clarkgriswold

What I don't like is when the customer standing next to me pays 1/3 what I pay just because he's from the UK. And he's getting liability insurance thrown in that apparently I'm subsidizing.

Michael

What I don't like is when the customer standing next to me pays 1/3 what I pay just because he's from the UK.

And Europeans might feel the same way about non-EU visitors renting cars there.

RoamsAround

For 20+ years I have use Avis almost exclusively. I always get a detailed quote of the expected total costs when I make the reservation and can't remember the last time I was charged more than the quote. It's pretty much the same SOP on those few occasions I've rented from other companies.

Yes, when requested the rental companies charge extra for Insurance, bigger cars, toll passes and GPS but those charges are always spelled out in advance and I've never been pressured to accept any of them. In fact my experience has been the complete opposite. For example, on my last rental I requested a GPS (and was willing to pay the added daily cost) but when I picked up the car, the clerk advised me that the car had a built-in GPS system and he cheerfully deleted the "extra' GP charge from my billing record.

By the way, if you enroll in Avis (or any car rental company's) loyalty program you can set up your profile so you automatically get the size car you desire and either decline or accept optional things like insurance, refueling options, GPS, toll tags, etc. - that way you NEVER get charged for options you don't want.

Another advantage to joining a loyalty program is that you can bypass lines and go straight to your rental car (which is usually parked in a preferred area).

So, unlike others my car rentals are the least stressful part of my trip. All I do is make one short toll-free phone call (or I make the reservation on line) to give them my pick-up/drop-off dates and location(s) and special requests (if any). When I arrive at the rental location I check the board for my name and parking space number, go straight to the car, put my bag in the truck, adjust the seat and mirrors to my liking, show my driver's license to the person manning the exit gate and I'm on my way in under 2 or 3 minute. When I return the car, I just proceed to the "drop-off lane, the attendant enters the speedometer reading into a handheld unit and 30 seconds later I get a printed receipt.

AvisTeals

Thank you for your responses. One thing for sure is that I am not the experienced traveler that those of you who are responding are. I have rented cars a few times before and have never had this happen. And yes this is a lesson learned. I guess what I can't get over was that I declined everything verbally to the Avis clerk as he punched away at the computer and checked and signed where he said what I thought was in accordance to my conversation with him.

Another thing was the XM radio which they charged me for that was never mentioned at check in and as far as I know was not even in the car. Doug_Stallings, you are right about the gas too. He was pushing that real hard on me saying that their prices were well below the local gas stations. I stuck to my guns and as soon as I was out of the airport I saw that the local prices were way lower. So yes, very deceptive practices.

Ultimately I should have double checked the print out before I walked away and the reason I am posting (which I have never done before) is so that others who are maybe not so accustomed to rental cars can also learn from my mistake and of course because I am still pretty mad that it went down the way it did.

NeoPatrick

"Ultimately I should have double checked the print out before I walked away and the reason I am posting (which I have never done before) is so that others who are maybe not so accustomed to rental cars can also learn from my mistake and of course because I am still pretty mad that it went down the way it did."

But your post was not to be careful, or to read before you signed. It was not to rent from Avis, which frankly is hogwash.

NorthwestMale

... this OP is simply clueless, that's all there is to it.

They (Avis) give you a printout of everything you agreed to, before you approach your car and drive off. In the same way you are free to return to the counter in the event the assigned car has a flat tire when you approach it, you are free to return to the counter if the contract and cost estimate in front of your eyes isn't what you were expecting.


And yeah, probably shouldn't use Kleenex brand anymore either...

LOL - gawd!


There should be a fee of $171 assessed on all of the clueless people.

clarkgriswold

"They give you a printout of everything you agreed to".

...and apparently in this case some items that the customer DIDN'T agree to.

At reservation time they are required to tell you what the total charges will be, no surprises. Then when you are at the counter, if you decline all options, you should have a pretty damn good idea of what the total will be since it shouldn't have changed one penny since booking time.

It's good that the OP notified Avis of this overzealous agent at the Orlando counter who is charging customers for options that they declined. Other customers have complained of the same thing and since this sort of deception is not the norm for Avis, they should investigate the agent who dealt with the OP to see if his commission-sales are abnormally high and complaints about his contracts are abnormally high.

I'm not sure why so many people seem to give car rental agencies a pass when it comes to customer service. "Oh beware, it's just the way they are, everyone knows that". I guess we should also call restaurant customers fools and clueless if they are charged for dessert that they never ordered....but the restaurant that continually tries this trick does not share the blame, right? They get a pass?

musicfan

I haven't done a statistical analysis or anything, but as a regular reader of Christopher Elliott's blog, column, Facebook page, etc., I would have to say that complaints about rental car agencies rank near the top, if they aren't #1. The accounts I've read on his site(s) are what make me very wary every time I rent a car.

AvisTeals

Thanks Clark.

I was stupid for not double checking the contract print out, but what Clark Griswold said is absolutely right about our expectations of customer service from car rental companies.

And as stupid as my mistake may have been, that Avis desk clerk added charges I explicitly declined to him. Even if I am stupid, stealing from stupid people is still stealing.

I have since found more people who had similar experiences at the Orlando airport location so its not an isolated incident.

NeoPatrick

OK, so you've now proved it. Avis is the one company people should not rent from -- so at last your title makes perfect sense.

fmpden

.....I have since found more people who had similar experiences at the Orlando airport location so its not an isolated incident.....

Now you can take those people and roll it into a class action suit for fraud, etc. Go for it.

NewbE

<Now you can take those people and roll it into a class action suit for fraud, etc. >
It's been tried, and someone may yet succeed.

persimmondeb

Orlando airport car rental counters are so notorious I've seen them specifically cautioned against in Disney guides.

Inexperienced travelers really are not fair game for counter agents, but I suspect it often works that way.

We rarely rent cars, but Avis has generally been fine. I think the issue here is really the location, not the company.

Myer

A couple of months ago I picked up a car at Jackson airport. It was about 9PM and we were tired.

I kept insisting what I wanted and they kept trying to do what they wanted. My reservation (as a member) included second driver at no extra cost. They kept insisting he computer wouldn't include it so they couldn't give it to me.

It took an extra half hour but somebody figured out how to do it. What I don't understand is if it's in the reservation why is it an issue?

There weren't interested in the debts and nicks if they were smaller than a quarter. I insisted on photographing them before leaving the lot. What they're interested in on the way out may not be the same as on the way in.

clarkgriswold

I'm sure I've walked away from the counter before without thoroughly checking my paperwork. You have an expectation, at least from Avis or Hertz, that they will not go ahead and charge you for something that you just declined. They fold the paperwork into the envelope and off you go. Usually I look at the "estimated total" but I'm sure I've skipped it once or twice. That makes me imperfect, or careless, or too trusting....but not "clueless".

Orlando_Vic

AvisTeals,

Yes, you are correct that it happens far too frequently at MCO. Here are two things you can do now.

1. Use social media (i.e. Facebook & Twitter) to publicly complain to Avis. This is a very effective way to grab corporate attention. Maybe include a link to this thread.

2. Contact TV Channel 9's (WFTV) consumer reporter. He does good investigative work and just may do a story on this situation affecting so many. His name is Todd Ulrich. http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/todd-ulrich/nPddG/
His email is http://www.wftv.com/mailfriend/300/467/87d8125638/

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

NorthwestMale

Clark, you obviously owe a fee of $171.


"Other customers have complained of the same thing"

My gosh, Clark, why don't you write a book? You're on the cutting edge with that revolutionary disclosure.

You might as well go out on a real limb and point out that rental car customers are overcharged in taxes and fees as well. You could break brand new ground with such a bulletin!

Rental car customers are overcharged mainly because they are usually traveling, and mostly far from home, and for those reasons they simply do not pay as much attention as you do when you're looking into your bag at the McDonald's drive-through to find that you didn't get your McDonaldland Cookies.

Therefore, once again, it is all on those clueless fools.

cuteoldgal1

To Neopatrick and Northwest male, you have sarcastic tongues and offer no good whatsoever! There are probably dishonest/shady clerks within every car rental company and it should be noted to their management when this happens. Not everyone is as perfect as you two seem to be, you know! My hubby and I rented a convertible for 6 hours in Maui one day in between plane schedules, never once even putting the top up through that time. two months later, we get a bill from some collector for over $1000.00 because of some mechanical break within the top structure, with photos attached that were supposedly to prove that we did it! Anyway, someone did it but it wasn't us! It took us a lot of time and effort but they finally stopped sending us the bills. Maybe some of these clerks look for us 'clueless, stupid people' who don't do a lot of travelling. Overall, I just think that some people who write in these forums can be really mean and honestly their lives must be pretty brutal. So to whoever posted the original message, I am sure you have learned from this unfortunate lesson that there are people and companies that you might not want to trust and I know I learned this after this happened to us!

NeoPatrick

Cuteoldgal1, nice to see you defend and approve of someone having a bad experience with a major company and going on the internet to warn everyone "DON'T RENT" from them.

"Perfect one"? I have had horrible experiences with a lot of companies and have made many, many travel mistakes myself -- but trying to tell people not to use a major company because I had one bad experience is a little over the top in my book -- obviously not in yours, however.

NeoPatrick

By the way, cuteoldgal1, why aren't you warning everyone here not to rent from the company you did? My posts were mainly about the OP doing that, not about the situation itself. Since you seem to feel that I am totally wrong in that, I'm surprised you aren't doing what you're defending the OP for -- you should be warning everyone not to use that company you did. Instead, you don't even tell us who it was!