Avis did not refund car rental money
Aug 19, 2017, 9:01 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1
Avis did not refund car rental money
Booking reference number: xxxx-xxxx-GB-4
Date of event: April 28th, 2017
Location : Glasgow Airport
What happened: Booking was made for our trip to UK, for 11 days. It was paid in advance through my husband's credit card. The confirmation mail mentioned that I should carry the confirmation mail copy and a valid driving licence. The UK Govt allows
foreign tourists to drive in UK for 12 months on their local driver's licence.
However, at the time of renting at Glasgow airport, Avis refused to rent the
car, citing that they need an international driver's licence. Subsequently, I
rented a car from another rental agency at the airport using my Indian
driver's licence. However, inspite of my repeated follow up Avis has refused
to refund the money that I had paid at the time of booking
Date of event: April 28th, 2017
Location : Glasgow Airport
What happened: Booking was made for our trip to UK, for 11 days. It was paid in advance through my husband's credit card. The confirmation mail mentioned that I should carry the confirmation mail copy and a valid driving licence. The UK Govt allows
foreign tourists to drive in UK for 12 months on their local driver's licence.
However, at the time of renting at Glasgow airport, Avis refused to rent the
car, citing that they need an international driver's licence. Subsequently, I
rented a car from another rental agency at the airport using my Indian
driver's licence. However, inspite of my repeated follow up Avis has refused
to refund the money that I had paid at the time of booking
Last edited by IAHtraveler; Aug 19, 2017 at 9:35 am Reason: Removed personalized info
Aug 19, 2017, 9:51 am
#2
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,665
I made a test reservation on Avis.com for GLA airport. On the final confirmation page under terms & conditions, here is what it said under Driver's License Requirements:
It seems pretty clear. Avis is under no obligation to refund your money, but you can try disputing the charge with your credit card company if you want. Just keep in mind that you may end up on the Do Not Rent list for Avis and Budget.
Do I need to bring my driving license with me?
International Driving Permit is required unless driver has a license issued within the EU. US, Canadian, Australian & New Zealand licenses are accepted (International driving permit not required for renters with a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand license).
Indian Driving licenses are only valid in India regardless of the language they are written in. All licenses from India should be supported with an international driving permit (IDP) along with the local license.
Is there a minimum length I must have held my license for?
Applicable to all drivers, a valid driver's license must have been held for a minimum of three years. If the date of issuance on the driver's license shows less than three years, a copy of the driving history must be presented to show the license has been held for at least three years.
I have unspent convictions on my license, can I drive?
If any driver has any unspent driving convictions for careless, reckless or dangerous driving driving or attempting to drive whilst under the influence of drink or drugs using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks theft or unauthorized taking of a vehicle Two or more unspent convictions not listed above they will not be able to drive our vehicle.
International Driving Permit is required unless driver has a license issued within the EU. US, Canadian, Australian & New Zealand licenses are accepted (International driving permit not required for renters with a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand license).
Indian Driving licenses are only valid in India regardless of the language they are written in. All licenses from India should be supported with an international driving permit (IDP) along with the local license.
Is there a minimum length I must have held my license for?
Applicable to all drivers, a valid driver's license must have been held for a minimum of three years. If the date of issuance on the driver's license shows less than three years, a copy of the driving history must be presented to show the license has been held for at least three years.
I have unspent convictions on my license, can I drive?
If any driver has any unspent driving convictions for careless, reckless or dangerous driving driving or attempting to drive whilst under the influence of drink or drugs using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks theft or unauthorized taking of a vehicle Two or more unspent convictions not listed above they will not be able to drive our vehicle.
Aug 19, 2017, 10:25 am
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
OP had an inflexible ("paid in advance") reservation and failed to appear with the required documentation. No refund is due.
Advising someone to dispute the charge is a terrible idea. Not only the DNR issue, but many CC issuers frown on baseless claims.
If OP does file, she will likely lose.
Advising someone to dispute the charge is a terrible idea. Not only the DNR issue, but many CC issuers frown on baseless claims.
If OP does file, she will likely lose.
Aug 19, 2017, 10:37 am
#4
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OP had a valid license but Avis imposes stricter standards for driver's licenses from India. To me, this is a matter of whether the stricter Avis standards were mentioned during booking or in the confirmation versus just being posted somewhere on the Avis website, apparently as a FAQ section. OP seems to say that the only requirement in the confirmation was "valid license" while AutoSlash quotes something that appears when the car is booked that asserts that an Indian license isn't valid in the UK [OP says this is wrong and another car rental agency at the same airport seems to confirm this] and says that folks from India "should" (versus "are required to") have the international license.
IMO it would be different if the confirmation had said that an international license is required.
IMO it would be different if the confirmation had said that an international license is required.
Aug 19, 2017, 11:00 am
#5
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,665
Yes, we agree that disclosure is the issue here. The confirmation really should have included the necessary information or at least a link to the T&Cs that contained it. We can't say whether it did not or not (maybe the OP can confirm), but in any case it boils down to whether the information was adequately communicated. Avis clearly feels that it was. The credit card company might feel differently. I don't think that a claim would necessarily be baseless, but it would really depend on how the confirmation and/or reminder email was worded in our opinion.
Aug 19, 2017, 1:35 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: CPT,AMS
Posts: 4,412
Generally when it comes to IDP, it seems that each rental agency in each country have a different policy, irrespective of government agreements.