Avis Car Rental

"This place scammed me and had terrible customer service when I tried to fix it. I would give it negative stars if possible. STAY AWAY at all costs. I prepaid for a vehicle of a high tier and when I went to pick it up they not only did not have the correct vehicle but gave me a lesser tier dirty one. They reassured me that they would refund back the difference I paid. Upon returning the vehicle, they charged me again but even more this time, as if I never prepaid for a car in the first place. So in total they charged me $1500+ for a car I prepaid $719 for. When I tried to get my money back they told me all they could do is refund my prepaid amount. So I not only prepaid for a vehicle, didn’t get the vehicle I paid for, but they also double charge the rental and fight me to pay it back. In the end, they gave me back my prepaid amount back, resulting in me paying MORE for LESS. Do yourself a favor and go to a reputable rental service and not this failure of an establishment."

"I rent with Avis a lot. Several times a month. This was one of the worst experiences I've had in years. They apparently have the app disabled at this airport and you have to get in the line to get your car. I mean, why have the app if you can't use it? You're also at the mercy of the agent in terms of selection. I got a crappy Chevy Malibu that was seriously underwhelming (which is better than having to deal with the EV I was offered or a minivan). I had no option for a SUV (despite several being on the lot); even as a President's Club member where I should have had complimentary upgrades. A seriously underwhelming experience. Next time I come back to Sarasota I'll be booking with a different rental car company with a better selection."

"Sarasota, Fl airport Avis rental counter had no mid size SUV so to get rid of me, they stuck me with this huge Cadillac XT5 that was filthy, had no windshield washer fluid and needed an oil change. I called AVIS customer service who did nothing to help me. The car didn't even have an owners manual. I spent my time constantly googling how to do basic things before I drove it to keep me from having an accident while driving. Avis could care less."

"Process was easy, the website is wrong for pickup times, we were able to pick our car up past 12am when we arrived. Our car receipt said the tank was full, but the car’s gas tank was only half full when we got into it. The car had clearly not been serviced or washed in between uses. We had an okay time with the car until its tire pressure light came on. We were unable to add the required PSI due to a slow leak. We had to return the car to the rental car and pick up a second car. This car was due for required maintenance but we were able to travel to and from without issues. Staff is nice but forgot to mention the $250 hold they placed on our card to us. It seems there are other instances where people need to return cars for replacements, not the way it should be."

"The rental car I was given had excessive damage, scratches, marks, and cracks that were not all marked as prior damage. I went over it with a fine tooth comb and took pictures of every single piece of damage, and thankfully, I did. When I got to the airport to return the car, the woman took the keys, and as I was crossing the street to go into the airport she called me back saying, "This crack wasn't here in the bumper and neither was the damage on this side mirror". She wasn't even looking at any paperwork, and I didn't pick up the rental at the Sarasota airport return vehicle location. I only dropped it off there. I guess she figured I was in a rush to get to the airport until I pulled out the 50+ DATE & TIME STAMPED PICS and scrolled to show her how many I had as proof of prior damage the minute I got the rental & had them adjust the paperwork. She was trying to pin damage on me that was already there. I never had that happen at a rental company, and I'll never use Avis again bc of that attempted stunt they tried to pull. Thankfully, I had those pictures as proof. Here are only some pictures I took. I purposely scheduled a pick up at their Bradenton facility away from the airport. There were no issues there. It was the drop off at the airport where the problems happened. I know it wasn't the first time they pulled this. I took pics of everything, including the gas tank. I filled it 2 min before returning the car. For them to accuse me of damage on a car they didn't know without the paperwork. Maybe the first location didn't update the damage I reported at pick up, but I took pics of everything, including the paperwork. Saved me time and money after those accusations."