Avis Car Rental Omdömen 

Exact same as all other reviews. They are forcing you to buy extra insurance for release of the car. Which after contacting the third party company we booked with, we never need to pay in the first place. It is a complete SCAM

Oh my god, I wish I looked at reviews before booking.

Every review is TRUE, except for the one 5 star. This place uses predatory practices on international tourists. They absolutely make money from insurance selling and insurance fraud.
1) When I rejected their LDW, they asked for 25,000 euro deposit. Yep, you saw it right. 25K euro. (In contrast, I picked up a car in Bulgaria with 500 euro deposit just a week earlier)
They claimed it's company policy, but could not show the policy and the representative was very impatient and rude, saying that my inquiry was slowing him down to serve other customers.

2) when I returned the car, they pointed to a minor dent on the lower part of the right bummer. I shared the pictures with multiple people and none can tell it apart without me pointing to it specifically. Shame on me for not taking the full walk through. This will forever be a mystery if this was a pre-condition.
With 25K deposit on the line and a pending international departure, I felt I had to acknowledge there is a small chance that it was my doing. They charged me 1000 euro for that small dent. Within it, 650 euro for materials and labor but the rest are premium fees that they claim just came out of avis system. I'm willing to bet money that they won't fix that dent and will not incur any lost of time from the repair.

Please avoid this place. Don't trust them just because they are under Avis brand.

@Avis - shame on you for not taking any actions after consistent customer reviews reporting the same issues.

booking with avis was easy and efficient. the car was clean, well-maintained, and perfect for our trip. highly recommended!

They are rip off. DO NOT HIRE CAR FROM THEM. They try to charge you extra for everything. When we picked up the car, We were told that while driving out of the car park we will be charged for the parking and we can get the refund. But, when we returned the car we were not refunded the parking charges. They asked us to take the pictures of all the scratches on the car before picking up the car, but the car was parked very close to a big van so we were not able to take the pictures from the right bottom of the car. When we dropped the car off they said that it's our fault that we did not take the pictures from bottom right and they told that we have scratched the car. The whole of the car was filled with dents and scratches. They charged us €1200 to fix a scratch. Look at the pictures of the car. THIS CAR IS NOT EVEN WORTH €1000. SUCH A RUBISH SERVICE.

My experience today is reading other reviews of Avis Montenegro unfortunately Trustpilot does not allow to post retrospectively about events which happened more than 1 year ago.

Below was ORIGINALLY POSTED 24.10.2019 as a review of Avis, at the time I could not find a specific one for Avis in Montenegro. My experience seems to be similar to those of more recent customers, so I think it is useful to repost. How can Avis still allow this 5 years later?

CRIMINAL FRAUD?
Do not rent from AVIS Montenegro (podgorica airport). Booked and paid for a SMALL car full to full fuel, to collect from airport. Got medium car (C**p on small roads) HALF FULL tank and had to pay for airport parking! Already purchased excess insurance in UK so I declined AVIS insurance. On return charged £300, yes £300!, to wash car as it had tree sap on roof (which when I spat on it wiped off with my finger!).
Do not hire from these people unless you take out their insurance or have your own excess insurance as they will find something to charge you for.

Date of experience: October 24, 2019

Like so many others on here, we experienced what can only be described as a scam at Tivat airport and are quite frankly shocked that both the airport and AVIS are allowing it to continue. We had seen this on TV before but thought this practice was long gone. We have used AVIS in many other countries, but as this experience was SO bad, we will be avoiding them in future out of principle.

My partner and I had a really distressing experience with the staff here at Tivat, Montenegro. Firstly, we waited in a queue for over an hour (only 2 others in front, but taking an alarming amount of time in a private booth with their staff) already delaying our holiday. Noticeably there were no other queues for the other hire car companies at the airport. Unfortunately we had booked online with booking.com in advance (which turns out to be pointless anyway) otherwise we 100% would have gone with literally any of the others.

We were made aware that something untoward was going on when both people that had gone into the private booth before us came out looking shaken and explained that our insurance might not be valid and therefore they had been persuaded to pay extra.

The room has a poster that explicity states not to photograph or record the staff, which immediately sets off alarm bells - like we're the ones committing an illegal activity, and not the staff! Pretty sure this is only for airport staff, and i'd argue they're not airport staff. The sign to me says 'we're up to something we don't want filmed.' Despite booking through Booking.com with enhanced additional full insurance, the staff (a man and a woman) very aggressively attempted to force us to buy their extra insurance for more than £200 which was nearly double the price of the original rental. They claimed our insurance was invalid in Montenegro as it is outside the European Union. When we insisted we
had coverage and that it was valid and that we wouldn't be paying theirs they went from pleasant to visibly angry and threatening and stating that we would be driving illegally. My partner then stated that he thought it was a scam, at which point, the woman (who had been texting instead of sorting out our car) got angry and yelled at my partner that because of what he'd just said, if any marks or scratches at all were found on the car when we returned it she would charge extra! We were flabergasted.

They didn't provide any documentation or evidence for what they were saying, and seemed to be using the tactic of making people wait as long as possible until they became too worried and paid up. We think they are probably paid on 100% commission or something that encourages this behaviour. They explained that they are a franchise of Avis - but Avis have their brand associated with them and that's unacceptable.

What's more, people dropping keys off had to interrupt at various points so they didn't miss their flight (completely ridiculous and inefficient process) and explained to us that they had the same thing and refused/accepted the insurance, but they were also very unhappy with the experience.

We left feeling stressed out and honestly, with a bad perception of Montenegro right from the start of the holiday that something like that (we've travelled a lot and not experienced it elsewhere) was still happening here. We felt on edge the entire holiday wondering if we had made the wrong decision or if we damaged the car, when ironically, the car was the most beaten and battered hire car we've ever hired! No way could they have ever proved if we'd done anything to it! It was falling apart. My partner is an engineer and was sure there was an engine issue too. Which makes me think all these people that they're collecting money off because of cars being damaged - what are they spending it on?! Because it's not to fix the cars. Funny enough, when we dropped the car off and finally found a staff member (they weren't there when we arrived) they weren't bothered about checking the car.

If you have any sense you'll avoid this branch like the plague and consider boycotting Avis entirely until they deal with criminals operating in their name. I wish I'd been the one to book the hire company as I never would have booked this if i'd seen the reviews. Lesson learnt. Absolute SCAM. AVOID.

We booked Avis at Podgorica Montenegro airport through online. The associates at the airport are scamming tourists charging 40 euros per day additional for insurance else they are taking 5000 euros deposit. They are charging 187 euros if you take the car cross border. They could not show any company policy regarding the charges and told us the associates make the rule. Not nice very rude. Stay away from them.

My husband and I travelled to Montenegro and had booked and prepaid a car at Podgorica airport.

On arrival my husband twisted his foot on the way down the stairs from the plane.
Instead of picking up the car, we took a taxi to a hospital so he could have his foot checked there.
Fortunately, he didn't need to be treated, but we decided to go to our rented apartment and to pick up the car the next day as my husband would be the driver. We hoped that a night's rest would get him ready to drive.

I called AVIS at the airport to tell them, that we came to pick up the car the day after.
I spoke to an employee who barely spoke any English, and was informed that we were supposed to pick up the car at 4pm and because we didn't arrive at that time, we would have to make a new booking... When I tried to question this practice and explain what had happened, the employees hung up in the middle of the conversation...

We subsequently tried to call many times, where we got hold of different employees who could not make themselves understood in English and were clearly annoyed that we called. Several times we found that the phone was just hung up on us.

We eventually gave up trying to communicate with AVIS at Podgorica airport and hired a car from another company instead.

We cannot accept that our money has been thrown out the window because we didn't pick up the car at exactly 4pm as stated in the booking, or the next day for that matter. When booking a car at an airport, there is a risk of delays etc. so the pick-up time will always be indicative.

We have never experienced such rude and arrogant service from a car hire company.
When we god back home, we tried to write AVIS Montenegro serveral times also without any answer

Shocking company Avis/ Budget Montenegro- stay well clear!!! - Rip off merchants and dishonest!
Had already paid for car insurance via Jet2 website/plus extra Axa.
Avis/Budget would not release the hire car unless I paid a further Euros ca.250 (7 days) for their insurance. Got them also to sign paper to say this so.could to take up with Jet2 upon return.to UK.
Picked up car, which was dirty and full of scratches and dents- advised at check out if I made anymore I would have to pay for them!
On return to UK advised Jet2 of the issue. Jet2 carried out a review and Avis/Budget "lied" to Jet2 in their saying it was my choice to take out insurance and no refund would be forth coming and Jet2 refused to do anything and suggested I take up with my travel insurance. Shame really thought budget and Jet2 had better customer service ethic and reputations to uphold. Aparently not- don't trust either

Awful car hire company. Kept us waiting nearly an hour at the counter and added on extra insurance even though we already paid for it via Ryanair. Ended up in a lengthy argument to get it removed and made us feel humiliated in front of a huge line of people (who themselves had been waiting an hour). Note that we only spotted it by luck, if we hadn't they would have charged us for it

Honestly, just pick ANY other company except this one, horrible horrible experience

SCAM. Absolutely DO NOT USE EVER

We paid online for full insurance. When we arrived, they had added another £409 extra insurance to our bill. They did not show this to us, took our card details for the deposit and then left that cost on there.

I tried to recover this via Virgin Money (credit card) but was unable as they had added it to the policy that you sign off on to get the car.

This was a clear scam and if you read other reviews below you will see the same issue.

Why is hiring a car in so many places such a thankless task.

They also gave us a car with no registration plate so we also had the added delight of being stopped twice by traffic police

Bad service by the manager Djani Tivat Airport.
When I collect the car he said I need to buy new insurance because the insurance I bought online with the car it’s not valid.
I told him i paid for car rental and insurance fully covered how come it’s not valid and he ignored all that and charged me €300 extra that money it was saving for my kids holiday and he toke it from me to his pocket.
Pleas avoid this guy his got bad attitude and worse experience how to treat and talk to people.

We rented a car for 1 week. at Tivat Airport, Montenegro. Unfortunatly, there were a minor accident with the car, and our 300€ was not returned. I was OK.
But we came to late with the car, caused by queue at the border controle between Bonia and Montenegro. We called at 4PM to inform about this, We returned the car at 8PM 1,5 hours to late, but was told to return the car at 8 AM in the moning, (We was also to late for our plain). I was forced to pay 143€, for the delaied return of the car.

My wife and I had a horrifying experience with AVIS at Tivat, Montenegro. Despite booking through Rentalcars.com with full insurance, we were coerced into buying additional, overpriced insurance by their aggressive staff. They took us into a private room, forbade recording, and treated us with utter disrespect and deceit.They claimed our insurance was invalid in Montenegro as it is outside the European Union and insisted we had to purchase their insurance, which was double what we originally paid. When we presented proof of our coverage, they laughed at us, spoke in their language, yelled at us, and made condescending remarks, treating us like fools. They refused to provide any documentation or clear explanations and rudely told us to search for the conditions ourselves.Their conduct was nothing short of criminal. We were left feeling humiliated and distressed. Afterward, we discovered numerous reviews online describing similar experiences at this branch. This pattern of behavior is completely destroying AVIS's reputation and legitimacy.Avoid this branch at all costs!

I rented a car from Avis Budget company at Montenegro Podgorica Airport between 28 April and 2 May with reservation number CN750377171074. During the rental, a deposit fee of 1573 Euros was blocked from my card.
On April 29, while I was standing in the Kotor tunnel due to traffic, I had a minor accident when the vehicle behind me started incorrectly. Immediately after the accident, we took photos of the accident and went to the Police Station in Kotor (as I did not speak the language) and filled out the accident report.
When I returned the vehicle on May 2, I showed the accident scene (available in the photos) and presented the accident report and was directed to the office. With the help of someone else in the office, we explained the accident, handed over the report, and tried to explain that the culprit in the accident was the party that hit the rear, and that his identity and other information were written in the report. During the delivery of the vehicle, I was asked to sign the delivery document on the iPad, just like when buying the vehicle, by showing only the signature areas. The amount of 1572.78 Euros, such as the deposit amount, was entered from the POS device and deducted from my account without giving any information. I thought of this situation as a deposit refund and asked when the refund would occur and I received the answer within 1 month.

When I returned to Istanbul, I noticed that 1572.78 Euros had been deducted from my card in addition to the deposit. I do not understand why this extra fee was deducted from me, even though I had no fault in the accident and the faulty party was required to pay the existing damage by insurance or car insurance in the accident report kept in accordance with international laws. When I contacted Budget Podgorica, they used expressions such as "yes, the damage is very small, but we imposed this penalty on you" sarcastically. .I cannot initiate legal proceedings because I am in Turkey

Corruption is alive and kicking at Avis-Payless Tivat Airport. I was scammed almost 800 euros for an incredibly minor inconspicuous hairline scratch. Unfortunately I had no evidence to dispute it to the contrary. I would strongly recommend you take plenty of detailed photos and take out your own car hire insurance. The service was incredibly slow, the car had almost no petrol or screen wash. The staff were incompetent. Not very Avis in my opinion and I would not recommend. Avoid at all costs.

I have rented a car with AVIS on a number of occasions both in Podgorica and Tivat. In September I rented a car from AVIS in Turkey. This is the first time I experienced the most appalling behavior from members of the staff at AVIS. I rented a car online, the pickup was from Podgorica Airport, upon arrival I needed to purchase a SIM card in order to transfer money from my savings account to my debit card to pay for the car insurance upon arrival at the airport. The members of staff called Mirco were aggressively threatening me to hurry up or I can't have the car; that I already purchased online. Mirco was very intimidating and his colleagues found this amusing. My wife and I felt distressed and scared of his behavior and attitude towards us.

Once I paid for the insurance which probably took 5 minutes (after buying a SIM card at the airport and transferring the money to my debit card for the insurance, I was told that I would be covered for any third party accidents and I was told that if anything happens I would need to ring AVIS.

During my stay in Montenegro, one night the rental car slightly hit a low lying 20 meter center bollard while parking, this was genuinely accidental, leaving a slight scratch on the car. (I have pictures and witnesses to prove this).

I called Mirco at AVIS, his first reaction was of laughter, and then Mirco insisted that I go to the police station and get the "small scratch" show to the police and get a police report. I repeated to Mirco that it's a scratch from slightly hitting a small bollard and that my insurance policy that I paid for covered such accidental damage. However, he insisted that I go to the police station. I told him in Herceg Novi the police station is closed during the night. Mirco said he went in the morning and lied to the police that a car hit me and it happened in the morning.
I said to Mirco I don't want to lie, and that it was an accidental damage and my insurance covers me. He immediately put the phone down.

My experience with AVIS, especially Mirco was terrible, I will never forget what I had to endure from this member of staff called Mirco. My entire holiday in Montenegro was ruined purely because of this one individual. My wife and I will never return back to Montenegro nor will be used AVIS ever again!!!

I warn other customers of this aggressive, unprofessional attitude from AVIS at Podgorica Airport in Montenegro.

Avoid ,Avoid at all time!
Booked through Auto Europe.Co. UK for a week . On arrival at Tivat airport there was long queue the man behind counter forced people to buy their insurance which we had purchased from the uk. When we refused to buy it he turned nasty and horrible. Some people didn't either get their hired cars or had been forced to take their insurance which is very expensive. What is more there is €36 charge for unwashed car on return .finally they let me have a car with lots of scary warning from him after over 2hrs fight for the car it was nightmare. I have rented quite a few times a year with different car hire companies and have never been through like this . I certainly don't recommend Avis not just in montenegro but worldwide.
Avis you don't deserve one star rate I would rate zero if website let me.