I'm curious if you called central Avis reservations, or the local office. I wouldn't be surprised if an agent at a central location was quoting a company policy of staying late that the actual location chose not to honor- and that shouldn't be the booking agent's fault. If you called to the local office, then they should've said upfront if they didn't want to wait. If the agent was wrong, yes they should be made aware, but if we were all fired on one mistake, who all would have a job? Either way, Avis should apologize. Not sure about what compensation they could give, other than free car days and maybe the taxi.