Avis Car Rental — Local services in San Diego

This was originally a one-star review that I wrote in a state of agitation due to a billing issue. However, Avis has promptly listened to, and resolved the matter to my satisfaction. I have therefore revised the review upward. In short, my rental experience in San Diego was fine. The vehicle (a compact Nissan, I believe), was in good condition, and felt safe & easy to drive. The rental facility in San Diego is shared by a number of different companies that rent cars. It was easy to navigate, both by vehicle, and on foot. The personnel at the Avis counter were polite and efficient both upon vehicle pick-up, and upon return.

Here was my issue: I am a big detractor of the collision damage waiver (Avis calls this an LDW). No one has ever successfully explained to me why you need this product if you - as a driver - carry comprehensive & collision on your personal policy. As well, you should have complete secondary coverage from Mastercard or Visa if you charge your rental on a single credit card. I once declined CDW at a Budget counter in Los Angeles, and had an employee try to convince me that I did not have complete coverage. This was after I told him what I just told you, above. He could not provide details about incomplete coverage, so I went ahead and continued to decline the CDW. My rental experience on that occasion was uneventful: I was not involved in a collision.

Now on this occasion I reserved my car in San Diego through AARP. At that time, AARP offered me a CDW-like product at $40. I mistook this for the Avis-supplied CDW, and for this one time only concluded it would be worth it. I was hopeful - in the event of a collision - for the reduced complication, and quick getaway that this protection provided.

The problem is that the $40 applied to a policy provided by AARP, not by Avis, and Avis knew nothing about it when I came to their counter. When I confirmed for them that I wanted the additional coverage, they charged me again...to the tune of $84! Imagine the absurdity of the situation: I had redundant coverage four ways: 1) personal comprehensive & collision; 2) Visa credit card; 3) AARP coverage; 4) Avis CDW/LDW.

So I was upset about that. The good thing is that Avis reads, and monitors these reviews (thus the reply, below). Upon their advice to file a formal complaint, they quickly investigated, and refunded my $84.

I continue to hate the collision damage waiver. I understand rental companies push these policies because they find it easier and more efficient to deal with their preferred insurers. But this is accomplished at the customer's expense for this overpriced and redundant insurance. My advice: push past the objections, and never buy the CDW! It is a...

UPDATED after they told me to contact them: “we apologize most sincerely for any inconvenience you may have been caused. We can certainly understand your frustration” [later in same email] “Your charges are valid, as signed for on your SRA. Although we realize that we cannot make up for a disappointing experience such as this, we do appreciate your contacting us.” So reports such as mine are appreciated and they apologize but they’d like to keep my money obtained through deception. Good to know where their priorities lie.

Shockingly manipulative. I was directly misled by the staff at the San Diego airport branch. I had a prepaid voucher for a complete package but they added a bunch of extra charges without asking if I wanted them or telling me they’d added them.

I was rushed through the signing of the contract, with the staff member summarising each page as I signed.

At least twice I queried her. She mentioned that tolls were included and I told her I don’t think they are, it wasn’t mentioned in my booking. She reassured me that they were included in the package I booked.

When she told me I needed to provide a credit card I queried that I’d already paid the full amount and it was covered by the prepaid voucher and she reassured me that yes I’d paid and this was just a holding deposit.

I noticed the extra charges on the email invoice and rang up customer support during the rental period to query the charges. I confirmed I never wanted anything extra to the prepaid voucher. The member of staff on the phone confirmed that the extra charges would be cancelled and I would be refunded within 5 days of returning the car. They did not mention that any charges wouldn’t be refunded.

Only a fraction was refunded, less than $80 of the $215 total extra charges.

They are now refusing to refund the unlimited toll pass and something mysteriously just referred to as RSN on the contract. I did not use a single toll and never had any intention of using toll roads in California so clearly I didn’t want this.

I am disgusted by the level of manipulation displayed by staff members both in-person and on the phone, both times reassuring me that everything was as I expected.

This is clearly a systemic problem and not a one off case judging by the other reviews.

Another more minor point. They didn’t have the car type I booked and tried quite hard to give me an electric car instead, which I refused because I was driving long distances. In the end I was happy with the car I got but it’s bad form not to have availability of what...

TLDR - Bogus charges added to bill, customer service dead-end.

I've rented from Avis, loyally for a great many years (exceeding probably 1.5 years in total rental time, personal and business travel). Sadly, reconsidering that after getting a car from this location in November, and subsequently having a business-relationship-ending experience afterwards.

That the car I received was not in superb, freshly-waxed condition, was not a concern. Sure, had a good bit of exterior damage, but not my problem (just needed a way to get to/from the airport). It was all par for the course based on previous rentals at this location, and I'm not a complainer. To my complete astonishment, I was charged a $125 "cleaning fee" weeks later. When I called to question that charge, I was sent a bunch of dodgy photos of a single fist-sized area of some grass clippings (!) or something on the floor mat and told that "the charge is valid". (Customer service reps kept repeating that phrase, like a mantra. They just follow a script of course. And, hey, somebody took photos of a floor mat and found that it wasn't clean as a dinner plate! Just look at the attached photo, OMG a biohazard site, clearly the customer is wrong...). And, that's the end of the line apparently. Nobody in customer service willing to interrogate this obvious joke of a claim or take it seriously.

The absurdity of having to contest a truly de minimis amount of "debris", well within the normal scope of vehicle return condition (heck, perfectly likely it wasn't sent out in freshly-vacuumed condition, or that their return agent had some lawn clippings on their shoe when driving it off the line, etc etc) is .. mind-boggling. Let that sink in - this location tried to charge a $125 cleaning fee for a vehicle returned in generally the same acceptable condition as it was sent out, tried to justify it with a few sad photos of a floor mat, and when called out the "customer service" reps just shrugged and said "nothing we can do". I'm tempted to write this off as just total lack of care, but the failure to engage, the scripted responses, etc give the impression of intent, and make no mistake - willfully putting charges out like this, with no meaningful dispute process, is absolutely not honest business practice. I strongly recommend anyone reading this skip this location, and probably...