Avis Car Rental — Local services in Boston

I had a prepaid car rental reservation for October 11th at 10:30 AM from Avis at the Boston Seaport location. Unfortunately, my flight was significantly delayed, and I arrived at Boston Logan Airport around 5 PM. After being stuck in traffic, I finally made it to the Boston Seaport Avis location a few minutes after their 6 PM closing time. I was unaware they closed so early on a Friday—that's on me—but at no point did Avis reach out to check on my status or offer any assistance. A simple phone call along the lines of “Hey, where are you? It’s been 8 hours since your scheduled pickup” would have been helpful. While I didn’t anticipate being this late, a customer-focused company would have at least checked in with their customers. Maybe that's wishful thinking.

When I contacted Avis customer service, they showed little sympathy and simply said “tough luck.” However, they reassured me that there was a 24-hour window for pickup, meaning I could get the vehicle in the morning. Because no other vehicles were available at any nearby location, I had to book a last-minute hotel room for the night, costing me $500.

The next morning, I returned to the Boston Seaport location to pick up the vehicle I had reserved, a VW Passat or a similar luxury model. However, I was informed that my car was unavailable and that I would instead receive a truck. Eventually, I was given a Kia Forte, which is classified as "Intermediate"—despite having paid for a "Luxury" class vehicle. I understand that the exact model isn't guaranteed, but I expected at least the same class of vehicle, not a downgrade.

When I asked why my prepaid and reserved vehicle wasn’t available, I was told it was because I hadn't picked it up on time. I then brought up the 24-hour pickup window I had been assured of over the phone, only to be informed that this policy was not being honored for the weekend because they were "too busy." So what’s the point of a reservation if it can be given away before the pickup window expires? That's the whole purpose of a reservation. There had been no prior communication or indication that this policy was suspended for the weekend.

To be clear, I’m not upset about the vehicle I received—the Kia Forte ran great with no issues. The problem is with the lack of communication, customer service, and the inconsistent pickup policy. This nearly cost me a vehicle, and the experience was frustrating and disappointing.

I understand that "things happen" and circumstances can change unexpectedly, but Avis really needs to improve its customer service and communication to prevent issues like this from happening...

Phew. this place made me practice my deep breathing. out of the way, stressful, and though I had prepaid they couldn’t take my method of payment for a “deposit” that wasn’t clear at booking time, and sent me to another location. Customer service was not a thing, need to call central number to adjust reservation apparently as they “are not able to adjust reservations on site.” !? associate gladly gave me a number at a location across town to call where I listened to a recording and had to call back three times but she would not help make the call, though there were zero other customers. Carrying a million things, now trekking back across town to where I started my day, getting started on this trip late, phew, hope I am never in a position where I need Avis/Budget or this location...

Can’t recommend Avis Rental Car due to their poor customer service. I called to discuss charges from two parking tickets that I received while using one of their vehicles. Be careful with Avis as their fees are excessive. My 6$ parking fee ended up being 46$; 30$ service fee, a 10$ late fee because they failed to notify me about the ticket and they didn’t pay it until after their 30 day window resulting in the late charge. The lady that I spoke with about removing the late fee since I am not responsible for their timeliness had an attitude and deemed I was responsible for their failure to act. So 12$ in parking tickets is now 92$. Rent from a company that actually wants your business and treats you...