Avis Review

We left a digital camera in the PT Cruiser returned to LAX AVIS --- our responsibility.  We then asked for help searching for the returned car --- what a mistake!!  We were told "the car's in the shop"  (it wasn't); "we had the car searched" (another division of AVIS confirmed that they didn't); "we'll place the car on hold to be searched" (it wasn't --- it was sent to Palm Springs Budget where it was promptly rented out because no hold had been placed, no information kept on file); "we'll call you".  They didn't. 

We take responsibility for leaving the camera.  But the constant lies we were told were amazing.  We were told that the car had been searched on the day before we reported the camera missing --- when I pointed out that this was more than unlikely, I was told... Whoops.  Literally, that's what the guy at the other end of the line said --- "whoops". 

Why would an "honest" rental agency spend so much time covering their butts? If they couldn't help us, why not just say so, why keep us misinformed?  We were IN California at the time.  If we'd been told that the car had been shipped to Palm Springs, we could simply have gotten there to search the car ourselves -- but no, we were told what was obviously a lie, an untruth confirmed by a Budget representative who added "Boy, have you been told a lot of stories."  And despite repeated requests to Customer Service, we've had no response at all about this issue.  Zero. Zip.  Why all the deception? 

This kind of unprofessional behavior may not be typical of AVIS across the US; but at LAX, it seems to be par for the course.  I'd avoid the place like the plague.