Complaint Review: Avis - Los Angeles airport - Los Angeles California

The Better Business Bureau was useless in helping resolve this complaint. Despite submitting clear documentation that the higher car rental fee was not accepted, they called the case closed. American Express finally resolved the dispute on March 7, 2015 with a credit being issued by Avis. Often AMEX is criticized for higher fees. In this case, they protected the card holder from an overcharge.

It seems there are hundreds of complaints filed with the BBB against Avis. That in itself tells consumers something about the company. The adage is worth remembering: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

For any reader who thinks Jim has made a valid point about reading the contract, please be aware that in addition to the one page detail sheet, you must read the full jacket insert that the contract summary page is inserted into. How many renters have ever done that?

Below is the web address of a "confession" of a rental car agent worth reading. The comments to that article are noteworthy. Car renting is a big business and renters can be easily victimized.

edmunds.com/car-buying/confessions-of-a-rental-car-agent.html

Thank you Jim for taking the time to respond. I understand your belief "let the buyer beware" and the feeling that my wife failed to read and question every line of the contract; a very time consuming activity at the end of a long and tiring journey that was still not over. I suggest you research Yelp about the conditions in the Avis facility at LAX and the crowds of people waiting for service. Maybe then, your opinion might change.

The purpose of the initialing requirement next to the three paragraphs is to accept the terms of the revised contract. Since my wife did NOT initial them nor did the agent REQUIRE her to do so, made the contract incomplete. Obviously Avis' policy and procedures require a rentor accepting these terms from the rentee. If the agent was correctly and honestly doing his job, he would have verbally stated that the rental car had an upcharge of $262 over the orginial contracted rental rate of $235 and demand she initial initial next to the revised price, or not rent her that vehicle. In every Avis rental contract I have signed, and there have been many, I have been required to initial these paragraphs. It protects the company from disputes.

This was not a small upgrade but a financially abusive one, unless one believes defrauding a consumer in a commercial transaction is acceptable. The most important point is that Avis agents are paid an incentive to upgrade customers. Whenever there is a financial motivation, there is always the possibility that an agent, for what ever reason, acts in a way that is not in the best interests of the customer or the company. It would appear that this is what occurred.

I have also filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau. The BBB will be in contact with Avis shortly. It is up to Avis to review the complaints for this location and the agent too. I hope for a satisfactory response from Avis once a complete review is conducted.

If there is further disagreement, small claims court is a very simple and effective way to resolve this issue. We live by the rule of law in the United States. It is up to each of us to decide what time and effort we are willing to expend when something happens that may affect our fellow citizens too. My wife's experience, in my opinion, may not be one isolated instance. Rather, it may be a repeated pattern of behavior. If so, it needs to be called to Avis senior management's and the public's attention. If my actions save other people from similar situations, I feel I have accomplished something worth a great deal more than the $262 overcharge.

You made reference to a contract which governs this transaction, right?  The Terms and Conditions of the transaction are listed right there on that contract.  Your wife FAILED TO READ those Terms and Conditions and obligated herself to them without knowing them!  Smart!  Please tell all of us how this is the fault of the rental company.  Before you say it, don't bother.  I don't work for them!