Do not rent a car from here steer clear of this place . All though it is my fault for allowing myself to be duped . It is very dishonest of them to claim you are paying airport taxes and fees when they are actually adding additional insurance rental charges that you did not agree to ,but they snuck them in . I asked them why so much additional fees and they said airport taxes and fees. I am very disappointed in this rental company and never will do business with them again . I've always gone to national car rental and have been treated fairly with regard to the rental price of the vehicle without them sneaking in additional charges that I did not request .Shame on you Avis for being so greedy . I'm assuming they train there employees to get as much money as they can out of the customer . Again my fault for being gullable But still that is no excuse for over charging the customer read more

My car sucks - so when i need to make long drives I tend to rent a car. I like that this location has long hours so i can pick up around 7 am and drop off later at night around 10 pm. Their car selection is pretty snazzy. Like Jason W I got an almost new altima with the push button start. In the past I've gone with fox rental (who are great - they have awesome rates) but have since switched to avis partly for the altima and partly for the corporate discount I get. Avis seems to partner up with a lot more corps. read more

I have rented my share of cars at John Wayne and this Avis, by FAR, has been my best experience yet! It's such a relief to walk up to a counter, take care of business with a person who is nice and helpful and get to my car quickly. Today, the lady who helped me (and I'm so sorry I don't remember her name) saw that I had alot of luggage and upgraded me from a Standard to a small SUV to make sure I didn't have any problems with my bags. The Escape I got is nice and has all the cool features. I'm a happy traveler! Thanks guys! read more

I returned the car same day. I filled up with gas at the Chevron just down the street and was careful to get my receipt as it was a short rental and sometimes they ask for proof you bought gas. When I got to the return area there was a long line and only one person working. An employee drove by and said if I was good with an email receiopt I could just pop the trunk lid and leave which I did. When I got the notice in my email it was higher than expected but I couldn't open the receipt so I had to call. I got a call center agent - I assume as he had an accent. They had charged me $20 for gas. He told me I should always take a picture of the fuel gauge before and after I leave and return the car. Seriously? I got a bit mad and then he lectured for for a few minutes about being respectful. I explained that Avis was stealing from me and therefore showing me no respect. He went on about being respectful so I just let him talk. He ended up requesting a refund - we shall see. He also explained to me again about taking pics of the fuel gauge. I guess what he's saying which is true of most rental car agencies - you have to have proof or they will steal from you. read more

Extremely slow and unorganized. I'm avis preferred - would hate to see how poorly others are treated

I flew into SNA not thinking I would need to get a car. After I realized how much it would be to get a cab to my hotel both ways, I changed my mind. Anyone who has tried to rent a car at an airport the day they need it knows you're about to get screwed on price. I tried National...they wanted over 100/day for a Cobalt. No thanks. Enterprise? Pickup truck..on the only day of rain they've seen in ages. not so good for my luggage. Then comes Avis. They took my corporate discount for a day of rental (amazing), then gave me a nearly brand new Altima. It was awesome! None of the normal stains, dings, scratches, or blown out speakers you normally have to deal with when renting a car. It fit all my gear and those I was traveling with. They had car seats available (at too much money per day, but they had them) too, and got me checked in and out super fast. This was my first time working with Avis, and most definately will not be my last. read more

I booked my reservation through priceline. I reserved a mini van. The check in process took about 10 minutes or less. While we were greeted, the staff asked which insurance we wanted but did not offer the no insurance option. I was a little confused but decided to wait until we saw the bill. When I saw the charge on my CC, it was not pretty at all. They tacked on almost $200 more. When we returned the vehicle Sally went ahead and took care of us with the whole insurance issue. Make sure to read your papers before signing!! She is a doll! So glad she could help us out. read more

This experience is not good. This is my first time renting a car on vacation and I don't think I will be going with Avis again. First, it took forever to secure a car. There was only one attendant and several of us in line. She is a sweet lady but the process was slow and the guy behind us asked her if he would be eating dinner there. When we got the car, there was a tire pressure sensor warning on the dashboard. I figured this place checks their cars and it was just a fault. Not the case. I should have said something but gave this place the benefit of the doubt. Day 2 of having this car, I came out of my hotel room to find a flat tire. I am writing this waiting for a tow truck that Avis is sending out. I am seriously annoyed and worried that somehow they will try to penalize me as causing the flat. This is a real inconvenience and now I wait. Update! Ended up getting charged to exchange the car that had the flat. Now we just got sent a bill in the mail for $90 for the roadside assistance. I will NEVER RENT FROM HERE AGAIN! read more

Avoid renting from here. Horrible service. They are always overbooked. In this case, it took them 2+ hours to get the van. They don't have vans on airport location and they don't take efforts to keep already reserved and paid for vans ready to go. They asked me to wait for 15minutes which extended to little over 2 hours. read more

Dealt with two really great employees and three other unhelpful employees. We washed, vacuumed and filled up the tank to the very top and received random charges when turning it in, that included a gas fee of 30$. We tried explaining to them that the charges were unfair and they wouldn't budge. I really liked the car but Bc of the unpredictable customer service, we won't be returning. read more

DO NOT TRUST THIS AVIS BRANCH and for that matter their Corp as they'll charge you $150 cleaning fee without notification or reason- two months after you've returned the vehicle!!! Yup 2 months after.... We rented a van for our school trip to N. CA in May 2019 and returned it all cleaned up at the offsite location. The agent looked inside and out and received the van in a clean condition. Now after 2 months, they've charged my card $150 cleaning fee and after being on the phone for an hour, apparently their manager will call me back in 48 hours!!!! Wow that's real customer service. This is the very last time we're renting a vehicle at Avis whether for business, community or personal trips. And I'll make sure my circle of civic, social, city, county, businesses and countless organizations are in the know, that a company as big as Avis is not to be trusted. And.... I know, I may receive a reply on this post, to indicate an apologetic remark and blah, blah, blah, but Avis you lost big business not for $150 but for not having trustworthy and courteous employees. Their poor actions reflect on your company's image. read more

We got a flat tire while we were on our way to downtown Disney. We called and reserve a replacement. We showed up the next morning and they made the check out process pretty fast and easy for us. We were there for less than 10 minutes for our replacement. read more

We didn't have a reservation and they got us a car within 10 minutes! Good prices too!

This is the absolute WORST car rental company/location! We received a 2020 gray Mitsubishi Outlander from the Avis/Budget Car Rental at John Wayne Airport, Budget Car number 94349102, that is in terrible condition. Upon receiving the car it wreaked of smoke and was not washed or cleaned at all. Not even 5 minutes into our 7 hour drive, the tires are roaring at any speed over 50 mph, the steering wheel shakes whenever the car exceeds 25 mph, the car has 53,000 miles on it and there are ZERO brakes. The right rear seatbelt is also inoperable and does not retract. To top it all off, the Avis representative I spoke to over the phone was as incompetent and useless as this car. The representative did not give us any alternative option and told us to just drive to our final destination in San Francisco and hope that we are able to find another car there, putting my family in great danger. Not only will I never use Avis/Budget services ever again, but I will never recommend their services to anybody! I would give this company 0 stars but unfortunately that is not an option. #DontuseAvis/Budgetcars read more

I have been calling this location for the PAST WEEK in order to modify my rental and no one ever answers their phone. I called customer service and they state that is the only number provided. Customer service staff can only extend but now my car is ready to be picked up and I have to drop off sooner and only AVIS at the location I picked up can adjust it. I have NEVER experienced a rental place like this. It's really bad customer service! read more

We rented a car last week to attend a funeral. The initial experience was great - we didn't have to complete any paperwork and were quickly given an SUV which was an upgrade. We filled up before returning and the agent asked my husband if we had. He said, "Yes we filled up 20 minutes ago so it's full but we did drive a few miles after filling up". The agent said, "OK". He didn't ask for a receipt from the gas station or give me a receipt for the car. We had pre paid when I booked so I thought all was fine. A few days later I checked my credit card statement and saw a charge for $177! Thinking there must be a mistake I called customer service only to be told that we were charged a fueling fee of $9.81 per gallon for 14 gallons. That's not even possible. At most, to be very generous it was probably half a gallon. They said without a receipt they can't refund the fee. Interesting that they want a receipt after the fact but can't provide their own records indicating how much they actually put in after we returned it. It's such a rip off, I can't even believe companies can operate this way. Now I'm being told I can e-mail a credit card statement showing we purchased gas before we returned the vehicle but I'm not holding my breath. I've rented many cars in the last few years and have never experienced this before. I will not be using Avis again. Renter beware!!! read more

Worst experience ever. This is going to be a little long. Grab your drinks. I typically do not rent from Avis. I often use Hotwire to book my hotel and rental car together at an awesome price. I've rented from Enterprise, Alamo, and Avis in the past, and Avis has always been on the expensive side. I guess for this reason, I always got Enterprise and Alamo when using Hot Rate from Hotwire. For the first time, I got Avis. I never really had much to complain about Avis. Sure, the cars were more expensive when I rented directly through Avis over the years with no perks or convenience, but we have choices. This review has nothing to do with the rental prices. If you are familiar with SNA rental car system, you know that there is an "upstairs" section in the terminals, and a "downstairs" section in the parking garage. Both my mom and I have rented cars at SNA for years from Alamo and Enterprise, and we were in and out in no time. I made the reservations days in advance for a full sized car for pick up on Sunday at 5PM. I paid in full. I had a reservation number from Avis. My mom and I were flying from Miami and the flights were delayed so I called Avis to let them know that my mom would be picking up the car on Monday at 11AM. I called the SNA direct number, but I guess I was redirected to the call center anyway. The Avis rep said that my reservation was made through Hotwire, so I have to contact Hotwire to have them hold the reservation. Weird! Arent YOU the one with the power to hold my car or give it away? I said, fine I will contact Hotwire to let them know, but I wanted to let you know that I will be picking up the car on Monday at 11AM. I called Hotwire, they let me know that Avis will hold my reservation for 24 hours. They assured me that because Avis was already paid for my reservation, they will hold the car. It is Monday, 11AM. My mom walks over to the Avis counter to pick up the car. She gives him the confirmation number. The rep says that there is no full size car for her. He says, "You made the reservation through Hotwire and not with us, so we don't have a car for you now." W.H.A.T..T.H.E..F?????? He said, "you can take the SUV for $8/day extra." WHAT???????????????????? My mom says no, she doesn't want to pay $8/day extra. She already confirmed her reservation for a car she wanted for a price she wanted. Then the guy says, "You can wait until we have a car available." WHAT THE FFFFFF???? So my frustrated mom calls me. I asked to speak to the manager about this reservation which apparently has NO MEANING. He tells me, "since you made the reservation on Hotwire and they don't know what cars we have, we don't have a full size car for you." Really? Then why did you take my money? Why did you give me a confirmation number with the FULL SIZE CAR specified? What is this confirmation number confirming? He kept telling me because I made the reservation yesterday, they don't have a car yet. I kept telling him I made the reservation on Friday. The pick up was yesterday. He had my reservation info on his screen along with how much and when I paid. He repeatedly told me that it was because the reservation was made last night.. the reservation was made last night...the reservation was made too close to the pick up...... NO. The reservation was made days in advance and you have had the reservation in your system for days. I never had this problem renting through Hotwire with Alamo or Enterprise. They always had the car ready for me. What frustrated me even more is that the reservation was for the night before and from the moment I called to notify them of my delayed pick up time, they had 18 hours to find the car and hold it. Even if they decided to give away my car, they could have given away several cars and had another one returned and available for pick up. What made this worse is that while they told my mom to wait until they have a FS car available, other people were taking theirs. My mom could overhear them saying, "full sized car....bla bla... here is the key for your full sized car...bla bla..." They said they didn't have any full sized cars. These customers are taking full sized cars. Ok, so let's say these people made a reservation for the full sized cars and so they were already spoken for. So what happened to the car I paid for? Why are their reservations valid and mine more invalid than monopoly money? My mom got tired of waiting (45 minutes of watching people take their full sized and other vehicles). The manager finally agreed to give her an SUV for no additional charge. My mom didn't want to because 1) she is the only person who will be in the car, 2) she had driven the same SUV before and the gas mileage was crap. When she said yes, the guy says, oh, we don't have an SUV. We will give you an economy car. Seems to me its not Hotwire who doesn't know your inventory, but yourselves. He didn't even offer a refund in the difference of the amount in renting a full size vs economy. read more

I rented 2 cars there from 1/20-27/17. From the begin I told Saif ( he work there) I don't want any cover on both car. He end up put loss damage waiver and tot service. The 1st car charges is $250.74 2nd car $200.20 he say that is the deposit $$. He lie. I call the company and complain they say I should read the argument before I send it. Never ever book from Avis Again!!!!! read more

If I were able to give 0 stars this place simply deserves it. I booked my car on car rental.com a week and a half prior to the day of my trip to sequoia . Car rental gives you an option to pick what time you want it picked up. I chose 11:30pm. I even called a representative to confirm that my reservation was at 11;30 PM. I got my confirmation code and everything . When I got to John Wayne airport the signs only say "car rental return" and so my party was confused on where to go. I walk into the airport to ask for directions. 3 officers walked me there. As I was walking it was 11:20 and getting close to my reservation time. I called the Avis office to let them know that I was lost and was walking as fast as I could to get there. I called about 7 times. NO ONE answered. By the time I got down to the underground parking to the Avis office they were ' already closed' they said there was no way that I could get the car. By the time I got there it was 11:33pm. 3 minutes passed. The Asian girl at the desk clearly did not want to help. She said they locked up all the keys already. I called 7 times to let them know and they just let the phone ring. AVIS screwed me over big time. If you are going to book with this place note that they close at 11:30 probably earlier. Terrible service here. Why the hell would you give the option of picking up a car at a time and not keep your word. read more

Jaylan helped me and my wife out and he was awesome and professional. The first car smelled like smoke and he switched it out without any hassle. In addition , you could tell he had our best interest . He is a good man and deserves to be noticed read more

I booked Avis through Priceline.com for a Full-Size Car. When I got there (only 1 hour after my reservation), they did already have my reservation in the system, which was great. After the rep looked through my reservation, he said "Would a Hyundai Elantra be okay?" I said No... I reserved a Full Size. They didn't have one, so they gave me an SUV. Then, he asked, "Would you like Full Coverage or just Basic." This is not a sales tactic I like. I responded with "I don't want any coverage," which was not one of his options. He made sure that I knew that any accident costs would be immediately billed to my credit card and that I would then have to settle with my Insurance. I travel about 6 times per year and haven't used Avis for about 15 years. I don't think I'll be trying them out again. read more

Why is it so difficult to get on the phone with the counter? It would redirect me to the San Diego office, then they gave me a number that took me to Budget Rent A Car, it goes in circles and still can't get in contact with them. Need to fix their phone system. read more

Great deal? Ha ha . That's their sales tactic. A woman name Jxxxxx says " Hey I wiil give you great deal, if you up grade your rental........" Huh ???? HEY I just got here on my vacation and you are the first person I am talking to after I landed, I do not want to wheel and deal. I just want to get the car that I am suppose to get and be on my way to the hotel and take a shower. She said she "dose NOT have what I've reserved, so I should upgrade with extra pay." What the xxxx! I would never deal with this As.. I mean Avis in the future. she did NOT give me the same car that I've RESERVED! read more

We had zero problems with this location. Upon arrival service was very fast. No issues dropping the car off until we were sitting at the gate and I realized I left my phone in the car. Susan (I love you Susan) found the phone and brought it the front desk and I was able to get it back. read more

Two bad experiences at this location this year. Service is excruciating slow..I watched the lone attendant at the Enterprise counter take care of five customers while the two agents at Avis did not even complete one! Had reservation for an intermediate car. All was available was a Nissan Versa and a mini van. Upon return they could not process me and sent me to the office. Stood in line for 20 minutes and never moved...left as I was in danger of missing my flight. Several phone calls over an eight day period finally got the issue resolved and my receipt in hand. Next time I am doing Enterprise. read more

I booked a reservation online for a five day economy rental. The check-in line at the counter was a 30 minute wait. I verbally declined the damage insurance since my own car insurance is very good. I was able to get the small vehicle I wanted and it drove well with the exception of the dash lights not working (no way to tell how fast I was driving at night). It also felt like it needed an alignment. The problem arose when I was charged an extra $61.60 in addition to the amount that had already been paid because they said I requested the damage insurance when I had not. I verbally told the chatty woman at the counter I did NOT want it, she nodded and asked me to sign an agreement. When I called to dispute the charge they said I had requested it when I signed the agreement which basically means they tricked me, but they said my signature was on file and there was "nothing they could do". I will not be renting from this company again since the main lure for me to do business with them was price; however, when extra fees are added without consent the price ends up being more than their competitors and I don't like being tricked into paying for things I didn't ask for. read more

Where do I even begin with this place? First off when I arrived the person I dealt with was an absolute joy! I use their rental trucks for Corporate business quite frequently and had one for the last few weeks. When I found I couldn't extend the rental over the phone I drove 3 hours south to pay in person for 2 more weeks. Well it didnt work out that way and the customer service comments you see throughout this thread are pin point accurate. The District manager in fact sat behind me while the "Store manager" began to give me very rude facial gesture and berate me about her claim to my frustrations! She even smiled and said "nothing I will do anymore"! She then refused me service with a dishonest claim that I was previously rude to her when in fact she never helped me! Oh and claimed she "wasn't going to do me another favor". So at this point with zero empathy shown towards my situation they created I escalated my voice and stated my frustrations...well this District manager guy is still sitting there in the background , unbeknownst to me until after the fact, watching the whole thing go down without offering assistance or even a futile attempt at calming the tense situation that was obviously unfolding. He actually scolded me and even had the audacity after the fact to tell me he could of helped me out and kept me in the same truck but because I escalated my voice in frustration he refused to help me any further at this point. He even lied and claimed he would go outside and get it all figured out?? This was all the while I'm running behind stranded in OC with no vehicle and all kinds tools and travel items. Forced to uber to my home for 50$ and pick up my personal truck! There was zero empathy and significant lack of care for the client in general. To be honest this is by far the worst managed Avis in all of Southern California and I've dealt with them all! The fact the supposed "District manager" was there with his top button open on his dress shirt lacking a tie, untucked shirt, and unshaven face plus no employee identification I must assume this entire area he controls is operated with this same loose style that he represent himself and Avis Corporate with! Sadly we will be removing all 3 corporations that I own or partner with from Avis and all its affiliates. Seems corporate isn't seeing these reviews so I'll ensure everyone of them make it before their board at their meeting in June! Might I also that when I told him I would post this experience he and I quote "who cares about Yelp, only people like you go on there and post anyways. No one cares what you post" this is the self proclaimed District manager! read more

This is the worst rental company I have ever seen. When you schedule a reservation days or almost a week in advance you expect for Avis to have the car ready for you at the time you had reserved it right? We'll not with this people. They took and confirmed my reservation, but when I went to pick up the car they said they had no cars available and had me waiting for about an hour to see if they wi get cars in. They did mention I can pay $$ "upgrade" and they would get me a car right away??!! This people just want to make more $$, because they know your at an airport without wheel. I went outside the parking lot and they have a lot of cars just parked. I called cust service and you get transfer around explaining the situation to everyone and all they can say is we are sorry but it's out of our control. Worst, worst worst car rental company read more

For whatever reason I have consistently poor experiences with Avis at John Wayne airport. Customer service well below standard. Tonight there was no one receiving cars ! And their return sign was hidden near a column causing me to miss return point and have to circle around airport again. read more

By far the worst reservation process ever. I tried making the reservation on the website. Got the car i needed, the rate and plugged in all of the information that they wanted including the credit card number. I click Reserve and bam ... back to Step #1. But now I cannot get the same rate ... it is $100 higher. Talked to on-line chat...but they can help with "Pay Now" reservations. So I called the 800 #. Waited about 10 minutes with painful hold music ... finally talked to an agent that spent 5 minutes telling me that my card was under a different name. She must have been Nostradamus because I never gave her any credit card information. I asked if i could send her a screenshot of the reservation ... nope .. .cant do that. I asked if i could speak with a manager ... nope Customer Care is closed on the weekend. And I guess there are no managers at Avis. HORRIBLE. I just wish Yelp allowed me to give a 0-star review. Been a long time since I rented thru Avis and it will be a lot longer before I try again. read more

Have rented cars from this place a few times now and all I can say is so far so good. I don't see anything wrong as most if not all employees there have been cool. read more

I was expecting good things from Avis but I never rented such a dirty car before. The exterior was ok but the interior was very dirty. They did not even remove the previous customer's trash! (I can tell the previous customer went to Starbucks and Pressed Juicery...). Unbelievable. read more

Long-time users, first-time yelper. After realizing we quickly had to change itinerary to accommodate a business meeting in San Diego for Monday, instead of returning it Sunday to John Wayne Airport, we were put through the ringer. HQ told us to speak with the local office, who would not answer after 6+ calls within 3 hours. When calling back to HQ, they inform us that the change of drop-off location will be $750, and the additional day would cost $1,021. This is a shame. The people at the office were great, but as a corporation, they do not understand the needs of their customers. As a business owner, I have used Avis regularly for over a year, but will now be banning any employees from using for the foreseeable future, and proactively telling all other professionals who may need flexibility in their travels to look elsewhere. If you need any flexibility when traveling, make sure you look everywhere else. Enterprise is making the change of drop-off for free, and not asking for a month's worth of rent. Incredibly disappointing, but hopefully Avis will learn at some point via attrition. Good bye Avis. read more

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 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. read more

One of the worst rental experience I've ever had. I should have sticked with Enterprise. 1.) they just hand you the key and tell you to go get your car yourself. in a way, it's good, but i need to have all those big dents and scratches noted on the paper work! 2.) be careful of your bill, the price may not be the same as your online reservation (mine turned out to be a few dollars more. 3.) bad customer service, very hard to get through to talk to a human (I have always been able to connect to a live person at the location where i rent my car from with Enterprise!). when i finally talked to someone on the central reservation line, she made empty promises that she will refund me the difference and mail me a $25 certificate. Neither happened! Very disappointing! read more

Fraud warning!!! We rented a pre-paid van online and accepted an SUV upgrade at the SNA airport counter (for 5 people and lots of luggage) for $15 more per day. The salesman ("John") gave us the hard sell about accepting insurance, which we declined three times. Husband signed where directed, assuming (big mistake!!!) that all was as agreed upon, and we went on our way. The car was returned three days later, and the rest of our vacation commenced. Two weeks later, we received our Discover bill and "discovered" an addt'l charge for $80.97 for loss damage waiver. Of course, the company states it was added at time of rental and nothing can be done. I'll dispute it with the credit card co. but don't expect much. Needless to say, we are furious we didn't pay more attention to the reviews and will NEVER rent from Avis again. read more

Donovan is AWESOME!! After a long drive from San Francisco to Orange County in Friday traffic, the whole family was tired and flustered! With a cranky 10 month old, a whining 9 year old, and an upset husband, Donovan made the car rental return smooth and efficient. He definitely saved the day!!! I would recommend this Avis to all my travelling colleagues. Thank you Donovan! You are a perfect example of good customer service! We will definitely come back for the next car rental. read more

Very disappointed. I got a good deal through Costco to rent a car from Avis. Well now I know why the deal was so good. Once you get to the Avis counter they try to up sell you to a higher priced car. When I told the rep I didn't need a bigger car she switched gears and tried to force me to get insurance for the car. She didn't ask if I wanted insurance as other companies have done, she just included it on the price. When I asked her why the price Costco quoted me was different than what she had on the contract she told me it was for insurance. Everyone knows your insurance will cover any damage done to a rental car so I told her I DECLINE extra insurance. The Avis rep at John Wayne Airport kept INSISTING I put the coverage on my credit card. I had to INSIST right back (about 3 different times) my insurance will cover any damage. She finally acquiesced but muttered "well I wouldn't want the price of a car on my credit card". Well maybe she wouldn't, but it is my credit card and my decision. I long for the days when companies put the customers needs and wants before their profits. If I rented a smaller, cheaper car it is because that is all I need or want. I don't need to be put into a luxury car that uses more gas and won't get me to my destination any faster than an economy car. What I need, what I want is to go up to the rental counter, get the car I ordered, sign the contract and start my vacation with a smile on my face. I don't need to start my vacation frustrated and disappointed. I will need to rent another car next month but you can believe it won't be through Avis. read more