ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis woman said an error with a rental car company led to a hefty pending transaction on her bank statement. When she couldn’t resolve the issue on her own, she reached out to FOX 2’s Contact 2 team.
The woman, who asked to be identified only as Eboni, said she went to the AVIS car rental lot across from St. Louis Lambert International Airport before taking a trip out of town.
“I just needed a car for the day. We were going to take the kids to Kansas City for one day for spring break.” Said Eboni.
Eboni said AVIS’ computers were down when she picked up the car. She filled out the paperwork by hand, got the car, and proceeded to KC. When she returned the car the next day, she says AVIS’ computer system still wasn’t working.
“I said, can I come back Monday to get my receipt and they said OK. I came back Monday after work. I got my receipt where it was checked in, and that was that.” Added Eboni.
Turns out that was not the end of it. Eboni says she noticed something alarming on her bank statement.
“I saw I had a $400 pending transaction. When I went to AVIS on April 5, they said, ‘We show the car has not been returned.’ I said, ‘The car has been returned. Here is the receipt,’” Eboni recalled.
She said a letter from AVIS read, in part: “According to our records, this vehicle had not been returned.”
With her frustration mounting, Eboni reached out to the Contact 2 team.
“I still don’t have an answer from AVIS. Someone was supposed to call me back, and I’m still waiting on the callback,” she said.
FOX 2 contacted Avis, shared Eboni’s story, and asked the company to review her case. A representative responded saying: “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. After reviewing the rental transaction, it was apparent that we made an error. Avis Budget Group connected with the customer directly to address the matter, which has been resolved.”
“A couple of days after we spoke, they reached out and apologized for the problems I was having,” said Eboni.
She said AVIS told her the issue was the result of two tickets being opened on her account. One of them was not closed out.
“They apologized. They credited me back for the rental and gave me an additional $100,” said Eboni. “I don’t know what all was said, but you all definitely moved fast. I couldn’t get anywhere. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. I’m very appreciative. Thank you!”
You’re welcome, Eboni. A quick fix on the road to another resolution.