Dear fellow travelers,

I simply couldn't wait to share my recent "adventures" with Avis Car Rental part of the merged Avis Budget Group.

If you're looking for a car rental experience that will truly test your patience and sense of humor, then Avis is the way to go! It's a masterclass in customer service excellence – if your definition of excellence is twisted beyond all recognition.

Do you know their cleaning service has a penchant for fashion? I didn't either, but they apparently loved my sunglasses so much that they decided to keep them as a memento. It's heartwarming to know that my shades have found a new home among the cleaning staff's personal collection. They closed my lost and found case almost immediately without informing me. I'm sure their finger just slipped and clicked on Lost instead of Found...

Now, let's talk about pricing. Avis has a unique pricing strategy that keeps you guessing until you get the final bill via email. You'll feel like you're playing a game of "How High Can It Go?" as they pile on fees and surcharges you never knew existed. It's like a financial surprise party! This is a fun game that starts when you check in. The Avis agent behind the counter asks you for your personal information like your airline rewards program, and then adds a hidden fee to your bill without mentioning it.

Oh, and speaking of hidden mysteries, here's another one – trying to reach a human being at their local offices. It's like searching for the elusive unicorn; you hear they exist, but you can never actually talk to one via phone. The contact number listed as the local office is rerouted to the international automated phone system: your trusty companion on this quest, leading you through an endless loop of frustration.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a truly UNFORGETTABLE car rental experience that will keep you talking about it for years to come, Avis is the obvious choice. You'll leave with not just a car but a lifelong memory of your experience, that continues long after you've returned the car via a series of follow-up phone calls with your new call center script readers, and a fashion-forward cleaning crew that has a particular fondness for your personal belongings.

I was rereading my bill after my calls with them, and thought it said Concussion Fee... it was Concession Fee. Weird, there was no popcorn or candy involved... I guess I conceded something right from the beginning.

I thought they would "Try Harder" for my business. I evidently had the wrong impression. Shame on me.

Happy travels, my fellow adventurers!

Scott
Another "Satisfied" Avis Customer

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I had the misfortune to hire a car from AVIS at Regina Int. Airport Saskatchewan, Canada on the 3rd of September agreement number ******* the whole experience was awful so much so that I will never hire a car from AVIS again and furthermore I will advise everyone I know and online never to hire a Vehicle from AVIS going forward, please see list of complaints below.

1. Rude service agent: When approached at the Kiosk desk in Regina after landing the agent was rude and dismissive, I got documents thrown at me and told to sign, my credit card was demanded, he then disappeared for about 20mins with my card.

2. Overcharging 1; Due to an unforeseen change to our schedule we were forced to alter our schedule and leave Regina on Sunday 17th Sept. Instead of the original date of Monday the 18th When I asked the agent could he amend the booking to reflect the new dates and reimburse the extra days charge, he refused he cited some vague reference to being unable to amend internet bookings as he's not allowed and its company policy to retain any / all monies taken and he isn't authorized to change bookings etc etc, the message was clear he was keeping the money, this maybe company policy I don't know but it is certainly strange for a customer to be treated in this manner.

3. Overcharging 2 Service agent overcharged my card; Despite all documentation stating that a security charge of 500 dollars would be added to my card at pickup (I was prepared for that to be a mistake as the booking was in euro's and the amount of 500 euro's would be taken), however the service agent loaded 600 euros onto my card which he would not explain (despite their own agreement paperwork stating no more than 500 Canadian dollars would be taken) and told me "that's the agreement take it or leave it".

4. Service agent refused to walkaround the car; when handing over the keys the service agent stated that "there are no scratches or marks on the car" at which point I became suspicious I asked specifically for him to walkaround the car with me and bring the inspection sheet to which he point blank refused despite other service agents being present, when I finally got to the vehicle and walked around it there were numerous scratches and marks on it (I have the photographs to prove it), I was then forced to head back to the terminal and bring these to the service agents attention, when I insisted he recorded them on the walkaround sheet he became belligerent and rude and for a time refused, he only relented when a second couple entered the kiosk and stated they had the same issue of scratches and marks on their vehicle after being told the car was issue free, I can only assume that this is an effort to defraud customers of their security deposit, which may or may not be a corporate policy or direction, either way it left a very poor impression of both the agents and AVIS's ethical standards.

5. Dirty Car; as if the above issues weren't bad enough when I opened the door I was met with foulest odor, the inside of the car was filthy and smelled of vomit, the car had clearly not been cleaned prior to rental, I went back to the kiosk in the terminal but low and behold the service agent was nowhere to be found, it is absolutely disgraceful that the customer should have to purchase anti-bacterial wipes and an air freshener just to drive a hire vehicle out of the car-park I was then forced to get the vehicle valeted just to allow my family to sit in it.

6. Non existent Customer Service: When I complained about the car, service agents, smell, out of pocket expenses for cleaning the car and the return of my security deposit of an extortionate amount of 600 euro's (despite their own agreement paperwork stating no more than 500 Canadian dollars would be taken) I have been ignored at every turn and absolute piss take of a company with the morals and ethics of a sewer rat, NEVER EVER RENT A VEHICLE FROM THESE COWBOYS.

The whole experience was disgraceful from pick up to finish I don't expect such behavior from a international company such as AVIS and it ruined an otherwise pleasant holiday,

This review is not about a specific location however the problems were related to a Portland Airport rental. Picked up rental late at night in Apriil so was dark and wet. No inspection by employee before leaving with car. When arrived at hotel noticed crack in windshield and immediately called Avis to report it. Was told by rep that it had already been logged so not to worry about it. Then 2 months later at about 10pm a mysterious charge of $603.78 by Avis - only knew because of the Fraud Alert by Capital One Visa. Confirmed not our purchase so the charge was denied and my credit card closed. In June noticed the charge on card, told them was fraud and new card issued. Capital One apologized and credited charge. Next month the charge is back on card again, called Capital One AGAIN told them to stop letting them Avis charge to my account but was told that Capital One can't do that and that Avis said it's valid. Then I notice another Avis charge this time for $255 - Capital One refuses to tell me any details of the charge. Funny thought this was my account! By now I'm furious and Capital One is about to lose their customer of 20+ years! Finally went direct to the source - Avis Customer Service. After a few weeks of assurances that the charges would be reversed - I'm still waiting. For some inexplicable reason they are "unable" to provide any documentation of the 2 charges but finally admitted was for windshield damage and also calibration. We were never notified of any damage charges - they just quietly add random charges to your credit card. Spoke to a manager the last time who said would refund the charges but was again UNABLE to send me a confirmation of the refund - just the verbal assurance along with another "name, employee number and a case number"! What kind of bogus, scammy accounting system are they using over there? Obviously I'm not holding my breath but I will be sure to share their verbal assurances and crapy accounting procedures with the BBB, Consumer Affairs, and of course social media! The company travel agent and CFO is also getting an earful... Lesson learned and Capital One is treading on thin ice too! I've also figured out that they won't provide in writing so they can deleted this negative review without the "proof".

If there was a rating below 1 star, Avis would certainly get it. First off if you are flying into LAX, DO NOT rent a vehicle from Avis. It's like they are running a scam there.
I reserved a Suburban in Feb 2023 for July 2023
After arriving at the airport, we waited over 45 minutes for a shuttle ( each car rental place has their own). Never did show up, so another car rental place gave us( a bus load of people) to Avis.
After arriving there, we waited over 1 1/2 hrs in line. When we finally got to the service desk, we Were told they didn't have our Suburban. They tried to give us a pickup truck for the night and return the next day for our Suburban m. We agreed ( without signing anything) until we made sure the truck would hold 6 passengers. The truck would only hold 5. Went back in and told a service representative that we needed a vehicle that would hold 6 passengers. He looked at me and said, quote " WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT " and poured to the only other worker there. We go to her and tell her about the truck and she sent ( US) out to the car lot that was the size of 2 football fields and find our own truck that accommodates 6. Wr walked around and all they had was ones that were for 5 passengers. Went back in, and the girl called her manager ( she said) and he said to give us a Cadillac Escalade ( for the night) that had just been returned. Then She proceeded to say that it would cost me $60 a day. I said no it will not, you need to honor the price we were given for the car we reserved February. I did not sign anything and she gave us the key to the Cadillac.
We get in it. It has 1/2 tank of gas and garbage in it. We had been up over 24 hrs at this point and just took it to get to the hotel for the night, it's 4am at this point ( over 3 hrs at Avis).
We retuned the next Day to Avis to get our Suburban ( as we were told to do) they did not have it or anything comparable to what it, except the Cadillac Escalade we were in. I said we will take it, but I am not paying any extra for it. They finally said ok.
We thought all was good until I got a bill when we returned to Cincinnati, OH, Avis. They handed us a bill for over $3800. ( original cost was $1400). They had added every extra thing they had to the bill. All insurance and anything they had. ( I Did NOT) sign for any of this, no need I have all that. Then the next day, I get an emailed receipt for $4200. I call Avis billing and a really nice girl said all the extra would be adjusted off. They charged my card $3800 and took off $400. I am still fighting them. I am reporting them to the BBB for defrauding me, and any other place I can. WORST CAR RENTAL SERVICE EVER!

SUMMARY: DON'T USE AVIS, EVER. DON'T PREPAY EVEN IF IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'LL SAVE MONEY. JUST AVOID AVIS ENTIRELY.

Worst experience ever. We prepaid $481 on my wife's card. When we went to pick up our car it was filthy and had dings in various places. I literally got greasy gunk on my hand when I opened the trunk. The check engine light was on.

We asked for another car and the lady on duty said there wasn't another available. She wrote us a little sticky note to show that it was in bad condition when we got it.

When we returned the car after our trip they charged us an ADDITIONAL $235 on my card for gas. We showed them the receipt to prove that we had filled the tank right before bringing it back. They then refunded that additional charge of $235 back to my card.

The employees were going to take $200 off from the original $481 to make up for the damaged vehicle and poor service. He put it on the receipt. He said we just had to call customer service to make the final change since it was prepaid.

Two months of calling and ten phone representatives later we still haven't received the money back. The first nine representatives had claimed to write notes on our account and that we will receive the money in 7 business days.

Each time they said 'we gave you $235 back so you already got your refund.' With great frustration we explained that the $235 was from an additional charge on a different card because we were wrongfully charged for gas. The promised $200 off the original prepaid $481 was never returned. Instead they returned a measly $12.

They'd finally claim to understand, write notes in our account record and say the problem will be fixed in a couple days. When we'd call to check on it and ask why they hadn't done what they'd promised, the new rep would act like this was the first call and seemed to have no record of any previous discussions with the previous reps. It's like starting from scratch. The dentist is more fun that dealing with these people (no offense to our hard working dentists out there.)

If this review seems too long and detailed imagine how frustrated we've been dealing with lying phone reps and a company giving us the run-around.

The tenth phone rep was condescending and rude. He said we had to give private credit card records to prove our case despite the fact that the previous nine reps had claimed that the refund was already approved. He laughed at my wife's frustration and refused to tell us his name. He said he didn't have a supervisor we could talk to and no other number to call. He finally hung up on us. It's not like my wife was rude or cursing at him to cause him to act that way.

This company is exceedingly unprofessional and sketchy. We finally went through our credit card company to dispute the charges completely and are receiving the entire $481 back. It serves AVIS right for such bad treatment of their customers.

BOTTOM LINE: DON'T USE AVIS, EVER. DON'T PREPAY EVEN IF IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'LL SAVE MONEY. JUST AVOID AVIS ENTIRELY.

Be warned about this car hire company
We were on our way to Marco Polo airport when the Avis hire car, a brand-new Citroen Cactus, completely lost power and the dashboard lit up with warning signals to say that the engine should be turned off and not switched on again. Smoke began pouring from beneath the bonnet. We managed to find a relatively safe place to pull over, close to an SOS telephone box.

We immediately telephoned Avis roadside assistance and asked for their help. The call took 21 minutes. The operator explained that we would be picked up within 15-20 minutes and taken by a tow truck to the nearest motorway turn off. His advice was for us to then call the Avis desk at Marco Polo airport and ask them to arrange a taxi from the motorway turn off to the airport.

We tried to call the Avis desk at Marco Polo airport over a dozen times. The number we used was the number given on the contract. At no stage was the 'phone picked up. We then tried to call back the roadside assistance number and the lady who picked up the 'phone said she did not speak English but would get one of her English-speaking colleagues to call us back.

We were left stranded by the side of the road for over an hour. It was pitch dark, we had two very frightened children with us, and it was cold. We dared not sit in the car because the engine continued to smoke. We tried several more times to call Avis roadside assistance again without success. Our only saviour, if I can call him that, was a gentleman who worked for Autostrada who had seen us on a CCTV camera clearly in distress. He came and parked his vehicle behind ours for approximately 45 minutes while we waited for the tow truck to arrive.

When it did arrive, we were loaded on to the truck with all of us still in the car! Is that legal, I doubt it?! We were taken to the next exit and, in the absence of any help from Avis, the gentleman driving the tow truck kindly organised a taxi for us to take us on to the airport. By the time we arrived at the airport it was long after our flight home had departed.

With two exhausted children, my partner and I then took steps to find a flight home the following day. At our cost.

Incredibly, a few days I received two additional invoices - one because the car was towed somewhere to be repaired which took a a few days (so those days were charged to me!) and a relocation fee (!) because the car was taken to the nearest Avis station (Treviso) which was not where we had picked it up from (Venice). Unreal!

I wrote to the CEO of Avis, Nina Bell, to suggest to he that she might like to approach matters differently and that to do so was the mark of a well run organisation. No reply. I wrote again and was finally dealt with by a customer services representative who could not have been less helpful. He even tried to justify the additional charges and said that I had been let off lightly.

I was a "Preferred" member of Avis. Heaven knows how they treat ordinary members!? If it were not for a lady in Zakynthos who runs the Avis operation there (and is super helpful, called Mary Plessa) I would have abandoned this lot a long time ago. BE WARNED!

So first I made a reservation for a car at AVIS 6215 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh PA ******* and a drove 50 mins to get there couple hours early, well I pull in and they are closed! Says contact this AVIS ******* Perry Hwy, Cranberry Twp, PA ******* called and guy said he would honor my reservation which was $178 TOTAL TAX EVERYTHING! So he gives me this toyota which I had to pick up after hours cause wife worked. So it's dark and I drive it home and notice the steering shakes around 45 mph, so didn't think much about it until I go to pack it the second I got home cause I had to drive to milwaukee wi from Pittsburgh, it was starting to lightly snow. As I'm packing I pop the trunk to notice the plates are flipping EXPIRED!OVER 6 MONTHS! So then I start investigating the car since I'm a mechanic, holy shytttt! Front tires are almost BALD, drivers rear tire BALD and passenger rear about 1/4 I have it all record on video and pictures of EVERYTHING! Car was dirty on inside, anyways it your worst nightmare situation and I'm dead in the middle with them closed and not open till Monday! CALL and tell them my situation and said I'm not driving this car and explained everything, so lady said they will give me a replacement, just drive it yo airport a HOUR AWAY and pickup my replacement, I said I wouldn't of took the car in the first place if I knew I had to check to make sure your pics of junk are insured and legal to be on the road! She fine I will send town truck, tow truck doesn't show until next day around 20 or 11am! Sorry forgot. My mind isn't in right place because I'm worried about getting to Wisconsin for my meeting Monday morning. So I get the vehicle, walk out to inspect it and it's FRICKN ANOTHER ILLEGAL CAR FRIM MINNESOTA, WHAT THE HEYYYY, THEY MAKING ME A GINI PIG YO DRIVE THEIR JUNK VEHICLES BACK TO THE STATE WHERE THEY NEED FIXED! LOL MILWAUKEE IS ONLY 2 HOURS AWAY FROM MINNESOTA NOT 10, anyways I go back in and they are sorry again! Lol no prob just give me legal vehicle so I can get to Wisconsin. Next vehicle had steering problems, wondering when it came upon ruts in road. So I make it, drop vehicle off early and I get THE BILL $470 FRICKN DOLLARS AND FOR WHAT I WENT THROUGH!? OH AND COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE I RENTED FROM AVIS BUT DIFFERENT LOCATION, WENT THERE 10 CARS IN LOT AND LADY TELLS ME I DIDNT RENT FROM THEM WITH MY RESERVATION WITH THEIR ADDRESS IN MY HAND! WELL TO FIND OUT THEY GOT BUSTED FOR SELLING HERRON AND OTHER DRUGS OUT OF THERE AND THEY WERE USING THE CARS TO SELL RUN AND SELL DRUGS IN! TWO CARS WERE IN HIGH SPEED CASES WITH POLICE! CHECK OUT PITTSBURGH NEWS CHECK IT OUT AT THERE MONROEVILLE LOCATION, THE ONE I RENTED FROM. LOL WOW JUST DONT ECER USE THEM, LADY ALSO TOLD ME THAT A RESERVATION DOESNT GET YOU A CAR! SERIOUSLY, I PREPAID! YES THEY TOOK MY MONEY AND HAD IT FOR A WEEK BECAUSE IM RESPONSIBLE AND DONT DO IT THE DAY BEFORE I HAVE TO LEAVE! SO NOTHING GETS YOU A CAR UNLESS YOUR JUST LUCKY THAT DAY, SCREW THAT, SCREW THEM, THEY ARE THE WORST BIG BUSINESS I EVER HAD TO DEAL WITH AND ARE DRUG DEALERS AND SCAM ARTISTS!

Edited for update 9/6/22 - see bottom for update...

We originally booked our reservation in December at a total est cost of $620. In March we "modified" our reservation by 2 days. Instead of honoring the original price for the original timeframe and adding 2 days at March's rates, Avis cancelled & rebooked the entire reservation at March's rates. Thus, by adding the 2 days to our reservation, Avis requoted us $1480, making the additional cost $860 or $430/day (not what I would call a "modification"). I did speaking with cust serv at the time, but got nowhere.

Additionally the car we received seems to have an issue with its alignment. It had a noticeable and annoying shake to the entire car when going between the speeds of 40-60 MPH. It definitely needed to be serviced. When we picked it up, it seemed clean (dash, seats, carpets were all clean), but it was soon evident that the inside of the windscreen was filthy. It was very difficult to look through with the sun directly on it or, worse, at night with other cars coming from the opposite direction with their lights on. We had to purchase cleaning supplies just to clean it so we could drive safely. Further, I dropped something between the center console & the driver's seat and had to move the seat to retrieve it. When I did, I found 2 used coffee cups, a McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper, a handful of french fries and several other food items that i couldn't identify. I then found similar (but not as much) items under the passenger seat.

Lastly, the front passenger door had something wrong with its weather stripping. At speed, it was constantly making whistling sound. For a 2-4 day around-the-town rental it wouldn't have been a problem, but we had the car for over a week and put on over 1200 miles, much of it highway. It was a constant distraction, and all 5 of us were annoyed with it.

Please note that our issues with Avis are directly related to it's poor rental policy and the vehicle we were assigned. Avis employees were all helpful and pleasant.

Update 9/6/22 - On 8/24/22 a Territory Performance Manager (for the area in which we rented the vehicle) contacted me by email within a day or 2 of completing their customer survey, which echoed the above issues. He apologized and offered a $200 credit for our troubles with Avis and the vehicle. He also stated that he could not "see the original booking", which intimated to me that he would be willing to look further into honoring the quoted price of the original booking. I replied by sending him both confirmation emails I received - the 1st for the original booking in December and the 2nd for the Modified booking in March, and asked him to let me know if can do anything else for us. I have not heard from him since.
On 8/31/22 I received a response from Avis regarding the above Google review asking for our rental number so they could look into it further for us. I replied by letting them know what the "Territory Performance Manager" said & did as well as providing both confirmation emails and ask them to look further into honoring the original quoted price. I received a reply on 9/4 confirming that Avis' policy is to change prices to current rates with each modification (not their words, but paraphrased), that the $200 credit will be processed followed by the usual fluff - we're glad you brought this to our attention, this does not reflect Avis' usual high standards, a report has been sent to the manager in question, etc., blah, blah, blah.
As such, we remain unsatisfied Avis customers. No doubt that the $200 helps, but with that, it reduces the additional 2 day additional rental cost to $330/day which is still ludicrous.

I went in to the airport location August 2 to swap a vehicle that rented to me due to the fact that the manager at that Leslie road location had no luxury cars for rent. I contacted roadside they opened a ticket for a swap secured the vehicle and sent me the text confirming the securing of the replacement. Lindsay was there as the acting manager and was very rude and stated "I know who you are I've heard about you". I didn't escalate the situation very much as I had my daughter with me so I cordially told her look I'm not going to argue with you just do the swap we are good she got very upset because I asked for the vehicle directly behind the one she had picked which was the same car a Chrysler 300 which I rented a luxury vehicle for a reason and I expected a Cadillac CTS. So either way she decided to give me the car in the color I asked for at the last minute and she did this because she knew this car was not clean which she didn't mention. This car did not have a full tank AND had a nail in the tire I have pictures every day that I have to inflate the tire as it drops to 24 after sitting for a while and I have to keep stopping getting air that is ridiculous and i brought this to roadside attention who created a ticket and said to swap the vehicle. Ok I get there they are taking forever for no reason and then John that works preferred comes back and states so we can't release a replacement vehicle when a car is rented on a debit card. I said ok But I rent that way each time and it's NEVER been a problem not even two days ago when I swapped it it's been on the same card a debit card each time so that's infuriating. I start recording at this point because it's blatant discrimination and uncalled for. Renting vehicles is not cheap and I've spent a lot of money with this company to be treated like that and I'm definitely making a big deal about it because it's worthy of that. These people do not know who I am or anything about me and to say "I've heard about you" and make an excuse like that on a vehicle swap that's clearly unsafe I showed the gentleman who let me back through the gate the pics and he said "wow I even see the tire pressure is at 29 right now for myself and it's definitely unsafe"because clearly there's a nail or something in the tire. On top of that John had me bring the vehicle into the return bay and I had it parked on the outside because I knew something else was going to take place and sure enough it did. First he offered me a Chrysler 300 he already had pulled up a silver one when I said hey what about a Cadillac CTS he completely dismissed everything and said he can't anymore bc it's rented with a "debit card" the same debit card I had on every contract that I swapped. It wasn't rented at the airport and these other branches have all taken my debit card no problem. On a swap he was not even supposed to touch my contract other than the vehicle information so why is he looking at my payment info? It's paid for that's all he needed to know which was clear or I wouldn't have got the car to begin with! He gave me the same "luxury vehicle" back that has body damage and a tire clearly going flat and told me he can't do anything else unless I DOWNGRADE to another vehicle class. Are you serious? I don't know why these two people are so mad and ugly with me I guess these employees are upset that I'm affording to rent cars like this and want to be hateful for that reason. I hate to pull the race card but if the shoe fits and it fits them to the T because there is NO other reason for it. I have no enemies like that and you would think with the amount of money I spent this company would consider that and regard me with respect each and every time no matter what. I've been in a rental of y'all's everyday for almost a year straight if not more I should be able to rent and drive any car I reserve off that lot with NO problems. I expect to get what I'm paying for otherwise I just don't pay for it. Preferred plus and all that I don't believe that exists at Avis because these employees have lost their minds seriously. You see these kinds of things on the news and u social media and u wonder didn't they know this was going to get out somehow? Now I'm wondering the same thing after today. I refuse to pay for this rental at all and I will definitely dispute these charges when it's over with because this today made me sick and I have proof of everything I'm telling you I'm not going to put something in writing and lie or even stretch the truth. This happened exactly as I explained it and definitely was unprovoked but expected. I will find a way to get this car swapped I have kids that ride with me and that's something that's a major liability for Avis by them even allowing me to leave in this vehicle knowing it's unsafe. This is definitely something that will reach upper management in the corporate office and hopefully beyond that because this cannot continue to happen if it's happened to me I'm sure it's happened to many others and that's unfortunate for them and I will not accept this level of discrimination and disrespect from anyone on any level this will escalate until addressed accordingly.

On Sunday, my husband and I rented a car from Avis after making the reservation online and prepaying. We were charged $284 for the rental and a $250 deposit was put on hold at our bank. We had no issues at the time of pickup other than them not being able to go out with us to inspect the car before we took it. The car was in decent shape other than food crumbs and other small debris in the door handles, center console and floor boards. It was pretty obvious that it hadn't been cleaned after the prior rental. The car was due back on Tuesday afternoon but we finished our business in Texas a little earlier than anticipated, so we dropped off the car on Monday night, using their after hours drop box. I received an email on Tuesday with the final receipt for the rental and it showed that the final charges were $189, meaning we had overpaid by almost $100. The receipt also showed that we returned it with a full tank of gas and there was no cleaning fees added since I filled it up and went to a car wash right before dropping it off. I thoroughly cleaned the interior with a disinfectant as a favor to the next renter since they obviously don't do it as they claim, even scrubbed the seats. It was cleaner when we dropped it off than it was when we picked it up. The $250 deposit was also released back into our bank account. I had assumed that everything went fine and there were no issues. So, you can imagine my surprise when Avis charged my bank account an additional $461 on Wednesday. I called the Laredo Airport location where we rented the car to inquire about the added charges and I was told that ashes were found in the car and I was being charged a $450 cleaning fee and $11 for fuel replacement. I told the lady that I didn't understand how that was possible since we didn't smoke in the car. She then said "You had the black Frontier, right?" I said no, we had rented a silver Nissan Altima. Her response was "Oh well. We're charging you a cleaning fee!" When I tried asking her if she accidentally charged us for cleaning the wrong vehicle, I was hung up on. I tried calling their customer service hotline and was on hold for an hour. I tried explaining the situation once I finally got through but I was told that we were having a communication problem and was again hung up on. After reading the reviews and Better Business Bureau complaints, this seems to be a very common problem with Avis. I have attached a copy of the receipt as proof because they obviously have no issues with lying and being shady.