BEWARE OF AVIS CAR HIRE
 

Travellers should avoid AVIS CAR HIRE at all costs, I recently rented a car at Athens airport for a two week period.

Unfortunately I was forced off the road by a GREEK DRIVER the car sustained minor damage along the near side.

I returned the car to the airport naturally expecting to have to pay an insurance excess charge, imagine my horror to discover the excess was €1000 euro YES @1000EUROS.

IN Other words NO INSURANCE FOR DAMAGE ....

ON TOP OF THIS THE FUEL TANK WAS ONLY HALF FULL.

One again the AVIS CONN KICKED IN !!!!! They charged me for a full tank of fuel at €70-51

I filled this car from the Totally empty light for €75 euro, this included 23% FPR.

THEN AVIS HAD THE AUDACITY TO STEAL FROM ME A FURTHER 23% FPR

SO THEY CHARGED THE FPR (VAT) on this fuel TWICE THISIS THEFT AND I HAVE INFORMED THE GREEK FPR Tax Authorities.

GO TO EUROPACAR THEY WILL GIVE YOU A FAIR DEAL WITHOUT STEELING FROM YOU

Hi Palmer and welcome to Fodors. Nice that you joined so you could post this. We are all a bunch of really nice people who like to sit around and compliment each other on great posts. If I may be so bold though,

DID YOU READ THE CONTRACT!?! Oops, I'm sorry but it seems to me that pretty much every auto contract lists the deductible.

Wait, wait, I feel another attack coming on...

HAVE YOU EVER RENTED A CAR BEFORE!?! Whew, don't know where that came from. See, there is this thing that rental companies tell you about, that fill up thing. Pretty much anyone that has ever rented a car knows about this scam and fills up prior to drop-off or bites the bullet.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed your trip. Oh, and we'll be having our afternoon tea and effigy burning of Avis at 3pm GMT tomorrow.

:-)

dave

This is your first post, and all you want to share is your bad experience with Avis?

I have rented cars from Avis Greece many many times in the last 20 years, not even once have i faced a problem.
This is why i prefer to book from Avis also when i travel abroad.( and got never disappointed)

What probably happened to you, is that you had only a regular Collision damage waiver, so you had to pay your participation of 750 Euro plus 23% VAT. ( Look at the term and conditions of Avis, at www.avis.gr)

That means that the damage maybe wasn't as minor as you think it was.

What does a GREEK DRIVER have to do with anything? You were in an accident, the car sustained damage, and you didn't have proper insurance for it. Your fault, not Avis's.

Anytime you rent a car in Europe, whether through Avis or another company, you're obligated to return it with a full tank of gas or you'll get hosed in costs by the rental company to refill it. Your fault, not Avis's.

Next time, read the contract and comply with it.

Yeah StCirq, can you imagine...a GREEK DRIVER driving in GREECE? I mean I could forgive a driver from Estonia or China or the US, but GREECE? Whew, no wonder the OP was upset.

Darn, there goes my non-snarky award for the week.

:-)

dave

daveesl, you did a wonderful job of enlighting the OP. I caught just a hint of attitude but nary a snare of snarkiness. I vote that you are still in the running for the award of the week.:)

daveesl - :)

At least the OP informed the GREEK Tax Authorities (and not the Estonian, Chinese,or U.S. ones). That's sure to fix everything!

This posting about Avis is all Greek to me.

Suggest you:

1) Quite whining
2) In future read the contracts you sign
3) Understand that in europe VAT is applied to everything
4) Pay attention when you rent a car - every agency in every country I have been in charges you at an outrageous rate for fuel if you dont return the car full

Aside from that Avis is a franchise, so any complaints would be about one place, or at least one general area/country as to practices. What happens in Avis in Greece is irrelevant to Avis in other countries.

Christina
Avis ( franchise or not) has Terms and Conditions that apply to every rental agreement-contract.
When renting a car, the first thing one should do, is to read these terms and conditions.
Avis is Avis no matter where !!! Avis Europe has almost no differences in their terms and Conditions, as they are following the general policy of the company.

Avis deliberately betrays its customers it seems: I hired a Budget rental car via Expedia for the period of 14.-17.6. to be picked up at Berlin Schoenefeld.

At Schoenefeld Budget is currently being managed by Avis car rental, who dealt with me.


On arrival, me and my two friends, who are witnesses to everything, had to wait at the counter for a while, because no car was immediately available. We were asked to take out extra insurance, but as I rarely ever have a problem we declined.


When we were finally asked to make our way to the car, a young man only briefly came out of his office to hand us the keys.

He never checked the state of the car with us. Even when I went back to ask for some explanation about the handbrake system, he only gave some explanations from the distance, but never bothered to come back to the car.


The three of us (me, Dr Caranza and Mr Foulk) looked at the car ourselves. We noted a small scratch at the back of the car, but assumed the company was aware of this. Having rented cars in other locations where the car hire companies were not worried about handing cars to me with far more damage, we assumed that this small mark was irrelevant.


As we already had waited a long time we went on to enjoy our weekend.


When we returned the car on Monday in exactly the same condition as we received it, the Avis man on receiving the car immediately went to the back, pointed to the small scratch and said that this was our fault and that he was charging us for a replacement bumper.


We all protested and assured him that we are all witness to the fact that this damage already had been present when we got the car, but he did not accept it.


I went into the main Avis office, but also got no help.


I filled in an "accident form" stating that we had NO accident and refused to sign his print out bill.


Nevertheless, when I phone Lloyds on Monday, I was told that the transaction already had been processed.


I guess, many people have already paid for this scratch...



My two friends are witness to that.


Me and Dr Caranza have both written to Budget Customer Service explaining the whole thing also.


Speaking to my plumber, who had the same experience with Avis in Amsterdam and a fried of mine with AVIs in the USA. Looking at the internet, apparently this is a common scam.


I have written to Avis/Budget and have phoned them many times! They have done nothing so far.

I will never ever rent from AVIS or Budget again!

You should always inspect any car that you are renting as you pick it up and have the company document existing scratches, dings, dents, etc. I don't think your problem is specific to Avis/Budget.

I just rented a car from Avis in Europe and had no difficulties at all.

One needs to always do their due diligence when renting a car.

this includes:

Checking the car for damage, taking a photo and having it noted by the agent if there is any

understanding your contract and what you will be responsible for in the case of an accident

realizing that every rental company in the world charges a fortune for gas if you return the car with the tank not full (unless you have proof that you received the car that way)

We have rented from Avis in Athens on three occasions and had no problems, nor did we experience problems with them in Germany or Austria. EuropCar is actually the only rental company that has caused us a headache by charging bogus charges to our credit card months after the rental, which AutoEurope took care of for us.

> assumed the company was aware of this. <

Never assume, because if you do you make an ass out of u & me.

Always take photos of the car before you leave the garage.
Make sure that the agent has signed off on all damage.
Read the contract.
Stop whining.

((I))

<< We noted a small scratch at the back of the car, but assumed the company was aware of this.>>

Then you're a fool. Any blemish = tell the car company immediately. This is true in the US.

And the tank refill screw job is part and parcel of the rental contract in the US too. Anyone who doesn't expect the same in Europe is just not paying attention.

The two posters who are lambasting Avis are both one-time posters. What car rental company is putting these trolls out there me wonders...

Don't think it has anything to do with other rental companies. Just people who go through life clueless - and then are amazed/horrified/scandalized and hysterical when expected to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Hi!
"The two posters who are lambasting Avis are both one-time posters."
"Just people who go through life clueless"

I am surprised that you challenge their right to advise users. I am a one-time viewer but I arrived here after looking after similiar experiences I had with AVIS in Athens airport.

And NO, it was not the first time I booked a car.
And YES, I think business and life is about honesty, fainess and trust. Like one of the posters, I would not mind is there is fly's merde on the screen. In return, I may have been lucky but I never had a dispute with a car rental company because of dust and more little scratches.

My "only" problem with AVIS Athens Airport is for an extra charge.

It was a "delivery/collection option" on the contract that I would not use, as I would drop off at the same place.

Eventually my creditcard has been charged -> The "delivery/collection" was in fact a late meeting fee because I signed the contract at 23;28 instead of 23;00 (When the airport desk is open 24/7)

So YES, I agree with PalmerAJ when he writes BEWARE OF AVIS CAR HIRE!

Of course, 2 years and only 3 trolls, you got the right to consider it's a good company.

Have a good journey!

Philippe