Don't day-trip in an Avis rental car (at least from Burbank)
Written: Jan 26 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: car was fine
Cons: absurd fuel charge
The Bottom Line: Gouging with hidden charges — the new "American way"?
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| Jiahong's Full Review: Avis |
As with American airports and airlines, I don't think that there are car rental "services": the "average" is very low. Once upon a time, Avis claimed to "try harder," but that time is past. As Mrkstvns updated the old Avis advertising slogan : "We're number two and we plan to stay that way." Matters have not improved in the eight years since his epinion.
I am an Avis "preferred" member. Even non-preferred members most places can drop off the car and have the fuel gauge and final credit card charge instantly computed and be on their way.
At the Bob Hope (Burbank, California) Airport, however, I had to go in and wait to be checked in/charged out. Although the distance between the drop-off point and the office was not exhausting — I was carrying only a few pounds and it wasn't raining or snowing — it was unusually far in contrast to bigger and busier airports.
I had rented car, a Kia, in the morning and was returning it in the evening, having made three stops, including a gas station on a more or less direct route to the Los Angeles County Museum. The most efficient route, according to Google in 18.4 miles, and I drove the car 26.
Either it gets very low mileage or the tanks was not completely full when I picked it up. I put in nearly two gallons of gas — for which I paid $3.99 in cash.
The Avis clerk assessed $13.99 in fuel charges. When I objected and presented a witness to my having filled up, the clerk threatened to call her manager. I said, "Please do. I want to talk to your manager. Even if I had not added any gas, driving 26 miles could not consume $13.99 worth of gas."
She gave me a sticker about "EZFuel TM[!}" that said "If you drive fewer than 75 miles, save time and do not refill the tank. Avis will automatically add a charge to the rental for fuel." Yeah, with a flat rate of $13.99. This sticker was NOT given to me when I picked up the car, but only after I objected to the charge, which was slightly more than adding 50% to the rental charge.
When the manager arrived, I challenged her either to measure the level of gas in the tank or to take it to be filled to see how much (hot little) could be added.
I thought that this outrage might be local to Burbank, but perhaps I have never returned an Avis rental car having driven it less than 75 miles. The manager said that this charge is corporate policy. She could not contend that we could have burned up seven gallons of gas driving 26 miles; even the two gallons of gas was a lot for 26 miles. She eventually took the charge off. Nonetheless, I think that if I am a "preferred customer" and the gas gauge shows full, I should be believed when I say that I filled it up. I have not been asked for a receipt at any other Avis airport car rental facility, or Hertz or Alamo.
The Kia handled fine and was clean, and if I had put what I knew was going to be a small charge on a credit card, I would not have had the run-in I did. On the other hand, Avis could give the sticker that I received after the fact to those renting a car for less than half a day.
And they might attempt to give repeat/"preferred" customer the benefit of a doubt — especially when the gas gauge supports the claim the customer makes! This kind of institutionalized attitude destroys any brand loyalty. The next time I need to rent a car, I am going to shop prices at other rental companies. As in so many other things, I am not sure that there are any significant differences. Competition to supply better service seems to have become an un-American idea, even in the current wreckage of the economy. (For car rentals in particular, there were a LOT of cars in the lot for a Sunday morning. Business was not brisk by any means.)
Recommended:
No
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