Avis Southern Africa Reviews 147

After 6 weeks my deposit has not been refunded nor has two emails to the customer service division received any response. All the reviews report the same. There is obviously a financial benefit for them when withholding the refund. They are not concerned about customers. Avoid these guys at all cost.

If there was a 0 they would have got one. Worst company ever.

Had a curtesy car with Avis Thohoyandou in September, deposited R4000, even today i am still fighting to get my money back, no communication or response from Avis. They actualy giving "we dnt give a f@#$" vibe

I too would offer ZERO based on recent experiences with AVIS.
1) I am a Preferred Plus customer but was kept waiting for 45 minutes before an agent became available and then another 20 minutes before a car could be found.
2) I specifically told the agent that I did not want any of the insurance upgrades as these were already part of my standard travel insurance. After returning the car all extra insurances had been charged ! !
3) I had ordered and was provided with a WiFi dongle that did not work. The following morning, I went to AVIS in Harrismith to exchange non-working item. I was referred to office at Pietermaritzburg, they too did not offer one but provided a Garmin which, I was told would not be charged.
4) After car was returned, I discovered that I had been charged for the non working WiFi AND the Garmin.

I submitted a formal complaint with a demand that all unwanted extras be removed from my invoice. Over a week later have not had a response and not received a refund.

Will raise this as a dispute with credit card company and with BA Holidays through whom original booking was made.

Habe vom 26.10.2024 bis 28.10.24 EinFahrzeug bei Avis gemietet. Nach der Rückgabe wurde mir noch ein Abzug auf der Kreditkarte gemacht für Benzin. Habe jedoch das Fahrzeug am Flughafen Johannesburg aufgetankt. Quittung des Auftankens und Foto von der Tankanzeige an Avis gesendet. Bis heute keine Antwort!
Ich rate bei jeder Fahrzeugrückgabe bei Avis auf eine finalisierte Rechnung zu bestehen um diese Betrügereien zu unterbinden.

If I could give zero stars I would.
Firstly I had to wait long before getting my vehicle.
Then the vehicle was so old that it sounds like the vehicle is falling apart with doors ratteling and the dashboard ratteling.
There is clearly a problem with the gearbox as well as there were several instances where the car dit not allow me to put the vehicle in drive or reverse it just stayed in park. I had to switch off and restart the engin several times before it went into gear.

The worst however is that they now want to charge me after the fact for damages that was indicate on my contract as existing damages to the vehicle.

I WILL NEVER ECOMMEND ANYONE TO USE AVIS!!! I rented a car and returned the car with a scratch NOT a dent but a scratch at the back. An email came that I owe avis an exorbitant amount of money quoting a front bumper and light. This is ENTIRELY false. We have been going back and forth about this.....

While I had vowed to ever again use Avis since a few years following a spurious accusation that I damaged a car and was charged insane money, I had booked a car from O’’Tambo airport and that was the final stroke.
Let alone how under staffed, slow and unpleasant they are, my latest issue with them is that I did not pass security checks to their satisfaction because I have a French passport and a UK driving licence!!!! Try make sense of this one???? After debating endlessly that it is not a crime to be French and reside in the UK, hence a UK driving license which both show the same residential address in the UK, I had to walk away to avoid getting more aggravated by totally incompetent and unpleasant people.

rented a car from Avis on 03/09/24 and returned it 10 days later on 03/10/24. When I brought the car back, they claimed there was a dent—A DENT I COULDN'T EVEN SEE! I used my phone light, inspected every inch, and guess what? No dent. But a few days later, I get an invoice with a damage charge AND they had the audacity to claim I returned the car on October 6th instead of the 3rd, inflating the rental days!

If that wasn’t bad enough, they slapped me with a R651 toll fee after I only passed the Zambezi toll gate in Pretoria FOUR TIMES! The toll charge is R14—so how in the world does that add up to R651?

I’ve disputed the charges and contacted them multiple times, and surprise, surprise—my emails are being completely ignored. I even asked for the panel beater’s invoice for the so-called damage, and they never sent it. This company is a joke, and I’m sure they’ll pull the same **** on the next unsuspecting customer.

DO NOT TRUST AVIS! They will rip you off and then ghost you when you ask for explanations.

I rented a car from AVIS BOTSWANA recently. Starting in Gaborone, Botswana. And returning the car in Johannesburg (one way). My contract says that I will pay only BWP16,764.82 Which is the equivalent of AUD $1,866.43
I did arrange to keep the car 3 (three) days longer and the company was happy with that.
At the JOHANNESBURG AVIS a racist woman confronted me about a "DENT" in the vehicle. I could not see any "dent". I even made several videos of the spot. There was no dent. Even my credit card (Amex) AGREED WITH ME : that there is ZERO DENT. Amex gave me back all my money !!!
This racist woman wanted bribe money from me, to solve "the case". I refused. Then she tried to trick me, into writing a report of my part on "this dent".
I refused. She was very angry.
I have the contract of BWP16,764.82 And I have various photos and videos of NO DAMAGE at this spot.
Now AVIS JOHANNESBURG charged my credit card for an extra AUD $4,498 !!!
** LUCKILY AMEX GAVE ME ALL $4,498 back.
This is pure revenge on me, for not paying a BRIBE in South Africa - which is a very corrupt, very dangerous country.
This is another form of MODERN EXTORTION !!!

AVOID AVIS - 87% of the reviews only give them rating of 1!!! The service we received from AVIS was abysmal from start to finish, causing significant stress and inconvenience. My complaint from the car hire on 29th July '24 isn’t being addressed by AVIS.

Overcharging: Far exceeding the confirmed amount with no satisfactory explanation provided.

Substandard Vehicle and Service Failures: The vehicle failed multiple times, leaving us without transportation for days and forcing us to incur additional taxi expenses.

Incorrect Vehicle and Unhelpful Staff: The vehicle provided was not what was booked, and the staff were unhelpful and dismissive.

Return of Replacement Car: When we returned the replacement car to the airport, a member of the Avis team inspected the vehicle, confirmed that everything was in order, and approved the return, YET charged us for damage which is fraudulent, there was no damage.

Additional Expenses and Inconveniences: Due to the car's repeated failures and the subsequent delays in resolution, we incurred additional taxi expenses to continue with our planned activities. The stress and inconvenience caused by the unreliable vehicle, the substandard replacement, and the unhelpful staff significantly impacted our trip, we were left dealing with constant vehicle issues and logistical challenges.

Considering all these issues, a very small and inadequate refund offered is both disrespectful and unacceptable. The amount proposed does not come close to compensating for the extensive disruption and emotional distress caused. This offer does not reflect the gravity of the situation or the level of service failure experienced.

On top of this, I paid for additional services but were rendered useless during my recent car rental experience. For example, Peach of Mind, Roadside Assistance.

The vehicle’s repeated failures and lack of effective roadside assistance directly contradicted the value of the services I was assured of.

Despite multiple breakdowns and the vehicle being out of service for an extended period, the promised support was neither adequate nor timely.

Given that these services did not meet their advertised purpose and did not provide the peace of mind or assistance promised.

I had a puncture on the outskirts of a city and they refused to come and change the tyre.

a scam, I am waiting over a month for my R10k refund and I never got it?

We were given a car with several damages, some of which were not listed on their record card as we had to point them out to them. However we received a phone call a day after we left the country and were told that a scratch had been discovered on the bumper. Despite having sent an email to explain that it was most definitely not caused by us and was possibly another omission from their initial list of damages, we were still charged for it without further communication.
Very disappointing.

Why is it that you guys cry for the deposite but can't repay it. Used Toti after i was hijacked, my wallet and cards where taken but they insisted i make the deposite first before i can receive the car. The guys in accounting need to improve their services. Very disappointed

After using Avis for years, all over the world, I was shocked by my most recent experience:

On collection at OR Tambo, I was told that there was no reportable damage to the vehicle, but we noticed a scratch that was not shown on the vehicle status report, so I duly photographed that and notified Avis by email. We did not notice a small scratch/ dent on the door sill as lighting was poor and it was half under the car. Both scratches were pointed out to us on return of the vehicle (neither of which were perpetrated by us and neither of which were on the original status report) and after indicating that we had seen and reported one of them already, they quickly advised us of impending charges for the other scratch. Not only did they want in excess of R3400 for the scratch repair, they also charged us for an additional 2 days of rental and another 100km of travel.

You have to wonder if this is all orchestrated, especially when I can clearly prove they did not record one of the scratches that I was aware of at the outset. I cannot prove the second scratch, however I am a very experienced driver and I know that this scratch most certainly did not happen on my watch (note this scratch is not car park rash, it can only happen while driving over an obstacle such as a kerb)

Stay away from Avis Cape Town Airport. After dropping off the car and returning home (New Zealand), we were charged more than R2000 over the Invoice price. We had Full cover (no Excess) insurance. We were then told that there was damage on the underside of the bumper but because we have 'no excess' insurance we will only have to pay the administration fee of R500, so after a few days another R500 was deducted from our credit card. So much for the Zero liability that we purchased. Zero liability obviously means something else to Avis.

More importantly, all our phone calls went unanswered or were cut off immediately after getting through. All our emails went unanswered. Avis Cape Town Airport is to be avoided at all costs

I have been waiting for my deposit since 25 June 2024 from Avis King Shaka airport. Sizwe Mbambo sent me an email on the 13th of July 2024 promising that my issue has been resolved, it is now 24 July 2024 and i still have not received my deposit, my bank have not received authorization from Avis. their phones and emails goes unanswered.

Avoid avoid at all costs. Go rent car elsewhere lest you be caught up AVIS snares and dishonest dealings. AVIS Johanesburg fradulently charged my credit card for optional extras that I did not request. This is despite these optional extras (TP, CDW etc) being included in the pre-paid voucher supplied by Bristish Airways as I had booked a holiday package with BA which included a car. So what they did was to includes these optional extras unbeknown to me and present them in the final invoice claiming that I requested and signed for them. THIS IS A LIE. When I pointed out to them that the opetional extras were already paid for in the pre-paid voucher, they quickly went on to change the items description and sent me an updated invoice now labelling them as 'super' Theft Protection, 'super' 'Collision Waiver Damage' which clearly indicate intention to de-fraud and lie. They also debited my credit card twice of the same amount. They have now sent me two invoices which supposedly relate to the same rental period but you will be amazed how disparate they are. Blatant fraud and daylight robery. Manager at this branch should be sacked. This is not the standard of business or ethics that we would expect from such a global brand. Disgraceful to say the least. As one can clearly see from the many negative reviews on Trustpilot, clearly there is something fishy going on at this AVIS branch along with many others. I advise you to save time and money and your mental health, keep away from AVIS. They have gone rogue. period.

Rented a vehicle from Avis Sandton on 28 Feb 2024 for 11 days and returned the vehicle two days early. Was promised that the refund will be paid within 10 business days back into my credit card. I. Went back into the branch after four weeks to be told it is on next payment run. it has been two months and still no refund into my account.