justinbrett
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I just returned from a trip to the US and I resisted posting this while I was there as it was right at the end of it and very complex, and even now as still not been finalised.
One way Avis Rental Chicago Downtown - DFW, over 2 weeks. Intermediate SUV.
I pick the car up without any dramas and went on my way, first north/west all the way to North Dakota and then all the way down to TX.
3000 miles later, the car is running fine, performed well for fuel consumption. Heading to my final hotel stop in Austin, the car breaks down just south of Forth Worth. Initially it was just sluggish when I was trying to overtake on the interstate in the middle of FW; a few miles later the transmission appeared to slip whenever speed went above 40mph. I slowed down to 50mph and kept the cruise control at a steady speed, this worked for a bit and then it starts violently jerking, and a big "Engine Malfunction" warning appears. I pull over to the side of the interstate and turn the engine off. Where I pulled over was not safe, everyone is doing 80mph and my car is shaken by every passing truck. I turned the car back on, put the hazards on and limped to the next gas station doing max 40mph.
I arrive and park, then call Avis. Initial response is somewhat promising - I was clear of FW by this point but the nearest Avis was a 25 min drive back. I said I can try to limp there as long as they are happy for me to drive the car - they say yes. Then he says wait, no, they don't have any replacement cars, it's a busy weekend. You'll have to drive to DFW to DAL. I said I can't, it's not safe to drive that far, he agrees. So then his plan is to put me in an Uber to Austin (about 2.5 hours, US$150) and tow the car back to Dallas. Awesome, I think.
15 minutes later he calls again, "sorry we can't approve the Uber for that long trip, so we're going to tow the car to Austin and you can ride in the truck". Um... OK - surely a tow truck costs more than an Uber? Whatever.
4.5 hours later, the Tow Truck arrives as I start to display symptoms of heat stress (it was very hot). I get in, driver doesn't speak English and has 4 chihuahuas in the single cab, and the pax floor is covered in fast food wrappers and containers. We arrive at Avis Austin airport at 8pm (the main rental lot, not the terminal desk). It's a ghost town. We can't even get in the gate to return the car. We finally find a mechanic, but he doesn't have keys, so he says drop it in the lot next door and he'll pass it on. I didn't want a replacement vehicle by this point (it was arranged) but clearly that wasn't going to happen either.
I then booked a flight to DFW for my return and wanted nothing more to do with the car. After many phone calls, nobody would talk to me about the terms of the rental agreement ending. Roadside Assistance only cares about getting me a new car, they have nothing to do with compensation and refunds. Customer Service won't discuss the matter until the agreement has been closed, which happens when I get the replacement car and return it. I finally got on to someone who said the notes say the car is returned, so you can talk to Customer Service about potential refunds. By this point I'm within 24 hours of returning to Australia so figure I'll just call the Avis AU number.
What complicates it, or possibly helps, is the rental was repaid though the Avis AU site, with AUD, and has an AU suffix. I'm hoping this means Australian consumer law applies.
What I'm asking for is more than reasonable - a refund on the drop fee (US$300) since I never made it to my destination, and a refund of 3 days of rental (approx $100/day) for the days I didn't use the car.
Their main argument, which has been hinted already, is no compensation or refund is due as a replacement car was made available. I think it's clear to argue that wasn't the case, as the earliest I could have got the car was almost 24 hours after I arrived in Austin.
I've lost a lot of respect for Avis over this, I've found their Australian agents to be great and no previous troubles overseas or in the US, but this has been an absolute debacle. In the end it only cost me 5 hours of my trip, and I'm out of pocket for the flight - but I did save some money on hotel parking etc so not a total loss (and they don't need to know that).
Has anyone else been in a similar situation?
One way Avis Rental Chicago Downtown - DFW, over 2 weeks. Intermediate SUV.
I pick the car up without any dramas and went on my way, first north/west all the way to North Dakota and then all the way down to TX.
3000 miles later, the car is running fine, performed well for fuel consumption. Heading to my final hotel stop in Austin, the car breaks down just south of Forth Worth. Initially it was just sluggish when I was trying to overtake on the interstate in the middle of FW; a few miles later the transmission appeared to slip whenever speed went above 40mph. I slowed down to 50mph and kept the cruise control at a steady speed, this worked for a bit and then it starts violently jerking, and a big "Engine Malfunction" warning appears. I pull over to the side of the interstate and turn the engine off. Where I pulled over was not safe, everyone is doing 80mph and my car is shaken by every passing truck. I turned the car back on, put the hazards on and limped to the next gas station doing max 40mph.
I arrive and park, then call Avis. Initial response is somewhat promising - I was clear of FW by this point but the nearest Avis was a 25 min drive back. I said I can try to limp there as long as they are happy for me to drive the car - they say yes. Then he says wait, no, they don't have any replacement cars, it's a busy weekend. You'll have to drive to DFW to DAL. I said I can't, it's not safe to drive that far, he agrees. So then his plan is to put me in an Uber to Austin (about 2.5 hours, US$150) and tow the car back to Dallas. Awesome, I think.
15 minutes later he calls again, "sorry we can't approve the Uber for that long trip, so we're going to tow the car to Austin and you can ride in the truck". Um... OK - surely a tow truck costs more than an Uber? Whatever.
4.5 hours later, the Tow Truck arrives as I start to display symptoms of heat stress (it was very hot). I get in, driver doesn't speak English and has 4 chihuahuas in the single cab, and the pax floor is covered in fast food wrappers and containers. We arrive at Avis Austin airport at 8pm (the main rental lot, not the terminal desk). It's a ghost town. We can't even get in the gate to return the car. We finally find a mechanic, but he doesn't have keys, so he says drop it in the lot next door and he'll pass it on. I didn't want a replacement vehicle by this point (it was arranged) but clearly that wasn't going to happen either.
I then booked a flight to DFW for my return and wanted nothing more to do with the car. After many phone calls, nobody would talk to me about the terms of the rental agreement ending. Roadside Assistance only cares about getting me a new car, they have nothing to do with compensation and refunds. Customer Service won't discuss the matter until the agreement has been closed, which happens when I get the replacement car and return it. I finally got on to someone who said the notes say the car is returned, so you can talk to Customer Service about potential refunds. By this point I'm within 24 hours of returning to Australia so figure I'll just call the Avis AU number.
What complicates it, or possibly helps, is the rental was repaid though the Avis AU site, with AUD, and has an AU suffix. I'm hoping this means Australian consumer law applies.
What I'm asking for is more than reasonable - a refund on the drop fee (US$300) since I never made it to my destination, and a refund of 3 days of rental (approx $100/day) for the days I didn't use the car.
Their main argument, which has been hinted already, is no compensation or refund is due as a replacement car was made available. I think it's clear to argue that wasn't the case, as the earliest I could have got the car was almost 24 hours after I arrived in Austin.
I've lost a lot of respect for Avis over this, I've found their Australian agents to be great and no previous troubles overseas or in the US, but this has been an absolute debacle. In the end it only cost me 5 hours of my trip, and I'm out of pocket for the flight - but I did save some money on hotel parking etc so not a total loss (and they don't need to know that).
Has anyone else been in a similar situation?
Typical FT really. "Should have booked at the airport, so it's your fault".
