May 20, 2025
On the lookout for stolen cars, police in Suwanee, Georgia pulled over a couple visiting from California. The driver, Noelle Wilson, wondered what was wrong. She and her partner had just gone to pick up groceries.
“My heart dropped into my stomach,” Wilson recalls, sharing her story with ABC7 News.
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The officer asked about the car registration. Wilson explained she was driving an Avis rental.
She was surprised when the officer told her that the license plate on the vehicle — a black Honda CR-V — was registered to a different car: a white Chevy Malibu.
He said that’s why he’d stopped her, wondering if she was driving a stolen vehicle.
It turns out this isn’t the first time this has happened. The officer radioed a colleague who confirmed the problem lies with Avis.
"All of their brand new cars, they haven't registered them, and they've just been throwing different plates on the cars," the colleague said.
While the officer on the scene was apologetic to Wilson and her partner, he had to impound their rental vehicle, leaving the couple high and dry.
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They had to order an Uber to get back to their vacation rental, but that proved to be a minor inconvenience compared to resolving the situation that Avis created.
"Their negligence put us in a very unsafe predicament,” she said of the car rental giant.
Avis gives couple the runaround
Wilson spent a week trying to clear up the matter with Avis so she and her partner could get home to California.
"All I kept getting is, 'We can't do anything until the car is returned,’” Wilson recalled. “How do I return this car that's been impounded?"
To add insult to injury, Avis was charging Wilson for not returning the vehicle, in addition to maintaining the charge for the full term of her rental even though she didn’t actually have use of the car because it was impounded.
After that week of getting the runaround, Wilson reached out to ABC7 News, and the outlet reached out to Avis for comment.
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In response, the company reviewed Wilson’s case and a spokesperson confirmed that the incident “occurred as a result of a system error."
What’s more, the company apologized.
"Avis Budget Group apologizes for the inconvenience caused to Noelle, and will be refunding the rental fee in full, as well as covering the additional Uber expense incurred as a result of this incident."
Wilson, however, calls the incident a safety issue, not just one of inconvenience or lost money.
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"I honestly think if maybe we were pulled over by somebody else, the ending on [this] story would have been completely different."
The officer who pulled the couple over agrees.
"We ran the VIN, the car's not even registered with the state," he said in a phone interview with ABC 7. "You'd think big companies like this, this wouldn't happen."
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Car rentals and consumer protection
There are a number of consumer protection laws that apply to car rentals, including protections for reserved cars being available on-time and at the right location, pricing for services, disclosure of additional fees, and protecting your rights during damage claims.
To avoid the kind of situation Wilson for herself in, you may have to do extra due diligence when you pick up a rental car.
You can verify the vehicle registration number (VIN) online, read your rental agreement thoroughly, and ensure you hold onto any documentation related to the rental.
The Federal Trade Commission advises car rental customers who find themselves in a situation where they suspect car rental fraud report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or contact the attorney general for their state.
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Rebecca Holland is dedicated to creating clear, accessible advice for readers navigating the complexities of money management, investing and financial planning. Her work has been featured in respected publications including the Financial Post, The Globe & Mail, and the Edmonton Journal.
