I rented a car online (prepaid - they knock $20 off if you prepay) and dropped by to pick up the car. It's a small place that's sort of shoe-horned into Clarendon, but the place was clean and the staff was friendly. I was in and out within 10 minutes tops. I had had a bad experience with another car rental place (Budget) a few years ago where they snuck some liability insurance that I had not requested onto my bill, so I made a big deal about the fact that I did not want to purchase any insurance and was assured by a gentleman that I would not pay anymore than the amount I had already prepaid. The car was in excellent condition and I was very satisfied with the rental. However, when I returned the car the lady behind the counter informed me that I owed over $100 for liability insurance. I told her that, not only had I not requested it, I had made a big point of getting assured that I would not be billed for any insurance. She was very apologetic and quickly took it off my bill, but I could tell from the way she acted that this was probably something that occurs all too often. If not for the attempted insurance billing scam, I'd give the place 3 stars. The parking lot is small, but the staff was friendly and efficient and it's very convenient to the Clarendon metro. I would probably use their services again, but I'd make a point of talking the manager to insure that I don't get billed for insurance that I didn't want. Come to think of it, this is the third time a rental company (three separate companies, by the way), have tried to add extra insurance fees to the bill without my permission, so maybe it's typical of the industry in general. In any case, buyer beware! read more

Horrible service. Been waiting about 2 weeks for a manager to reach out to me. I finally just reached out to the corporate Avis office. They apologized profusely and said that they get complaints about the pentagon city office lack of response and poor customer service. All the time I had to reach out to the state Attorney General of Maryland to file a complaint because they kept stealing money out of my account. Still haven't heard from a manager from that location. Guess they're busy.... Too busy to be bothered with the customers complaints read more

Avoid this location if possible I've rented from this Avis (near Reagan National Airport) multiple times and had the same problems each time, so this isn't a one-off bad day. Fake damage claims: Twice now, they've tried to charge me for "damage" that either didn't exist or was pre-existing and undocumented at pickup. Be sure to photograph/video every inch of the car before you drive off, timestamped, because they will use it against you otherwise. No standard-size cars: Every time I book a standard or economy car, I end up handed an oversized SUV or truck with no smaller option available. These are harder to park and maneuver, and it feels like a way to upsell or just clear inventory rather than honor what I reserved. Gas charges regardless: I've returned the car with a full tank and still been charged a refueling fee. There's no acknowledgment of an actual full tank at drop-off the charge just gets applied. Long wait times: Pickup and return both routinely involve long lines, understaffing, and slow processing, even with a reservation already made. read more

I never recommend Avist to you, their series is poor l, rude staff , bad communication.

Needed a car last minute. They said I was lucky cus they usually don't have extra cars because they go to the Dulles airport.

This used to be my go-to car rental in the neighborhood. They used to be really great but ownership seems to have changed hands in the past 2 years. The new ownership is not very pleasant. Quite curt in customer interaction actually. The cars smell of cigarette smoke and the owner cannot be bothered to make sure the gas tank reading is accurate before you drive off. He will claim the car is full when it's not. And several times I've been given huge 8 seater vans when I booked an economy vehicle. The car fleet is terrible. This happened not once, but several times so I gave up on this location. So I started heading over to the Comfort Inn on Washington Blvd and Glebe instead. read more

Terrible experience. I reserved a rental car and, about 18 hours before my scheduled pickup time, Avis called me and said they had no cars available. Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode about that and what it means to make a reservation??? The person who called wouldn't even refund me himself but told me to call customer service. Customer service offered to rebook at a different location for a higher fee--they wouldn't even honor the original price!! I cancelled, requested a refund, and am booking elsewhere. read more

You know that line in Star Wars, where Obi Wan describes Mos Eisley thus: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." THAT is the perfect description of this Avis Rent A Car location. a) The place is run down and disgusting b) The workers here are rude and too busy spewing profanity at one another (no joke) to take the time to serve you c) Actually (again, no joke) tried to commit fraud and charge me for services I did consume When I picked up the car, the people working behind the counter refused to actually say hello or ask for my reservation number... they were so busy calling each other names, like, "You f&@#ing a&%$#@%" to, you know, serve the customer. When I dropped the car off, the gentleman behind the counter asked me if the tank was full. I said, "Yes." He printed out my receipt and said, "We're done." Maybe it was his demeanor? Maybe it was his shifty eyes? But, something told me I should check the receipt. And, lo and behold! There was an extra $176 "fuel service charge" on the receipt! I yelled out to one of the other customer representatives behind the counter to help me. A woman came over, I explained that the tank was full, "So, what is this $176 fuel service charge?" She wouldn't make eye contact, and said, "Oh, gosh darn it! For some reason, the computer keeps adding these accidentally! Let me take care of that for you." Oh, really? The computer accidentally adds $176 to everyone's bills??? Amazing. That must be one really corrupt computer! Maybe it's AI that's come to life, like in Terminator, and it's first step in its plan to wipe out the human race is to add fuel service charges to customer bills? Or, maybe, the people who work here are corrupt and attempting to steal money from customers? Maybe it's time to call John Connor to come save us from Skynet. But, really, I suspect it's the latter. Don't you? read more

The other reviews are correct. This location is incapable of managing their inventory, calls moments before my reservation to inform me that they have no vehicles available. Beyond that, they are unwilling to assist, speak over you and cut you off, and cannot help in any way, shape, or form. I thought the other reviews were perhaps outdated or one-offs... they're not. Do yourself the favor of booking elsewhere from the get-go. read more

Waited an hour and a half on 1 customer in front of me. I think the lady and guy are flirting. Then .....

I saw all the reviews and thought could it really be that bad? Oh yes yes it could be please avoid this location. I was rented a car that smelled so badly of smoke I think I got a contact high. The employees were borderline rude, uninterested in actually helping, and couldn't even bother to fill up the car. read more

I can't speak highly enough of the friendly staff at this location. I rented a car at National, but had some issues with my car. I came to this location, and the staff was able to answer all of my questions, and even added a second driver to the reservation. They were always clear and respectful, despite me not actually renting my car at their location. read more

Is 0 stars an option? I prepaid for a reservation for a car at this location on the Avis website, I was the FIRST person in line. I was told they could not give me a car because "other people booked before me," and that they could call me later if MAYBE a car becomes available. How is this normal? I have wasted hours and am now late for an important business meeting, and I have no car and am starting from scratch. They told me to call Avis, who were all completely unhelpful and offered no way to guarantee that another location wouldn't do the same thing. read more

Reserved a car in advance from this agency. Received a call fifteen minutes before pickup and was told no vehicle was available. Not sure these people understand what a reservation entails. read more

Terrible experience. Rented a car. Waited in a 1.5 hr line and then we were told the car no longer existed. Was down graded to a much smaller vehicle and did not get any refund for this. Would never recommend. read more

Single worst car rental experience of my life. I received a dirty car (both inside and out). I told the rep and was met with "I didn't work yesterday". There were no other cars available and my trip was urgent (a death), so I could not abandon the reservation that I had already paid for despite the condition of the vehicle. I was hours into my long drive and a large cockroach walked across the dash in broad daylight and more and more kept coming. The car had A ROACH INFESTATION. At my destination, I called Avis corporate and they sent to a location to switch out the car that either does not exist or does not have a storefront, and the number associated with it only goes to corporate. I spent hours trying to get another vehicle with no success. I had to drive nine days in a roach infested car (there were bugs in everything -- five in my coffee cup one morning alone, crawling up my legs as I drove), with a tire pressure sensor light on, and once I had scrubbed the windows of the bird poop that Avis hadn't -- discovered the windshield was also cracked. I returned the vehicle a day early, didn't ask for a cent, and instead pleaded with them to use the day to bomb and clean the vehicle. The same man who rented me the car came in towards the end of the return process and I told him he rented me a roach infested car. His answer was simply "I didn't know." That was it. Avis, from start to finish, is a shit-show. They don't care about their customers OR their products. They must also treat their employees like crap if that's the best the employees are even willing to say or do. Never again, Avis. Never again. read more

Avis Rent A Car - Car Rental Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

If you are thinking of renting here, don't. Customer service was terrible, car was damaged, dirty and was leaking oil. Experience was so bad that I will never rent from Avis ever again. read more

Let me start with this - as a whole Avis is a great company to rent a car from. It's unfortunate that they have sullied their name by allowing this poor excuse for a franchise to continue to do business. We rented a car from the Baltimore airport and chose to return it in Arlington, VA. We picked this return location partially due to the fact that it was advertised as having "preferred service." If you're not familiar, you sign up for this service in advance and are able to pick up a car and drop it off with no lines, no signatures, no paperwork, nothing. Everything is electronic. When we attempted the return the car, we first had to wait for 15 minutes while the single worker moved cars around the lot. We were the only customers at the location. We scolded us for not having anything other than the electronic rental confirmations (part of the avis preferred program) and was not willing to give any sort of pleasantries such as please/thank you. The location was very run down and reminded me of a dirty/junky car repair shop. There were no clear markers for where to drop off or pick up cars and the selection was extremely limited. When trying to find the attendant to help us, we asked some of the other people standing around who it was we should talk to. Apparently he has a bunch of friends hang out with him at work. I'm glad this wasn't our only experience with Avis or I'd never go back to them again. read more

We booked the rental online, showed up, and were in our car within 15 minutes. The lady at the desk was super friendly and helpful (which is a lot to say about someone working on a Saturday morning). Although she did kind of put the guilt on us to get liability and insurance, I was happy we got it anyway. The car we got was between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank of gas and she marked it as only having 1/4 so we got a little bonus - much appreciated. under 25 + SUV + insurance + liability + GPS system = $140. The guy who we met while dropping the car off on Sunday was a bit odd, but nothing to take a rating down a notch. read more

5 stars because this location does not deserve the current rating. The employees are such polite people and so helpful. I travel for work very frequently and always come here for my rentals. They remember me every time and I've never not had a vehicle available to me with a reservation ahead of time. I have had cars that are a little unclean, but never had any major problems. I'd recommend! read more

This review is targeted at the horrible customer service and unprofessional practices experienced when renting a 16 foot Moving Truck and Car Carrier from Budget Rental ( Capital Area Rental, LLC, 3206 North 10th Street, Arlington, VA 22201) Highlights of why you should never rent a Budget Moving Truck from this place: ~ Jamie, who seemed to be the owner of the Budget location in Arlington, made condescending quips and insults to my husband when he asked a very basic safety question about using a care carrier, since it was his first time using one. ~ ordered 24 moving blankets and received 0 for my move which meant my furniture was unprotected. As a result, my coffee table and other large furniture got large scratches. I want to be compensated for the damage to my furniture. ~ called Budget after leaving with the truck to inquire about the moving blankets and Jamie lied to me and told me that the 24 moving blankets were not a part of my order. Then he told me, he would get me the blankets though but he didn't have them onsite, so he would call me when he had them. ~ Jamie nor anyone at Budget every contacted me that day to let me know they had the blankets I ordered a month before my move (with the email recipe as confirmation of what was on my order). I contacted Budget 3 more times to try and find out if I could get the blankets I ordered but the person answering the phone said they didn't know and would call me back. No one ever called me back. ~ Due to Jamie's insults and inaccurate information about the care and use of the care carrier, after driving 300 miles we saw our car was not properly attached by the wheel well straps and had to ask strangers at a gas station for help. I hate to think about the damage that could have occurred since the car was not attached correctly due to inaccurate information at the Budget truck location in Arlington. By the way, our total trip was 1,600 miles across the country so the security of our vehicle was very important to us. ~ Before we packed up and started driving, we noticed that the cab of the truck contained old food and drink cups that we had to dispose of before using the truck, which is rather unprofessional. ~ When I called the Budget location at Arlington to double check that they had removed the the blankets from my bill, the lady who answered the phone said she had gone in and taken it out of my order online. I found out when I returned the truck to the budget location in Boulder that the blankets hadn't been removed from our order and the Boulder budget owner took that charge off our bill for us. ~When I placed my order online, I needed to make a change a couple days later. There wasn't a functionality to change my order online and so I called Customer Service. It took 3 calls of at least 30 minutes each to make a simple change to my order (picking up the truck one day earlier). This was an outrageous waste of my time. read more

Got a truck rental from here earlier this month when I was moving. Pickup was fine and went smoothly, prices were better than other places I was looking at. The service on drop off was horrible, some millennial with a russian accent. He was rude. Pretty crappy service. read more

I always receive the best customer service & care from this location. Daniella and Joelle are extremely courteous, patient, and just a joy to interact with!! It is noticeable that they are respectful of a customers' time and go out of their way to assist everyone in a professional and timely manner. I appreciate that this facility is conscientious of customer care and following CDC guidelines, during these very uncertain times. They carefully monitor the amount of clients assembling within the waiting area, but ensure everyone is comfortable and being accommodated. This location is one of the best AVIS, (or any car rental) facilities I have ever used. I sincerely appreciate them!! read more

This is my "go-to" place for car rentals! The staff and management are really accomodating and friendly, and i haven't been able to find better rates than i consistently find here. Maybe the previous negative reviews visited on a bad day, or.... I've been renting from this place several times a year for 3 or 4 years now. I have an older car, and use this Avis location whenever i need a car for an out-of-town trip or when i need something larger than my own. I find their rates better than Enteprise and Zip, and the customer service FAR more reliable than Enterprise (who charged me for damage that occurred AFTER i returned the car). The fact that this AVIS is not at the airport eliminates the airport add-on fees, and the experienced staff do work with you to identify better rates, if available. They've been generous with upgrades, when they have them available...i loved the seat warmer on my drive to Indiana last Christmas. It's a franchise operation that is very busy. There have been times i've had to wait while they finish up with one of their other customers...but i've always gotten the attention i needed when it was my turn. Sometimes, some of the staff are friendlier and more knowledgable than others. However, with each i've found if i extend some pleasantries, they do turn into real people who try to be helpful. When i've wanted some special accomodation, i've learned to ask for the staff who know how to work it. Twice i found myself in circumstances i had to keep the car longer than i'd expected; which based on my contract could have cost me an arm and a leg. The manager talked with me and helped me work out a strategy that let me keep the car longer at a lower daily rate. I know not all of the staff would have known how to work that out for a customer...but i also knew enough to ask for the manager when i needed to negotiate. I'm sorry some others had a bad experience. I hypothesize that the problems with availability and related service issues weren't caused by the agency, but rather by an unexpectedly high demand for cars at the airport, who couldn't honor the franchise owner's requests for cars. As a neighborhood business, and a trustworthy vendor, i give this business a top rating. read more

I'm so not happy. Not long after I got on the road the car started shuddering. When I arrived at my destination (about 30 miles away) the nearest Budget was closed. I called in the morning but they told me there there no cars available? Do you mean in the same class? I'm pretty sure a rental car company doesn't run out of cars first thing in the morning. Why not give me an upgrade since you gave me a car that need servicing? Offer me something but don't tell me I'm out of luck and talk to roadside assistance for an issue you caused. This was totally foreseeable. Did I mention the "check engine light", and "oil change" light came on? They transferred me to roadside assistance and told me they would get me a car in 4 hours. Really?!?! I didn't rent a car so I could wait around for hours and I didn't pay to rent a broken down car. They are late charging my credit card and they didn't offer me the broke down car discount so how about you resolve my issue in a timely manner. Totally nonsense and unnecessary aggregation. What professional doesn't do basic maintenance on a car. I have so many things to do and I have to fit Budget in my plans today. Ridiculous! I waited 4 hours but then they told me they wrote down the wrong address and phone number so it would be 4 more hours. So I'm paying for nothing because I can't drive it. Did I mention that now the break fluid light is now on as well? Incompetence at its best. I called customer care and the system was down. They said call back. I'm the customer, you call me back. They said no. Smh I have never experienced such terrible customer care and inconsideration. If I could give this 0 stars I would. The point of me renting this care has been totally negated. I still have to call a cab. I still have to leave my event to have this car towed and budget couldn't care less. read more

Avis Rent A Car - One of the many lights that came on during my brief time with the car. - Car Rental Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The two women working at the desk were wonderful - kind and informative. Unfortunately - the business was terrible. As with other reviewers, although i had made a reservation weeks in advance - they had no car available. They tried to find another car for me from other locations - but the issue is that they didn't have enough cars for the number of reservations. I waited for an hour before getting one - making me extremely late for my event. I don't blame the employees as they were lovely. I blame Budget Car Rental for such a terrible business model. read more

This place BOMBS! I've been here twice and both times it's slow service and old processes. Why have they not updated these systems and gotten a full staff? Lines out the door and only one person at the front desk! Wow next time I'm opting to drive an extra few miles to the next rental place! read more

This was the worst experience I've ever had renting a car. The woman at the counter was not at all knowledgeable and was a "warm body" to give people their rentals and accept returns. Upon receiving my rental agreement, I noticed that it said I had to pay by the mile. When I questioned her on this, she said it's always unlimited and I'm reading my agreement wrong. She then said she did not know and told me to call customer service. She then looked again at my agreement and said it's for sure unlimited miles. I then went to my vehicle and the tan seats were covered in stains. That didn't bother me too much, but when I turned the car on, it had both the "Check Engine" and the "Check Air Pressure" lights on. When I went to go let the woman know, she told me that's impossible and she just got the car delivered from the fleet the other day. I then showed her the lights and she said I should drive it around and they will turn off. She also said she has no way to check the air pressure or why the check engine light is on at this location. To humor her, I drove it around for 10 minutes and the lights were still on. When I returned and asked for another car, she then tells me she has no cars and I will have to go to the airport location to swap out my vehicle. My experience at the airport location was no better, but after over an hour of delay I was able to proceed on my 4 hour trip. When I returned the car at my destination, imagine my surprise when my card was charged 4 times what I thought I was supposed to pay for this rental as an Avis Preferred Member. When questioning the price at the return location, the knowledgeable worker at this location let me know that I was given misinformation and I was really being charged by the mile. I immediately called the other location and asked to speak to the original woman and she told me "oh well, call customer service" STAY AWAY FROM THIS LOCATION BY ALL MEANS! read more

Worst budget rental car ever the cars stank and were filthy inside and out. Very unprofessional and poor representation of the brand. By far THE WORST rental car experience I've ever had. Who wants to drive in someone else's filth? They could use a popin from corporate. I had to return one car and the next car was nasty too. I just kept it rather than waste my vacation time dealing with budget rent a car. read more

Do not rent here if you actually want a car or to be treated like anything other than a fool. I made a reservation and arrived on time for said reservation. I was promptly told "we don't have any cars to give you." We'll, they did indeed have cars, but just chose arbitrarily to tell me I was shut out to avoid telling someone else the same later in the day. They're clearly unable to manage their inventory and had zero explanation to give. After waiting around for a while and watching an employee clean (poorly) and park a returned/checked in rental car, I asked why that car wasn't available. Never mind the fact that there were other customers now showing up and being given their cars. They then rented me that smaller than I reserved vehicle but wouldn't discount the rate to match the size. Then told me "we are all in this together" and that I should be grateful that I got a car at all. Complete customer service fail in every way. There are better options out there, like all of them. read more

This Avis is the worst car rental experience I have ever had. When I arrived to pick up my rental which was supposed to be a luxury car, turned out what I got was a Lincoln MKZ. They're nice but not the size or luxury car I expected. The car was dirty inside and outside. Gas tank was less than full and the manager was not very helpful. I would not use this Avis location again. read more

This was my first time renting a car with Avis at the Clarendon/Arlington location and I will definitely go back. I had to rent a car for my wedding and Sineada made it so easy. I was able to pick up the car earlier than planned and received exceptional customer service. No muss, no fuss, and the location was easy to get to from the metro. Best experience I've had with Avis/Budget. Recommend checking this location first before looking at National airport options. read more

I have rented from this office for over 10 years and Jamie and his team are very customer service oriented. They are professionals and care very much about taking care of customers. I often recommend them to friends in Northern VA and DC. Susan N read more

Terrible customer service, extremely slow process, and they have overcharged me multiple times. I had to call to get the bill corrected, which took several phone calls and over a month to resolve. If you can afford to go somewhere else, do yourself a favor and do it. read more

went about 2 weeks to try to rent a car in the morning, while they where open of course. walk in, 3 guys in there and not one acknowledge me. I had to greet them 2 or 3 times and finally I got someones attention. Told him i wanted to rent a car, and he said give me 15 minutes, and which turned to 30 minutes of waiting outside, they guy never showed so I left, very bad customer service. I dont recommend this place at all. read more

Made a moving truck reservation online for $143 with my credit card and received a confirmation email. I get here and not only do they not have the truck I requested, they tell me it's going to be over $300 and that they don't give out confirmations online! This is coming from the manager by the way. He also said it was too early in the morning to deal with this. It's two o'clock in the afternoon. Completely unprofessional. If I was able to give them less than 1 star I would. read more

I actually rented from Budget, but they're one and the same (right?) The woman who worked there was SUPER friendly and this location was so much easier to manage than the airport location (mainly because I didn't have to deal with tourists). The service was really fast picking-up and returning the car (and going back a few days later to pick up something I forgot in the car). read more

Do not rent from this Avis location. I am an Avis Preferred member who had an online reservation for a standard SUV. Upon arriving to Avis at the time specified on my reservation, I was told the last SUV was gone, and I would have to wait if I wanted one delivered. A child was behind the counter offering me vehicles while the customer service rep searched his system. I presume the child was a family member of an employee. I was offered minivans and sedans, none of which were satisfactory. I promptly canceled my reservation and proceeded to Reagan National Airport for National Car Rental. In addition, the representative of Budget (shared counter) was rude and unapologetic about Avis' miscue. I travel and rent vehicles frequently, so I have the requisite car rental experience to know when I'm dealing with unsatisfactory service. Once again - do not rent here. read more

This is by far the worst car rental location I have ever been to. The service is terrible, you better hope they have the level of car you rented and they didn't give it to the person in front of you. They say their lifts are broken, so you cannot rent a car on one of the top lifts, only to find one of their staff members pulling a car down from one. All of their staff are the opposite of friendly and seem complacent if not happy to provide you with the lack of service they offer. In both of my experiences, I returned the car I rented cleaner than when it was handed to me both inside and out. I had to take it back to my apartment and wipe the entire inside down so my wife would actually get in the vehicle. Traveling for work every week and renting cars from the airport I have never experienced anything like this. Do not even put a coupon on your reservation, they are hardly likely to have the level of car you actually booked, so if you try to use a 1 free class upgrade forget about it. read more

I've rented a car multiple times from this place and I have no idea why I keep coming here. Probably only because of the geographic convenience. On multiple occasions I've shown up with a reservation and they don't have a car for me. Then, I have to wait upwards of an hour (what if I really needed to be somewhere!) to get a car, which is often not the car type I've requested. At times this is beneficial, as I will get a larger car when I ordered a compact (maybe more cargo space is nice), BUT, if I was planning on traveling long distances and wanted a fuel efficient vehicle and you give me a large SUV when I've requested a compact that really sucks. I truly don't understand how, when I have a reservation for weeks, you still don't have the car I requested available at the time of the reservation. Also, the staff at this location are rarely friendly. No "hello, how are you?" or smiles when you enter. I'm glad I'm moving away from this part of town so I can find a different car rental place. read more