Warning on AVIS Car Hire

This appears to be an incomplete and one-sided description of the incident. Could you provide a bit more detail about what you said and did during this interaction that may have led to this alleged decision on the part of Avis?

I'm guessing you're British -- is that correct?

I'm also guessing the OP isn't used to renting cars.

After nearly 2 hours I reluctantly agreed to take whatever car they
could give me

Two hours? Really? You had time to kill. At which airport was this Avis?

The small print of the contract has a ‘or similar car’ clause in it.
Where the notion of ‘similar’ relates to the number of doors etc but
not the engine size. (I believe most car hire companies now do this.

With Avis in the US, cars are grouped in classes like economy, compact, standard, intermediate, premium, etc. Engine size is not necessarily a factor in terms of which cars are grouped into specific classes. On Avis' website, they'll list a class, show a picture of a vehicle in that class, say the name of the vehicle and then add the words "or similar" meaning the vehicles in that class are akin to the vehicle they list. Take a look from the Avis Car Guide. I rent with Avis on occasion and have never seen them list on line all of the vehicles per class.

Ahhhh, car rentals!

Enjoy this Seinfeld scene!

I'd have liked to have been a fly on the wall during this exchange as, as someone else has previously pointed out, we only have one side of the story.

I agree that a Fiat 500 is not similar to a VW T Roc, are you sure that it wasn't a Fiat 500x which is larger and therefore likely to fit more in line with the 'similar' caveat?

I would not be content with being offered a Fiat 500 if I wanted something similar to a VW T Roc. I have previously been offered cars that I felt were not in line with what I booked, usually boot space is the issue, but I have never failed to resolve the issue amicably. I accept that the world of car rental is a busy one, particularly at major airports, and that it's not always possible for the agency to fulfill everyone's requirements. Sometimes I've accepted the car offered, sometimes I've paid a little extra to upgrade and sometimes I've been upgraded for no extra cost. I've never spent anywhere near two hours to resolve these issues and certainly never been placed on a 'no rent' list. I'm curious as to your behaviour that led to such a drastic outcome.

I've used Avis a number of times, never had a problem however you don't state where the location was.

If you hammered on them for 2 hours, I am a bit surprised they did not call the police.

The Fiat 500 they offered, was it the base "500", or was it a 500L or 500X ?

If either of the latter 2 you were getting a 'similar' car. If it was the base 500, then I understand your frustration.

After this experience, I am puzzled that you seem unhappy about being blacklisted.

The "or similar" has been a part of every car rental site I can remember ever looking at.

Until recently, I used to travel all over Australia on business, mostly to the capital cities. I would rent a car 90% of the time, picking up from the airport. I almost never got the car I reserved but, because I know how these companies operate, I knew I might be provided with something different. Mostly, these were cars in the same class. Twice however, having booked a 'family sedan' (Toyota Camry) I was offered a sports car. Both times the counter staff were apologetic. Because I was alone both times and unlikely to have colleagues or clients in the car, and being a petrolhead, I graciously accepted :-)

Both times, I was working in Adelaide, not too far from the hills, and both times I took the very long way home to my hotel ...

Bob said: "I'm guessing you're British -- is that correct?"

I'm intrigued. You suggest that the OP may be at fault and then say he's probably British, as though that explains it. Would you care to tell us what makes you say that?

"Learnt" and "holiday" (rather than "vacation") perhaps?

Acraven said: "Learnt" and "holiday" (rather than "vacation") perhaps?

I'm glad you can help. Now second question: what is the relevance of the OP's nationality in this context?

Thanks for replies to my post.
To be clear:
1. 2 hours delay was because the main Avis office at this airport is in the terminal building and the service counter is some distance away in the car park. The counter staff sent me back and forwards several times to no avail.
2. I am not new to the ‘or similar’ small print but I am alarmed that the hire car company can give you some very different to what you have paid for and they advertised.
3. My main msgs to fellow travellers are:
A. AVIS can get away with having taken my money and refusing to give me any product. This does not happen in other transactions.
B. Staff in many countries do not wear name badges and there is no recourse to talking to a manager. Surely this is bad commercial practice?
C. Staff can send you back and forward with no chance of getting a favourable outcome and waste a huge chunk of time.
D. Counter staff can arbitrary black list you and leave high and dry with no appeal.

A-D are new to me and fellow travellers be warned.

Finally - my advice (and what I will do in future) is book a ‘prestige’ car which will give me what I see on the website and pay for (hopefully) but clearly not from AVIS!!!!

You do know that Avis locations in many places are franchises and not company locations - what happens one place tends to be different elsewhere.

You haven't answered the questions about the 500XL. You haven't given a continent where this happened to you, much less a country or city. Perhaps there was a language barrier?

Also, I have found that you often get back what you give out in attitude.

Avis and Hertz both offer the ability to rent a specific car with none of the 'or similar' caveat however you will pay more for this service.

I don't know if there are any other companies that do the same, those are the only two I know for certain.

I don't know how far in advance you booked this but if you paid with a credit card can you dispute the charge and get your money back?

Simple solution: Never pay in advance. You can then just walk away if the car offered is not what you wanted.

From my experience it is quite rare for a rental agency to have the exact vehicle on hand...typically they will have something similar and generally equivalent. Often they will offer an upgrade and usually without cost penalty if it is because they are lacking inventory in the class that you rented. As with most travel travails, how you respond when the problem is presented will set the stage for how you are dealt with. If you decide to act like an AH, expect them to punish you for it. These rental folks deal with all sorts of people day in and day out....there is a limit to how much they will tolerate. When the sh*t hits the fan, be chill and give them some space.
This reminds me of an incident in Paris a few years ago. We arrived at the rental in the Louvre to discover that I had booked a car...for the wrong month. They had a car that was not in the class I wanted but they offered it at the same rate...they recommended extra insurance (not too bad actually) that I had opted out of.. I agreed to it and they took care of the mess I made without any hassle. Comically, the guy working at the counter when we arrived was heading home in the direction we were going so we let him drive to nearly the outskirts of Paris..I missed out on the nightmare of driving out from the center of Paris...it worked out perfectly for us..
If you berate someone for 2 hours.....yeah..expect the worst.

To the OP: With all due respect,

The phrase "Or Similar" is on EVERY photo of the car that is shown on the website when you book.

The Fiat 500X or L is certainly similar.

My guess is, and it is just a guess, is that you created a scene and became, not a customer with an (illegitimate) complaint, but a disturbing and distracting presence at the counter. As I have rented from Avis all over the world and have found their staffs polite and helpful even when I had a disagreement over something I kept my disagreement civil and polite and was sure I was on firm ground.

And if the company is telling you they do not have the exact car you want then accept another and move on. They cannot produce a car they do not have out of thin air. And if you stop and think about it it would be a logistical nightmare for any rental company to guarantee a particular brand model at any of it's locations.

I am sorry but you made an issue out of something you should have known about, and if not, once being told and having it pointed out to you in print politely acquiesced.

I am with those here whose sympathy is limited at best.

Someone's behavior has to be pretty bad to get black listed. Typical first time posters rant without specific details. I generally find it takes two people to have an argument. And taking two hours to resolve this problem is more than excessive. Unless you have a specific agreement stated by make and model you really have nothing to complain about. Anyone who has rented more than three cars knows that what you get is totally dependent on the present inventory on hand. How can it be any other way? Would love to hear the other side.

2 hours delay was because the main Avis office at this airport is in
the terminal building and the service counter is some distance away in
the car park.

You STILL haven't shared which airport this is after you have been asked already. If you really want people to be warned, you aren't accomplishing that goal as Avis is franchised; airport locations are not managed in the same way. In addition, I'm even more curious which airport this is as it doesn't take 2 hours to go from the terminal, to the shuttle to the garage/parking lot where the Avis cars are located. If it did for you, which airport?

You want to warn us? Tell us which airport you experienced this problem.

The Fiat 500X or L is certainly similar.

The OP stated that it was a Fiat 500, he has not confirmed whether it was an X or L so it's best not to assume that it was either of the large models. As it stands a Fiat 500 is not a similar vehicle so if this is the case then the OP has a legitimate complaint.

I suggest not renting from one of the premium major rental companies in your next American holiday then because what category you rented can become even more irrelevant. With Hertz, no matter what car class I book, they waive me over to the Five Star rows and tell me to pick what I want. Which in Utah earlier this year was a mismatch of vehicles from Toyota Corollas to an Infniti QX 80. But pretty much nothing in the category my reservation was for.

1. 2 hours delay was because the main Avis office at this airport is in the terminal building and the service counter is some distance away in the car park. The counter staff sent me back and forwards several times to no avail.

WHY were they sending you to and fro?

WHICH airport?

Exactly which model of a 'Fiat 500' was offered?

If you want to be taken seriously, you need to provide some essential details.

I don't think the OP's coming back.....I wouldn't!

"I don't think the OP's coming back.....I wouldn't!"

I agree. Bit of a mob attack, eh?

OK - I can see I am getting flak here.
The most important thing for the forum is FACTUAL advice to fellow travellers.
I stand by my personal advice :

My main msgs to fellow travellers are (slightly reworded):
A. AVIS can get away with taking money and refusing to give customers a product. This does not happen in other transactions.
B. Some staff do not wear name badges and there is no recourse to talking to a manager. Surely this is bad commercial practice?
C. Staff can send you back and forward with no chance of getting a favourable outcome and waste a huge chunk of time.
D. Counter staff can arbitrary black list you and leave high and dry with no appeal.

I now see - with the benefit of hindsight (and sage advice from other RS forum responses) that:
1. I was naive to be bullied into 3 journeys back and forward from terminal to car park.
2. I am naive to believe I could get the car on the website that I booked and paid for - and that the norm is you don’t get anything other than a ‘similar’ car - which in my opinion is NOT ‘similar.’
3. I should not have wasted time in trying to explain my views to counter staff whose English was not good (at one point the staff shouted to me that if I wanted a specific car on holiday I should buy the car!! ).

My personal circumstances are not relevant. I.e knowledge of which airport is not relevant - if it can happen at one airport in Italy if can happen at any airport.

Yes the counter staff will have a different view of this interaction - I cannot say what that would be - although some of the flak I have got sounds as if it might be from AVIS counterstaff.
And incidentally my wife stayed at the counter throughout and said virtually all the customers (over the 2 hours) did not get what they ordered and one lady was charged twice and refused a refund.
Honestly, I believe the treatment metered out by this company is not satisfactory and I would personally not encourage my friends to use them.

Perhaps naively, I thought this view might be useful to others travellers. If it’s not - or you disagree - then OK - ignore what I have written.

Still no answers to the basic questions of which airport and what model of Fiat 500 was offered, or the purpose of the multiple trips to and fro.

The only new info from the latest is OP had is wife with him, so there were 2 of them. The 2 of them could easily fit in any Fiat 500 and been on the way with their trip.

Why the reluctance to answer the key questions?

Curious -- what is so special about a VW T Roc? Not familiar with that model. Sounds like the OP is just mad. It would to get pretty ugly to get banned. No one is banning a customer just on a whim. Is there any US rental company will guarantee a specific make and model when making a reservation?

what is so special about a VW T Roc?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/volkswagen/volkswagen-t-roc-review-late-entrant-suv-game-good-looks/

Verdict 8/10

The T-Roc stands out in the crowded SUV market thanks to its funky
styling and fun driving experience. It’s not as spacious as a Seat
Ateca, and the quality of some of the interior plastics might not be
as plush as you’d expect, but neither of those points are
deal-breakers for what is a very good SUV indeed.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/fiat/fiat-500x-review/

The verdict 6/10

The Fiat 500X succeeds in offering much of the charm of the 500 city
car in a bigger, more practical package. And while it does have flaws,
they’re generally the ones that afflict all cars of this sort. Just
make sure you can live with its unsettled ride.

Did you contact Avis directly about the issues after you returned from your trip? If you had an issue with the counter staff, that is who you is where you should have your discussion about your treatment and being put on a blacklist.

I just want to know what model car he was offered as it would certainly assist in containing many of the assumptions that it was a Fiat 500L or X.

OP......can you elaborate!!!!

We had a brand new Fiat 500X in France in July - it was a great car to drive around in for 10 days. Lots of room for the two of us - we are used to driving an SUV at home (Ford Escape, but just got rid of that for a Jeep Cherokee) and found the X plenty spacious. We just wanted a compact, automatic transmission. We've rented three times via Europcar, always compact/auto, and have had a VW Touran, a Citroen Cactus and the Fiat - none are what was 'pictured' (they show a Peugeot 308...with the words 'or similar' on the current rental page...I believe when we got the Citroen, a VW was shown as the type of car)

I mean, if you're buying the car, that's one thing, but for a rental - * shrugs * For us, it was a bit like a lottery - it was kinda exciting to see what we'd get.

@The OP: your continued use of the term Naive is telling. And in your response you still do not seem to understand that prominently displayed on the booking site of EVERY car rental company is the term "Or Similar". Which means that you will probably not get the exact car you wanted. In fact those less Naive than you already know that picture of the car on the booking site is just an example and not to be taken literally.

And despite the assertions you make to try to reclaim the high ground of your post they fall flat for me as I see this problem in simple terms. You didnt get the car you wanted. You wouldn't acknowledge the fact that "Or Similar" means just that and that the car you were offered is certainly similar. And you made a scene. In my book you are responsible for the two hour delay and the trouble.

Had you simply said "Ok that will be fine" when given the other car none of this would have taken place and you would have been on your way. Now I will give this one concession: If you don't know cars very well (which is my guess here) then I can see some confusion. But all you would have to do is ask to see one or a picture of one and ask some polite questions.

As for "Taking Flak" well actually in my opinion you launched yourself out there as a big target with a post that was certainly questionable in it's facts and presentation of your disgruntlement.

And as for the Italian Avis Staff: I wasn't there of course but again my guess is there was a long line of Customers behind you being held up by what the staff probably saw as a needless argument and those customers deserved attention too.

I really hope things work out better for you next time. Don't let this kind of thing dominate your trip. It isnt worth it.

Arthurperry were you there? You certainly write as if you were privy to everything that occurred. The OP has already stated that he understands the concept of "or similar". He has not confirmed whether the car was a larger Fiat 500 or the original, smaller model and for which it is wholly incomparable to what the OP booked yet you believe that it was the larger model that he was offered despite nothing in this thread confirming that it was. You also appear to know how the OP reacted with the staff and whilst there is every possibility that he did act in a manner that you or I would consider inappropriate there is no evidence that he did.

It is called --- circumstantial -- you don't get banned for acting like an altar boy. I would be a 100% on Peter's side if on one of his many journey to and from parking lot he had observed that a VW T-ROC was available. If the car is not available, it is not available. Take what you can get and take it up with Avis at a later date. Sounds like someone was laying down conditions that simply could not be met. Total impasse. Move on.

Oh geez....I don't think I ever got the exact car I picked out..I end up with the "similar" car. No big deal, it is a rental for a few days, not a purchase. And I rent through AutoEurope, which uses Avis.

I don’t think that you should condemn a world wide company because if one incident that was not resolved to your satisfaction. Rental companies do not guarantee a specific model since there is no control over supply and demand at a particular location and they are at the mercy of when cars are returned. Perhaps, part of the negative experience you related had to do with your attitude, as well as that of the staff. I doubt the escalation was one sided.

I have owned various cars from an AMC Gremlin to a BMW 528 and I always treat them for what they are intended - a tool to get me safely from point A to point B.

The missing issue here is "perspective". You are on a fabulous vacation, for which you will spend some serious coin. What do you want to do with the first afternoon? Get into a big argument with a bunch of minimum-wage workers who don't have much skin in the game, or do you want to get the car and go to your hotel?

I'd get a car and go to my hotel. There, I'd have a glass of wine, and look at the sunset with my sweetie.

I'd get a car and go to my hotel. There, I'd have a glass of wine, and look at the sunset with my sweetie.

But what if your luggage won't fit? I've been offered cars that are not comparable in respect of boot size despite them being regarded in the the same category. I was once offered a BMW 1 series that the agent considered a nice alternative however we couldn't fit all the luggage in the boot and with two kids in the back there was no other room for it. I politely declined the car and was offered something more practical however if there was no suitable alternative it would not be quite so easy just to get in, drive off and enjoy a glass of wine in the hotel! Perhaps the OP required the size of the T-Roc and found the Fiat 500 to be wholly unsuitable. Not everyone is travelling as a couple with two rucksacks to chuck on the backseat.

@JC

Arthurperry were you there? You certainly write as if you were privy to everything that occurred.

No I wasnt and I said that in my response. I also qualified all of my remarks with "It's my Guess"

But it doesn't take a genius to figure this out especially if you have ever owned a business that dealt with the public as I have ( a hotel bar and restaurant)

And as I said in my response concerning the car type; if he was not familiar with the one being offered all he had to do is ask politely to see it or a picture and be on his way....as someone wise here said to have a glass of wine in his hotel with his dearest....

This is bringing back some memories. Many years ago 4 of us were dispatched by our company to work a Blaupunkt factory in Germany. We were scheduled to stay there until the work was done... and it was expected to take a month. We had tools, bags etc. to pile into the rental car our company arranged for us. Our destination was a bit over 3 hours away on the Autobahn.
Imagine our horror when we discovered that the car that we were provided was a Renault R5...in the US it was know as Le Car. Not only was this thing a complete POS, it would not fit the four of us and our kit...but that was the car we had. We packed in as best we could and hit the Autobahn only to learn that the heat and the defroster could not keep the windshield clear enough for us to see while driving. If you've driven the Autobahn, even in the worst weather, you know that there is very little (no) mercy given to someone driving a little sh*tbox. Cars were whizzing by us at incredible speeds and it was all we could do just to stay on the road and to see where we were going. After a few days the rental agency brought us a newer (and bigger) car that had defrosters that worked and that we could all fit into. Our company learned that small economy rentals in Europe could be really really small and I learned to hate Renault.