Bad Avis Experience

[Cheburashka]

I almost titled this post "Avis Nightmare", but didn't want to exaggerate. My experience was bad, but I'm grateful it at least didn't happen in the middle of the night and/or in a dangerous area- that would have been a true nightmare. It was enough to convince me to never rent from Avis again, though. I am mainly posting this to vent, but if you're casually considering Avis, you might want to take my experience into consideration. Here are the basics:

1. Background: I almost always have rented from Enterprise in the past, which has never subjected me to anything like my experience with Avis. So if I seem shocked by what happened, that's why. I have rented cars plenty of times, but usually with Enterprise, who I have a newfound appreciation for. I also am a single mom who has recently been skirting a mental breaking point due to a chronically sick child (no end yet in sight to his illness) & other bad things (8 year relationship break-up; suddenly having to find a new home in an insane housing market) and/or stressful things (moving into new home; starting graduate school while working full time and mothering a sick kid & moving) currently going on over the past year, and this vacation was a much needed solo break to try to maintain sanity & restore positivity so I can effectively soldier on.

2. Pre-trip I was thrilled to get an apparently awesome pre-paid deal for an Avis standard car for my spring break vacation, which consisted of a cruise that was bookended on each end by one-night stays at different Disney resorts. It was important for me to have a car just in case I tested positive at port, and I didn't want to waste precious time waiting around for buses, etc. I wanted to enjoy my trip to the fullest. Ha. Ha.

3. Pick up of the car at MCO went smoothly, although I was slightly dismayed that the car (a Nissan Altima) didn't seem particularly new and even had the very faint scent of cigarettes.

4. As I drove to my Disney resort, I noticed a "Change Oil Now" message, but let it go. After all, on my Volvo, when I get that message, it means it's time to schedule the oil change (which can take a month to get in for in my hometown's Volvo dealership), and not that the oil has to be changed immediately or else. Nevertheless, it felt strange to drive a car that was so obviously in need of service. Oh well, don't fuss, you're on vacation...

5. The next day I drove the car to Port Canaveral and parked it, very careful to ensure that all interior and exterior lights were off, to avoid the misery of a dead battery after the cruise. I'd already noticed that this car wasn't even advanced enough to turn off its own lights.

6. After my cruise, I dragged my heavy and unwieldy luggage through the Port Canaveral parking garage and into the car, and happily set the course in my phone's map app for Kidani Village. And then the car wouldn't start. I tried again and again, but the engine just mildly revved & would not start. I double checked & no lights had been left on pre-cruise, and the lights & car control panel still functioned. The battery symbol flashed, though, as well as a weird message about a key malfunction.

7. At this point, all of my fragile, cruise-cultivated happiness evaporated. For the next few hours I lost it and wept as I called and called again and again Avis, whose agents kept dropping the calls & requiring a complete explanation at every callback, & whose hold times were very long.

8. Eventually (after about 2 hours of this, literally, it took that long to get an agent on the phone who didn't drop the call halfway through, I WISH I were exaggerating) their stated plan was to have a tow truck take this car away, and for me to ride with the strange tow truck driver to Melbourne ("only about 45 miles away") to get a replacement car. Um, what about Port Canaveral, where I actually was, or Orlando, where I had come from and was returning to? "No, there are no cars available in Port Canaveral or Orlando." Emotionally fragile though I was, I still had a brain, and knew from experience that there were ample cars in Orlando, at least, and that Avis probably just didn't want to give me a Port Canaveral or Orlando car, because the renting there is so brisk. Why not just farm me out to quiet Melbourne, instead? Oh, and it might be a two-hour wait for the tow truck, and this after the two hour wait to get a cognizant plan out of Avis. Cars were already entering the parking garage for the next Fantasy cruise at this point.

9. I gave up on Avis after hearing this horrible plan that would ruin most of my day (and unsuccessfully trying to reason with them about just taking me to Orlando instead), and finally called AAA, which with the benefit of hindsight, I should have done right away, rather than follow Avis guidelines and call them first. AAA answered the phone within 10 minutes (and they never dropped my call) and had a mechanic at my car within 15 minutes of the call. The mechanic gave me a jump, and diagnosed the battery with a bad cell- I'd been rented a lemon. Shouldn't have been surprising given the condition of the car, but still...

10. The mechanic advised me to drive it to the Avis car rental place in Port Canaveral to get a trade, because he predicted the car would die as soon as I turned off its engine. After hearing of Avis's Melbourne plans for me, no way was I sticking around in Port Canaveral, though. I drove straight to the Orlando airport, holding my bad need to use the restroom the whole time, knowing that I couldn't turn off the car until I reached Avis at MCO.

11. Upon reaching Avis at MCO, I had to rush into the airport terminal to use the bathroom, and hurry back out to the parking garage where my car (and all of my luggage) was. Avis immediately arranged for me a replacement car ("there are no available cars in Orlando", I recalled ) without so much as an apology or raised eyebrow. This was clearly no surprise or unusual occurrence to Avis. I pressed for them to note that I shouldn't be charged for gas due to what had happened (at this point it was nearing the 4 hour mark from when the car had failed to start, really eating into my final vacation day at Disney World), and they agreed, but they dug in their heels about me not wanting to have to pay for tolls, either. To my mind, some kind of financial compensation for this awful product and service should go without saying, but they disagreed.

12. When I walked across the garage to where I was instructed to collect my new rental, there was only an empty space in that spot. My gear was so heavy that rather than trudge back across the garage to the counter, I flagged down Avis workers to solve the issue on the spot. This took a while, and then more time as I checked out of the garage at exit.

13. The new car, while still a standard, was noticeably nicer than the original- I wondered if that was because it was a pinch hit due to the assigned replacement not being available. I can't help but wonder if they purposefully gave me their crappiest car because I got such a good deal.

14. Finally, 5 hours after this miserable experience began, I arrived at Kidani Village.

This might be no big deal to some who read this. Fine, if that's the case for you. But to me, in my already fragile state, it was an absolutely awful experience. It was also harder than it sounds, because of how long dealing with every part of this took, and how much gear I had to move from place to place as a result, something that isn't physically easy for me.

Life has been very hard for me this year and this ended my much-needed vacation on a negative note. It really hurt to see all of the families arriving for their cruise, while I was alone and trapped through no fault of my own, and not easily able to communicate or make a plan with Avis (and when their plan did come, it was bad and they weren't willing to consider other options).

Those of you who are still here, thanks for listening to my vent. I'm sorry, but I needed that after what happened today.

 

[nw6675]

I am glad it is over and you were still able to make it to AKL. I would have been an emotional wreck, too. Thanks for sharing. I hope things overall improve!

 

[RogueX]

I'm sorry that happened to you. We spent a rather large chunk of time proving to Avis post vacation that we did indeed return our car when they claimed we didn't.

My husband has to deal with rental car nonsense at work all the time, so he took care of it when the multi-thousand dollars charge showed up.

 

[mom2rtk]

Many company phone lines are next to useless these days. And it's absolutely infuriating. I would Tweet or post on the Avis Facebook page to let them know how poorly this went.

Not sure what having non-automatic lights has to do with any of it though.

 

[Cheburashka]

Not sure what having non-automatic lights has to do with any of it though.

Since you asked, I mentioned it as part of the description of why I had checked to make sure the lights were off.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I could tell you of my awful experience with Enterprise that would rival your Avis story. We have vowed to never rent with Enterprise ever again after that and my step-father-in-law who had graciously (but ill-advised) had already given them another shot has stopped recommending them to his insurance clients (which that was the company he did almost exclusively but no longer). Truth is all companies will have their issues (some more than others but Avis isn't usually one of them). But I wouldn't say it's an Avis vs Enterprise thing.

4. As I drove to my Disney resort, I noticed a "Change Oil Now" message, but let it go.

While I sympathize with your story this was #1 a big huge mistake. Turn that car around, take it back to MCO, show them the lights and get a new car. On a rental car if there is a light indicator it's something to pay attention to. You don't drive the car on the regular, you don't know it's maintenance records (like how frequently it's been done). It's entirely possible someone who rented it before you declined to notify them and the indicator light didn't turn on for them. You just don't know. So yeah don't keep the car knowing it has an indicator light on like that.

Nevertheless, it felt strange to drive a car that was so obviously in need of service. Oh well, don't fuss, you're on vacation...

Again you don't drive the car. Turn around and return it to the rental car facility. Yes you do indeed fuss while on vacation when it comes to stuff like this. You could have been in an accident because of a vehicle needing service

 

[Cheburashka]

I could tell you of my awful experience with Enterprise that would rival your Avis story. We have vowed to never rent with Enterprise ever again after that and my step-father-in-law who had graciously (but ill-advised) had already given them another shot has stopped recommending them to his insurance clients (which that was the company he did almost exclusively but no longer). Truth is all companies will have their issues (some more than others but Avis isn't usually one of them). But I wouldn't say it's an Avis vs Enterprise thing.


While I sympathize with your story this was #1 a big huge mistake. Turn that car around, take it back to MCO, show them the lights and get a new car. On a rental car if there is a light indicator it's something to pay attention to. You don't drive the car on the regular, you don't know it's maintenance records (like how frequently it's been done). It's entirely possible someone who rented it before you declined to notify them and the indicator light didn't turn on for them. You just don't know. So yeah don't keep the car knowing it has an indicator light on like that.

Again you don't drive the car. Turn around and return it to the rental car facility. Yes you do indeed fuss while on vacation when it comes to stuff like this. You could have been in an accident because of a vehicle needing service

The oil change issue wasn't related to the car failing to work- the car had a lemon battery. Thanks for the blame the victim bit, though. I suspected at least one poster would be like that- it's always the case when someone posts about a terrible experience that another poster pipes up with variations of "you should have done this this and this- it's not the company's fault they gave you a crappy product, it's your fault for not doing their job for them and making sure they didn't give you a crappy product", so nothing unique there. I've used Enterprise for years and had only great experiences, so I'll stick with them, as I've said. They're more expensive, and now I know why. I'm also glad Disboards has an "ignore" function.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The oil change issue wasn't related to the car failing to work- the car had a lemon battery. Thanks for the blame the victim bit, though. I suspected at least one poster would be like that- it's always the case when someone posts about a bad experience, so nothing unique there.

I knew you would respond that way. Sure I'll be that poster because I believe in fairness in posting stories and if you feel that's victim blaming don't know what to tell you. You can have an awful experience with a rental car place (any place) and still be like "you know hindsight shouldn't have kept the vehicle". I didn't say the indicator light was the issue into your car failing, I said I would return to the rental car place with an indicator light on because you don't know the service record of the vehicle; other things may be going on.

How is a battery issue make a car a lemon? I just had a battery issue Tuesday. My car wouldn't start. The issue? The connection to the battery came loose. Tightened it up and I was on my way. My car totally isn't a lemon (it's a POS for sure lol but not a lemon).

You say it felt strange to drive a car that obviously needed service so yeah why did you keep the car? This is you be aware something was up. You said you let it go (then you just blast the rental car agency). You said vacation isn't the time to fuss (which is actually is on things like this). I wouldn't be taking a chance with a car with any indicator (save for may tire pressure but even that could actually be a puncture in the tire). These are rental cars, they aren't your car you know about.

Maybe don't blast a rental car agency (any of them) with your story without also giving the warning out for people to take cars back if they have issues like that. You rolled the dice and lost. And while Avis clearly didn't meet normal expectations of a well-known rental car agency for that you did get my sympathy it doesn't mean I have to be so totally on your side just because. People don't work like that

ETA: I see you added to your post after I started replying. My comment only pertains to what was originally in your comment, I didn't actually read what you added.

 

[spiders]

I have never had a problem with Avis.

I used to work for a major brand. I personally reset the oil change lights on numerous cars regardless if it was needed or not. If I needed the car then I needed the car. I’d ask some questions in a friendly way to make sure you weren’t going super far but other than that — reset and go. I doubt we were the only ones to do that. It’s a good reason to never buy a former rental.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have never had a problem with Avis.

I used to work for a major brand. I personally reset the oil change lights on numerous cars regardless if it was needed or not. If I needed the car then I needed the car. I’d ask some questions in a friendly way to make sure you weren’t going super far but other than that — reset and go. I doubt we were the only ones to do that. It’s a good reason to never buy a former rental.

I'm sure they totally reset all the time maybe just more so these days with so few cars. Some may feel fine keeping it so long as it's documented that it was reset by the rental agency representative to absolve the renter from issues (when the renter saw the light on I mean). For me I wouldn't be keeping the car just too many issues with cars (all various companies). One thing to keep in mind since the pandemic started companies are holding onto their cars for longer or finding alternative ways to get cars. When we were in Vegas in March 2021 our rental car was actually a leased vehicle. The rental car agency didn't own the vehicle but was leasing it.

 

[spiders]

I'm sure they totally reset all the time maybe just more so these days with so few cars. Some may feel fine keeping it so long as it's documented that it was reset by the rental agency representative to absolve the renter from issues (when the renter saw the light on I mean). For me I wouldn't be keeping the car just too many issues with cars (all various companies). One thing to keep in mind since the pandemic started companies are holding onto their cars for longer or finding alternative ways to get cars. When we were in Vegas in March 2021 our rental car was actually a leased vehicle. The rental car agency didn't own the vehicle but was leasing it.

That is actually pretty common and not a post-COVID thing. There are owned cars and there are program cars (leased). The benefits to a program car is that it is a lease generally with a mileage limit and then there is no disposal issue to the company — you just send it back and wipe your hands clean. That obviously comes with a higher cost. Owned cars are owned but then the rental company has responsibility for reselling the car.

As for cheap, basic cars like the OP had — those also have a purpose. Insurance replacement rentals (Those are rentals where you’re in a wreck and insurance is paying for it)…those rates are terrible and you need cheap cars in order to make money. But from time to time a cheap car will end up on a one way or something else where it ends up at a major airport where the rates are much more lucrative and the renters are expecting much nicer cars.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

That is actually pretty common and not a post-COVID thing.

Def. I think I was just mentioning that part (although I know you're referring to the lease car part) because in the OP it was mentioned the Altima they got was not new. That's something you'd see more often during the pandemic because they haven't had the amount of cars to cycle through and let go of when they reach what used to be the upper mileage and natural lifespan of a high-used car like a rental.

You put good information in about rental car inter-workings for sure in your comments.

 

[spiders]

Def. I think I was just mentioning that part (although I know you're referring to the lease car part) because in the OP it was mentioned the Altima they got was not new. That's something you'd see more often during the pandemic because they haven't had the amount of cars to cycle through and let go of when they reach what used to be the upper mileage and natural lifespan of a high-used car like a rental.

You put good information in about rental car inter-workings for sure in your comments.

It was the worst job I ever had and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. High pressure, high stress. That stupid insurance that you absolutely have to sell — in fact your job is dependent on it depending on who you are. That is a blessing and a curse. If you’re a smaller location then that can kill your quarter. The insurance isn’t insurance. It’s called a waiver because it is simply the company saying they will waive their rights to collect from you. So if they total a car then your statement will have a $40k loss on it. Your quarter is screwed and you’re getting written up.

I’m what they call a Level 12 air traffic controller. Level 12 means that’s the highest level of complexity there is. There is not a single day I have that ever comes remotely stressful to what rental car was for me. I actually had a dream when I was there and I was in my 20’s at the time. In that dream I was getting ready to go to work and I looked in the mirror and I was in my 40’s. I was so disappointed that I had let that job become my career. I woke up and turned in my resignation later that month. Best career decision I ever made.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It was the worst job I ever had and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. High pressure, high stress. That stupid insurance that you absolutely have to sell — in fact your job is dependent on it depending on who you are. That is a blessing and a curse. If you’re a smaller location then that can kill your quarter. The insurance isn’t insurance. It’s called a waiver because it is simply the company saying they will waive their rights to collect from you. So if they total a car then your statement will have a $40k loss on it. Your quarter is screwed and you’re getting written up.

I’m what they call a Level 12 air traffic controller. Level 12 means that’s the highest level of complexity there is. There is not a single day I have that ever comes remotely stressful to what rental car was for me. I actually had a dream when I was there and I was in my 20’s at the time. In that dream I was getting ready to go to work and I looked in the mirror and I was in my 40’s. I was so disappointed that I had let that job become my career. I woke up and turned in my resignation later that month. Best career decision I ever made.

Yipes, certainly sounds like a yucky job glad you made it out