Competition Bureau seeks customer rebates for Avis, Budget car rental fees

Canada's Competition Bureau says it is looking into what it calls "deceptive marketing practices"at car rental companies Avis andBudget.The bureau says they advertise prices for vehicle rentals that are much lower than the actual final priceonce all the other fees are included.

The bureau says it is seeking$30 million in administrative penalties from Avis, Budget, and their parent company, Avis Budget Group Inc., for thealleged false or misleading advertising.

"The bureaus investigation found that Avis and Budget advertise prices for vehicle rentals and other associated products that are not attainable due to additional fees imposed during the rental process," the bureau said in a release.

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"Furthermore, these fees are characterized as taxes, surcharges and fees that governments and agencies require Avis and Budget to collect from consumers. In fact, Avis and Budget impose these charges to recoup part of their own cost of doing business. As a result, consumers end up paying higher prices or receiving lower discounts than advertised."

Those fees increase the ultimate cost of the rental by as much as 35 per cent, and the companies have takenin $35 million from such surcharges in the past six years, the consumer watchdog says.

Consumer rebates are possible if the bureau's application with the Competition Tribunal proves successful.

Anti-spam implications

The bureau also says this case will be the first time it is challenging companies using new weapons at its disposal, as recent changes to the Competition Act include anti-spam legislationenacted last summer and both Avis and Budget "used electronic messages to disseminate the alleged false or misleading representations," the bureau says.

In a statement to CBC News, Avis said "ithas always adhered to core values of commitment, responsibility and integrity, and our marketing and advertising efforts are therefore intended to at all times demonstrate transparency and honesty, including the manner in which we present rates and services.

"We look forward to the opportunity to set forth these facts to the authorities at the appropriate time."

Business professor Ken Wong of Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., says he isn't surprised to see the government taking action on an issue which has been a frequent complaint of consumers.

"It's one thingto have charges added on to a base price, we see that all the time," in many industries, he said. "It's another thingto give the impression they are caused by government regulation."

"It's a bait and switch," he said.

Wong says he doubts any possible consumer rebate would be large enough to satisfy an individual who went through with the process of applying, but it could be of great interest to companies that rent out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cars every year.

"The aggregate of those charges could be substantial," he says, adding that he suspects the regulator has been looking for anopportunity to use its new anti-spam tools in a high-profile case.