Avis
I experienced some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered. My rental vehicle became unusable due to city mandates, and I had to be back in the city that same day due to our trip plans. Despite that urgency, no one at Avis was willing to help. I was forced to end my rental five days early simply because no one could arrange a replacement vehicle or assist with returning the car after I had to leave. They were fully prepared to leave their customer stranded.
The situation only got worse from there. While trying to cancel the contract and coordinate a pickup for the vehicle I had to leave at my hotel, communication was essentially nonexistent. Messages were ignored, calls went unanswered, and I was left completely in the dark. It ultimately took two full days for them to retrieve the car, with the excuse that "they didn't have anyone available."
In reality, nothing was communicated and nothing was proactively handled. The hotel manager and I had to chase down updates ourselves--sitting on hold for 20+ minutes--because texts were being left on read. There was zero consideration for the situation I was in, no effort to provide a solution, and no willingness to cooperate in any meaningful way.
To make matters worse, there was no attempt whatsoever to offer compensation, a discount, or any form of accommodation. I was fortunate to have personal contacts who helped me reach my destination, and that the hotel staff was kind enough to deal with the complete lack of professionalism from the team that was supposedly "handling" the pickup.
Overall, this was a clear example of disorganization, poor communication, and total disregard for the customer. read more