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Aaron McIntosh thought he was following the rules of the Avis-Uber partner program until his bank flagged the rental company's billing as fraud. By the time he was able to explain the situation, Avis had repossessed the car and banned him for life. Can a consumer advocate get this driver back on the road?

Q: I was renting a car through the Avis-Uber partner program so that I could drive for Uber. The arrangement was simple: It cost $349 a week, which was supposed to be deducted from my bank account. But things went south when Avis started charging my card for different amounts several times a day. My bank assumed that this was fraudulent activity, blocked Avis, and locked my account for security.

This created a major problem. I had to wait for a new card to be issued and mailed to me, which meant that I couldn't access my funds to make my weekly payment on time. I didn't go silent, though; I communicated this clearly to the Avis office where I rented the vehicle through a text line that's provided to drivers. I also spoke with a representative from the recovery team, who said that she'd note my account.

I explicitly asked an Avis representative if I should keep the vehicle until my new card arrived or if I could pay via Bill Pay. He just replied, "Text when you're ready." I took this to mean that I was OK to keep the car until the card arrived. A day or two later, as I was getting into the car to go pay, I saw a tow truck drive past with the car that I'd been renting. I followed the truck and waved it down at a red light. It was Avis coming to repossess the car. The company called it a repossession, even though I'd provided payment for the previous two weeks.

Now Avis has placed me on its Do Not Rent list for two years, claiming that the payment was 14 days overdue and that its Loss Prevention department had to step in. This ban effectively ends my ability to earn a living as an Uber driver. I've already paid the outstanding balance in full, including $1,895 in additional charges and fees. I just want to be removed from the DNR list so that I can get back to work. -- Aaron McIntosh, in Philadelphia

A: Avis should've read its own notes in your records. When a customer explicitly asks, "Should I return the car?" and a staff member tells them, "Text when you're ready," the company shouldn't call the repo man. (Before I continue, just a note about your case: I normally handle consumer disputes in this column. But your billing issue has broader applications, so I decided to handle your case, even though you're technically a business.)

While rental companies have a right to protect their assets, they also have an obligation to provide clear instructions to their customers. If a payment fails because of a bank's fraud detection system (which was triggered by the company's own erratic billing), a little human intervention would be helpful. Unfortunately, you didn't get any.

You established a paper trail early on by texting the office, and followed up with the Avis recovery team. However, "Text when you're ready" is dangerously vague. When you're dealing with a rental company, if you can't pay, return the car immediately to the lot, get a bill, then wait for your new card.

If you ever find yourself blacklisted, you can appeal the decision to the executives at Avis. I publish their contact information on my advocacy site, Elliott.org. I contacted Avis on your behalf to see if it could take a second look at your case. The company's security team performed a manual review of your account.

"Our records indicate that we've received a response from our security team confirming that all outstanding fees had been paid and that his removal from the DNR list was authorized," a representative from Avis told me.

You're now off the DNR list and free to rent again. Just two tips for the future: First, let your bank know about your arrangement with Avis so that it can "whitelist" the transactions. And if your bank still flags your car rental payment as a crime spree, it might be time to switch to a credit card -- or a different bank.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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