The rental car should have cost £ 25. Reserved on the Lufthansa booking page, directly in connection with a flight to London. Everything booked at very short notice. The price seemed fair, the planned route was manageably short. A small fiesta is perfectly fine.
“Only” 15-30 minutes, then the reserved rental car should be available. You have to get him first, Because the arrival in London was in the evening, the AVIS counter in the terminal 2 already unoccupied and the first way after the arrival thus led to the shuttle bus, which leads the tenants to the main parking lot of AVIS in Heathrow at the airport.
The main car park. The fiesta is not there. I should have been taken aback, but I was tired. A long week, a long day. And my attention was tied to the lovely range of accessories right at the counter. USB charger for the 12V socket in the car. And a suitable USB cable for the smartphone. Together as expensive as renting a car for a day. Tempting. Not.
That too should have been a warning. But no, I was tired. The synapses busy to sort the last information for the appointment on the following day.
And there came the trap. Sweet smile. A pretty, young rental assistant. Who can sell himself as a tough saver?
I do not want to have a special upgrade? A car with automatic. Is right in the parking lot. Immediately available. Costs 40 pounds. As it turned out, the offered and then booked A3 at its worst-known base equipment costs 40 pounds more. Not 40 total, but total 70 pounds. The credit card was ready in the reader. The customer is tired and too proud to step back stingily now.
I just take an A3 for 70 pounds.
The control of the vehicle, before leaving the place, obligatory. All rims scuffed. Three deep scuffs on the bumper under the boot lid. In the dim light of the scant lighting the flashlight of the iPhone had to help. Hard to recognize the scratches in the dark. Anyone who has to settle for the light of the parking lot will easily miss something.
Whether we would have to note the scars of the rims? My question was negated. I still insisted. The AVIS employee noted down my complaints.
30 miles later, the arrival at the hotel. Dark night, the first time with a right-hand drive on the left. Was exciting. Quite a bit of concentration. But everything is fine. Had the A3 not had the meager halogen lights of the accountant equipment, one would have felt a little safer on the way. But good. Arrived at the hotel. Late at night. A little sleep and then on to the appointment.
The disgust arrives for breakfast
In daylight the rented A3 reveals all its splendor.
That the A3 was covered with water stains, in the dark it was not so noticeable. In the light it seemed unkempt. But hey. That's what happens. Get in from the right, in daylight. Disgust is spreading. The desire to wash your hands immediately. And what is that actually for a bio residual mass, which sticks there on the door handle? The glued center console? Sure, someone once blew a coke. You prefer not to put your own cell phone in this siff. And what are those brown marks on the steering wheel. Do not think about it.
The appointment is approaching. The AUDI navigation system makes a fool of itself when it comes to route guidance, but thanks to Google Maps in the smartphone there is still a happy ending.
On the way back to the airport, the navigation system finds a gas station that no longer exists. So back to the cell phone. Refuel. When I think about refueling, I remember: I've already fallen on my nose with AVIS. So why did I make a reservation with AVIS again? Probably because it was offered for the flight ticket during the online booking process. With a click, don't think too much - don't even compare prices. Simply accept the AVIS offer and process it via the flight ticket booking. It was so nice and easy. Here comes the tip from the last time: Do not book the “tank option”. This is only worthwhile if the tank has been run completely empty. Because “nothing” is not charged, but a full tank of fuel. A full tank of fuel. Yes, even if the tank was only 1/4 empty.
Oh my dear
The horrified face of the AVIS employee upon delivery. Amateur acting and a sweet appeal! "Oh my dear, what happend to the Wheels?"
It dawns on me how sensible it was to record the damage to the rims. Although the damage, according to the AVIS employee 16 hours earlier, was hardly worth mentioning and you should not actually write down something like that.
Good thing I did. Otherwise I would probably have paid for four new alloy wheels. Instead, I sat down in the disgusting A3 and paid far too dearly for it. Because the “super upgrade offer” was a farmer's catch. A look at the Lufthansa website reveals: an automatic premium compact would have cost 37 pounds, not 70, no 37 pounds. When booking online via the Lufthansa website.
Advice?
Better not !
In order to explain:
Of course, I contacted AVIS immediately after recognizing the “disgusting state”. But tight deadlines and 30 miles between the hotel and the AVIS rental station force you to sit out. And no, it couldn't be seen in the dark. And no, I'm not a cheap resident who is looking for “online bargains” and then complains when the carpets are dirty or the outside of the car has not been washed. No, what was going on here was a rip-off with a method and a rental car that is probably only rented to tourists in the dark. Sorry AVIS - but that was just a joke ...
