AVIS - Bozeman Airport Information, Car hire Instructions & Policies

There are many car rental companies in the US. A friend recommended AVIS, so I didn't spend much time comparing. Based on what I saw, AVIS seems reasonably priced among the bigger companies. Companies like HERTZ are quite expensive! AVIS and BUDGET are part of the same company, and I guess AVIS might be slightly more expensive. They have a lot of new cars (as big companies typically do) and great service. They don't push for extra insurance and are very considerate. We arrived at Bozeman late, around 1 AM. The staff was patient and explained that while they could give us the car early, there would be an extra charge unless we returned it early. Extra drivers cost about $15 per day, which is cheap. In San Francisco, AVIS does not charge for an extra driver.

I originally booked a Ford Escape SUV, but upon arrival, they only had a Nissan mini SUV available. Let's just call it an SUV. After returning the car, I was charged a $40 deposit. I asked the rental company to find out why, but after 8 days, there’s still no response. I don't understand why both the rental platform and the car rental company are so inefficient. This was a very unpleasant car rental experience.

The reception staff were very friendly, but not very familiar with the QEEQ rental voucher. Due to a flight change, we arrived an hour earlier than our scheduled pick-up time, and the quoted price was significantly higher than our reservation price. After we pointed this out, they explained it was because we arrived early, and then they corrected it. During this trip to the US and Canada, we rented cars three times, and twice with AVIS, arriving slightly earlier than the reservation each time, and encountered the same situation. The US is a trust-based society. For both pick-up and drop-off, no one checks the car condition, which takes some getting used to, but this mutual trust feels great.

On August 6th, we arrived at Bozeman Airport from Miami to pick up a car from the AVIS store. The clerk informed us that the originally reserved mid-size car was unavailable, so they gave us a smaller Kia and refunded over $100 for the price difference. However, after completing the paperwork and taking the keys to the parking lot, we were shocked to find a Kia Soul, whose trunk couldn't even fit a 28-inch suitcase. We returned to the store to negotiate with the clerk again. After waiting for nearly an hour, we finally got a Chevrolet similar to a Malibu.

There are too few cars to choose from, and we didn't get the car we originally booked.

The queue time was average, waited for half an hour

This was the worst car rental experience. The car they gave me had a broken window. When I approached customer service, they said there were no other cars available unless I waited, so I had to take it. They said the return procedure was self-service and that all entry and exit records were logged. I returned the car early in the morning and handed the keys to the customer service; they didn't give me any receipt and just said it was fine. Because I had to catch a flight home, I left. Three days later, they claimed I hadn't refueled the car and wanted to charge me. I called customer service, saying I had taken a photo of the fuel gauge and had the fuel receipt. They said, 'Oh, then we won't charge you.' Two days later, they sent an email saying I had returned the car two days late! I called customer service again to argue, saying I took a flight home right after returning the car and had the ticket as proof. They also had records showing when I returned the car. How could they make such unreasonable claims? When I made the first call, they didn't mention the late return, just that the fuel wasn't full. Then they said, 'Did you know there are additional fees besides the rental fee?' I said no. After arguing, they reluctantly said they would refund the charges. This was the first time I encountered such 'groundless' charges! And it happened in 'the rule of law' society of America! This is why I'm giving a bad review for the first time.

They provided a 7-seater Honda. The front windshield had a crack and the left side B-pillar was damaged. We requested a replacement but were told no larger vehicles were available.

It's easy to reserve international cars from home. Upon landing, you can conveniently pick up the car near the airport with simple procedures and comprehensive insurance, avoiding difficulties due to unfamiliar local policies. Indeed very convenient.

Pickup was very quick with no sales pitches. The staff was very friendly and they provided an upgrade.

Easy car pickup

The staff had a bad attitude when picking up the car. Nissan vehicle.