Kenyatta Owens signed up for Avis's rental program for Uber drivers after her own car was totaled in a crash, hoping for a simple way to keep earning behind the wheel. Instead, she says a single disputed charge of more than $3,000 emptied her bank account, damaged her credit and ultimately pushed her out of driving for Uber altogether.
A $150 Cash App Payment Started It All
Owens told WSB-TV that an Avis employee in Morrow instructed her to send a $150 payment through Cash App before she could even pick up the rental vehicle. From there, she says Avis charged roughly $260 a week from her Chase bank account, an arrangement she understood to be part of the company's long-term rental program for approved Uber drivers.
Avis markets that program as a partnership built specifically for rideshare drivers. According to Avis's own program materials, the company says it has partnered with Uber “to provide car rental solutions for eligible drivers,” with renters required to be approved Uber drivers who are at least 25 years old with a valid license and credit card. Avis says the rentals include insurance, unlimited mileage and 24/7 roadside assistance.
Owens Says the Full Balance Hit a Different Account
After more than three months, Owens returned the rental vehicle to a drop-box location. She said that's when things went sideways: she believes Avis then charged the full three-month rental cost to her Navy Federal account, on top of the weekly payments she'd already been making from Chase. The charge, she says, topped $3,000.
“I couldn't understand,” Owens said, describing her confusion over why she was being billed so heavily after already paying weekly. When she disputed the charge, she says Avis directed her to its fraud department, but the station's report notes she spent more than a year making calls and sending emails without getting the issue resolved.
Rideshare Rental Complaints Extend Beyond One Driver
Owens is not the only renter describing billing trouble under Avis's Uber-linked program. A customer who spoke to the Mercury News said his weekly cost was $349, deducted from his bank account, until Avis began charging his card for different amounts several times a day. His bank blocked Avis and locked his account for suspected fraud, and Avis subsequently repossessed the vehicle while he waited on a new debit card. He said he ultimately paid the outstanding balance in full, which included $1,895 in additional charges and fees.
Consumer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau describe other disputed charges tied to Avis rentals, including allegations of a $450 excessive-cleaning fee after a 17-day rental and a $35.96 fuel charge on a vehicle a customer says was returned with a full tank. Another complaint alleges vehicle safety problems, including screeching brakes, during a rental that began in May. The BBB's page for Avis Car Rental says the business is not BBB accredited.
No Response From Avis, No Resolution for Owens
Avis did not respond to Channel 2 Action News requests for comment about Owens's allegations or the broader billing dispute, according to the station's report. The company's website does not list Cash App as an accepted method for security deposit payments, a detail that leaves unanswered how that initial $150 payment fit into its official process.
The financial strain has already reshaped Owens's daily life. She says the dispute put her in a bad enough financial position that she stopped driving for Uber altogether, and she says her credit took a hit in the process. She told the station she hopes her case will finally be resolved and that she'll recover the money she believes was wrongly taken from her account.
