Unreliable car rental

We rented a vehicle from Avis Port Elizabeth on the 11th of June 2022. We were three girls renting the vehicle for a week.

On the morning of the 17th of June 2022, it was the first time we had to drive somewhere since we rented the vehicle.

Whilst we were driving, somethin did not feel right and when we checked we had a flat tyre. Upon taking out the spare wheel, we noted that the spare had been flat probably from a previous trip (Avis obviously did not check the vehicle as they so claimed on collection).

We had no transport given that the spare had been flat and therefore we had no means to get to a gas station for fixing.

Having a flat spare wheel is so unsafe and I am still angry about this as we use these services pay massive charges for renting, expecting that the basic safety features would be checked.

The nearest gas station were situated somewhat 20km from us, we had to make alternative transport arrangements to the gas station to be able to fix the tyre accordingly.

The gas station charged us R100 a tyre, we only fixed the one to show Avis the spare that they left us with.

I phoned Avis that same day a few times before they actually answered, the manager phoned me back, very apologetic however no one considered the inconvenience they placed us under and the safety hazard this whole ordeal entailed.

Upon returning the vechicle I also wrote a report. A few weeks went by and I got an invoice from Avis charging me for the tyre repair (which I paid for expect the spare wheel as that was not even us) . I was not expecting to be invoiced at all since it was such a safety hazard and inconvenience, I actually expected some sort of discount on my next rental as well. Saying sorry is not good enough after putting us in that position because checks are not performed properly.

I phoned customer service and they told me they will look into the matter. No one ever gave me a call informing me of what is happening with my complaint, I got re-imbursed for the tyre they initially charged me but all other costs remained on the invoice.

Is this what you call customer service? Apologising and reimbursing me R149 for the inconvenience and safety hazard? That is pretty poor.

Please think twice before renting from Avis as your safety might not be guarenteed as they clearly do not check the vehicles as they should or even feel remotely bad after a complaint like this.

As a FNB customer, I used Avis for the first time via eBucks travel. If I was FNB I would consider partnering with a more reliable rental service.