content: After arriving in Charlotte, I went to the Avis counter within the airport to rent a car.  This is the first time I've rented in Charlotte and the first time I've rented any car in over 10 years.  So I'm a little out of touch.  After waiting 10 minutes to talk to the one clerk, she told me to get on the bus and go to the Avis rental car center.  So I got on the bus and went to the rental car center.  \n\nWhen I exited the bus with my bags, there was a friendly, smiling woman who asked me for my last name.  She told me which spot my car was in and that the keys were in it.  I walked to the car with my two co-workers thinking, \""I should've asked for a bigger car.\""  \n\nUpon arrival, I saw that we had a Chevy Cruze, which is small for three people to spend the next three days in.  But I didn't ask for a different car because we were in a hurry to get to the office.  They charge $5/day for GPS, so I brought my own Garmin, which worked out perfectly.  When we loaded our luggage and sat in the car, it was quickly evident that this was formerly a smoker car.  What happened to the 'Smoke-free fleet', Avis?  The car smelled pretty bad, but we took it anyway.  As I was driving, I thought, \""Oh no, they're going to charge ME for the cleaning of the smoke when I return the car!\""  So I called Avis and explained that they gave me a smoker car and I had better not be charged for it.  The phone representative noted this on my account and I was never charged for the cleaning.  \n\nStill, it was a disappointing experience because cigarette smoke is my pet peeve.  I hate it and I do not want to be exposed to it.  Ever.\n\nThis was a learning experience.  When I return to Avis in a couple weeks for another business trip, I'll update my car preferences and smell the car before I drive away.