Missed pickup for postpaid rental still charged
Dec 16, 2021, 7:50 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Calling the station (if you can get a direct number...) right away seems the best approach, but it's a huge pain. Like I said, the time I had a no-show they actually made me prove I'd never picked it up, though my opinion was that that was their responsibility.
It seems like this "100 miles" nonsense is pretty consistent.
It seems like this "100 miles" nonsense is pretty consistent.
Dec 21, 2021, 12:21 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: DTW
Programs: Dirt Status w/ All
Posts: 5,040
I am going through the same thing now. Had a rental in LAS I forgot to cancel - booked through Costco Travel. Costco specifically states on their website that no-shows are just cancelled with no penalty and they do not take credit card information at the time of rental. Since I used my Wizard number that linked to my credit card, which happened to also be my Citi Costco Visa.
I noticed the charge a couple weeks later and pulled up the receipt at avis.com It shows I picked up the car 45 minutes after I scheduled it and 1:15 after my (then cancelled) flight touched down per flight aware. It also showed 7/8 of a tank at pick up. It showed a return at the exact time I had scheduled for with a full tank and an additional 150+ miles on the odometer. The model and plate number were also listed.
I just disputed it with Citibank as it was a Costco Travel booking on a Citi/Costco credit card and I didn't feel like spending hours trying to track down someone at the location to fix it. CIti instantly credited the amount, but reinstated it two days ago after Avis replied to Citi that I had rented the car and provided a similar receipt to what I saw online. Citi has asked me to respond within about 10 days.
I am responding with copies of my cancelled flight and hotel reservations in addition to the terms from the Costco Travel website stating no-shows are not charged. That is actually not relevant as they are showing someone used the car, not that it was a no-show penalty. To prove I was not in Vegas I pulled screen captures from my Ring front porch camera with time/date stamps showing I was home the dates in question, including about two hours after I supposedly returned the car 1800 miles away. I also included copies of my drivers license and passport (with important numbers redacted) to prove the person in the video captures is me. I even went as far as showing Google street view photos so they can compare the neighbor's houses caught on my camera.
I thought about trying to go straight to the Avis location but think this is actually a bad idea. The fact that miles were put on the car and it was returned at the exact minute I put on the reservation makes me believe this is a scam. Either the location is trying to raise revenue or an employee has found a way to identify no-shows and get a free joy ride for the weekend. There is a chance station managers are involved. Reporting it directly to them lets them cover it up and continue the scam for the next person. By going to the bank/Visa/MC/Amex it aggregates the complaints with a somewhat neutral third party and Avis corporate who will be able to see trends developing. If Avis corporate wants to put me on the DNR list because I reported a scam I don't want to do business with them anyway.
I will be sending my response to Citi in the next 24 hours and will update when I hear back.
I noticed the charge a couple weeks later and pulled up the receipt at avis.com It shows I picked up the car 45 minutes after I scheduled it and 1:15 after my (then cancelled) flight touched down per flight aware. It also showed 7/8 of a tank at pick up. It showed a return at the exact time I had scheduled for with a full tank and an additional 150+ miles on the odometer. The model and plate number were also listed.
I just disputed it with Citibank as it was a Costco Travel booking on a Citi/Costco credit card and I didn't feel like spending hours trying to track down someone at the location to fix it. CIti instantly credited the amount, but reinstated it two days ago after Avis replied to Citi that I had rented the car and provided a similar receipt to what I saw online. Citi has asked me to respond within about 10 days.
I am responding with copies of my cancelled flight and hotel reservations in addition to the terms from the Costco Travel website stating no-shows are not charged. That is actually not relevant as they are showing someone used the car, not that it was a no-show penalty. To prove I was not in Vegas I pulled screen captures from my Ring front porch camera with time/date stamps showing I was home the dates in question, including about two hours after I supposedly returned the car 1800 miles away. I also included copies of my drivers license and passport (with important numbers redacted) to prove the person in the video captures is me. I even went as far as showing Google street view photos so they can compare the neighbor's houses caught on my camera.
I thought about trying to go straight to the Avis location but think this is actually a bad idea. The fact that miles were put on the car and it was returned at the exact minute I put on the reservation makes me believe this is a scam. Either the location is trying to raise revenue or an employee has found a way to identify no-shows and get a free joy ride for the weekend. There is a chance station managers are involved. Reporting it directly to them lets them cover it up and continue the scam for the next person. By going to the bank/Visa/MC/Amex it aggregates the complaints with a somewhat neutral third party and Avis corporate who will be able to see trends developing. If Avis corporate wants to put me on the DNR list because I reported a scam I don't want to do business with them anyway.
I will be sending my response to Citi in the next 24 hours and will update when I hear back.
Dec 22, 2021, 10:25 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Independent
Posts: 470
This is really awful - I'd encourage you to report it to the FTC. Maybe if enough people complain they'll look into it.