Avis is trying hard to bill us mysterious extra costs.

This email bounced back after asking an Avis budget consultant for an email I can send my queries to regarding this matter.

Quotation query, Booking: 3 ********** -ZA-3 PP

We would like to issue a compliant regarding the invoicing extra costs notified to us on the 4th of December 2018. We received an SMS notification on the 4th of December addressing the following:

Mr Visser, CPT rental NOV18, repairs more expensive than quote billed, late debit to c/card being done for R6716.44 excl vat. Call ********** to inquire.

This message indicates without VAT. With VAT included the final price would be. R 7723.91 which according to AVIS (in this SMS notification – no formal additional invoice has been received from our side) is still outstanding.

However, we would like to bring to your attention that we have already settled the invoice written out on the 9th November 2018, a total cost of R 10 346.39. According to the knowledge given we were under the impression that this is the final invoice including damage repairs and hiring costs. It was not brought to our attention that this was only an estimate price, which was what we were told when contacting customer service. It was issued as a FINAL invoice so it cannot be an estimate.

After contacting customer service on the 4th of December, which we have electronically recorded, we requested to send us all the quotation bills to understand why we need to pay an additional amount of R R 7723.91 after our invoice has already been settled. The consultant sent us via email all the quotation costs between AVIS and Topline Panel Beaters and we have noticed that AVIS was already aware of the additional cost by the 9th November when our invoice was settled.

When settling our invoice on the 9th of November, we did not receive any information that there were additional costs that was not included in the final invoice settled and payed for. Therefore, it cannot be our responsibility to now pay additional cost which we were not informed of. It is unreliable to say that the invoice issued was only an estimate cost, and then later being invoiced AGAIN for additional repair costs. As according to the records, the final quotation from Topline Panel Beaters were issued to AVIS before the 9th of November. It is not professional to make a faulty invoice and then send us another one and we question the reliability of this issue.

According to the documents we have settled the invoice which was issued to us on the 9th of November, we cannot be liable for extra charges without our knowledge. Only upon request on the 4th of December 2018 from customer service were the quotations between AVIS and Topline Panel Beaters sent to us.

See image sent from Topline Panel Beaters which indicates a small bump. We dispute that the damage done to the car cannot accumulate to a total of R 18070.30 and the additional costs charged after the settled invoice of R 10 346.39 should be scrutinized for investigation.

Screen Shot 2018-12-05 at 1.02.25 PM.png Image indicates impact of bump.

Please see below the outline of quotations billed between AVIS and Top Line Panel beaters and pay special attention to the dates.

INVOICES RECEIVED AND SETTLED BY W. VISSER IMAGE: E ********** 13_IN.pdf – Invoice Including rental contract and repair costs.

Accident repairs: R 7274.15 (Excluding VAT) Including VAT: R 8365.27 Rental contract costs: R 1981.12 Date: 9 November 2018 Total amount (VAT Inc.): R 10 346.39 PAID

SMS notification Date: 4 December 2018 EXTRA COST: R 6716.44 excluding VAT Total cost VAT Inc. R 7723.91

Mr Visser, CPT rental NOV18,repairs more expensive than quote billed, late debit to c/card being done for R6716.44 excl vat. Call ********** to inquire.

INVOICES RECEIVED BY W. VISSER

E ********** 13_IN.pdf – Invoice Including rental contract and repair costs Date: 9th November 2018 Accident repairs: R 7274.15 (Excluding VAT) Including VAT: R 8365.27 Rental contract costs: R 1981.12 Date: 9 November 2018 Total amount (VAT Inc.): R 10 346.39 PAID

Here is the SMS notification received on the 7th of November two days before the final invoice was settled. Dear Renter, Rental E ********** 13,has been billed R7274.15(Damages only subject to change)excl Vat. To query call ********** 209 (o/h) with ref 19/872377.Avis Budget

1. The message indicates “damages subject to change” however, by the time this message was sent to us, AVIS already had all the quotation billings from Top Line Panel Beaters. After this SMS the final invoice of R 10 346.39 was settled, which means that this SMS notification is also settled and cannot thereafter be “subject to change”. That should have been indicated on the invoice we paid, and should be issued as an estimated quotation, not as a finalised invoice.

2. The price is almost double the price of the original invoice of R 10 236.39, so there cannot be a case made for this being ‘an estimate cost’ regardless of being issued as a final invoice. If it was an estimate cost, then AVIS should only be subtracting a final amount once they know what it is. None of this was communicated to us when the invoice was settled for R 10 346.39. We refuse to accept that this was an estimated price, as it was settled as a final price, and can therefore not be subject to change without informing us.

3. Car from Topline Panel Beaters wes collected from AVIS on the 16th of November. (See image ATT00009.tif) So Additonal costs thereafter can not be our liability.

All this accumulated, AVIS expects R7723.91 additional to our already payed bill of R 10 346.39 which results in a total of R 18070.30 to fix a very small bump. We are still unsure whether the assessor missed it when we picked up the renting car. We are questioning the reliability of your services on the matter.

Regards,