Sorry for the long post. I recently added a car to my flight booking through BA and Avis, picking up at Stuttgart airport. Despite being Avis Preferred the queue was lengthy and the wait was just under an hour before we got to speak to the CS rep at the counter. She was obviously quite flustered. I asked to add my husband as (free) additional driver and to take the full insurance to reduce the excess. Initially she said she could do neither as I had booked a corporate rate (which I hadn’t). When I pressed her on this she relented and gave me a quote for €30 per day for the full insurance which I was ok with as long that was the only additional costs which she confirmed it was. She said she had no cars left in the category we had booked so she was upgrading us to the next category. She did not ask me to sign anything and said she had emailed me the rental agreement. As we walked away with the keys, she said she’d sent the wrong agreement and had resent it again.

I did not get to look at the agreement until later that day after wrestling the kids and luggage and driving to our destination. I then noticed a mysterious €220 ‘location surcharge’ had been added in addition to the extra insurance and made a note to challenge this when I got home. We returned the car, full of fuel, two weeks later but then I was billed twice the amount I was expecting on my credit card. I’ve disputed the amount through Amex and with Avis directly, they say the extra costs relate to returning the car empty of fuel (untrue), extra surcharges (not agreed, I never signed to accept them and I though BA included surcharges anyway) and ‘other costs’ - whatever that is. This feels like a scam to me.

I can fight this as I have fuel receipts on my credit card and intend to argue that as I was not told about the surcharges and not asked to sign an agreement before getting the keys, I should not have to pay it. They have no proof. I’m happy to pay the extra insurance but that’s it, in any case if they didn’t make me sign the agreement can they hold me to any of it? I haven’t involved BA as not sure that can do anything. Anyone else had a similar scenario and what would be your advice? Usually find Avis ok to deal with but really do feel screwed over on this occasion. I hope Amex can help me resolve it otherwise I do feel annoyed enough to take it further anyway.

+1

Confidently say “no” to any extras now knowing I’m covered. And only £60 a year

Yes, isn’t hindsight wonderful? Should have taken separate insurance, should have got the full fuel gauge signed off on return, and taken a photo, should have looked in detail at the paperwork before leaving airport and not taken the CS agent on her word etc etc. However as I haven’t signed anything I’d like to see Avis argue their case in a a court. Biggest scam going, car hire. They take your card details and then can pretty much do what they like. Scumbags. I will phone BA tomorrow to see if they can help.

Document, document, document. And take pics of car before and after.

Got run into a Welsh rock wall by a ‘white van man’* a couple of years ago. I pointedly declined all extra insurance at the counter and VISA covered the whole $1400 damages no questions asked, other than the paperwork.

*Next time I’m in Wales, or Cornwall, I’ll hire a much bigger vehicle so there’s no chance he can squeeze by.

A few years ago, I rented an Avis van at the Geneva airport, using my Amex card. Before I even left the airport, I did $4,000 damage to the van (yes, my fault). At the end of the rental period, the Avis airport staff put a $4,000 charge on my Amex card (with my permission).
Fortunately, I had purchased $25 Amex rental car insurance through Costco Travel (probably no longer available). When I got home, Amex removed the charge from my card, opened a claim file, and asked Avis to submit the standard documentation (photos, repair bills, etc.).
Avis never responded...never submitted a single document, and neither I nor Amex ever paid anything.

So, Avis’ incompetence can go both ways.......