I had a lot of problems with Avis at Gatwick and in the States late last year.

At LGW I had to pay a fine for a bulge on the tyre (about £90GBP) upon return. I couldn't prove it wasn't my fault so I just paid it and let it go (even though I now bring it up here ) This may not have been Avis's fault, but that's the first time I've had a bulge in a tyre before in over 25 years of driving and I wonder if the tyre had a weakness or I didn't spot it on collection.

About 3 weeks later I had a lot of problems upon returning another car and getting the rate sorted as I was overcharged. They sorted it but it took a manager and absolutely ages to resolve the matter, and if I hadn't spotted the overcharge I would have been considerably out of pocket.

Finally, in Orlando I put up with quite a pushy sell on their extra insurances which I didn't want . Then the guy said can I take a seat and we had to wait an extra 30 minutes, just to pick up a standard full size vehicle - last thing we needed after a long flight (the guy in the car park couldn't understand why we had to wait as they had tons available). On return we'd been charged one of the extra insurances anyway! Another wait in line and a blunt refusal to refund - until I showed her the original agreement we'd signed when we picked up the vehicle and then she refunded us.

So three car hires from Avis in about 5 weeks. 2 defininely at fault, the third possibly an Avis fault.