Avis bait-and-switch?
 

I recently reserved (and pre-paid for) a four door Ford Focus at an airport. On arrival I was presented with a two door VW Beetle which was completely unsuitable for what I had to do. I was told that the only other car they had was a Toyota Corolla and that would be a charged-for upgrade. I didn't really have a choice at that time and accepted it. On complaining to Avis later I was basically told, "tough, you accepted the charge". Has anybody else had this kind of experience? And this kind of response from Avis? I don't intend to rent from them again.

In my experience, car rental companies do not guarantee a particular make and model, only a car category - e.g., economy, compact, midsize, full size. According to Avis, a Ford Focus is a compact car, as is a VW Beetle. They substituted one compact model for another compact model. They categorize a Toyota Corolla as a midsize car. Therefore, that would be an upgrade. It doesn't sound like bait and switch to me, even though it would have been an inconvenience for you.

Usually, there isn't too much difference in cost - how much extra did you have to pay?

What class did you reserve? I would consider a 2-door Beetle "or similar" enough to a Focus, at least as far as size and passenger accommodations are concerned.

That said, accepting that the Beetle was unsuitable - at the airport, you have the most power of any rental situation because competitors are right there. For next time, I think I would politely ask for a refund, then whip out the trusty smartphone and make a Priceline reservation with a competitor on the spot.

Without knowing the Airport (or at least the country) it is difficult to give any additional information/advice. Let us know some more specifics, and we can give you more help.

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

While it really does sound like a crappy tactic, technically the Beetle and the Focus are the same class and the Corolla is a class above.

From my experience a one class upgrade at an airport location isn't normally a big deal, Do you have any Status with Avis?