I went back and forth for a couple weeks deciding if I should leave a negative review about this business or leave things unsaid, and in the end, I decided that I do not want another renter to go through the same terrible experience I did.
I gave this location a try as it was close to my home, and the deal listed on line was excellent. Three days for $85 out the door with unlimited mileage, perfect for a quick trip to Las Vegas. When I arrived at this location I noticed that it was actually a Budget Rent A Truck store, with a small Avis counter inside. A far departure from the Avis' I have rented from in the past, but by no means a deal breaker. When I arrived I was met by a friendly woman who was eager to help me with my transaction. I gave her my reservation number and inquired how much an extra day would cost to rent my vehicle (just in case we ran late on the return day). She explained to me that it would be most cost effective to rent the vehicle at the weekly rate with the option to return the car after just three days, as I would receive a refund for the remaining four days unused. Unlike other rental companies such as Enterprise, Avis charges a $10 fee should you extend your reservation. So, I took the week as it was too good a deal to pass up, and let them run my credit card for the standard deposit. Imagine my surprise when I read the paperwork breakdown - the weekly rate was as promised an an excellent deal, but the NEW daily rate (should I only keep the vehicle for the three days) was now $55 a day, rather than $28 a day on my original on line reservation paperwork.
When I brought this to the associates attention and broke the math down - it was clear that her weekly deal was not a better deal. In fact, renting for 3 days would now cost me $165 versus the original $85 I originally rented it for. She proceeded to blame this issue on her computer and agreed to start an entirely new contract for the original $85 for three days once I showed her the Avis confirmation email (guess the week was off the table), but I would have to put another deposit on my credit card and wait for the first one to fall off in a few days. Not convenient to have $500 in holds on your credit card when you are going out of town and need to reserve a hotel room as well.
I agreed to keep the car at the weekly rate, as I had been in the office nearly one hour and needed to get on my way to my conference three hours away. She could see I was practically in tears, and to compensate me I was upgraded to a Mazda 3. A fair gesture until I was given the car. It had an unusual gym sweat smell, required a quick interior wash and vacuum (paid for by me) the front left fender was loose and the breaks had a squeaking sound on and off the entire week.
At the end of my one week rental I returned the car back to the office. It was five minutes till closing (I had a friend with me who also had the same time on their cell) and was shooed away by the location attendee because she had already locked up and was counting cash. When we explained to her we only wanted top drop the keys (there is no key drop outside) she literally shook her head no. The next day I had to take a half day off of work unpaid to drop the vehicle back to Avis. When I arrived the associate who originally rented the car to me assisted me. I told her what happened the night before and how her employee had locked up early and was well into counting cash on the counter when we arrived. She explained that there was nothing she could do and would have to charge me for an extra day ($55 at the new "discounted rate") and also charged me a $10 extension fee. I asked if she could at lest take of the $10 fee, and she said NO.
I tried to reason with her, but she insisted there was not a thing she could do for me, even after all the issues we had on the front end. To add insult to injury, she made sure to let me know this is an independent Avis location, owned and operated by...her family! I was in absolute shock that her hands were then so tied that she had no power to assist me in any manner. I know when I have hit a brick wall and decided to leave an not make a scene.
Lucky I took a chance and called Avis, and explained to them the issue with returning my vehicle on time due to on of their associates. Within less than ten minutes on the phone, the extra days rental and extension fee was refunded to my credit card with a conformation number to verify the actual refund in three days time.
While I will use Avis again in the future because their corporate office was extremely apologetic and gave me excellent customer service, I would never rent from this family owned location again. Aside from the horrible customer service, their "up selling" tactics are borderline bait and switch. I can't imagine being the owner of a business and not be empowered to resolve any type of customer service situations. Renters, please beware. Use a corporate owned Avis location at all costs. read more