“One Little Lady” & Avis refunds 20,000

After the Alaska Airlines Baby blunder story comes another example of how social media and customer action is forcing companies to act. Sue Fitzgerald booked a car hire with Avis online and on arrival at the Avis Car Hire desk was informed that her hire would be more expensive:

They told us the price was higher than the price that I’d booked.  I thought, ‘I don’t think that’s right – you have to charge us what we agreed to on the internet price.’
“And they said, ‘No, you don’t understand, that’s just the way it is.”

She complained to the Consumer Watchdog and Avis has been forced to refund 20,000 customers.  “I think I was the only one that complained,” she says, “so one little letter… and success for 20,000 people.”

Companies are having to pay real attention to customers, who can now leverage the anger of the Internet community as fast as a company can. All it took was for one of their customers to complain and see what happens.  Her complaint related to hidden charges which is the bain of most of our lives, but it would seem as though fed up customers may have a weapon in their fight.