Cars available on the site but not in reality
Used Avis in multiple countries in the past years but their services have become unreliable recently.
This experience is dealing with Avis.ro, but touches also on avis-europe.com, avisbudget.ro and their Avis Budget UK and avis.com.
All these entities or various Avis companies can have a role when the 'simple' action of accessing the site for reserving a car is happening!
The story goes back to the last booking, when I had to go by the phone and follow up to confirm the reservation, but ultimately went through.
However, the last experience was shocking and surely last time when willing to use my money with these folks.
Their site always shows cars available but it takes them 72 hours to confirm your reservation!
They also accept these reservations even if your pick-up date is less than 72 hours and then their system triggers (possibly when you're on the way for the car) the message that is not available!
They offer incentives for payment when you reserve, but even in this scenario the reservation is not guaranteed.
Then you discover when going to other rental company that the money are withheld from your account, even if Avis message states clearly that no funds have been used.
When calling the available numbers no one is answering and raising a case with their CS will be an adventure.
Without any apologies or any feedback that the matters are investigated it can take weeks until you get your withheld funds back.
Avis Romania representatives will refer to various laws, why the Romanian entity is not responsible for anything since the payment is done on Avis Budget UK.
Also your bank is the one withholding your funds because of your actions, not because of their system where the API triggers a call to withheld the funds from your account by Avis Budget UK (if we take on their rhetoric).
To recap, on avis.ro and avis.com you see cars available for rent on the site.
Reserving it doesn't mean you get the car, since they need 72 hours to detect if the cars are available or not.
They offer discounts when paying for reservations and they have a standard message with no funds used - even if you reserve by paying or not paying!
Their phone numbers are not to be reached in real time, their CS is not available and other automatic replies will greet you from an UK email address.
Having a solid system in place, when a 'dedicated' local team member reaches you, will be well informed and will ask you to provide all the evidence from scratch.
Lastly, after weeks a legal representative will reply to you with reference to various laws, that you have no case, the company (whatever and whichever Avis) has not anything wrong and that you are responsible for your actions!
So, being responsible, the future actions will be not to use Avis. Anywhere.
8. Oktober 2024
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