Omega Wins Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction Award
We were delighted to receive the news in 2021 that we had won the Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction Award - Hire Cars!
Canstar Blue provides great value to consumers by comparing customer satisfaction ratings of local brands to help Kiwis make better-informed purchasing decisions.
In our view, this Canstar award is a well-deserved win that can be credited to the efforts of our entire team right throughout the country, and we are really proud of everyone.
Well done, and thank you to our teams, Canstar Blue and our customers for choosing Omega!
Media Release 20 May 2021:
UPFRONT AND HONEST RENTAL CAR APPROACH LEADS TO TOP CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AWARD
New Zealand-owned rental car company Omega Rental Cars has taken out the top spot in the latest Canstar Blue ratings for most satisfied customers. With a clean sweep, a maximum of 5-star ratings scored in every category, the Omega win was emphatic, and the team was delighted!
Omega was awarded the Canstar Blue most satisfied customers award of 2021. The ratings are based on consumer research from a sample of 792 NZ consumers who had used Omega´s rental services in the past year. Canstar Blue asked those consumers to provide star ratings of their experience. Categories for the ratings included overall satisfaction, value for money, transparency of cost and fees, availability of vehicle booked, customer service and the booking process.
Out of ten car rental brands, Omega was the only company to score a five-star rating for overall satisfaction and the only one to achieve five-star ratings in more than two categories (scoring five-star ratings in all six classes).
Consistent with previous years, great value for money remains the biggest driver amongst the most satisfied customers (26%), but the brand´s transparency of cost and fees has increased to 22%. In addition, Omega Rental Cars has worked hard to live up to its ‘Upfront and Honest’ tagline, outperforming all other brands across all satisfaction variables. This aspect of their service is clearly important to consumers and is reflected in their excellent ratings.
Canstar Blue General Manager Jose George said, "Our research into car rentals showed Kiwis look for value and transparency in costs. They also want to know their preferred car is available and to have a positive experience with customer service and the booking process.
"We know Omega delivered brilliantly for its customers, leaving them extremely satisfied at every step. We congratulate Omega for its success."
The local brand came up in Canstar Blue star ratings against competition from the large international brands - Avis, Hertz, Budget and Europcar, and Avis Budget Group subsidiary Apex Rental Cars, Hertz owned Ace Rental Cars, alongside Jucy, Ezi Car Rental and Go Rentals.
Simon Sceats, Managing Director of Omega Rental Cars, describes the Canstar Blue survey result as "a huge coup for us – just 8 years ago we didn’t even feature in the results, because our customers did not form a large enough sample size to qualify, now here we are – we have taken out the top spot!”
"Achieving this result is a validation of the work of our entire team. It is recognition of the work put in by our managers, customer service representatives, car groomers and shuttle drivers at all our branches nationwide; our fleet operations staff, call centre team, marketing, accounts, health and safety, all of us. Everything we do has gone towards this result."
Sceats says the Canstar Blue award is a vindication of the brand's “upfront and honest” approach, which they have consistently implemented for over 30 years. "Some companies come up with a new tagline or marketing angle frequently, whereas Omega has solidly adhered to the same approach year in year out since inception. We place huge store in customer feedback, both in person and via online reviews, and we have used this information to continually improve our processes and deliver on our upfront and honest promise throughout our 30+ year history.
The Canstar award rates all the areas of our business we have worked on, particularly the ease of the booking process and ensuring that we provide what our customers have booked, transparency of cost and fees, plus our customer service.”
In an industry that was badly affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic in the 2020-2021 year, the Canstar Blue win is a testament to the way Omega responded to that crisis. Says Sceats, “many hires were extended at minimal cost giving customers who were trapped due to lockdown breathing space when they were unable to return vehicles. Others cancelled or postponed their booking with no penalty. It wiped out all our forward bookings, but we knew in time they would be travelling again, and our priority was to treat people fairly in this unprecedented situation.”
With forward bookings now stronger than ever, it is onwards and upwards for this Kiwi company.