avis.cr

Bald tires that blew out and extra charges

We rented from Avis in Liberia, thinking this was a secure choice in a foreign company. It is important to note that this is a franchise, not corporate. We were required to get insurance, and actually accepted a higher amount of the insurance for about $20/day more. On the road, we blew a tire. It was at the time we noticed how bald the tires were, which was dangerous on the roads. We changed the tire ourselves. We called Avis franchise who dismissed it and said to call the insurance company. We called the insurance (after 1 hour on the phone trying to reach someone) and finally got someone on 02/06/2022 at 5:10pm. They said it was a recorded line and they acknowledged the report. After multiple calls, Avis franchise brought us a replacement car for the remainder of our stay but we had to be persistent. We had an early morning flight and didn't want to drive on the roads back to the airport at 3am with no spare. We got back home and found a $150 charge on our credit card. This was the deposit we had paid Avis. We disputed the charge and they provided "documentation" that said the 1 tire was $150 which shockingly was the same amount as our deposit. More important, the $150 charge was from Nissan, which is the car dealership next to the Avis and who owns the Avis franchise. Even with the insurance, which was a premium charge, they said the tire wasn't included. If you see the images, you will see how bald and dangerous the car was that they rented to us. It should not have been rented to begin with with those tires. They were unethical and dishonest in every interaction. More importantly, we did everything 'by the book' with the insurance and Avis, only to get charged an unreasonable rate for a tire when we got back to the US. The insurance is a scam, so don't get more than you have to! I would HIGHLY recommend any other company than this Avis franchise.

Date of experience: Mar 20, 2022