Avis First Useless??
I and what seems like many posters I have seen in this forum have begun to see that Avis First is a useless program.
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My boss and I agree that we are more like Avis Last. I have received multiple free coupons and like you, I am never going to use them.
Getting upgrades is like pulling teeth, and they are inconsistent. I get to look at the Volvo's and Infiniti's at Hertz, while I drive off in my stripped out sonata (w/ XM). I don't have a choice as Avis is my company's provider. |
avpman, if you want a Volvo or Infiniti, then go ahead and book one. When I was a Avis First earlier this year I got upgraded close to 95% of my rentals at IAD/DCA/DEN/LGA/JFK/SFO/BWI/ORD.
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Avis First
I can't figure out how to use the coupons. Go to avisfirst.com, coupons, make a reservation now and you go back to avis.com for a regular reservation.
I used to use National - emerald isle was cool - take any car you want in the section. Then I showed up at the Tampa airport and there were no cars, no kisok, nothing. National went under and I was told Alamo had acquired them (off site) and would honor the reservation. Walked over to Avis and never went back. However, Avis First is useless. Is Hertz really better? |
I agree
Avis First is useless.
Free weekends are a lousy program vs Hertz which I used to use all the time until the company switched to Avis. I could use my free days with Hertz anytime. Whenever I have tried to use an Avis "free weekend", the location refuses them or the date is blocked. |
another subtle problem with Avis ... not just the First program i believe, but have any of you actually ever used the eMusic coupons you get?
seriously ... can you name me one band of even mediocre popularity (classic rock, modern, pop, etc.) that is on eMusic. I miss getting the old 10 iTunes coupons each week. |
Originally Posted by AustinFlyer76
(Post 10264079)
another subtle problem with Avis ... not just the First program i believe, but have any of you actually ever used the eMusic coupons you get?
seriously ... can you name me one band of even mediocre popularity (classic rock, modern, pop, etc.) that is on eMusic. I miss getting the old 10 iTunes coupons each week. |
Originally Posted by rtiggi
(Post 10234566)
I and what seems like many posters I have seen in this forum have begun to see that Avis First is a useless program. [LIST][*]Upgrades vary a lot regardless of lot size. I fly into DFW and ORD a lot and get upgraded to from Intermediate to anything from a Sebring Convertible to a Hyundai Accent. My business partner is with Hertz and he gets upgraded from the same level to an Infiniti M45 or a Cadillac Escalade.
1) bus frequencies at airports like LAX and ORD seem much better with Hertz. 2) Name on the board with car ready to go was a bit better with Hertz. I was never upgraded to anything close to an Infiniti or Cadillac from an intermediate, although I did "luck" out with a Town Car once. But Hertz also stuck me with an intermediate Corolla a couple of times, and said there were no upgrades available. I do like the National Emerald Aisle, but during the period that I used them, they seemed to totally run out of cars often enough to be annoying. |
Using Free Weekend Coupon
Originally Posted by DC-USCP-UAPE
(Post 10244571)
I can't figure out how to use the coupons. Go to avisfirst.com, coupons, make a reservation now and you go back to avis.com for a regular reservation.
I used to use National - emerald isle was cool - take any car you want in the section. Then I showed up at the Tampa airport and there were no cars, no kisok, nothing. National went under and I was told Alamo had acquired them (off site) and would honor the reservation. Walked over to Avis and never went back. However, Avis First is useless. Is Hertz really better? The first time I turned my free weekend rental in I got charged about $9 in taxes. I forgot and left it on my corporate credit card which is the one in my preferred profile. Now I remember when they say would you like to leave this on the cc you reserved this on to say no, please change it. |
When I finally hit 25 I thought I'd never rent from Avis again unless necessary until I had a delayed flight and saw another side of Hertz. I've been delayed many times with Avis and often they still have my contract available and they'll either just hand it to me and I'll be on my way or they'll correct the pickup time on the contract to a more current time and I'll be on my way...same rate, etc. This was with up to a 4 hour delay.
I was delayed due to late aircraft twice on Hertz. Even though they made me fill out my flight information so they could know when I'm arriving, upon arrival they seemed to no longer have any record I had a reservation with under a 2 hour delay. They had to generate a new reservation for me and give me a walk-up rate double my original rate. My fault for not verifying that upfront since I did have human interaction to get any sort of keys anyway. Just this week at SMF I had cancelled a Monday 11 pm pickup and rescheduled a pickup for Tuesday noon when I meant Monday noon. I just walked up to the preferred desk at SMF, said my name, handed my license, and was given a contract and keys with my usual rate. It wasn't until I checked my e-mail later I discovered I showed up 24 hours before my current reservation and 11 hours before my canceled reservation. Aside from that the eMusic is useless and there's already a thread on that. The free weekends are a joke and I was sent 3 at the same time earlier this year b/c they had a glitch and didn't give me 3 of them. I didn't really miss them though. Last year I used 2 of my 8. Any "upgrade" = SUV :rolleyes: The only real perk I've gotten from Avis First was the Aux cables certain airports had for First members. I didn't hit a major airport location until a week after that promo expired and asked BWI if they still had any. They seemed like they hadn't handed out any and gave me one without any hesitation. I kept that cord in my purse for quite a while. I lost it and now need a new one. Maybe I'll just have to ask another major airport if they still have any. |
well, at least most here are getting some kind of an upgrade....I've been renting in Europe over the past few years and have gotten zero, nada, zip, zilch...rent economy and get economy....once the woman indicated that oh, we dont have any more economy automatic cars.....but we do have a compact - great an upgrade....only to find out upon returning the car that she CHANGED the rental price and I paid an extra three hundred euros!!!:td:
I like Avis in the US a WHOLE lot better than Avis internationally. |
Avis First does give me a much more reliable no wait than Hertz 5 Star. I am member of both and once Avis started giving SW RR credits for rentals they became my preference by far. They always upgrade me to an SUV from a full size (I like SUVs and prefer them over most premium vehix) and very rarely do I ever have to speak to anybody after I give my name to the bus driver or find my name on the board.
Avis also has lower rates for the most part than Hertz, which is a bonus. They partner credits do take longer to post to SW than Budget or Hertz, and they don't do as many promotions for double, triple, quadruple credits. All in all, Avis is my 1st choice in rental car and probably won't be changing anytime soon. Except for St Louis, the Hertz there is GREAT and treats me like a king, I always use them when driving in MO!^ |
Originally Posted by gj83
(Post 10271945)
Any "upgrade" = SUV (at Hertz)...
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