Originally Posted by JS

A couple of weeks ago, I made a reservation for a one day rental car to be picked up today at 5:30 PM at ITH (Ithaca, NY). The woman on the phone told me that the counter closes at 5 PM on Saturdays, but they will wait for you if you make a reservation.

I arrived right on time at 5:30 PM, and there was no one at the counter. I walked over to the pay phone and called Avis. She said she would transfer me to customer service; the result was a recorded message saying that customer service is open 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM Monday through Friday.

I called again and explained the problem, asking her not to transfer me to customer service since they are closed. She put me on hold, and came back and said that there should be two people at the Ithaca counter now. I said, "One moment; let me go check." I walked around the corner, saw no one there, and came back to the phone 10 seconds later to discover I had been disconnected.

I called the third time and explained the problem, asking her not to transfer me or hang up on me. She said that the reservation says I will be there at 4:55 PM, and the flight information says "US Airways" but has no flight number.

I clearly remember saying that I would be there at 5:30 PM and being told that they will wait for me, since the counter closes at 5:00 PM. The 4:55 PM entry is obviously the latest time you can pick up a car before their official closing time.

I rented a car because the hotels in Ithaca tonight are sold out or horribly expensive (Family Weekend at Cornell University). I was going to drive to Elmira or Binghamton and stay there.

Instead, I had to pay $15 for a taxi to go to the only hotel less than $100, which is the Wonderland Motel, a cheap one story motel. This hotel is so cheap, I have to choose between plugging the AC adaptor into my laptop and connecting to the phone line because the two are at opposite ends of the room. $95 plus tax for this!

My short visit to Ithaca has been ruined because of Avis. They should cancel their "We try harder" ads.


When I complain to Avis, I am planning to demand three things from them:

1) Documentation showing that the agent who took my reservation has been fired

2) A free one-day car rental

3) Reimbursement of the $30 taxi fare