Avis Reviews 

My wife and I hired a Mitsubishi Space in late September at Sicily’s Palermo airport.
When we picked the car up I noticed that it had a few minor marks and scratches and started taking pictures of the (white) bodywork. An Avis employee came up and told me I didn’t need to take pictures because “we know this car”.

I carried on photographing anyway but I guess his comment must have distracted me because I ended up missing a few places. In retrospect, a red flag should have gone up and I should have done a video, because when we returned the car a week later to Catania airport, the guy on the reception desk took a full set of pictures. He claimed that several marks – all tiny ones and including one that he claimed was a dent and that I maintain was part of the contour of the bodywork – had been added to the car during our hire period. To the best of my knowledge, only one mark was new, a small scuff mark on the back bumper right next to a virtually identical mark that was there already – and was photographed by me- when we picked the car up.

In other words, Avis is happy to hire out the car with small marks and indentations on the bodywork, but still charged me nearly £1,300 – including a fee for the reception guy taking photos of the car - for damage when I returned it.

So I would bet another £1,300 that none of my money will actually be spent on repairs, and would challenge Avis to prove otherwise – or that their outfit on Sicily isn’t operating what my experience suggests is essentially a scam. I would also argue that the car was not serviced properly before I picked it up as the brakes started making a loud noise – worn pads? - several days into our hire period.

On this basis I have I have instructed my credit card company to contest the charge and, since I have had no response from Avis several days after emailing them a letter of complaint, will also be referring the matter to the industry ombudsman.

For me, this has been an expensive lesson learnt, and I would strongly recommend avoiding Avis in Italy

My recent experience with AVIS in Naples was nothing short of a nightmare!

We paid extra for terminal pickup, but there was no AVIS office at the terminal. After a 30-minute shuttle wait, we started walking to the office, since it was taking too bloody long.

At the rental office, we were pushed into buying unnecessary insurances at AVIS, and they demanded an outrageous deposit of €5000,-. The woman at the desk started raising her voice if we not pay and was extremely unhelpful.

We booked a Jeep Renegade but got a Citroen C3 instead, not even the same category! The car was very dirty, and the staff was just not interested to do anything about it.

Other couples had scratched cars and wrong vehicles too! No one of the staff checked for damages, so whatever you do, please take pictures of your rental car!!

I demand a refund for the extra charges and the wrong car. This experience was distressing and costly. AVOID AVIS at all costs!

I've traveled a lot of countries and rented a whole lot of cars in my life. But this place is just bad vibes all over!

I rented a car in Milano airport 22.7. No problem.
24.7. a thunder storm hit Italy and the was damagede. I went to the airport (no telephone conversation was possible), and the rental was stopped 26.7. as AVIS could not come up with an other car. I was promissed compensation for the rest of the period, but until now - without any reaction. No answers at all. No contact. Do not use AVIS Italy.

Bad and frastrating experience in any way.
A frequent traveler, so I have a comparison point of view.
First - the service was one big mess. hours of waiting.
Second - we were given a malfunctioned car that broke, the response was not satisfying and we had to take a taxi on our expense to get back to Venice AP (250KM) and take a replacement.
The worse: we were charged on a significant amount without reason and without any notice. They did it because they can and may also and probably will do it to you too. be careful!!!

I recently booked a car through the British Airways Executive Club with Avis Car Rental at Catania Airport. Due to natural events surrounding Mount Etna, our flight was rerouted to Comiso Airport after a considerable 9-hour delay. Given the situation, we were kindly provided the option of a 2-hour bus ride back to Catania and then 1.5 hours back to our hotel. Considering the closer distance of Comiso to our intended destination, I thought it might be more convenient to adjust our pickup location.I tried reaching out to several Avis contact numbers, navigating through various voice-activated systems. Eventually, I spoke with a representative on 095340500. There might have been some misunderstandings during our conversation, and I felt a bit uncertain about the flexibility regarding our reservation.Traveling since the early morning with young children, especially with such a long delay, added a layer of complexity to our journey. It was mentioned that our conversation was recorded, and I would appreciate if Avis management could review it to better understand the situation from our side.I completely recognize that unexpected events can be challenging for businesses to navigate. My hope is simply that feedback like this can pave the way for enhanced customer experiences in the future. I would welcome a conversation with Avis to further discuss and understand our recent interaction.

Preferred customer. Offered a downgrade vehicle which was too small for my luggage. Instead given a car that hadn't been cleaned, it was clearly rushed through, the last occupant's leftover food all over the dash and filthy upholstery, so much for Covid clean. No damage recorded, but plenty of damage photographed. On returning the car the agent claimed there was even more damage than I had pictures for. I took more photos, as the damage he claimed was the natural metal curve of the car. Of course no invoice was supplied or available on my profile but a charge of £1247 applied to my card. I have insurance for car rentals but do not see why the insurer should pay for the incompetence and apparent criminality of this outfit.

Bad service. I rented a car at the airport of Corfu’ which I only drove a few km to get to the hotel and then it never left. I called them the same evening and at first they said they would come the next day to replace it but the next day they gave us a roadside assistance number that was supposed to come and check it and then replace it but no one answered. So I understood that I was only wasting time and I asked to dissolve the contract and rented another car at the hotel. I also had to ask several times to be sent a copy certifying the cancellation of the contract. Absolutely not recommended.

Thieves. Currently seeking legal advice after fraud.

I have rented car from Avis in Naples on March-23, without any issues. Today (after 3 months) my card was charged with 48.8 euro 3 times from them without any email or notification. I had to block my card and get the new one, as not sure how long they will continue to charge it.. I wish I had read all these reviews before renting, but I orderedit from booking.com so didn't assume it could be a fraud (Paid additional 55euro per day for insurance). Don't suggest to anyone, it's a fraud!

Rents a car in March 2023. Return the car at the airport no problems. 4 months later I see Avis charged me €100 fir two tickets. I never received the ticket. Personally I think they’re in cahoots with the police to rip off tourists. Had to cancel my credit card. I say they’re not clean,

we went to pick our car and we had already paid, but our bank changed our card number. So when we went to pick the car up, we couldn't because we didn't have the number. And the agents were not helpful at all, we tried talking to them and they would just hang up when we told them our situation. So we ended up cancelling our road trip with kids cause we didn't have a car to take

Picked up a car in Venice with no attendant present to report issues to. On return, the same - I checked the car on both occasions and spotted nothing (I am always super careful). Then 3 days later a 330Euro bill (which appears to be the AVIS Scam standard) for 2 tiny black marks and a silver scuff on a silver alloy, which as far as I am concerned the attendant who finally showed up caused. Last time this preferred customer ever hires from these sharks again.

I rent my car with Avis and I will never do it again in my life. I rent it in Rome at Stazione Termini. The employees are very slow and unfortunately also doing some racist comments against my ethnic group. For some unknown reason they did not accept my 3 credit cards and they did not give me back my money (240 euros are now gone from your pocket). When I started asking for help and support they just start smiling and offending both me and my family. I called my lawyer and I hope to be able to find a solution soon or later...

rented a car from Rome and dropped it in Pescara, after 3 months they charged my credit card 48.80Euro without even clarifying or emailing the reason, when we went to pescara to check she just said to call a number which they never answer, this is a fraud not a a trusted company. I do not recommend to deal with them, they keep charging you for nothing

I have read some of the complaints. I have lived in italy for 4 years and used Avis many times. My best advice is don't come to Italy expecting customer services that you are used to in your native countries. Take the optional insurance and you are covered. As far as Avis agency fee's for providing your contact information for a traffic violation, that is customary. Be cautious if you don't understand road rules or parking. (and you will not) to be safe, park in a garage and pay the hourly fee, or walk from a considerable distance away from the busy areas of the community. Also, don't expect that you will be ticketed on the spot, it doesn't work that way in Italy! There are cameras everywhere! expect to receive your fine from 3 months to 1 year later with compounded late charges!

We rented a car from Avis in Milan, dropping it off with Avis in Naples, for nine days during July 2022. Two months later we received three text messages and letters from Avis instructing us that they were taking more than 42 Euros from our credit card on each occasion for their administrative costs in providing the police with our details, which seems exorbitant! Apparently, we entered a zone restricted to traffic because we were unable to understand Italian and/or all Italian road signs. It's a sad reflection of Italy that the police show no understanding of the circumstances in which tourists find themselves when driving a rented car and the way in which Avis Italy milks the system for their own financial gain. My advice to others is not to waste your money on renting a car from Avis in Italy and use public transport instead.

I had a car reserved at the Florence Airport Vespucci location for 5 months before my trip to Italy. I had already checked in and provided my driver's License and credit card info. Three days before my reservation date the prices changed to $0.00 in my on-line record. I called customer service who directed me to call the location in Italy to conform. The phone number on the web site was incorrect. I called the Italy general customer service number and was provided other phone numbers to call and no one answered any of the phones. The Italy general customer service then advised that there was no car for me. Horrible service, no car after a 5 month reservation, and no way to contact the local facility. I would never recommend Avis in Italy. This ruined my vacation.

I rented a car from Avis Florence and dropped it off at the Bologna airport. The employee there found a microscopic chip at the bottom of the windshield (seriously, I have the photo to prove it). I was charged $1200.00 CDN for this "damage". How is this possible when, just three months ago, I replaced the entire windshield of my own car for just over $300.00? I stayed away from the other lesser-known (aka shady) rental agencies just to avoid this kind of scam, but it turns out Avis is no better than the fly-by-night operations.

We rented a car from Avis from the Catania airport in Sicily this summer. We rented it for a week and used extreme caution as Sicily driving is hectic. When we returned it without a scratch we were told there was some bogus damage on the tire and they were going to charge us $450 extra. There was literally almost nothing on the tires. Then we found out our friends who were were vacationing with were also presented upon return with some bogus damage claim of an extra $350. This particular Avis location is scamy. Buyer beware!

I have rented many cars in my life, in many different countries, but today, having my reservation with Avis Bologna Italy (at airport), the lady in the counter had no a happy face at all, maybe she had a bad day, i don't know, but her bad face was the first thing i noticed. The problem came as soon as I noticed that I had no my physical credit card with me, only digital credit card through google pay, then she began to refuse the rental, I tried by offering payment with debit card, (whatever money they would charge me for full insurance without any credit card deposit), it didn't matter, but she refused again to go ahead with my reservation anyways. Since i was with my girlfriend, and she had her physical credit card and driver license with her, we also offered renting the car under her name, but the lady refused it again saying that they had no cars!! (What? I had a car reserved!)
She was more willing to reject us more than helping us to rent the car. We offered credit card payment, debit card payment, cash, paying more, etc. Etc. It was impossible, she seemed upset all the time, and talked to us very rudely. It was my worst experience renting a car. It was like she really didn't want to rent to us at all.
We had only two hours to get to ravenna to attend to a baptism so a relative had to come for us from Ravenna. All this was really embarrasing coming from a rental company, but even more with this lady giving the worst customer service i have ever had in my life. (Her colleague didnt help neither, with a condescending actitude, he was tried to give us lessons about how expensive their cars are and that they can't rent them to someone without physical credit card (what?? We offered my girlfriends license and credit card!), He also said something like "welcome to capitalism" (really???? Capitalism means that if i have the money, i should be able to get the product!)
Anyway, we won't rent with Avis anymore and i would recommend you to do the same, seems like their employees have no any customer service protocols at all.
To finalize, I could understand they have rules, but you can explain it politely, not treating or talking to customers as they did.