We rented a car through avis.com to be picked up and returned at the Tegel Airport in Berlin, Germany. When we arrived, they didn't have the car we rented so, after seeing that the car was too small, we upgraded. We understood that there was a fee increase. We also added insurance to our rental with the higher 1050 Euro deductible. The car was a 5 series BMW and it was great. When we returned our car to the Avis garage at 7:15 am there was no attendant and there was a sign instructing us to park in one of the stalls and proceed to the customer service desk on another level. We did so. We had filled the tank prior to returning the car. When we went to the customer service desk we were told what the fee would be and they took all of the paperwork back and gave us just the original rental agreement on the first car - the one we did not rent - we did not notice this until after we were home. We were told that there would be no one to check in our car for 45 minutes and, of course, we needed to get to the airport to check in and get ready for our flight. After we returned home and while checking our finances online, we noticed that we had been overcharged for our rental car. We called Avis USA and were told that there was a 1050 Euro charge for damages! There were NO damages on the car. We were also charged about 95 Euros for filling the gas tank! We filed a claim with Avis USA and were told that if we didn't hear anything in 30 days we should call back. In the meantime, we disputed the charges with our visa company and they provisionally credited our account for the $1690 dollars that we believe we were overcharged. After 30 days we called Avis back and were told that they had emailed us documentation that proved that we had caused damage - including photos. We were also told that Avis USA is only a liason for Avis Germany and we needed to deal directly with Avis Germany. The photos that were emailed show a closeup of a black car with scratches on the fender near the headlight and damage to the windshield. There is also a photo of the car we rented (also a black car) taken from a distance. There was also other documentation including a service estimate with the license plate number that matched the car we rented (we know because we took a couple of photos of the car while we were on our vacation.) This scam involves not only Avis Germany/Tegel/Berlin but also the company (real or fictional) that they supposedly use to repair their cars. We are extremely frustrated and have no further recourse with respect to this situation.

My worst rental car experience EVER!

On June 23, 2010 my husband and I rented a car from Avis, located on 3729 US Highway 1 and Harrison St. in Princeton. We were taking our daughter to summer camp.
Just a few minutes after we got in the car, a Chevy Impala, we got a message on the dashboard “Engine Disable”. Right away, we called Avis. Since it was only 7:00 am, we were only able to talk with the Emergency assistant, who was helping us trying to find the closest location to get technical assistant. While we were driving and talking on the phone with AVIS, the car started to lose power and we moved to the shoulder just in time. The car stopped totally and we could not restarted.
After a few tries, the car restarted, and we were now heading to Basking Ridge to fix the car or hopefully to get a new car. By now, it was 8:15 am. When we got to the Avis location, the technician tried to fix the computerized program. He took the car to try and got stopped in the middle of the road unable to go. As it happened to us, a few tries later it restarted.
By 9:00 am or so we got a new car and were finally on our way.

On July 16, 2010 we rented another car from the same location. We were going to pick up our daughter from camp early next morning. I picked the car up at 7:30 pm and parked it across from Avis, where they ask you to move it once you have rented it. Later at night, when my husband returned from work we went to get the car together. We noticed that the gas tank wasn´t 8/8 full as it stated on the contract, but only 7/8. Since we left at 6:00 am the next morning we did not call and thought we would tell them when we returned the car (wrong, of course). We also noticed that there was a water tonic bottle in the trunk, but we left it there. It wasn´t ours.
When we returned the keys the morning of July 19, 2010 they checked the car and told us that there were two scratches on one side of the car. We did not have any incident with the car and we never noticed any scratches.

I had to fill out a form for Avis and I declined any responsibility. The person at the office laughed at me and said I could not decline the responsibility and added something else on the paper.

I told her that the same as they did not notice a water tonic bottle in the trunk of the car and they left the gas tank not as indicated on the contract, I did not feel I could assume the responsibility of a scratch that we didn´t think we were responsible for.

The staff at this location were rude, disrespectful, unprofessional and were never clear with the information provided to us.

Later that day, my husband called the Avis location on Harrison St. to find out more about what I had told him. The person who answered the phone said that there was a scratch on the car and could we say that it was there when the car was taken out. When he said that we had not looked at the car when we took it but nor had Avis checked the gas tank or the back for bottles, she repeated what she had said and when he repeated what he had said, in a truly non-confrontational manner (truly), and she hung up rather than deal with it. When he called back, she put him on hold immediately and never picked up.

He called Avis and described the events, they apologized and said to speak to the manager at the Princeton Avis and that all was noted.

He works in client service and called the next day not just to complain about how he was handled but to let the manager know what had happened and that that person should not be dealing with clients (she hung up on!). So when he spoke to the manager the next day she simply defended the woman who hung up on him and said that he was yelling at her (he absolutely was not). That was it.

Not sure where it will end but we are expecting a letter saying we owe money to pay for the car.

I rented a Nissan Altima for a 4.5 hour long trip. The vehicle started making a dreadfully loud noise the day before the trip ended. On the way home, I contacted Avis because the car had eaten 1/4 tank of gasoline in 43 miles. I explained that I had to keep stopping, and it didn't seem dangerous enough to contact the emergency roadside number. When I returned the car 45 minutes late, I was charged a late fee, and I had paid 75.00 total on gasoline. The car should have been able to do the entire trip on one tank of gas. The representative ended up charging me more than the amount I was scheduled to pay, after presenting a coupon initially at pick up. I saw this complaint site and felt discouraged. I called Avis, who submitted the complaint but I didn't think I would obtain resolution, after it was already charged to my credit card. A week later, the company sent me a letter to inform me of a fair refund, and I will continue using the company for that reason.

Heads up when you rent a car from Avis, I just had a bad experience and was overcharged by $110.00

I had to do an upgrade because they didnt have a mid-size available as requested through Hotwire, but 5 dollars a day turners into 7 a day after all taxes and I was also tricked into getting a vehicle protection that I specifically declined. Contract was never explained to me and customer service was the worst I have ever came across. Car was nice and clean, however stay away or triple check all new charges and contract, this Avis is located at Atlanta Int airport.

Avis Rent a Car in Fullerton (1105 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA) rents out a car that was flagged for recall due to faulty brakes. I only found out about this when I got figured in an accident (luckily no one was injured) when the brakes failed. The towing service guy told me that the Dodge Avenger (the rented out to me) was actually flagged for recall.

Beware of Avis if you value your life!

Also, when they hold you responsible when you cannot return the car on time. Which actually, I was at the specified location at the appropriate date/time; but there was no one from Avis at that location for hours! And they were threatening to charge me for extra days and/or towing services.

It was a mistake to rent from Avis!