AVIS car hire help needed please

babydaisy

I recently paid £105 for 3 days car hire through AVIS. I dropped the car off full of petrol, no damage, had to wait a bit for them to sign it off but all was OK.

Now I am home, they have made a charge to my credit card for 300 euros - when I queried this, they say it was 37 minutes late being returned. They apparently give a 29 minute "grace" period, but essentially they are charging me 300 euros for 8 minutes late which seems exorbitant given the car hire was only around £35 per day. Are they allowed to do this?

Their customer service has stopped responding to my emails, we used them all the time, are preferred customers and would always use them even when they were a bit more expensive because I had never had any problems with them before.

I am amazed really that they can see all the times we have used them, and would throw our future custom away over what must be a small sum to them but is completely disproportionate to us.

Caz3121

they state
'Avis do not charge part days. If you are late returning your car to the Avis location, you will be charged for an additional days rental. However, Avis do provide a 29 minute grace period for customers who may have been stuck in traffic."

the question would be whether €300 is the cost of a days rental

babydaisy

Thanks for responding - it really very clearly is 10 times the cost of a days rental so I wonder who I can raise this with further? Do they have an overseeing body?

eskbanker

babydaisy said:

Thanks for responding - it really very clearly is 10 times the cost of a days rental...

It's more like 7.5 times the cost of a day's rental based on the deal you had in the first place, but that's irrelevant because their late return policy is based on the 'rack rates' paid on location rather than pre-booked tariffs:

you will be charged an extra day's rental at current pay at location prices plus a late return processing fee for each day or part of a day until the vehicle is returned

babydaisy said:

...so I wonder who I can raise this with further? Do they have an overseeing body?

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-complain-about-your-car-hire-company-abBQ65F96Fj7 summarises your options, unless 'preferred customer' status gives access to anything else within Avis themselves.

babydaisy

OK great thanks for your answers

eskbanker

babydaisy said:

I dropped the car off full of petrol, no damage, had to wait a bit for them to sign it off but all was OK.

Just to go back to that comment, most large hire companies will issue a receipt showing date/time of drop-off, reference to any damage, and any outstanding charges - what specifically did they sign off and how?

Bonhomie

babydaisy said:

I recently paid £105 for 3 days car hire through AVIS. I dropped the car off full of petrol, no damage, had to wait a bit for them to sign it off but all was OK.

Now I am home, they have made a charge to my credit card for 300 euros - when I queried this, they say it was 37 minutes late being returned. They apparently give a 29 minute "grace" period, but essentially they are charging me 300 euros for 8 minutes late which seems exorbitant given the car hire was only around £35 per day. Are they allowed to do this?

Their customer service has stopped responding to my emails, we used them all the time, are preferred customers and would always use them even when they were a bit more expensive because I had never had any problems with them before.

I am amazed really that they can see all the times we have used them, and would throw our future custom away over what must be a small sum to them but is completely disproportionate to us.

Raise a dispute with your CC provider. You gave AVIS a chance to reply with a breakdown of cost but the have chosen to not reply. So get your CC provider to give the money back. AVIS will have to supply proof to them if they want to reclaim it.

brianposter

eskbanker said: - what specifically did they sign off and how?

Avis in general do seem to have a problem charging correctly so this question should be the starting point for any claim.

babydaisy

Thanks all - just an update, I pestered Avis on social media and they finally agreed to honour the daily rate so refunded most of the charge - which is such a relief. Just seen that the refund has been paid back onto my card so I will be mindful in future of bringing the car back on time and will in fact use them again if their rate is competitive as I had never previously had a problem with them - I also like the preferred benefits as you don't have to queue to pick up the car.