Here We Go Again - Avis

Okay everybody listen up.  I rented a car from Avis this week and I was the third person in line.  I am telling you this must of been the most embarrassing moment for these customers.  Now unbeknownst to me, they do an Equifax credit check when you are renting a car using your debit card.  The first person presented their debit card and the customer service agent said, "You have been declined" and the man got very angry asking why did it get declined and the agent said, you didn't meet the credit criteria, so she asked him did he have a credit card and he said no, so he proceeded to the exit.  I tried my hardest to contain my laughter, it wasn't funny, but oh well. 

The next customer went to the agent and gave her Bank of America debit card, the agent swiped it and said "You have been declined".  She pleaded I have to drive to Washington, DC, I am moving and the movers are on their way to meet me as we speak.  The agent asked the same question she asked the previous customer.  Do you have a credit card, she says, no we only use debit.  I really felt bad for her, so I suggested she try Hertz down the street.

Then it was my turn and I was using a credit card to be on the safe side "hahahaha", so I thought.  She swiped my card and the infamous words came bellowing in my ears " You have been declined", I said oh no, I know I have available credit on my credit card, because I looked at my available balance, which I thought was $82.00 and the rental was "$79.66".  So she and I said there must be something wrong with Avis' computer terminals, so she called my credit card company on the phone and put it on speaker phone so I could hear,  and I heard it "declined".  I couldn't believe it, so I called the company myself and spoke to a customer service person and he said, you did have $82.00, but we had to take out $7.00 for interest.

I said oh snap.  I had to take out the dreaded debit card.    I handed the agent the debit card, she swiped it and Voila!!! Approved!!.  The one thing that is good about using the credit card is that they only hold the amount of the rental and as I had stated in my previous post on the debit, they hold the cost of the rental, plus  $200.00.  So if you have bad credit and you don't want to be embarrassed don't use Avis, but if you have a credit card, be my guest!