refunding the charge

A Toronto man's family road trip took a surprising turn when Avis charged him for an unusually high amount of mileage. Yuehao Huang rented a vehicle in Montreal on September 11 for a week-long family trip. According to his phone, he traveled approximately 1,400 km (870 miles), including walking. However, Avis billed him for 28,933 km (17,978 miles), adding about CA $5,900 (roughly $4,200 at current exchange rates) to a prepaid rental that cost more than CA $1,000 ($710 USD).

This discrepancy has raised eyebrows, as the math doesn't add up. A seven-day trip would require an average speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) to account for the billed distance, which is highly implausible. Huang claims that his attempts to resolve the issue with Avis and his credit card company, American Express, were unsuccessful. Only after media attention did Avis admit to the data entry error and issue a mileage refund.

This situation highlights the importance of documenting all aspects of a rental vehicle experience, including mileage, to avoid unexpected charges.