Avis Rent A Car

Overcharge, long waits, not friendly… A rather long wait for the shuttle when arriving at the airport; saw multiple shuttles from several different companies go by before ours appeared. Driver showed no interest in helping anyone with their bags. Also showed no interest in telling people the lay of the land («we’re going to be stopping at Terminal 1, then heading on over to the rental lot» — so some people actually got off at the other terminal and ended up having to wait for the next shuttle to the lot.
Once I got home, I found a charge for an additional $ 37+ on my card –it was a pre-​paid rental so there should have not been any additional charges. It’s not clear from the receipt what the charges are for… I’ve submitted a query but based on previous reviews, I have little hope of seeing any resolution. I know, $ 37 isn’t much, but still.
In the meantime, add Avis to the list of those who will never knowingly get my business again. Back to good old Hertz, Enterprise, and Dollar, none of whom I have EVER had any problems with.

Worst ran Alamo/​budget division in the industry. I travel for a living. Avis needs to evaluate this division from top to bottom. However, it had been this way for some time so they obviously are not going to do anything. Go somewhere else.

This place doesn’t even rate a star. Just terrible. They should be ashamed of how that place is ran. They don’t answer the phone just no customer service.

Did not have my reservation despite having a confirmation number, didn’t really get to use preferred service, I go inside, they tell me to go outside

Car was fine, service at check out was great.
During the Check in process the gentleman couldn’t get the ticket to close out and asked me to go to the counter. As an Avis chairman I haven’t been to a counter in years but was happy to oblige.
First as I entered, I noticed 4 Avis reps huddled around one computer assisting one person. All of them barking their thoughts at the person on the computer. The customer stood blank faced not
Saying much as the Avis personnel continued to tell her different stories of why the issue was created, most of them pointing it to her fault.
The line continued to back up behind me in the Preferred lane and as I sat there for another 15 mins I asked if any of them working a single case would be able to assist some of us waiting.
I received an interesting look from a red head who said matter of factly that they would be with me in a moment. This started severs rumblings from
the growing line.
As we continued to wait, there continued to be several conversations behind the counter asking others thoughts on two other customers taken from the regular line. This created an interesting dance of floaters who were going from computer to computer while the 3 others on their own computer blurted out thoughts too to the group.
When finally assisted by the red head it was a blank bland frustrated response joined by another gentleman. Overall I observed several rude and unexceptional comments to many customers.
I certainly recommend some customer interaction training and a review of the general issue resolution process at this location.
It certainly took away from my experience.
I’ll lean to National in the future where I also have status when in the STL market.

Avis here is hit or miss. Sometimes I get awesome service, upgraded to an SUV at no cost etc. Other times poor service… this time, the driver just blew passed the preferred drop point and said that no body replied where in fact he never asked, they bumped me up which was great but… the car had no been cleaned or it was cleaned poorly on the inside, dirty car, I pulled out a mile up the road and the fuel said ⁷⁄₈ full, it took me 3 attempts and 30mins just to get on to customer service just so they don’t stick me for $ 5 in fuel. The agents checking cars back are nice sometimes and others very rude and not customer friendly at all.

Well waited for more than 15 min at sidewalk for shuttle. Very cold Day! Avis here clearly doesn’t give a care about service. Consider going elsewhere. This is the second time shoddy service at Avis in St Louis. Certainly not what I expect from a premium service. And yes we do pay a premium at Avis.

Simply put: if you have a choice of which agency to rent with at Lambert Airport, I’d recommend…
1) National (or Alamo, same lot);
t — 2) Hertz;
t — 2) Enterprise;
3) Avis (or Budget, same lot).
For the most part, I rent with National. Between their promotions, loyalty program, solid service and last-​minute specials, there’s usually no reason to go elsewhere. With rates spiking though (curiously too, given that Alamo rates were, in many cases, half of their National counterpart’s… despite the pool of vehicles appearing to be the same since the two brands share a lot), I decided to use Priceline and was assigned to Avis.
The long list of complaints here on Unilocal do seem to be grounded in how Avis does business, at least at this location.
My three top concerns?
1) Customer Service reps seem to be focused on selling. Even with a prepaid rental reservation, they’ll try to sell car class upgrades (perhaps even claiming that your reserved vehicle isn’t ready, but that an upgraded class is) and insurance coverage. Prior to my visit to Avis, it’d been years since I’d last heard the infamous «would you like Basic or Comprehensive coverage?» sales line. Who doesn’t loathe this tactic?
All of this selling takes time, and saying «no/​no thanks/I’m good» repeatedly gets old very quickly.
2) You’ll be assigned a car. For those accustomed (as I am) to choosing a vehicle from a pool based on a reserved class, being told what to drive is a far less customer-​friendly experience. If there’s no car in your assigned spot, or an issue with the vehicle that is, the onus is on the renter to complain, rather than simply choosing from another option nearby.
3) The rental’s billing was incorrect and Avis customer service’s automated reply asks for customers to expect a response in 3 – 5 days. While I’m reasonably confident that the invoice will be corrected, having to call the company on their error and then wait up to a business week, or more, for a fix seems excessive.
Although the shuttle operators, gate checker, return lane representative and porters at this location were friendly, I’ll be in no rush to rent with Avis again.

Slow service. Very disorganized and confusing. Employees are loud and will try to take advantage of you. Witnessed employee scare an old couple into getting more. Try to force us to get an upgrade. Do not rent from here !

Why does it take so long to get people into a rental car? Walked in to a line full of people 25 minutes ago. None of us have moved. This might take awhile…

Terrible process, horrible customer service, basic vehicle.
Upon arrived to pick up my rental I discovered they did not offer parking for my personal vehicle. Luckily I brought along a friend and was able to go drop my car off. Super inconvenient!
Once I was given the keys to the rental, I waited for a rep to show me the way. NEVER happened. So I asked, «Excuse me how do I know where to locate the vehicle?» The guy at the counter simply responded, «It’s on your agreement.» Well damnit since I don’t work here it would be helpful if someone who actually does can lead the way! (I didn’t say this out loud)
So after strolling through the parking lot for 5 minutes I finally located the rental. Then I waited for a rep to met me so we could do the inspection and gauge the fuel tank before I took possession. NEVER happened either!
I went back inside to inquire about this and was told no one meets me at the vehicle; if I notice something I am to come back inside to report it myself. At this point I through my hands up and walked out to the car. I took photos of the entire vehicle (bumper to bumper) as well as the fuel level and got outta that zoo.
I’ll never rent from Avis again; lesson well learned. Cheaper price isn’t always worth the business.

was upgraded to a larger vehicle because they were out of the car i had prepaid for with priceline. the agent neglected to verbally tell me of the daily fee only for me to find a charge on my credit card and snotty customer service agents to tell me i signed for it on the contract.
watch your contract like a hawk… they sneak billable items without verbally advising you.

This business is almost a scam if you want any customer service. Their phone numbers do not work. The woman serving us tried to sneak in really pricy insurance after a much cheaper reservation is made. When we tried to change the insurance by 800 number (coz their office number doesn’t work) we were told we have to call the office number, or drive to the airport with gas we’ll have to pay.

This business is terrible. I was rented a car that had some initial problems. I took it back and the employee who checked the car decided to «test» it by speeding through the busy parking lot at a truly insane rate of speed with both my wife and I in the car. Both my wife and I were terrified the entire time. I am not exaggerating. The employee is lucky they didn’t hit anyone.
When I then needed to extend my rental by one day due to a cancelled flight, this office was impossible to contact. Their phone number only worked intermittently, often returning a «could not be completed as dialed» error. When I did get through, I got an automated answering service that tried to transfer me as requested but consistently dropped all calls. When I stayed on the line as if I was on a non-​touch-​tone phone, it dropped me then too. This does not happen sometimes. It happens EVERY SINGLE TIME. It is literally impossible to contact this agency by phone, which frankly put seems to be a deliberate and highly dishonest practice on their part. This is the single worst customer service experience I have ever had.

First it is not located at the airport. Requires a shuttle.
Waited forever for shuttle in 10 degree weather.
The Rapid Checkout process is broken.
The checkin process is broken.
No one anywhere in sight to check car in. The manager asked me to move the car for him and assured me someone would meet me out there. Nope, had to walk back to the main building then wait for him to go inspect the car, then come back, re swipe my CC and then give me a receipt. Missed the shuttle in this process and had to wait in the cold for the next one.

We just left saw TJ… hes great! Funny guy easy to talk too…
Go.giants & niners!!!

Why oh why is there a line out the door? We are at an airport, with reservations. They knew we were coming… this is crazy! This wait may be longer than my flight here.

I was very pleased with the service! I wound up here by accident after a very long day, and didn’t realize I went to the wrong company. Avis matched my reservation with the other unnamed company, and gave me a pretty good car for a two week rental.
The rental return was quick, as was the airport shuttle. The drivers on both shuttles were very friendly and courteous. I’ll definitely come back here again!

So listen to this: on a freezing cold, snowy day, 4 colleagues and I drove up at the Avis car return to return our car and take the shuttle to the airport. So as we’re all walking toward the shuttle, 3 people get on and then the driver suddenly shuts the door in my colleague’s face leaving both of us standing in the cold. My colleagues on the shuttle repeatedly asked the driver to open the door for us as we were knocking from outside. The driver ignored us all and drove off.
The shuttle was not full. It was freezing outside with snow on the ground. But still the driver had no common sense, consideration for customers, decency, or humanity to open the shuttle doors.
Needless to say, my colleagues and I will be taking our business elsewhere.
Terrible service!
No concern for customers!

Why do I have an Avis preferred account? So that I don’t have to spend any time waiting in lines, standing in lots, or otherwise delayed from travel. And in a dozen trips it’s been good. Enter St. Louis.
I have an email that says «Your Ford Taurus is in spot D24», the board says «Ford Taurus, Spot D24», but what’s in D24… nothing.
So I go to the counter and explain that where there should be a car, there is no car. With no apology or concern I’m told to go to the swap line and grab any car I want. ‘Great!’ I’m thinking, upgrade! But when I get to that swap line, all that’s there are bottom of the barrel, no whistles, no bells, all Chevrolet Malibus. So now I’m taking a downgrade? Nope! I see a Taurus a couple spots over from where mine should be and think, you’re mine. I hope in, get to the gate, and am told I have to return to the preferred counter. Hopefully to get the car put in my name… right? Wrong.
I never really let this get me down, or express too much annoyance to the personnel at the counter. But they’re not terribly concerned about the fact that this is kind of a nutroll for me. I never got so much as a ‘sorry for the inconvenience’.
I asked, «why can’t have just take the Taurus, considering that’s what I reserved?»
«Because it’s reserved for someone sir»
«Okay, then where’s the Taurus I reserved?»
«Sir, I have no way of answering that.»
Super. I was told I could have a Hyundai Santa Fe, which would be great if I was hauling my family, but it’s just me, and I’m driving 3 hours. I said I wanted a sedan and was curtly informed «Well if you can wait a few minutes you’re getting a Chrysler 300»…not that I was given much of another option.
Now the Chrysler probably IS an upgrade. It has leather, it’s big, it reminds me of my long gone 92 Lincoln Towncar. But it doesn’t get great mileage, and is probably much bigger than I need and prefer to drive.
I probably would be less irritated if the employees would have shown any concern for the situation, they could even feign concern, just make me feel like it’s an issue that isn’t interrupting YOUR day more than my own.
What I would have expected to happen is that when I had to go out of my way to find a car that SHOULD have been there. They would either get me the same reserved car (if it’s on the lot) and upgrade whoever was expecting the Taurus. Or if it’s the owner of Ford Motor Company coming in and he MUST have that car, upgrade me to a nicer sedan. But make it easy, I shouldn’t have to turn tricks to get a car.
Car was clean, slight cigarette smell, and the guys that clean/​move the cars around were friendly as was the check out lady at the gate. Preferred booth personnel, not so great. You can sell me a shitty product, but if you handle customer service well I’ll probably come back for more shit. They’re selling a good product here, but I won’t come back.