Since Budget has merged with AVIS, I'll address both in my feedback. First segment of the trip: I rented a car in Dallas and returned it in Houston with Budget, booking a Ford Edge, a midsize SUV, through Zuzuche. However, the staff gave me a Honda compact car instead, which was incredibly frustrating. After communicating with the staff, I swapped for the originally booked Ford Edge, as shown in the pictures provided. So, the store actually had the Ford Edge available but didn’t give it to me right away. One key issue to note is that due to the time difference, Zuzuche’s customer service was unavailable when I tried to report the issue. Even when they responded later during business hours, it was meaningless by then. Second segment of the trip: I rented a car in Los Angeles through AVIS. Upon arrival, I waited nearly 40 minutes for vehicle coordination. In the past, if the reserved model wasn’t available, they would upgrade free of charge; now, you're lucky if they don't downgrade you. During the return, they charged me for roadside assistance insurance, miscellaneous fees, and fuel costs—around 70 dollars. Although I refueled the car completely, I unfortunately lost the receipt, and the credit card charge's posting date was after the payment date, hence unusable for filing a dispute. Imagine if all tourists went through this—they could refund the ones who successfully disputed and profit from those who didn’t keep their fuel receipts. This could amount to considerable earnings for them. In summary, think carefully before choosing these two rental car companies, as this likely stems from management-level policies.

Very satisfied.

Satisfied

Terrible! Can you believe that the front desk staff at AVIS in Los Angeles International Airport were actually scammers! Here’s how they tricked people: Even though I clearly stated I didn’t want the refueling service, they claimed it was mandatory but assured me that the fee would automatically be canceled as long as I returned the car with a full tank. Since this wasn’t my first time renting a car abroad, I repeatedly told them that I had never heard of such a rule. However, the staff insisted, saying there was a long line of customers waiting and urging me to decide quickly. When I returned the car, even though I had refueled it to a full tank, the staff initially refused to cancel the refueling fee, claiming that since I bought the empty tank return service, I shouldn’t have refueled myself. After much argument, someone mentioned that AVIS in Los Angeles often pulls this kind of stunt, and only then did they agree to cancel the charge. Additionally, I had researched online before renting and confirmed that a couple is not required to purchase an additional driver option. At the rental desk, I asked again, but the front desk outright claimed this wasn’t true and insisted we needed to pay for an extra driver—another scam! My other frustration is with QEEQ (the platform I booked through). Before returning the car, I asked QEEQ again, and at first, their customer service also said that couples don’t need to purchase the extra driver option, but when they realized a refund might be involved (likely a different representative by this point), they changed their stance and said I had to follow the rental desk’s policy. I’m not sure if QEEQ’s customer service genuinely didn’t know the rule or just wanted to avoid trouble, but they basically told the customer to give in. In the end, I confirmed that couples indeed don’t need to buy the additional driver option. AVIS is forever on my blacklist! For such a big rental company to blatantly deceive customers like this is practically illegal. I regret not recording the conversation! Also, the wait time was ridiculous—it took me an hour and a half just to pick up the car.

Service was enthusiastic, and there were multiple communication channels available (they were proficient in using mobile translation apps). We arrived late at night, but the service desk was almost fully staffed, so there was no need to queue to process our order.