Avis Car Rental

I'd think twice prior to going with this location, it's important to be cautious.

My experience was on par with the other one start reviews of this location. During the time of booking; we were quoted at $42. Which we agreed to. Upon arrival into the rental car agency, we advised we wanted to purchase the $25 car insurance. Which would equal out to be $67 plus tax. Upon going to pay for the rental, which should have been $67, the owner advised us that we needed to have a $750 hold on our CC. We then declined and advised we did not have that and we were able to pay a $200 hold.

After having done the $200 hold. We were prepared to pay our expected amount of $67 plus tax.

The man we were dealing with then advised us the cost would be $140. At the time we were confused but left in attempt to make a reservation we had in Banff. We figured we would further review it to understand why the cost had jumped so much more than we expected.

The location tried to charge us for a 48 hour rental for a 24 hour booking. My partner and I made the point of returning the vehicle about 10 minutes under the 24 hour mark. When we we brought up that the cost was showing for 2 days, the owner was unwilling to assist us in resolving the matter.
He advised us the "system" calculates it differently. Then directed us to customer service.

When I called customer support, it turned out the owner had input our drop off time as a half hour later than when we actually dropped off the vehicle. Thankfully, we were able to prove the time stamps and the customer support agent refunded me the extra day/insurance charged to my account.

The one man show that operates is confrontational and bullies you into windshield insurance, only to give you a car with multiple windshield chips. The car I got wasn’t clean, smelled of smoke and I found a previous customer’s airbuds in the tray. Rent elsewhere!

I am not sure what I expected, but by far the worst car rental I had. I went in to pick up a reservation. The gentleman basically made me feel like he is doing me a favor. He didn't explain the rental agreement and didn't even bother to come out to inspect the car with me. He said, 'i checked it, it's good. If you see anything wrong let me know'. It doesn't make one feel safe and assured with that level of service. The gentleman also didn't know explain the rental insurance options properly. I hope this trip goes well, because I'm most definitely not renting from this location again.

DO NOT RENT IN THIS LOCATION!

The guy was offering me insurance that he said was around 30 CAD/ day. When I was about to pay, it was way over and then he tells me “Oh, I charged you for the ‘better’ insurance”. Obviously, very sketchy. And then, He gave me a dirty car. I asked for him to clean it which took more than an hour, only to make the car smell so bad I had to keep my windows down the whole ride. Such an unpleasant experience. A lot of red flags. I would advise people to stay away.

Do Not. I repeat Do not Rent otherwise be ready to pay charges on your credit card even after weeks and months of your rental date. If you already did. Make sure to take pictures of Fuel Tank meter, windshield for no cracks.take written confirmation that evrything is good and fuel is full while handing over the keys, keep the reciept of fuel for atleast 6 months.
Do not fell for the cheaper prices.they will recover later once the card is authorized.

Terrible customer service experience, car was dirty and not available on time as originally booked. Forced to take windshield insurance because agent would not allow documentation of windshield pits. Had Tom comply because of time crunch.

Hi,

Everything went well up until I got the vehicle

I was supposed to drop off sunday and could not until tuesday

Reason was medical emergency due to allergies to peanuts which were found under the passenger seat 2 days after picking up. It also included the full rental agreement from the last person renting which I believe is a privacy breach

I then came in to drop off and do a walk around and immediately was accused of drinking and driving with literally no proof or anything behind him. Extremely rude and NO I drive for a living I do not condone not have I EVER drank and drove

* Please keep in mind I delivered the vehicle in better shape cleanliness wise then I was given

Then was told due to that issue with the peanuts and not cleaning the vehicle that I wouldn't be charged for the two days

This was 4: 42pm Masud advised he wouldnt charge me the two extra days
August 23 2022

Then a day goes by and charges my card for the full amount including the two extra days

EXTREMELY unprofessional on all ends for the accusations made and the extra two days that I needed to safely drive again due to medical emergency that was created by Avis directly

Yes I have picture of the third party renters agreement and the peanuts left under the seat

I messaged Masud and now being ignored

Wouldn't mind speaking directly to the head office team to straighten this out asap

Thank you

Brandon Sommert

Terrible customer service at this location. The employee did not explain the terms of payment of the rental. I returned the vehicle early due to illness and lost of $800 and then couldn't even keep the rental because he closed the contract even though he closed the contract without telling me anything. Then just picks up the phone and ignores me.

Manager was extremely rude and ignorant.very judgemental.and we will NEVER rent from avis again!

Horrible experience at this location, he charged me more than we agreed to on the phone, vehicle was dirty and not clean. He was rude to me when i got there and kept talking to customers on the phone and made me wait for 20 minutes, while i waited for him to finish. I highly reccomend you do not go to this location, save yourself time and money.

Horrible experience.
I was hesitant about renting a car from here due to the bad reviews. The rude agent did not communicate properly, which led to me being overcharged. I regret coming to this location/company, will not be back.

I have an excellent experience with this location. I rented a car from here. Couple of times, I have exchanged vehicles, He patiently give me vehicles. I am very happy. This location customer service is awesome. He is very honest, sincere, knowledgeable and helpful Agent. Every time I come for rental. I get clean and get free upgrade vehicles. I would recommend everyone that go there for renting your vehicle. I am sure, you gonna be very happy.

I am writing another review for this location as it seems a few have had bad experiences and have taken upon themselves to disparage Masud and this business. I take this personally, as the reviews being left from a few are completely way off base. Firstly I have been a long time customer at this location and have left a previous review. This location and Masud are the very reason I come back, his customer service is beyond compare and he is very service orientated and have witnessed this first hand, the level and lengths he goes to make sure everyone is treated with outmost respect and he spends the same due diligence with every customer. I know this by waiting my turn in line. He is worth the wait. Masud offers vehicle insurance to everyone and other services such as GPS and Satellite Radio as it is his job. He cannot be faulted for that. Masud takes the time to explain what you get with that service. If you decline that is on you and most major credit cards cover rental vehicles for 30 days per annum. If you ever go through the process you pay your damages upfront and submit your claim with your credit card company for reimbursement. I just renewed my rental this past Saturday and in the pouring rain, Masud was out cleaning a vehicle. He does this with every returned vehicle. So it is ready and sanitized for the next customer. Ever since Covid and even before I would see him at his perferred location washing, vacuuming and wiping down the vehicles inside and out. I get my lottery tickets at the same place and would often see him busy cleaning vehicles. At the very least if the location is busy Masud goes out and cleans, vacuums and sanitizes the vehicle for you and if it is dirty on the outside I have seen him hand out a free car wash card. The dedication and customer service he provides is second to none. If you think the grass is greener at another competitor I encourage you try and see if they even come close to the level of customer service Masud provides. As I have been there and done that and nobody has. Take the bad reviews with a grain of salt as there is always two sides to every story. If you want excellent service and someone that actually cares about your business and need a clean and sanitized car rental in Calgary this is the place to go. Keep up the Great Work Masud.

Just like every other review on here lately, there is no chance I go back to this location. The employee behind the counter is incredibly rude, the car was not cleaned out before I got it but the kicker for me is after calling in and extending my rental for a day I come back to return the car. He then proceeds to charge me extra, when I say "oh I think there was a mistake I shouldn't be charged, I extended the car by an extra day" I am told to "take it up with customer service" and he walks away from me. In such a customer focused business I am surprised things like this have been going on here for so long.
Unreal

Total scam. Do not go there. I booked a car online with insurance and when I showed up they tried to sell me another 2 kinds of insurances, and the guy at the front is rude. Never coming back.

Don't get me wrong I've rented from AVIS in the past and never had a problem. NEVER will rent from this location AGAIN. WORST. Rude agent so I had to get rude too. Cars here are not clean whatsoever. For the ones who are looking to rent a vehicle or vehicles from here.be sure to take pictures and videos of inside and outside of vehicle before even starting car. That way you're not on the hook for any damages that didn't happen when car is in your care. Not sure who checks these cars before and after each customer rents. They don't do a very good job of cleaning or checking for damages. Good luck everyone.

We were called 3 times on the last day of our rental asking when we would be back with the car. I understand there's currently a rental car shortage, but don't beg us to end the last day of our vacation early so that you can re-rent the car out again faster. If you at least offered a discount for an early return, it wouldn't seem as greedy.

The Indian guy has a bad attitude. It took him more than 45mins to rent me the car even after making a reservation over the phone, it’s almost like he’s not trying to rent out cars. I was really disappointed and i don’t think i’m ever going back there…

Worst car rental agency I have ever been too. Save a paycheck or 3 and go to Enterprise, Walk or even uber for the month. Will still be better than dealing with this place.

They charged me $20 per day plus tax for winter tires. But actually the tires were so bad that it made my drive very scary.

I went to drop off keys from a rental and liked that even though they were closed there was a drop box.

Avis Midnapore is my go to place for car or truck rentals. Great service and a good choice of vehicles. They have been very helpful in arranging for specific vehicles that I request. Highly recommend!

Masoud is a life saver. Very kind and genuine. He sincerely tries to accomodate and help you with your rental. I am very thankful for him. I rent cars regularly for work and I have never met such a decent car rental person for an agency. In a world where everyone is out to help themselves these days he shows true customer service and professionalism. Thank you.

I had to wait almost an hour for rental. While listening to them try to cheat someone else out of an hour of rental by saying his time started before they got their administration stuff out of the way (which they were giving him the runaround on). Then I had to wait to return. I returned early but they tried to tell me I was late.

Avis cost me more for the rental and lost me time.

Don't rent here if you own a dog, or even pet one now and then. They will try to charge you $250 for transfer from pants. Then they act like they're doing me a favour "by not charging a late fee" so I can go vacuum it out. Hello! If it came from my pants, how am I supposed to get into the car to drive it from a vacuum place?

I went back and hand picked out the few hairs. Found more of my own and transferred more human hair in the process because I shed more than my dog.

Following their reply, let me be clear:

1) I understand that people have "allergies. " My dog never entered the vehicle. They could not prove to me that there was dog hair. There were some hairs, but not proof was made to verify the allegation that they were dog hairs.

2) I normally double check to brush any transfer out, but since I had listened to their appalling lack of respect for the person ahead of me at pick up, I knew they would nickel and dime me if I was even 10 seconds "late" and I didn't know what time they might have put on my reservation- the time I actually got custody of the vehicle or some arbitrary time they put on my paperwork. I was very happy to go out and pick out the few hairs, but there is no way I am taking it anywhere to vacuum- I would have needed to do so naked to avoid further transfer.

3) We are in the middle of a pandemic. They have to clean vehicles before each new customer anyway. I'm now unsure that I can trust them with my safety. If I come down with COVID in the next 14 days, guess who I'm blaming since they claim they aren't cleaning cars unless someone gives them $250. Even if I paid, how would I know they would clean it?

4) "Allergies" is an excuse. Guess what, smokers leave particles behind. People are allergic to cleaning chemicals. If someone is that allergic, they probably shouldn't get a rental because they can never guarantee their safety.

5) I rent (usually from Enterprise) 3-4 times per month in non-COVID times so I am VERY familiar the rental process, expectations, and costs. This rental was double the same rental cost the week before through Enterprise.

6) As mentioned, I would gladly brush out any dog hairs- hand me a lint roller if you're concerned and I'll do it. However, do NOT threaten me, claiming not only that you're doing me a favour by not charging a pet fee when my dog NEVER ENTERED THE VEHICLE and that you're doing me a favour by not charging a late fee WHEN I WAS ON TIME! It was this last part that made me livid. I would have walked away slightly perturbed but I would have let it go. HOW DARE YOU threaten your customer with charges that they don't deserve? The pet fee, fine. You find a few hairs and I can't prove she wasn't in there so fine. I am very happy to clean them out. But I was very explicitly NOT late and to be threatened like that shows that you are only here for the money and that a one-time payment is more important than long term business.

7) The problem seems to be that they are understaffed. They didn't have someone available to clean, so the manager made a show of taking the "cleaning bucket" out but clearly the cars aren't getting full cleans nor do they have sufficient staff for customer service. I understand busy times of day but both pick up and drop off had extended waits and made me late for meetings.

I rent frequently (less so with COVID, but still frequently) and was really happy with the convenience of being able to ride my bike there, etc. I would love to rent again but frankly I have such a sour taste in my mouth that it's going to be my last resort. A simple acknowledgement of the other issues in my review would have helped that.

Best car rental service I have experienced and its not even close. Very accommodating and helped extend the vehicle I needed all at a very reasonable rate, in fact best rate I could find. Thank you Masud!

I had a terrible experience here. Extremely rude customer service. The service personnel are very unprofessional.

Hands down one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a car rental company. This is a fraud of a company that will not tell you about limited mileage will their cars. Once that was found out, we left and Masood calls back claiming after speaking to his “boss” he would be willing to give us the original price and have unlimited mileage. We requested to speak to the “boss” and we were told “you’re not allowed to speak to the boss”. Avis should remove the franchise owner and bar them from using their name. Masood claims to be the owner so if you’re dealing with him, just leave.

I have dealt with this Avis location a few times, always renting a vehicle for one day. The experience has been so-so but this last time will be the last.

I rented a car as always, for one day. I always use the nightly drop box and have never had an issue until my last rental which was April 7,2020. My rental was to be returned on April 8,2020. As always, I returned the vehicle the same day by using the nightly drop off box. I dropped the vehicle off close to 9pm that same day, April 7,2020. I then received a text message on Thursday, April 9,2020 at 3: 55pm saying "your rental is expired yesterday. Please call office as soon as possible. Thanks". I ignored this. I ignored this because I knew this had to be an error since I dropped off the car already as noted above, close to 9pm on April 7.

I then discovered on my Mastercard bill, a charge from Avis 4x the amount of my rental. I called Avis and spoke with Masood, (I think that's his name), I asked why the large amount charged and he said it was because I did not return the car and was charged 3 extra days. What? ! So, after explaining to him what happened (that I dropped the car off that same day and used the nightly drop box), he asked me to provide proof that I dropped it off. So, the only proof I could provide was my Visa statement showing a purchase for gasoline at a Petro Canada station 2 minutes away on that same day, April 7. I explained to Masood, that I filled the rental car with gas here prior to dropping it off. He then asked if I can produce a receipt. So, I called the Petro Canada station, they were able to print off a receipt for me. So, I drove there to pick it up. I then texted Masood with a screen shot of my Visa statement for the gas purchase and texted him the receipt for gas purchase. This was done on April 16.

He then told me he'd send an email to someone to see IF they will refund me the over payment of 3 days. I asked him to send me a copy of this email but he refused. This was apparently done on April 16.

One week later, I send him a follow up message and again asking for him to send me a copy of this email. He refused. He did say he hasn't heard anything back but will let me know right away.

On May 7, now 3 weeks later, I sent another message to Masood to follow up and again, request that he send me a copy of this email he supposedly sent to someone to get my refund. He refused to forward me a copy of the email. All he said was, he did not receive feedback yet. He did say that if they don't refund, he'll do adjustments from future rentals. I responded today, saying thanks for the offer but I want a full refund. I haven't received a solid response.

This is terrible! I am completely disgusted by this Avis location and Masood. I was charged in their error, 3 extra days. I provided proof by way of gas purchase for fuel prior to dropping off the vehicle. I always rent for one day. I should have a refund by now. This is absolutely ridiculous. I will be avoid Avis and will be letting my company know to go elsewhere when looking to rent a vehicle. Do not use Avis, especially this location. They will charge you extra days rental, will not refund you, even though, it's their error.

Masud gives me great service. There are certain things i like in my rental cars, so he suggested I call him directly, so he can do his best to accommodate me. I don't love that cars from AVIS don't offer SIRIUS radio and winter tires as standard practice - but having the option to call Masud takes care of my needs.

I have rented vehicles from other companies in the past from all over North America and now based in Calgary. I have had bad experiences in the past and all that changed when I met Masud. The level of customer service he applies to each and everyone who rents from him is exceptional. I know this as sometimes there is a line up to pick your vehicle up. Trust me when I say being served by Masud is worth the wait. He goes above and beyond the level of service you might typically expect and treats everyone with incredible care. As a company you might want to promote Masud to a corporate training position, he could definitely teach everyone a thing or two on how to provide outstanding customer service, and nowadays a lost art. Keep up the great work! Most of all thank you! One very happy customer.

Love renting vehicles here! Masud is always friendly and helpful! Great rates and convenient location! We will definately rent from here again and again!

Always get the best service from Avis representative (Masud Rana) at Wingate location, Calgary. I rent a car for my business on regular basis and happy with service so far. Immediate response and assistance, friendly atmosphere and top notch service. I recommend to deal with this branch. Cheers, Evgeny

I had a very pleasant experience. My vehicle has died, my dads sick with cancer and I just needed to get to him. There was an issue when it came to booking and With all the stress of the day I just couldn’t handle another blow. Masud went out of his way to make sure I had a reliable vehicle, and a spectacular vehicle at that. I cannot thank you enough for taking customer service to an entirely different level.today i left an extremely satisfied customer and i will most definitely be coming back.

I rent cars somewhat frequently and this is the only place I go to now. Masud is always very friendly and helpful, and he makes sure I get the best rates! Everytime is a great experience. I highly recommend this Avis location for anyone who is looking to rent a vehicle!

I am a Avis Preferred Plus member that rents dozens of cars each year in my travels for both business and pleasure. Avis Wingate is conveniently located near my office so I use them from time to time when I need a local rental. In all of my dealings with so many agents, Masud (Wingate O/O) stands out to me as an outstanding customer care provider. He has gone out of his way to meet and exceed my needs and expectations. I recommend him to my friends and colleagues all the time. I thank you Masud for your commitment to excellence and your over all positive personality. I promise to remain a loyal customer of yours.

Agent here has no idea what he is doing and not at his desk. Book elsewhere.
Car I ended up getting gave me break ABS codes flashing on and off.

I had the opportunity to get a car rental from Calgary to Edmonton, November 3rd 2019 for a week. The gentleman, Masud was very courteous and looked like a great person to be doing business with.
I was to travel from Calgary to Edmonton November 4th for a business trip and return after a week, the car I was rented was Toyota Corolla. The weekly rate I was offered was $170 from my corporate portal, when I went there he asked if I needed winter tires. Considering Alberta weather in November I thought it was understood to have winter tires but I asked him to add that, the total for that came out to be $270 i.e. $20 per day.

To make it short, I'll just put it this way, the car they gave me I have never driven such a substandard car. Despite having snow tires in the car I miraculously managed to escape death twice. The car was not in my control, it was as if I was driving on a skating ring. The 3 hour long trip to Edmonton turned out to be a hell drive of 4.5 hours.

Upon my return to Edmonton I relayed the misery of my hell drive to Masud and told him I won't drive back to Calgary and instead take a plane. Nature of my job is a Field Engineer, I do travelling most of the year and have left cars in neighboring towns with a surcharge of $50 -75 considering the corporate rate I get. This gentleman had no sympathy for what I had gone through and he was like you can leave the car in Edmonton but the final invoice would be $767 (for a Corolla). I asked him to explain the breakdown and he was like I can't do that, the system does this and I have no control over it and don't understand how this works. I continued to ask him to give me details and finally he came up saying the weekly rate we offered you was $50/day, originally it was $100, your corporate has a discount with us therefore we offered you this. In the event if you leave the car in Edmonton this overall breakdown would change and won't be offered a discount and we will charge you $100 per day.

Over the phone he continuously pressured me I have made changes to your reservation and this will be your final total. I told him I just inquired about a scenario, I did not ask you to change my reservation. He continuously kept talking about shortcomings of his system and he was like I can't continue to give you options, the system has a limitation. I work for one of the largest corporations of the World whose primary business is to design such systems, I have designed numerous systems like that myself and I just could not understand the shortcomings of the system he was complaining. I ended up asking him what if I leave the car in Edmonton on the same date I was supposed to in Calgary, charge me weekly discounted rate, just charge me a different city drop of rate. The number he came up in that scenario was $665 instead of $767, which meant he was charging me a fees of $396 for a different city drop off. Finally when I asked him this contradicts the breakdown you previously gave, upon this he was like I am calling you from my personal phone, you call me from your cell. In this day and age telecoms do not charge you for making outgoing calls and on top of that if you own a business you should have a decent plan, either ways I called him up on the number he gave me several times, left him a voice message and he never returned my call.

This entire conversation was happening at an Avis location in Edmonton, the Edmonton customer representative heard me and she explained to me that if you had rented the car from Edmonton Airport or any Avis corporate location she would have reduced the rate herself, the way the system works is if you are a small Avis vendor Avis has no control over the $ numbers, the manager where you rent your car onsite can make exceptions and considering your circumstances they should have given you some rebate.

I got the sense as if Masud and Avis were taking advantage of my situation which they eventually did. Spoke to my corporate to take action and looks like Avis has a history, we will soon be removing them from our list of car rentals.

I had a fantastic experience at this location. The lady working there was lovely, the car was great and return was fast. No problems at all!:)

I have rented from this location several times and have had an excellent experience each and every time.

I received very good service at this Avis location. Md Masud was friendly and polite. I received a free upgrade because the size I had reserved was not available. The car was clean inside and outside. When I returned the car, my transaction was completed quickly and accurately.

I got best price at this place and excellent customer service too. Masud you doing great job keep it up. I rented a car three times from this place, the guy who is working there was always nice to me.

They were friendly, but they originally quoted $195 for two days. They price matched Enterprise for $48 a day, but said the car has no damage so if you see anything, take a picture and come back in. I was late to meet someone and didn't initially see anything until I got to the highway and saw a small chip. Now I am just hoping I don't get dinged for that.