Opinion of the Avis Preferred Select Program
 

I just was upgraded from Avis prefered to Avis Preferred Select.

Can I get some feedback about the benefits and actual enhancements/upgrades that current Avis Preferred Select cardholders have been enjoying.

Thanks

RC

I received my Preferred Select card several months ago. Ever since then, I've found that SFO routinely upgrades me from the full size that I rent to a premium car.

Other stations have paid no notice to the Select status.

As for the www.preferredselect.com web site, when I was unable to access it last night after reading about it here on FT, I contacted Avis today by telephone. 4 separate employees insisted the only web site Avis has is avis.com, until I finally convinced someone at the Help Desk to pull up his web browser. "Huh," he says, "that's an Avis site alright! But I can't figure out why it doesn't work. Maybe you should just send an email..." And so I did. We'll see what the response is.

Bottom line: It's a semi-tangible benefit that seems to be given to people more and more these days. I happen to like the upgraded vehicles, though. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I've just tried the Select web and it's working fine. The Select program gets me an upgrade about 90% of the time, but I have to sometimes have to ask for it at the airport.

The car updrages are nice. I always reserve a compact and the mid-size car is always ready for me when I pick it up.

I like it.

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Not sure where I'm going, but I'm getting there fast.

Since I never set foot inside I always wait to see what I'm driving. Always had an upgrade since being Per/Sel. 50/50 before despite.

Im an Avis preferred, and I rent from them quite often. How can I become a Preferred Select? Thanks

My luck as PS this year (to January 13, 2003)

rented 3 full size (E) recieved 3 Caddie's (H) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

rented 1 compact (B)recieved 1 full Size (E)

Rented 1 full size (E) recieved 1 Premium (G)

Other benefits:

on the Preffered Select web site you can get the 5th day free with a min 5 day rental http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

You can also get a coupon for $5.00 off per day on weekend rentals up to $20.00 off http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

I had 64 rentals with Avis last year and zero with anyone else. Go figure. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I like the upgrades. So far I have been 100% on at least a one car class upgrade.

I rented 35 cars from Avis last year. I'd guess all but 4 or 5 were upgrades. I never get upgraded to a luxury, almost always to a Buick.
asnovici, you can call and request it. How often do you rent with them?

I rent about 12 times a year...who do I call?

If you have a Visa Signature card you get complimentary membership in Preferred Select.

Call 1-866-842-5552 and give then your request. 12 rentals may be enough.

The best thing I can say is its a non-event. I've been preferred select for a few years and I still get shafted by Avis at least once a month. For the most part they don't pay attention to PS and just give me a Malibu or Century (I usually rent mid or full size). You'd think they would at least try to give me a non-smoking car, even that doesn't happen all the time.

Agree with the statement 100%. If it weren't for my corporate requirement to rent from Avis, I'd be with Hertz in a heartbeat. I hear their President's Club is much better in terms of service, upgrades, etc. I've been a Select member for over a year, and "preferred select" service is almost non-existent.

I'm 50/50 between Avis and Hertz and the only reason Hertz gets 50% of my rentals is because they are often much less expensive. I've repeatedly found customer service at many Hertz locations to be a joke compared to Avis.

I am 5* at Hertz and Preferred Select at Avis, which are roughly equivalent on paper, but in reality I get the Avis upgrade 90% of the time and the Hertz upgrade 50% of the time.

I think the threshold is 10 rentals within a rolling 6 month period.

Interesting...
I just called to inquire about become AVIS Preferred Select, talked to the rep on the Preferred Line, she told me I am ALREADY Preferred Select. Loged into preferredselect.com website, and indeed, I am Preferred Select withough even asking for it. I guess they upgraded me recently.
Nice job, Avis!

I get upgraded to something better about 75% of the time. It seems they always want to put me in a Malibu, but I just ask for something different and usually score a Century or Regal. The last Regal I got had the navigation system. It was really handy! The best treatment was in San Antonio, they had the car doors-trunk open, the car was running with the a/c on, and a Wall Street Journal in the pax seat. The agent was waiting for me by the car and shut the door for me as she wished me a "good day".

I was having a problem where I was getting too much of upgrades when I used Preferred Select -- I really don't like big cars. After I complained here on FT that they gave me an SUV when I reserved a compact, someone from Avis contacted me and fixed my record so that doesn't happen again.

(I did get a Dodge Intrepid last summer -- that is a monsterously huge car -- but most have been reasonable).

As a contrast, I signed up with National's Emerald Isle and the last couple weeks, I've had several choices and not once had to be in the dreaded Malibu. I would like to see Avis give me a choice in what car I get.

since the end of october (about three months time), i have rented an Avis car for 17 days. since the end of november (roughly two months time), i have had an Avis rental car for 15 days.

while i believe that would constitute extensive usage, Avis has thusfar refused to extend preferred select status to me.

they claim i don't have enough rentals. i believe the relevant measurement should be either rental days or rental days and rentals. after all, avis isn't compensated by number of rentals, is it? i believe i pay by the day.

US Amex Platinum card holders receive PS status. If you've got one of those you might want co call Amex and get the sign-up form.

despite plenty of rentals, after pulling teeth i got Avis to make me preferred select. it feels good to know that they upgrade visa select and amex platinum members to this status with zero rentals and i have to jump through hoops. whatever.

i got a very poorly worded email from avis saying "he need to continue to rent to maintain the status. Preferred Select it's only available at the time of the rental."

i assume she means "needs." also, what do you think she means when she says "Preferred Select it's only available at the time of the rental."??

thx.



[This message has been edited by fly co to see the yanks (edited 02-12-2003).]

I had about 17 rentals since 08-2002, about 3-4 days each. Called them up to request preferred select, and about 2 weeks later got the new card.

The first time I rented with the new status was from LAX for the weekend. We were about 30 minutes early. The car was not ready. No WSJ newspaper. They did however give us an upgrade to a Buick La Sabre and give us the weekend rate even though we picked up at 11:30 instead of after noon on Thursday. I found out that a big car in LA isn't all that good though. I thought we got a good deal, as 3 days and 2 hours came out to $73 with tax. I used a weekend $$ off coupon from the Perferred Select web site.

The last 3 rentals I did not get upgraded from my mid-size. Did not mind a lot since no other passengers and no time to inquire. I have always gotten upgraded at Hertz with 5*.

It all depends on which location you go to. In downtown D.C. (DC2) they don't play the "preferred select" game. In fact I think they treat me worse ... "we're not a preferred location - there are no upgrades" yadda yadda. However, if you call the Preferred Select customer service number to complain they actually listen and care!

interesting. thank you.

i think city locations just treat customers worse. not sure why. but, calling preferred select directly is a good idea.

I've had very good experiences with the Preferred Select Program. I've been renting weekly from IAD since Jan and the Preferred agents have always been very, very good at upgrading me. Of course, they know me personally by now. I've also gotten upgrades on the weekends from places such as MCO, SAT, SJU, etc. Occassionally I had to request the upgrade, but I always get it eventually.

How do I get in the mystical President’s Club? I read that it by invitation only, but can I request it?

I've been a Select renter for the past 4 years or so and I have always been upgraded two to three car sizes. The best was a convertable for the price of an economy at MIA. The only time I had a slight problem was at TXL, I was taking the car into E. Europe and Avis doesn't allow VW, BMW, MB to be driven there. She did upgrade me to a Diesel instead after a kind word on how pretty she looked (and she did look pretty). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

if you can avoid the dreaded Malibu, PS status is OK, but often I end up with old ratty "full-size" cars that look like they were rented by the "Jackass" movie crew. for the past few months every initial car has been a freakin Malibu, and every time I gripe my way into a Century, which is nothing special but at least those all have cassette decks which let me listen to my iPod with an adapter.

in Greensboro a few months ago they tried to give me a Malibu with over 30K miles on it, that wouldn't start, and the door went "screeeeeeeeeeeek" when I opened it then it sagged like it was going to fall off. the bored Mall-Chyk at the counter rolled her eyes and made a huge deal out of my dissatisfaction with lots of sighs and such. ugh.

it certainly varies by location: at MCI there's nearly always a large Buick waiting for me, running, AC on if necessary, WSJ on the seat (if I had a bird it'd be useful for something but I'd rather have the NYT). but that's about the only location where the PS status recognition is consistent for me. elsewhere it's almost always a trip to the office to get a better car.

I can't say that I see any difference between my experience as a standard Preferred and a Select member. It's funny. Before I was awarded Select status, my midsize rentals were usually upgraded to the Century or that weird Buick Rendezvous thing. Now that I have a Select card I'm 5 for 5 on the dreaded Malibu, and it's starting to feel like they're transporting the same car--a red one with about 20,000 miles on it--to wherever I happen to be and switching the license plates. It's downright spooky!

Avis PS sucks because it has become so popular, and the locations lose money when they give out upgrades...

I'm not sure if it was my PS status or my high # of rentals for the year, but I was able to talk the agent into upgrading me from my normal intermediate rate upgradeable to full into a white convertible mustang. I went back to the same agent the following two weeks and got a black convertible, then the next week a yellow convertible mustang. Each time I had the top down before I left the lot.

outoftown
Where were you at?

If the avis employee likes you, or feels like being generous, they can technicly give you any car in the lot, i and my freinds have been upraded many times from compact to cadillac! at a location in the USA because we were freindly to the women at the counter

How effective (and how much) would a really good tip get you?

Being "friendly" at the counter doesn't help me much. It's rare that I ever go to a counter.

i only use avis as it is my company's policy. if i had a choice i woudlnt be renting avis, their cars suck and prefered gives no real benefits except being able to waltz right to ur car. these days i try to make it more enjoyable by squealing the cavalier's tires on every turn http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I have found preferred select to be pretty useless. I rent almost exclusively at BOS and LAX and I have never received an upgrade without walking to the counter and asking for it. I get Malibu's more often than not when I reserve a (C) car and when I reserve a full size I usually get an impala which is in my opinion a marginal full size car. I don't know if it is related to the locations where I rent or AVIS in general but preferred select is a joke. I have more or less decided that I am going to rent from Hertz after six AVIS rentals each year (so I can get the BA loyalty bonus). Hertz has problems too but I have found that as a simple Club Gold they treat me better than Avis preferred select.