Feels like *****

I rented a vehicle from Avis Kimberley for the day of the 11th of July 2024. As authorized in the airport branch the deposit of R3680.33.

Upon receiving the key, no inspection was done with me present. I was merely sent on my way.

During the course of the day, the vehicle was stationary in a safe location where no cars moved in or out (I was in meetings most of the time).

I returned the vehicle just before sundown that same day, walking around it to inspect for any damages. As mentioned to Avis, the only thing I noticed was dirt on the mud flaps.

Before handing over the keys, I asked if there will be an inspection upon which I was told that it is not necessary and again sent on my way.

The following day, Friday the 12th of July, I received a call from Avis informing me that the vehicle has a dent on the front left door. After I informed the person on the other end of the line that this could not be and explained the entire situation, I received a Whatsapp with pictures. One picture of the "damage" and another of the license plate. It might as well have been two different cars as the angles gave no indication of brand.

The reason I say "damage" is because I cannot see any damages in the picture provided. I queried the damage, but received no response.

I left it for the moment as this was on a Friday afternoon and wanted to make contact again during the week.

On the morning of Monday the 15th of July, I sent another message and then decided to phone Avis.

The representative from the Kimberley branch informed me that the complete inspection is still underway and they will get back to me once it is complete.

On Monday evening at 17:28, I received a notification from my bank that an additional R1881.87 has been deducted by Avis. I immediately tried contacting Avis, but the offices were closed.

On Tuesday morning, I tried again. After explaining the whole situation (again) and requesting an explanation for the additional amount, the representative stated that they could see an additional amount was taken from the account and placed on hold and there was no explanation added to the system.

I then said that I want this transaction canceled and the amount returned to my account immediately as it was unauthorized. The representative confirmed that the reversal (or release) request for my funds would take between 24-72 hours and she apologized for any inconvenience. Believing the matter was resolved, I thanked them for their assistance and waited to see if the reversal was completed.

After no correspondence from Avis and no reversal reflecting on my account, I decided to resolve this matter myself through my bank on the 17th of July.

That same evening I finally received an invoice from Avis for the rental and "damages". The total on the invoice was R5562.70, the combined amount of the deposit and unauthorized amount that had no description next to it.

July 22nd, I received an email from my bank stating that a payment went through for R5562.70 via EFT. As it was almost 10pm on a Sunday evening, I could not do anything to resolve this matter. I am not sure how they got to do an EFT and send my account into an overdraft because I had, since the refund, moved money to a different account and canceled my debit card.

Since reaching out to Avis with the above mentioned information on the 22nd of July, there has been no communication from their side.