Originally I had not planned to leave a review. But since the Avis feedback system encouraged me to, I felt I should. I had made a fully pre-paid reservation for a full-size car to be picked up in downtown Seattle WA. I called a few days before to confirm the reservation and the availability of the car. I was told everything was set. I arrived about 30 minutes early and was told that the only vehicles available were pickup trucks. There were no options. No, they would not or could not check other Avis Locations. No, coming back later or the next day would not make it any more likely that I could get a sedan. A pickup truck would have cost me considerably more in gas, did not have room for more than two passengers, there were four of us, and would not have fit in the garage of the hotel we were staying at. Then one agent at the Avis counter asked the other what a set of keys were for. "I don't know," was the response. Ends up they were for a Mustang. It ran through more gas than a traditional sedan and the people in the back seat were uncomfortable but it was better than a pick up truck. The agent prints out the contract and tells me where to sign. I notice there is now a $100 additional charge. I asked why. At this point I was 10 minutes earlier than the original reservation. I am told the $100 charge is for being early. I ask is it for being early or is it because I need to return it at the same time I receive the vehicle. "Oh, yeah, I guess that's it." is the response. I ask if he can change the contract to my returning the car 10 minutes earlier than the original reservation. "I guess." So he changes the contract. Other people with reservations after us were also being told either only a pick-up truck or no car at all. No apology. No options.

I picked up the car. Next day I noticed that the registration was Expired by several months. (license plate sticker). I checked the registration in the glove compartment. It was over 1 year out of date. Unfortunately I was now 85 miles from the Avis location I picked up the car. I called the location I rented the car. It turns out that there is NO WAY TO TALK WITH AN AVIS LOCATION!!!! all I could get was someone that was in a foreign country ans spoke English with a heavy accent. They told me to go to the closest Avis ant exchange the car. The problem with this, was I was 50-75 miles from the Avis locations suggested and they could NOT confirm that any location would actually have a car for me. They also had NO WAY of finding this out. So, the only solution suggested was to drive 100+ miles (both ways) and hope there would be a car. I asked if they had any way of finding out if my car really did have a valid registration, but they told me THEY HAD NO WAY TO CONFIRM I HAD A LEGALLY REGISTERED CAR. In short, they were useless. I tried calling several times, and NO ONE was helpful. Tried to get a manager, but all that happened was I was hung up on!!! I finally called roadside assistance and got someone that was in the US. They were able to help me, but it took over another hour for them to confirm that a location had a car I could exchange. I ended up driving over 100 miles and wasting several hours exchanging the car for one with a valid registration.

Two years in a row we have had to deal with questionable practice from this specific Avis. Last year we went to find our rental car only to see another family putting the last of their luggage in the same car we were issued. We were able to secure another vehicle but not the one we had requested. This year, a month after returning from Seattle, we were notified of an additional charge for interior cleaning of sand. The pictures that accompanied the bill showed normal dirt accumulation especially since I had gone through the vehicle prior to turning it in and removed several leaves that had been tracked inside.. Even though the pictures attached to the bill were blurry and inconclusive, you could see normal foot dirt that could easily be sucked up by their vacuums. This is our second frustrating experience with Avis. We did not complain about last year’s error with double booking a car but this year I am angry at how much they are charging to vacuum a car and the subjective manner at which they classified sand. Our lesson-Avis is out for us as a rental car while in Seattle, and I will take DETAILED pictures that are time stamped with each vehicle we rent from now on. I understand and accept responsibility for my part as a consumer when renting a car; however, the randomness of this cleaning charge is not acceptable by me.

There was one employee at the front desk when I walked in at opening time (8am) today. He went over the usual rental paperwork and told me that he examined the car this morning and to sign the sheet with any dents or scratches and to trust him because he inspected it. After the paperwork, he tells me the location of the vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle, there were scratches and a huge dent on the driver's side. My husband and I took photos prior to leaving the parking spot to show the Avis employee the photos. We drove the vehicle to the front to show him. He stated that he inspected the vehicle and there were no dents when he did the inspection. He tried to pull a fast one and implied that I had caused the dents. I had proof and timestamps of the damaged vehicle in the original parking space prior to driving. He obviously did not inspect the vehicle closely. That dent could be seen from a mile away. There was trash in the back of the car. The car was not cleaned from prior guest use. This is not how you operate a business. How shameful. Please take your money and business elsewhere. Don't get scammed here. Always be diligent in taking your own videos and photos of the vehicle in the original parking spot.

Retrieving the car was awful. We were told we couldn’t pick it up until two hours after the time we were scheduled and that they couldn’t even check on it or tell us why. We waited, finally got it, and the car was at least good. Kind of big, not exactly what we wanted, but we were just happy to finally get it. Staff was unbelievably short and rude, acted like they didn’t want to help us at all. Per the instructions we were given, we filled up the gas tank before returning it to avoid the fee, and made this clear to the return staff. Like before, the return staff at SEATAC airport were short, rude, and very pushy. Kept getting redirected to someone who clearly didn’t want to be there. They charged us anyways, and we had to wait 1.5 hours on the phone to get a hold of anybody. Phone operator was nice and helpful, but unfortunately, he was the only one. Don’t rent Avis.

Not the best of experiences! When car was given to me it had the following: * Tree sap on car generally (incl. inside!), on windshield and on wipers (making the wipers not working when it started raining! * No washer fluid (I had to buy and refill myself immediately after pickup) * Garbage present from previous customer * Car had visible and larger damages on the outside which made me feel uncomfortable driving around in it * Inside of windows and dash/plastics so dirty I had to clean them as well * Noise from wheel(s?) * Finally; I had to pay the one-way fee from Seattle to Washington despite the fact that the car was registered in Florida and should obviously be driven down there anyways! (I basically transported the car for Avis... and payed for it as well!) I will probably try to choose some of the other rental companies in the future.

Staff was friendly but too overworked. This location is woefully understaffed. We were not given the class of vehicle I reserved with my Avis Preferred either. But more concerning was the fact that the "brand new" car we were given had three serious errors. 1. A malfunctioning fuel gauge which meant we were constantly guessing when to fill up based on mileage. 2. The factory danger alerts had been MUTED, so it wasn't until after over a week we accidentally discovered two alerts which indicated the car wasn't safe to drive. 3. Both the pre-collision warning and vehicle stability were completely malfunctioning and the car alert said the vehicle needed to be returned to Toyota for inspection. Completely dangerous and unacceptable. Will not be renting from Avis anytime again.

Unfortunately, our experience renting from this Avis location was subpar, as so many others reviewed as well. We pre-booked a car weeks ahead with Avis Preferred but had a disappointing experience: 1) there is no special service for Avis Preferred, 2) the vehicle type was not available when we arrived and we had to pick between a smaller vehicle type or pickup trucks, 3) staff was not very friendly and told us to either choose one of the available vehicles or come back later and try again, 4) car was dirty and filthy and obviously did not get cleaned inbetween renters. I would not recommend renting from this location and would hope the airport location is better?

I'll never go here again. I made a reservation to pick up a car at 4pm, arrived at 4:01 and the man at the front desk refused to let me in, saying I was too late and was "wasting his time." He then let in two other men to return their keys, even though they could have just returned their keys at the drop-off, and still physically blocked me from getting inside the building. So I walked 3 blocks to Hertz, where the extremely kind attendants found a car for me to rent. I'll be going to Hertz from now on. At least the Budget/Avis company gave me a full refund when I called their corporate number to cancel my reservation.

You really messed up firing Brenton. He was the one good thing about this facility, and I mean that literally. The building and staffing is too small for the number of cars they service every week, and the Avis-side calculations mess up so often that he was my only line of defense. He would always go out of his way to help and make sure that things were sorted out, more so than any place I’ve ever rented from. He was a lifesaver before the pandemic when he got me a car super last minute to go one-way to Canada before the border closed. The day I stop seeing him in the store will be the day I stop renting from Avis.

The car was extremely dirty from the inside. There were dirt marks on the door from the inside. There was dirt on the gear panel, spilled drink stains. I could make out that it was not at all cleaned before the handover. When I went back to the AVIS store to tell them about the car, the response I received was, "Oh yes, it is possible that the car may not have been cleaned!" I was really surprised by the answer. In COVID times, when sanitization is of utmost importance, I was really disappointed by the state in which the car was handed over, and the response I received from AVIS rep.

Created an 8AM Saturday Reservation a few weeks earlier, got a call 20 mins before the reservation stating that this location has no cars–no alternatives, no ride to the next closest Avis, good luck. Upon arriving to the Avis at SEA, was told that my reservation had been cancelled and I would have to create a new reservation which was 400$ more since I was forced to create one on the spot. Had full status, Presidents Club, large company contract, etc. Nothing helped and folks at SEA were rude as well. Ended up booking with Hertz on the spot.

Never pre pay, if there is any issue, Avis will keep your money. An Avis employee had me cancel my rental agreement because they made a mistake with our agreement. He then re-wrote a new agreement same info, only this time adding my sons Driver Lic #, because they forgot to do it originally. Everything went fine until they told me that they was not going to refund my prepayment amount, as per there pre payment agreement. I was following there direction on how to fix there mistake, and they stole my money. Steven Turner

Even though I made the reservation in advance, the location did not have ANY cars available. Brenton told me it was not available 10 minutes before my reservation, which ruined my whole day of plans! Then another time, Brenton at the front desk was very rude. The car I reserved was not available and he downgraded me to bad car while charging the same price. He was also about to cancel my reservation on his own and forced me into buying liability insurance even though my credit covers it!

Excellent customer service was provided. From pick-up to drop-off, Brenton went above and beyond to ensure a pleasurable rental experience. He was courteous, approachable, and demonstrated a genuine concern for his clients. Its position made it simple to travel there from virtually everywhere in the Seattle area, and it was only a few blocks from the light rail, which is quite useful when traveling to or from the airport. Highly recommended and will use again for rentals.

We had a very poor rental experience with Avis of 5th Avenue in Seattle. We had to wait over an hour and a half to get a rental car. There was only one person behind the desk and she was not only checking people and it also pulling up cars for new rentals. Note, it wasn’t the person behind the desk fault that’s such a poor operation is in place at this location. Lastly, our rental car’s left front tire was not safe because it had such little tread left on it.

Very long pick up process with only one representative available. The while male staff lied to me that the liability insurance is mandatory in Washington states even if I told him my credit card covers the collision damage already and requested to decline all options. None of the other Seattle location forced me to buy liability insurance for the past 3 years renting cars with Avis. Be strong and don’t let him trick you into buying insurance you don’t need.

The KIA car drove well and had no issues, checking it out was reasonably fast and efficient. It certainly did the job and we appreciated the ability to take it inter state. However , we would have preferred to rent it in Vancouver Canada, but that was not possible. Insurance was a bit expensive, and the overall cost of the car was a bit expensive. All cars should be rented out with a full tank , our was 3/4 full . Jim

I walked off the street needing a car, but after being online, thinking that they had no cars available for the day. Ambres, a very sharp young man was working the desk, and I explained that I was only in town for one day I needed a car to go visit the memorial of the fallen airman and a dear friend. He got me set up with a vehicle, a great price and within the timeframe that I needed. I highly recommend.

I was a little worried about renting from this Avis based on the reviews, but I had a great experience! Staff was friendly and helpful. The parking garage is a tight drive, but that's what you get for a city pickup. We had a delay returning and they changed our drop off location with no additional fees! This was after calling the airport Avis location 3 times with no response.

I go here all the time. If you get lucky and the guy with the white beard is helping you, you’ll have a 5/5 experience. He’s super good. If you get unlucky and the lady is in office and the guy isn’t, you’ll never come back. I got charged for someone else’s rental once because she just picked an Asian-sounding name from the pile of rental slips and assumed it was mine. Bruh

We returned our car to this location. The Avis employee did nothing to check our vehicle in. Then the company over-charged me for someone else's 3 day trip & is refusing to refund the final $100 for the empty tank that was returned after SOMEONE ELSE'S TRIP. This company is terrible & I will NEVER be using the Avis rental car company again.

It’s so bad. It has no clear signs where to drop off or pick up the car. The person, Brenton Holland, at the counter was so rude and not helpful at all. He had no interest in renting the car out. He was making it very difficult and had given lower grade car than what was booked. His take was whatever it is - take it or leave it.

Great cars at great prices. The only downside was our recent rental in Seattle was not very clean on the inside, the drivers seat had stains on it, something had been spilt in the central storage console under the dash and was extremely sticky and there was quite a lot of dust/ food pieces all around the front of the car.

I’ve rented two cars here and both times the pick up and drop off went super smoothly. The garage is pretty tight and takes some maneuvering, but the service and the cars themselves were perfectly great both times. I will definitely keep renting from this location. Also, Brenton, especially, is super friendly and helpful.

We had a reservation which made the process super simple - we were able to get the car that we wanted and the staff explained all the details and we were able to leave the office quickly and onto our trip. The only small complaint was that it was slightly confusing when returning the car, but the staff was helpful.

Renting the car itself was easy, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The reason I’m only giving three stars is the tightness of the parking garage where you pick up and drop off the car. It is the tightest garage I have experienced so far, and there is a high risk you are going to scratch the rental car.

The space to park returned cars was too small almost to the point that I was afraid to damage the car at the last moment. Also it’s hard to move around floors of the parking without ever worrying about hitting the wall or pillars. Horrible parking experience and will never drop my rental car in this location.

I never heard of Avis car rental after today. We had our car battery die on us and Brenton from Avis was super nice and went above and beyond to helping us. If there ever is a time where I would need to rent a car, I know where I going. Especially after the support we got. Thank you again Brenton!

The employee and the experience is all the great. The only reason for low star is the parking, the ramps are way too narrow and you have a high risk of damaging the car if you are renting big cars and apparently you cannot ask the staff to get the cars at the exit because of liability reasons.

My impression of this Avis service location is much improved. I use this location often and the service was always subpar. The people were always friendly, but disorganized. The new management team is much better especially the efficiency of picking up and returning the car.

Be prepare to wait over one hour in the rental office for picking up your car. I waited 1 hour and 45 min in the office, lining up without a seat. I waited another 20 min at the curb side for my car. There is no off business hour return. I won't do Avis again.

Yes, the parking garage is tight (esp. if you are returning a full sized SUV) and some folks apparently are either unable or too lazy to park straight which makes things a little difficult but the service at this location is friendly and efficient.

Easy pickup at downtown Seattle location. Was close to Hotel Andra. Car was in excellent condition, no problems with the vehicle. 3 day rental was reasonable about $200 with a drop off at the airport. Easy drop off at airport took about 2 minutes.

Charged me $450 for some beach sand on the car floor. Apparently they have to send the car for "detailing" for a bit of beach sand. Never had this issue with Enterprise or other companies. Do not recommend if you're going for a beach vacation.

Beware. They incorrectly added a fuel charge after my rental (and this is NOT the first time this has happened) even though I selected the option to fill the tank, filled it prior to return, obtained a receipt, asked the return agent if he

the poor one man working the entire store is so overworked and deserves a raise or something because he had 50 cars and received 135 reservations over Labor Day weekend. the garage is on an insane slope and it’s so tight to get in and out.

Customer service at pick-up was good. In general, the car was nice and pretty new, but it was dirty inside and outside. With COVID-19, I would expect a rental car to be extra clean. Also, the employee at the drop-off in the parking garage

Before getting the car, we were told there’s an air freshener in it against an “unknown smell from the engine”. Getting into the car, it was immediately obvious the smell was from a previous renter smoking in the car. It was so strong I

The customer service rep was the same person at the time I picked up the car as when I dropped it off. Each visit was seamless. The CSR was courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. Avis is lucky to have people like this on staff.

Very long pick up process with only one representative available. Car was not cleaned from previous renter, and had spills in the back seats. They also added insurance onto the bill even though I declined all options.

Customer service was outstanding. Brenton went above and beyond to provide a positive rental experience from pick up to drop off. He was professional, personable, and really seemed to care about his customers.

Made a reservation on 10 am. At 11 am still waiting to be served. Manager disappeared saying ‘ will be right back’ - for 30 mins already there’s no one in the office except desperate customers. Nightmare!

Great customer service, professional and efficient. I booked thru Costco however I needed to extend for an extra day and had no problems or issues. I highly recommend this location in Seattle downtown.

This individual at Avis employs deceptive tactics, compelling customers to buy liability insurance by falsely asserting that it's a mandatory policy at Avis. I highly discourage their services.

Everything about this rental was perfect. From the pickup counter, to the person who received the car. One issue was that the car was out of windshield washer fluid. But all good.

Efficient service, clean new car even for a one-way rental. Didn't experience the horrors some other reviews mentioned. Do watch for the tight ramps when exiting though.

No benefit of being a preferred plus member. When I asked for an upgrade, I was told they can upgrade for cost but not complimentary which they advertise.

Check-in was seamless, no hidden fees, honored expedia's pricing, and speedy fill-up process for $15.99. Thanks AVIS of 5TH AVE in SEATTLE!

super shady location Charging for parking in their return lot - verbally stating $15 but a printout