Complain about a product or service

Avis

Avis • Corporate Points program • International thievery • Disputed return date • A visit from Repo Man • Additional driver charges • Young drivers • 4WD vs. AWD • Misc. problems

Renting a car may seem like a small thing but it can quickly turn big and ugly if things go sour. In particular, if the car is damaged or if the company loses it and blames the renter, as happened to Michele, things can get very nasty.

Bruce of Worthington, OH August 20, 2009

Involving three successive Avis car rentals in Chicago my Amex card was later automatically billed for highway tolls I am certain I paid. The first rental date was 1/12/08 and I was mailed a violation notice on 10/23/08 in the amount of 46.50 (1.50 toll + 20 Illinois citation fee + 20 admin fee). I disputed the violation, the admin fee was waived, and my Amex card was charged 26.50.

The second rental date was 01/12/08 and I was mailed a violation notice on 10/23/08 in the amount of 45.40 (0.40 toll + 20 citation fee + 20 admin fee). I disputed the violation (by phone and web-site complaint) and then apparently both the citation fee and admin fee were waived, because my Amex card was billed only 0.40. During the dispute of the second notice, in May '09 I spoke with a lady named Susann at Avis E-tolls).

I told her I had never not paid a toll, and it was inconceivable that I would just not pay tolls every time I visit Chicago. She replied that one way this could have happened is that I had not paid the "exact" fines. I asked her if that meant that if I had paid 0.50 instead of the requested 0.40 I would be fined for not paying the exact amount. Incredibly, her reply was "yes". I could not believe that an arm of a city or state agency would ask for 0.40, gladly take the 0.50 given, then later charge >100 times more (45) because the amount paid had slightly exceeded the amount requested.

In May '09 I filed a dispute on the Avis Etoll web-site, taking this position, and also said I was considering filing complaints with the Illinois and New York state attorney general's offices. Apparently they accepted my arguments, as they subsequently charged my Amex card only 0.40. Interestly however, they never responded to my filed dispute, either by phone or in writing.

Now I just received a charge on my Amex card for 4.00 from Avis E-toll related to another rental in Chicago on 08/04/09. I called Avis and was told again that Avis E-toll was a separate comany and I had to call them. Here we go again. Three times in three rentals, in the same city, over a space of about one year.

I can't accept this abuse. I believe the pattern of behavior from Illnois Highway Tolls, Avis, and Avis E-tolls is very unfair, and perhaps illegal, and if so is being perpetrated on large numbers of people. This issue has been bothering me now for over a year, costing me about 20 hours of my time (which is worth 1200 based on my annual salary), has caused me to lose several night's sleep due to frustration, and undermined my feeling of well-being by making me feel powerless against what I believe is an obvious injustice. There is the apparent assumption that the renter is guilty until proven innnocent, but there's no way to do that, except through the force of reason and much time and effort. That ensures most people will pay the fines even if they shouldn't. There's the ridulous (if true) practice of levying fines for overpaying tolls, while at the same time accepting the paid amount in the first place. I believe any peer would find this to quite surprising and unfair. There's the apparent pattern of not replying to written disputes, quite possibly to avoid admission of guilt, while simultaneously waiving amounts to perhaps avoid further investigation. There's the absurd amplification of the amounts due, from in my second instance, just 0.40 to >100 times more (45.40). There's the practice of the rental car company passing the renter's credit card information to Avis E-toll who then automatically levies the charges to the card, sometimes before the renter can diuspute them (as in my most recent instance).

Irene of haiku, HI August 12, 2009

I am in CA on business. My rental car was dead this morning. Either the battery is dead or thtere are severe electrical problems. I called the Avis office and I was told that I had to call roadside assistance and wait for them to come. When I asked why I had to deal with this, explaining that I am here on business and don't have time, he started accusing me of keeping the lights on, put me on hold and never came back to the phone.

I have a rental car that does not work & Avis will not pick up. I have missed one appointment and the problem is still not resolved!

Ajaiah of Manchester, NJ August 10, 2009

I rented a care between the dates of 9/28/09 and 10/1/09. I left my EZ-Pass in the car when I returned it. On Saturday 10/1/09, I left a message with the car dealership that the Avis Car is located in. I did not get any reply. I continued to cal Avis on the folllowing dates: 8/3/09, 8/4/09, 8/5/09, 8/6/09, 8/7/09, 8/8/09 and 8/10/09. They kept giving me the run around and said that they didn't see my EZ-Pass. Avis is supposed to clean out the vehicle before renting it to another person. They said that they cleaned it out. I checked my Ez-Pass account and I see that my EZ-Pass was used on 8/5/09. So if they cleaned it out, that means someone at Avis stole my EZ-Pass and has been using it. Everyday someone said they would call me and get back to me, so I did not cancel my EZ Pass. No one ever called me back and they kept giving me the runaround. During this time, someone was using my EZ-Pass.

Darren of Bristol, United Kingdom July 23, 2009

On 15th May 2009 I went on holiday to South Africa and I hired a car with AVIS rent a car and hired a Honda Accord for 10 days and paid fully prior via my holiday booking with Trailfinders. The car was delivered to my apartment on 20th May 2009 and I inspected the vehicle with the female who delivered it. She noted any current damages on paperwork such as scratches around vehicle and on alloys. I stated to her that its not specific and she said that that was all that was required. I completed the necessary paper work and used the car throughout the trip. At no time did I cause any additional damage to the vehicle throughout the whole trip.

Having arrived at Port Elizabeth airport on 29th May 2009 to return the car, I was met by a male who received the car. I had filled the tank up with fuel as previously requested and handed him the paperwork. He had a look around the car and said to me that its all fine, would you like your invoice now or in the post. I told him that we were in a hurry and I would rather it in the post. I had expected two pre arranged charges on the invoice which were a One way drop off fee and a delivery fee, as the car was delivered to me at the start and I wasn't retuning it to the pick up location due to my self drive tour.

On returning home to the uk I received the invoice and I had been charged an ACCIDENT REPAIRS additional fee to pay of 412.75 ZAR which was outrageous. I immediately phoned AVIS customer services on 8th JUNE 09 and they said it would be investigated by foreign damages team. It would take 30 days.

30 days had passed and I had no reply. I phoned again on 8th July 2009 and the male I spoke to said the car was damaged and had to be repaired and that I haven't been charged for the damage or the excess but only an admin fee of 412.75 ZAR. I explained that there was no additional damage so there shouldn't be an admin fee for damages and that it wasn't fully investigated as an investigation includes all parties and I wasn't contacted. I wasn't getting anywhere with him so requested a supervisor/manager. On the same day I received a call from a male I believe was called Hilton. I explained the situation again and he said he understands and that the damage wasn't perhaps noted thoroughly enough etc and It could quite well be damage that was already there. I know it was. He told me that he will contact me in 5-7 days and we will resolve the issue.

On thursday 16th July 2009 I received a credit card bill from Halifax dated 13th July 2009 and had another charge of 195 ZAR dated 22 June 2009. This is nothing more that theft and I haven't even been contacted by phone or in writing advising me that this was to happen or what it was, they have just kept my details and added a further charge. I called Halifax to cancel the card as they were taking further unauthorised monies. This is a separate issue that needs resolving too.

Friday 17th July came and no call. I phoned to speak to Hilton and a female stated that he is on the phone and he will phone me back when he had finished I asked her about the charge of 195 ZAR and she said she'll try to find out and let me know but probably a traffic charge??. Again Hilton didn't return my call. On 22nd July I phoned again to speak to him and again he was busy and she told me that he would phone me back by 1700 hours. This again didn't happen. This matter will not get resolved by myself as they are ignoring me and having charged for something that is incorrect they hope it will go away. I have researched this on the internet and this type of thing is happening worldwide with this company. The fact is that the total value is about £35-40 for admin fee for damages and £15 for the additional charge on 22nd June 09. This cannot continue to happen and there are other people in the same situation that may find it too hard to pursue but this is how they are getting away with it.

Margie of Boca Raton, FL July 29, 2009

My family and I (mom and brother) have paying customers at that location. I returned the car on time, back to the location after renting the car for 3 weeks straight. when I closed the accont. Manager said I owed them 850 sum odd dollars so would not be getting any thing back. I said to the manager that does not seem right but she gave me this explanation and rushed me out, with out giving me my reciept because they werw giving me a ride back to my hotel and they were closing for the day.

I felt that something was not right so I called my bank to do sum research and they mentioned there were funds owed to me but they have not been released. I asked how could I get it sooner then later? they told me to have Avis fax over the dollar amount owed to me and the bank would release back my funds owed to me because I rented using a debt card. The cost for the car was 275.13 (including tax and insurance) their policy is to take 400 from your account do to the debt card, upon return of the car they subtract the 275.13 from the 400 and return the balance to your accnt. when the first week of renting past, i came in and said I would like to get the car for another week.

Avis said well since we have your card on hold you dont have to pay another 400 just pay the fee, tax and insurance. 275.13 and I was like great so I had 400 cash in hand, told them that I would go to the bank and deposit the money. they said you can pay cash so you dont have to run to the bank. I told the manager my mother gave me the 400 so how much would I owe my mom because I could not figure that quick what 275.13 from 400 hundred was the manager summed it out for me and I gave them cash for that week. (mind you I had no extra cash in my account so they only had 400 from my bank on hold and I paid the cash 275.13 for that following week) so once that weekended the one I paid cash for, I called Avis and spoke to Lodi a agent that for the most part had handeled most of my transactions. I told him I would like another week and I will deposit another 275.13 into my account but I will call him once I put in the cash so the transaction will go through.

I called and he deducted the 275.13. When I asked hem this morning to fax the amount owed to me they faxed only the money I owed them that they have already. When my bank said they recieved the fax Avis didn't add the dollar amount. I called Avis got Lodi on the phone and he said we dont owe you anything that when I got pissed and started to yell and curse because I knew he was lying, they never gave me my reciept and he kept on denying it and he hung up on me. I called again asked to speak to the manager she said the same thing as him I asked for the GM's number and it was the general Avis number and I told her that I was going to make sure she was fired and Lodi as well. She hung up on me.

I called the general number and got no help I called another location explained my situation and the Avis employee agreeded with me and gave me the Direct cell number for the GM. I texed him and left many messages but no return call. I called my bank we confrenced the Avis that I rented from and Lodi was saying oh you will get you funds released tomorrow when he knew my bank was on the phone as well. The Avis manager came on being very condisending and rude so I told her I am going to get them fired because at first you said I was getting nothing and now my bank is on the phone now you say........ I will get my due funds tomorrow.

Andy of Fern Tree, Australia July 17, 2009

When I returned a car I asked staff to check it, I watched them do so. I asked if I needed to get anything signed and they said no it was all ok. I later received a letter saying that teh windscreen was damaged and that a charge of 200 plus taxes would be charged to my card. I wrote to Avis telling them that the car was sighted by their staff and therefore that I assumed the damage must have occured after I handed the car over. I told them not to charge my card. They still did. They have not responded to the letter I sent them over a month ago.

Melissa of Osteen, FL July 15, 2009

We reserved a car to be picked up at the Rochester Airport on 7/10/09. When we arrived and tried to pay with a check card we were informed they were going to put a hold on our account for 500 for use of a non-credit card. At no point were we informed this would be the case. We do not have a credit card and did not bring enough for our trip to cover this. I called the main office, spoke with several people in complaints - their suggestion was go to another car rental business. The other rental companies would not rent to a "walk up" and all the cars had been reserved. We were stranded at the airport.

After several more calls and no assistance from anyone at this company, I secured the money to cover the 500 from my mother. This took more than 3 hours. I told them at the time we signed the paper work that I would be paying with the check card, originally presented for the car, upon return. Once we got the car it was beaten up. We took pics of all the damage and had one of their garage workers sign off on the damage for our protection. When we returned the car on 7/14 the return gy said the card was charged. We had to go back to the airport and stand in line to have the charge removed. When we gave them the check card again they ran it and told us it was declined. We then had to get out of line, find an ATM for the same card, get cash, get back in line and pay it with cash. We were assured the change was reversed. As we were waiting in line I saw 2 more people hit with the surprise 500 charge. When we were waiting to get our receipt I spoke with the manager and told him they needed to have the charge posted somewhere so people would know what they were going to be required to do. He swore that it was posted "somewhere". I told him they were unethical and scammers. As we were walking away I saw him put out the sign stating the "policy".

On 7/15 they charged my check card AGAIN. I had to spend 45min on hold with thier complaint department for them to tell me it wasn't a charge it was a hold that would be released in 48 to 72 hours. I work at the bank - it wasn't a hold, it was a charge. I had to have her conference in the bank to release the funds back to my account. I will never rent from AVIS again. i would encourage anyone thinking about renting from these scam artists to pony up the extra money and save yourself a lot of hassel.

David of Midland, TX June 16, 2009

I reserved online the week before I was leaving out of town. Two days before our trip I called my home town Midland, TX to verify my reservation the confirmation number did not come up, so Rosalie(customer service rep) redid my reservation. I specifically told her I want a mid-size car with a GPS. SHe stated she had to call her boss George in Odessa TX to bring a car down from Odessa to Midland with a GPS by Friday. I told her I will pick it up at 7:30am when they open. She also gave me a confirmation number she did not tell me the rules and regulations.

Friday morning when I arrived they did not have a car for me, no GPS available, my confirmation number did not come up again, nor they could not except my Visa Debit card. Unaware that I needed a Major credit card. The only vechicle they had was a SUV so they gave me that for the price I was quoted for. I had to borrow my mom's credit card for the SUV. Teresa (another customer rep) promised me that they would not take out any money from the card because we agreed I would pay cash when I arrived back. My mom did not want me to take out any money. So she promised that would not happen. SHe (Teresa) lied to me and my mother about the transaction and my balance came out to 180.00. I WOULD NEVER RENT FROM AVIS AGAIN AND I WILL PASS THIS ON TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT THIS BUISNESS...

Marilyn of RR2 Grand Bend, ON June 26, 2009

I rented a car in Montreal, Quebec from Avis rent a car back in August 2008. When I returned the car it was fine except for a couple of scratches that were already marked on the picture they give you showing what marks are already on the car.

This year June of 2009 I received a statement from Avis for a claim for damages done to the car that I am not responsible for: Here is what I received: 1. August 2008 I rented the car. 2. June 5, 2009 I received a letter dated for June 2, 2009 that I damaged this car 3. Included in their documents is an Estimate done on January 20, 2009? 4. Include in documents is another NET estimate billing dated January 26, 2009 5. Included in documents I received is an Incident Report (to be competed by customer) (I did not fill this out, nor did I sign it) someone has printed my information on this form. There is a space for a date of report and it is not on there. 6. Include are picture of the car damaged and clearly showing damage I know I did not do. No date on these pictures. 7. Also included is a letter suggesting I pay with my credit card the amount of 1,036.41 and reclaim it on my credit card. 8. I received another letter on approximately June 23rd to say they have attempted to charge my credit card that I used to rent this card.

What do I do? I am not responsible for damaging this car.

Julia of Brooklyn, NY June 15, 2009

I rented a car online which ended up to be Avis. I put that I am underage and my total came out to 301.71. On May 20th 2009 I picked up my vehicle from Avis from Glendale California, and the sales associate whos name is Julio had printed out the contract. In the contract that I signed he circled that i will have to pay 301.71 at the end of my destination. When i brought back the car in Las Vegas my bill came out to 911.72. They said it was because of an underage fee and GPS fee. He didn't explain to me that at the end there will be any additional charges. Turns out in the contract that I signed in small letters stating there is a 27 per day underage fee which came out to 243.00 and a GPS charge of 69.97.

When we gave back the car the associate in Avis said that all charges on the contract need to be circled and initialed which he didn't do. The only thing he did circle and initial is the original amount which was 301.71. I also asked for the GPS and asked him how much was it..he said there is no charge for GPS. I called Avis 3 times, and tried to dispute my charges and they just ignored what my issue was with them.

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