Warning - Avis Grenoble

A snowHead

Make sure you take plenty of before and after photos. We have just received an invoice after returning the car today and they say we have damaged both front alloys.

I have before and after photos and hope to dispute the charge (we do have excess insurance but they are coming the game)

We drove from the airport straight to the underground hotel car park, didn’t use the car all week and drove back to airport. We definitely didn’t hit anything!

A snowHead

Avis Grenoble accused me doing 1000km in a weekend. I had speedo photos that said otherwise. The problem is they are not around on Sundays when I returned the car.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Have used Avis 20 plus rentals a year for business and pleasure. All over Europe and the US. Over the last 15 years. Never once had them claim I did something I did not do. I have dinged allots twice, owned up to it and insurance took care if it. I just don’t get why they would do this.

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Avis are the only rental company that I have vowed to never, ever deal with again after they charged me full 24hr rack rate for being 45 minutes late on a return in Geneva. After much arguing they reduced it to about 80% which was still equivalent to about two extra days' rental at the weekly rate that I had paid. Rip off shysters.

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Avid are one of the few rental companies that have tried it on with me.

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Oh no, I'm booked with Budget (AVIS partner) in Barcelona! Shocked

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Scumbags tried to bill me $200 dollar for excessive sand in the car in Denver 3 months after the rental ended and tried to sneak it by on the credit card without telling me. No beaches were visited in a ski trip. Avis = crooks imv.

Attempted charge was after the start of Covid so I suspect they were chancing it with anyone who'd rented in the past 6 months for some cashflow.

After all it is free

I've been in dispute with Holiday Autos since November after renting with OK Car Rentals at Munich. Turns out OK should be hiring out stage coaches as they are a bunch of cowboys.

The tank on the hire car wasn't full on collection - so OK noted the position and said to bring it back with a similar amount of fuel in. This is, of course, virtually impossible so I returned the car with the car computer showing about 300km more range than when I picked it up - to be then billed €60 for refuelling. I only found this out when the charge appeared on my credit card bill.

Holiday Autos have been pretty rubbish to date. After constantly chasing them up for 2 months, they finally advised that the complaint couldn't be investigated as I had been a no show with the rental. Pardon?? Shocked

What a load of cobblers. The case continues...

I'm running out of patience and will get on to my credit card company if it's not sorted soon.

Are these cases actually come to anything?

Years ago, I rented from either Budget or Enterprise at Jackson Hole airport. They claim something (I forgot) and tried to charge my credit card. I declined and informed the credit card company. And that’s the end of the story.

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Standar hire car office theft.

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You could try taking your dispute to the European Car Rental Conciliation Service who will arbitrate on the matter.

https://www.ecrcs.com/

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@skimummk, I did an Avis rrental many years ago from GVA and they claimed I'd damaged the alloys (steel wheels), when I disputed they then sais I'd broken the brake pipes, which I disputed, then I'd scratched the roof, by which point I'd brought in the credit card company and written to Avis Head Office in Paris, apparently the resolution was to fire the GVA bureau staff and give me compensation for grief.

@under a new name, We once returned a car at GVA in as new condition but the attendant realised that the entire lining inside the front mud guard panel was missing and could see right through to the engine. It was clear that it was missing when we took the car (we didn’t notice) as the only way it could have fallen off is if we had a big accident. They finally believed us after a lot of head scratching by the return staff.

You know it makes sense.

My husband is mid disputing with Europcar from Florence. Claiming for damage which he didnt cause. Again he took before photos BUT didn't go back upto desk to get paperwork updated Sad

Tbh I am considering just paying extra to get a private transfer for our upcoming April trip and cancelling the car hire because of this. Sad

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@NickyJ, we just have an annual car excess insurance policy from a 3rd party for peace of mind and have them deal with any damage issue. At worst we would have to pay a £50 excess if lodging a [fair or unfair] claim. I’ve had to claim twice in the last five years when I caused damage and no issues.

And I can say car rental excess insurance is essential when renting in Italy as the couple of times I have rented from Naples and Sicily it has been complete chaos and given badly damaged cars.

A snowHead

@Ozboy, we.have that cover, however technically that doesnt cover it as we DID NOT cause it and can prove that. I took out with the car hire booking witb Expedia.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I have a extra cover with amex on travel insurance for rental cars. I was told on phone by amex a few years ago take no extra cover offered by rental companies as we cover it as standard. Never used it on the company pulling a fast one but covered my ass when I damaged car on PSB for a couple of £k damage.

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@mountainaddict,

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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@mountainaddict, no worries, will you accept crypto currency Very Happy

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After all it is free

Its always best to do a chargeback through your credit card, I've done 4 now, all successful. Photos were the key issue. Also the credit card company ask them for invoices for any damage they have repaired because they know that they leave the damage and try and charge every customer for the same damage.

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Two friend's of mine rented a car from Turin (can't remember who from). They had had it for a few days when we decided to go out as a four in their hire car. Jumped in the back to find no seat belts (they had been removed or not fitted). They contacted them to complain and when they took it back the office wanted to charge them for stealing the rear seat belts. It would have been funny if it didn't take so long to get sorted.

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I rented a BMW 3-series from Sixt in Gatwick a few months ago and it had a fair amount of minor scratches so I got the Sixt rep to update his records with everything I had taken photos of. He said I should have a job with them because I found loads of minor damage they had never even noticed before.

Needless to say there was no claims from them that I had damaged anything when I took it back, they probably noted down on the computer they were dealing with an OCD madman when it came to car damage.

@nevis1003,
Great info, always wondered how a credit card chargeback would work in this circumstance.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

This doesn't seem to be limited to Avis, sadly.

Some friends and I were charged £1000+ with Sixt for a small bit of repainting from tiny scratches (and I mean tiny) - we're unsure if we caused them, as we drove the car for 2h, parked it for a week in a covered private carpark, and then another 2h back. Luckily our 3rd party insurance covered the whole thing (questor, if anyone cares).

We asked for a broken down invoice, and it was hilarious. High value line items for things like a paint mixing fee, 30CHF for "photo expertise". Obviously this was all an estimate and they would never have repainted it, they would simply have given it to the next customer with some miniscule scuffs (along with all the larger scuffs that were listed when we accepted the car!).

Later that week my parents got stung by Sixt France, but it was extra fishy as they were never asked to "sign in" the car and sign the form where you agree you returned the car with any new damages etc.. When I advised them to ask Sixt for proof of this form being signed, they procured a form with a forged signature - it was clearly different to the one my dad had signed the car out with and the one on his licence.

That case got dropped pretty quick once we pointed that out.

A snowHead

Interestingly, I have just received a letter from Santander about a chargeback from Sixt, and what happens is that if you can meet the banks requirements for the chargeback they credit your account with the money immediately they agree this. It took about 2 weeks, then it is up to Sixt to challenge that to get the money back again from Santander. It appears that the car hire companies don't often do this because they know if the bank accepts it they are unlikely to win. Also if they don't check the car with you at the time you return it, it's virtually impossible for them to prove you damaged it, which then supports your chargeback. I take a photograph of the car return and the fact the car is not checked, if this happens. I have also videoed this in the past when they refused to check it in my presence, and once they got quite nasty about that, not that I let it put me off doing it. I think that was in Spain.
I find Santander very good for customer support re chargebacks. If the chargeback fails, you can use the Ombudsman, but mine have always been successful, so far.

A snowHead

I have found American Express more straight forward to deal with when compared to Natwest / Mactercard in regards to chargeback and queries. As such I book car hire using Amex whenever possible.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

This thread is helping me make up my mind to drive down to Genoa and pick up grandson for ski holiday in Les Saisies at the end of March, rather than fly (very inconvenient flight times and few options) and rent a car. I have no option but to rent in Turin at the end of February, and will have 3rd party insurance, which has served me well in the past. I've never been scammed by a car rental company, but have had major inconvenience and extra cost (eventually reimbursed) with cars with no spare wheel.

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I am wondering whether this practice has increased over last year or so as they tey and recoup loses from covid lockdowns etc and struggling with car rental stocks

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I have rented lots of cars in both France and the UK and it may be a sheer coincidence but when I've taken out the extra windscreen/alloy insurance, the car has been immaculate. However, on the odd occasion I either forgot or it was too expensive, there has been either a chip in the windscreen or dinged alloys that I've had to go back and point out to them. None of which could have been missed!

It's obviously easier to charge the customer than get it fixed on insurance

No matter how much of a hurry you are in, check the car over with a fine toothed comb when you pick it up and take lots of pictures or be with the person who checks it over when you return it (I follow them around the car like a hawk)!

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So many stories I could quote here over the years - Have you ever noticed the area you collect the car is frequently in a dark multi-storey car park, and the returns area is super light. It been a few years since I rented a car, and I vowed never to do so again, so far it's worked, they are all imv scheissters, and my default is video the car on collection, photo the dash, same on return, and wait with them until its signed off on return with a email, to the point they get fed up of me! Ever wondered why the pick up desk, frequently with huge queues, is a long way from the car lot on collection, they know most people can't be bothered to go back and report minor blemishes, they will all of a sudden appear when it's returned for sure - swim with sharks and you will get bitten is my view, avoid hire car companies wherever possible.

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I am sure that charges are made when they should not be on occasion. But I have rented a HUGE number of times, from all the major brands (recently mostly Avis), and have not once been charged for damage I did not cause. I don't think it can be luck. And I don't take the fuil insurance from the car hire company as I have excess insurance of my own. I think it more likely that it is incredibly rare to be charged for damage in error. But clearly very annoying when it happens.

I also don't get why anyone would use chargeback when you have insurance. The insurance company will refund you and challenge the charge with the hire company, that is what you have paid for.

After all it is free

I had to pay the charges when I had a puncture on the dark side of Lake Annecy and was then reimbursed by insurance4carhire.

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@zikomo, It's a numbers game, the more you rent the greater the liklihood of being caught out. And I suspect it happens more at certain times of months when desks or individual agents are under pressure to make numbers. It doesn't help that practices vary country to country I've been told by agents in the US that scratches, chips etc less than a quarter/10p they aren't bothered about but the same thing would be a gift to a Italian.

Plus stuff like cleaning surcharges for excessive "dirt" are arbitrary. No one takes their car to a valeter before returning it.

The reason for using chargeback is that the CC companies are usually more efficient and have greater firepower than insurers e.g. they can reverse the burden of proof by charging back.

Help!!

Warning - Avis Grenoble

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