OK- I'm Now Scared To Use Alamo. How About Avis?

[RalphMouth]

Found what I think is a great rate w/Alamo-
pickup car April 21st @ Ft Lauderdale & return to Orlando April 29-
Will pickup around 2 p.m. and return around 4 p.m.
using Alamo & price close to $173.00
however I'm reading all sorts of NEGATIVE reviews on Alamo-


maybe some good news-
Avis looks to be pricing at $185.54 for same info I give Alamo-
Only thing is I have to put in B021615 as a Walmart code.
Does Avis accept this or do they need to see a coupon of some kind?
I'm assuming Avis is on airport grounds at MCO. Am I correct?
Can I expect good service from Avis ??

I keep trying to plug in codes for National Rental but am not geeting very good rates.

 

[gallaj0]

I've used Alamo, and never had a problem with them. I never got any of the hard sell insurance stuff that some people were talking about, and if I did, I'd just say no.
Why don't you hold on to your Alamo reservation, and just keep your eyes on the board for any discounts? If you sign up for emails from the rental companies, they'll send you any specials, coupon, whatever.
You can cancel you reservation if you get anything better, but if you don't, you can fall back on it.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I have never had any trouble with Alamo either, except for one rather surley agent in Tampa. I took care of that very fast and the problem was taken care of quite well.
If anything we have been treated well by Alamo including upgrades at no charge because we were " nice people"(Alamo's quote not mine).
As to Avis, another really nice car company. No, you don't need to show anything from WalMart, the code is for WalMart customers and frankly, few are not WalMart customers.
Yes, Avis is onsite at MCO. I have received very good service from Avis, we got them twice from Priceline.

 

[inkkognito]

I prefer Avis to Alamo because they tend to have a shorter line, but I don't have a problem with Alamo when they have the best rate. I've gotten both through Priceline many times. I don't care about being able to choose my car, but if you like that, Alamo is better. It was nice the time we rented an SUV. Besides longer lines, Alamo tends to push much harder than Avis for the supplemental insurance, but I am not the kind of person who is afraid to say no. I saw go for whoever has the best rate, unless the difference is minimal. Then weigh all the factors...lines, being able to choose a car, etc. Both Avis and Alamo have given us free upgrades when they were out of cars in our class (we got the best upgrade from Alamo...rented an economy and got a Vibe once, although the Impala we got from Avis once is a close second).
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[AspiringCindy]

I've used both and were happy with both! However, whenever we use Avis, we get upgrades. We are traveling to WDW this Aug. and have Avis booked because they beat out Alamo by $100 with Entertainment coupons!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by AspiringCindy
I've used both and were happy with both! However, whenever we use Avis, we get upgrades. We are traveling to WDW this Aug. and have Avis booked because they beat out Alamo by $100 with Entertainment coupons!

wow, that is great. For my quotes (and I do check most rental agencies), Avis was 100.00 higher. LOL.

I have a full size with Alamo for 8 days, all taxes and fees for 188.13. I used the Bj's code and free day coupon. I had Hertz for a little more, but, I hate fords and I was not excited about a shuttle ride (sorry Safety Mom).

 

[GinaNJ415]

Avis is great because they are right at the airport and they're lines aren't long!

Using my Entertainment Coupon for AVIS
I got a 7 day rental on a Chevy Trailblazer 4/24-5/5/04:

Your Base Rate for a 7 day rental is: 260.99 USD
Surcharge : 42.87 USD
• $2.05 per day (Florida Surcharge & Waste Tire/Battery Fee)
• $0.42 per day (Vehicle License Fee)
• 9.8% (Concession Recovery Fee)

Tax: 19.75 USD ( 6.500%)

Approximate Total: 323.61 USD

 

[AspiringCindy]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
wow, that is great. For my quotes (and I do check most rental agencies), Avis was 100.00 higher. LOL.

I have a full size with Alamo for 8 days, all taxes and fees for 188.13. I used the Bj's code and free day coupon. I had Hertz for a little more, but, I hate fords and I was not excited about a shuttle ride (sorry Safety Mom).

You certainly have my price beat!
I am paying $315/tax and surcharges included for a premium car for 9 days in August. They were definitely the cheapest for our time of travel. Hopefully, I will see the rates start to drop since it is getting closer to the time of travel!

 

[lcjones70]

I had a somewhat bad experience with Alamo when I went rented a car this past November at the Miami airport. I had no problems with the car and returned it in the same condition that I had received it in. However, a month later I received a letter in the mail telling me that I had put body damage to the key, tire or glass. I called and left a message for someone to call me back stating that there was no damage to my knowledge and the employee who did the inspection did not mention any either. I also called my insurance company to notify them of the problem. About a week later, I got a call from an Alamo rep who asked me if I had gotten a flat tire when I had the car because the tire was cut. I told him that I had no problems at all with any of the tires. He immediately told me that if it has been my fault I would have known about it and since I didn't he was going to close the case. Although, my experience turned out to be a positive one, it still stressed me out and I think I would think twice about using Alamo again. The lesson I learned from then on is to take a video or digital pictures of the car before, during and after my rental with the date and time on each picture.

 

[AspiringCindy]

Great idea about the digital photo!!