Avis Reviews

I have been unemployed since Aug. 22. When I went to my bank to withdraw $140, I found out that the balance available was $26 because of the unauthorized charge of $125 from Avis Rent-a-Car.

When I got to the counter at Avis in Va, I was not informed by the representative that there were additional charges. I showed her my confirmation with the total I was to pay and she did not state there was more charges. As far as I knew, I was paying $600'ish.

When I dropped off the car in Fl, the final bill came to $1300. I was told to complain in the office or call it in. I choose to call it in since I still had to get on a plane. I called twice to get resolution. Each time I was told to fax in my confirmation from Gap, which I did. Each time I was told that I should have looked at the Avis site with the confirmation number for additional charges. And I stated to both customer service reps that the confirmation did not state there were more charges, so why would I assume there would be. If there was, the person at the counter should have told me.

They said no. She does not know all the charges. Which I think is ridiculous. They can rent cars out, but not know what they are charging their customers?

I also mentioned that their online site said the charge would be $800-900, yet they are charging me $1300. They made no comment to that. As of yet, I still have not heard back from anyone and had to pay the credit card payment.

I think I was cheated out of $600 since they never informed me of the additional charges.

Upon our return to the U.S., we discovered a charge for $2748.47 on the credit card. We have been in contact with AVIS countomer service since August 10th to get a damage report to justify the charge. Without that documentation, we cannot file the rest of the claim with AIG to get the repairs reimbursed. We have talked to over 10 different people, all of which say it takes 30+ days to contact AVIS Spain.

It seems odd that in the age of technology, that it would take that long to make contact with their own people. Each time we contact AVIS, we get a different story. Each time they say the claim number is unknown, although they gave it to us. THey said they refunded 1700.00 to the credit card on 9/26, but it has not really occurred. However, even if it does happen, they are reimbursing us in Euros, not in US dollars, as it is charged on the credit card.

AVIS never returns our phone calls or messages. When we try to talk to the same individual, they say they never heard of the person working in customer service. We have a case number of 4732477, and we have been contacting the following number 1800 352 7900. We have tried to ask for a supervisor, but to no avail- they don't seem to exist at AVIS.

Our first call was to the Avis recovery number on our windshield. From there we were making and receiving calls from them all evening. Their first attempt was to try to fix/replace the tires by 9am on the 10th. Then they called us back and said they could not find the proper tires for the replacement. The next step was to recover the vehicle and have us get a new one at the closes Avis depot. We insisted they bring us a vehicle but they refused to deliver a vehicle to our location.

They found it necessary for us to accompany the recovery service back to the nearest Avis rental office which was in Inverness, approx. 60 miles away. The problem was that I would have to leave my family, two boys and my wife, on our first night in Scotland and travel to Inverness for the exchange. Upon their continued refusal to deliver a new vehicle to us, I decided to go with the recovery driver that evening. However, the driver did not show up as we were told.

In frustration, and because we were extremely tired from jet lag, we decided to let them pick up the vehicle the morning of the 10th (a Sunday) and we would get to Inverness on Monday to pick up a new vehicle. What we were not told is that we would be charged two full days of rental when we actually only drove the car..maybe three hours. We were also not told that the old agreement would have to be closed and a new one opened. And further, we were not advised that we would be charged a higher rate because the new rental was considered one-way, because we would turn it in in Glasgow.

Upon arriving at the Inverness airport on Monday to retreive the vehicle, I found out they had closed the old agreement and charged us the full amount for the original nine days of rental. Instead of refunding the whole bill and charging the correct amount, they gave us a L200 pound credit.

I picked up the replacement vehicle, which was a Peugeot 307, a smaller vehile than we had originally asked for.

The next disappointment came when we turned in the vehicle at the Glasgow airport on the 18th. We told the individual at the return counter about our experience, hoping to get a reprieve from some of the charges. She made a call to her colleague at Inverness to ask them about what happened. After she hung up, she basically told us that we had made up stories and proceeded to no longer listen to what we had to say. My wife suggested to her that she really didn't care about us and the response was that she didn't and it didn't matter to her because she got paid the same either way. Her name was Eileen MacTaggert or something similar.

We feel we were treated poorly by Avis and that they took advantage of us. When I originally reserved the vehicle, I was quoted in US dollars and the price seemed fair. We are trying to resolve this with Avis and are also disputing the charges with VISA.

We don't mind paying a reasonable rate for our rental but it has cost us nearly $1400 to rent a car from AVIS for nine days in Scotland.

Regardless of the outcome, we will NEVER rent from AVIS anywhere again.

The customer service rep informs me that Avis does not have to do this because it is appears in the rental agreement. I informed the individual that I was not informed of this agreement and that they prey on the rush, rush at the airports not to inform the customers of this. I was instructed that I could call the violations/citations department, which I did and had to leave a message.

I called several county courts in Florida to find out that the citations were given through SunPass because apparently I went through the express lanes I my SunPass did not get charge. The lady from SunPass informed me that Avis was suppose to notify their customers concerning these violation, which I was not! I was also informed that the toll tickets were for $25.00 each, which I could have resolved with one phone call within 75 days by calling them and giving them my SunPass ID number.

The next day I received a call from Avis concerning the violations and I was again informed that this is the policy of Avis and that the agreement that I signed it appears. Now given that I received 3 violations I would normally pay $25.00 for each, but since Avis did not inform me and they have to process they are adding another $25.00 to each violation, so instead of $75.00 I have to pay $150.00. I informed the lady that called me that she would have to take me to court because I was never informed of this and that their company prey on their customers with the rush of renting and fail to inform us of the finer details such as this. By the way they charged my card as if it were another rental agreement.

Well having spent over 5 hours calling to Florida and finding out that I am required to pay $150.00 for 3 tickets that normally cost $25.00 each and that I may have to travel back to Florida if Avis decides to take me to court I may be looking at anywhere from +5 grand. I understand that it is only $150.00, but it is the principal of the matter, that they did not inform me of this policy, during the rental I felt rushed, and that I was not notified to try and rectify the matter, and all of this from a company that uses a motto WE TRY HARDER.

The argument AVIS is giving is that although the distance beween two points is less than 18 miles but they calculate the distance from the point where driver is located and charged me for a distance of 77 kms each way.

When I brought the car back to the branch on March 5th, Mr. Mario S brought to my attention the fact that there were two scratches on the right-side of the front bumper. I was really surprised by these scratches as I had not noticed them. As I told Mr. S then, I had only parked in a public parking lot for 2 or 3 hours the day before, and I guess the incident had occurred in that period of time.

At this point I would like to remark that prior to my rental, the cars condition was not pristine with respect to scratches and small body paint damage (the whole body of the car, including the bumpers, is white which may lead to easier damage). You can verify on the pre-rental car condition assessment, signed by myself on March 2nd that the bumpers already showed some small damage.

Thus, I asked Mr. S if I was going to have to pay anything for this damage. I remember that he told me I wouldnt have to pay anything, but nevertheless I had to fill in a claim. As a foreigner not yet used to the business rules in the U.S.A., I thought Mr. S implied the claim was purely formal and would not lead to any financial claim or dispute. I just really hope (and thats what Ill assume) that he didnt knowingly tried to abuse my poor understanding of spoken English to have me sign a claim without my fully understanding its content.

I rented a 2006 pontiac vibe at LAX with 18,311 miles around 10:20pm on july 4th and returned it the following afternoon with 18,358 miles to their burbank location on olive st. at inspection, the agent pointed out only a small dent centered in a 5-7 circular scuff on the back liftgate slight left where the license area is. the dent, localized only on the flat surface of the liftgate, was the only one pointed out. there with no damage elsewhere on the liftgate.

However, their claim for payment points out repair for the right and left panel outside; the liftgate shell,outside, moulding, adhesive emblem, and nameplate; and right and left rear combination lamp assembly. the car's color is also listed as green on the claim report but it was a dark, charcoal gray.

I denied all waivers and used a coupon which covered the total cost of the rental. i know i made the mistake of not checking the car when i rented it and was resolved to pay for the dent repair even though the dent itself looked very suspicious considering where i had the car parked in my possession and the 18 hour timeframe.(at the LAX lot, the car was backed into the stall, it was late at night and the lot lighting is not daylight visiblity). what has bothered me but i could not prove is that i believe the dent was already preexisting and was scuffed/marked as being noted.

If you rent from Avis be sure to read all of the contract, and dont take the word of the caring person on the other side of the desk. Because they really dont give a damn about you or your problems.

They over charged me as to my expectations but not what is in the fine print or details. I'm screwed. Buyer beware.

Now as a former professor, I have infinite tolerance for ignorance; its why people go to school. I have less tolerance for stupidity and marked intolerance for the Were stupid and proud of it and dont want to learn attitude. I am very angry with Santa Fe Avis. If it werent for nice folks like Connie in special accounts (wherever that 800 number goes) and Katie at the Hayden Colorado office, Id have dropped Avis immediately.

Robert makes some very good points. We suggest he a.) send a copy of his complaint to the Federal Trade Commission () and b.) file suit against Avis in Small Claims Court, which would quite possibly drain some of those free miles out of Avis' tank and into Robert's.

I am now firmly convinced that Avis France is diliberately taking advantage of people who don't speak and read French, and tricking them into buying services that they don't want. I am still pursuing this, but unless I find the corporate headquarter of Avis of France, or their parent company, Avis France is going to laugh all the way to the bank.

I was told during this conversation, Jan.30th, that I was being charged 2800.00 for failure to return the rental vehicle, not contacting Avis, and not returning the vehicle until Jan 22nd, 2003! This is untrue, I returned the car as stated above, signed out, and the odometer reading was taken by the Avis employee. The vehicle was returned with 3/4 of gasoline remaining in the tank since i only need to refill once on my journey home. I remember one fact, however, the employee was using a hand held computer gadget of some type to enter the information, was having difficulty, and used his walkie talkie to inform those in the booth. I then heard someone respond over the walkie talkie, the information given to that person and I was told I was finished, handed my receipts and I left to call supershuttle for transportation home.

I was given a number to call in Virginia to a person named "Laurie" identifying herself to be from the "Loss And Prevention" department of Avis. She proceded to tell me "certified letters" had been sent to me and accused me of failing to respond. I never got any "letters" other than the one dated Jan 23rd via regular mail. She further stated the vehicle was picked up from my house! I live alone, am retired, and spend the majority of my time in my house, therefore, there is little chance that I cannot be reached or a note left at my residence.

My communtiy is one of single family homes with community maiboxes located at the end of the street. We do not have individual mailboxes. Therefore, no messages from the post office were left on my door or in my mailbox regarding certified letters. I contacted the Balcones Postal Station located on Jollyville Rd here in Austin and was told there was no record of failed attempts to deliver any certified mail though my zip code was inaccurately written on the letter I did receive through regular mail.

I was also told by "Laurie" that numerous phone messages were left for me. I was perplexed by this because I never got any phone messages, but, I remembered I listed my mobile phone number which I lost and now believe it may have been left in the rental car. Further, in regard to the certified letters, it is feasible a single letter may not reach it intend address, but "Laurie" insinuated that more than one certified letter had been sent and that she had copies as proof. As for failure to receive phone messages, this is true, because I gave my cell phone number, had it wih me in the rental vehicle, noticed it missing thought I lost it, not thinking perhaps in the rental car, then I reported it as being lost to Verizon Wireless. Verizon, should have the date is on record which at this moment I cannot remember but will call to check.

This prompted me to make efforts to speak with an Avis executive at the main headquarters in New Jersey, Patricia Paft.

I was never told what condition the vehicle was in when found, there was 15,360 miles on the odometer. When I took possession of the vehicle in DFW it had 847 miles and Austin is about 400 miles from Dallas Fort Worth! Because of the general attitude of the individuals I spoke with representing Avis, and the fact that my credit card company authorized the charge with Avis receiving $2800.00, I doubt Avis will make any investigation regarding this situation and I am a victim of the malfeasience of some Avis employee who knew the car had not properly been documented as returned by me on the date I have stated because of some computer glitch and took that vehicle or allowed a person and/or persons to take it.

Judging from the mileage, it really went on a joy ride. Avis states, that beyond the computers they use, there is no back-up system to verify I returned the car. Unfortunately for me, I failed to keep a rental receipt after probably about a week once I returned the car never suspecting I would fall victim to what I believe was an "inside job" a person employed by Avis and knowledgible about the ease in which the computer systems can be tampered with.

Michele has been the victim of a crime, from the sounds of it an inside job by someone familiar with the Avis system. She has also been wronged by Avis and should immediately sue the company in Small Claims Court. She sounds like a credible witness and we'd wager she will prevail.

On returning the car twelve days later, the clerk thanked us for the keys and wished us a good day. I asked for a final copy of the bill, and he looked surprised. Let me just say now that I am astounded that an itemized final bill, requiring a signature, is not a mandatory part of doing business with Avis. That has never been my experience with any of my car rentals in the United States. The clerk eventually printed up a copy of bill which is barely legible and includes no headings or labels.

In particular, there is no label for Total Amount or Final Cost. However, I looked at the number at the bottom and saw that it read 815.40. I asked the clerk if that was our final total and he said that it was. I asked the clerk why the amount was so high, since our reservation had clearly stated the cost would only be $291.00. The clerk asked if the quote had been in Euros or dollars, and when I replied that it was in dollars he said that the final price was in Euros and obviously that was responsible for the discrepancy.

I began to get angry, with good reason. I explained, as calmly as possible, that the exchange rate was $0.95 to 1.00 Euro, and that his argument was ridiculous. Then I asked again about the discrepancy. At this point the clerk pointed to the circled initials made twelve days ago (when we were told we were waiving any additional charges) and said those represented mandatory insurances which everyone had to accept. We argued this point for the next few minutes, but the clerks point was very clear the charges represented insurance, and he regarded them as mandatory. At one point he even said that the charges had been automatically added by the computer and that he had no control over them.

I asked the clerk his name, he pointed to the name on the form (Rapezzi Giordano) and then my husband and I left. My charges of fraud are as follows:

1. Our quote says that certain charges (i.e. additional insurances, waivers, etc) are optional, but we were told by the Italian clerk that they were mandatory.

2. We were told at rental time that we were signing away our need for additional insurance (on a non-English form) and were then told when returning the car that we had actually signed a form accepting these insurances instead.

3. We were not told about any additional charges at rental time.

4. We were lied to by the Avis clerk regarding the reason for cost discrepancies (i.e. when he tried to blame it on currency conversion.)

5. We were not given a clearly understandable final bill. 6. We were never asked to sign any statement of final charges. In fact, the only form with any signatures on it (attachment #2) carries only my initials, and the Amount Due area is conspicuously blank, as are any signature lines.

We have never had any problems with Avis rentals prior to this past experience (during our honeymoon, no less), nor have we heard anything but praises for Avis in general. I can only assume that this behavior was the result of a mistake made by an errant clerk, and sincerely hope that this bad experience will soon be put right. We will obviously be glad to pay the original quoted price of $291.00, plus any small fees required in adding a second driver onto our rental agreement. However, the amount actually charged to our credit card is: $794.87.

Aside from the obvious consequence of an $800 charge on our credit card, which we can ill afford now that we are trying to pay off our wedding expenses, this experience also resulted in our ending our three-week honeymoon on a very bitter note.

I told them that there was no indication at the time of reservation that any of this was necessary, except the possibility of being charged extra because I'm under 25 years of age. The manager on duty told me it is my responsibility to call the company direct and ask about their policies, it is not up to them to advise you of them up front. They were extremely unhelpful and rude.

The car we ended up getting (through another company) cost us $160.00 more than the one we had reserved would have cost. I was traveling out of town with my best friend (we are both female) and was refused assistance when we were left without transportation in an unknown area at night. It took an hour to book a car with another company which cost a considerable amount more.