CAR RENTAL REVIEWS ON AVIS IN ANTALYA

The store we chose was supposed to be only 304 meters from the hotel, but because we had three large suitcases, we decided to take a taxi there. Good thing we did, because 304 meters was actually quite a walk. It felt quite far. On that day, there were many people lining up to pick up their cars, mostly fellow countrymen. It took about 1.5 hours to complete the paperwork and inspect the car. The S60 we originally booked was not available, so AVIS upgraded us for free to a Benz CLA180 diesel version since we had already prepaid. The car was not particularly new and had many scratches, but we were still happy about the free upgrade. Three girls driving this car was quite a smooth experience. However, the low chassis of the coupe made driving on D400 quite nerve-wracking.

Very good

I am writing this review after 3 years, and the memories are still quite clear. That's probably the charm of self-driving. The car was picked up in Antalya at the Avis counter, which is very easy to find in the hall. It took about 20 minutes in line, not too crowded.

The car rental company made unapproved charges! They didn't mention it upfront but deducted the amount later. It was unexpected! The wrongful deductions and subsequent refunds incurred unnecessary exchange rate losses for the consumer. Until now, I haven't received a reasonable explanation!

Good

Even though I booked the car a long time in advance, when we arrived, they said they had no cars and forced us to switch to a Renault sedan. There were five of us, and our luggage didn’t fit, so we had to unpack one suitcase and put items in plastic bags. When we talked to the AVIS staff, they said this was the only car available. Their attitude was tough with no room for negotiation, and the service was terrible. I emailed Zuzuche on July 28th to complain, but I haven’t received any response yet. Completely unreliable!

The service attitude is excellent.

I booked a Volvo S60, but there was no such model available at the site. AVIS provided a new Ford Mondeo with only 4110KM of mileage. The tank was full and the car was very clean. Driving it was very comfortable. The staff detailed the necessary precautions when I picked up the car. I voluntarily purchased additional tire and glass insurance. Overall, very satisfied!

Like: Very good service
Dislike: None

The store is easy to find, though it's a bit small. It can get crowded when there are many people.

The staff did try to sell insurance, but they weren't overly pushy. There was limited guidance on the car itself.

On the 1st, we went to AVIS to pick up the car. Despite changing the pickup location to Antalya city center at the AVIS airport office on the 29th, when we arrived at the city center office, they hadn't processed our request. The car was still at the airport, and they claimed we hadn't paid the one-way fee. This also happened to another group who booked through the Zuzuche website; they were told they hadn't paid the rental fee. After a long negotiation and checking, they still couldn't find our information. Frustrated, we called the domestic Zuzuche website, which was very difficult to reach. After about six attempts, both groups shared the successful call, contacting Zuzuche staff. Zuzuche staff advised us to pay the fees as required by the rental company and keep the receipts for a refund after returning home, assuring that we could get our money back. However, their tone was not reassuring. When asked what would happen if we couldn’t get a refund, they insisted that we would, which was not comforting. Eventually, after negotiations and a 20-minute call, AVIS staff finally found our information. One group had already paid and had to request a refund, while we hadn’t paid yet. The entire process took over an hour and ten minutes, ruining our day's plans. The experience was very unpleasant. AVIS's efficiency and professionalism were disappointing. Moreover, the one-way fee Zuzuche charged us was different from what AVIS charged on-site, which was 20-30% higher, nullifying any discount we received through Zuzuche. The extra driver fee was also significantly higher than Zuzuche's quote. Zuzuche quoted $32 per person, but AVIS charged 127 lira, which was 50% higher. Given that our main concern was the one-way fee, we didn't question the extra driver fee and paid whatever was asked. We were just relieved not to have to hassle with a refund process later, which would have been a major inconvenience.

Difficult to find in the city, but service is decent

The store staff speak a little Chinese and the location is quite easy to find, just below the Ramada Hotel. After arriving in Antalya, it’s a bit of a distance from the bus station. Since we did not trust taxis much, we asked a passerby at the bus station. A kind man from the metro company gave us a free shuttle ride nearby. When we arrived, it was just their opening time so we completed the procedure quickly without any crowd. However, we arrived an hour earlier than our reservation time, so the rental period was calculated as starting an hour earlier. Originally, we planned to rent for 4 days, but the rental agreement stated 4.1 days, which they rounded up to 5 days without informing us. On the last day, after returning the car, we went to the service desk at the return point and had a staff member adjust the rental based on the actual usage time. This resulted in a refund of 699 lira, about 1400 RMB. If we hadn’t noticed this, we would have paid significantly more unnecessarily. This is a reminder to carefully check rental agreements.

This was a very enjoyable trip, deciding to rent a car was an excellent choice. Returning the car was convenient, and the deposit was refunded quickly.

After comparing several companies, I chose to spend an extra 200 lira to rent a Volvo S60 from AVIS. However, upon pickup, the store said they didn't have that car and gave us a Ford instead. When we saw the Ford, we realized it would cost only 300-400 yuan at other companies, so we insisted on getting a car of the same class as the Volvo. After negotiating for 10 minutes and waiting for another half hour, we finally got the Volvo S60. They gave us a quick introduction and showed us the exterior before urging us to drive out of the automatic gate within 5 minutes, or we wouldn't be able to exit. We hurriedly drove off, only to find that the fuel tank was less than half full! Moreover, the right front tire had a pressure issue from the moment we picked up the car, and we had to inflate it every morning during our six-day use. Overall, we felt AVIS was just average.

Average

The refund is incredibly fast, credited within two business days.

The AVIS location in Antalya is not easy to find. It takes 15 minutes to walk from Hadrian's Gate in the old town, and it's even further from the Clock Tower where we were staying. Fortunately, we found a post online that directed us to the location near the Ramada Hotel. This street actually has many rental car companies. Compared to others in the old town area, AVIS has a relatively small storefront. When we arrived, there were two people from Hangzhou also renting cars; they hadn't made a reservation and were able to complete the process on the spot. It turned out to be very convenient. No notarized documents were needed; they just made a copy of my driver's license. I wasted a few hundred yuan on notary fees for no reason. I had reserved a Nissan SUV with automatic transmission and was happy to see a brand-new white car. However, after completing the paperwork and paying the rental fee and deposit, I realized that the car provided was manual transmission. Since I hadn’t driven a manual in a long time and it wasn't what I reserved, I negotiated with the staff to get it changed. They brought me an ordinary sedan with no reverse sensors and basic features, which was disappointing. The sedan had over 30,000 kilometers on it, but there were no other options, so we had to accept it. I thought the price would be cheaper, but the staff said the price was the same because the SUV was gasoline and the sedan is diesel, which is more expensive. After driving for 4 days, we returned the car at Izmir Airport. Thanks to online tips, we knew there was a specific area for rental car returns. When we arrived, we only saw the sign for ‘RENT A CAR’. Initially, I thought this was just for rentals but later found it was also for returns. At the parking lot, I wanted to confirm the location, but an AVIS staff member following me directed me to the correct area, checked the car, and signed off within minutes. It was very convenient.

Great customer service, no upselling of additional insurance. We arrived around 5 a.m. to pick up the car, and the staff was still very friendly and helpful.