ComplaintsforAVIS

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We recently rented a vehicle in Boston through Avis. Confirmation number: ***********. The price guaranteed through *********** was: $864.07. (See Attached receipt from ***********) The amount charged by Avis after we returned the vehicle was $1446.70. This amount has shown up on my credit card as well. (See attached receipt from Avis) I called *********** regarding the issue. They reached out to Avis and Avis told them they only charged my card for the $864.07. But in actuality Avis charged me $1446.70. We didn't upgrade the vehicle or add anything additional. The vehicle was also undamaged, full of gas and generally in good condition. I tried to call and email Avis. I was on hold for several hours before I gave up. I only received a form email in reply to my inquiry.

  Business response

  01/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/03) */ In regards to the aforementioned BBB Complaint Case ID# ********. Avis is a company that is actively interested in and committed to providing the best all-around service for its customers. It is distressing to receive a report of this nature and to learn that a customer has found some aspect of their experience to be less than satisfactory. By way of explanation on the basis of your rental information received when she confirmed reservation #***********, a specific rate was assigned from the rental date of November 21, 2021 to November 27, 2021 for seven day rental at the estimated total of $864.07. According to our records the vehicle was picked up on November 22, 2021 @ 9:16 am. On the basis of the information confirmed a specific rate is assigned. If the parameters of your rental differ from the reservation details, the confirmed rate may no longer apply. It appears that this is what happened in your case, and your rental no longer met the requirements of the quoted rate. Therefore a different rate, which did meet the rental circumstances, was applied to your contract. However, as we value your business, we have adjusted your rental charges and a credit of $396.11 has been applied to your **************** card ending in **** that was used for the rental. Please allow 3-5 business days for the processing of this refund. Sincerely, Avis Customer Service Escalation Team Avis Budget Group

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  During my search the rental shows up as free cancellation, however when it times to checkout they switch it to prepaid only where any cancellation will incur a $50 fee, of course I did not full read the terms and ended up checking the box, in order to reserve the rental as there is no other option to reserve without checking it. Of course I understand if I check it, I agree to the terms. however its misleading/false advertising when after I select the option with free cancellation, but when it comes to checkout time the free cancellation disappeared.

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/02) */ BBB #: XXXXXXXX Case XXXXXXXX Dear Mr./Ms. ***, In regards to the aforementioned BBB complaint case# XXXXXXXX, thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. Avis values the relationship that we have with our travelers and always strives to do the right thing. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. When booking reservations from www.avis.com customers has the option to either pay at the counter or prepay. If you choose to pay at the counter we do not charge a cancelation fee, however, if you choose the prepay option we do charge cancelation fees in this case. As a gesture of Customer Service we have refunded the cancelation fee on your rental. Please allow up to 10 business days for this refund to process. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of assistance to you. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/12/06) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) "customers has the option to either pay at the counter or prepay." this is not true, like I had previously stated, only options available for me was to pre-paid. If I had the option to select option without the cancelation fee, I would had. Also if you look at the photos there are no other option other than pre-paid (please see attached) Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2021/12/07) */ BBB #: XXXXXXXX Case XXXXXXXX Dear Mr./Ms. ***, In regards to the aforementioned BBB complaint case# XXXXXXXX, thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. Avis values the relationship that we have with our travelers and always strives to do the right thing. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. The option to pay now or pay later is on step two of the booking process. The screen shot you provided is of a pay later reservation as our prepaid reservations stated Prepaid next to the estimated total. We do apologize for any confusion this has caused you but we have issued a full refund for your prepaid reservation. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of assistance to you, we have closed your case. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a car in Lihue airport from Budget Rent a car on 10/03/21. I waited over 2 hours and got a car with front bumper dent pre existing. I was told to write the damage on a slip and return it to the front desk. When I returned the car on 10/08/21 the Budget rep asked me about the damage and I explained I had written it on a slip and turned it in on the day of pick up. He told me if I turned it in I was good to go. After I got to the airport I was emailed a damage claim report of $632.92. I called budget who told me to disregard the email since it is an automatic email generated when the car is turned in. As long as I had turned in the slip the claim would be cleared. 2 weeks later I get a call from Viking asking me how I will be paying the bill. Representative told me to contact Budget if I have any issues. When I call Budget the system reroutes me to a different third party damage company who cannot help me get info about the slip I turned in. I've tried emailing Budget customer service and no response. Viking is unable to connect with Budget to verify my claim. I am stuck with an almost $700 bill for a dent that was pre-existing and no one at Budget can help me or return my questions about the slip or surveillance videos.

  Business response

  01/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/03) */ BBB CASE#: XXXXXXXX Case: XXXXXXXX Rental: UXXXXXXXXX Reservation: XXXXXXXX*** Dear Ms. ****, Your file referenced above to the BBB under case# XXXXXXXX has been forwarded to our office for review and reply. We have reviewed your rental and case notes with our Claims Manager. Based upon the information you provided and the findings of our internal investigation, the claim has been stopped. Their office will be sending a closing letter via standard mail confirming this information. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. Please be assured that your experience was not typical. A copy of our report has been sent to the appropriate manager for corrective actions. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be of assistance to you. We look forward to serving your future car rental needs. Sincerely, Budget Response Coordinator

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We prepaid for a week-long reservation online on 11/9/21 using two promo codes that were provided by Avis - one being a "new customer 30% off" promo code on the Avis website and another being a "Don't forget to check out - 30% off" type promo code that Avis emailed me. The reservation total was $191.79. When we went to pick up our rental on 11/14/21, the Avis rep asked me to provide a Pfizer employee ID, which confused me because I'm not at all affiliated with Pfizer. He said that the promo code that was used to make the reservation was a Pfizer discount, which it was not. I can only assume this was a glitch in the online system. He then said without a Pfizer ID he would need to charge $498.38 for the reservation. The confirmation that I received from Avis in no way indicated that the promo codes that I used were in any way affiliated with Pfizer or suggested I would need to show proof of employment in order for my prepaid amount to be honored. When I called Avis the next day to honor the original amount that I prepaid online they said the rental had not been picked up, which was not true because I had the car. Apparently the Avis rep that gave us the car made an entirely new reservation, making it impossible to implement the promo codes that were originally used, so we were stuck paying $500 for the rental. I would have never rented a car with Avis had I known I would pay $500, and feel tricked into paying an additional $300.

  Business response

  01/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/01) */ BBB #: XXXXXXXX Case XXXXXXXX Dear Mr./Ms. *******, In regards to the aforementioned BBB complaint case# XXXXXXXX, thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. Avis values the relationship that we have with our travelers and always strives to do the right thing. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. We have reviewed our records and found this reservation was booked on our website, due to this we have no way to validate an error occurred. We have reviewed the documentation you have provided and found the promotional offer was to get up to 30% off our standard rates and a free upgrade. The rate that was booked was a corporate rate not a standard rate, corporate rates do require proof of qualifications per our corporate agreements. We have reviewed our rate options and found the rate provided is the lowest rate you qualified for with the promotions listed. If you have another AWD or Avis World Discount number you are welcome to provide it and we are happy to check possible rate options to see if they are lower. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of assistance to you. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 10/13/2021 I rented a Ford Escape from Avis at the Buffalo/Niagara International Airport, Rental #**********. The cost for a 4-day rental was $212.63. At the time of rental, I was handed the keys and no one checked the car over with me for existing scratches, dents, dings, or tire condition. I carefully used the car for 4 days, never taking it off paved roads, not hitting any curbs, all highway driving. Upon return, no one checked the car, On 11/20/2021 I receive a letter from Avis dated 11/11/2021 that I owe them $240.50 for tire damage which has resulted in the replacement of 2 tires. I immediately called Avis customer service on 11/20/2021 to explain that I never incurred any tire damage, nor did anyone go over the car with me when I took the rental, and they immediately offered me a 50% discount. I received an email from them on 11/22/2021 repeating the same thing and I disputed it again via email. I received another email from them on 11/24/2021 stating that they would offer me a 50% discount for the glass damage to the car. The damage has changed from tires to glass! This is obviously fabricated since I incurred no damage to the car and they don't really know what the damage is. They are trying to pin their repair costs on clients that do not purchase the Loss Damage Waiver by fabricating damages that were not caused by those clients! I want a full refund of the $240.50.

  Business response

  01/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/01) */ *********************************************************** Dear Ms. *****, Your file referenced above to the BBB under case# ********* has been forwarded to our office for review and reply. We have reviewed your rental and notes from your case. Based upon the information you provided and the findings of our internal investigation, we have refunded the damage charge billed on your rental. A credit of $240.50 has been issued to your *********** account. The credit will post to the account within 3-5 days. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. Please be assured that your experience was not typical. A copy of our report has been sent to the appropriate manager for corrective actions. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be of assistance to you. We look forward to serving your future car rental needs. Sincerely, Avis Response Coordinator

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Rental car company is charging for three days' rental when the rental was returned in twelve hours. Rented and returned on 2021-11-04. $194.96 was the expected payment for a single day. Weeks of email correspondence has gone back and forth. They are continually vague and unclear with grammatical typos throughout their responses, and I end up continually repeating the information. I have all the correspondence to share. Judging by Google reviews this is a recurring fraud against customers. The franchise that did this was 15135 North Freeway Suite 200, Houston TX 77090. I have proof of fuel receipt showing the date returned, and the following morning I was on a flight out of the country.

  Business response

  01/14/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2021/12/21) */ Regarding the BBB as mentioned above, complaint case#: XXXXXXXX, thank you for allowing us to address your concerns. Avis values the relationship that we have with our travelers and always strives to do the right thing. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused. Our records show you have already reached out to our Executive Office and had your concerns resolved. Thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. Accordingly, we are closing our case file. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  . its shocking how horribly i was treated by the person working here- and how many issues and errors are within the entire Avis system. i booked a one-way rental from the airport over the phone and reserved /confirmed it online with my debit car info. all seemed to go fine. when arriving at the airport, a white blonde lady named sean or shawn was the person i was unfortunate enough to meet. she was immediately cold and rude to me, and upon verifying my info, said she couldnt rent me a car. i was confused as everything was settled, and she said because i didnt have a credit card, she could not help me. she refused to explain. i started to worry and told her i was alone, by myself, stuck in an airport in a city where i knew no one. she didn't care whatsoever about the unsafe and stressful situation she put me in. i called customer service because i was stuck. back and forth, avis customer service told me their policy is to rent to someone with a debit card if a credit check was performed. shawn or whatever her name was refused to run a credit check, and cancelled my reservation without my consent, knowledge, or permission. she and her colleagues laughed and sat around for hours as i frantically called avis over and over to figure this out as i was stuck and alone. she never once apologized, offered to help me, or checked on me in anyway, she was even reluctant to give me her name after making me stranded an an aiport. Finally, 10 customer service reps later, a man named jerry ******** actually helped me. he said i would have to take a taxi to another location nearby who would rent me a car with a credit check and a debit card, but i had to book it round trip and pay a one-way edit fee later. what an absolute **** show. hes lucky they had an extra car there or i would be suing Avis for putting me through the stress i endured.

  Business response

  01/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/02) */ In regards to the aforementioned BBB complaint case ID# XXXXXXXX. We very much appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your recent experience. On behalf of our entire team, we sincerely apologize for the issue you had outlined in your complaint . What you experienced is unusual, and we are extremely disappointed that your rental experience with Avis Salt Lake Airport rental location did not measure up to your expectations. We are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience you experienced during your rental. We are working diligently to maintain our high service levels, and your feedback is valuable. By a copy of this report, I am advising appropriate members of management of this situation to help prevent any recurrences in the future. In an effort to reflect our concern for your poor experience we have adjusted your rental. A credit of $175.87 has been applied to the **** card ending in **** that was used for the rental. Please allow 3-5 business days for the processing of this refund. Sincerely, Avis Customer Service Escalation Team Avis Budget Group

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My name is ***********. I rented a vehicle from AVIS on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 & returned the rental on Wednesday, Nov 24, 2021. I would like to file a complaint and/or seek reimbursement for the rental as well as a tire I had to pay for. My family & I headed to Atlanta for a wedding. Late Sunday evening the vehicle caught a flat while we were driving through a rural area of North Carolina. Luckily, my infant & I were already in hotel however, my fiancé (***********) was stranded with the flat tire for hours as there were no other means of transportation (**** or ****) to get him back to the hotel we were staying in for the night. The following morning *** came to pick us up & took us to a neighboring town in North Carolina to obtain a new tire. As you can imagine, this pushed our travel plans back for another set of hours. We were extremely dissatisfied as well as perturbed due to this negligence by Avis. This situation was very dangerous & inconveniencing for us. Below I will attach photos of the tire, along with my rental agreement information & the receipt for the new tire we had to unexpectedly purchase. The rental was in the amount of $624.17 & the tire we purchased was $168.95. I look forward to having this issue resolved & receiving a refund for this drawback. Best, ***********

  Business response

  12/13/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/30) */ *********************************************************** Dear Ms. ****, Your file referenced above to the BBB under case#******** has been forwarded to our office for review and reply. By way of explanation ABG takes pride in providing our clients with a seamless rental experience. We apologize that your rental did not meet this standard. Please be assured that your experience was not typical. A copy of our report has been sent to the appropriate manager for corrective actions. Due to the inconvenience we discounted the rental. A credit of $206.50 has been issued to your **** account. The credit will post to the account within 3-5 days. In an effort to recover your future business we have e-mailed a coupon to you under separate cover. The coupon is linked with Profile Number ******. We hope that you will redeem the coupon and give us the chance to restore your faith in us. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concern. Sincerely. Avis Response Coordinator Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2021/12/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Date of transaction: October 21, 2021 Amount paid: 352 for 1 day rental of mini van: Company included insurance with cost What the business committed to provide you: Van for 1 day What the nature of dispute is: Vehicle was not road safe and they did not provide us a means to travel. Has business tried to resolve issue: No, have repeatedly contacted business to resolve issue but nobody will return my call. Rental Number: ********* Case Number: ******** Incident: On October 21 we rented a van from Orlando Florida Sanford Airport October 22 arriving in Princeton WV, we noticed a baseball size knot on the front drive tire Contacted budget, after a 25 minute conversation they said they would file a claim and get us a ride share After 45 minutes I call back because I had not heard anything, I was told the ticket was never submitted. I was put on hold for 55 minutes and then cut off. I called back and got ahold of someone and they told me to get an **** or **** and they would pay for it. None was in the area. After being stuck waiting for help from budget for 4 1/2 hours with my 3 kids and wife we found a ride home 2.5 hours away Budget contacted me that they would tow the vehicle. Tow truck driver reached out to me and I texted him Location of Car which we parked and left at ****** Called Budget to get a refund, said couldnt do anything until the account is closed out and they got my receipt. Receipt never came and I called and they asked me where the vehicle was and where it was towed. Told them I didn't know, they was suppose to take care of that. Called tried to get a full refund. Wouldn't give until receipt came. It finally came but it was a BLANK sheet of paper. Found out later I was charged 693.19. They also tried to charge me 2492 but I had to cancel my card to keep it from going through. They couldn't tell me what all the charges were but said I was being charged to tow car. Nobody will get back ahold of me for refund. Worst company I've ever dealt with

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2021/12/21) */ With regard to the aforementioned BBB Case#: ********. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience our customer may have experienced. Avis is committed to providing our customers with the level of service you would expect, and to learn that you were not was perhaps as disappointing for us as it was for you. We take great pride in supplying its customers with mechanically sound and well maintained vehicles. When our counters do not keep the vehicles maintain, we then forward our customer's comments directly to the District Manager that is responsible for the area, and appropriate actions will be taken. In reviewing your complaint, we understand that you feel that due to your rental being less-than-satisfactory, you are entitled to a full refund. I regret to inform you that we cannot honor your request. Because of the mechanical problems you encountered, we have adjusted the rental charges and issued a credit of $428.20 to the ********** on file. We believe the credit issued represents a reasonable resolution to this matter. Please allow the credit to post to the account within 3-5 business days. Once again, we apologize for any inconveniences that you may have experienced and accordingly, we are closing our case file. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2021/12/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I believe I have no choice but to accept it at this point.

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I booked a car from Avis between 11/24 and 11/28 at Tampa airport. When picking up the car, i went to the preferred lane as an Avis elite member. The pickup on this lane was so slow that it took 3 to 5 times of other Lanes took. No confirmation page was offered when finished. What worse was when exiting the parking lot, the agent was extremely impatient when i checked the car to maker sure there is no existing damage. He rolled his eyes with disdain and rushed me to leave. This was unacceptable.

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2021/12/21) */ Thank you for allowing us to address your concerns with regard to the aforementioned BBB case#: XXXXXXXX. We're sorry you had such an unpleasant encounter with one of our staff members. We try to make our customers' rental experience easy and enjoyable, and we hold our counters to a very high standard. In this case, we clearly fell short. I've forwarded your complaint to the Operational Manager team and our corporate customer experience team to handle it internally. We will do everything we can to make sure this doesn't happen again. To recover your future business, we have emailed a coupon to you under separate cover. The coupon is linked with Profile Number ******* We hope that you will redeem the coupon and give us the chance to restore your faith in us. Once again, we apologize for our failure to serve you well. Thanks so much for letting us know. Your feedback is valuable to us. Sincerely, Avis Budget Group Response Coordinator Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2021/12/22) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank Better Business Bureau and the Response team at Avis for your help and efforts. I'm glad that Avis acknowledged my concerns, and made efforts to address them. Thank you! Wish you all have a great holiday! ***** **

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩