AVIS car rental with AARP discount was a total mess

I rented a car from Avis using an AARP discount and prepaid for the reservation. When I arrived at my destination, AVIS had NO cars available. After waiting an hour for a car, we gave up. We were told we had 24 hours from the time of our reservation to pick up a car. We paid Lyft $25 for a ride to hotel.

The next morning, much less than 24 hours from our reservation time, we returned to the airport. Again, Avis had no cars. They told us it would be at least an hour before any were available. After waiting for a long time, I went over to the National counter, rented a car from them, and left. 

I then canceled my prepaid reservation. I received a notice that my $373 payment would not be refunded because I had not canceled it timely. I spent an inordinate time on the phone with customer service, and was finally told my payment would be refunded. I received an e-mail saying the refund to my credit card would be made within 3-5 working days. More time than that has passed and as of today, I still do not have my refund.

I e-mailed Avis customer service and was told my issue is now being reviewed by a different team and I should expect a refund within 7 MORE working days.

This is absurd and unacceptable. I would discourage all AARP members not to rent from Avis, even if they get the AARP discount rate. And AARP should come down hard on Avis for its total lack of reasonable customer service.

AARP member
California