Avis - Avis NYC / Manhattan

Do Avis locations in Manhattan suck, or is it just me? They don't do preferred, so you always have to wait in a long line. Then they lie and tell you an upgrade is not available, then you have to wait 10 minutes for them to bring your car around.

Then, when you return, do everything in reverse. Wait 10 minutes for them to take care of your car, wait in a long line to get your receipt.

Has anyone ever gotten good service or a Select upgrade? Am I doing something wrong or what?

d

Do Avis locations in Manhattan suck, or is it just me? They don't do preferred, so you always have to wait in a long line.

>>True

Then they lie and tell you an upgrade is not available

>>I've gotten upgrades @ W54 location. I've even used the UA 50% off coupon last year.

Then, when you return, do everything in reverse. Wait 10 minutes for them to take care of your car, wait in a long line to get your receipt.

>>My returns usually are pretty fast and painless

Has anyone ever gotten good service or a Select upgrade? Am I doing something wrong or what?

>>Overall, service is usually sloppy and bad

I have done probably over 100 rentals over the years as Preferred Select - never got an upgrade, not at W54, not at E90.

But to make matters worse, I most recently was wondering why I did not get miles credited (the one thing which used to work very well with Manhattan rentals), and have been told by Avis Customer Service that Manhattan is not a "participating partner".

I am still fighting the issue (the mileage partner actually does show on "My Avis" as confirmed), but if this holds true than I will seriously reconsider using Avis in Manhattan at all in future.

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But to make matters worse, I most recently was wondering why I did not get miles credited (the one thing which used to work very well with Manhattan rentals), and have been told by Avis Customer Service that Manhattan is not a "participating partner".

I am still fighting the issue (the mileage partner actually does show on "My Avis" as confirmed), but if this holds true than I will seriously reconsider using Avis in Manhattan at all in future. [/B]</font>

You don't get mileage for rentals in Manhattan; I think only from airport locations.

Same is true for rentals in San Diego - mileage awarded for rentals at airport only. Since I frequently rent at my neighborhood Avis office, I switched my profile to earn Hilton HHonors points. Seems to work fine. Now I collect HHonors points for any Avis rental, airport or not.

i get miles for Manhattan rentals. i enter my number in my reservation online and i have always gotten my miles.

i contacted American about this ages ago and they told me rentals without flights were eligible for miles (i.e., manhattan rentals for me since i live here).

but, yes, manhattan rental locations TOTALLY S*CK. the people are unprofessional and think they are doing the customer a favor.

there is no "please" or "thank you" and they are almost without exception very rude.

Well, I've got another reservation coming up tonight at E43. We'll see how it goes; I'm fully prepared to walk out without a car if they start playing games again.

d

just wanted to update this thread. rented on E11 this past weekend. i am preferred select and had a coupon attached for an upgrade (to double my chances?).

told at that counter it wasn't available. shocking.

has anyone here gotten an upgrade in manhattan in...let's say...the last three months? ONE PERSON???

i do truly hate the manhattan locations. awful attitude. you should be lucky that you are getting a car. no upgrades.....

[This message has been edited by fly co to see the yanks (edited 03-24-2003).]

I think few of the Avis employees in Manhattan ever heard about Preferred Select.

Also, I do not understand why I have to still always initial and sign the rental contracts.

I mostly rent at E90 and found out that they rarely have any sub-compacts or compacts. But you can usually book them, and so I book a sub-compact. Then at the counter they ask if I want an upgrade to an intermediate or full size for a handful $$$ more. That's when I hint to my Select status. They give me a strange look, mumble something to their colleagues, and fumble with some keys, but so far I always drove out with the bigger car without paying the extra $$$.

Regarding the issue on the miles mentioned further up on this thread, Avis has confirmed that you do get miles in Manhattan for BA (500), LH (500) and Qantas (700), and so far I have had no further problems and received all my credits within a week or two.

I rented back in October, as posted above.

I did end up getting an upgrade to a "premium plus" from a "premium." It was an Aurora with leather and CD player.

The wait at the desk wasn't too bad this time around, but the wait for the car was a little on the long side. Returning went relatively smoothly.

So, in the end, it didn't turn out that bad. It was the first time that renting with Avis wasn't a nightmare. I still wish they could have the preferred rentals ready to go rather than having to go through the whole rental process.

d

I actually have less problem with Avis (E64) than any other places. I would never rent from Hertz (E91) again. The line is ALWAYS long. Expect at least a 45 minute wait. Budget E87 is OK, but they ran out of cars often. And I never get miles from anyone in Manhattan.

Any issues to be aware of when renting at the airport (LGA) and returning in town (W54)?

Got a rental coming up, and I'm curious.

I'm Pref.Slct and have reserved a full-size Buick Century. What would I get upgraded to, I wonder?

Thanks,
lux

actually had a decent rental experience at East 11th street on friday night. my SUV was all ready when i arrived. even the woman at the counter was pleasant. but, alas, her badge said "Trainee." she'll learn.... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif

I'm bumping this thread because I had yet another lousy experience with Avis in Manhattan that I wanted to share, and solicit more recent tales of woe.

I rent from Avis in Manhattan, on average, maybe once every couple of months. The W54 location is convenient to my apartment, and with the right discount code, Avis is usually the cheapest I can find without having to schlep.

To keep this short, here's a summary of my experience yesterday picking up from AEC (in lower Manhattan) and returning to W54 (midtown, west side):

* I reserved a 4-door, full-size. Without explanation or advance warning, the clerk calls up a 2-door Monte Carlo. Not a huge deal for me, but it would've been nice if she'd explained the change rather than just force it upon me and expect me to accept it.

* Car had a half-tank of gas. Unfamiliar with the Avis form, I asked that she show me where this was noted. She acted like I should have known where to look and made me feel like a jerk for asking. In truth, I've never gotten a half-full car from Avis, so I honestly didn't know how this worked. She told me, again derisively, that I should return the call half-full and would get a credit for any extra gas I left in the tank beyond that. Fine.

* Car was FILTHY. They just didn't clean it. Cigarette ashes everywhere. Hair. Sticky. Yuck.

* I turn on the car and rap is blaring at super-high volume on the radio. I guess they were using the car's radio for ambient music in the garage and forgot to turn it down to human-level in preparation for it going out.

* When I returned the car to W54 -- mind you, another Avis location entirely -- the check-in clerk asked me if I'd put gas in the car. I told him, yes, and that I received it half-empty as noted on my contract. Without saying a word, he prints out my ticket which shows a fuel service charge of $40. I remind him that the car came half-full and I returned it with more gas than that, and he tells me that I can _try_ to talk with the clerk in the office. He didn't bother to look at the contract...I guess he figured it wasn't his problem.

* When I go inside to fix the fuel confusion, again, I get an attitude like I'm somehow trying to beat the system. She eventually figures out that I was just doing as I was told, though I get no credit for the extra gas in the car (but was told that, if I did get a credit, it definitely _would not_ be at the $5 per gallon rates they charge you if you don't return it with the same amount of gas as it went out with).

* As I'm leaving, rap is blaring at super-high volume from my returned car's radio. I guess using the car's radio for ambient music is standard Avis procedure throughout Manhattan.

None of these things are a big deal, but I just don't understand why they have to treat customers so badly. Each interaction I had with an Avis employee yesterday left me frustrated. I know that this isn't how things are supposed to be.

I find the radio is usually tuned to the local hip-hop station wherever I pick up my Avis cars, although usually not at ear-bleed levels. As a bonus, I once found a mariachi CD in a convertible at MIA. I returned it with the car ;)

I have always had a good experience at the W42 st location including upgrade requests being fulfilled. Maybe it's the fact that I've been renting there for four years and all the CS reps know me though...

I agree they are pretty good at the W42 Loc.