Avis Car Rental - I swear I opted out of extras but was charged for them
Our take
I just booked an AVIS car rental the other day, and swear I opted out of the extra charges (insurance, tolls, etc.), so of course once I hit confirm, I didn't check the agreement that was emailed to me, thinking all was well. I don't usually rent through AVIS, by the way. However, when I called today to extend my rental, and looked at the agreement, I see that there are over $800 in additional charges for my rental this week for all of the "extra's". I explained to the person at the location (over the phone) that I was under the impression I opted out of those. However, she said since the rental was already pickedup and in progress, there is nothing that can be done. I did some research (because of course now I'm ticked off and out $800) and found where other people have had similar issues. I plan to call corporate tomorrow and ask for a post rental adjustment, but have no idea how that will go. By the way, did I mention I booked this for my manager, so it's not like I can go up to the counter at the location and argue this in person. Nor do I want to put that on her to argue in person. Of course I made her aware of this, and told her I was going to fight it. Any help on how to rectify this, or any stories of other people having a similar issue on their website would be helpful. I'm so aggravated. Where of course I don't want my manager to eat these additional costs, I have offered to pay for them. But I sure as hell don't have $800 sitting around! Ugh. Frustrated as all hell.
[link] [comments]
Read on the original site
Open the publisher's page for the full experience
Related Articles
- Avis car rental - CollectionsGood morning everyone. So I just wanted to share just how problematic AVIS car rental can be. I’m guessing a lot of this is automation but who really knows. I rented a car from AVIS on 2/9/2026. Rental period was to 2/13/2026. Returned the car like normal. Didn’t think anything of it. I got a letter and email on 3/19/2026. (Letter arrived a few days later). It stated there was a problem with a tire. They charged 106.58 for the tire (I guess it was patched, no idea they didn’t say the issue and they didn’t provide a picture. They then added a 29.00 fee. The letter went on to say in ten days we will charge the credit card on file. If you have an issue please let us know, otherwise no action required. They provided a phone number and a email address for questions. Well I was very busy with work so I emailed them. First to the wrong email on the 19th, then the correct email address on 3/26/2026. I even got an automated response on 3/26/2026 that they got the email and would review it shortly. At some point this week I got a letter from a collections agency about owning 135.98. I just got home from a business trip as I’m on the road >90% travel for work. I call immediately of course customer service says they tried to charge the card and it failed. (I went through looking to see if I had a decline from American Express and of course I didn’t see anything.) I’m beyond frustrated. I did not get any additional emails from the company. I did not see a decline. They didn’t bother reviewing my email. Just straight to collections. They didn’t even bother sending an email that it declined. They had no problem using the same card for tolls though. Now I have to deal with collections which freaks me out because it can cost me my job. All over a 135.98 charge. To make matters worse the car was complaining about the tire (TPS) and didn’t bother checking for a nail when I got it. I just figured. It’s cold out. The usual sensor issues you see in February. It was unusually cold for even Miami at the time. The collections letter backdated everything to me owing the 135.98 on 2/9/2026. Not that this matters much but the way it reads is very disingenuous. They didn’t reach out until 3/19. Three weeks later collections. Did you know that anyone can send something to collections even if it’s 1 day late? I’m betting that is why the 29.00 fee is so high. I hope AVIS reads this at some point because this is awful customer service. I’m sure you do this to a lot of people and if this even stops one person from renting your cars then it was worth writing. submitted by /u/chrismholmes [link] [comments]
- Avis quoted me €200 for an upgrade and then charged me nearly €700I booked a car and upon pickup, decided to ask the Avis desk about upgrading to a better vehicle. The salesperson told me the upgrade would cost around 200 €. I asked again. Then I asked again. And again. Every single time, I was told the same thing: the upgrade would only be about 200 €. Because something already felt suspicious, my travel companion and I both made sure to confirm the amount multiple times before agreeing. The salesperson repeatedly reassured us that the extra charge was indeed around 200 €. At the desk, they even put what appeared to be that agreed amount into the card terminal and handed me a paper receipt, making the whole thing look completely legitimate. Later, I found out I had actually been charged nearly 700 €. The most infuriating part is that the 200€ amount does appear in the contract, but it refers to something entirely different. So now they are hiding behind the paperwork and refusing to properly address what was clearly said and shown at the desk. Yes, I understand the obvious argument: you signed the contract, so it is binding. But that completely misses the point. When a salesperson repeats one price several times, confirms it face to face, enters that amount at the payment terminal, and hands you a receipt that reinforces the same impression, this stops looking like a misunderstanding and starts looking a lot like a deliberate scam. What makes this worse is that I already had doubts about the salesperson’s honesty, which is exactly why we double checked the amount multiple times before accepting. Even then, they still pushed this through. It is honestly unbelievable that in 2026 a major rental company can still operate like this. Say one thing at the counter, charge something completely different, then hide behind the contract afterward and refuse to engage with the substance of the complaint. My advice now is simple: do not let Avis “upgrade” you unless your dream holiday includes donating random hundreds of euros to a multinational scammer for the privilege of being lied to with confidence. Their pricing logic seems to work like a magic trick performed by a pickpocket: look over here at the 200 €, smile at the receipt, and by the time you check again, nearly 700 € has vanished from your account. If that is their idea of normal business practice, then Avis is not selling upgrades, they are selling expensive little lessons in why nobody should trust them. Take your money somewhere else and let some other company ruin your day honestly. submitted by /u/KoloAidattu [link] [comments]