Hi Flyertalk....hoping there is some sort of Avis rep here that can assist.

I rented a car for July 4th weekend and just got a letter that a "smoke odor" was discovered in the car upon return and that I will be charged a $250 fee for the required cleaning.

Neither my husband nor I smoke, so there is no possible way the car smelled of smoke. I just spoke with the agent at Avis who indicated that until my card is actually charged the $250 I can't dispute the charge because no actual charge has been made. The agent said he would make a note on the account but I should watch my cc statement for the charge and to call back if/when it is charged.

I can see how this is my word against theirs as I have no way of proving retroactively that the car DIDN'T smell like smoke when I dropped it off, but in that same vein I guess they don't have a way of proving it did?

Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? What recourse do I have in this situation?