Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) and Chargebacks

Old Nov 2, 2011, 10:28 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by airoli
This very annoying issue was discussed before in this thread. I investigated with Avis and it seems that they (sneakily and unfairly) set all foreign credit cards used at US locations to DCC by default, and you have to opt out manually.

While possible, this is tedious and it's a very poor example of customer-friendiness.
This is correct.

I have a USD Visa card issued by a British bank. When I rented with Avis in the US, I picked up my car from the Preferred bay and drove away. When I got the bill after the rental, the amount on my USD bank statement was wrong, so I queried it. Avis admitted they had converted the USD amount of my bill to British Pounds, and my bank, of course, had subsequently converted the Pounds amount back to US Dollars.... nice little earner, n'est-ce pas?
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Old Apr 11, 2012, 12:53 am
  #17  
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Got DCCed with Avis when I returned my rental 3 days ago. It has never happened in my US rental before, this is the first time I rented as Avis Preferred.

I have never signed anything agreeing to this and they forced a 3% charge on my bill. I called Avis CS billing dept and they claim that it's their new policy.

This is cheating because in my reservation nothing is displayed in my home currency including the rental contract I got from Avis. It's the final print out and the invoice that are in my home currency. It feels like being robbed.
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Old Apr 11, 2012, 4:46 am
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Originally Posted by nacho
Got DCCed with Avis when I returned my rental 3 days ago. It has never happened in my US rental before, this is the first time I rented as Avis Preferred.

I have never signed anything agreeing to this and they forced a 3% charge on my bill. I called Avis CS billing dept and they claim that it's their new policy.

This is cheating because in my reservation nothing is displayed in my home currency including the rental contract I got from Avis. It's the final print out and the invoice that are in my home currency. It feels like being robbed.
I feel your pain. I'm hesitant to use Avis Preferred because of this, although I have been able to get a refund when complaining to Avis Sweden a year ago or so. But "new policy" doesn't sound good.
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Old Apr 11, 2012, 6:36 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by nacho
Got DCCed with Avis when I returned my rental 3 days ago. It has never happened in my US rental before, this is the first time I rented as Avis Preferred.

I have never signed anything agreeing to this and they forced a 3% charge on my bill. I called Avis CS billing dept and they claim that it's their new policy.

This is cheating because in my reservation nothing is displayed in my home currency including the rental contract I got from Avis. It's the final print out and the invoice that are in my home currency. It feels like being robbed.
Do you have the ability to dispute with your credit card? If it wasn't stated anywhere, they shouldn't have the ability to change currency/fees/etc. I'd call Avis another time or two and give them crap and see if Agent Roulette works.
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Old Apr 13, 2012, 1:06 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by IAHtraveler
Do you have the ability to dispute with your credit card? If it wasn't stated anywhere, they shouldn't have the ability to change currency/fees/etc. I'd call Avis another time or two and give them crap and see if Agent Roulette works.
I wrote to Avis Europe and Sweden to complain. I'll call a charge back if I don't get my fee refunded.
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Old Apr 16, 2012, 10:08 am
  #21  
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Update

Got a reply from Avis Sweden:

Thank you for your mail!

You were originally charged in USD. In order for the charge to go through to your

creditcard issued in Sweden the charge had to be converted from USD to SKR.

Avis customers are charged in the currency of country of residence.

That you were not asked is because you are a preferred customer and have a signature on file.

If you at a future rental would like to be charged in the currency of the country where you rent

you need only to say so when picking up the car, and sign for it.

I hope I could answer your question.
That is hopeless. I was never given a choice nor I have agreed or signed anything that I'll be billed in SEK. The most annoying part is that I have to say it and sign something that is supposed to be the norm. I have never given a choice to opt out DCC.

I have sent them a last e-mail giving them either 1. readjust the bill back to USD or 2. refund the DCC charge.

If they turn me down, I'm definitely going for a charge back
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Old Apr 18, 2012, 2:53 am
  #22  
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A respond from Avis Scandinavia

Well I have started my chargeback, since I got this final answer from Avis:

We are sorry that we have not been able to solve this case in a for you satisfying way.

We have attached the relevant parts of the terms and conditions that you have signed as a preferred customer, page 7, section 10.

From Avis side we do think we have answered the questions to our best ability and consider this case to be closed.

Furher questions in this matter will therefore not be answered.

We regret this deeply and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you as customer some time in the future.
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Old Apr 18, 2012, 3:27 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by nacho
Well I have started my chargeback, since I got this final answer from Avis:
So what exactly does page 7, section 10, say???

(Their repsonse was based on that, but you did include that, so it's difficult for us to actually understand what their reponse was.)
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Old Apr 18, 2012, 5:19 pm
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Originally Posted by sdsearch
So what exactly does page 7, section 10, say???

(Their repsonse was based on that, but you did include that, so it's difficult for us to actually understand what their reponse was.)
Here's the page 7, section 10:

Payment
10 You accepting these Terms and Conditions hereby constitutes authority for the
relevant Avis Licensee to compute and debit the total charges under each Avis
Preferred Rental Agreement against your account with the specified card issuing
organisation, on completion of the rental. Any terms and conditions notified to you at
the time of reservation relating to the payment method chosen by you for any rental
will be incorporated into the terms and conditions of that Avis Preferred Rental
Agreement. If you have chosen to pay in a currency other than that used by Avis or
the Avis Licensee when the quote was prepared, the exchange rate used is based on
the Citibank wholesale rate plus 4%, with this currency conversion service being
provided by the Avis Licensee.
It's ridiculous because I have never seen anything about SEK until I have returned the car. The quote was in USD, the contract I got when I picked up the car was in USD.
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Old Apr 19, 2012, 4:07 pm
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Has anyone tried chargeback for rental from Avis?

Hi,

I have DCCed by Avis and I have started my chargeback process (after they have refused to readjust the amount).

Has anyone tried this and how did Avis respond?

Thanks in advance!
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Old Apr 19, 2012, 11:11 pm
  #26  
 
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Why exactly are you disputing a charge with Avis?

What happens is the credit department faxes over a chargeback form, and the location has to provide your signed rental agreement. If you signed for it, or left the counter with your RA, you don't have any grounds to complain.
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Old Apr 19, 2012, 11:45 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by MrAndrew
Why exactly are you disputing a charge with Avis?

What happens is the credit department faxes over a chargeback form, and the location has to provide your signed rental agreement. If you signed for it, or left the counter with your RA, you don't have any grounds to complain.
Avis used DCC without my approval. I have never signed anything agreeing on that. I'm asking my CC company to do a chargeback on the DCC part, not a full chargeback.

Last edited by nacho; Apr 20, 2012 at 12:04 am
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Old Apr 20, 2012, 12:55 am
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Not sure what a DCC is, but....

I had a coupon for $5 on a rental once, that was not taken off the balance. I e-mailed 3 times, each time being told it would be taken care of. I waited a month, and it wasnt dealt with, so I disputed the amount. Only $5, but it is the idea of it that pissed me off. The $5 dispute went through fine, and I received a hand written apology letter from a manager at that particular Avis, along with a $25 coupon for future use.
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Old Apr 20, 2012, 8:19 am
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Originally Posted by tatterdema
Not sure what a DCC is, but....

I had a coupon for $5 on a rental once, that was not taken off the balance. I e-mailed 3 times, each time being told it would be taken care of. I waited a month, and it wasnt dealt with, so I disputed the amount. Only $5, but it is the idea of it that pissed me off. The $5 dispute went through fine, and I received a hand written apology letter from a manager at that particular Avis, along with a $25 coupon for future use.
DCC= Dynamic Currency Conversion. Avis converted the currency for me instead of my visa, and the rate Avis is using is roughly 3% more than my visa. They never ask me which currency I'd like to be billed in, my ressie and my contract are only stated in USD.

It's not a big amount, but I can't stand their sneaky way of billing the wrong currency without their consent.

Did you dispute the whole amount, or just $5?

Thanks!
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Old Apr 20, 2012, 9:25 am
  #30  
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Originally Posted by nacho
DCC= Dynamic Currency Conversion. Avis converted the currency for me instead of my visa, and the rate Avis is using is roughly 3% more than my visa. They never ask me which currency I'd like to be billed in, my ressie and my contract are only stated in USD.

It's not a big amount, but I can't stand their sneaky way of billing the wrong currency without their consent.

Did you dispute the whole amount, or just $5?

Thanks!
Check the t&c of the specific contract you signed to make certain that you did not consent. Many of the things people think that they didn't authorize, they actually did.
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