Avis Car Rental

I'm a long-time Avis Preferred customer; this makes a BIG difference when I'm traveling and can easily pick up a car without having to do the tedious paperwork. The pick up experience was easy at Norfolk; I walked past the normal check-in lines (which sounds like a good thing based on some of the recent check-in comments others have posted about) to the outside pick up area where they just needed to check my ID and confirm the car size. As there was no line outside this was done quickly and I was in my car in 5 minutes. I liked the car given to me for my selected category; it was clean and easy to get to. It was very crowded when dropping off the car; not many active people dropping off but lots of empty cars that needed to be cleared from the drop-off site. It was a very fast and simple check-out when I finally parked but it's always a bit discerning when all the normal stopping areas are full and I'm not sure where to initially park since I don't want to block other traffic. Overall a VERY good experience!
5 6 years ago (29-05-2018)

Overall a great experience from start to finish. Would have received an excellent five stars if not for the $32 fuel option charge that I received when returning my vehicle. I did not notice the charge until I was submitting my travel claim. Thankfully, the AVIS customer service assisted me with receiving a total refund. It was solved in a timely manner. Besides the minor issue, I would recommend AVIS to anyone.
4 7 years ago (07-02-2018)

When I checked my receipt and prepared to submit my travel claim for reimbursement through my job, I realized that Avis had added on nearly $300 in additional charges, without my permission and that I would have to pay out of pocket! I ended up having to call multiple times, and got VERY different levels of customer service, from laughably bad to extremely professional and helpful. My wife who was listening as I spoke with them said at one point "I would have reached through the phone and punched that guy by now." Finally, I got Anthony. I explained the situation to him, and that (based on all the other reviews of this location) it was a systemic problem, and he said "okay, let me try to take care of that for you." Twenty minutes later... solved. Bogus charges removed, new receipt sent. Somewhere in the monster that is Avis, there is a seed of good. Thanks Anthony, and don't let them break you. UPDATE: One week later, and it turns out only two of the three charges have been removed. Time to get back on the phone for another hour with customer service. Meanwhile, my boss is breathing down my neck since my travel claim is two weeks late! Thanks Avis.
1 7 years ago (12-11-2017)

We dropped off car at 9:00 and returned about one hour later because we left glasses that my daughter needs for school in the back pocket, Would not go to the car to get them for us. Been calling lost and found for the last 5 days and still no return call. Had to go buy new glasses. Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 7 years ago (13-04-2018)

Recommend looking elsewhere for rental car service at Norfolk Airport. Based on my experience and others reviews, Budget/Avis at ORF is poorly managed. The staff's service is fine but the wait problem is unacceptable. I rented a vehicle from Budget last Mon. First, the Budget counter was closed by 7pm and customers were directed to Avis. After checking into Avis w/in 5 mins of my reservation time, I proceeded to wait along with 20-ish folks already waiting. After over an hour of waiting (and another 20-ish customers to join the crowd), I finally received my rental. The staff was very apologetic and I even received a complimentary upgrade (likely as it was what was available). I can understand Mondays being busier than most but for customers to wait over an hour is unsatisfactory. Worse yet, this isn't an isolated incident as it's apparently been this way for over 5 months. Whether the problem is customers not showing up around appointed reservation time or simply volume of demand, the other rental car companies at ORF seem to have figured it out. Hertz, Alamo, National, Enterprise and the rest were all fully booked (trust me, I tried) but didn't experience the same Monday backlog as Budget/Avis. If you're government booking for official travel, please do not accept Avis/Budget at ORF simply because they're the cheapest. Justify the extra dollars for timely service with another company. If Budget/Avis management have not solved a seemingly common issue (Monday rush), perhaps a decrease in business will provide the necessary motivation to resolve the problem. Note - The one star rating is not a reflection on the staff (they did their best in that situation).
1 6 years ago (23-05-2018)