Complaint Review: Avis

It is beyond comprehension how a company like Avis continues to operate with such reckless disregard for customer safety and satisfaction. My experience with Avis at Sarajevo Airport over the past month and a half has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster—one that placed my family, including my infant child, in immediate and life-threatening danger.

Here is the shocking reality of what Avis has done:

1. A Car That Could Have Killed My Family

Avis rented me a vehicle with a severely torn and defective front passenger tire—a defect so glaring that their own staff acknowledged it during the initial inspection. Let me repeat: Avis knowingly handed me a vehicle in unsafe, hazardous condition.

It wasn’t until a concerned gas station attendant warned us of the tire’s risk of catastrophic failure that we fully grasped the imminent danger we were in. We were forced to completely change our travel plans, navigating unfamiliar roads with the constant, gut-wrenching fear of a fatal blowout. Avis’s reckless negligence jeopardized not just my life but the lives of my spouse and infant child.

How dare they put any family in such peril?

2. Gouged and Overcharged Without Explanation

I confirmed my rental price through Expedia at $637.32. Imagine my outrage when Avis instead charged me $986.02—a staggering $348.70 overcharge with no justification. This bloated bill included dubious charges like a “Premium Location Fee” and a doubled Green Card fee.

Not only does Avis provide dangerous vehicles, but they also exploit their customers financially, hiding behind opaque billing practices while brazenly pocketing the difference.

3. Over a Month of Silence and Excuses

Since October 9, I have sent more than 20 emails to Avis demanding answers and a refund. Instead of resolution, I’ve received nothing but hollow, copy-pasted responses, filled with empty assurances that someone would “look into it.” Avis set their own deadlines for addressing this, missed every single one, and simply moved on as though their promises meant nothing.

This isn’t just bad service; it’s a deliberate strategy to exhaust and silence customers. Avis is banking on people giving up, but I refuse to let them off the hook for their failures.

4. A Stunning Lack of Professionalism

In one of their few responses, Avis didn’t even bother to spell my name correctly—a careless detail that perfectly symbolizes their utter indifference to their customers. If they can’t manage basic respect, how can they possibly handle more serious issues like safety and accountability?

Avis Is Dangerous, Dishonest, and Disgracefully Incompetent

This company’s disregard for safety, transparency, and professionalism is inexcusable. Renting a car should not mean gambling with your family’s safety or fighting tooth and nail just to get what you’re owed. Avis’s behavior in this situation has been nothing short of outrageous, and their ongoing silence only deepens their shame.

I urge anyone considering Avis to run—don’t walk—away from this company. They risked my family’s lives, overcharged me, and abandoned me when I demanded accountability.

If you value your safety, your money, and your sanity, avoid Avis at all costs.