Avis Car Rental on Madison Ave, Memphis: A Local's Guide to Your Options

Avis Car Rental Photos

Avis Car Rental Introduce

For residents and frequent visitors to Memphis, Tennessee, reliable transportation is often a necessity, whether for navigating daily life, accommodating guests, or embarking on a journey across our beautiful state. While many options exist, familiar names like Avis Car Rental often come to mind, and their downtown Memphis location on Madison Avenue aims to serve these needs.

Avis is a globally recognized brand in the car rental industry, generally known for its extensive fleet and presence in various key locations, including city centers and airports. The Downtown Memphis branch, situated between 3rd and 4th on Madison Avenue, is positioned to cater to both local Memphians needing a vehicle for personal or business use and visitors exploring the city's vibrant attractions.

However, it's crucial for prospective renters to be fully informed, especially when considering a specific branch. While national brands typically adhere to high standards, individual location experiences can vary. The reviews provided for this particular Avis branch on Madison Avenue highlight significant challenges and concerns that warrant careful consideration. This article will detail the location and accessibility of Avis Car Rental on Madison Avenue, outline the general services offered by Avis, touch upon its intended features, and critically assess its suitability for locals based on the available public feedback.

Location and Accessibility

Avis Car Rental is located at:

between 3rd & 4th on Madison, 224 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

This address places the Avis branch squarely in the heart of Downtown Memphis. Madison Avenue is a significant thoroughfare, running through a bustling urban core that includes business districts, entertainment venues, and residential areas. Its central location makes it highly accessible for individuals working or residing downtown, as well as for tourists staying in nearby hotels who prefer a convenient pick-up location away from the airport.

The downtown setting offers easy access to major interstates and key city routes, facilitating travel to various parts of Memphis or onward journeys across Tennessee. Proximity to public transport options might also add to its accessibility for those without their own vehicle to get to the rental office. For locals, a downtown location can be advantageous for quick rentals during the workday or for weekend trips, avoiding the more extensive travel often associated with airport rental facilities. The listed operating hours (Mon-Fri 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Sat 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Sun 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM) also cater to typical weekday and weekend needs.

Services Offered

As a corporate location of Avis Car Rental, the 224 Madison Avenue branch generally offers the standard range of services associated with the Avis brand. These typically include:

Diverse Vehicle Fleet: Avis maintains a broad selection of vehicles, from economical compact cars ideal for city driving and fuel efficiency, to mid-size and full-size sedans, SUVs for families or additional space, minivans for larger groups, and sometimes premium or luxury vehicles. This variety is designed to meet various travel needs and preferences.
Flexible Rental Periods: Customers can usually rent vehicles on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, providing options for both short-term and extended transportation requirements. One-way rentals, allowing pick-up at one Avis location and drop-off at another, are also typically available for interstate or inter-city travel.
Protection and Coverage Options: Avis offers various protection products, such as Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI), and Personal Accident Insurance (PAI). These options provide different levels of coverage and financial protection during the rental period, though customers are always advised to review their personal auto insurance coverage first.
Avis Preferred Program: For frequent renters, Avis offers loyalty programs like Avis Preferred, which can provide benefits such as expedited service, skipping the counter, and earning rewards points for future rentals.
GPS and Child Safety Seats: Additional equipment like GPS navigation systems and child safety seats (infant, toddler, and booster) are typically available for rent, enhancing convenience and safety.
24/7 Roadside Assistance: Standard for major rental companies, Avis typically provides roadside assistance for unforeseen issues like mechanical breakdowns, flat tires, or lockouts during the rental period.

Features / Highlights

While Avis, as a brand, promotes features like a wide selection of vehicles, competitive rates, and reliable service, the specific customer reviews provided for the 224 Madison Avenue location highlight significant concerns that must be considered as part of its "features" from a user perspective:

Central Downtown Location: This remains a key practical advantage, offering accessibility for downtown residents and businesses, as well as visitors without airport access.

However, the negative feedback indicates major issues in other areas:

Reservation Non-Compliance: Multiple reviews detail instances where confirmed reservations were not honored, with customers being left without a vehicle despite early arrival or advance booking. This is a critical failure for a rental service.
Lack of Vehicle Availability: Despite a parking lot appearing full, customers were reportedly told no vehicles were available, even when offering to take any alternative. The excuse of vehicles being "reserved for Uber drivers" was cited as a recurring issue.
Deceptive Practices/Scams: One review describes a serious situation involving unauthorized reservations and charges under a spouse's name for "Uber Driver Rentals," highlighting potential security vulnerabilities and alleged fraudulent activity, possibly involving "employee insiders."
Poor Customer Service & Professionalism: Customers reported rude, defensive, and unhelpful staff, with specific mention of a manager, "Cedric," being uncooperative, argumentative, and providing vague or false information. There was also a reported lack of apology, alternatives, or professionalism when issues arose.
Lack of Accountability: The company's general customer support was described as "useless," and the local branch manager allegedly made no effort to resolve problems or issue refunds/compensations for the significant inconvenience caused.
Vehicle Condition: While not as prominent as other complaints for this specific branch's reviews, other general Avis reviews for Memphis locations sometimes mention concerns about vehicle cleanliness or maintenance.

Contact Information

For inquiries, reservations, or to communicate with this specific Avis Car Rental branch, you can use the following details:

Address: between 3rd & 4th on Madison, 224 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

Phone: (901) 527-1138

Mobile Phone: +1 901-527-1138

Given the serious nature of the customer reviews, it is strongly advised to call this location directly for any specific questions and to seek thorough confirmation of your reservation details and available vehicles.

Conclusion: Why this place is suitable for locals

For locals in Memphis, Tennessee, considering Avis Car Rental at 224 Madison Avenue, the primary point of suitability lies in its prime downtown location. This offers a convenient option for those living or working in the city center, providing an alternative to the airport's car rental operations. For a quick pick-up during the workday or for business travelers needing a vehicle close to their downtown accommodations, this location could theoretically be quite accessible.

However, it is crucial for any potential renter from the Tennessee region to proceed with extreme caution and a high degree of awareness when dealing with this specific Avis branch. The extensive and severe negative customer reviews highlight consistent and significant issues, including alleged fraudulent activities, a failure to honor confirmed reservations, chronic vehicle unavailability despite apparent inventory, and exceptionally poor, even hostile, customer service. These issues directly undermine the core reliability expected from a car rental service, especially one associated with a major brand like Avis. While the brand itself aims for quality, the documented experiences at this particular location suggest that choosing it carries considerable risk of frustration and potentially financial loss. Therefore, despite its convenient address, locals are strongly advised to thoroughly read recent reviews from multiple sources, consider alternative rental locations or companies, and confirm every detail of their rental agreement with utmost diligence before relying on this specific Avis Car Rental branch for their transportation needs in Memphis.

Avis Car Rental Details

Highlights
Active military discounts

Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot

Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
Credit cards

Avis Car Rental Location

Avis Car Rental

Tennessee Shelby County Memphis Downtown Memphis Madison Avenue

between 3rd & 4th on Madison, 224 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

Avis Car Rental Reviews

An average rating of ★4.1 from 223 user reviews.

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★ 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1

I had a reservation for a truck at the Avis Downtown Memphis location and arrived early in the morning, fully understanding that I was a couple of hours early. I made it clear I was fine waiting — I only wanted to ensure a vehicle would be ready for me at the reserved time.10 AM comes around (my actual reservation time), and the manager, Cedric, tells me it will be a little longer since the truck is being transferred from another location. Again, I remained patient. But by 2 PM, after nearly 6 hours of waiting, I was told there were no trucks available.Frustrated but still polite, I asked how this could happen — especially since I showed up early to avoid exactly this situation. Cedric gave me nothing but vague excuses and made no effort to offer a solution.I even offered to take any other vehicle, truck or not, just to get back on the road — but was told nothing was available, even though the parking lot was full of cars. Cedric claimed those vehicles were "reserved for Uber drivers" — a convenient excuse he seems to use often (as echoed in other negative reviews).Just before closing, I watched a couple of tourists walk in and immediately get a vehicle. When I asked Cedric how that was possible, he told me they had reserved it three months ago. Funny, because I had just spoken with that couple — and they told me they booked the day before, just like I did.When I brought that up, Cedric became defensive, angry, and accused me of not minding my business. The truth is, I caught him lying to a customer, and he didn't like that.At the end of the day, I was stranded in Memphis, with no vehicle and no help from Avis. No apology, no alternatives, no professionalism.And just to be clear — I triple-checked that this is the correct location before writing this review. So please spare me any canned responses like “we couldn’t find your name in our system.” This review is not a mistake. What happened to me was real, frustrating, and completely avoidable.To anyone considering booking with this location: think twice. Read the reviews. What happened to me has happened to many others. Cedric and this branch clearly don’t care about honoring reservations or treating customers with respect.
Jul 04, 2025 · Daniel Muchnik
BEWARE SCAMMERS - Read thru other Yelp reviews about scams at this same location. So I get (2) emails reminding me to drop the keys off with my rental. Problem is, we never rented a vehicle & especially not one in another state. Many calls and over a $1000 later, we learned that two reservations had been made at this location under my spouses’ name using my credit card 6/5/25-6/12/25 for Uber Driver Rentals. Some AVIS Reps said it was an in person transaction, while others say it was done online. AVIS’ general customer support is useless by the way. Charges were steadily coming through even after we contacted them. One rep even advised that we should just ignore the emails as spam. We took matters into own own hands and called the location where the transactions were made.We spoke with Toya who said per the manager our wizard # was similar to the uber driver who rented the vehicle causing an error. When we asked how that mistake could be made because we have different names, addresses, credit card info, etc. Where was the due diligence and security protocol on part of AVIS to verify the renter? How was this supposed “mistake” done twice? No explanation. She said that the manager was processing a refund back to us, but as we waited on the confirmation email, all we kept getting was alerts that additional attempts to run the credit card were being made. See screenshots. We asked her what was going on and she had no explanation. Luckily, we had already alerted the credit card company. As we began to research, we found Google, Reddit & Yelp reviews from others complaining of poor service and scams at this location. We also learned that AVIS contracts/partners with 3rd party vendors. AVIS needs to take more accountability in ensuring that their customer information is protected. We can only imagine how many dollars go unnoticed or unrecouped. Scammers are getting rich with the help of employee insiders while consumers foot the bill. We will never do business with AVIS again and have since escalated the matter to security. We are working to deactivate the WIZARD account. Do yourself a favor and RENT ELSEWHERE.
Jun 13, 2025 · Chantale Wesley
I booked on the Juneteenth holiday weekend. I did not get the car I booked, but they were able to give me another car. Location said they could not have called to inform. I was charged the higher rate for the car I wanted rather than the car I received. The representative said there was nothing he could do. From three other agents at different locations I visited to get the larger vehicle I needed and the main customer service number, I learned that information was false. I was advised I could pick up the right car when I reached my destination, but later learned that getting the correct vehicle would be difficult as my destination city had a shortage of vehicles also- despite Memphis location representative’s assurances. The destination city did everything they could to remedy the situation; but could not fix the price difference as the reservation was opened in Memphis. When I returned to the original location with my substitute vehicle, I was charged a refueling fee without the agent ever looking at my vehicle to see that I only moments prior to my return filled the vehicle up. The representative (same person I dealt with in the beginning) said when I noticed the fuel surcharge that he would remedy the charge. He said it would take fifteen minutes. I am writing this review seven days later.Summary: I was not given what I ended up paying for and was charged for fuel that I did not need.
Jun 29, 2025 · George Boyington
We had a very disappointing experience at the airport location. However, when we visited this location, the staff went above and beyond to resolve the issue. They were exceptionally friendly, helpful, and kind throughout the entire process. We are truly grateful for their outstanding service and support.
Jun 09, 2025 · Ian Amber
Absolutely the BEST customer service I’ve ever experienced at a car rental place. Staff member Cedric should own this company - or any company. He’s strait-forward and sincere and a pleasure to do business with.
May 19, 2025 · amy lavere