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She had selected the wrong country when booking. She should pay the entire car rental for this.
In Costa Rica there is an international airport in San José – the same applies to California. That shouldn’t be widely known, and so a customer of the car rental company Avis was not aware of it either. So she accidentally booked a rental car online for California instead of Costa Rica. Arriving in Costa Rica, the Avis employee did not find her name on his list either.
He took a quick look at her booking form and said that this mistake happens again and again. There is no country in the Avis address either, which is why the customer only noticed the error on site.
Customer service sees no problem at first
The woman then canceled the booking via email and also called Avis customer service to confirm the cancellation. Everything is fine, she was told, she would get back the almost 1,800 francs for the five-week tour in the next few weeks.
I am totally disappointed in Avis’ way of doing business.
But the money never reached her. She contacted customer service several times. Once he told her that the refund was no problem, another time her request was denied. “I’m totally disappointed with the way Avis does business,” says the long-standing customer.
She is an experienced traveler and has never experienced anything like this. The SRF consumer magazine “Espresso” then reported to the press department of the Avis Budget Group. A short time later, the customer receives another email from customer service that she should report her case to the European Conciliation Board (ECRCS).
It is the customer’s responsibility to choose the correct pickup location.
Avis couldn’t do more: “It is the customer’s responsibility to choose the right pick-up location.” The customer says she sees her mistake and Avis doesn’t have to refund her the full amount. But a concession would be fair with this high amount.
Press office and customer service at odds
The press department of the Avis Budget Group apparently agrees and writes “Espresso” that they would reimburse the customer for the advance payment. You only have to pay the cancellation fee of almost 80 francs.
It is unclear whether and when the customer will actually receive the money. In any case, she has not received a franc back to this day.