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@davefl, thanks for the heads up re the currency conversion – so does this appear as a separate entry on the email folio they send? I seem to have an extra £95 worth of charges from our recent 5-day Portugal trip which I haven’t had the mental energy to go through yet!
No it doesn’t, that’s where they’re sneaky. If you have zero addtional charges then it’s easy to see that the amount you paid is converted and deducted from the total rentala agreement amount, then there’s a remainder which is billed. But on the last RA I had none of the figures in the boxes added up to the total billed which was bizarre.
I’ve not noticed it happen in europe, only the USA and only Avis/Budget but then the majority of my ex-US rentals don’t tend to be Avis ones.
No, you just see a credit for the value of the pre-paid voucher they have applied to the rental then they charge you for any shortfall.
The other charge I’ve been caught with recently from Avis is where I went 2 minutes past the 30 minute grace period for a return – I had to explain later that I had to wait 10 minutes for the agent to check my car back in after arriving within the grace period. It would suggest Avis regard the grace period as theirs not yours.
I’m surprised by some of these comments about unexpected final car hire charges as from both Avis and Hertz (six hires so far this year) we receive a copy of the Rental Agreement a day or two in advance so you can see any unwanted ‘extras’ (such as location surcharges, toll pass, odd refuelling options, currency loss etc) and have them addressed and removed up front; much easier than afterwards or at a busy counter on arrival when you just want to get on your way. That deals with a lot of reported issues but obviously not post hire ones such as dings or fuel shortfall for which one really wants to get an immediate copy of the closing contract.
@davefl – the currency issue (whereby the pre-paid voucher is insufficient to cover the full rental cost) does happen with Avis in Europe as well. Another charge that may not be included in a prepayment voucher is a location surcharge and I’m sure there are others if you read the terms. We experienced both at Munich Airport last month. Unlike hotels, prepaid car hire prices are not strictly comparable to Pay at Location ones.@JDB – do you ask for a copy of the agreement as I’ve never been sent one pre-rental and do you book direct? I suspect US and non-US rental experiences differ though as well as on / off airport rentals. Our recent rentals have usually been at US / Canadian airports where they are looking to get you through as quickly as possible – in the US you are encouraged to collect your car with the only interaction with a human being at the barrier where they check your license. I get an app notification telling me the bay to go to.
I fear though that with more and more processing and decision making being automated and done in the background we are going to get more and more issues with people not getting what they expect and then being unable to get it resolved easily as companies seem to want to avoid interacting with their customers.
@JDB I’ve no idea how you get an RA in advance. I’ve never had that for any rental company ever. How can you get an RA when ther vehicle details aren’t known until you pick up the car.
And despite 5 requests Avis haven’t sent my closing contract for my last rental. Trying to obtain it on the app says it’s an invalid RA.
@JDB I’ve no idea how you get an RA in advance. I’ve never had that for any rental company ever. How can you get an RA when ther vehicle details aren’t known until you pick up the car.
And despite 5 requests Avis haven’t sent my closing contract for my last rental. Trying to obtain it on the app says it’s an invalid RA.
@davefl – I have never asked for one up front, they just arrive by email (or WhatsApp for Hertz Argentina)! Even though it’s a day or two in advance they have the car registration, fuel, condition etc. plus any trick ‘extras’. I assume it’s part of Avis Preferred which means the contract is automatically (pr)e-signed by the renter, which is very convenient, but harder to resolve after the event if you have signed agreeing to pay certain charges. The Munich one was rented by my wife and she also received it by email the day before – that was prepaid to which they added a €54 (inc tax) location surcharge…I’m Avis Presidents Club but still don’t get copy of the agreement pre-rental. It may be region specific but in North America it’s very commoditised so very customer service ‘light’!
@Man-of-Kent – I book directly, although I do check the aggregator sites to see who of the decent brands is the cheapest and avoid off airport locations if there’s an on airport choice. I have never asked for the RA upfront, it just seems to be something new they do – so far this year Avis NCE x 2, Avis MUC, Avis VLC, Hertz Mendoza and Hertz Salta. It’s good because one can add the extra driver details and anything else as well as checking the charges at ones leisure rather than doing that in a hurry on arrival.
Most things about car hire in the US/Canada are indeed different, but the underlying tricks seem universal! Mexico is another story again! Argentina is also a bit weird, has a shortage of cars and doesn’t participate in any of the status programmes but the people on the ground are very good to deal with.
I’m Avis Presidents Club but still don’t get copy of the agreement pre-rental. It may be region specific but in North America it’s very commoditised so very customer service ‘light’!
Me too as is my wife, but President, Galactic etc. doesn’t really cut much ice because, much like these vaunted hotel statuses, everyone has them; they are about as exclusive as Nectar or Clubcard.
@NorthernLass – in response to your question above (albeit one addressed to @davefl) about whether the voucher currency issue is shown on a separate line, no it isn’t!
The background is that when you choose a prepaid rate with Avis you agree to purchase a fixed sum GBP voucher from Avis Finance Company Ltd (“AFC”). It’s not a contract for any particular car rental service and the arrangement has an entirely separate contract.
When you get the Rental Agreement at the pickup location, it will have been reworked with all the various elements in local currency and can, per the contract, legitimately have certain extra charges added. Below all those charges, they will deduct the value of the voucher, converted into local currency at that day’s official exchange rate and show the outstanding balance. That local currency voucher may or may not cover the basic rental cost and definitely won’t cover any extra charges imposed or requested by the renter. As part of the agreement, you pre-authorise a charge to your credit card for any shortfall.
I’m not taking a view on any of the above, merely stating the facts which can be found in the AFC agreement and local RA.
When you get the Rental Agreement at the pickup location, it will have been reworked with all the various elements in local currency and can, per the contract, legitimately have certain extra charges added. Below all those charges, they will deduct the value of the voucher, converted into local currency at that day’s official exchange rate and show the outstanding balance. That local currency voucher may or may not cover the basic rental cost and definitely won’t cover any extra charges imposed or requested by the renter. As part of the agreement, you pre-authorise a charge to your credit card for any shortfall.
This is untrue. I showed the link to the contract when we first discussed this. The web site screens say that there will be nothing more to pay when you get to the rental location unless you opt for any extras. There’s nothing in the contract to contradict this.
The “voucher” covers 100% of the contracted rental. It couldn’t be any more clear.
There’s also nothing to say that the original payment card covers any unspecified extra charges. That’s why you present a card at the time of rental – to cover loss/damage and extra charges.
This is why I’ve challenged Avis 5 times and won 5 times.
@davefl – I’m afraid that is simply incorrect. There are two entirely separate contracts and they say precisely what I have stated above. The AFC contract doesn’t change whereas the RA obviously varies by country and location but in all the countries I have mentioned, the local contract has the same effect. Avis customer service will point you to these terms as well.
The fact you have successfully challenged Avis five times doesn’t change the contracts. Lots of companies back off as a matter of goodwill (and cost saving) if challenged. You can equally say that what you claim are erroneous (and I’m not saying you are wrong) charges being added five times by Avis suggests they believe in those rental locations that they are contractually entitled to add such charges.
Additionally, for a UK consumer there is the question as to whether the terms are fair hence my disclaimer above!
Re pre-authorising charges – you either have a card on file (either permanently or provided on booking) which they can charge and then there’s also sometimes one you present on pickup but that’s a step that can frequently be bypassed these days with the keys already in the car and the contract pre-sent and signed.
I have the same experiences as @davefl – it’s a prepaid rental and as such, unless I add anything later, there should be no charge at the end. I frequently run into the currency issue (at least 6 times a year!) and it is always resolved with a correction at the time if the rental agent is experienced or by email to Avis later. No complaint, just a request for the usually small refund. At a recent French rental, they suggested I should book through Avis.fr to avoid it as the guy spends ages fixing rental amounts in other currencies. It’s a known problem but an easy way for a bit of extra money making for Avis. I can see when people let it slide if it’s only a quid or two.
@JenT – as you say, the sums in relation to currency are usually not very consequential/worth chasing. That could of course change if you believe today’s Sunday Telegraph front page! The sum involved in location surcharges is far more serious.
I know it looks as though Avis is trying to make a bit of extra money locally, but that’s not the reality! A local Avis location which might be a corporate one or a franchisee/sub-franchisee has agreed to rent out a car for a fixed sum in local currency and that’s what they expect to get paid. The fact Avis in the UK didn’t collect enough money to cover that isn’t their problem. It also shouldn’t be the customer’s problem but unfortunately it’s what the customer has agreed upon prepayment.
That’s probably unfair in contract terms (which is why they refund quite readily if challenged) and the local branch gets to keep any surplus if the voucher is worth more than all the total charges and if you eg return the car early you aren’t entitled to any refund on a prepay.
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