top of that, we were actually stressed out and concerned about what to do with the vehicle, as we had to leave it on the side of the highway. This is not been a fun experience and after all the research we did and hopes we placed on Jucy, we have been thoroughly and utterly let down. We have a booking for a Jucy rental in New Zealand Booking #U - 70171 and we told Scott that we wanted to cancel it based on the experience we have had with your company thus far, but he has convinced us to hold off on that so that he can try to fix this situation.

Scott has been the one shining star in this very grim and painful situation. He has gone above and beyond to work with me and try to make this situation right. I have made a list of the things I would want to fix this situation and provide me with enough confidence in the Jucy company to keep my New Zealand booking and consider using this company again in the future. Please see below:

1) Refund of rental and insurance cost of each day without our Jucy vehicle, including the day we broke down

2) 2 tanks worth of petrol, as this is how much petrol we will need to make up the distance we have to cover travelling from Melbourne

3) Refund for our 2 bus tickets that we have to purchase to get us from Port Augusta to Adelaide and then to Melbourne, as there are no direct routes

4) Refund for 1 night stay in a hostel in Adelaide, as there are no buses available to Melbourne until December 1, 2010

5) An upgrade in our Jucy Vehicle that we are picking up in Melbourne

6) An Upgrade in our Jucy vehicle that we will be using in New Zealand

This has been a very unfortunate situation that could have happened to others on the road, but the way in which it was handled and how were left out there all alone to fend for ourselves overnight is totally unacceptable. The fact that we had to rely on the kindness of strangers (a strange man to be exact) when we paid a great deal of money for our safety through the Jucy company is also totally unacceptable, as anything could have happened. This has also caused us many issues regarding our finances and timing of our trip having set us back several days. Please take this letter as a formal complaint. I can be reached via this email address mellegood@hotmail.com or via my Australian mobile number which is 0406 666 939. I would appreciate a prompt response to my letter. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Melissa Goodman, LMSW