That does it. I'm dropping them to one star and I'm putting more pins in my Avis VooDoo Doll. Any goodwill Avisleaze had left with me is gone. Today - a couple of weeks after my rental, I received a letter stating they're going to charge me $450 to clean the minivan because it has 'animal hair' in it. We went to Maine, four adults. Animal hair?! Did they get that because of my profile pictures? What a bunch of Avisleaze. I fart in their general direction.
Well.... just one more argument why I ALWAYS VIDEO my return at the car lot - both inside and out. Many times - more than five now - rental car companies have called me after the fact to tell me the car is damaged, way too many miles on it, etc., etc., etc., I have simply posted my film of the return and all companies have immediately dropped their contest against me. But that doesn't stop them from trying again to F* me over after the fact.
(Score: Avisleaze is 2 or more, Hertz is 1, Enterprise is 2+ as well)
I recommend everyone always film your car at the return lot - even when the rental employees give you dirty looks and act passive-aggressive about it. It's your money and your reputation on the line. I ALWAYS get the date, the location, the odometer, the gas gauge (and now the electric charge), and the interior condition of the vehicle on ALL SEATS and the floor, as well as usually TWO passes around the outside, showing the lower portion of the exterior (with the license plate) and all windows, doors, mirrors. etc.
To wit, on this rental:
1. I specifically reserved a gas-powered Minivan, NOT A HYBRID.
2. I waited for freaking ever in the hot sun because the app to allow me to bypass the counter isn't working - not for me, not for anyone. There's one guy working the counter, so it's a long time.
3. Finally get up there, and show all my credentials and pre-paid reservation, still takes him another fifteen minutes of tikky-clikky on the computer. Finally hands me a set of keys.
4. It's a hybrid, exactly what I DO NOT WANT.
5. The shuttle bus discharged about a dozen more people while I was waiting in line. So for me to go exchange this means I either have to be rude and push my way to the front of the line (read the story below) or wait another - what - two hours? So I get it in and go.
6. The hybrid battery is DEAD.
7. The gas tank isn't full. It's right on the 3/4 line, maybe a hair above, but not anywhere near what it should be. The stated range is 303 miles. So I effin' take it like the sad biatch I am and just leave. When I gas it up and plug in the hybrid part to recharge it, the range goes to 546 miles. So I rented a minivan that was short 243 miles of its total range - almost half of the total.
8. No windshield washer fluid. Found this out in a bad way, when I really needed it. Made me have to stop on the trip and check all fluids, etc., because no I don't trust Avis does f*@k-all to prep their cars.
9. Except they'll wait until you return and leave, then charge you $450 to do what they're supposed to do in the first place and they invent ludicrous charges to make about the condition.
Customer Service knows I'm not taking this bullsh*t laying down. I called and informed the customer service agent I have video of the inside, front, middle, back, and outside of the minivan AT THE RETURN, disputing their claim. He drops the charges with no hesitation.
But I'm done with these a-holes. I won't rent from Avis again.
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Original post:
Okay.... So.... I wanted to give them fewer stars but... picking my rental up on Friday at noon. For whatever reason the preferred checkout/Clear pass isn't working for sh*. So I go to the Preferred counter - three peeps in front of me - and the ONE guy working the counter spends 30 minutes on the first guy. Absolute agony, standing in the 90-degree sunshine, waiting forever.
But then the rental shuttle stops and disgorges about 10 more customers and the driver is yelling "this is the PREFERRED counter!"
Then he leaves and this super-duper-hyper pissed off Karen, but with male pronouns, throws the MOTHER OF ALL TEMPER TANTRUMS. He goes up to the window (where a guy is already trying to get his car and starts verbally abusing the guy inside the counter. When that doesn't work, he goes around to the side of the building, opens the door (oops) goes inside and starts going off on the employee.
Anyway, eventually I get a car - not what I specified on my PRE-PAID reservation, and it looks like they just took it from someone else and parked it for me without cleaning, checking or fueling it up (Gas not full, hybrid with dead battery, no window washer fluid, etc., etc., etc.) But I'm now so hot and exhausted that I just take it right up the @$$ and leave with the car I am assigned, not the car I expected. read more