Complaint Review: Avis Car Rental -

My car rental was reserved & paid for by Government Vacation Rewards; I’m a veteran.  Yeah, right, that doesn’t seem to matter.  I arrive at Daniel Oduber Quiros Intl Apo Liberia yesterday (3/28/22) and had to take a hot shuttle to Avis outside of the airport.  I say to myself, “Okay, this is different.”  Then I stand in line for at least 45 minutes, because it was crowded.

I’m mostly disabled in my feet and had to lug my bags inside by myself.  No air conditioner in that place, either.  Hope I lost some pounds sweating to pieces.  Couldn’t figure out how to call Avis when I was in the U.S. to warn them I was coming and needed assistance from the wheel chair at the airport. My feet were swollen from the plane ride, then standing, and it moved up my legs.

I get to the ticket counter and the woman lost the smile on her face and asks for a passport, driver’s license, and 2 credit cards. Because I was paying attention to customers ahead of me, I noticed they weren’t asking anybody else for 2 credit cards. I mention this to her and she says nothing about it. But then she has an attitude the entire time. 

For a $402 rental, she tries to hold $1,000 on my Visa.  It didn’t work, so I told her that’s a lot of money to be holding while I’m in a foreign country … for the entire 14 days?  Hertz didn’t do that to me last Fall when I went to Dallas, TX.  Thought Avis was governed by United States policies & procedures; not whatever a local feels like honoring in their respecting countries.

I then give her my Amex card and she holds $1,000 on that card.  I’m annoyed now, because why is she asking for deposits when I own a Benz, probably made more money than she could ever dream of, and none of that happened with Hertz. 

Then she doesn’t get in the car and put the A/C on like they did all the previous customers.  Didn’t give me a contract, and I was too flustered to notice until I got to this resort.  What I thought was a contract was something this guy took from me to get off the lot.  I just wanted to get to the resort and lay down at this point.

This morning (3/29/22), I get 2 emails; one from each credit card company that I can’t use my cards because SHE maxed them out.  Those are my primary credit cards, and no way should this have happened.  I also get told I have to purchase their insurance, and she refused to explain what she had me signing here and there.  I have my own vehicle insurance for car rentals with USAA.  I tell her that I can’t seem to access the internet, and how can I use Google Maps to get to the resort?  She tells me to find a grocery store and buy a chip for my phone. WHAT GROCERY STORE? I don’t know where I am, and she turns around and walks away.

I sat in that lot for almost 2 hours until I was sure I could use a navigation tool and that my hotel reservation hadn’t gotten canceled because I wasn’t there at 3pm.  My cell phone provider got me an international temporary plan.  Nobody came out to see if I was okay, and I know why that woman had an issue, but no way would she tell the truth. 

Government Vacation Rewards is trying to straighten this out, and I should be relaxing right now; not dealing with this nonsense all day.  Yes, I called Avis, and the 2 guys that answered the phone were unhelpful & rude.   The first one had the nerve to say he didn’t know what the problem was.  Really?  Then get me your supervisor who may understand why this picture is fouled up. 

He puts me on hold too long, and I end up calling back.  Second guy was just as mentally disturbed and didn’t understand that this was unacceptable.  I called 2 additional times, and they kept trying to explain away what happened, making me crazy. I asked for supervisors and was told they’re operating from their house and can’t access supervisors.  No, they don’t want anybody to rat them out on their rotten behavior.

Avis needs to release both holds on my cards.  That isn’t supposed to be the way this works.  My credit cards are to cover anything after I return the vehicle; not to put holds on my cards.  What the entire crap is that? When I spoke with the travel agent, who called Avis before speaking with me, Avis lied and told them they charged me @773.00+ for insurance.

No, both holds haven’t been charged; they’re just preventing me from using my cards. That lady knew what she was doing, nobody is reprimanding anybody, and they overcharged me for this stuff. Avis customer service reps also claimed they did this to me because I presented a debit card when she asked for 2 credit cards. Since when is that a crime? No, being a POC man is the crime here. I have well over what that girl wanted to hold in my checking account.

This is ruining my trip, which I’m sure was the aim of that woman who rented that car to me.  I just want to go back home and forget this little excursion.  There’s not much I can do with $2,000 wrapped up in my cards while in a foreign land.  This trip has already cost me a fortune, and I no longer make the kind of money for shenanigans that employees pull with American travelers.  Again, Avis has been paid and all this is unnecessary.  I got copies of nothing, by the way and they refuse to email me the contract I signed.

I’ll make videos next since I’m a YouTube content creator.  Avis, SHAME ON YOU!