Quote-start

Want to avoid being overcharged

Quote-end

2 Dec 14th, 2002 

36 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
Helpful service

Disadvantages:
Based on my experience you WILL be overcharged

Recommendable No:

Detailed rating:

Available selection

Customer Service

Vehicle Quality

Value for Money

mandyhaley

mandyhaley

About me:

Thank you, thank you! I've got a red dot!

Member since:09.05.2001

Reviews:66

Members who trust:21

Do you want to avoid being overcharged?

If the answer to this is “yes”, then read on....

You would think that the price you are quoted for something would be the price you pay, wouldn’t you? Wrong – in the case of car hire from Avis. Let me explain.

In September this year we went on holiday to Cape Town in South Africa. We needed to hire a car for 9 days, so I naturally did some research on the internet. I obtained quotes from all the major companies, and Avis came out as one of the cheapest. I was quoted 1937 Rand (approximately £129) for the total cost of the hire. I confirmed that this included insurance, VAT, etc..

Because Avis is a well-known company with a good reputation, I decided to make the booking. The booking form on the internet was easy to use, and I received an e-mail confirmation of my booking the same day. I was given a booking reference number which I could use to cancel the booking if I needed to.

Collecting the car at the airport was a breeze. The collection point was next to the terminal building, the staff were extremely helpful and friendly, and within a few minutes we were on our way. They even knew the guest house where we were staying and provided excellent directions.

The car was what we had ordered, and was spotlessly clean inside and out. We had no problems during our rental, and dropping it back at the end was even easier than collecting it.

No complaints, so far. My discontentment started when I received the final invoice (which incidentally was mailed from the UK and arrived promptly). Instead of the 1937 Rand we had been quoted, the charge was 2061.46 Rand. Based on the exchange rate we got from our credit card at the time, this was an additional £8.30.

I immediately contacted Avis by e-mail, and eventually received an explanation. The extra charges were

Vehicle License Fee 13.15 Rand(taxable)
9% Airport Fee 96.08 Rand (taxable)
Sales Tax 14% 15.29 Rand

which were NOT included in the figure quoted on the internet.

I sent an e-mail back to Customer Services, pointing out that these costs should have been included in the 1937 Rand quoted on the web-site. Naturally, I expected the rate to be total amount payable - if there were additional costs these should have been made clear to me at the time I made the booking.

I am still waiting for a reply to this, and have recently sent a reminder. Although the sum of money involved is not huge, there is a principle involved. I believe that Avis should have been more honest in its quotation, and not add on unexpected extras.

I will be pursuing this further, so watch this space...

If I have any news, I’ll update this opinion.
 

How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines

exceptional

very helpful

helpful

somewhat helpful

not helpful

off topic

Products you might be interested in »

Dakine 60/40 Split Convertible Travel Bag 2009 Crumpler Gimp 15 inch Laptop Sleeve
Dakine Campus Dakine Split Roller 100 Travel Bag 2008
Crumpler Gimp 17 inch Laptop Sleeve Deuter Speedlite 10

Comments about this review »

phil2001 06.01.2003 19:53

I used to use Avis all the time but changed to Hertz as I found they always quoted everything.

Karen1203 04.01.2003 02:27

Very annoying, Im sure, this happened to a work collague, who hired a car via Avis, and they didn't give him the standard of car he asked for. He's too lazy to do anything about it though - I hope you get somewhere with them!

Ophelia 02.01.2003 16:48

Grrr!

Related offers for Avis Rent A Car »

NH Hoteles 0 Ratings

NH Hoteles

NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times

 Visit Shop  >
NH Hoteles
Record Rent a Car 7 Ratings

Record Rent a Car

Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers, unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.

 Visit Shop  >
Record Rent a Car


More reviews »

Avis Rent A Car - review by PaulMCC08

Advantages: Good selection, availability, location and helpful staff
Disadvantages: Don't let them try and charge you for extra fuel

Avis Rent A Car - review by PaulMCC08 PaulMCC08 17.06.2008 (17.06.2008) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avis Rent A Car

Avis Rent A Car - review by Susie-34668

Advantages: What a surprise.
Disadvantages: Initially cost us a fortune. Employees who didn't listen or care.

Avis Rent A Car - review by Susie-34668 Susie-34668 25.07.2004 (26.10.2005) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avis Rent A Car

Avis Rent A Car - review by quininho

Advantages: Not too expensive, great car, good service
Disadvantages: none on this experience

Avis Rent A Car - review by quininho quininho 21.11.2007 (21.11.2007) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avis Rent A Car

Avis Rent A Car - review by rosefamilypsol

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Old vehicles, bad service, very few outlets, incompetent repair workshop

Avis Rent A Car - review by rosefamilypsol rosefamilypsol 04.06.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avis Rent A Car

Avis Rent A Car - review by Panda1976

Advantages: they give you a car
Disadvantages: too many to list here!!!

Avis Rent A Car - review by Panda1976 Panda1976 18.08.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avis Rent A Car



Are you the manufacturer / provider of Avis Rent A Car? Click here