BA Exec Club Car Hire - Budget vs Avis
Apr 3, 2019, 1:23 pm
#16
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Derbyshire,UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 115
Last 4 car hires booked through Avis Preferred and everything excellent, including a brand new Toyota Yaris last time. Previously booked with Budget through 3rd party booking site, dreadful experience. Damaged car, no cover SUV boot and waited almost 1 hour to collect (Budget served their own website bookings before anybody else and only 1 desk open) will not use them again.
Apr 3, 2019, 9:05 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Price isn't all though. I would strongly advise anybody to read the online reviews of some of Sixt's practices before using them. Personally, I've had both good and bad experiences but the bad was absolutely dreadful to the point where they are off my options list now.
Apr 4, 2019, 3:01 am
#18
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,683
The big plus for Avis is just the Preferred priority thing for me. So far, and I hope never to, I've not had one of the awful experiences some report, in recent years I've stuck to Avis and Hertz. One thing I always do is to return the car in person, and wait for the agent walk round and final bill. No guarantee there won't be subsequent issues, but some small things like charging for fuel when returning full have been sorted there and then.
My main issue, and this is a USA rental thing in my case, is always the 'or similar'. But mostly some friendly whinging and overt disappointment helps out, of course always remaining polite and understanding the agent is stuck between you and company policy, or an overbearing manager making their life hard for upgrading you when they didn't have anything remotely similar to what you rented.
On specifics if you use the BA Avis rental portal, the carhire-ba.com one, I think Budget don't offer prepaid rates, whereas Avis typically have both. I use to like prepaid, but I'm erring towards reservations now as you can ultimately cancel and refuse when they're trying to give you a naff car and you'll have it for two week on a road trip.
My main issue, and this is a USA rental thing in my case, is always the 'or similar'. But mostly some friendly whinging and overt disappointment helps out, of course always remaining polite and understanding the agent is stuck between you and company policy, or an overbearing manager making their life hard for upgrading you when they didn't have anything remotely similar to what you rented.
On specifics if you use the BA Avis rental portal, the carhire-ba.com one, I think Budget don't offer prepaid rates, whereas Avis typically have both. I use to like prepaid, but I'm erring towards reservations now as you can ultimately cancel and refuse when they're trying to give you a naff car and you'll have it for two week on a road trip.
Apr 4, 2019, 3:02 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,683
Price isn't all though. I would strongly advise anybody to read the online reviews of some of Sixt's practices before using them. Personally, I've had both good and bad experiences but the bad was absolutely dreadful to the point where they are off my options list now.
Apr 4, 2019, 3:54 am
#20
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: BA Bronze SPG
Posts: 273
We'll be renting our Budget car in a month's time in CNS, Australia. We priced both up and the Avis was considerably more expensive for the 5 days of hire, even though we've to pay an extra $30 for an extra driver. If your CC does do the excess insurance then great but we've taken out an independent car excessive insurance for it. I also go round the car taking photos - especially in front of car hire personnel as a back-up - before driving off. Also take photo of fuel gauge. Likewise I do the same on returning the car. Cover your back!
As an aside, my brother hired one from a 'LCC preferred car hire company' from INV. He picked it up at night. A couple of days later he happened to notice a huge key mark all along one side. He couldn't prove it was there when he picked it up. £200 later....
As an aside, my brother hired one from a 'LCC preferred car hire company' from INV. He picked it up at night. A couple of days later he happened to notice a huge key mark all along one side. He couldn't prove it was there when he picked it up. £200 later....
Apr 4, 2019, 4:48 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: BAEC OW Gold/Emerald
Posts: 538
Last 4 car hires booked through Avis Preferred and everything excellent, including a brand new Toyota Yaris last time. Previously booked with Budget through 3rd party booking site, dreadful experience. Damaged car, no cover SUV boot and waited almost 1 hour to collect (Budget served their own website bookings before anybody else and only 1 desk open) will not use them again.
Apr 4, 2019, 5:50 am
#22
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Apr 4, 2019, 7:10 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
In the US, I think I’ve used about half a dozen (Hertz, Dollar, Budget, National, Avis and another I don’t immediately recall) but in recent years have settled on Avis for the standard of vehicles and the Preferred service aspect. A few extra quid on the rental doesn’t bother me.
HOWEVER, one can’t generalise. Some US rental franchises seem to have a worse reputation than others. And as for the horror stories I read of rentals in Europe ... regardless of company!
HOWEVER, one can’t generalise. Some US rental franchises seem to have a worse reputation than others. And as for the horror stories I read of rentals in Europe ... regardless of company!
Apr 5, 2019, 10:52 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BAEC Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 450
I’ve had nothing but good experience with Avis when booked through BA Holidays in the US.
My my first rental after signing up to Preferred was a one way rental of a Mustang or similar. While the app didn’t show an allocated car on the day I went to the booth in the parking lot where they said they needed to verify my card as it was my first rental. I then got asked if blue was ok and got handed the keys to a fully loaded V8 GT with around 1000 miles on the clock.
On my my most recent rental I had to swap out my car twice in two days, firstly when the stereo wouldn’t connect to my phone (first world problems) and secondly when I got a puncture. This was done at small ‘Hicksville USA’ airport locations with no questions asked. With regards to the puncture I was advised (by their Twitter) the easiest thing would be to put the emergency spare on rather than wait for assistance, and not to fuel the car. The guy at the airport said the fuel would be on the final bill (as they were a franchise and needed to charge it to corporate) but to query it when the rental was over. I did just that and they reversed the charge.
My my first rental after signing up to Preferred was a one way rental of a Mustang or similar. While the app didn’t show an allocated car on the day I went to the booth in the parking lot where they said they needed to verify my card as it was my first rental. I then got asked if blue was ok and got handed the keys to a fully loaded V8 GT with around 1000 miles on the clock.
On my my most recent rental I had to swap out my car twice in two days, firstly when the stereo wouldn’t connect to my phone (first world problems) and secondly when I got a puncture. This was done at small ‘Hicksville USA’ airport locations with no questions asked. With regards to the puncture I was advised (by their Twitter) the easiest thing would be to put the emergency spare on rather than wait for assistance, and not to fuel the car. The guy at the airport said the fuel would be on the final bill (as they were a franchise and needed to charge it to corporate) but to query it when the rental was over. I did just that and they reversed the charge.
Apr 7, 2019, 7:33 pm
#25
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: North of Carlisle
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,538
Just been charged $98 for an additional driver in Atlanta via Avis. Booked through the executive club and stood my ground re the free additonal driver but they would have none of it and refused to release the car without payment. Email on its way to BA explaining the situation. Not the first time I’ve had an issue with Avis.
Jun 11, 2020, 1:08 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 2
Avis good and bad
I always use Avis preferred when traveling to the US have had excellent service at Miami and Orlando but had the worst service ever at Fort Lauderdale where they ran out of cars and after waiting over an hour had to take a lower class car than I had booked just to get out of the airport,very rude and unhelpful staff would not recommend that place to anyone.
Jun 11, 2020, 1:32 pm
#27
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,246
Jun 12, 2020, 9:23 am
#29
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Home Counties, UK
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 539
We always use AVIS as well and never had a problem. In fact, when we picked a car up at Durban Airport last year the electric window button broke after three days. By this time we were in Pietermaritzburg and AVIS told us to drop the car off at Oribi Airport and get a new car which we could drop off at Durban at the end of the trip. It worked perfectly. When we picked a car up at Madeira Airport we were just told to photograph any defects and to show the pics when we dropped the vehicle off. Again it worked perfectly. Add to that the free second driver and the fact that we have a car hire policy with insurance4carhire.co.uk and all has been tickety -boo.
Jun 12, 2020, 11:46 am
#30
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: US/UK - and elsewhere
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,555
Usually use Avis - not least due to T5 office - but of course that is closed at the moment. Off-terminal office much slower service (even at the moment with no customers).
Also silly prices at ths moment. Booked 28 days at LHR usung avios - cheaper than 14 days. But... BWI-IAD rental $160 for 1 day... (and what used to be free one-way rentals around WAS). Extortionate.
Also silly prices at ths moment. Booked 28 days at LHR usung avios - cheaper than 14 days. But... BWI-IAD rental $160 for 1 day... (and what used to be free one-way rentals around WAS). Extortionate.