acader

I rented a car in SFO and returned in LAX for a prepaid amount of approx $530. Picked up and returned at approx the same time (6/17 and 6/17) as I made the reservation. But my bill shows AD DY 10@$193.97. Clearly this is a mistake on Avis' part. When I called Avis, they are not able to resolve this mistake. I have disputed the charge on my credit card. Any other suggestions on how to go about getting a resolution?

AutoSlash

This looks like the rental contract you received when you checked out the car. What did the final bill look like when you returned the vehicle? Have you confirmed the actual final charge on your credit card?

acader

This is the "Bill" that I got in an email from Avis after the rental was complete. My credit card has been charged approx $1,700 + $250 + $575 which approx equals the $1,939 + my prepaid amount of $575.

Auto Enthusiast

You paid $530 for 1.5 days?

AutoSlash

Yeah, you definitely need to get it sorted out with Avis. While we understand why you'd want to pursue a credit card chargeback, just keep in mind that this could land you on the Do Not Rent list which means you may never be able to rent from Avis/Budget/Payless in the future. Even if you are in the right, once you are put on the list, it can be very hard to get off.

You might want to try escalating with some of the contacts on this page.

acader

Thanks for the info. Do you know if they have a separate phone / email for president's club members?

AutoSlash

Not that we're aware of.

guv1976

That does not look like a bill to me, because it uses the terms "Estimated charges," and "Estimated total." Did you not receive a printed receipt when you turned the car in at LAX?

These days, it seems very risky to return a rental car without receiving a printed receipt before leaving the return location.

I'm assuming that you are seeing actual charges -- and not just "authorizations" -- on your credit card, correct?

kxc262

Dang - 500 for a one way? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to fly?
Did Avis send you an e-receipt? That should be the final bill.

Tanic

I don't see Fuel Out / Fuel In, or Odometer Out/In. Doesn't look like a bill.

Maxwell Smart

Lotta strange things here. Yes, this looks like the estimated bill you'd get during pick-up, not the post-rental receipt for reasons stated earlier.
But even if this was the pre-rental estimate, then why does it show 10 additional days already, that would normally be blank, or would reflect a calculation based on the scheduled pick-up and return times, which clearly indicate it's only a 2-day rental. Perhaps that was entered by a human for some reason, and ended up being typed as '10' instead of '0'.

OP, did the agent have to do a lot of typing or make any sort of edit/correction to the reservation when you picked up? Perhaps the pre-pay aspect messed something up?

Other numbers don't make sense either. The daily min of 266.85 is reflected as 533.70 for the 2-day time period of the rental, and shows up under "Period". But even if that rate was correct, it would result in a total cost (incl taxes) well above the pre-pay amount of 575.43. Maybe if the agent had to manually do something it resulted in a rate change to a walk-up rate and then the pre-pay only acted as a credit towards the final total?

acader

An update that might help others. After creating a new "account" for Avis customer service and many emails going back and forth, Avis realized the mistake and gave a credit, atleast most of it. A couple of 100$$ is still due, but atleast I have an email that they will be issuing the credit.

I would suggest everybody to take a photo of the odo and car (or a video) before and after renting. Not only Avis, every car rental company has billing issues, poorly trained staff and lack of staff to handle the work load.

acader

Sorry for the late response. None of it made any sense. When I called Avis the very first time, the CSR was quizzing me like I was some kind of a criminal. It took me several hours of writing to Avis and finally got most of the credit sans a couple of 100$$. Fighting for that too. The "updated" bill is even more crazy. As long as I get the credit, I'm okay.

lhrsfo

On a much more minor scale, every time I have rented with Avis, which I now try not to do, my prepaid amount which was sold under UK regulations as the final amount including everything, always attracts an extra $20-30. Every time I complain to Avis UK and every time they admit it's wrong, but they can't do anything except reach out to Avis US who then don't respond. I have thought about a cc chargeback, or a Small Claims Court (absolutely slam dunk under UK contract law and Consumer Protection legislation) but every time I'm put off by getting on a black list at Avis.

My only conclusion is that Avis do this deliberately, and keep it at a small charge so that people will lose the will to fight it.

Clearly now I will only rent with Avis once other options are exhausted.

RRROOO