I am asking KAYAK to contact me directly regarding this booking and investigate this with Avis. I booked an Avis vehicle through KAYAK / its booking partner for a specific rental period and at a confirmed price. Because of travel delays, I arrived approximately two hours after the scheduled pickup time. When I arrived at Avis Battersea, I was told that my reservation had been cancelled just 30 minutes after the scheduled pickup time. I have reviewed the terms and conditions that were presented with my booking. I cannot find anything stating that the reservation would automatically be cancelled after 30 minutes or that I would lose my confirmed rate if I arrived more than 30 minutes late. Avis’s own published UK guidance also does not appear to support what I was told at the location. Their FAQ says customers should call if they expect to be more than half an hour late — it does not say the reservation is cancelled after 30 minutes. A separate Avis FAQ states that, where a vehicle has already been allocated, it will generally be held for two hours after the rental start time. The most frustrating part is that Avis still had cars available when I arrived. They did not tell me they were sold out or unable to provide a vehicle. Instead, they refused to honour my existing reservation and said I could rent a car only by making a new booking at approximately three times the price I had already reserved. I also received no notification that my reservation had supposedly been cancelled. I fully accept that I arrived late. That is not the issue. The issue is that a significant 30-minute automatic cancellation rule was apparently applied to my booking even though I cannot find that rule disclosed anywhere in the terms I was provided. If I reserve a car from a specified start time until a specified return time, I expect that I am paying to reserve that rental capacity for that period. I understand that I do not get extra time at the end because I arrived late. What I do not understand is how the reservation can simply disappear 30 minutes after the start time, particularly when cars remain available, and I can then be asked to pay three times as much for essentially the same rental. That defeats the purpose of making a reservation in advance. I am particularly concerned because Avis has now directed me back to the third-party booking provider rather than explaining where this alleged 30-minute cancellation rule appears in the terms applicable to my booking. KAYAK: please contact me directly about this complaint. I would like KAYAK to review the terms that were displayed when I booked, confirm whether a 30-minute cancellation rule was disclosed anywhere in the booking flow, and raise this directly with Avis. I am seeking either a refund/reimbursement and appropriate resolution or a clear explanation showing exactly where, before purchase, I was informed that Avis could cancel my confirmed reservation after only 30 minutes and then require me to pay approximately three times the price despite still having vehicles available. I would appreciate a response from KAYAK rather than simply being redirected back to Avis.
