Avis Car Rental


Country United States
State New Jersey
City Parsippany-Troy Hills
Address 6 Sylvan Way
Phone 1-800-633-3469
Website www.avis.com

Avis Car Rental Reviews

  • May 18, 2015

This past Mother's Day weekend I drove my car from Grapevine, Tx to Houston to visit my parents. My car overheated right outside of Houston and I had to rent a car to get back home while my car was being repaired. I opted for the least expensive car ( subcompact), less than $30/day and had to accept a hefty drop off fee since I wasn't bringing it back to the same location. This was all secured online. The bill came out to just under $100 for one day rental. When I decided to extend my stay and keep the car two more days, the final bill came out to almost $300. My complaints with the desk help and a supervisor with their customer service dept. Fell on deaf ears citing that my rate was a contractual agreement and that it couldn't be changed. I would not recommend Avis to anyone under any circumstances....I would rather use public transportation before I would consider using them again.

  • Mar 19, 2015

Beware of Avis changing your insurance selections from what you filled out online to what appears when you arrive at the counter. I completed an online request form to rent a vehicle and declined the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) coverage. The reservation was a prepaid rate and Avis even sent back a confirmation indicating that the LDW was waived. When I got to the counter they pulled up my reservation and asked that I initial several screens. Absolutely my mistake for assuming that what was requested online and confirmed would be the same information presented. The coverage was an additional $100 on top of a $215 rental. When I contacted Avis customer service their response was basically, you should have read the contract before you signed it.

  • Nov 22, 2014

San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge must have recently ceased having any way to pay a cashier with cash or a credit card. You must drive straight through the old toll-taking boothes. I rented a car from Avis at the SFO airport for seven days. On the last day I drove across the bridge on my way back to SFO. I live in the midwest where we don't have toll collection systems like they do in California (and elsewhere), so I don't have a personal transponder that would bill me directly for any tolls.

I recieved an email from Avis today, six weeks after the rental, with the bill for the $7 toll for crossing the bridge. That is fine, but what I discovered is that it is Avis Rental Car policy to layer on a "Convenience Fee" of $3.95 per day for every day of the rental, up to a maximum of $16.75. That plus the $7 bridge toll made this charge $23.75, which is over 3 times the toll. I called to complain - a process that took literally 45 minutes to complete because of their awful robot lady phone menu and customer service waiting times - and a representative agreed to charge me the convenience fee only for the day I crossed the bridge. The representative made it VERY clear she was giving me a one time good deal and in the future I would have to pay their daily convenience fees if I did not directly pay the toll myself.

Which was interesting news! I didn't know you could do that. When I rented the car no one told me about the Avis policy of charging customers up to $16.75 in fees. Apparently it was in the endless small print contract so her attitude was it is my failure to understant the contract. I was told to avoid this every day of the car rental up to $16.75 "convenience fee" in the future I could contact the state of California directly (since I don't have a personal transponder that I carry with me when I rent a car), pay the $7 toll, and it would then not be sent over to Avis for collection. They apparently take pictures of license plates going through the toll booth.

To any rental car company managers out there please know this...if you refuse to burden your customers as Avis, and apparently other car rental agencies prefer to do with this illogical and unfair scheme...I will become a loyal customer. If you charge me for the days I actually use an etoll (no option to pay locally in my case, remember?), or better yet just a reasonable flat fee, instead of racking up daily charges you are a fair-minded person grounded in logic. As far as Avis.com goes...they probably lost me because of this policy. And otherwise I was a pretty happy, if infrequent, renter.

  • Nov 22, 2014

Booked my wife a full size Avis car via American Airlines on-line ticket site for a one week rental. After traveling 13 hours with her 89 year old mother, who needs a wheel chair in airports, she arrived at the Avis counter at 6:30 PM local time (9:30 PM on her body clock, East Coast time).

The agent proceeded to try to induce her to upgrade to a Cadillac SUV which she refused. She instructed him she did not want insurance or the gas option. She asked what cars were available under the terms of her reservation. He told her he could give her a KIA Sorrento. He did not disclose there would be an additional charge of approximately $200 for this vehicle.

He presented a contract and had her sign at the bottom. She did not initial any of the three places where initials are required. This included next to the "Your Estimated Total Charges". I have confirmed that Avis counter agents are paid an incentive for "upgrading" customers. The agent who booked this car was Patrick. I feel my wife was defrauded without a full disclosure of the additional charges.

Upon seeing the higher than expected charge on my credit card, I contacted Avis. I spoke with a supervisor who tried to negotiate a settlement whereby I would agree to pay $100 of the $200 over charge. I wonder if these individuals are also paid an incentive for what they can collect from a customer with a ligitimate overcharge complaint.

I refused and contacted American Express and disputed the charge. I also contacted American Airlines since they have a contractual arrangement with Avis. The rep told me she could do nothing and referred all issues to Avis. This also suggests to me to never use American's link to book an Avis car. I do know that Costco has a rental car service and they are very willing to be helpful when one of their customers has a rental car problem.

It certainly seems that Avis has a large number of complaints about their counter reps and aggressive charges on rental contracts. I advise individuals to avoid Avis. You have been warned and proceed at your own risk.

  • Nov 10, 2014

I rented a car in omaha at the airport dropping it off the following day in chicago. Imagine my surprise when avis gave me a rate of $120 for less than 24 hours. It was a Ford Fiesta at that. The agent took my card and scanned it taking $362.74. He then said it didn't take and he couldn't run it twice did I have another card.

I gave him another card and he scanned it as well only this time taking $242.00 from this card. He told me the car came with a gps I told him I had my own then he added insurance of $28 and I also said I had that as well. He claimed his little box that I signed wasn't working right and rushed me thru the paperwork.

I left and went to chicago. When I turned the car in after refueling it 5 blocks from the airport the scanner wasn't working either. I was asked for the paperwork and I gave it to the return person he said my paperwork would be emailed along with the receipt. One week later I discover charges of $600.

Their customer service not very helpful. Refused to put me in touch with omaha manager said they have no way of contacting them.

Beware of Avis. They try harder to rip you off.

  • Apr 17, 2014

In March 2014 I was planning ski trip to Colorado. I went on to Priceline and negotiated the rental of a standard SUV (room enough for 4 people and luggage) Priceline assigned me AVIS car rental.

Upon arrival in Denver, around 10 pm, snowing really hard, and Avis was pretty busy with customers and too few employees. I presented my reservation (priceline reciept) to the employee. After a few moments of typing on his computer, he informed me that the size of SUV I reserved was not available. He offered me a smaller SUV, (jeep wrangler) that was obviously too small for all of us. All the while he was trying to help multiple customers at the same time. He then told me he had a Infinity QX tavaible and he woujld pull it up close so I could see if it was big enough for all of us. I told him it was big enough.

He began to process the rental. He then informed me that the price was more expensive than my original priceline rental. I was surpirsed that since they didnt have my vehical type that they would be charging me more. But, I was in a situation late at night family tired and waiting etc. He told me that it would be about $20 per day extra but he woould reduce it to $15/day since I was retired military.

A week later, I returned the vehical and recieved my reciept for around $900 for the week. After all the taxes and fees etc I was slightly annoyed but was willing to live with that. After getting home, I checked my credit card staements online and discovered that AVIS completley disregaurded the money I had paid through Priceline ($500). So as a result, I paid over $200 per day for this ""STANDARD SUV"".

I quickly called AVIS with my concern believing this was an error. Come to find out that after speaking with several supervisors etc that they really don't care! They refused to refund anything. In addition to being rude and disrespectfull on the phone and in emails. Every employee I talked too was rude and acted like I was dirt.

I contacted Priceline also, and they are still investigating. I believe that AVIS unfairly took advatage of my situation, engaged in deception and stole $500 from me!! I will be doing everything I can to prevent any of my family, friends and military brothers and sisters from renting from Avis!

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