Avis is one of the many prevalent options for renting automobiles in the US (and abroad, according to their phone system's recorded screeching). I ran afoul of their corporate greed recently, and thought I'd vent my frustration a bit.
It all started with a one-way mini-van rental to go from the Boston area to Virginia. I picked up the car the evening before, loaded it up early the next day, bundled the family in, and hit the road. Several hours later, we pushed our tired selves into Virginia, having navigated through and around a horrendous crash on the highway that shut down all lanes of traffic.
The rental was due to be returned at Dulles airport by 6:00 PM. I got there at 10:30 PM. Yes, I was late, and knew it. I stood in line, patiently waited for my turn, and handed in the rental agreement. The woman casually prints up the bill, hands it to me, asks me to check everything, and heads out the door.
To my horror, they have added close to $250 in extra charges. I call the woman back to the counter and ask why there are extra charges. After feigning shock and appearing to read the bill, she says I was several hours late. So I ask her for the keys back: if they are charging me for an extra day, I would like to have the car and bring it back the next day.
"Sir, we closed the contract. You will need a new contract to get the keys back."
Never mind the lack of brains behind this statement. The Avis staff was plain rude.
A couple of days later, back at home, I called up Avis, confirmed that I was late with the car, explained the traffic accident, and asked if there was anything they could do for me. The lady on the phone was kind enough to put in a request for a partial refund, with the promise that I would have an e-mail response within 3 working days.
Seven days go by, there is no response from Avis, and it is time to waste more time on the phone.
The guy at the other end says that a manager has been assigned to my case, but he has just returned from vacation and is catching up on his work. He then gives me a lecture on the fine print and how I knew the charge was going to be made.
A month goes by. Still no response from Avis. Another late-night phone call.
The woman says the request was declined, two weeks earlier. The reason: "We are not responsible for traffic."
I pointed out that there was no e-mail as I was promised. I am told that there is no note saying that a response was promised. I ask for the supervisor, who turns out to be one of the worst customer service staff I have ever seen. She apologized that I did not get a response, but the rest of the conversation was very combative and stubborn. I was apparently 6 hours late. I tell her it was 4.5 hours, not 6. I am told that simply turning up implies I want to return the car. I counter that I would have liked to be asked if I would like to keep the car another day, seeing that I was going to pay for it anyway. A basic courtesy before they close the contract. She says their staff did not break any rules.
At one point, this person's brain goes into over-drive when she realizes how clever she is: the hourly charge, over 4.5 hours, is actually way more than the charge for an extra day! "Sir, if you want, I could charge you by the hour instead, but..."
I cut her short as I knew where this was going. I told her this is another scam that must be dealt with separately.
I tell her there is a term for taking money and not providing the related service. She says there is nothing she can do. I say that this could be the last time I ever rent from Avis. She thanks me and hangs up.
Now that I think about it, they also charged me $8 for using their toll transponder. This was on top of the actual tolls. I was not even told about the transponder in the car when I picked up the vehicle, let alone that there would be a fee for its use.
I look forward to renting from Enterprise again. They have been much nicer to me so far, and even pick me up when I need a rental.
As for Avis, they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, they do have a fairly long list of complaints filed against them, and are rated B+ on a scale going from A+ to F:
http://www.bbb.org/tulsa/business-reviews/auto-renting-and-leasing/avis-rent-a-car-in-tulsa-ok-38004414
Nearly one-half of the complaints are about billing/collection! Perhaps B+ is being too generous.
Here are yet more anecdotes of their greed:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/avis.html
Buyer beware!
It all started with a one-way mini-van rental to go from the Boston area to Virginia. I picked up the car the evening before, loaded it up early the next day, bundled the family in, and hit the road. Several hours later, we pushed our tired selves into Virginia, having navigated through and around a horrendous crash on the highway that shut down all lanes of traffic.
The rental was due to be returned at Dulles airport by 6:00 PM. I got there at 10:30 PM. Yes, I was late, and knew it. I stood in line, patiently waited for my turn, and handed in the rental agreement. The woman casually prints up the bill, hands it to me, asks me to check everything, and heads out the door.
To my horror, they have added close to $250 in extra charges. I call the woman back to the counter and ask why there are extra charges. After feigning shock and appearing to read the bill, she says I was several hours late. So I ask her for the keys back: if they are charging me for an extra day, I would like to have the car and bring it back the next day.
"Sir, we closed the contract. You will need a new contract to get the keys back."
Never mind the lack of brains behind this statement. The Avis staff was plain rude.
A couple of days later, back at home, I called up Avis, confirmed that I was late with the car, explained the traffic accident, and asked if there was anything they could do for me. The lady on the phone was kind enough to put in a request for a partial refund, with the promise that I would have an e-mail response within 3 working days.
Seven days go by, there is no response from Avis, and it is time to waste more time on the phone.
The guy at the other end says that a manager has been assigned to my case, but he has just returned from vacation and is catching up on his work. He then gives me a lecture on the fine print and how I knew the charge was going to be made.
A month goes by. Still no response from Avis. Another late-night phone call.
The woman says the request was declined, two weeks earlier. The reason: "We are not responsible for traffic."
I pointed out that there was no e-mail as I was promised. I am told that there is no note saying that a response was promised. I ask for the supervisor, who turns out to be one of the worst customer service staff I have ever seen. She apologized that I did not get a response, but the rest of the conversation was very combative and stubborn. I was apparently 6 hours late. I tell her it was 4.5 hours, not 6. I am told that simply turning up implies I want to return the car. I counter that I would have liked to be asked if I would like to keep the car another day, seeing that I was going to pay for it anyway. A basic courtesy before they close the contract. She says their staff did not break any rules.
At one point, this person's brain goes into over-drive when she realizes how clever she is: the hourly charge, over 4.5 hours, is actually way more than the charge for an extra day! "Sir, if you want, I could charge you by the hour instead, but..."
I cut her short as I knew where this was going. I told her this is another scam that must be dealt with separately.
I tell her there is a term for taking money and not providing the related service. She says there is nothing she can do. I say that this could be the last time I ever rent from Avis. She thanks me and hangs up.
Now that I think about it, they also charged me $8 for using their toll transponder. This was on top of the actual tolls. I was not even told about the transponder in the car when I picked up the vehicle, let alone that there would be a fee for its use.
I look forward to renting from Enterprise again. They have been much nicer to me so far, and even pick me up when I need a rental.
As for Avis, they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, they do have a fairly long list of complaints filed against them, and are rated B+ on a scale going from A+ to F:
http://www.bbb.org/tulsa/business-reviews/auto-renting-and-leasing/avis-rent-a-car-in-tulsa-ok-38004414
Nearly one-half of the complaints are about billing/collection! Perhaps B+ is being too generous.
Here are yet more anecdotes of their greed:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/avis.html
Buyer beware!
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