Star RV Motorhome HireReviews 

Smooth communication with employees and car condition was good

We rented a Polaris 6 from the Auckland office for two weeks on the north island. The vehicle was not ready for us and after returning it to the depot two weeks later, we learned that this particular vehicle had been in for repairs, while the one we were supposed to have had was moved to Christchurch.

Upon pick up, there was water leaking across the floor and we were told to fill the vehicle with AdBlue. These were the first of our problems, and in hindsight, the least of our problems.

The electrical system failed the first night of freedom camping. Having rented RVs many times before, we knew this was not right.

We contacted Star RV repeatedly, but no resolution was found. We did provide Star RV with the opportunity to repair the system part way through our travels, but their repairs did nothing.

The electrical system continued to fail for the entire trip although we used lights sparingly (one at a time), did not use the over range ventilation system, did not use the water heater, did not use toilet or shower, etc, etc. This also meant that the fridge did not work for our entire rental. Even when we did pay to stay in a campground with electricity, the fridge did not work. We had to buy ice for the entire two weeks.

After months of effort and detailed descriptions of our experiences, Star RV refused to refund us an appropriate amount for the time lost on our vacation and the stress caused by a non-functioning electrical system. They offered us a $266 refund for a two week rental that consisted of non-stop electrical problems.

Do not rent from this company. They may offer a budget option, compared to others, but honestly, it is not worth the risk.

This company has no interest in customer service or getting repeat business. They are entirely lacking in integrity and do not care about the experiences of their customers.

Providing extensive proof of the non-functional electrical system in the Polaris 6 —a vehicle built around mobile utility—should have prompted immediate remediation by Star RV, not bureaucratic "policy based" refusal.

It is quite an achievement to sell the promise of a "high-value" product that truly lacked foundational utility, while simultaneously expecting the customer to bear the financial and emotional burden of quality control failures.

Really looked after us the motor home came clean and tidy was perfect for my family .
Planning our next year holiday and doing this all over again .

The awning was missing from our motorhome, it leaked rain all over our beds, the christchurch staff were rude. The TV was smashed. The drawers were dirty. The company was unwilling to deal with our complaints.

The polaris 2 was the perfect choice for the 2 of us! Almost new Very low klm's. Everything you need is included. The diesel heater was fantastic.

Great service and easy to rent easy to drive and can enjoy beautiful roads of New Zealand

I would not recommend Star RV / JUCY based on my recent experience.

I hired a Polaris 2-berth campervan from Brisbane to Perth and purchased the highest level of comprehensive insurance with $0 excess, expecting proper support if anything went wrong.

On the second day of my trip, a road train travelling in the opposite direction threw a stone that cracked the windscreen. I immediately contacted Star RV/JUCY Roadside Assistance. They told me to wait while they arranged a repair. Because of this, I stayed in NSW and wasted valuable travel time waiting for help.

The next day, after waiting and repeatedly following up, I was simply told to put duct tape over the crack and continue driving while monitoring it. I ended up driving for several more days with a cracked windscreen, unable to drive confidently and having to skip some places I had planned to visit.

After travelling around 2,500 km with the damaged windscreen through NSW and South Australia, I finally entered Western Australia. Only then did their team call and tell me to drive to Esperance, drop off the vehicle, and arrange my own transport and accommodation at my own expense. Esperance was on my travel itinerary, but abandoning the vehicle there and being left to organise everything myself was not an acceptable solution.

When I explained this, a supervisor called me and was quite rude. She repeatedly asked whether I wanted to speak to another supervisor and pressured me to leave the vehicle somewhere safe so they could tow it to Esperance. I was then told that if the crack extended further, I could be liable for the damage, despite having reported it immediately and despite paying for comprehensive insurance with zero excess.

To make matters worse, I was later charged an additional $127 claim administration fee. This fee was never clearly explained when I booked the vehicle or purchased the insurance. When I questioned it, I was simply told that I had remove the administration fee on booking time, something that had never been mentioned beforehand.

The most disappointing part was that the advertised 24/7 roadside assistance provided virtually no practical assistance. I spent days chasing updates, lost valuable holiday time, changed my travel plans, and was left feeling unsupported throughout the entire process.

Overall, this experience spoiled a major road trip across Australia. For a company that promotes comprehensive insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance, I expected far better customer service, communication, and support.

Absolutely shocking experience!
The customer service was awful and very unprofessional.
The vehicle was not road worthy and got no help with it, was very dirty and we had to pay for cleaning products to clean it.
Grey water level was broken.
And loads more…
I would not recommend using this company, RIP OFF

**AVOID AT ALL COSTS**

This is, without question, one of the worst companies we have ever dealt with.

From the moment we arrived, the experience was a disaster. The vehicle was not ready for collection despite our scheduled pickup time. Once we finally received it, it became clear that it should never have been rented out in its condition. The vehicle was not roadworthy, suffered repeated breakdowns throughout our trip, was inadequately cleaned, and contained multiple faulty systems and pieces of equipment, including the beds and grey water monitoring system. The list of defects was extensive.

To make matters worse, we were not given a proper handover or walkthrough of the vehicle. More than a month after returning it, we are still receiving conflicting information from different staff members because nobody appears to know what is going on. The lack of communication, organisation, and accountability is astonishing.

Customer service was equally appalling. Calls were cut off, correspondence was mishandled, and we were repeatedly referred to as the wrong customer. We even received written confirmation that the company incorrectly charged us for fuel upon returning the vehicle.

Despite admitting their mistake, it took over a month for them to refund the $92 they had wrongly taken from our bank account. During this process, they attempted to justify fuel charges that bear little resemblance to reality, claiming that half a tank of fuel in a 70-litre vehicle costs $202.50 to refill. We were also advised that identical charges apply to vehicles with different tank capacities, which makes the pricing appear arbitrary and impossible to justify.

Perhaps most concerning is that we have written evidence showing that customer accounts are charged for fuel before the vehicle is actually refuelled. These charges are based on the company's own internal calculations, which are only displayed in branch and are not readily available to customers before signing their contracts. Customers effectively discover the true cost structure only after they are locked into the agreement.

The entire experience was defined by poor vehicle standards, misleading billing practices, a complete lack of transparency, and customer service that ranged from incompetent to dismissive. What should have been an exciting holiday became a stressful, expensive, and deeply frustrating experience.

Based on our experience, we would never use this company again and would strongly advise others to stay well clear. There are countless alternatives available that are far more deserving of your money and trust.

The experience from booking to drop of was flourless.

Best service in town! Pick up was so easy, late return easy to amend. Just a little bit confusing on the guideline as the late drop off should be more details, as the gate is closed already we we arrive, but we manage to park in front of the office (even we thought is not quit secure)

Easy booking
Comfortable sleep
Easy drop off
Forgot the luggage and the staff took it out and keep for us

Our main issue was with the van itself. First of all we paid and specially looked for a van with a fixed bed without steps. Paid extra to get that, we did not get that. For someone with mobility issues such as myself the bed we got was a joke and not what we ordered. I find it very wrong they can put pictures of one van and then give you another with the only reason given is ‘this is what we have’.
Other things that we found:
Stains on the bed sheets, missing hooks in the bathroom, the camp chairs were covered in sand and when thrown in the back by the staff also covered the van in sand. They ‘no longer’ run an airport shuttle even though when we booked it they specifically stated they did, dead bugs were left inside and outside of the van so it clearly was not cleaned very well, the plug in kettle was broken, even though we were told the van would last 2-3 days without being plugged in and that the hot water worked without being plugged in that was a lie, the instructions in the van were for the wrong van, aircon only worked when it felt like it, was told you can’t use the outside canopy in any kind of weather so basically never, the fridge didn’t work- we had to throw so much food as it all went off and the table in the back was so stiff we couldn’t move it.
Very disappointing service and for what we paid - which was way too in my opinion for what we got - this is not what we expected. This completely ruined our Campervan experience and trip. Do not use this company.

Terrible - do not use.
Charged an extra $200 for cleaning due to their contradictory documentation. They acknowledged the contradiction but took no accountability for it! The toilet cassette was actually handed back to them cleaner than when I got it .. but no, they simply wanted to charge me extra no matter what. The $200 charge would reflect a task that would take 20 seconds to complete - absolutely scandalous!! Many other faults too… I could go on.
Just stay away from them.

TL;DR Camper lovely inside, not checked properly before leasing. Star RV company and customer service are shocking, still waiting for refunds after 4 weeks.

Picked up our Campervan for a short 1 week trip from Adelaide to Melbourne. The camper itself was a lovely spacious Polaris 2 with everything we needed and more! However, on pick up we were not shown the awning being taken in and out, on our first day we set up the awning and then upon retraction at sunset as advised it would not retract. After repeated contact with Star RV and many unanswered emails a fellow camper with a ladder had a look at the problem and saw a screw misplaced under the roller preventing it from retracting. An obvious error not checked by Star RV before leasing the vehicle. As well as this we were owed multiple refunds for an extra charge and a fire alarm battery which we purchased during our trip, we were told the extra charge would be refunded on the day we picked up the camper and the battery would be refunded the day we dropped it off, today is 4 weeks since pick up and 3 weeks since drop off and we are still waiting for the refund as well as compensation promised to us by Star RV. Not only this but around a week and a half ago (over a week since dropping off the camper) $20 was taken from my bank account by Jucy Rentals Australia for no clear reason. No doubt this will take 4 weeks to return to us also.

lots of little things didn't work, took it back to them 3 times to get stuff sorted,
fuel tank was empty wastewater was full, not happy with them at all, they obviously turn them around as quickly as possible and don't check stuff properly,
certainly wouldnt recomend them

Don’t use this company!!!
Our group had two camper vans . Neither were fully equipped as advertised for example no gas in the gas bottle .
After two days one van was taken off the road as it was unroadworthy.(faulty brakes). The replacement van was also ill equipped had a small old foam mattress that was infested with mould. The other van lost all electrics twice and the repair dept seemed to have no idea how to fix it. We had no fridge , no lights , no hot water or running water and we had to throw away food. One night was spent in a BnB which after about two months we finally got reimbursed.
The second van also had faulty brakes. While driving down the very steep Haast Pass the low brake fluid warning came on.
We spent hours being put on hold on the phone. No one ever called us back and we lost between 3 and 4 days of our 15 day holiday with vehicles off the road or waiting in their depot in Queenstown for repairs to be done. The bloke behind the counter in Queenstown said “ It’s not my problem “ This pretty much sums up the company.
The only person who was willing to help was Fabian at Christchurch . After numerous calls and emails and much frustration we eventually received a piddly amount of compensation.
As I said at the start, don’t use this company.

We hired a motorhome from Auckland for 18 days and returned it at Christchurch for our flight home.
Our flight arrived in Auckland late so we didn’t get to pick the motorhome up the first night which I know isn’t star RVs fault but after calling them multiple times at 4 pm and then calling the after hours number to be greeted with someone that can’t speak English was no help at all to me. We decided to go and get a room for the night and get a taxi to the rv in the morning.
Arrived in the morning to pick up the RV and was pretty much laughed at when we mentioned how upset we were that we missed them the day before.
Ask them why they hadn’t taken the payment out of our account like they were supposed to 2 days beforehand. She said we would have to pay on Card and it has to go through as a Credit. which they charged us $130 surcharge fee. Had a very quick tour of the van.
the girl said that the grey tank light will stay on, It’s faulty but the grey tank is empty. Driving along all the shelves in the fridge collapse because they are all flimsy and broken so all our food smashes and spilt everywhere. When we start to use the water to clean the mess up we realise the grey tank is full and clogged and can’t be emptied so we had to go and find sticks to unblock it. The smell was horrendous.
Next we go to use the toilet and there is pee up the walls and behind the toilet absolutely disgusting. I had to clean it all and disinfected before we could use it.
Bedsheets were all stained.
the cutlery and the crockery was dirty and there was food and drinks stains all through the drawers. We went and purchased paper plates and bought our own saucepans because they were so gross we didn’t want to eat out of them. The cupboard under the sink with the bin in it didn’t open it was jammed shut.
Then we ran out of gas after just cooking for a few days, no showers.
So obviously there wasn’t a full gas bottle put in them when we hired it
Then the ad blue light came on.
So we had to buy some of that.
We did some research and one full tank of ad blue will last 10,000 km so it obviously hadn’t been checked for quite a long time.
Paid extra for outdoor chairs and table, the chairs with flimsy crap and all broken and bent, we couldn’t sit on them. Returned the van, we didn’t even bother to tell them how upset we were with it because nobody there seemed to care.
then we had to pay an RUC fee.
WOULD NEVER EVER EVER HIRE FROM THEM AGAIN.

I rarely leave reviews like this, but this was honestly one of the worst rental experiences I’ve had.

We paid close to $2000 for a campervan and received a vehicle in very poor condition. From the start, multiple things were not working properly:

The fridge didn’t work, which resulted in us having to throw out food worth around $150
The diesel cap was faulty, meaning we were actively spilling diesel while driving – not only wasteful, but potentially dangerous
We were told at pickup that the AdBlue sensor was faulty but that the tank had just been filled. When returning the vehicle, we found out this same story had been told to all other customers, who were all expected to buy and refill AdBlue themselves

Throughout the trip, I was in contact with their team via email about these issues. Despite the clear inconvenience and costs on our side, no compensation was offered at any point.

The final issue—and the most frustrating one—was the wireless charging dock in the dashboard. It overheated a phone to the point where it was too hot to hold. We tested it again with another phone and the same thing happened. The result was a damaged camera, confirmed by two independent repair specialists as being caused by overheating.

Star RV has completely denied responsibility, claiming no fault was found. They also refused to provide any inspection report or details on how this was tested, while simultaneously calling their decision “final.”

What’s most disappointing is not just the issues themselves, but the way they were handled:

Problems were dismissed rather than properly investigated
Communication felt dismissive and procedural
No accountability was taken, despite multiple faults during the rental

For a company operating in this space, this level of service and vehicle condition is simply not acceptable.

I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

What a nightmare
Hi,we are 3 weeks into our trip in New Zealand with 3 weeks to go.
We paid over $9000 for our star RV van & we expected some sort of comfort but we got the opposite.
If you are looking to hire a van please look at other companies, star RV would be the last company I would deal with.
Yours sincerely
Mathew Carmichael