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Avis Consumer Reviews - Page 3

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First and Last Avis Experience
By -

TAMPA, FLORIDA -- On August 7, we arrived in Tampa for short three day visit for a wedding. After checking without issue, we drove off to enjoy our weekend. Our trouble began when we dropped off the vehicle. Upon entering the drop off area at 7:00 A.M. on August 9, we were hurried through the check in process due to a couple of other vehicles coming in at the same time. After quickly grabbing our things we received our receipt and headed to the airport.

Upon takeoff I realized that in the rush I had left my GPS in attached to the front window below the rear view mirror. Our flight was only two hours long. When we landed I immediately contacted the Tampa Avis office alerting them to the fact I had left my GPS unit in their car. This was at 11:00 A.M. I was assured it would be set aside and someone would contact me shortly. After not receiving a return call, I called the office back that afternoon and was told I would be contacted Monday morning, after the person who handles these things matched up the items with the calls.

Monday came and went without a call. I called again and again, left my number. I again called the office after 11:30 A.M. Tuesday only to be told the woman was out to lunch. I again left my phone number requesting a call back as soon as possible. At 5:30 I called again only to be told this time the lady had left, but they would be happy to take my name and number and make sure she called the next day. After numerous calls such as these, I was finally able to connect with her after calling the corporate customer service number and them tracking her down on Wednesday, August 12.

According to Avis, my GPS was not in the vehicle, and the vehicle had been rented out at noon the same day. I was told they had contacted the rental office where the vehicle had been dropped off that day, but they did not have the GPS either. When I brought up the fact that it was Sunday when I first called, AND I had called an hour prior to the vehicle being rented again, I was told there was nothing that could be done.

Several emails to Avis only resulted in a quote from the contract stating Avis was not responsible for any personal items left behind. I realize I was at fault for not letting myself be rushed at check in and making sure I had everything. However, the fact the vehicle was on their lot for an hour after I called and before they rented it out leads me to believe the unit was either stolen by the Avis associate who cleaned the vehicle, or they never bothered to even check the vehicle after I called and it was taken by whomever rented it at noon.

Obviously, Avis does NOT "Try Harder". If they truly did try harder I cannot help but to believe I would have my GPS unit back by now. This was the first time I have ever used Avis and it will be the last. Oh and good luck finding any phone number or email to anyone in the corporate offices to take your complaints to a higher level.

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Avis Still Has Not Resolved This Serious Problem
By -

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA -- We have been on the telephone for hours over the past two days with Avis in the US and Panama and am getting nowhere. We rented a car in Panama last Tuesday, 24 March at 10:45 in the morning. We returned the car Friday, 27 March at 16:00, at the same location: Marcos A Gelabert Airport (PT2). When requesting a receipt on the Avis website we were advised on the website that the car was never returned! We were supposed to pick up the car at 08:15.

When we went to the Avis rental counter at the airport there was no one at the counter, no telephone at the counter, and they did not answer their posted telephone numbers. Another rental car company finally helped us contact Avis. They kept promising to be there in a few minutes. We waited from 08:15 until 10:30 for a man to show up with the car. He spoke no English and had a Spanish-only rental agreement to sign. With the help of a bilingual passerby we finally signed the paperwork and received the car keys.

The airport office was supposed to be open from 08:00 to 17:00 daily. There was NEVER anyone there and no one to contact. Per the Avis Panamanian representative's instructions (via the volunteer translator) we left the car in the airport parking lot and dropped the keys into the "drop box" (hole) in the Avis counter. Avis still continues to charge us a daily/hourly rate for a car we turned in. We also preordered a GPS unit and it was not delivered with the car. We are apparently being charged for it, too.

We returned the car with a full tank of gas. The mileage was 89729.4 kilometers. The time was 16:00 local time on Friday, 27 March. I suspect the car is still sitting in the parking lot, or by now has been stolen. I am curious and apprehensive as to how long before the arrest warrant for us is issued. It is particularly frustrating that we cannot contact anyone with Avis in Panama City, Panama.

It took many calls and hours on hold before we finally reached someone at Avis Customer Service that was even willing to take some ownership of the issues. While Avis USA customer support has rendered some assistance, they also were unable to contact anyone in Panama who could speak English. Finally, Avis USA supposedly sent a fax and asked us to wait another 48 hours. Avis has not replied to any of our emails.

I personally feel that the Avis operation in Panama City needs a complete evaluation of its operational and management practices. As a long-time Preferred Avis customer this has been a terrible experience and still has not been resolved! The worst financial impact is that we are still being charged for the rental of a car that we turned in last week. Additional costs are in fruitless telephone calls to Panama and much wasted time on hold on the telephone.

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Avis Customer Service Is Severely Lacking
By -

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- I have to vent on the horrible experience I had recently with Avis out of Boston Mass. I am a premier member with Avis and had no real complaints prior to this. I rented a car at Boston Airport. Upon arrival, I had to stand in line for well over 30 minutes just to get my car. There were 2 people working the desk and for some reason, they did not have my name listed on the premier list. I got a disgruntled clerk. The car they set me up with was a stripped down PT Cruiser.

I drove from the airport to my hotel, about 35 minutes away. After checking in, I was told that they would be expecting snow in the next few days and asked if I had a scraper for my car (at the hotel, mind you) or if I needed one. I went to the car and decided that I better check the wipers. Well, lo and behold, the wipers were non-functional. The wiper arms moved, but the blades were not wiping anything. I called Avis and was told to either buy a replacement set or bring the car back.

I drive back to the airport and stand in another line, to get a replacement car. I waited a total of an hour to get the replacement car because a midsize car, which I rented, was not ready. Fine. After an hour, I complained that I was tired of waiting and the clerk upgraded me to an impala (I don't know what size that was). When I got in the car and started it, the power steering made a grinding noise. I walked back in to the clerk and told them about it.

They came to check it out, but of course, the noise was not there. Fine. I figured it was just the cold. I drove back to the hotel. 2 days later, after a snow storm, I go to get in my car after a long meeting offsite. The power steering makes that same noise again and it would not work at all. It was like driving a 1966 car with no power steering.

As I go to drive out of the lot, I notice that the tire is making noises. I pull over to check and find a flat tire. Great. It's probably 15 degrees out and I have to change a tire. I go to the trunk and there is no spare tire. The place where it belonged was empty! I called the 800 number and was told that all they could do was tow a replacement car to me but it would be 2 to 3 hours from the airport! Wow!!

No repair trucks with tires?? I waited in the car for 2 hours before the replacement car showed up. The driver tells me that he did not have a replacement contract because the computers were down at the Avis place. OK, fine. I drive away in my Hyundai beater and prayed that nothing else happened. Well, nothing else happened to car but when I went to return it a week later, they couldn't find the contract on the car because no one ever put one in when they replaced it. Wait another 45 minutes and I am finally out the door to my flight.

I wrote Avis twice with the complaints, via their website and I have yet to receive a response. This was over a week ago. I am so disappointed with their customer service and lack of care about their customers that I am going to start using a different car service. I know that I am just a little fish but I think that renting around 12 weeks a year would at least get me a "We're sorry about your experience, we value our business and here's something to make up for it".

Heck, even a free upgrade would have been nice. It's nice that Avis is not suffering financially like the rest of the world and they can afford to alienate loyal customer. It's a good thing my manager runs the travel dept at work too. Maybe if I get the word out to 1500 travelers where I work, it might cause Avis to think twice about their customers' needs.

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Ruined My Christmas
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CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA -- I went through Travelocity to rent a car from Avis to make a trip to my families' homes for Christmas 08. Two days before Christmas, we were told by Avis Car Rental that they were going to place a $500.00 hold on our bank account. We asked for options since my son was paying. They told us they could not place the $500.00 hold on his account because he was under 25 years old and could not drive the vehicle. We tried paying cash, but the teller, ** (they refused to give me his last name) told us that he would still have to place a $500.00 hold on our bank account.

We asked if they'd take checks, but again, he had to place a $500.00 hold on our account and the rest would be settled when we returned the car. Not knowing the amount in our bank, and it being close to closing time, we rushed to the closest ATM to confirm our balance. We rushed back and told him that we had barely enough, but had the money to cover $500.00. This left us with a couple hundred dollars for gifts. We had discussed the fee of a total $922.74 including the insurance, but when I mentioned the AAA membership, they offered us a 10% discount, bringing the total down to $848.16.

We asked for an adjustment, at which time, ** told us the computer was closed out. ** assured us that it was, however, in the computer. I wanted to be absolutely certain that the total we were to pay was $848.16. He insisted that the total was adjusted in the computer, and that this was NOT going to reflect in our bank account... that only the amount of $500.00 would be frozen. So that we weren't charged $922.74, we asked ** for this in writing and he wrote $848.16 on the contract and initialed it. When we checked our bank account, the amount of $500.00 hold- as promised- was not frozen. Instead, they put a hold of $922.74, the initial cost before the AAA discount.

This error cost us an over draw, a overdraft fee from both the companies we paid AND the bank. Since it was during Christmas, we were accepting gifts from people we could no longer give gifts to. If that weren't enough, we had to rely on the same relatives to cover the difference in the bank. I contacted the car rental immediately, and ** answered. I reminded him that I was the one who rented a car for $800. After he confirmed his recollection of us, I reminded him that they were supposed to hold $500 on our bank account, which he agreed.

I reaffirmed that the hold WAS supposed to be for the amount of $500.00, which he again confirmed. I explained to him that over $900.00 was held in our account, causing us to overdraw and bounce checks. He said, "Oh wow! That shouldn't have happened!" He paused then said, “I have a few customers. Can you hold?" I waited on the line, which eventually hung up. He never called back.

I called my bank, who then told me that the hold was not put on by the bank and that the only ones who could lift the hold was Avis. My brother and husband went to the Avis at the airport, who was surprised that the hold was over $900.00. Because of the rates and fees of returning the car early, my husband decided to keep the vehicle and discuss this with the branch we leased from upon the return of the SUV. When we confronted the lady who claimed to be the manager **-she refused to admit fault. I asked for the person who directly dealt with us, but the claimed he was not in.

We pointed out that the amount OVER the agreed price was frozen. She insisted that the amount of $922.74 was the estimated price and this was their policy to freeze the entire estimated amount. We tried to explain the $922.74 was the price before they included the AAA discount, and was not the estimated price. She continued to disagree. I took a photo of her with my cell phone (God bless those things!), she posed with her hands framing her face, Shirley Temple style. This was just one of her ways of showing total arrogance toward her customers.

I assured ** that I was going to upload the picture since she was aware of the photo and indeed posed for it. After going back to check the pics, I discovered I had actually flixed her. Another worker came out and when we tried to explain the situation, he said, "I know the situation, I heard it from my office." He also refused to admit fault. Because I no longer trusted them, I insisted that the manager (I think ** is his name) confirm the full tank of gas and that there were no damages. When I insisted that he write this down and initial it, he shrugged and laughed, as if the request was unnecessary.

They continue to refuse to admit fault for ruining our Christmas. They continue to lie. They insist that the amount of the entire car rental AND more puts a freeze on our account and that this is policy. They insist that there was an error of communication and that perhaps ** made the mistake of giving us the wrong amount to be frozen. Our claim that they'd frozen more than we'd agreed on was dismissed as: "It's our policy to put a higher hold than the actual cost", pointing to the $922 (which was the cost before the discount).

"This was an error with the bank". I explained to her that when I called the bank, they informed me that Avis had been responsible for the hold and only Avis could lift it. (** shrugged and smiled.) "We apologize for the miscommunication and failing to make sure you knew how much was going to be frozen." (Again, lies.) "We apologize for the promises ** made, it was an error on his part." (If it was an error, which it wasn't,

** was standing next to him when he made them.) "We have no control over what the computer does." (They have total control of the computer.) The only grief I have for ** is that when I called to correct the error and ask him to lift the hold, he put me on hold and never called back. He did, however, admit via phone that there was an error, that he was surprised the total amount was frozen and that they were supposed to freeze only $500.00. As for the rest of the staff, they continued to lie, cover their mistakes and deny any error on their part.

When I asked for the name of the gentleman who waited on us, ** refused to give the information out. There's something to be said for a manager who's too ashamed to give out the names of their own staff. As clients, we have every right to know who we do business with. If you plan to rent a vehicle, I strongly urge that you look beyond Avis. IF you do insist on renting from Avis, then at least mention this article and others similar to it. They may go out of their way to try to prove us disgruntled ex-clients wrong.

Either way, I hope this review is somewhat helpful to others. I will, however, admit that had it not been for this error, everything would have run smoothly. To my knowledge, they did not overcharge, (unless $340 is more than the standard fees). This excessive freeze, which my brother transferred to his card, prevented us from buying gifts. We had to borrow to cover the excessive amount (which I strongly believe was used to pay for their Christmas gifts).

Because of their dishonest and denial, I will never deal with Avis again, and I strongly urge that if you do deal with them, ask that everything be put in writing. EVERYTHING! If they try to make you feel like your request is "trivial and silly", it's just another sign that they want to rip you off. A good company that respects its customers will not hesitate to meet your needs of trust and honesty.

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Avis Anchorage - Don't Use Them If You Don't Have To
By -

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA -- I recently rented a car from Avis in Anchorage. I am a frequent flier and am a 1K on United and a Diamond with Hilton. You can imagine that when I say that I had my worst rental car experience ever in Avis Anchorage - that means something. I met a very unfriendly and unhelpful counter person named James who was the renting agent behind the counter. Don't go to him if you can possibly avoid it.

I was initially helped by an agent called Jessi, who offered me an upgrade to a Toyota Highlander for an extra $15 a day. I pointed out that I had rented a mid-sized SUV that should sit 5 (per the Avis website) but Jessi said that there was nothing should could do about it. She suggested that I check out the vehicle first and come back. After my group loaded the luggage into the vehicle we found the vehicle to be too small. I was also not pleased with the coffee stain near the gear box, the bent license plate, and the 2 scratches that I found on the car.

When I returned, Jessi was gone and James was there. I made my case with him again about the size of the SUV and asked for a better option given that Avis had not delivered on what they had promised. James was very unhelpful and told me that was all that they had and went on to say that the class of vehicle that I rented was a Rav 4 - but that they were out of that. When I asked to be upgraded to the Toyota Highlander that Jessi had offered me, he told me that I would have to pay for it. Given that I had no choice, I agreed to pay for the upgrade. This leads me to my second disappointment.

James goes ahead and processes the upgrade and tells me that I have to pay $500 more for the 10-day rental. When I pointed out that it was more than 3X the initial $15 upgrade which I felt that I should not have had to pay for - he shrugs his shoulders and tells me to take it or leave it. At this point I inform James that he was neither being very helpful nor providing much customer service - to which he responded that "it was not his problem". When I asked him the reason for the 3X increase in price, James said that the contract was already concluded and that the price had changed in the 10 minutes that it took to load my luggage into the vehicle prior to driving off the lot.

My third disappointment is that when I asked to speak to the manager, about the bait-and-switch tactics going on and the poor service that I was receiving, James tells me that the manager is not available. I made the request again and told him that it was important that I get in touch with his manager. He gave me exactly the same response - with a look that challenged me to do something about it. There was never an attempt to get my number or to even reach the station manager at his after-hours telephone number.

Fortunately the card of Bob ** the Anchorage Station Manager was on the counter and I took a copy of it and I told James that I would certainly be in touch. His response to me at that point was that he would talk to the Station Manager first. Please avoid Avis Anchorage at all costs. This is a poorly run operation. You don't want to spoil a business trip or vacation by dealing with the incompetence of some of the members of the customer service team at this location.

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Lack Of Customer Service & Professionalism
By -

NEWARK AIRPOR, NEW JERSEY -- This past weekend my company was scheduled to do some charity work for a local organization in Jersey City and I was tasked to rent 2 passenger vans. Three weeks before the event I made reservations by telephone for 2 passenger vans to be picked up at Avis's Newark Airport location. When my colleague and I arrived the reservations agent was quite polite and helpful and then their Manager, Mr. ** approached us and informed us that there were no passenger vans available at this time.

As you could imagine, we were disappointed and asked what could be done and we were told that they had an expedition that seats 8 people instead of two 15 passenger vans. I told him that was unacceptable and the Manager was not helpful or sympathetic and provoked my anger and irritability with a grin. I asked him what the purpose of making reservations and he said that reservations were based upon availability, which is absolutely ludicrous. Whoever heard of making a reservation and being told that it is based upon availability.. quite the contradiction.

In any event, ** was not helpful and my patience wore thin and I asked the customers behind me what the definition of a reservation was and ** threatened to call the Port Authority Police to remove me from the premises. I asked to see his manager and he asked me to wait outside and I refused. The reservation agent who was helpful found us 2 passenger vans and ** refused to rent these vehicles to us and once again threatened to call the police.

Words were exchanged and we left the premises to National Car Rental where they were sympathetic and very helpful and rented us two 15 passenger vans with no reservations or hassles, especially when they heard it was for a charity event. I asked my associate to return to the Avis Counter and pick up his business card so I can write a letter of complaint.

My colleague was greeted by the District Manager, ** who was helpful as compared to the Manager. He apologized and asked what he could do to help us. He said he had two 15 passenger vans ready for us and ** had the audacity to tell my associate that all we had to do is wait for the vans. My associate told him he was a liar and that he had previously said there were no passenger vans available. He then raised his voice and temper which exhibited why this person should not be allowed to interact with the public let alone manage people.

I placed a call to the District Manager as he requested and he never returned my call as I expected. In the 25 years of my business experience, I have never met anyone this rude and uneducated as to customer service and have lost my respect for Avis because of their poor choice of managers and poor training. Whatever happened to the customer is always right. In any event, this interaction took 3 hours. Would you be charged if you brought a rental car back 3 hours late. The same courtesy should be extended to a customer who waits 3 hours. What is the sense of reservations?

In any event, I will never recommend the rental of any vehicle from Avis... So much for we try harder... because they don't even try at all. On the other hand National Car Rental should be commended at Newark Airport for accommodating our request and being considerate and generous for a charity event. We will definitely work with National again.

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$260 Fuel overcharge
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

$260 FUEL CHARGE FOR FIFTY MILES OF DRIVING! Warning to customers... I rented a Tahoe, tank was allegedly full but I found it 1/4 full. I took a picture of the fuel gauge and odometer to prove it, drove less than 50 miles, returned the car and re-photographed the fuel gauge/odometer. Despite informing the agent at the Avis counter ( who was very polite) about the discrepancy, Avis still charged me $260 ( yes, two hundred sixty dollars!!!) for fuel. Despite contacting customer relations, they stand by the charge. WARNING!!! AVIS WILL STING YOU FOR THEIR MISTAKE.

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Bogus damage claim by Avis
By -

In August 2005 I rented a car from Avis in Casper WY. I submitted a car diagram of all existing damage to the car to the Avis agent before leaving the rental lot. Upon returning the car to the Casper Airport Avis lot at 5:30 am on our Sunday departure date I checked the car over for any signs of additional damage and saw none so I left the keys and rental agreement in the drop box as instructed. Due to the early morning hour there was no agent on duty at the time of the rental return.

A week after returning home I received a notice from Avis stating that due to damage to the windshield they were billing me nearly $400 for the "necessary replacement" of the windshield PLUS 2 days rental fee for the time the car was not at their disposal to rent. If the chips were so small and insignificant that they were not visible upon inspection, could they not have simply been repaired, rather than replacing the entire windshield?

I disputed the charges with Avis and noted to them that I dropped the car off at 5:30 AM and their cleaning crew reported the damage at 5:00 PM - 12 hours after I had returned the car. Furthermore, I pointed out that I was not responsible for what happens in their parking lot. Their reply, after supposed "careful consideration", was that "windshield chips do not occur in parking lots" and I was therefore being held liable.

My husband and I are still disputing the charges. My husband is one of their Preferred Customers due to his repeated use of their services for business travel over the past 25 years, but I for one will never rent from them again. They seem to stick these outrageous charges to anyone who did not take out any and all additional insurance policies from them. Pooh on Avis. National seems to have better overall ratings.

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Damage to Rental Cars
By -

MUNICH, GERMANY -- This is the first & last time we'll rent with Avis. After almost 13 years renting from other companies at the Munich airport nothing like this has ever happened. We checked the car over for damage but did not take photos (you'd better do that now with these scams) and found NO damage. When we returned the car the person checking them in first showed us something on the door that he said was a scratch. I took my fingernail and with some spit I removed it (a little paint from another car door that did NOT break the paint on the rental car) and showed that to him.

He then gave us a receipt to sign that was hundreds of dollars higher than the contract we made with AVIS online before we left the United States and we told him it was wrong and we wouldn't sign it. We then get a bill for over 500 Euros for a new windshield and door paint. He didn't show us any damage to the windshield and since you normally hear the rock that hits, I'll swear that either it wasn't there or, if you can believe the photo they sent, so small to be fixed by the injection method for a few Euros. I don't think it was there, I always notice any windshield damage when I'm driving and we had this car for over 2 weeks. I would have noticed.

Interesting he didn't show that to me like he did the so called "scratch". A bad thing about the Munich Airport is there is no one to talk to about any damage if there was any except to walk all the way back to the contract desk. You leave by way of inserting a card in a reader and the gate opens. I suppose you can write something down on your contract but it would still be your word against theirs. They know you're going home to the States and can't complain in person like a local can.

We're fighting it with our travel insurance company as it's not fair for them to have to pay a scam. It would be nice if there was a Better Business Bureau in Germany but I can't find one. I do have a friend that lives in Munich that used to work for Diamler-Benze and I may ask him to go and try to inspect the car for me. That will probably surprise them as normally tourists don't have any recourse and they know it.

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Wrongfully Accused of Damage
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FT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA -- Avis is charging us for a key scratch that was on the car before we took possession of it. Unfortunately, we did not notice the scratch until we arrived at our condo (directly from Avis) and could see the vehicle in sunlight. We mistakenly thought Avis probably already knew of the scratch. When we returned the vehicle, we were told by the inspectors that it was not there before.

We then asked to speak to a manager, and someone disappeared and then returned saying they could not find the manager but, “Don't worry about it, we'll take care of it. It's no problem, go catch your plane.”€So we filled out a report and left. Several weeks later we received correspondence that we were being charged. We again wrote a report explaining what happened. Without any regard to any of these attempts to discuss the issue, Avis has now billed us for the damage.

We contacted the claims department and they are unwilling to assist us suggesting we contact the managers at Ft. Lauderdale's facility. We then left messages with those managers and never received a return call. We would place our hand on a bible or swear on our lives this did not happen in our possession if it would help. No one at Avis is willing to listen. Of course (after the fact), they tell us we should have inspected the vehicle before leaving the lot and reported any damage found.

No one suggested this to us before we picked up the vehicle which would've prompted us to look and probably see the scratch before we left. We would like to see video of what occurred while the vehicle was parked in the garage before we picked it up to know if someone keyed it then. Also video of us pulling out of the facility might also show the scratch. No one is responding to this request.

Avis has disappointed us tremendously on this issue and we are glad for this forum which allows us to let others know what type of customer service they provide when they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Well they have lost a customer. We only went to Florida because we had 2 free plane tickets and a place to stay without charge. Our insurance is covering most of this bill but we are still responsible for the $250 deductible. We had hopes that State Farm would back us but they say it is not worth the fight. Well, $250 is the cost of one of those free plane tickets and not a small deal to us.

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1.3 out of 5, based on 27 ratings and
120 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Avis
900 Old Country Rd.
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800-352-7900 (ph)
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