Avis just want your money. They don't care about you as customer.

I have sent the following enquiry to Avis on the 29th of November but have not received even a reply or phone call from them back as yet. I've tried to complain through their own customer care channels but obviously they don't care if you do it that way. Here is my enquiry in full.

To whom it may concern

On the 12th of November I've arrived at Bram Fisher International at 08:05 in the morning from Cape Town International with Safair.

I was there to visit my mother that was in a critical condition in hospital.

Tshalo helped and assisted me in a very friendly manner but when he had to book the vehicle out the issues started.

I asked to book the vehicle from the 12th and return the vehicle on morning the 15th of November when I was going to fly back to Cape Town.

Firstly the prices seems to be much higher than expected if I had booked online but I expected that I will receive these 'inflated' amounts back with my refund if the vehicle is returned in same condition as taken.

He charged my credit card with R5100 and then suddenly tells me that the amount charged was incorrect and charged another R552-29 (this transaction is still showing as pending on my credit card today). He said he originally made a mistake with the days booked and had to add another day and therefore the extra charge.

On the 14th, I drove back to Bram Fisher to speak to Tshalo because I wanted to extend the rental contract due to the fact that my mother's condition was deteriorating and he promised to call me on the 15th which he never did.

I drove back to Bram Fisher on the 16th when my two sister's from the USA arrived with my one brother in law via Cape Town and I arrived there before 9 and was going to return the car because my brother in law was going to rent an Avis car and take us all back to the hospital. Due to the fact that Avis took so long to rent him a car, I decided to rush my two sisters to hospital because they were worried not to be able to greet my mother.

My brother in law who is a seasoned international business traveller and basically always use Avis as preferred car rental company also said that it was the worst service as a priority customer he has ever received from any Avis branch in the world.

After dropping off my sisters at the hospital, I drove back to Bram Fisher to return the vehicle and then my brother in law would have come and pick me up from there after he also just first wanted to go and see my mother.

When I got back to Bram Fisher, Tshalo was not there but only Lindokuhle. I explained to him my situation and asked him why Tshalo didn't call me the day before as he promised. He said that he went on a course the previous day and didn't do a handover.

I asked him what's the situation with the contract and why was an extra R552-29 charged to credit card. He couldn't see what's going on and I told him that I will go to the restaurant while he tries to sort out the issue.

He called me some time later and told me that he thinks he figured it out. I went back to him and then he told me a vehicle was booked for only 2 days and another day had to be added but could still not see the extra charge of R552-29 on the system. He told me that the daily average rental will be higher the shorter the rental period. Then I told him that it means that I was then overcharged if you've booked the rental mistakenly as 2 days instead of 3 on the original contract and then add a day which he also could not explain.

I then told him that I will then call my brother in law now to pick me up and return the car now. He then told me it's too late and I will be charged another full day's rental without even trying to resolve the issue right there and then.

I returned the vehicle the next morning some time before 9 as Lindokuhle told me the vehicle should be there before 9.

Getting there, there was no Avis employee in sight and they only arrived at 9. Another woman waiting there also told me that she was told that she should be there at 8 to collect her vehicle and was also upset with the situation.

Lastly, on the Safair flight, the air crew staff informed us at landing that we will get a discount at the car rental companies by showing our boarding passes. Tshalo only took a photo of my boarding pass with his cellphone and said that the discount will be app****. But neither Tshalo nor Lindokuhle could tell me what the discount is and how it will be app**** and I also didn't see any discount app**** on my account.

Therefore I never signed the attached and told them that I don't agree with the amount charged and first require a full explanation of this situation and everything that went wrong in this unacceptable series of events and lack of customer service.

Please investigate this urgently and I will be awaiting your feedback.