havepointswilltravel

I am a frequent renter at the TPA location and I agree with your classification of the staff as 'low performance' I think that they have a nonchalant attitude towards customers' request. Its supposed to be a 24 hr operation, but you need god's help to get a car before 5.30 am.

lainys

My suggestion: do what I did and switch to Hertz. I'm in TPA about once a quarter (so I'm speaking from personal experience). Flying from SFO I usually land in TPA in the evenings. Any IRROPS and I'm getting in close to (or past) midnight. One time I called AVIS TPA counter to let them know of my delayed flight status. Avis CS said my name is on the preferred list and car will be available when I land. Finally got to TPA around 1am and AVIS counter was empty. Hertz counter was manned so I got a last minute rental with Hertz instead. On more than one occasion the Hertz customer reps have said that as long as I enter in my flight information (plus being Hertz Gold), they will wait until the last flight of an expected Hertz Gold member lands.

My TPA rentals are usually 24 hrs or less so getting in and out quickly is important to me.

AVIS preferred at TPA : 3 rentals in 2004 - no staff available for me to pick up car once

Hertz Gold at TPA ^^^: post 2004 - car available for pickup everytime.

Travelgurl123

I wonder if the program has so many members that simply being one of many is not enough. How many millions are in the Preferred/First program?

IAHtraveler

The Preferred program is really just an account so they can store your info/preferences and (hopefully) get you to your car quicker. As for First, I agree, there are so many that it's basically useless at most locations. At smaller stations when I was First, I found they were very good, though. If you look at their printout, it seems like about 1/3 or so were First. I'm lucky to see another PC or CC member when I've looked at the list of 30 or so rentals.

tony flynn

This was my experience of Hertz at TPA this time last year.......http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...xperience.html

tony flynn

I should also add that I used to get great service from Hertz at TPA until last year, what happened to that company?

lainys

Sorry to hear about the Yukon/dirty Expedition issues you had. I agree it's a real bummer. For me company policy dictates mid-size cars only so I haven't had an experience with specifically renting an SUV at Hertz TPA. Most (not all) of the time I have gotten upgrades - sometimes to an SUV, other times it can be a prestige car, a few times it has also been a minivan. My main requirement is that a person be there at the counter to give me my keys so I can make the quick drive to St Petersburg during the evening. This gives me an extra 30 mins shut-eye in the morning so I don't have to drive thru rush hour to get to my customer.

So you're not a fan of Hertz, I'm DEFINITELY not a fan of Avis at TPA. That leaves Budget? or Dollar? Enterprise is another one to stay away from. I haven't tried Thrifty yet.... From memory are the limited choices from TPA for being able to pick up a care at the airport onsite.

Travelgurl123

lainys; If you are tied to the Midsize rate you should go to National and join Emerald Club. As a EC member I only pay the M rate, but get to take any car on the Aisle available. I often get SUV's, and 1X even a Luxury car was available. It's great to choose your car.

uanj

I am very disappointed with Avis- all five of my last rentals did not have a car waiting. But this past week's took the cake. He said he needed to know how many miles I would be driving it. I said I have unlimited mileage and he still wanted to know. It was 1 am and I just wanted to go so I said whatever for? He said the car was well overdue for an oil change and he did not want me to be responsible for the engine if it went dry! Wow, that's bad. Does anyone know if Hertz is better? I have a Diamond or Emerald club offer from them. I hate to leave Avis but I am just fed up.

IAHtraveler

Gotta wonder if that's the real case or if they had a car that was nearing the end of it's lease/buyback terms and didn't want you to go over it. Given that scenario, I'd reply with something like: "Well, if tomorrow goes well, I'll only be driving locally... maybe 100 miles. If I gotta go to XYZ to get parts, it'll probably be at least 1000."

Tuneman1984

I would've replied "100 miles.....or similar"

Jack Bristow

All the car rental places are like this now, despite the claims of trying harder, they're lazy and unmotivated. Philadelphia's Avis is hands-down the worst Avis in the entire nation. It had gotten so bad in 2006 they had Avis representatives from the national office out asking everyone who returned a car how their experience was.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to see 200+ cars cleaned and on the lot but they have "no cars available" and they resist free upgrades with a passion...I was once told free upgrades are actually tracked and reviewed by management which might help explain the reluctance.

I flip-flop between Avis and Hertz depending on which one pissed me off last. While Hertz is usually better about the selection of cars (BUT only if you press the issue forcefully! squeaky wheel gets the grease!) the cars are generally older and dirtier than what you'll receive at Avis.

spineangel

I previously had most of the above situations happen as well. I then started to search out and introduce myself to the station manager at all of my frequent visited cities. Then kindly asked if he could put my preference of a caddy into his stations compter profile for me when I reserve a premium car. This tactic has now worked almost 100% of the time.

LostAntipod

Add "uncompetitive" to "lazy and unmotivated"....

I have a €35 Avis voucher that I received as a service recovery gesture from the last time I used Avis, for a 10 day rental in Australia in January. I had already pointed out that the car was dirty and damaged inside and out, naturally there was no upgrade, that their helpdesk was next to useless, that my BA miles did not post, and that Avis Preferred meant nothing, and I wouldnt be using them again. Still, they sent me the voucher. (*)

I have a need for another rental like this next January. So we are talking about a A$600-$700 rental here. Do you think I can find a quote from AVIS - reduced by €35 - that beats quotes I can get from Hertz, National, Europcar, Alamo who dont get a €35 head start ?

Nope. Not even close. Who tried harder ?

(* if, at this point, you are wondering why I took the car at all- the office was closing in 20 minutes, and "they had nothing else left except smaller cars, and the vacuum cleaner is broken", and I needed the wheels there and then)

tony flynn

Well to compound it all, I've realised today that Avis TPA have ignored the BA prepay that I did and have charged me for the rental - in essence, I've paid twice.

I cannot find the words to describe the sheer incompetence, laziness and downright poor attitude exhibited and experienced at the preferred counter at this location.

If Avis truly cared and if Avis truly 'tried harder' then they'd at least have a management lurker on this forum like Hertz now have.

A $5 overcharge for no apparent reason at ATL coupled with a lazy couldn't care less attitude and the same kind of attitude x 10 at TPA coupled with an attempted overcharge of $750 - We try harder my arse.