k_jupiter

So here is the story.
Rented an Expedition from SeaTac to drive up to Victoria for 9 days. $1001, total with fees and taxes. A good deal theses days, the Expedition being what I drive at home and this being January. Come back turn it in, go catch my flight, the receipt will be in email. Always worked for me before so I go with that. Never check my receipt, my fault. I get my AX bill seventh of February, an $8000.00 charge on my AX bill from Budget. What the hell?
I look at the receipt, it shows I drove 29,000 miles. 20 cents a mile. Yep, they gave me a $650 discount. Thanks. Now... If I drove 24 hours a day for 9 days, I would have to average 134 MPH to rack up that kind of mileage. Now I know I have a lead foot, but come on. Somewhere some program should have flagged this as a mistake. It didn't.
It gets worse. I call, a very nice customer service guy wants to know the issue. I just sent him the receipt and he saw it immediately. Says, no problem, then fixes it but charges me 20 cents a mile for like 400 miles. I say no... There are 1050 free miles a week. He looks the paper work over again, says, OK.... we will refund you $6945.00. Will take 3 to 5 days. !! Wait, It's costing me whatever AX charges interest on this money every day. Does that get refunded? Ah no. OK,I can live with it.
It gets worse. I call back 5 days later to find out the status of my money.
First guy says, I don't have a record of it. I gave him the claim number, the rental agreement number, etc. OK... Let me talk to your boss. You have to wait 48 hours to do that. !!! Well this is BS. I call back to get another CS rep. She is very nice, i give the information, she says "The refund hasn't been approved yet" WHAT??? Your mistake, your screw up and I'm paying interest on the money you have already taken from AX. And no I can't talk to her supervisor for 48 hours.
Call AX, put in a dispute. Will take weeks but at least the interest isn't racking up.

So, Budget loses a loyal customer, I pay a lot of money for interest (from Jan 15th through Feb 7th) My fault.
This isn't how you treat customers. 48 hours to get to talk to someone with perhaps the authority to fix the problem?

Watch your receipts people. t

guv1976

It's usually a good idea to compare the odometer reading with the "out" mileage on your contract when you pick up the car. If there's a discrepancy, address it before you drive away. And always take a photo of the odometer reading and fuel level when you return the car, and make sure that the "in" mileage on the contract is correct. If you do not get -- and check -- a return receipt when you return the car, you're just asking for trouble.

Mistakes happen. You've got to take some steps to protect yourself.

If your dispute with Amex is upheld, why would you be charged any interest on an incorrect charge?​​​​​​

k_jupiter

I may not be charged, but if I am, it's because I didn't notice it for three weeks. We will see...

guv1976

The period of time you have to dispute a charge runs from the time it appears on your statement, not from when it posts to your account. (Not everyone checks their credit-card charges on a daily basis; in fact, not everyone opts for online access to their accounts.)

Suggest that you familiarize yourself with your rights when disputing an incorrect or fraudulent credit-card charge.

TGarza

The adjustment amount is greater than the phone CSR can approve. It has to be submitted for approval. I had an overcharge for more than $1000 which I noticed in the airport. The correction was in process before I boarded.

Have you disputed the amount with AMEX?

born sleepy

Had a 9-day rental charge show up on a Citi card that I haven't used in awhile... for a rental booked through Concur which only knows about my corporate Amex, although the Citi card is in my Avis profile. I called yesterday and get the Citi charge reversed and applied to the Amex, but the transactions have yet to post. So yeah, watch those receipts and card transactions.

hoob

My rental from LAX last week I received a brand new Ford Edge. I set it up its driver experience as metric for my 1-week rental, because why not.

My receipt shows its total odometer mileage as the metric KMs, so it's off by about 700 (1700 instead of ~ 1050 miles.)

I apologize in advance for the inevitable mixup of future renters of this vehicle.

Polar Bear

I rented the AVIS at Denver in January 2024 via my company's travel portal for business. When I dropped off the car at return lot, I asked for paper receipt and was told that they don't provide paper receipt anymore. When I asked about the total price, the employee said she does not know and it will be showing on receipt. So I departed and found out next day that I was charged for time and mileages on unlimited mileages term as well as a tank of fuel that I filled up just outside the rental car complex. This is second time I got charged for additional fuel and first time for miles driven. Has AVIS shady business practices?

Polar Bear

golfmad

I had a similar (but a bit less extreme) situation with an electric Polestar rented from Hertz for 5 days in Manchester during 2023. They had charged me mileage on several thousand miles I hadn't driven. When I raised it with them they kept saying they were looking into it and a couple of months went by. Then I tried a chargeback on my credit card but Chase refused because the amount charged was correct in terms of the invoice and chargebacks won't work if the invoice received from the supplier matches the amount charged unless I could prove I had not received the product.

After three months, I threatened legal action and put my case to them. For me to have driven those miles in an electric vehicle in that short space of time I would have had to have recharged it many times. As the recharge option uses their key fob and goes through their account they would have charged me for the electricity which they did not. If I had charged it using an ordinary home plug I explained that it would have required to be on charge for more time than the total rental period. They came back to me within a week and refunded all the additional the charges.

eefor jfp

Rented a car for a day with Avis in Zagreb on a rate $40 and turned it in without getting a receipt because we had a flight to catch and it was after hours (that was what we were told to do). Got charged an additional $180. The receipt just says "additional services." I stopped by the counter a week later and the CS agent said someone dented the door but Avis has so far failed to provide me with either a letter to that effect or any proof of damage (photos, etc.) despite multiple emails. Should I dispute the charge (Chase) or just go to Chase for insurance? Advice please!!

Podcat

[QUOTE=TGarza;36012810]The adjustment amount is greater than the phone CSR can approve. It has to be submitted for approval./QUOTE]

Yet no special approval was needed for an $8,000 overcharge.

Uh huh.
I see how this works.

This is a version of the old “The person in charge of that isn’t here today. Can you come back tomorrow?” (Answer is always “No.”)
I’m waiting for the day when I’ll hear, “There’s only person with the authority to make an adjustment like that, and he’s dead.”

Podcat

Yet no special approval was needed for an $8,000 overcharge.

Uh huh.
I see how this works.

This is a version of the old “The person in charge of that isn’t here today. Can you come back tomorrow?” (Answer is always “No” even if I can.)

I’m waiting for the day when I’ll hear, “There’s only one person with the authority to make an adjustment like that, and he’s dead.”

7Continents

I had a rental with Hertz where I admitted I hit another cars side view mirror and had a supervisor sign off that there was no damage to the Hertz car (there was a small scratch but she said nobody ever admits anything so I'll let you off). I then got an insurance claim to fix panels and cracks all over the Hertz vehicle, this with a signed off Hertz report that there was no damage to the rental car at return. I tried fighting it myself and go nowhere. Definitely let whatever insurance coverage you have fight it out and get you off. A chargeback won't get Avis insurance people off your back. They get paid to get money for the company, not to advocate for you.

MojaveFlyer

This is getting all too common. I had the same experience on a Hertz rental last month - erroneously charged for several gallons of gas after I had filled up a mile from the airport. Supposedly they have "telematics" which sends in the data. No humans at check in. Fortunately I was early and had not gone through security when I noticed the charge on email, and was able to go to the lot and get it fixed quickly. But once you leave, good luck finding CS to do anything about it.

RaoulM

Yes Avis does have shady business practices in some locations. I have rented from Avis at LHR three times in the past few months. First return "printer isn't working, you'll get an emailed receipt" - charged $200 for gas in car that I had filled to the brim a mile from the return location. They ignore my complaints and Amex fix the issue. Exactly the same thing happens a couple of months later and again Amex fixes the issue after a dispute (luckily I had kept gas receipts in both cases).

Last week I arrive to pick up my car and my name is not on the preferred screen. Wait 15 minutes to talk to an agent in the shack and he says there's an issue with the rate and I need to go to the main office. Go to the main office, wait another 10-15 minutes and then get set up with a car. Car has damage on all four corners, all four wheels are dinged, front and rear bumpers are scratched - hardly a "premium" vehicle, but I'm in a hurry to leave now. Turn the car in 4 days later, again no paper receipt because "the printer is broken". Get the email an hour later and I've been charged $510 for my $178 rental - receipt shows a completely different rate to what I reserved. Currently trying to resolve with Avis before I escalate to Amex, but their response so far is that I made a last minute change to the reservation. No I didn't - your agent didn't know how to process my reservation.

I'd look elsewhere, but all the car rental agencies seem to be just as bad and dishonest