I had a terrible experience with Avis and 3 weeks after I sent 2 emails (my complaint attached after Avis's reply) via their customer service website, I finally got a very rude reply from their customer service department. Based on their reply, Avis is not responsible for anything. It's all customer's fault (" lack of planning, organization, or responsibility on
your part") and they are clueless about what is going on in all the locations.

I am not sure how a company like Avis can survive in the US market? I wonder how much the executives are paid in Avis for the terrible management capability?

1) Reply from Avis:

Thank you for contacting us through the Avis Website. Please accept my
sincere apology for the delay in responding to your inquiry.

A surprising number of people leave items behind in their rush to catch
a plane or to reach their final destination. Avis rental locations are
quite proud of their success rate in locating these articles and
returning them to their owners. Occasionally, however, some items
thought to have been left in a rental car simply cannot be accounted for
despite the location?s best efforts.

As indicated on your contract, 637425644, Avis is not responsible for
any loss or damage to personal property left or carried in a rental
vehicle, therefore lack of planning, organization, or responsibility on
your part does constitute as criminal activity on ours. We can only
suggest that you contact your insurance agent, to determine whether you
have coverage for this loss.

In regards to the manager's actions and the vehicle being rented out, I
unfortunately do not have access to that information; hence I can not
provide an answer on this. As far as the vehicle being moved and unable
to be located, this can be easily explained. As you are aware Avis and
Budget are sister companies, and at a lot of location will need to share
the fleet that is available. With this in mind there is a large
possibility that when the vehicle was returned and you were on your way
that either an Avis or Budget agent could have taken the vehicle for the
intended maintenance right away. As far as the vehicle being rented
while on 'HOLD' again I do not have access to this information and would
be something that only the manager of the Los Angeles Intl Airport
location.

If you have any further questions, please let us know.

Jason Phillips
Avis Customer Service Representative
custserv@avis.com


2) My complaint:

I returned the car around 11:00 AM on 1/30/09. About 5 minutes after I
left the car, I realized that I left a white plastic shopping bag in the back
seat of the car. Inside of the bag, I have a video camera, a cosmetic box, a
headset and some newspapers.
> When I returned to where I left the car (about 5 minutes later), the car
was gone. So I went to talk to the agent who checked me in. His name is
Carlos. He was very helpful and immediately walked around the lot and looking
for that car for me. He was very surprised that he couldn't find the car.
He told his Supervisor, Kevin who was helpful too. He sent three guys to walk
around (check on the cleaning, service area, etc). He then checked the computer
and told me that this car (to my surprise) was on a re-call list and
needs
service right away before they can rent it out again. So he assured me that the
car must be in the service department. He also told me that he will put a
"HOLD" on this car so no one can rent it.
>
> After one hour waiting, no one could locate the car. It was like the car
just disappeared from Avis's lot that no one even knew about who took it.
Kevin then told me because it was Friday and other locations were short of cars,
they might have come in and drove off to their place (like Orange co, etc) but
he told me that since he already put a HOLD on the car. Someone will find the
car and report to him right away. He couldn't really explain why the car
could got out Avis's lot without any records of it.
>
> I waited for another hour, Carlo went to look for the car for me again
after his lunch break, but he found nothing. By then I had to leave for my
flight. Before I left, I reported
this to the manager, (Kevin already gone for
the day), Bruce, who asked the lost-found person, Abram, took down my
information and told me that they will call me as soon as the car show up in
their records.
>
> I called Abram at the lost and found everyday but nothing showed up in the
system and no one returned my bag to the lost and found yet. On 2-4-09, when I
called again, I was told that Abram was laid off. I then asked to speak to
Bruce, the location manager. After several messages, Bruce finally returned my
call. He said he remembered my case, then pulled out the records and said
'the car was rented out again on 2-2-09 from Budget, next door to
Avis". I asked him:
> 1) How can this car be rented so quickly, it was on a re-call list and
needed service? His answer: I guess the service was done. "
> How can this be possible? It was done so quickly over the weekend???
>
>
2) I thought the car was put on "HOLD" by Kevin that no one can
rent it out.
> His answer: I guess whoever got the car just ignored the message.
>
> I then asked him, Bruce, to call the budget for me and see if, by any
chance, someone has turned in my bag to their lost and found. He said he will
and he will give me a call later.
> Then I never heard from Bruce. I have been calling him and left him
several messages since then but he never returned my call.
>
> I finally decided to call Budget- LAX myself on 2-19-09 (ph:
310-642-4502) and they don't have my bag either.
>
> I would like to get an explanation from your company that:
> 1) How can a car disappear from Avis car 5 minutes after being returned
(there were at least 10 cars in front of my car, my car was not even the first
in line) and no one knew who took it?
>
> 2) How can a car that needs service
being rented to me in San Louis Obispo
and then again in LAX without being properly serviced?
>
> 3) How can a car that was on a "Hold" list can be rented?
> 4) Why the manager not returning my calls to apologize or let me know the
status of my search?
>
> Thank you.
>
> A very disappointed customer.