I rent from this location about 20 times a year. I often rent in the luxury class here since the exchange section has about 8 spaces total and usually has a mix of bland cars in them (I also rent from National here and their EA/ES aisle is awesome). Due to the AA miles promotion I have been renting from Avis during the promotion.

Anyway, this time it was just a 1-day rental so decided to book a full-size and let my Avis First status get me a standard 1-class upgrade (based on availability). I show up and I was assigned the same class I rented, a full-size. I went and checked out the exchange aisle, but really didn't expect much, and there wasn't much worthwhile there. They did assign me a nice, and new, Buick Regal, which was much nicer than I expected.

The lot is absolutely jammed packed full of cars, so I go to the desk and ask them if I can get a premium car, per the Avis First terms. The lady checks and says none are available, but they do have SUV's galore. So, she walks outside, leads me to the exchange area, and says I can choose from there, as there are several (crummy) SUVs there. I look over at the Upgrade section, there is a BMW there I like and ask if they can do anything about the price (it is listed at $25). She says, lets go talk to the lady that handles the upgrades. So, we go back towards the office, and the upgrade lady says no, the car was just put out and the price isn't negotiable yet.

So, I walk around and check out some of the other upgrade cars, get in a few to see if any has GPS, and the upgrade lady comes to me and says "for $15 we do have a Chrysler 300" that you can upgrade to. I ask her if that is a premium car, and she says yes. Then I ask her if I can just have it since I booked a full-size and should have been upgraded to a premium if one were available. She goes back to the office to talk to the lady I originally talked to that said there was no premiums, came back outside and said "they can no longer find that Chrysler 300, its not available".

So, I head back to the BMW I was pondering, and... the price tag got changed to $35 from $25 while I was looking at the other upgrade cars. Annoyed by this I just took my original assigned vehicle. Not upset about that vehicle, it ended up being a pretty nice car, but upset about the complete lack of honesty and games being played at the SJC Avis location.

To sum it up:

1) I receive no upgrade when clearly the lot is packed. They lie to me and tell me no premium car is available.

2) I express interest in the upgrade BMW that was listed for $25 and asked if they can discount at all. They come back and say no, since it just got "put on the lot".

3) After I express interest in the BMW they raise the price on it while I am not looking!

4) The upgrade lady, who had no knowledge of the other lady lying to me that premium is sold out, offers me a premium car for a $15 upgrade fee.

5) When I ask if I can have that car since I was entitled to a space-available upgrade, they come back and tell me they can't find the car anymore. (From them offering the car, the lady going to the front desk, and being told it is "lost", is all within a 90 second period. So, it took all of about 15 seconds for them to determine it can't be found.)

Overall am very disappointed with AVIS at SJC.

Has anybody else had such an issue there?

I hope what you gleamed from this, is that AVIS First is worthless. If you read the complaints on this forum, many are from AVIS First members not getting any preferential treatment.

Its why we tend to call it "AVIS Last" on this forum.

Its hard to argue with "Space Available" since we never know what really is reserved in their system. Its all just a crap shoot.

Get yourself into AVIS PC, or CHM, and thats a real program you can count on.

From what I understand PC can only be had by having a credit card that no longer exists. CHM is only available to a few special people. Is there any other known way to get these status levels? (Other than the 15 per year sold for $1k by Daily Getaways?)

Even Chairman seems weak. Last weekend the Impala was what they offered me and on Wednesday when I tried getting a car delivered to me, they called back last minute to tell me they're too busy and I should take a cab to the lot on my dime.

Wow... Is there any way to have the T&Cs enforced?

Alphaod, how did you get your CC status?

Daily Getaways.

Anyways, I did end up taking a cab to pick up a car at Hertz.

I would have immediately called the CHM desk and had them handle it. They're very good at "resolving" issues (read: put the station in its place).

Well, I just rented again at SJC. Friday night rental, booked an intermediate, lot absolutely jam packed with cars, and got an intermediate, "no upgrades available".

Why not rent EE with National? I would just avoid Avis from what it sounds like especially at SJC. Not worth the AA promotional bonus points for the hassle.

Well, it is worth it. My Friday night rental was $26 out the door, the AA miles earned has a value of $31, per the value I put on AA miles.

I am annoyed by the antics of AVIS, but it certainly doesn't consume me. If nothing else, at least I am warning others of what to expect at this location.

Also, when I rent a "luxury" class I am perfectly satisfied with what i get from this location. It just falls apart when I book a full-size or intermediate.