Avis

This is a seriously odd little rental car return in general. All vehicles regardless of affiliation are partitioned off into groups in one big super lot. If you drive in looking for someone to wave you in, you’ll just drive in circles because no one is there at least not at 6 AM on a Wednesday. Find a parking spot labeled with your car rental company’s logo, collect the keys and paperwork, note the mileage and head into the terminal on foot which is exactly adjacent to the rental lot. When we got to the counter, again, no one there. We took the paper jacket, inserted our paperwork writing down the mileage, car info and timestamp of the return and put it in the drop box with the keys. No issues later with the billing either. It’s very efficient, convenient, easy… and odd.

Great customer service! The rental agent was friendly and very helpful with all of my questions and concerns. Prices at this Avis are better than other car rental companies at this airport. I will rent from here again when in need of a car.

I usually make my rental car reservations with Budget since in the past I have always experienced outstanding customer service when dealing with them. In this instance I arrive to pick up the car only to see that Budget was closed and there was a sign displayed asking customers to go to Avis. I walk over to Avis and ask about my reservation. Before we even begin the rental car rep. asks if I would like to use their insurance. I said no since I normally use my own personal full coverage insurance. He convinces me to use theirs since according to him it would overall make the rental cost cheaper so I agreed. He goes on to explain that their rental policy is to charge the full cost of the rental in advance which is not accurate. All rental car companies just authorize the card to see if it works then they charge the applicable amount when you return. He did not explain this correctly so we stood there and argued for 5 – 10 minutes. Finally I get the car and it’s not even filled up with gas. I made a note of this and let them know when I returned from my vacation. Three weeks later when I return the same representative (Gavin) is there and asks for the mileage. I drove cross country and told him the mileage and he looks at me as though I’m lying. I told him where I drove to and and hesitantly typed in the mileage. He finally prints my receipt and I leave. From the beginning of this transaction to the end this person was very rude and did not even have the decency to ask how I was doing or how my trip went. Do yourselves a favor and go to another rental car company. I personally will never use a rental car company from Monterey Airport ever again. I would rather go to Enterprise off terminal or drive to another city. Oh and did I mention that they charged me for gas when I returned the vehicle even though it wasn’t full when I received it? I called them the following day regarding this and they refused to remove the charge. I can assure you that I will never rent form Avis again. The people at this location are extremely rude and they deceive their customers! I made a reservation with Budget, not Avis!

Smooth transaction. Small airport so not many car options. Had a bad experience due to not knowing I had to book the car 24 hours in advance. Ended up doubling the price. Will probably use again but will keep in mind my new found knowledge.

So I went a couple weeks ago to rent a car for a few days to drive down south since my truck has become a little worn out over the years.
I talked to an agent about finding a good deal on a Ford Fusion they had on their lot. So I did all that via priceline.
Day of rental comes, and sadly no Ford Fusions were left. But Mike is the man! He felt bad and I expressed interest in the Ford Taurus on the lot, even though it would be a little more money. Nonetheless, Mike gave me a great deal on that Taurus and it drove soooo nice! (may be my next car!) Needless to say Avis served me well.

We were standing in front of the Avis counter discussing the plans for our trip when the agent came out and handed us brochures related to what we were talking about. John was awesome!

ZERO STARS. First they rent me a car that’s NOT economy like I RESERVED so they obviously do not know what «reservations» mean. Secondly the car they gave me just flat out died in traffic for over an hour while myself & others tried to get this car re-​started. I finally get it started & go back to Avis, tell them my complaint & all I get is ‘SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?” I shoulda reached across the counter & back-​handed that stupid lil twerp if I wasn’t in such a hurry & needed a car fast. Suffice to say, Avis has seen not just the last of my hard-​earned dollars, but I will tell EVERYONE I KNOW, never, ever rent from Avis because this is how you get treated.
My suggestion to Avis? Let customers know that the car they are renting doesn’t have or require a key & that its fully electronic.
Secondly, I would strongly advise Avis to make sure the dumb people they hire should have attended a customer service school. That way, their employees don’t look so stupid when confronted with what surely must be, irate customers.

Showed up, reservation in hand for a two-​day rental. My flight landed 30 minutes early, so the kid at the counter tagged me $ 66 extra for the ONE HOUR. Didn’t mention it, or ask about drop-​off time, swiped my card, then hands me the contract to sign with the inflated charge. I’m sure it will all come out in the wash when I turn the car in, but what a bozo.
Also, the car tank was not full, and he was aware. Told me to bring it back ⁷⁄₈ full. How am I supposed to do that? I think it was on purpose so customers bring it back full, and they save money by not having to top off the tank.
Too many other choices to get stuck with Avis. Big mistake.

Perhaps this is just an existential rant on car rental in general, but I’ve shown up many times before without a reservation, at Avis or otherwise, and no attempt was made to fiscally rape me while absolving themselves with a ‘we have no other choices; it’s our policy’ spiel (you may do yourself a favor and skip to the end).
Car rental is a countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Avis at Monterey Airport, however turned out to be a somewhat delightful experience — the next 5 paragraphs notwithstanding:
***** ERROR NÚMERO UNO *****
Arriving without a reservation and *expecting* a reasonable car AND a reasonable rate.
***** ERROR NÚMERO DOS *****
*Demanding* a reasonable car and a reasonable rate.
C’mon, I’ll book the reservation right here with my iPhone and you should just give me the ‘online’ rate anyway, which is SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper. No no. One must book it at least 24 hours in advance — which is a bullshit policy, beloved Unilocaler, and I know you feel exactly the same way.
***** ERROR NÚMERO TRES ******
Admonishing my technical savviness and ability to research and reserve beforehand, WILL ONLY GET YOU A DEATH STARE OF INCREDULITY. It’s hella awkward, and, more often than not, your resolve will implode.
Luckily, this time, I didn’t *need* the car until the next day, so once I made the reservation online (for a standard), the next day was a pleasant experience and done in (seemingly) less than 3 minutes. I even got a ‘premium’ car (2013 VW CC) with FULL Bluetooth integration! Returning it took even less time, and made me sad.
Moral for Avis at Monterey Airport:
MAKE. A. RESERVATION. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

Great rates, good selection of cars, and friendly staff. They’re not bad on trying to get you on insurance and whatnot. Only Avis location that has made me pay for an upgrade as an Avis First member. Though I must say the Infiniti was WELL worth it! Fun car to drive, and very comfortable. Highly recommend these folks!