Avis Budget answers ClubRed issues

AVIS Budget has
addressed the delays
behind the new cash
option in ClubRed.
The car-rental company
recently launched a new
reward option on its loyalty
programme that allows travel
agents to convert points
earned on ClubRed into cash
that can be drawn via a bank
card.
Frustrated agents told TNW
that, despite registering on the
system, they could not access
their cash and “nothing” was
being done by the customer
care department to resolve the
problem.
“For the past seven weeks
I’ve been waiting to access the
cash that’s been loaded on my
card and each time I speak
to Avis – they say I have to
wait another week before the
problem is sorted,” one agent
told TNW.
“Nobody from ClubRed
communicates with us – I’ve
sent three emails to them and
haven’t heard from anyone to
even tell me they are working
on the problem,” says Meagan
Pollock, travel manager of
MICROmega Holdings.
Travel agents could now
expect cash to be loaded on
to their ClubRed VISA cards
within two business days,
once they had redeemed their
Roses, Lance Smith executive
sales of Avis Budget Southern
Africa told TNW, adding that
the delays experienced had
been as a result of teething
issues. “However, the initial
registration for the card may
take between two and five
working days.”
He says Avis Budget
experienced a high volume
of calls during the launch of
the new ClubRed website that
may have caused delays. “The
volumes have now decreased
and we welcome agents to
call us.”
Some agents say they were
not warned the new reward
option would result in service
fees on cash withdrawal.
However, Lance says this was
explained in the personalised
pack agents received when
Avis Budget first launched the
updated programme.
“As the ClubRed card is a
fully functioning bank card,
the pack highlighted that
additional charges would
apply when drawing cash at
a VISA ATM.”
Lance says agents who
prefer not to pay the bank
charges still have the option
to redeem points for eBucks
on the same basis as in the
past.