Alpha Car Hire

First time using Alpha which won't be my last. Vey easy. Filled in all my information before getting there as they sent a link to do the "check-in" before arriving so had 2 mins at the front desk...paid the insurance...got the keys...drove away. Car was clean, drove really well. Returned the car...got my bond back. Done. This is the way car hire should be everywhere. Show details

0 liability does not include kangaroos, hail, reversing or undercarriage. My own car (not a rental car) died in Brisbane when I was about to drive home to Armidale, so I paid about $240 over the phone to rent a car for two days through Alpha with what I thought was 0 excess and 0 liability for accidents, then caught public transport directly to… Read more

Alpha near the airport to collect it. At the Alpha office I saw a sign saying the liability does not include hail or animals. Therefore if I hit a kangaroo they can charge up to $5250 (depending on cost to fix). I then asked to cancel because when driving to armidale there is a small risk of hitting a kangaroo (I have hit one previously) and I couldn't afford risking 5k (I was a student at the time......and I didn't even have a car because my own car had overheated). However, they said there was a no cancellation policy within 24 hours even though I only booked 2 hours prior and pretty sure I was not told about these exceptions on the phone. Overall, I lost $240 for no reason, in the end I had to catch the train and bus back to Armidale which took two days. The people working at the counter asked a manager for me to check if they could refund the money (but she said no). The manager said no rental car companies cover kangaroos which I suspect may not be correct? I haven't checked. She also tried to convince me that I was thinking of worst case scenario. If she thinks this is worst case scenario and the chance of it happening is very small then why don't they cover it! This policy is ridiculous they should have refunded $240 considering they only lost 2 hours of possible time where other people might have booked and I really don't think I was informed of these exceptions prior to the sign at Brisbane airport office. I sent in a complaint and they sent it on to the Brisbane airport office and of course no reply, I assume because the same manager. I'm sure they are fine if you don't hit anything but I bet if I had accidentally hit a kangaroo they would have made me pay $5250 or more.

I hired a ute (Toyota Hilux) for a week from Alpha car rentals at Brisbane airport. Driving down the M1 motorway, doing 110km/hr the engine started cutting out intermittently. Being the Friday evening of a long weekend it was heavy traffic, and it was just sheer luck that the car behind me didn’t run into the back of me, and that there was an… Read more

emergency bay I could pull over into. The car lost all power and I waited 2hrs in the dark for roadside assist, with no hazards (which was dangerous) as the car was completely dead. When the tow-truck driver arrived he popped the hood and recognised immediately that a battery terminal had come loose.

My impression is that had the vehicle been properly serviced, and the engine regularly reviewed, this fault would have easily been picked up. It’s only sheer luck that I wasn’t in a serious accident due to this negligence.

While waiting for roadside assist I called the Alpha booking service to arrange a replacement vehicle for when I was towed to the nearest hire centre at nearby Tweed Heads. The booking service is run out of Manila, communication was difficult, and despite patiently explaining that the car was broken down, the staff member insisted that I could only hire a new car once I had returned the current car to Brisbane, where I had originally hired it. Eventually he said he’d get the Tweed office to call me, which they never did. Ultimately I was able to hire a replacement car at Tweed, but the frustrating phonecall during a stressful situation made an already bad experience worse.

When I returned the replacement vehicle to Brisbane at the end of my hire period I spoke with the staff and explained I wanted to make a formal complaint, that the vehicle had not been serviced properly and I had consequently been put in danger. I asked to receive a follow-up call to discuss what had happened. That was two weeks ago - still no call.

A secondary issue occurred when my friend and I first arrived in Brisbane with our luggage and were advised that no straps were available for hire or purchase, so we had no way to secure our luggage in the single cab ute. It was 8pm on a Sunday with nowhere we could go to purchase straps. I find it hard to imagine we are the first people ever to arrive at an airport with luggage. This lack of service meant we had a very difficult journey to our accommodation. Our suitcases were jammed behind our seats and I had to drive with my legs right up against the dash which was dangerous.

Delighted we selected Alpha. Lived up to the good reviews from previous users. Show details

Highly recommended for anyone looking to hire a vehicle. Easy booking, Vehicles are clean and up to date, Staff are amazing, Deposit for vehicle is quick once vehicle is returned. Used vehicle for around Sydney area and run smoothly the entire time 6 days of hire without a problem, Will continue to use Alpha in the future Show details

Maybe we were just lucky but each way we simply hopped on the shuttle between the airport and the office- it was so quick and easy. By checking in online before we got there they took our credit card details and we were on our way. The vehicle was excellent and very good value. Drop-off took 10 seconds! Will definitely use next time. Show details ·  1

Totally underrated car hire! Brilliant service, great communication and for the competitive price, the car we received was immaculate and quality! Their office location was very inviting, vibrant and matched the quality of the overall experience. The pick up service was super easy from airport. However only very slight constructive criticism is… Read more

that they should have more vehicles running and there was quite a bit of a wait for drop of back to the airport for the shuttle and not so much by us but the gentleman near us had been waiting 20 min already when we got there. I think that if they improved the faster shuttle service to take you back to the airport, then they would be smashing it in overall service! Either a member of their staff should jump in a shuttle if the other shuttle is not back yet from a previous drop off or they need another shuttle running especially that they have a fair indication of the drop back of car hire and numbers needing to get back to airport, that would be the only thing I could fault.

I booked 2 cars at different times on my recent trip,both in the smallest size.The first car was better than the second in its condition and its accessories but the second had more grunt uphill.However, they both were excellent for my needs and gave me no problems and I covered a lot of miles.The staff were very friendly and the book in and drop… Read more

offs were so quick and easy.They listen to your preferences in the type of cover you want and are able to provide help and advice.The bond hasn't come back yet for the second car but they kept in touch throughout to let me know when the second month's bond would be taken. My only complaint was the list of things they didn't cover like hail damage as I was there at a very stormy time and I also feel this was told to me after I had paid but I may have misremembered this.The first time I received a list of damage to the car,the second time I didn't. Overall though I was so happy with the service I am already planning when I am going to hire a car with them next time I visit.

Beware of Alpha Car Hire Tweed Heads – Extremely Unprofessional I hired a vehicle from Alpha Car Hire in Tweed Heads as my own car was undergoing major work. Unfortunately, my experience with them was terrible. I was charged a $5,000 fee, with the claim that my rental car was stolen, despite having emailed them in advance to extend the rental—a… Read more

process we had already established.

Not only did they charge me this hefty fee, but their completely unreasonable action of reporting the vehicle stolen and calling the police was both distressing and unacceptable. This is despite having previously communicated with a manager at Alpha via a phone call, where we discussed the situation.

They never informed me about the funds being taken out, and despite returning the vehicle in perfect condition, they refused to return my money. I had to involve Fair Trading to get any resolution, and only after two months did they finally return the funds. I’m certain they would have kept the money if I hadn't involved dispute mediation.

This company’s lack of transparency, dishonesty, and poor communication is completely unacceptable. I highly recommend avoiding Alpha Car Hire if you value your time and money. Their practices are shady at best.

Great customer service. Very helpful and efficient at all stages with pick up and drop off. The car was exactly what I had booked . It ran well and was very clean. All payments were handled well. Show details

Pickup exp was not great (driver not helpful, could not contact company from airport wifi). Car was not super clean. Booster seat was just handed to us - we didn't know how to install it, as we do not use them in our country. It took us 10-15 mins to ensure it was 100%. Staff were friendly. Return exp was fast, easy (no paper work) and the return… Read more

shuttle driver was much more helpful. The bond was immeadiately refunded - which was apprecaited, as we had further travelling to do.

Great price and great service. Although my original vehicle had some mechanical issues the team sorted it out for me with a new vehicle. Being I was a long way from the site they went above and beyond to deliver me another vehicle at my location. Will definitely use Alpha again next time. Thank you team! Show details

Car brakes was bad very bad and not safe when we take the car from them and start driving on the highway, the car brakes was so bad , when you brakes the car shaking like crazy anyway is not safe and think your staff know about it Show details

Couldn't fault the experience with Alpha. From the initial booking communication was great. The entire process of pickup and drop-off was seamless. The offer of a vehicle upgrade at minimal cost worked well for us. Vehicle was clean. Staff pleasant and helpful. Show details