Writing because we are still mad!!
Written: Jan 01 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pleasant agents, resolved the problems adequately and timely with prodding
Cons: Tried to pull a bait&switch @ DIA: not for this NJ gal!
The Bottom Line: Not counting the vehicle problems, competitive pricing with discounts through husband's company made the hassles affordable.
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| thriftymommy's Full Review: Avis |
My husband received a discount package from his company that included a discount on Avis rentals. Since my company's discounts were not as affordable, we decided to give Avis a try this past month.
We rented a Dodge Grand Caravan minivan from the Denver International Airport location. We were met at the outside curb by an Avis van that transported us to the Avis off-site location (all rental car companies are located off airport property at DIA).
The price was highly competitive and they were the only company that had a minivan available the entire 10 days of our stay in Denver.
Our troubles began when we first stepped up to the ticket counter. We had booked the rental online using our credit card and presented the same credit card to the agent. I even had a copy of the reservation in hand to present to him. He began going over the screen of information and telling us about the price differential. For those who are not aware, I am not one to haggle for prices. If you are planning on overcharging me on an already agreed upon product or service, I simply will take my business and money elsewhere.
Unfortunately, we had our three children, five suitcases, five carry-ons, one stroller and two car seats to deal with. You see, the car rental companies are all lined up within a five mile stretch of 78th Street off of I-70. Walking to another company was simply not an option...so I gritted my teeth and listened to the agent's explanation of the difference in pricing.
The agent told us that when we booked, we did not pre-pay but only secured our rental with our credit card. No, really?!! He said that since we booked (this travel occured 12/20 to 12/30 and I booked this rental 9/02) so early, the prices had changed mid-contract for Avis (which occured 10/13 according to the handout he provided us).
Well, folks, here's the problem. Besides being stranded with an enormus amount of luggage and three children, there were no companies with an available comparable vehicle for our time period. After standing outside and calling all of the other rental places that I could see, it was clear that my husband needed to talk to the Avis regional manager and have this solved quickly. Rock and a hard place, you know?
Luckily for us, the manager of my husband's HR happened to be in when he called and my husband was able to explain the situation to his company who in turn called their Avis rep who in turn called the regional manager who in turn called the agent we were working with and made sure we received the quoted price...five hours later. Three hungry children, one angry wife and one very upset husband were finally given the keys to what I will now refer to as the "POS" of our vacation. Use your imagination here: I am reffering to the Piece of _hit minivan we were subjected to for 10 days in Denver.
Avis has a contract for a fleet of Dodge Grand Caravans. I have an old Dodge Caravan myself and absolutely adore it but let me tell you, this POS that Avis rented us was not meant for the Colorado Mountains. Nor was it meant for the stop and go traffic of downtown Denver. The POS we drove had absolutely no pick up and crawled through the mountains; we actually came close to overheating between Vail and Copper Mountain...
Day three into our vacation and my dear husband floored the brakes in order to stop in traffic on I-25 at the Logan overpass. When I say floored, picture my fingernails leaving impressions in the dashboard. Immediately, my fingers flew to the 800-customer service number provided by Avis. I explained that the POS has some issues with its brakes and could they please tell us what to do. The customer service person was very friendly and instructed me to travel to the nearest Midas where Avis has a contract.
At the Midas, the Avis person provided their information to the clerk and twenty minutes later, the POS was in the bay getting new rotors and pads (with my husband supervising since he finally realized that an upgrade to the H2 was not going to happen this trip). After the work was completed, the clerk handed me the bill. I smiled, handed it back to him, and called Avis customer service right back. According to a different person I spoke with, we were to travel to a different Midas 15 miles away for service since the contract with Midas was at a different location.
Now I don't know about you but when the brakes need to be floored for you to stop, it's best to get to the nearest repair shop when you have your family in the vehicle. This person was suggesting that we risk our lives and the potential lives of others and travel to another store in order to secure the necessary repairs which were not made or attended to prior to our renting the vehicle and driving it off the Avis lot. Sure. That sounds reasonable to me...not!
Another phone call to the regional manager and we were on our way. Let me just say here that the rental had 21,361 upon pick-up. Not an excessive amount of mileage and not really an expected time to change the rotors and brake pads on a vehicle. But, when you factor in the inability to accelerate properly with the Colorado mountains and Denver city traffic, I think that they would have at least checked the brakes before someone else rented the minivan.
Overall, after these adventures, we had no other surprises. With my husband's company agreement with Avis, we were able to return the vehicle empty of gas and only pay the going rate for the fill. After our misadventures, Avis took $150 off the total rental cost and is supposedly sending us coupons toward our next rental. Whether or not we use them is yet to be seen.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
thriftymommy
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Member: April
Location: Home of the Hindenburg Disaster, NJ
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 49 members
About Me:
The number of people below the official poverty thresholds numbered 36.1 million in 2005.
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