nacho

Avis has been doing this for years - I had exactly the same problem. I even had a copy of the contract that I DIDN'T check the I'll pay in my local currency box. They still refused me and charged it in my local currency.

I don't care how much but this act is simply a scam. I have contacted Avis but there is nothing I can do.

Next time - you may consider using your CC to draw cash and pay cash upon return - that's the ONLY way to avoid DCC by Avis.

percysmith

I only have a Wizard account, I have no idea what Preferred will do to me.

I realised an old card was on my profile when a rental last weekend got booked against the wrong card.

I fixed the rental, but I also updated my Wizard profile to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The above options do not appear for Visa/MC against my Wizard profile. Must be a Preferred "privilege"

nacho

Yes - 'Preferred' customers in the US, but in Europe (at least) we are forced to DCC in our 'home' currency.

I was told at LAX Avis that the only way I could avoid the forced DCC is to settle the bill in cash upon returning the rental.

Hannibal Lecter

Unfortunately that doesn't help, I picked up a car in London and even though
I had made sure to uncheck that box I got a contract which said that I had choosen to pay in local currency

sosafan

You want to pay in local currency.

sdsearch

Paying in local currency is avoidance of DCC.

DCC is paying in your own currency.

So it seems like it did help!

(Or else you wrote up something other than what the contract says. )

Hannibal Lecter

No, my bad written in a hurry, I meant my local currency referring to the line above where it says.
Note: International travelers using a MasterCard or Visa charge card have the opportunity to be billed in their local currency:

The contract had the usual
I confirm that I was offered a choice of payment in £ but choose...

This has now happened twice, both times in England, first at Heathrow and
then at Manchester airport.

nacho

Same as Avis in France - I even checked the box that I wish to be billed in EURO. I had a copy of the contract and sent it to them and appealed to Avis and they denied it

Hannibal Lecter

Did you complain to VISA/Mastercard? they can amed it

I always ask them to change it when I pick up the car, there's never
been a problem except that it's wating time.

nacho

No, Avis charged me wrongfully for some other things and they refunded me more than that amount for DCC so I didn't do anything.

Afterwards, I did a charged back for the DCC amount and was denied by a very stupid Swedish bank.

ualboston1k

This just happened to me by Avis.

I hate DCC. Earlier in the year, I rented a car in Toronto and was charged in USD instead of Canadian. That is when I found out about the "check box" in my wizard profile, which I promptly unchecked.

Subsequent rentals in Toronto have gone ok and I was charged in Canadian.

But that wasn't the case last month with a rental in France. Returned the car to CDG airport and was given a receipt showing I paid in Euro. No mention of any DCC, or me being given a choice. No mention of USD anywhere. I was pleased.

Imagine my surprise to see the charge post anyway in USD. Went online to my Avis profile and receipt is still in Euro. In this case the local Avis manager must have done the change manually.

I am disputing it with Avis (on my 4th email) and with Visa.

This is a scam and has to stop!

nacho

Yes that's the very same happened to us - asked to be billed in EUR and I even checked the box that I want to be billed in EUR - I had hard copy of the contract but Avis refused to accept that.

Another time I disputed it with Visa about Avis DCCed me again for my rental in the US but they turned it down because 'I used the service'. I asked for the different that they DCCed me but it was refused.

Today when I was clearing out trash I found an Avis receipt saying something like 'I had a choice to be billed in USD or SEK but I chose to be billed in SEK, and that Avis will charge a fee of 3%'.

There was no where I could sign or decline it. The only thing I could do was to pay cash when I return the car

This is the price to pay for being Preferred. I was told that if I weren't Preferred I could avoid all these - but in return I'll have to queue and then try to sell me paid upgrade.

bkafrick

Ugh. I can't believe I fell victim to this. I thought I did everything right.

I made sure that my preferences were to NOT be billed in my home currency on my Wizard profile months ago. (though when I go back to try to check it, even after pressing EDIT on my credit card profile, it doesn't give me the same options to opt-out of DCC anymore?)

My contract printed out with the standard, "I had the option to be billed in GBP, but I chose to be billed in USD. SIGNATURE ON FILE". Which I promptly told the agent I didn't agree with. She typed something into her computer and said it was fixed.

When I returned to the counter to drop it off, I confirmed I was being billed in GBP and she confirmed it. My receipt is in GBP.

But, on my credit card statement, they billed it in USD. When I called AVIS International Customer Service, they said there was nothing they could do. That my signature on file said I had agreed to the conversion. I told them my profile specifically said not to, and I told the agent picking it up and dropping it off to bill in British Pounds. The phone rep said I would have to opt out of the preferred program in order to avoid the auto conversion; that because I was preferred the contracts are generated automatically that way.

w.t.f?!

sosafan

I just checked my profile and the box was there, but it is not checked.

bkafrick

Where?

I log into my Wizard account.
I click on credit card - it shows Type of Card, Card No, and Exp Date.
I click on "edit" and it allows me to modify these values, but nothing else.

Am I looking in the wrong place?