Budget Car Rental Reviews

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About Budget Car Rental

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Budget Rent a Car provides car rentals at more than 3,000 locations worldwide. The company supplies a variety of vehicles, including economy cars, SUVs and vans. Budget offers flexible rental options, making it accessible for budget-conscious customers.

Pros
  • Clean and well-maintained vehicles
  • Affordable pricing options
Cons
  • Poor communication from staff
  • Long wait times during peak hours

Budget Car Rental Reviews

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    Page 10 Reviews 1440 - 1640
    Customer ServiceCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 6, 2020

    I reserved and Prepaid for my rental prior to arriving in Las Vegas. I declined all “extras” when I paid. I needed to add a day and did so at the counter, while still declining all extra coverages. Well, I get my CC statement and they have charged me an additional $200, my original rental was $150 and prepaid. When I call they said I opted for some additional coverage. I feel like this was added on to my rental when I added the additional day without my knowledge. After calling several times and emailing with them they still refuse to do anything about it. It’s my own fault for trusting the agent. ALWAYS triple check what you are signing on the tiny digital signature pad!!!

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    Customer ServiceCoverageRefunds & PayoutsStaffBilling

    Reviewed Aug. 4, 2020

    I rent from Budget Car Rental in my neighborhood all the time in South KC. I have to say this is the first time that I have felt so stereotyped and judged by the pigment of my skin. I reserved a sports car to take a trip thru budget online and pre-paid for the vehicle just to get turned down. The requirements per budget car rental site, was that I had to have a major credit card and in which I did AMEX. I had way more than the amount on the credit card to cover the rental, insurance and deposit. I arrived at Budget and called the number on the door due to Covid and the lady behind the desk answered. I gave my name an reservation number and she immediately started to try to deter me away. She said that I need a Major Credit Card and a Deposit of 1,000 Dollars and that I had to have my personal Insurance that will roll over to vehicle that I'm trying to rent.

    I then gave the customer service rep my ID and my AMEX CC. She swiped it and when it went thru she want my info for my Personal Insurance Carrier. "This do not make any sense, since I was using their full coverage insurance that I was purchasing thru budget car rental." I said to the Customer Service Rep on seen at the location. She said to me that she wanted to make sure that they would get the car back as if I was some kind of criminal. After round and round talk about why is this experience that I was having on this Saturday Morning so different than any other time?

    I have lived in my area for 10 years and rent countless vehicles from January - March due to my Daughter Gymnastics from this same location and others. So after I was turned away I had to call and get my money refunded and spoke with someone in customer service via phone at Budget Car Rental 1-800 number and was told that I should have been able to rent a vehicle with no other stipulations, other than being 25 or over, valid DL and Major CC. In which I had. I have to say that this experience horrible and no one should be judged by their Color of their skin looks, or gender. If I could of gave 0 stars I would.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaffHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed Aug. 3, 2020

    I'd like to give them 0 stars. Budget has terrible customer service. They overcharged me and charged me for gas. I showed the employee at check in that the car was full. When I call, I get hung up on and lied to about to resolve the situation. I'll never use them again.

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    Customer ServiceTechSales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed July 28, 2020

    I normally don't do this, but I have to warn people to not use Budget Rental Cars for a rental. I prepaid for an Elite SUV before traveling last week (7/18/20) and when I arrived it was not available and I was given a minivan to drive for the time I was in Las Vegas. They promised me a 10% discount, which was not going to make up the difference in cost, but it was something. I then came back home and have spent way too much time on the phone with them to try to even get the promised discount. I learned some lessons on this, don't prepay for a rental (even though there was a discount for doing so) and don't use Budget Rental Cars again.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed July 25, 2020

    The battery was dead, we called road side service from Budget. They gave us a jump. 1 hour later it was dead again. We returned the vehicle for another that day after searching strangers for another jump. Now we are charged $216 for a day wasted on vacation even after a worker for Budget told us they have been having that problem with the type of vehicle we rented.

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    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed July 18, 2020

    Beware renting at SLC Budget Rent-a-car. Beware. We have rented with Budget for many years and have always gotten a drop off form to show the car was ok at rental drop off. This year in January we dropped off a car with no damage but were told there was just an electronic check-in, no form. The return was completed and charge submitted. 2 weeks later we were sent pictures of scratches on the car and charged hundreds of dollars in repairs. We have heard similar reports anecdotally about this location from others. Recommend against renting here.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedRatesHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed July 16, 2020

    I reserved an SUV for my trip with Budget rental car back on June 2nd. TODAY, the day before my trip, the woman from Budget calls me and tells me they not only do not have the SUV I need available, but also there are NO locations in this entire city (apparently) that can accommodate me. She offered me a much smaller SUV and of course no discount on the price. When I asked why they waited until the day before my trip to tell me this information and why they didn't foresee this as a problem, I was told she was "out of the office" for a week. She also stated that the suburban that I needed "may have had a recall" because there were none available. Well, that's a miracle because as it turns out, Enterprise rental had plenty for me. Let's review: They procrastinated, they lied, they didn't attempt to offer me retribution, and they weren't even apologetic. Never again.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsBillingHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed July 12, 2020

    On June 27th, I went at 10:00 a.m to pick up my rental I prepaid for. I waited 45 min to only be told there was not a car for me. I was told I would get a call back when one came in and was reassured one was coming. The building then closed at noon - so I was blatantly lied to. I called customer service numerous times and I was told I could get a rental at National Airport - 45 min away from my house. I arrived at the airport to only find out that I needed a major credit card and not a debit card like I only possess to get the car. I was forced into canceling the reservation. I was told it would be 3-5 business days for my refund to be deposited in my account.

    I called on the 6th business day without my refund only to be told it would take 7 business days. I am now on day 10 without my refund and have been told it will be 5 business days until I get it. This is ludicrous! It most definitely didn’t take you 13 days to take my money. I never got a car and you have my funds. I also have requested numerous times to speak to management and NOBODY has called me. I will NEVER use Budget again. I want my money NOW.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed July 9, 2020

    Never ever rent from Budget Rentals!!! They are unprofessional and have no respect for your time nor feelings. I was called 20 minutes prior to a confirmed reservation for 1 pm today July 9, 2020 to say no cars were available at any location. My money was taken off my card in the amount of 480.00. I prepaid in advance to save money 'cause if you pay now you save, that was the worst mistake ever because now my birthday trip is ruined, I have to wait for the money to be credited back to my account. Customer service is horrible and they have no professionalism. You do not conduct business like this.

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    Customer ServicePriceRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingRates

    Reviewed July 7, 2020

    The St. George, Utah location is the worst car rental location I have ever used! I PREPAID for a car for my daughter who flew into utah from Texas. I have rented cars for years and I know the rules about having the credit card you use with you at the time of rental. This was not possible so I called the location directly. The girl I talked to told me I could prepay and it would be fine. They ran my card for $300.11.

    Upon arrival my daughter gave them her name and reservation number. The gentleman helping her said he couldn’t rent her a car without my card. She informed him that I had called and prepaid, he said, "No I can’t without the card." She said, "Ok put it on my card. "He said it would be $590.00! Which he told her was today’s rate! He said he ran her card and it was declined. She told him that was not possible to please try again. He told her that he couldn’t for 25 hours. He then mocked her and said try Enterprise across the way, which was clearly closed.

    This was at 8:30 pm and the airport was closed! He closed his window and left! Leaving 2 young girls in a closed airport by themselves! I have been on the phone for 2 hours trying to get a refund, which they tried to charge me a CONVENIENCE fee! When I asked to speak to a manager they told me their manager doesn’t take phone calls! Never rent from BUDGET!

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    Customer ServiceRefunds & PayoutsBilling

    Reviewed July 6, 2020

    Well it's 4th of July weekend. I've prepaid for my vehicle MONTHS in advance with my ATM debit card I ALWAYS USE. I call Budget customer service to make sure they accept the bank card at the counter when I go pick the vehicle up (because they'll switch up on you and tell you, you need a major credit card). She assures me they do.

    Well I go July 3rd to the Budget at WILL ROGERS AIRPORT to pick up and I overhear the attendant tell another customer he can't accept her bank card even though (like me) she uses it every time she rents from Budget. He tells that group, myself and others he was told to NOT accept ANY bank cards at the counter. We all were upset and in disbelief. (Did I mention I'm a Fastbreak member.) I called Budget's customer service and was told that location DOES accept bank cards at counter. She even speaks with her supervisor abt the matter. The supervisor agreed the counter should not have turned us away. They agreed to refund my money. BUDGET NEEDS TO PUT A DISCLAIMER ABOUT THIS TO INFORM PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR BANK CARDS.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceBilling

    Reviewed June 30, 2020

    DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! I rented a one day rental and prepaid it 6/11/2020 for $106.99 Rental agreement# ** for 6/19/2020. I returned the car on time 6/20/2020 with a full tank. The branch manager in Olathe, KS said he had to fax corporate to check the car in and the deposit hold $100 would be released. The hold was released on 6/22/2020.

    On 6/24/2020 I received a message that the car was not returned. I could not get a human to call me back from the branch it was dropped off at. I spoke to customer service and they opened a case. #**. This case got the rental checked in but for the wrong date. Budget has fraudulently charged my credit card an additional $1441.64 on 6/28/2020 paid status in addition to two new holds of $60.00 each in pending status. Every time I call they say their system is down. I have had to dispute this with my credit card company. Budget is going out of business and clearly they are ripping people off. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed June 26, 2020

    Flew into KBUF on 6/26/20 on SWA. SWA had reserved a rental at Avis. Went to the counter, showed my credentials. I was loudly advised that they don't accept CHIME, the rep at the counter called it a prepaid card even though I get my payroll deposited from the US Government, (an employee). I got out of the line, went to Budget, Valerie took great care of us. She had no issues with the same card or me. Valerie is my hero. She stepped up with Budget when Avis failed miserably.

    Thank Valerie for being a front line employee during this COVID 19 nightmare!

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    Customer ServiceTechStaff

    Reviewed June 24, 2020

    Beware of linking your budget rental to your amazon, as I did this which enabled Budget to use at their discretion any card listed in your Amazon acct and amazon will not help you. Beware of any budget res agent who uses any location except corporate locations for your rental as the *franchise* locations do not adhere to any budget rules. Beware of prepays as budget does not return the exact amount of any canceled contract even when the res agent is doing this in order to reconstruct an incorrect reservation. Beware the customer service on the phone is not the customer service at a franchise location.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed June 16, 2020

    I rented a car from Budget and everything that they probably me it was horrible experience starting from customer service that every single one l talk to they was so rude and disrespectful. I call for issues and instead to help me to provide me with answers the hang up the phone on me. I order a big car. Instead l got a small car with issues that the car broke down. It’s been 16 days. l return home and l still see charges from them. I try to deal with them again to address my issue and guess what l got a hang-up phone call. I had to call my bank to dispute all my charges because of the stress and disrespected l feel being their customer. Never again!!! Please do not rent with them. It worth paying little more and not get the headaches l went through.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed June 5, 2020

    From Start to finish, renting from Budget was the worst experience ever. Not only were the people rude, disrespectful and dishonest, the car was absolutely filthy. I purposely ask how they clean a car during the Covid 19 and was told that vehicle would be cleaned to "exceptional standards." We went through 2 containers of wipes and a car wash vacuum. Plus it needed mechanical attention. When I called the next morning they told me there was nothing they could do. I would have to call after the rental was turned in. I called again to only be told "oh we can't do anything as that is a franchise, call them." Why didn't they tell me that in the beginning? Called franchise, emailed the photos and they offered me a $30.00 coupon to use toward a rental at the same location. How stupid do they think the public is. Rent from someone else.

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    PriceRefunds & PayoutsRates

    Reviewed May 30, 2020

    To All Customers a WARNING about BUDGET Car Rental cancellation policy and how they do business. Make sure you READ their policy because they must be HUNGRY for Money because if you pay upfront and you try to cancel way before 48 hours they will still charge you 50 dollars just to cancel for a vehicle you have not even used.

    I tried to cancel 3 days in advance because I found that Enterprise Car Rentals had a better price and they were not willing to price match. I don't see why you should be charged for your own money you gave them upfront and try to get your money back and they still want to keep some of your money when you are RETIRED and trying to save a BUCK! But I Guess BUDGET Car Rental company is Money hungry and not trying to keep loyal customers like myself and especially when right now in this time of the pandemic where they should a least try to keep customers business. So I recommend you all do your research and not jump into renting right away which was my mistake for thinking BUDGET was a better company than Enterprise but I guess I learned my lesson! So I DO NOT recommend BUDGET Car Rental to anyone.

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    Staff

    Reviewed May 8, 2020

    I have a redemption certificate for $100 that I was going to use for a drop off rental for a cruise. The cruise which was due to sail 5/4/20 was cancelled due to Corona pandemic. The certificate expires 5/21. I was given the run around for more than 2 hours, finally ending with a "supervisor" Max, who told me he could not help. I asked who his boss was and he said "division". He gave me a # which took me to rentals. You would think they would be willing to help customers under these circumstances, like so many others are doing. I will never use Budget again.

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    Customer ServiceRefunds & Payouts

    Reviewed May 8, 2020

    Due to the covid 19 I had to cancel my trip up north. It's been over a month and 5 calls to the company to try and get my refund. When I talk to a customer service person I feel like I am annoying them. Terrible customer service. Still no refund.

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    Price

    Reviewed May 5, 2020

    This happened in Fort Lauderdale at the airport when returned the car with FULL TANK OF GAS and the ** put it like if I returned with 6 gallons out of 13. They charged me $82 for 7 gallons, and by mistake got on those toll roads for 1 mile only and got charged $11.45... Be careful with those people, my mistake was I paid cash at the gas station.

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    Refunds & PayoutsBilling

    Reviewed May 3, 2020

    On December 23, 2019 I reserved a car in Springfield, VA. When I arrived to pick it up they told me they did not have a car for me. They sent me to another location. The car had a flat tire and now they are billing me (April 20, 2020) $210 dollars for a tire. They took the car away leaving me without a car for the holiday season and now they want me to pay for a tire. Awful.

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    Refunds & Payouts

    Reviewed April 26, 2020

    Horrible Company, not willing to refund my prepaid rental, even during a crisis like this Corona pandemic. Airlines refund, Yellowstone is closed for 2020, a large percentage of the people are unemployed and these ** are penalizing me on a car rental that I can’t use. Very un American, inhuman and just plain wrong. Never will they see my business again, just to keep a few bucks. Unbelievable in these terrible times. Truly disgusted.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingRates

    Reviewed April 18, 2020

    Staff rude at pick up! She became upset when I refused to purchase sun pass for 200 or day rate insurance. I returned the car a full week early due to covid, time to go home. Was not refunded for the full week that I returned the vehicle. I was fine with that whatever, I needed to get home. I checked vehicle in with an Avis agent who was very nice. She checked the vehicle and said it was fine. I just received a bill for 75 dollars for car cleaning for animal hair. I had no animal and never even used the back seat. I found out they do not clean vehicles between rentals. Don’t rent there with covid not clean. If you did and get sick you know where you go! Very disgusting. GROSS!

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    Sales & MarketingPriceRefunds & PayoutsStaffBilling

    Reviewed April 17, 2020

    Returned the vehicle to the Denver, CO Airport after filling with gas less than 5 miles from the airport. There was one agent working returns who hollered at us that he'd be over in about 10 minutes (really?) but we needed to catch our flight so asked if it was ok to just leave the key and he said it was fine. I have done this many times over the years when the rental returns are too busy to offer service in a reasonable amount of time. When I checked my credit card statement weeks after returning I noticed an additional charge from Budget for $104.03. Upon further investigation, they indicated that the car was not full upon return (it was and I have the credit card charge to prove it) and, despite this, they would not reverse the charge. I will NEVER use Budget again. Watch out for their scam operation, especially in Denver, CO.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsMaintenanceStaffBillingRates

    Reviewed April 16, 2020

    I occasionally fly into the Colorado Spring, CO airport. I rent a vehicle for the week and always go with the cheapest rental, which quite often is Budget. I had a serious issue with Budget on my most recent trip. I rented a vehicle out of the Colorado Springs airport on 3/3/20 and returned the vehicle without damage on 3/10/20. The Budget employee checked out the vehicle, noted the mileage, asked if I had any problems with the vehicle and gave me my credit card receipt.

    On 3/31/20, I received correspondence from a Budget Emergency Road Service Representative, stating “Please be advised that during the course of the rental, our vehicle incurred Glass damage,” which it didn't. The correspondence also included a bill breakdown of $169.00 for vehicle repair cost, Emergency Roadside Cost/Towing of $50.00, Administrative cost of $29.00 for a total of $248.00. This was a bit disconcerting because there was no glass damage and no roadside assistance. The correspondence included a vague invoice from Safelite of Denver (vehicle was rented out of Colorado Springs). The invoice only listed the cost of a “Solar Condensation Sensor Acoustic Inter” for $169.00, which is interesting because this sensor is located on the inside of the window in the area of the rearview mirror.

    The invoice did not state broken or cracked windshield. It also did not list a cost for labor to replace the windshield or sensor. However, it did list an administrative fee of $25.00 (It stated $29.00 on the Budget correspondence). I found it quite unusual that Safelite would charge an administrative fee. It sounded like something that Budget would charge. The invoice did not list a location for the Safelite company (There are three in Colorado Springs). I filed a complaint on the Budget website on 4/4/20 and on 4/5/20 a Budget representative stated in an email, “apologized for any misunderstanding” and admitted that the towing bill was in error. There was no misunderstanding on my part as there was no damage and no towing.

    I asked the above questions of Budget and requested the vehicle rental log. Budget never answered my questions and never provided additional information. I contacted my insurance company, who requested documentation, which was never provided. The claims representative also attempted to contact Budget on the telephone without success as no one answered the telephone.

    On 4/10/20, I received an email from Budget stating, “we will refund $50.00 back to your American Express Card.” I have never had an American Express card. I paid with a VISA. On 04/13/20, I contacted Safelite and went over my concerns about the Safelite bill. The representative stated the following, “We only bill for windows and labor. I have never heard of an Administrative Fee,” “Sounds really fishy” and finally “Sounds really questionable all the way around.” She advised that I should contact my insurance company for a third party claim. I again contacted my insurance company and was advised that the claims representative was still waiting for documentation from Budget, and was still unable to successfully contact Budget on the telephone.

    On 4/12/20, Budget charged my VISA card $248.00. I guess the $50.00 for the erroneous roadside assistance charge will be refunded later. I won't hold my breath. I think Budget operates under an elaborate algorithm to predict the financial threshold where you will conclude that the hassle to protest a fraudulent bill is worse than the bill itself. No wonder Budget stated in the 3/31/20 correspondence, “Please feel free to supply this billing information to your insurance company for reimbursement purposes.” Why protest the fraudulent charge if you will be reimbursed. The battle continues. Bottom Line, do diligent research of Budget complaints. You might save a bit of money with Budget, but eventually it will bite you in the butt. Spend the money and go with a reputable car rental agency. Safe travels.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed April 14, 2020

    Car was filthy, no one to take car when dropped off. Was charged a $24.01 late fee when I dropped of 2 hours early. The agent gave me a 12 hour rental instead of 24. That's how they're making money during this pandemic, the old bait and switch. No agent will give me a number to call and the manager ran off when I went to speak to him and he wouldn't come back out. Service is horrible and the cars are so dirty inside and out. I found rotting food under the seat when I dropped it off. I had it for less than 24 hours and didn't eat in it. Never will I use them again.

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    Customer ServicePriceMaintenance

    Reviewed April 14, 2020

    Charged for flat tire. I rented a car at the Albuquerque airport in Dec 2019. The tire went flat when I was driving on I-25. I changed the tire myself and drove it back to the rental lot. I received a letter in April 2020 saying that I owed 17.93 for vehicle repair, 50.00 for towing, and 29.00 for administrative costs. The car was not damaged. It was not towed. They gave me an improperly maintained car which is Budget's responsibility. I called customer service and got a bureaucratic clerk who said the tire went flat during my rental period, so it was my responsibility. So the next time you rent a car, you should thoroughly check the tires, engine, transmission and body structure before you drive it off the lot. But I guess even that wouldn't make a difference, since you would be responsible for any failures of maintenance since you had the car during your "rental period". This is the last time I will ever rent from Budget.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffBilling

    Reviewed April 10, 2020

    I was supposed to be in DC over the Labor Day weekend. My outbound flight was cancelled and I never made it to DCA. I called in the night before to cancel my car rental (because I couldn't do it online, some technical error or due to the lateness of the request) and was told (by two different representatives) not to worry as it would just fall off. Instead some stranger picked up a reservation (same car, perhaps?) and it was billed to me. I even got SMS notifications of the car being returned and a receipt.

    This is bad enough but the absolutely worst is how Budget's customer support has done nothing but gaslight me and make it sound as if it's my fault that my credit card number is part of my profile. Wait, why would you use my profile for someone else's rental? So they absolutely did not check identity or proof of payment and let someone drive right out the lot and charged it to me. That is not only incompetent but borderline criminal.... and it bears repeating, they take ZERO responsibility for this. Do not trust Avis/Budget Group (includes Zipcar) with your credit card information!

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    Contract & TermsCoverageSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed April 6, 2020

    Stay away from Budget - they bait and switch you. They automatically try to charge you for insurance even when a person is full coverage...They tell you at the counter you have to select from $39 per day to $9.95 per day (in CA) as minimum - THIS IS NOT ACCURATE - they are crooks. Also when I picked up the car it was filthy inside and out...After flying cross country I was in no mood to go back inside and argue with the clerks again...Fast forward I just a hit with a $250 cleaning charge for "pet hair" - they doctor their reports and are absolutely unethical...So my "cheap" rental ended up costing me $399.25 additional due to their company condoned behavior - NEVER EVER AGAIN!

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    Customer ServiceCoverageTechPricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBilling

    Reviewed April 3, 2020

    On March 28, 2020, I went to the grocery store for me and my 2 kids. The total came out to $201.01, when I swiped my card, my biggest nightmare occurred. The screen read "declined". I immediately went to my banking app, to see a negative balance in my account. Under recent purchases was a charge from Budget Rent-A-Car for $686.70. I didn't understand where it came from, I had no time to call and get it reconciled, I couldn't stand there and cry because my kids and everyone else is watching me. The couple behind us said, "we don't mean to pry but we noticed that you didn't have enough to pay for your groceries, we want to help. There is a lot happening in the world right now and we need to take care of each other". The tears just instantly started falling, I didn't know what to do. I felt so helpless.

    I agreed to let them pay for my groceries and I asked for their information so that I could pay them back. They told me not to worry about it, and just pay it forward. I thanked them over and over. They gave my kids a hug, even with the "social distancing". We went our separate ways, and I instantly got on the phone and called Budget Customer Care. I could remember the first representative, instantly telling me "sorry this is the wrong number to report this" and he gave me a number to a telemarketing for getting car insurance reduced for people 65+. I hung up and called back the customer service number, I remember the gentleman telling me repeatedly "ma'am you need to lower your voice because I'm not going to help you". I just kept saying "I want to talk to a manager....I want to talk to a manager." He would respond "No....and you're not going to talk to me like that."

    He finally put a floor supervisor on the phone, his attitude was not much better than the representative that transferred me. When explaining to him this unknown charge, he made comments like "now I see what previous representative was talking about....please send a copy of this "imaginary charge"..." It just felt like nobody cared, I was a joke, and all my money was gone. I emailed a screenshot of my online bank statement, to budgetdocument@avisbudget.com. I received a response to my email 2 days later apologizing for the inconvenience that this unexpected charge may have caused, but it was from tolls from a rental I had in February.

    I called Budget Customer Service, and explained to them that I purchased the toll package when I made the reservation at the Budget in Elmhurst, I know this for a fact because the representative and I kept laughing and making fun of the fact that I drive 2 hours one way, coming from New Jersey to New York. I always purchase the toll package because I encounter over 10 tolls a day. They said they would look into, but I know my money is gone. There wasn't a bit of care on behalf of Budget in this entire situation, but when I am spending $1,000+ for monthly rentals all of the customer care in the world appears. Because of this situation, my bills that were on auto-pay, bounced back giving me insufficient funds charges and the whole nine. This has caused my family so many issues in what already has been one of the scariest moments in our history.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffTimeliness

    Reviewed March 27, 2020

    The lady that checked me out in Orlando (Hotel Plaza) was very nice and helpful. But that is where our good experience ended. We got the van and noticed after we left the lot that it was not wiped down good at all. There was water marks from cups and hair on several surfaces. I pulled over and we thoroughly wiped down everything. This was quite alarming since we got a email from Budget days before ensuring us that they are taking extra precaution to wipe down everything because if Covid-19. This was not the case here. Before returning the van 7 hours later at the Pensacola Airport we went across the street from the airport and filled it up. At this point I did call them to see if I could extend my rental until the next day because of an emergency (mind you the lady told me that I have the rental for 24 hrs) but I wanted to return it to another airport (New Orleans Airport) and I was told it would be additional $475.00!!!

    I returned the Van and rented another Vehicle with another company for $65.00. Now looking at my CC statement I noticed that there is a fuel charge. I called Budget and they said I returned the van 2 gallons short. I told him that I fueled up across the street. He asked me when I returned the van I needed to submit my receipts for fuel at that time or they will charge me. He stated there was nothing that he could do and that it states in their rental agreement that you need to submit fuel receipts when checking the vehicle in. My boyfriend and I read over the whole agreement and nowhere does it state this! Like I said earlier I rented another vehicle the same date at Alamo Car rental. It was great! The vehicle was spotless and I paid exactly what I agreed to pay. I do not recommend renting from Budget.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed March 21, 2020

    We rented a car through Budget for our recent vacation. We rented the car in Las Vegas, and when our return flight out of Vegas was cancelled due to an airport employee testing positive for Covid19, our return flight was rescheduled to leave from Phoenix. I called and explained the circumstances. They charged us an added $250 fee for returning the car to Phoenix instead of Las Vegas. On the phone and in email correspondence they showed no concern for us as customers or people.

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    Price

    Reviewed March 15, 2020

    I had to cancel my trip to see my elderly mother due to the coronavirus NATIONAL EMERGENCY. 66 minutes on hold because “only a supervisor” can cancel a reservation. The supervisor wouldn’t waive the fee and charged me $150 of the $270 prepaid amount. I will NEVER use Budget or affiliates again.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed March 14, 2020

    Our trip had been cancelled due to the Coronavirus- I called and a lady told me that they were waiving the cancellation fee- great! She transferred me to the higher ups so that the fee could be waived... I wait on hold for 30 mins. Maddey picks up- the supervisor on the floor at the time- I explain that I had to cancel our car due to the coronavirus and traveling with 2 small children- I was transferred to her because I was told by the first lady that you all were waiving the $50 cancellation fee- Maddey proceeds to tell me that its not waived- that she could cancel it but with the $50 cancellation fee.

    Cancelled it without listening to me and told me to hang up and call back if I was not satisfied. Why in the world did I wait- If your employee had told me that then I would have cancelled it online.- THIS IS CRAZY. The world is being shut down because of a virus and you all are still charging- after being told I would not be! TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES to all say the same thing!

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    Refunds & PayoutsStaffHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed March 12, 2020

    I had to cancel my trip due to the Corona Virus and I was told by the counter agent that this was not their fault and I would not be receiving a refund. I told her that my hotel, and flight reps were doing their best to work with me and she honestly could've cared less. I told her that I would never use Budget again and she basically said she didn't care about that either. Great people you're hiring at your company.

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    Price

    Reviewed March 12, 2020

    We have used Budget for many years without a problem. We typically shop various car rentals prior to purchasing. When a prepaid offer is made available, we purchase the prepaid rental. We recently reserved a Budget from ITO and prepaid. Unfortunately we were charged an additional $100.00 plus tax for the reserved prepaid rental at the pick up point. We were once regular customers for Budget.

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    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed March 9, 2020

    I was charged for an extra day than what I had previously been quoted for. The vehicle was in horrible condition and was out of balance. I had already waited at the counter for an hour because they didn’t have a vehicle for me when I got there. I would not rent from them ever. The only thing that that they kept saying was you had the vehicle for a day longer. Make sure you know what you are signing. So much for me trusting this company. I will never rent from them again.

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    Customer ServiceTechPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed March 9, 2020

    Beware, this company has terrible customer service. I hope on your trip you don't need any help because you won't get it from these people. You would think because it's a large company that they would be well organized, well they are not. We were stuck along the side of the road for hours waiting for help and when we called back a hour later the other representative told us no one was ever dispatched to provide us help for a flat tire. Finally hours later when we got a call from the wrecker service we were then informed that they were given the wrong location. We gave Budget not only our mile marker but also the longitude and latitude. I would go with a different company because even though you might not need roadside assistance but if you do you won't get prompt service from this group of unprofessional people.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffRates

    Reviewed March 5, 2020

    I went online to locate a car rental in my city, Budget had the most reasonable price. Make reservation and paid for it online. Went to pick up car, (had to drive 15 miles to location) and was told they had no cars, in fact they never carried the car I selected. They did have one car on the lot, but it was a step up from my rental but they would not honor the price I had already paid for. The teen at the counter handed me a piece of paper and told me I could call the highlighted number to cancel my reservation. Total SCAM!!!

    I called the reservation number and was then told by their representative that it would be 3 to 5 days before I would get my refund and if I didn't then I could call their customer service. Did not care at all that I had driven across town only to find out they had no cars to rent and never even carried the model I had reserved and paid for online. No, trying to make things right by offering me a discount or upgrading me - nothing!!!! This has got to be illegal somehow. They advertise and allow you to pay for items they don't even have and then you have to wait up to 5 days to get your money back!!! Unbelievable!!!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBilling

    Reviewed March 4, 2020

    Was referred to Budget from the AARP website. At the Budget website, you are given the opportunity to pay in advance and save on the rental bill. There is an information tab located next to the pay now icon which gives the following information: Cancelling up to 24 hours prior = $50.00 cancellation fee. Cancelling within 24 hours = $150.00 cancellation fee. No show, or failure to pick-up your rental vehicle. No refund will be issued. Buyer beware, if you return your car early, there is no refund for unused days. That information is in the fine print in the terms and conditions section- not upfront with the other information!

    I had reserved a compact car. Upon arrival, agent asked me if I wanted to upgrade to a "Mustang". I explained that the compact car which I ordered would be fine. He then told me he had no cars and would upgrade me to an SUV or a Truck. This, after just offering me a mustang, which last time I looked was a car! I questioned why they did not have the type of vehicle I ordered and the agent told me they had run out and it was their prerogative to put me in a different vehicle. Returned the ill handling vehicle a day early and was told there would be no refund since I did the reservation online.

    Called their customer service and and explained my displeasure and was greeted with a very confrontational agent who basically told me I was wrong on all accounts. This company appears to school their employees to disregard their customers' experiences, as crazy as that sounds. And this disgruntled customer will never do business with them again!

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    PricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsRates

    Reviewed March 3, 2020

    Reserved car to pick up at Raleigh Durham Airport. Waited in line about two hours. All the other rental sites were almost empty. Budget had the lowest price through Jet Blue website so apparently EVERYONE booked them. Some people didn’t get the car reserved and were told they could either wait until that particular level auto came in or they could get a lesser car but they’d not get a refund for the difference. The rental terms stated that if prepaid you could not cancel within 24 hours without a $150 penalty. Finally at the counter, I only got condescending comments and no apology. If you don’t want to spend a lot of your time wasted with Budget, pay a little more and go with someone else.

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    Brittney increased rating by 3 stars.
    Customer ServiceTechPricePunctuality & SpeedStaffTimeliness
    After a positive interaction with Budget Car Rental, Brittney increased their star rating.

    Reviewed March 2, 2020

    Renting a car from here was a mistake. It seems cheap until you add a damage waiver. I was told it was about $30 a day for the damage waiver and somehow my charge for that for 4 days was $174? Called Customer Service and asked for them to explain the charges, the guy kept telling me what I already knew which is that I had the car for 4 days...thanks, I figured that one out.

    When I asked to speak with someone else he was acting like I was stupid and not understanding the math. He acted like he was transferring me to his manager when I know he just put me on hold. He came back and said the manager didn't answer and that one would be giving me a call the next day, been waiting to hear back for two days. I asked what his name was and he said Frank which I highly doubted it really was. When returning the car the lady said I could be charged for some crumbs that were on the ground and handed me a vacuum, with all the fees I was charged that's the least they can do is vacuum some crap when they handed over the keys with a bunch of bird poop on the car.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed March 2, 2020

    I prepaid for a car rental Jan 13th to pick up March 28th. Today is March 1st and I called and asked what the cancellation policy is if I cancel this much in advance and they said $50 processing fee. Processing fee? I did all of the work to book the rental online and they want to charge a fee to cancel several weeks in advance for doing NOTHING. I will NEVER rent from Budget again and I will make sure everyone I come in contact with doesn’t rent from them either. To me that is like stealing money from someone just because their plans changed. STOP charging a cancellation fee when a customer needs to cancel several weeks in advance. Very Disappointed ☹️

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    Contract & TermsCoverageSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaffRatesSales Tactics

    Reviewed Feb. 29, 2020

    I needed something low cost and saw ads for Budget Rent-A-Car. I was quoted and charged a fair price right away as I ordered the car a few weeks in advance. When I got there the Budget Rep spent 25 minutes trying to get me to buy insurance and upgrade the car. I finally upgraded cause I had to leave but said NO to insurance. She blurted out additional fees for the upgrade, the extra drive, the upgrade... it was surreal.

    By the time we got to the car we were in a rush, but noticed the car in poor condition even in the dark airport garage. All the chips were easy to see because the car was white. Unfortunately we didn't notice the crack in the windshield until we pulled out. Too late to put it on the vehicle inspection sheet. So I paid TWICE as much as the original quote, and am dealing with my insurance now. Rent at Budget at your own risk... I know I won't be doing it again! I like a company that honors their quote, treats you with respect and honors your time, and doesn't attack you with a hard sell when you arrive at their location.

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    Price

    Reviewed Feb. 29, 2020

    Their policy is so ridiculous... We had to cancel a trip 7 weeks in advanced which cost $75 and was charged a $50 cancellation fee. It did state the cancellation cost in their terms but it's such a ridiculous amount when canceling so far in advance...thieves!

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    PricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingTransparencyTimeliness

    Reviewed Feb. 25, 2020

    Flew into Jacksonville airport at 9:30pm with a prepaid 7 day car reservation in hand but we, along with about a dozen other customers, were then told there were no cars available. The night manager said neither she nor her representative could help us and basically walked away closing the counter. I have flown many times and have never been put in a situation like this. We ended up taking an Uber to our condo for $32 and then Uber again the next day to get a local rental. Budget refunded my money back to my credit card but offered no explanation or other reimbursement. Their problem ended up to be my cost for the Uber charges and the inconvenience of getting into our Condo quite a bit later than expected. To verify my review I provide my paid confirmation number.. **

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaffBillingRatesHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed Feb. 24, 2020

    We rented a vehicle via phone in Ft. Lauderdale Fl Jan. 26, 2020. We negotiated a price with the agent as the price she offered was two and a half times more than the price listed on the Budget website. At the time, the agent offered to upgrade the vehicle to an "Impala" at no extra charge. We agreed to to this and at the time I asked if there would be any extra charges and she replied "no." When we picked up the vehicle at Ft. Lauderdale airport, we were told that to accommodate our needs (4 passengers and luggage) we would need to upgrade to a larger vehicle. We informed the agent that we had already been upgraded to an Impala which would easily have been large enough. He replied "we do not even rent out Impalas, those cars aren't even manufactured anymore." He informed us we could upgrade for an extra $20.00 per day.

    At the time we expressed our concerns and told him we felt we were being scammed and forced into this to accommodate our needs. In the end, we agreed to the upgrade. Upon arriving home, our credit card bill revealed an extra charge of 168.89. Upon completion of an online survey and call to customer service resulted in a reimbursement of $90.65...we will see if our credit card is credited. Their initial website prices were misleading. The so called upgrade was a complete scam. The final charges were more than quoted. We are very disgusted with Budget and will never recommend or use their services again.

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    Contract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 23, 2020

    I rented my car out of Raleigh NC and was asked if I wanted to upgrade for an additional $21 per day to which I declined as $21 was double what my daily rental charge was. If Budget wanted to up-sell me the least they could have done was offer me an upgrade for an additional $10 per day, had they done so I may have taken them up on their offer, but instead they attempted to gouge me!

    Once I arrived at my destination I was getting my luggage out of the car and noticed they rented me a car with out of state Tennessee plates which if anyone who has ever traveled knows having out of state plates makes you stick out like a sore thumb! If that wasn't enough the following evening I noticed the registration tag was out of date and had expired the month before! Budget had me driving with out of state plates and expired registration! Nothing screams "pull me over" louder than a car with out of state and expired tags. Thankfully I didn't get pulled over!

    As if my Budget rental experience wasn't bad enough at that point, when I was returning my rental to the Raleigh-Durham airport the entrance to the Budget return was closed! There was a sign on the back of a car blocking the entrance with the word "Avis" and an arrow pointing toward the Avis lot. I had no way to turn around once I had entered their driveway and had to back out into traffic! So I drove to the Avis lot down the street and there were no signs directing Budget customers where to drop off their car forcing me to stop at a booth in the lot to ask where I needed to take my Budget car where I was given directions. I asked the Avis attendant why the Budget return lot was closed. The Avis employee informed me that Budget didn't have enough employees to run the lot!

    Budget, you need to get your act together. Business travel is stressful enough without having to worry about driving a car that is not legally allowed to be on the road due to its expired license and then the hassle of returning the car to a closed lot. A situation created because Budget can't do something as basic and simple as ensuring you have enough staff to run your operations!

    I work for a large multi-national corporation who spends a lot of money on travel for their employees who travel all over the world and Budget can be assured I will be petitioning our corporate office to designate a different rental car agency as their preferred agency and even if I am not successful in my petition in the future I will make my own rental car arrangements for both business and vacation travel and I can assure you Budget will not be the rental agency I choose!

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingStaffRates

    Reviewed Feb. 20, 2020

    If not, your reservation is at risk of being cancelled w/o you being notified (yep, read the fine print). I live in a resort area of South Florida, and need to rent a car about once a month. Budget's rates are typically the lowest, cars are the best for the buck. However, they're running a scam in these heavy demand areas in season (heard this first hand from several employees). They'll let you reserve a car w/o paying upfront. Then, they'll try and offer that same car to other people who will pay upfront. If someone bites, they'll cancel your reservation, and won't even tell you. It's happened to me twice in the last 4 months. One time, on a Saturday, there were 3 people in front of me who had the same thing happen and were going ballistic. I was amazed that they didn't call the Police.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedOnline & AppStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 19, 2020

    My wife made a reservation for 12 noon at San Jose Ca airport. She had a 8 hour flight, she arrived at the Budget tells them the info and they tell her that she has to wait into 1:30pm for her rental. She ask them why they said her reservation is for 1:30 pm she shows them her email reservation confirmation itinerary and it says 12pm. Regardless of that they still making her wait into 1:30. I called customer service number that I got from their web site which wasn’t customer care. I was transferred from one person to another. After almost 30min of this I gave up. We will never rent from budget again it’s one of the worse experience with a car rental company we ever had. My wife rents cars on a monthly bases because of her job. This is the most unreliable company there is.

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    PricePunctuality & SpeedBilling

    Reviewed Feb. 15, 2020

    I rented a car on Christmas Eve from Budget. In February I discovered a large charge from them on the credit card. They claim the car was damaged, which it was not. The car was also smokey (smelled of ** smoke); however, since it was Xmas Eve, crowded, and we were anxious to join our family, we just decided to take it and reported it to the checkout person. We received a return receipt w/ no damages listed in January. Almost two months later and we now receive a charge for so-called "tire damage." I've never been involved in an accident (knock on wood) and if there was "tire damage", it must have been there already. Looking online, I notice there's a lot of complaints about late damage fees. This is the first time I've used Budget and I usually use Hertz or Enterprise. I've placed a ban on Budget with my credit card company for 4 years and will never be using them again. BEWARE!

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    Reviewed Feb. 13, 2020

    This was the worst car rental I ever experienced. They did not honor my reservation for a particular class of sedan. Instead they tried to make me take a minivan and said they had no more sedans. But when I got to the lot there were sedans there. I complained and only after I expressed anger did they magically provide me with the exact type of car I had originally reserved.

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    Contract & TermsPriceHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed Feb. 6, 2020

    I live in the North East, we booked a flight to Florida and I booked a rental through this company, due to a winter storm our flights were canceled and no other flights were available. I explained this and was still charged $150 cancellation fee for not cancelling with 24 hour notice. I would think that for reasons out of a person’s control, no fee should be charged. This was my first time ever renting a car and honestly I’ll probably never try it again.

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    Sales & MarketingRefunds & PayoutsStaffRatesTransparency

    Reviewed Feb. 2, 2020

    I am from the US and rented a car from Budget while in Ireland and brought it back within an hour because we did not feel comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road. Budget was so unresponsive and unwilling to give us any kind of credit or partial refund. Not even a discount towards our next rental. Their advice to us was to just keep the car and use it for the day because we paid for it - even though we admitted to them we did not feel it would be best for our safety and the safety of other drivers. Took over a month and reaching out for updates 3 times for budget to tell us they were closing the case because it was removed from the lot. The company is obviously way more interested in money than safety. We were also given a car that had a big dent on the side... Wonder how that happened?

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    Staff

    Reviewed Feb. 1, 2020

    Rented a car at West Palm Beach Florida. They were very nice. Went outside to catch the Budget Shuttle to take me to get the car. Well the Shuttle pulls up and a few people got on. Mind you the driver never got out of his seat once to help anyone. My suitcase was very heavy so I started to step up on the step and pull my suitcase. Not one person came to help not even the driver. So I get to the second step and lost my balance and fell on top of my suitcase on the ground. The driver finally gets up to help. He should not be driving that shuttle. His job is to help people on the Shuttle. This has happen before 2 1/2 years ago. Same guy never got out of his seat. This happen 1/13/2020 at 10:30 am West Palm Beach Florida. I will never use Budget again. The car I rented was nice.

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    Customer ServiceCoverageTechPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Jan. 29, 2020

    I booked a Budget van rental for $1600 through Expedia for a two week Italy trip this past summer (2019). I waited 2 hours maybe more in Rome airport for my rental. This is common there with Avis/Budget. When it came the contract stated 2400 euros. They assured me the difference was just a deposit for insurance/gas etc. I had 8 family members including kids waiting so I took them at their word and called later that day to follow up with them and they assured me this was the case. Of course it wasn't in the end. I contacted Budget numerous times, filing for review of the situation with their foreign office. Nothing. It's true that technically I signed a contract for this 2400 euros. Lesson learned. But I don't want to deal with a company that puts that burden on me with their poor service. Go with Europcar if travelling to Europe. Quick service. No problems.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 28, 2020

    I was in Dallas, TX for work and had rented a car through Budget. I scheduled the rental from Wednesday to Sunday. I finished my work early and returned the car a day early on Saturday. A few days later I see an additional charge on my card from Budget and immediately call to see why I had been charged an extra fee. They claim that they have no record of the car being returned on time, and charged me and extra 3 days. I had them review the case and still I am being charged the 370. These guys don't care about the customer and will screw you over if given the chance. Do not rent a car through Budget.

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    Contract & TermsPriceRefunds & PayoutsStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 19, 2020

    I had a prepaid and confirmed car rental agreement for a car in Texas. Denied my car rental. Left me stranded with no transportation. Had to fight to get a full refund. They will not pay extra costs but they have lots of apologies. I incurred additional costs of $150 as a result of no transportation not to mention the ruined vacation. Their Customer Care Representatives give lots of sympathy and apologies but very little action.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 18, 2020

    The website noted the Budget location I was renting a car from was open until 1 p.m. on Dec. 31 (New Year's eve). But when I arrived at 12:15 p.m. to drop off the rental they were already closed with a sign noting they would not reopen until Jan. 2. I called Budget's customer service and they told me to turn it in at their airport location in order to avoid being charged for two more days.

    I explained that the airport was 30-45 minutes away and that this would be inconvenient and costly because I would have to get a Lyft or Uber ride back home unless they would provide me with a ride instead. Neither the customer service rep nor the person at the airport counter was willing to provide me transportation or a $30 credit to cover my expense. Pathetic customer service. It's not like my request was unreasonable or that I had done anything wrong. It was totally Budget's fault and they wouldn't even take responsibility and do the right thing. From now on Enterprise will get my business only.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffRates

    Reviewed Jan. 17, 2020

    WARNING, I was disgusted with the service and treatment from Budget Rental Car. Several weeks prior to arriving at Baltimore Airport (BWI), I went online and prepaid in full for a 7 seater Ford Explorer. I also completed the Fastbreak so that I would not have to wait long for the vehicle. On 12/26/2019, we arrived at the front counter of Budget Rental Car and was told that I completed the Fastbreak and that the vehicle would be waiting for me outside.

    We exited the building to wait for the vehicle. Approximately 35 minutes later, an employee drives up with a 4 seater Jeep Compass 4X4. I told the employee that we prepaid for a 7 seater and he tells me that he would call a manager. Approximately 10 minutes later, Operation Manager Daniel ** appears and tells me that they rented all the 7 seater vans and SUVs. Mr. ** then tells me, “We are like the Airlines, and we take reservations with no promises”. I told Mr. ** that I did not need a 4X4 and he stated that he could not adjust the price to a non-4X4 vehicle until I returned the vehicle. I believed Mr. ** and took the vehicle.

    We ended up renting 2 vehicle because we did not all fit in 1 vehicle. On 1/2/2020, I returned the vehicle to Budget. On 1/3/2020, I called the Budget Rental Car number and spoke with Ms. **, ID **, who told me that the price was adjusted from a 7 seater that I prepaid to the regular price of a 4 seater, 4X4 SUV. Ms. ** was rude and refused to listen to me. After several minutes speaking with Ms. **, I requested a supervisor. Ms. ** placed me on hold for approximately 1 minute and returned to tell me that there were “no supervisors available today.” THE MORAL of the story is that IF YOU NEED a 7 SEATER VEHICLE, BUDGET RENTAL CAR will NOT PROMISE a 7 SEATER, EVEN IF YOU PREPAID FOR ONE.

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    Customer ServiceRefunds & PayoutsMaintenanceStaffTimelinessHonesty & Transparency

    Reviewed Jan. 17, 2020

    My experience today at Abbotsford Budget/Avis was so bizarre I feel it’s important to leave a review to warn others. Folks, use Enterprise - the manager at this location is not an honest person. I rented a car for 8 days in Abbotsford, and my initial impression was so great - clean, easy, friendly. On day 5 there was a lot of snow, so I didn’t drive at all.

    The next day I drove the car and the sensor warning lights were all blinking. I assumed it was possibly because of the ice and cold, parked it, and borrowed a vehicle from a friend. When it was the same the next day, I called Budget to let them know (I wasn’t driving the car as I didn’t feel safe). I spoke to the manager and explained what happened. He was nice and explained that it was probably frozen sensors (as I had thought), and said it was not a problem. I told him (several times) I would not drive it like that as I had borrowed a car, but would return it back the next day. He was agreeable and friendly and said the car was fine, it wasn’t a problem.

    But when I returned the car things got very weird. I spoke with the same manager. I brought up our conversation, he remembered me and repeated the same reassurances. Everything was cool... until I asked him if he could do anything for me. I think it was a reasonable question, especially as I had paid for several days for a car I didn’t feel safe to drive.

    I wasn’t demanding or entitled, honestly it was just a question. But immediately his entire tone changed. He became very hostile and started loudly blaming me, talking over me, and saying this was my fault for not calling immediately. (This was a total reversal of what he said just moments before, as well as earlier on the phone when he assured me I was doing the right thing.) I reminded him again that I HAD called him, and had even told him on the phone that I was worried about being blamed for the car malfunctioning. His raised voice and accusations were incredibly embarrassing as there were other customers in line. I was nearly in tears. I’m still so confused at this behaviour.

    Had he simply spoken to me with normal person-to-person respect I probably wouldn’t be leaving this review, but his behaviour was so far below a professional standard or even just basic customer service. He was totally fine with me paying for 3 days of a broken car that I had let him know about in advance. He told me there was nothing he could do, said to go ahead and complain to whoever I want, it was my own fault this happened for not calling. This person is a bully. I work in customer service myself, and I have never seen a manager behave in this way. There isn’t much at this point that I can do other than warn others to avoid.

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    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaffBilling

    Reviewed Jan. 14, 2020

    WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!! NEVER COMING BACK TO BUDGET!!!! This was my first time experience with Budget renting a car. I did had a reservation with full payment in advance. After reaching the pick up location, the rep said "I am replacing Andrew here and I dont have any cars in my lot". He said the same thing again and again unless trying to help us out. Then my husband called the customer care number where we had Louis apologizing and suggesting the nearest location as PHL airport sarcastically which is just 60 minutes away also paying additional $150. I am so pissed at Budget and its employees who did not help but even did not care to let us know by calling us or emailing us about their situation of not having cars. What kind of out dated system that is where the customer relies for its needs. Moreover the customer service was like 'pathetic'.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingRates

    Reviewed Jan. 14, 2020

    I rented from Philadelphia airport and always turn down the option to prepay gas. On this occasion, the pickup line was particularly long, and the agent was jumping back and forth between my order and another customer's. She did not ask me the question and I forgot about it. It turns out the agent, whether purposefully or accidentally chose the option to pay for a tank of gas. Not knowing this, I returned the car full of gas and confirmed with the agent at drop off, but I am now being charged for a full tank of gas.

    Upon calling customer service and waiting on hold, I was first told they have no way of knowing the level of gas at return and automatically charge customers when this option is chosen. Upon writing to customer service and providing a portion of my credit card bill, as directed, Budget now says that I returned the tank with less fuel than when I left. This is absolutely false, and the company would rather stick to a standard response than correct their mistake and retain a customer. Terrrible, terrible, terrible customer service. This is unethical behavior, and I would rate zero stars if I could. I recommend you take my advice and never rent with Budget again.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceRefunds & Payouts

    Reviewed Jan. 13, 2020

    Reserved a car on Black Friday, as they had a special going on where you would receive a percentage of the rental cost back in the form of an Amazon e-gift card. The site had me log in to my Amazon account, and before I clicked Reserve it gave me the total I would receive on the gift card, which was supposed to be in my inbox 48 hours after I returned the vehicle. After a week I called Customer Service to see if they had mailed it instead, but the woman on the phone said she didn't know what happened and would look in to it and basically rushed me off the phone. She said I would receive an email within 5-7 days. 11 days after that I called again and the woman said there was nothing on my reservation related to that promotion and there was nothing she could do for me. Then she literally hung up on me before I could respond. Avoid this trashy car rental company at all costs.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedOnline & AppRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingLoan Process

    Reviewed Jan. 10, 2020

    My experience with Budget Rent-A-Car was by far the worst customer service treatment I have ever received. I was severely inconvenienced by them and not a single employee at two separate locations seemed to care or offer a solution to the issue, despite me being polite to them throughout the multi-hour hassle. So, to start off, I had made a reservation through Expedia to rent a car for two days. I had two job interviews back to back, one in Marietta, GA and the other in Little Rock, AR. Flying round trip was crazy expensive, so my plan was to rent a car from my home in Greenville, SC, to drive it to Marietta and then to Little Rock, then to fly back to Greenville. I make the rental car reservation online and put in my card information with no issues.

    Well, when I get to the Greenville airport Budget Rent-A-Car location, I am informed that they cannot take my card as payment because it is a debit card. They only accept credit. No where on the website or during the reservation was this mentioned let alone emphasized. I put in my card info online was not prompted with any kind of message. I do not nor have I ever owned a credit card because I simply do not like the idea of spending money I don't have. Well apparently if you're going to rent a car from certain places, including this one, it's either use credit or get out.

    The guy at the counter said their location 20 minutes away would accept debit, but I did not have time to waste because I had to make it to dinner prior to my interview. I had no other choice but to walk all the way back to my car and drive my car to Marietta. I decided I would have to figure out another way to rent a car either from Marietta or Atlanta when after the dinner and leave my car there/pick it up later (2.5 hour drive away from home).

    I called the Budget Rent-A-Car location at the Atlanta airport and asked if they would accept debit for a one-way drive. They said yes, as long as I showed them my return flight itinerary and a form of ID, both of which I had on hand. I make another reservation online through Priceline for a total of about $90. I left the dinner in Marietta around 8 pm and got to the Atlanta airport around 8:30 pm. I finally get to the Budget counter, and the lady at the counter tells me they do not accept debit. I explain that I talked with someone on the phone who said I could, and another employee says "yes actually we can if you have a return flight itinerary." I show them this and they try to run my card for the car, but the card gets declined for an unknown reason.

    I call my bank to find out what happened, and apparently they tried to run my card for both the cost of the car ($90) and for a ridiculous >$200 deposit (which is SUPPOSED to be held and taken out only if necessary rather than taken out immediately). I am a student living on student loans and at the time, I only had enough in my account to pay for the car. No mention was made of the deposit when they swiped my card.

    So, I call a loved one to ask if I can please borrow some money to be able to afford this rental, and fortunately they were able to direct wire me sufficient funds. By now, I have been there for about 3 hours. I go back to the Budget counter and they tell me "oh wait, did they not tell you? If your card gets declined we can't run it again for another 24 hours." Insane. I obviously do not have 24 hours. She tells me "go to management over there, tell them that we swiped your card without your consent and they should be able to do lift the restriction." I go to management and say exactly what she told me to say, only for the response to be an absolute "NO. We can't do that." I explain the situation and plead with them, but they still said no in a very uncaring fashion.

    Frustrated, I decide I am going to try my luck with different rental car companies there. By this time, it is past midnight. My Airbnb host in Marietta is wondering where the hell I am at considering I was supposed to check in hours ago. I am considering cancelling my important interview in Little Rock at this point. My frustration is at an all-time high. Finally, an agent from Alamo is able to set me up with a rental car using my card with no issues or push back. I finally am able leave the ATL airport at 1:30 AM. I get back to Marietta around 2 AM, giving me a whole 4 hours of sleep before my interview in Marietta and my 8-hour drive to Arkansas.

    Ultimately, I still made it to both interviews, but holy crap - what a NIGHTMARE experience trying to rent a car. Never in my life have I felt so inconvenienced simply for not having a credit card. My car is still parked in Atlanta and I am having to inconvenience my boyfriend to drive me 2.5 there tomorrow so that I can pick it up. Budget Rent-A-Car wasted so much of my time and energy with not so much as apologizing for my trouble. The way I was treated was unacceptable. I will NEVER rent from them ever in my life and neither should you. I can't emphasize enough how TERRIBLE my experience was. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THIS SORRY EXCUSE FOR A COMPANY!

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Jan. 9, 2020

    Budget Rent-A-Car is the worst rental service. Customer service is terrible and policies are even worst. My car rental is $58.00 they are wanting to charge me $150.00 cancellation fee, more than the rental itself. Keep in mind I'm providing a 48 hour notice. The young lady on the phone asked reason for cancellation, and as I explained that I would be needing to attend a funeral service... she said that the reason may or may not be a valid for cancellation. At that point I'm confused thinking you're just asking and making small talk as part of being in customer service but no it was reason behind it.

    Unfortunately me needing to attend a funeral is not reason enough to cancel a rental car. I thought the ploy and tactic used to garner a "reason" for cancellation was terrible and in poor taste. There should not even be a question as too why you are canceling with proper time of notification. And this is the corporate number that was provided I am speaking too so this is rotten from the head of the snake.

    I will NEVER use or refer Budget again. So in conclusion I will rent the car, pick up the keys and leave it parked at their facility for 58 dollars instead of cancelling and being charged 150 dollars and this I explained to them and asked, "How does this make any sense to you?" I told them I do not have time to play games of cancellation. We were just informed our Son's military base in Iraq was attacked heading to his uncles funeral in the coming day and I'm having to deal with this unreasonable company instead. Negative STARS and Shame on Budget! I will never forget this treatment. I hope my 58.00 dollars are worth it.

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    Contract & TermsCoveragePriceMaintenanceRates

    Reviewed Jan. 9, 2020

    The Toyota Rav4 we rented from Budget was not well maintained. The breaks sounded like metal rubbing on metal and squealed from the start. Ants came crawling out of center console not long after we left the parking lot. And to top it all off, when returned they told us the license plate was missing and that we owed them $479 to replace the license plate that must have rattled loose on the bumpy dirt roads because THEY did not screw it on well enough. This is approximately the same price it would have cost us for the insurance if we had purchased it. The cost of the rental was already very expensive. Try Costa Rent A Car instead. We met a couple that paid a lot less renting from them and were very happy as this was their 5th time using them.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffBilling

    Reviewed Jan. 6, 2020

    Rented a car from Budget in Rome, Italy in September 2019. It was a nightmare from the start. After a 2 1/2 hour wait, we ended up with a car that was not the one we reserved, was manual transmission instead of the automatic we reserved. They did a lousy job of identifying the numerous little dents and scratches on the car, so we took photos (just in case). That did not help. When we returned the car, the guy said that there was a scratch on the rear bumper that was not shown on his paper. I pointed out to him that it was there before and showed him the photo. He said it was not his job to make a judgement, but that it shouldn't be a problem. I requested a copy of his report and he said that it would be emailed within a week.

    What I got was a credit card charge on my statement for 986 Euro. I still had not received any documentation from Budget. Tried to contact them for details, but no way. So I contacted Auto Europe (the car rental broker), and they got me a copy of the invoice (in Italian only) showing repairs, roadside assistance, rail charges...etc. All made up to pad the credit card charge. I could not get a hold of Budget. STAY AWAY.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffTimeliness

    Reviewed Jan. 4, 2020

    I made an online reservation through Costco to pick up a premium SUV through Budget at JAX airport 1/3 @ 6:00. The day I made the vehicle reservations online I called and explained I needed a 4 wheel drive vehicle. They said they will note my account, which they did. I tried many times to call the Jacksonville airport 24-48 hours before pick up to confirm they would have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I made it known if I could not get a 4 wheel drive vehicle I needed cancel because it was critical I got 4 wheel drive as I was driving towards the Great Lakes.

    When I got to the airport to pick up the lady explained to me they brought in a 4 wheel drive suv for me. I then went out to the garage to pick up the suburban, the two women in the garage didn’t know if it was 4 wheel drive and instructed me to go to the back on the garage to see a guy named John who helped me figure out that the vehicle was not 4 wheel drive. He instructed me to go back inside and ask for a 4 wheel. I turned the suburban in and walked back in to the airport and was told they did not have any 4 wheel drive vehicles, even though they stated the one I got was, which it was not. The manager at the airport stated that if she would’ve seen the note on the account she would’ve held me a 4 wheel drive suv. The note on the account was made the day I made the reservation online- so a month or two ahead of time—-?

    I asked the manager what my options where: she said drive to another airport to get a 4 wheel vehicle- like Atlanta, but they couldn’t guarantee there would in fact be a 4 wheel drive car for me when I get there. I asked about other locations in Jacksonville and the manager stated they didn’t have any- without even checking. She told me I could come back the next day and see if anyone had dropped off a 4 wheel drive. I told her I had my 3 month old, my 3 year old and husband in the car outside waiting with all our belongings packed.

    In the end I did not receive a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and we went back to our home In Jacksonville, not going to PA like planned. When I called customer service instructed me they couldn’t transfer me to the Jacksonville location when I called to speak with the manager I talked with earlier so I could get a car the following day. I will never use budget again if this is how their customer service is or vehicle planning is. On 1/4 we went through enterprise and the customer service was amazing. The manager at the location called neighboring stores and found us a 4 wheel drive suv like we wanted.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedRefunds & PayoutsStaffBillingRates

    Reviewed Jan. 4, 2020

    I found out my husband's work union gave a HUGE discount when renting through Budget. On November 10th, 2019 I rented a 7 passenger SUV for $876.25 (grand total) prepaid for 10.5 days during our Christmas vacation in Florida. Hubby was watching YouTube videos and a recommendation was to keep checking rental prices for drops. Around December 5, 2019 (about 2 weeks before trip) I noticed a huge price drop ($365.21 less) so I called Budget. They immediately "modified" my rental and I would see a $365.21 credit on my credit card in 5-10 business days. I watched and watched but no credit. Called several times. They assured me that by December 20th it would FOR SURE be in as that would've the 10th business day. Well it wasn't.

    I thought maybe it was behind with the holidays or the fact that our rental was to be returned on December 28th. Called again today January 3, 2020, and got the biggest run around- excuse after excuse. They claimed my card was only charged $511 (price drop amount) despite me telling them that no I'm looking at my credit card statement and $876.25 was charged November 10th. They claimed there were no other charges. I told them I was looking at the statement as we spoke.

    I asked to speak with a manager. Then they claimed "no manager on shift", which turned into "manager isn't available right now" and soon "manager is currently assisting another customer". They refused to give me their name, manager name any type of case number or employee number yet demanded that I give them the FULL credit card # that I booked with. They then told me a manager would call me back in 24-72 hours. I told them this is at least my 4th time calling and my refund was "guaranteed" in my account by December 20th. I told them I would continue to hold on the phone until this was resolved.

    After 1 hour and 10 mins a manager comes on. I still was not willing to give a full credit card # with all the inconsistencies going on. I demanded a full credit immediately before perusing further action. I had a copy of my first amount charged and a receipt showing what the charge was which indicated the $365 difference. Manager eventually tells me that the $365 wasn't processed through the system but he put it through today and it will take 7 business days. However refused to give me any confirmation! He then stated he didn't have confirmation as it was on his "to do list". I continued to persist how I needed a confirmation. He eventually gave me a case number and said he sent a email confirmation but that email takes 4 hours to send.

    I did later get said email but WOW! I also find it very odd that the email comes from 'VABdisputes". If anyone is booking with Budget be VERY, VERY careful and keep every receipt and statement - be persistent. I can definitely say I will NOT be using them again (also had a few issues picking up and dropping off rental).

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    Refunds & Payouts

    Reviewed Jan. 3, 2020

    I made a reservation for a Jeep through Budget Rent a car in St. Thomas, VI. I made the reservation six months in advance. When we arrived at the airport on Christmas day, I was told that they did not have any Jeeps or SUV's available. We are a family of 5 and needed the room. When I asked why they did not have the car that I reserved six months ago, I was rudely told that it is not their problem. We then needed to pay for taxi service for the next few days before we could rent another car. I will never rent from Budget again!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 31, 2019

    Tried calling customer service regarding toll charges I shouldn’t have been charged. I was cut off or on hold for about an hour. I asked to speak to a supervisor when I called new reservations, which was the only way I could speak to a person. I was told to call back tomorrow or a supervisor would call me back in 24 to 48 hours. The toll charges were automatically placed on my account but when I called to ask questions I have to wait 24 to 48 hours.

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    Price

    Reviewed Dec. 31, 2019

    Upgrade available online for $505. Was told at the counter I would get a deal of $450. When I brought the car back the bill was $700. Service was awful. Car was definitely not worth that kind of money. NEVER EVER AGAIN> STAY AWAY.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 29, 2019

    My husband and I rented a car from New Jersey to drive to Michigan. His company paid for the rentals using their credit card a few days before we left. The trip there was fine. Trying to go back to New York was a different story. We were to pick up the car at Toledo airport but they wouldn’t let my husband use a debit card (even though the rental was already fully paid for) so they sent us to another budget location 20 minutes away. We get there and they accept debit cards but can’t give us the rental because we don’t have the physical credit card that was used to pay for it. The website did not say this anywhere when we booked the rental.

    My husband had to call customer service and a supervisor gave us a refund to his company card, but could not explain why three different budget locations have three different policies. We also didn’t even get an apology. We are stuck in Michigan for an extra day and my husband is missing an important day of work in NYC. If we didn’t have relatives that could help us rent a car with a different credit card tomorrow we would be stranded. I do not recommend! Make sure to research ALL policies before travel!

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    Contract & TermsCoveragePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Dec. 29, 2019

    We rented a vehicle from Budget in Oct 2019 from the Lisbon Portugal airport location. I have rented from various rental agencies all over Europe and North America and never had a problem. We had no issues with the car and returned the vehicle on time early in the morning to catch a flight - I asked the attendant to check in the vehicle and he said it was fine - just go on - MY BIG MISTAKE!

    After we arrived home I found out Budget/Avis had charged our Visa over 1100 Euros for what was supposed to be a 40 Euro rental. I had to chase Budget to provide the details - they finally emailed a damage claim for a scuff on the mirror and a scratch on the underside of the car - which very likely was pre-existing. Our insurance through Visa covered the questionable claim - but not an inflated 'Location charge' over 120 Euros - as it wasn't part of the 'damages'. So what is this charge for? If it's related to the damages why isn't that stated? My multiple attempts to get this corrected by Budget have been useless. This is basically a fraud - the contract agreement stated the location charge - there were no details as to why this charge would change. Budget is basically operating in a fraudulent manner that is not only insurance fraud for bogus damage claims - it is also ripping off customers by inflating baseless 'charges' with no explanation.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 26, 2019

    I called Budget customer service to dispute an extra charge. The representative was rude, continuously cut me off while I was speaking, and condescending while I tried to explain the misunderstanding. On top of everything, I could barely understand his English. I have used budget car rentals many times over the years, and this is my first bad experience. But bad experience is an understatement. I was treated like an idiot. When I asked to speak to a Manager, I was put on hold for a brief moment and then told that there were no managers available. Frankly, the way I was treated is disgusting.

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    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 26, 2019

    On December 14, 2019, at about 2:00 pm, we were literally kicked out by a Budget- employee at their office in Salzburg airport, Austria. We had a voucher from "Economy car rentals", but she refused to give us a car since they didn't have a car at the moment?!!? Both their Budget.com website and Economycarrentals.com had cars in stock at this moment. I wanted to speak her boss and manager, but she told us He was out of the office.

    I called "Economy car rentals" to contact a Budget-officer, but they did not reach an agreement about who was right and who was wrong ... Who is responsible for my nerves and the horror of not being able to pick up the car we booked? Good thing "Economy car rentals" paid us back the down payment. But for me, Budget car rental is a fake company that cannot be relied upon and they are not correct with their customers. I am extremely indignant and angry with the behavior of their employee, who left us on the street with a slight hand…. Never again Budget car rental!!!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Dec. 26, 2019

    We rented the car through Expedia. Expedia told me that a Budget employee would meet us at the arrivals terminal, holding a sign with our name on it. Nobody had it so we looked for the Budget desk. They don’t have a desk at the airport. An employee at another car rental agency helped us find the Budget employee. We got a flat tire on Christmas Day. Budget International Roadside Assistance told us to change the tire and bring it to Bariloche (Argentina) airport, since we couldn’t really drive much on the spare and without a spare in case we had another problem. Budget was the only car rental agency not working on Christmas Day. Hertz, Alamo, even the little car rental companies had people at the airport, helping customers. Be warned if you’re thinking of using Budget.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 23, 2019

    I rented a car from Budget Rent A Car in November from the Minneapolis airport. When we got to the desk, there were several people in line and only 1 representative to check people in. It took almost an hour to get to our turn and get our car ordered up. The Rep apologized and did upgrade us to a Ford Fusion Hybrid. Then it took the staff another 20 minutes to actually bring the car around. The car ran fine and was very nice to drive, until the 3rd morning. We drove the car the night before, shut it off, turned the lights off and locked the car. The next morning the car was completely dead! The remote door entry would not work. I had to find a You-Tube video to see how to use the key to get into the car. Once in, it was still completely dead.

    At this point in time, I am thinking it needs to be towed to the Ford dealer to see what is wrong with the car. Obviously, something was wrong. I finally called the roadside service to get someone to look at the car. They determined it needed a jump. After an hour and no response, I called the roadside service again. They explained they did not know where I was at, even though I had given them the address and town and zip code. After another half hour and no response. I called the counter at Dollar Rent A Car where I got the car and asked them what I should do. Their only response was to call the roadside service number again. I asked them how I was suppose to get a dead car back to their site which is 200 miles away and their response was to call roadside assistance.

    So I called roadside assistance again. I was told the person answering would check into it and call me back. An hour later, I again for the 4th time called roadside assistance, and finally this person looked into, figured out where I was located, and contacted a service person to come out and look at the car. After 4 hours, that person called and said they would be there in 20 minutes. They jumped the car and it did start. Needless to say, we had no confidence in the car after that and still had a couple of days until we were back in Minneapolis.

    To add insult to injury, 2 weeks after I got home, I received a bill in the mail for the $175 jump to be charged to my credit card. I contacted the company to complain about being charged for a jump that was not my fault and got the normal corporate run around, you did not take our optional roadside service for $8 per day, so you are being charged to service our car. Period. Find a car rental company that will stand behind their cars and not charge you for items that are not your fault. And most importantly, will not leave you stranded by the side of the road for 4 hours with a dead car!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 22, 2019

    I had a wonderful experience renting a car from Budget at the Sears location in the Brandon mall. The service that Sahar provides it’s amazing. Sahar always has a smile and makes you feel welcome. Sahar is an asset to your company. Will always use that location to rent because she provides excellent customer service.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 19, 2019

    I'll keep this as simple as I can. Rented a car while in Anaheim Cal. Received a parking ticket. I paid the ticket immediately (October). Ticket was for 52.50. I Send by regular mail and email Budget receipts of the payment. Two months later Budget withdrew $122.50 out of my bank account. The idiots don't have brains enough to double check if the the ticket is still owed before inconveniencing their ex client. I am currently disputing the charge. I know I will get my monies back back but having to deal with Budget again and having to submit paperwork to the bank has been a really bit inconvenience. I call them idiots because there was not one person at Budget that seemed intelligent enough to get something going or understand on my behalf. Stay away from renting with Budget.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 16, 2019

    I made a $260 prepaid reservation for mid-November. When my wife got pneumonia, we had to cancel, expecting Budget to refund $210 and keep the $50 processing fee. We received email saying this would happen. Budget subsequently refunded only the $50 and kept $210. Two lengthy phone conversations since have assured me the claim will be re-submitted and corrected. The promised number of business days come and go, and still no credit correction. I had been a satisfied customer with Budget Rent-A-Car for many years of business travel, but I had never before had to cancel and expect the company would abide by its own cancellation policy. They've lost my business.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Dec. 16, 2019

    Mother reserved car months ahead, to be picked up Thanksgiving day at the only location in the area that was open to go out of state. She reserves a car with Budget every year on the same week and picks up at the same location, ORF airport, and uses the same credit card every year including last year Dec. 2018. We arrive with her PREPAID reservation and give the VISA bank card for security hold that is the same card that was used to pre pay for the rental online, and she is denied the rental. She has prepaid, the sign posted behind cashier states debit card policy and how they do accept debit, this is the same card that has paid for the rental, this is just a hold needed.

    This is Thanksgiving day, no other Budgets are open and we are told this location does not accept debit/visa cards since 2017. They took this same card last year at the exact same location. We had to call in and cancel reservation because we were told it could not be transferred to me. We rented the same car for over $170.00 more just so we could use my credit card. Budget would not honor the prepaid rental amount paid for for the same car exact car months before that is ready for her pick up. So I paid the higher price so we could make our vacation and leave the same day as planned. Over a week later, We return the car with no issues, clean, gas, on time, etc..and I am billed a $150.00 fee 8 days after paying for the rental.

    I secured over the phone, signed at the counter, and have the receipt for stating no insurance. I call when I see the $150 charge on my card and I am told at the time of return I asked for insurance of $150.00... which I did not. Why would I ask for insurance when it is returned..Now I am told by customer service at budget it can not be refunded to me even though I did not ask for it nor did I agree to the charge.

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    Reviewed Dec. 16, 2019

    I rented car for two months. The budget provided the car and I paid all by bills and car was inspected and found all OK and I was charged to my credit card in Sept. 2018 accordingly. Thereafter, I received their claim letter and raised bill of more than C$ 800 towards damages. I did not agree for any payment so far since I returned car in good condition and it was inspected by their staff and my bill was paid in full. If there was any damage then why they did not inform me next day. I did not get any information till I received letter from their lawyer to pay. It is big harassment for me since I am senior citizen and retired. How can I deal with Budget in future?

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 12, 2019

    Let me preface this by saying I am a very patient person and I typically do not let situations undo me in the way that this situation has. We rented a car through Budget in July and pre-paid $350 for everything prior to our trip to Iceland. When we picked up the car in September for the start of our trip everything was fine, they placed a $556 dollar hold on my credit card which I assumed was just in case of damages, etc, that was completely fine. When we turned in the car, the charge of $556 was dropped, we were told the car was in good condition and that we were good to go.

    A month goes by and suddenly at the end of October I have a charge for $556 on my credit card. I call Budget and they tell me because the counter in the airport in which I rented from is privately owned, they cannot do anything without allowing them to reach out to me with what the charges were within 30 days. I of course, call my bank and they deem it fraudulent and remove the charge and I get a new card. Within those 30 days, I never heard from Budget, and Capital One adds back the charge after 30 days because it's not "technically" fraudulent since we were in Iceland at that time and they were authorized by the merchant (Budget.)

    I call Budget 3 more times, they tell me once again they can not help me and I need to be patient and wait for an email from that specific branch of Budget to provide me with information about my rental and what I was being charged for. We are now in mid-December and I am still disputing this charge through Capital One and attempting to find a resolution in which the merchant doesn't just kick back the charge to Capital One. This has gone on for 4 months. I have never been more disappointed in a service in my life. This is not how you treat consumers - do you think anyone would ever rent from you again after these kind of experiences? Do better, because we have plenty of options and you surely don't have to be one of them.

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    Reviewed Dec. 11, 2019

    I attempted to rent a car in the Philadelphia area and went through the website to verify information in which did not give the amount or an approximate amount of a deposit other than the charge for the rental. When I arrived at the Bala Cynwyd location it was told to me there would be a $200 deposit, which I hadn't prepared for as I was flying out the next day. I went through all of the policies and nowhere was that stated. I am highly disappointed in the lack of transparency with this company and will not solicit this car rental agency after using this place several times. I would give a less than 1 star if that was an option.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffReliability

    Reviewed Dec. 11, 2019

    I am in tears right now writing this. I am not a crying person, but I am come my wit's end. I am suppose to be on Vacation. All was well, and I had to come back for a 24 work function. I because of time difference I only had breakfast, by the time I land it is almost 5pm, I pick up my vehicle and start heading home. 40 mins into my 22 mile drive because it is rush hour, my low tire pressure light comes on. I am about halfway home, I am hungry and tired.

    I call Budget and they ask if I would like to come back and exchange the vehicle, I am halfway home and I explain that traffic is bad who knows when I will reach the next exit, and how long it will take me to get processed for a new vehicle, so I request that I just get the tire changed. They tell me I have to pay for it. "What!" I have to pay for a defective vehicle??? After being on hold for ages, I am told they can work something out and someone will come to my home. Roadside assists ask if I am in Florida, that is nowhere near where I am. Eventually we get into it because I explain my vehicle has a slow leak. She tells me to go to a gas station, refill the air because there are people on the freeway that need assistant more than me, and exchange the vehicle tomorrow. She hangs up on me.

    I have NEVER had such a rude customer service person, I am so angry, sad and frustrated. I have wasted 3.5 hours on this issue. I did not rent a vehicle for people to be rude to me or worry about my safety because my rental has a slow leak. I am a single women who is not comfortable driving to some gas station in the dark to get air! That is just not safe all around. Renting from Budget was a big mistake for me and I very much regret it. I should have stuck to my usual rental company.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Dec. 10, 2019

    Budget tagged on additional charges that were not occurred. They charged me for an empty gas tank...it was filled at airport gas station! They charged me an extra 4 days...car was returned on time. They also charged me for liability insurance. If you have rented with Budget make sure you check your credit card statement. They are dishonest! The charge is in dispute with my credit card company as Budget customer service is as hopeless. My rental car went from $274.00 to $516.00. Never again! It seems standard that they charge for gas. If you are already committed to renting a car through them. Have they look at gas needle when you return car and sign to the fact that it is full.

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    Reviewed Dec. 10, 2019

    My rental cars side mirror was damaged by another motorist. Budget billed her insurance and also debited my card, collecting twice the damage amount. To get them to acknowledge this was a nightmare. I had to conference call budget and USAA insurance. Budget wanted a copy of the cancelled check USAA had paid them with. Unbelievable. This is not a good company to do business with, it is better to go elsewhere. Anywhere else for that matter.

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    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 9, 2019

    Rented a SUV from them in Bozeman in July to see Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. The SUV's entire windshield was cracked. We did not want to take the SUV as we felt it was unsafe so returned to the rental car counter. We were told no other cars were available and after checking the other car rental agencies in the airport none of them had cars available either. We had flown from Fort Lauderdale all the way out to Montana and had no choice but to take the car. My husband ensured the agent at the counter notated the SUVs crack across the windshield.

    After driving it for 2-1/2 days, we felt very unsafe and were able to turn it in and receive a truck in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, after begging with the manager at Budget in Jackson Hole to provide us with a safe vehicle. Two months after I returned the car, I received a letter from Budget stating I caused $800 to their vehicle's windshield. I disputed the charge; however, six weeks later Budget is still charging me for the damage that I didn't cause. I will never rent from them again. I believe the agent at the counter, falsified the rental agreement and took off the notated cracked windshield.

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    Reviewed Dec. 7, 2019

    Worse car rental company on this planet. If you like to be charged fees without even actually renting the car, then go ahead and select Budget. Otherwise, use anyone else. I wish there was a zero star option on here. The corporate office is the worse I've seen as far as their policy on cancelling a rental. They truly are a horrible business and I plan on sharing this over again.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & MarketingPriceStaffReliability

    Reviewed Dec. 5, 2019

    In the hopes that some corporate executive actually reads this evaluation, I will try to politely explain my grievances and my firm belief that "BUDGET AUTO RENTAL" located at the Cleveland International Airport, is engaging in an "unlawful" -Bait and switch- program. Confirmation #** (for compact auto/economy: quoted charge of 453.96 for approx. 13 days of use). Itinerary #**. Reservation made (on/about) 5 Sept 2019.

    ORDER OF EVENTS: Arrived Cleveland as planned, after an overnight, sleepless flight with three heavy bags of luggage. Took shuttle to rental facility. Presented my credentials and of course, credit card. Rep behind desk informs me that all she has available is a 9 Pax and a Pickup Truck, if I did not want what was available, then she would upgrade my reservation to full size vehicle at 150.00 extra. I asked why was I being charged for the upgrade, she informed me it was all she could do. Tired from the overnight/sleepless flight, I reluctantly accepted her terms.

    Inspected the vehicle for external/engine performance/damage and I drove the car (Ford Edge), to my first destination on the East side of Cleveland, S Euclid. Noticed the Charging System Indicator light on dash was on. Contacted the rental facility automated customer service-911 to get instruction, she informed me to take vehicle to nearby annex for replacement vehicle or possible repair. 10 minute drive to annex (per 911 human instructions), the proprietor informed me, he could not help me, if I wanted a replacement, I would have to go back to the Airport (CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!). I had no choice but to drive (on the Highway) 20-40 minute drive with a disabled vehicle, for a replacement vehicle. (Note: At this time I was dead tired, angry and hoping the car would make it to the Airport, and not break down on the Highway).

    Luckily, the same Rep was behind desk and still on duty. She gave me another vehicle, this time a Chevy Impala, same rules - same price. Inspected vehicle, as I always do with rentals, for external/engine performance/damage (found a scratch on left rear fender), noted/informed the people at the lot exit, she confirmed my observations and I drove off. Still tired and frustrated, I finally arrived at my final destination. A few days later, the low tire pressure indicator light and chime came on. (At that moment, considering the inconvenience I experienced with the previous vehicle, I opted to just go to the many gas stations, every few days, that had operational air pumps, and pay to refill the tire; another inconvenience, this time with a price, though the price was insignificant).

    I did not prepare myself for these problems; I tried to reduce the cost of this trip, and then I get hit with: a "bait and switch scheme". Two, not one, two vehicles with malfunctions that should have been discovered before being reissued. Worrying about a vehicle breakdown in the mid of a congested street; or worst, on the highway. Paying for minor repairs and wondering if, when and where the next problem will occur. When trying to contact, the very confusing "automated customer service line", there is NO possible way to speak to a "human" other than the 911 option.

    I know some will question; why didn't he just go to another rental agency, or perhaps borrow a friend or family member's car, or just continue complaining about "price and customer service"? My answer to this and any other questions there may be; "I'm tired, angry, and with the inflated price I paid I should not have had problems, period".

    I realize that this complaint will not be of concern for your operation, but hey; YOU GOT PAID. I can at least promise you this, I will walk before I rent anything from your organization again; furthermore, I will inform my friends/family members of this experience so they will not fall PREY to your dynamic business practices combined with an inadequate customer service. BAIT AND SWITCH is not legal in this country.

    It should not be up to the customer to drive all over the city to resolve maintenance issues of your vehicles. Your vehicles should be inspected and repaired when returned to the rental agency before being reissued to the next customer (I know the fast turnaround of the product is very profitable, however, you should consider your customers' situation). The name says it all; "BUDGET AUTO rental", I got what I paid for, malfunctions along with all other risks and inconveniences. I thank you for a very memorable vacation; first and last time with you as a reliable source for my personal transportation needs (IRONY, in case you missed it...).

    I realize the emotional content of my writing, after proof reading the above, I apologize for the emotional part, not the content. To be fair (giving your company a benefit-of-doubt), my situation may have been a "one in a thousand occurrence" and I happened to be that lucky one. But, and there is always a "but"; it shouldn't happen at all.

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    Price

    Reviewed Dec. 4, 2019

    Please be aware that Budget Rent-a-Car expects customers to return the car in the same condition it was when picked up. This means they expect the customer to take the car thru a car wash and have it vacuum cleaned prior to returning the vehicle. If you fail to do this, they will charge your credit card afterwards a hefty amount for cleaning services. I was charged $75 just for vacuum cleaning the front doormats. This is a SCAM, so please be aware!!!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 4, 2019

    I do not even want to give one star! The several people I talked to with this company, they overcharged me, and blamed me for the overcharge without giving any concrete explanation. We waited in the line more than an hour at the Orlando airport and picked up our car 1.5 hr after the scheduled time. They even gave us a totally different class of car without apologizing or saying anything. The customer service over the phone was even worse than the service at the airport. They literally steal peoples' money!!!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Dec. 3, 2019

    Updated on 12/04/2019: Are you making any fun on customers, I have provided evidence and again charge only refund $20.82, my actual bill is $134.03 that's it... Why do making again charges, you have a all details in your system but again asking all details. Bad thing there is no Budget or avis people in the airport when i return the car and I dropped the car in the budget car line and went to inside airport inform the budget counter then they said "Leave the keys inside the car then good to go we ll take care of everything". Please check airport camera's. I went inside at what time and whom i communicate inside airport... Again am telling i was refilled the fuel full tank and 2 days rental is $134.03. Apart from that i will not ready to pay single cent to budget... This is something like mental torching to customer, renting a car like a hell in Budget or AVIS... I don't want to provide anything other than these...

    Original review: I had a bad experience with Budget car rental service like I return the car in Indianapolis airport on Nov 29th, but you guys charged Nov 30th to dropped the car. After dropped car I took Uber ride at 10:46 PM holding that evidence shows I dropped the car on Nov 29th only. So you blindly put the charge on customer without looking into any evidence, This is first time I took rental with Budget had worst service never had ever. I spoke to customer service executive. She stating that as per budget rules regulation so that mean your rules cheating the customer?

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    Reviewed Dec. 3, 2019

    I have been renting from Budget for fifteen years at the Panama City Beach, Florida location. Chris has been my handler for that long period of time without any issues. However, my last several renting experiences in the past year have become a nightmare. Chris has become an ** with my dog traveling with me leaving the smallest traces of dog hair. My last trip I was charged $250 for traces of dog hair even though I thoroughly vacuumed the car before returning the vehicle. Chris even said that he smelled a “hint” of cigar smoke in the car. There was no smoking in the car at all during my trip. I say all of this because I believe Budget nowadays is eager to be greedy and lazy to clean the cars they rent even at a standard level of use. I will never use Budget again.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 3, 2019

    I will start by saying I have rented a few cars from this location and NEVER had an issue. This time was different. I always remembered booking my reservation through an app and prepaying before pick up. Perhaps that is why I have never had an issue. I made my reservation online. It was for a compact sedan and it was approximately 30 dollars per day before taxes and fees. Again, I have rented cars before. I know those are extra. The girl that took care of me was kind of pushy about extra services, insurance and upgrades. Again this wasn’t my first time renting a car and I know she was just doing what she was probably told to do. I asked what kind of car I was getting and she told me, something small like a Honda Fit. She then said, "We do recommend a little bit bigger of a vehicle with the weather and temperature." She recommended a Mazda CX-5. I did have a passenger with me and luggage and I agreed it made sense.

    So I asked about the price difference. She said it would add around 20 dollars per day to what I was already paying. I did the math and it was around 275 dollars before taxes and fees. I was only renting the car for 5 days. When it came down to signing the paperwork, I noticed that the taxes and fees totaled over 100 dollars. I asked for a breakdown and she started to explain them one at a time. In explaining them, she notified me that they were charging me for a full tank of gas. I said that I had never been charged beforehand. I was just always told to bring it back full. She explained that they charge me for the gas but if I bring it back full the charge will be removed from my bill but if it wasn’t then it would stay.

    I figured it was going to be fine because I knew I would return the car full and it would work out. I was slightly frustrated that my five day rental was now costing me $395.34 but I was in Madison in the first place because my uncle had passed away so to be honest I had more on my mind than this rental car. I returned the car Monday morning at 4:00 AM. Obviously the business was closed so like usual, I put my keys in the lock box and went on my way to my flight. Imagine my surprise when I opened my credit card bill 3 weeks later to see that they had never removed the charge for the “Gas service option” totaling $33.35.

    I called the number listed online right away. I don’t remember the woman’s name but she could not have been more rude. I began to explain my situation and she stated that if the tank was full the charge would have been removed in their system but it was ultimately up to my credit card company to remove it from my bill. I told her that did not make sense since I did not rent the car from my credit card company, I rented it from her business and she cut me off my telling me I needed to call the 1800 number for customer service. I asked her if she could just check to see if the charge had been taken off and she said she could not, and I would have to call the 1800 number for that as well. I hung up and called my credit card company. As expected, they had not received any sort of itemized bill from Budget Car rental and they could not remove a charge because it was just one set charge.

    The woman I spoke to advised me to call back and ask for someone in charge and see if they could help me otherwise to dispute the charge. So I called and left a message for a manager to return my call (I still have not heard back). I tried calling over 7 times the following day and could not get an actual human. I left another message and again, I am still waiting to hear back. I found a 1800 number online and called the customer service option. I spoke to a woman who notified me that I would have to show my receipt for the gas I put in the car for the charge to be removed. I explained to her that I dropped the car off at 4:00 in the morning and they were closed, I used the drop box provided to return the keys. I then explained that I was never told to show a receipt, I was told to return the car full and the charge would be removed, simple as that.

    I also asked her why I was charged in advance since that had never happened before. She notified me that most people opt out of that service. I was quite frustrated because the woman who helped me did not give me a choice. I feel like I was taken advantage of and I have been a loyal customer for a couple of years. Each time I fly home to see my family I rent from Budget, but after this experience, I will never be back.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 2, 2019

    Budget car rental and we had a very good experience and the car was great as we drove it to Michigan for the family gathering. However the biggest con was that they never inspected the vehicle and when I got to Michigan; I found a broken window which was a very tiny window. I called the company mention about the broken window that we never caused and they were going to charge us for the broken window but I called customer service. Customer service did not do anything, no documentation and we were charged for the window that we never caused damaged to. Come December hey, I called the company and the report was never documented! The man never inspected our vehicle before we left for Michigan!!!! And unfortunately we will never rent from budget again!???

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    Price

    Reviewed Nov. 30, 2019

    Budget refused to honor our reservation at their 959 West St pickup and said they had a vehicle at airport that cost more. Had to pay again to get to airport, stand in long line and add almost 2 hours ruining our tour reservations. Second time refused to honor reservation at Miami location. So frustrated and terrible business practice.

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    Reviewed Nov. 29, 2019

    Our party of 7 had reserved a standard SUV for the Thanksgiving break. When we went to pick it up they had rented it. They offered us a smaller vehicle that could not fit our party. At that time none of the other rental companies had cars available. Our family and 2 other college kids that could not go home for Thanksgiving were left stranded. Budget did nothing to try to help. I will never rent from them again. I hope others learn from our mistake. This is a dishonest company that will rent your reserved car to someone else.

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    CoverageStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 27, 2019

    We rented a mid size car at Phoenix Airport Nov 11 2019. Sales rep changed what car we were getting when we told him we didn't want to purchase "full coverage" insurance. The Ford Focus we were given had at least 1 bald tire, resulting in a flat on the first day. There was no jack or spare in trunk. Walmart refused to repair. Smaller tire company patched, we returned car to a different location and told them the problem. They upgraded us (to a more costly to run vehicle) to a Jeep Compass which tried to stall at every light and was low in oil. Be careful what you rent, check it over thoroughly.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 23, 2019

    I rented from Brunswick, Georgia. Friends and I planned on one day but thought we might keep it 2 days so I asked how much. That lady told me it was fine, it would just be a charge of 104. We were fine with that. Two weeks later I didn't get my deposit back because we kept it that extra day. Now I'm all for paying for what I'm told I'm paying for but they made my credit card overdraft because they didn't tell me the additional charges. So I didn't get my deposit back and when I contacted them via email they told me some bull about mileage and the amount was correct. NEVER RENTING FROM THEM AGAIN!!!

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    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2019

    Budget/Avis have kept a substantial amount of money from us because we couldn't find a petrol station to fill up- 30 pounds of petrol and they have kept 200 pounds. I will never use them again. We have tried to get a reponse and get nothing back.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2019

    Made a reservation online and paid for a week rental in advance in Budget in Weston Florida. I realized I jumped the gun on this and went to cancel barely 5 minutes later online. Talked to a "Roberto" in their online chat room who insisted that I had to pay a $50 cancellation fee and refused to refund my entire purchase that was just done barely minutes earlier. Online chat was completely uncooperative and I was stuck for $50. Even my partial refund was going to take 3-10 days according to Budget. The very next day I rented a car for a week instead with Enterprise just down the street from Budget, on Weston Road, in the Rick Case Honda Dealership. I called first to make sure there was no cancellation fee and there wasn't.

    The people at Enterprise were professional and pleasant on the phone - the complete opposite of Budget Rent A Car. The best part it was $45 cheaper for the week for the same economy car. I would steer far away from Budget rent A car. There are better cheaper choices from companies with no greed that will not charge you $50 just for cancelling a reservation. I have nothing good to say about my online Budget rent a car experience. In 2019 where more and more companies are focusing on customer service in an ever changing competitive market it is hard to believe that this company is still actively practicing the obsolete policy of taking a person's money just for cancelling a reservation and in this case 5 minutes after it was made.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 20, 2019

    Was charged last two rentals this year with a fuel charge even though cars were brought back clean, vacuumed, and with a full tank of gas. Had to call both times to have charges reversed. Never had a problem with them until this year doing this. 2nd time lady didn't even tell me it was going to be charged on my card. I have to now take pics of fuel gauge on pickup and drop off and provide gas receipt apparently to get this to stop.

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    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2019

    If you want to listen to the manager talk about himself non stop for your entire visit, this is the place to go. Forty five minutes will be the minimum time you spend listening to Rob talk about himself and his experiences pertaining to your travel destination...and more you could care less about. The computer never works which means you have to spend more time listening to Rob whine. Horrible experience all together.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2019

    Prepaid for a rental at Budget Rental Car as I always do. Seven day for $340. I returned it 2 hours late and they charged me $87.34 more. When I tried to call in to Customer Service I was hung up on 3 times while waiting. They are charging over $40 per hour for their cars. Stay away form here.. Never renting from them again.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 16, 2019

    We rented a car at BWI. Our hotel was 45 minutes from the rental location and was reachable only by interstate. As we neared our hotel a message appeared on the dash telling us that there was a problem with the rear tire passenger side. The tire was losing air pressure. As we were in a strange city and on a freeway we attempted to get help from Budget. We called the number on the contract and could not reach the airport location by phone. We called the number nine times. There were 6 prompts on the voice attendant and we tried all six. One of those answered and instructed is to disregard the prompts and the station would pick up. This led to another three calls none of which were answered.

    Finally one of those answering told me to get the tire fixed and keep the receipt and Budget would reimburse us. We took the tire to a tire repair shop who removed the tire and told us that it was unrepairable. They offered to sell me a new tire for $200.00. Since I had had hours trying to even speak to customer service, I declined their offer.

    Finally reaching a person at Budget I was told that only Roadside assistance could authorize a new tire. I reached them and ultimately a man came to our hotel four hours later and he told us that he couldn't authorize a new tire. He offered to put the spare (a miniature tire) on. This was unacceptable as there is a safety speed limit of 50 mph on that spare. As we had to travel by interstate the limited speed would have put us at risk. He couldn't tow the car as he came to the service call in a small car. Now I have received a bill from Budget for roadside assistance. The tire was leaking when we rented the car. I spent half a day trying to get it fixed or replaced. Budget put our safety at risk and failed to assist in any way.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 15, 2019

    Landed in Miami Airport. Stood in line for 1 1/2 hours to get to the counter. They would not give me my rental I ordered beginning of year. They would not give me the car because they do not take cash they said. While standing in line I was told they ran out of cars. Their excuse was people did not bring them back in time. Paperwork does not have no cash allowed. I feel they told me this because they did not have a car. Was stranded in the airport with 2 children. They did not care. I have used their service many years. Can not trust them anymore. Will not be using their service. Especially in the Airport in ORLANDO FLORIDA!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 15, 2019

    My experience renting a car with budget was horrible. I was overcharged they have the worse customer service. You will be on the phone with them for over a hour getting transferred around and still will not get your issue resolved. BUDGET lost my $3000 credit card payment. Now I have to issue a dispute with my credit card company. Never will go there again.

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    Customer ServiceCoverageSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 13, 2019

    I have rented cars from Budget many times in the States, Brazil, Dominican Republic but NEVER have I had such a bad experience as in Malpensa, Italy. I would strongly advise that you pay extra attention to any car rental in Italy as it seems that they always try to scam you into spending more money than usual. In any other situation in the past, Budget would offer me any car in the lot in the case that the requested car was not available at the moment. Well, I requested a car to hold up to three luggage but when I arrived in the airport, the clerk said they did not have any car at that price level that would hold that many luggage. Well, I was expecting to be offered another car at no extra cost, but the clerk kept trying to offer more expensive cars - and larger - for extra costs. The car ended up being too big for someone driving in Europe and I had to go back to change for a smaller one.

    They also informed me (and I think this is wrong) that the insurance provided by my credit card company (Mastercard) was not valid in Italy and I had to pay extra for full coverage, something I usually never do elsewhere. Also, while driving, the Carabinieri stopped me for documents and they detected that I did not have a valid copy of the updated insurance for the car. After 30 minutes, they decided that I could go but asked me to contact the company asking for a recent copy of the insurance. I tried at least 3-4 different phones and contact over email and I got NOT A SINGLE REPLY FROM THEM.

    If you know the carabinieri you know they are not joking when they ask something and Budget should have answered my request immediately, as I am a paying customer. They NEVER got back to me and the clerk that received the car at the end of the rental replied to my complaints with a "this is our problem, not yours". Not happy with you guys. Not happy at all. Beware when renting cars in Italy! Be careful with Budget and the slick clerks...

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2019

    Recently I rented a car from South Bend, Indiana airport. I waited in line to get my car for over 20 minutes, and was compensated with a car upgrade which was wonderful. But when I returned the car 4 hours BEFORE it was due; I had dropped the keys in the key drop box as nothing was open. 12 days later I checked my bank statement and I was over charged by $52. I called customer service and I was told I needed to call back in 20 minutes because they were not able to help me at the time.

    I called back a few days later and talked with a customer service rep that was accusing me of turning the car in late. When I tried to explain it was impossible for this to happen he told me he didn't need to hear about it. He started an "investigation" and asked where I dropped the car off. I told him where and what time and he interrupted me and told me to answer only the question in the shortest way possible. At the end of the conversation we were having bad connection and when I asked him to repeat himself he yelled. I asked for his name and he was hesitant to give me his last name. I need to wait 5-7 business days for them to "investigate" something they made a mistake on before refunding me my money. That is not including the time it will take to process the refund. I understand mistakes happen but rude customer service is not acceptable when in the end BUDGET is the one incorrect.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2019

    We were shock by our recent experience with Budget. The car they issue to us had bad tires and one went flat while we were driving - and they charged us for this. It would be one thing if we had run over a nail or were in anyway responsible for this flat. Additionally, when we were first assigned a car- it wouldn't start. Then they had issues with the next car, until we were give a third option which was very "budget". The customer service was terrible during this flat tire incident. I can't recommend this company at all.

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    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2019

    If you want to be screwed out of several hundred dollars of additional charges not even in the fine print - rent from here. This specific location must get some special reward for gouging travelers. We even had the rate and final cost approved by the corporate office yet they still managed to rip us off another $300 dollars when we brought the car back on time.

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    Sales & MarketingPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 11, 2019

    Guys don’t ever rent from Budget. They are a bad company. I got online on Priceline and I rented a vehicle for $11 a day. When I got to the location in Monterrey Mexico me and my wife waited for them over an hour. They were running late and had an extra hour making us wait and explaining to us that they were going to charge us $3000 aside from the optional insurance that they gave you on Priceline. I didn’t understand why I had to pay $3000 or not pay but have that taken out of my bank account as a deposit. I canceled everything and luckily I did get my money back for the insurance that was optional. Please be aware. Budget is a scam.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 9, 2019

    One has to be very careful when working with reservation with budget. My experience recently was I called customer service to extend an existing reservation. The customer service agent confirmed a price and it was locked for extension. I never received an official email from the agency, and ended up getting doubled amount on the bill. When I called customer service, their response, was that I never called budget customer service for extension and they do not have a process to retrieve the records. I think this group has lot of process gaps and no process to raise a dispute with billing. The customer service agent provides a few sorry's and then hangs up the call.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePrice

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2019

    Rented car from Budget website. Got price including all taxes and a confirmation number. Their site cleary states insurance is optional. When I got to Aruba I was told I had to pay an extra $120 for insurance or they would not give me my rental. Their customer sheet clearly states it's a option. I was forced to pay and sign for it or get no car. I called Budget corp. office when I got back and was rudely told they would not refund the insurance cost, even though their paperwork clearly states it's a option, they let you reserve at a low price and then when you arrive refuse to give you your rental unless you pay upcharges.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 5, 2019

    I rented a saloon car from Budget Rent-A-Car at Redmond airport, OR for a weekend trip to Bend back in Aug 2019. I returned the car in excellent condition having driven to a hotel in town and a couple of local soccer fields for soccer games. I returned the car to the airport on time with a tank of gas. The car was perfect. Budget chose not to check me in so I returned the keys to the Budget rental desk in the airport reporting that the car was fine apart from an empty washer reservoir and they should refill that for the next renter.

    Three months later (Oct 2019) I see a charge on my AMEX for $498 from Budget. No explanation from Budget or Amex. I tracked down the charge to Budget and filed a complaint originally I thought it was a duplicate charge for the rental period. It was a damage claim for a new windshield! There was zero damage on the screen when I returned the car and I would have mentioned that if there were damage. Budget says I damaged the windscreen and they need to replace it, which is simply not true! How many other claims for mysterious damages are they filing against customers and failing to check-in vehicles, which must be a deliberate policy or very poor business practice at best? I am fighting this with AMEX and the BBB. Please DO NOT rent from BUDGET!

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    Verified purchase
    Thomas increased rating by 2 stars.
    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingOnline & AppStaff
    After a positive interaction with Budget Car Rental, Thomas increased their star rating on Nov. 7, 2019.

    Updated review: Nov. 7, 2019

    Budget apparently refunded me on 11/1/2019 for the 2 of 3 days I was unable to use the car and unwilling to mess around getting a replacement from Budget. I did not know they had refunded me when I wrote the negative review - they only told me on 11/6/2019. While I did have a negative experience, I will take it as a positive that they listened to my complaint and tried to make it right.

    Original Review: Nov. 5, 2019

    I made the mistake of pre-paying for a 3-day Intermediate-Size rental from Budget to be picked up from LA-X airport on 10/19/19. Don't do this - once they get your money, service is of secondary importance. Their Customer Service personnel told me later that "since I was pre-paid, I wasn't getting any money back." Their website promises a discount for allowing them to SPAM you, but then doesn't reveal how much the discount is. When I got to the Budget counter, they substituted a Jeep Wrangler, which I had never driven. This vehicle turns itself off at stop lights, etc., which in an urban situation is annoying and dangerous.

    Anyway, the vehicle failed to start on the 2nd day of my rental, so I called Budget "Emergency Roadside Assistance (ERA)." Well, it was an emergency to me, but not to them. After waiting an hour, I called again and was told to call "Dispatch" to find out when a wrecker would arrive. "Dispatch" is not "Budget", and was too busy to pick up the phone. I called Budget again and was told they didn't know when the wrecker would arrive. I asked how I would get to Budget to pick up another car, and they said the wrecker would take me or a Lyft driver would pick me up. I chose the Lyft driver, thinking this would take less time, but wasn't told the Lyft driver wouldn't even be dispatched until AFTER the wrecker picked up the car.

    Since I wasn't getting a good response from ERA, I then called Budget Customer Service. Of course they didn't know what ERA was doing. When I called ERA, they tried to tell me that calling Customer Service had the effect of cancelling the wrecker dispatch (a lie). The wrecker showed up shortly thereafter (three hours after my initial call to ERA). I got permission from ERA to turn the keys and paperwork over to the wrecker driver, as I didn't want anything more to do with Budget. I have requested a refund of the two days of unused car rental. They said they would respond in 3-5 days, and that was almost two weeks ago. My follow-up email has not gotten a response. Their Customer Service and ERA reps are rude, impatient, not interested in helping, and in one case, dishonest. Budget and Avis are the same company, so I can only assume the service is the same at both.

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    Price

    Reviewed Nov. 4, 2019

    I called Budget telling that the car’s battery was dead. They told me that they would give a jumpstart for free. The mechanic told me that the battery was damaged and they would not charge me for the service. For my surprise, after 7 days, they charged 185 dollars in my credit card for a jumpstart. I filed a claim and budget answer me that this service was not in my contract. I have been cheated, don’t trust in budget. Rental Agreement: **

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 1, 2019

    I rented a vehicle from Budget on 8/22/2019 and returned the vehicle on 8/25/2019 with a clean checkout (no damage). On 10/8/2019 (6 weeks later) we received a charge for $210.00 for "glass damage". I called and explained that we were given a clean checking when we returned the car and were not aware of any damage to the windshield. They checked the records and said there was damage that had to be repaired before the car could be rented out again. On November 1, 2019, I called and asked for a photo of the damaged windshield. I was told they do not take photos of glass damage but she would review the records. When she returned I was told there was no trace of repairs to the car and the the charges would be reversed. 1) Save your Receipts. 2) Don't hesitate to question the company if it seems wrong. 3) Speak up so others will know how to respond to a dishonest situation.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 31, 2019

    I made the reservation thru the AARP link. I also prepaid to get a discount. When we arrived to pick up the car, the agent was all about up-charging and add-ons. I declined all upgrades and add-ons. When the contract printed there was a line item for $7 per day vehicle upgrade. I pushed the contract back and told him I declined that. He said he would have his manager remove the charge, that we did not have to re-do the contract. I hesitated but signed. He kept my copy of the contract to give to his manager to take care of this. Upon return of the car, the drop off receipt had the charge!

    I spoke to the counter agent who told me to contact customer service as there was nothing he could do. When I got home, I contacted customer service who told me that I should never have signed the form. They did eventually agree to refund half of the charge. Half. Budget appears to have trouble with the concept of fraud. How it applies to customers etc. In reading reviews I am seeing a common thread. I will never use Budget again, nor can I recommend them. Ever.

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    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 30, 2019

    At the mid of this Oct I filled the gas in a gas station about 200-300 feet away from Budget Car Return site in Newark Airport. Right before I reached to the car return site I noticed the gas meter showed the tank was about 8/10 full. I returned to the gas station and asked the guy there to fill the tank again. The guy in the gas station said the tank was full already. He tried to tap more gas to the tank and reached to a point the gas almost spilled. But the gas meter still showed the tank was 8/10 full. The gas meter in the car did not work properly. Please PAY ATTENTION to the gas meter.

    I returned the car about 20 minutes before the car returning time listed on the car rental contract. An Asian guy who received my car gave me a receipt with $125 extra charge and disappeared quickly. I noticed the extra charge and found the guy who received my car in the Budget Car Rental office and asked him about the extra charge. He refused to discuss the issue with me and ran away. I complained with a guy on the counter and had the extra charge removed. I asked for the reason for $125 charge. The explanation was it was gas charge. BTW I rented a Ford Fusion. Its gas tank is 16.5gal to 18 gal according to Ford specification. A simple math can show how ridiculous this is. Please PAY GREAT ATTENTION to your receipt when you returned the car.

    When our family traveled around the US my husband had car rental experiences many times. Nothing like this ever happened. This time I rented a car with my daughter w/o my husband. This happened on me. The guy in Newark Budget Car Return tried to cheat us obviously. Luckily I arrived the airport early enough. I had enough time to notice the extra $125 charge on the receipt. I had enough time to deal with Budget for this. If not, I have to pay extra $125. This is CHEAT.

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    Reviewed Oct. 26, 2019

    I rented through Costco Travel. I had a price that was given to me online which included an extra driver. At the counter at the airport however everything changed. I informed them I did NOT need any insurance because I have full coverage on my cars. This was verbal. I was asked to sign the waiver declining insurance but was unaware of liability attached at the very bottom. The Budget employee told me I was signing a waiver to decline coverage. When the car was returned on time I was charged an extra hour also. This amounted to an extra $90. So far I have the extra hour refunded but can't get the insurance cost refunded. So disappointed in this American Company and the lies to get more of the almighty dollar.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 24, 2019

    The worst service ever. I rented from Budget Tel Aviv. After a few days the battery broke. I had to wait almost 24 hours to get the battery replaced. None of the 3 phone numbers they provided were available. When calling, you just hear a message and then it cuts off. After replacement of the battery, the screen was not working anymore, no radio, no back camera, nothing. When I asked to get 2 days off my contract, I was received by a lady at the Dan Hotel office who was super obnoxious and did not want to do anything. She said to me, that it is normal a battery brakes, it can also happen with my own car. When I did not accept that reply, she told me she will call the police. I have filmed that reply of her. NEVER AGAIN BUDGET!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2019

    We rented an intermediate level car through Costco for pickup at the Santa Barbara CA airport. After we declined what the counter agent, Steve, led us to believe was a complimentary upgrade when we were presented with a bill for nearly $200 more than our reservations, Steve said ok and gave us what he said was an equivalent model to the intermediate car we had reserved for the price we had agreed to in our reservation. We had been delayed over a half hour by that time and had to rush to an appointment. The car was very small and I was certain I had requested a larger car. The rental fee was the amount we originally agreed to but back at the hotel I realized we had been given a compact yet were charged for the intermediate level. We will skip dinner and return to the airport to see if this can be rectified. They phone at the airport goes to voice mail and then to international customer service that hung up on me twice. Ugh.

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    Customer ServiceCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2019

    I arrived after a 12 hour flight to pick up my prearranged rental. After the standard introduction and paperwork. I'm asked which insurance do I prefer, the limited or full? I don't wish to accept any as I have full coverage that any other company has accepted before. She tells me they don't accept "third party" any longer. So I'm simply to accept what they offer. Then she goes on to mention how she's sorry she has to tell the passengers on the flight behind me they won't have enough cars for them. Should have walked away at this point but again it was after a 12 hour flight and I had already waited 45 min to pick up my rental.

    Ended up charging me an additional 50.00 for a three day rental. Get to the car and it smelled like someone had poured an entire bottle of cologne. Every time I got into the car for the next three days I was nauseous. My bag and purse smelled like the car for days after getting home. Contacted customer service and all they can say is well they're sorry for the inconveniences, but nothing they can do. Don't ever rent from this company. Their tactics are shady and they couldn't care less about customers.

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    Contract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 20, 2019

    I rented a car for Oct 2 thru Oct 11th. The pickup was good. That is why I gave 2 stars instead of one. I had a change of my train to the next day Oct 12th so I called the rental office to tell them I would have the car an extra day. The guy I talked to said no problem, just bring it in and the extra day would be adjusted. I arrived the next day and the lady met me at the car upset I was a day late. I told her I called them to let them know. After processing I got $16 out of my $100 hold deposit. Charge for extra day which was fine but a $20 late fee which I was never told would happen and $35 for gas because my tank was not all the way full.

    The person checking you in guess how many gallons you need at 10.00 per gallon. I got a hold of main budget office and she told me they would refund $20. Out of my $100 deposit I got a $22.72 refund. I should have gotten as about $40. I personally will never go to Budget again and my Advice to people who do. Get names of who you talk to and read the contract because when you are picking up your car you want to get it and go but by taking a minute and reading those things you initial will help you get more of your deposit back. Or maybe not. They got to get their money somewhere.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 16, 2019

    My wife preordered and prepaid for a Ford Explorer to be picked up at McMurray location. We preordered 3 weeks in advanced and received a confirmation e-mail that it would be ready for pick up. I had a relative leave work to take me to this location. I was lucky he didn't just drop me off. I walked in and the counter attendant said, "I can't help you, I have no cars." I thought he was joking, but I soon realized he was telling the truth. He told me there was nothing he could do. I asked why didn't you call me and he replied, "I didn't have your phone number." I asked, "how about an e-mail?" He replied, "I don't have that either. I do have a KIA you could have." I was shocked... Finally, he gave me a 1-800 # to call for service.

    They found me a car at the airport 35 minutes from this location. I had to ask my relative; who took the morning off to help me, to drive 35 minutes one way to the airport. What should have taken a 20 minute drive is now taking a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. 20 minutes to the rental in McMurray, 40 minutes stressed at the counter, 35 minutes one way to airport, 20 minutes at airport counter and 35 minutes back to the location to allow my family load the vehicle and get moving on our trip. For all my stress and troubles it was worth a $60 discount. Unbelievable!!!!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 16, 2019

    DO NOT USE THIS LOCATION!!! I reserved a car last night to pick up at 8:30 am today. I used the website, and the reservation was confirmed without any issues. At 7:50 this morning, my phone rang. It was the rental agent saying she did not have any cars for me. But she was "expecting a couple of returns at 9am." I made my reservation for 8:30 because I had an appointment to get to, so waiting for a car to be returned at 9 (IF they were on time, THEN waiting for them to clean and prepare the car for my rental!) was NOT going to work. The rep did say that they had a larger SUV available. I asked if there was any way they could get a car brought over from the airport Budget location. She replies that they are "corporate owned" so no that was not an option.

    After I exhausted every other option I could think of, I finally said, OK, I'll take the SUV, at the rate I originally reserved my car for. I was told flat out that could NOT be done. I was EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE!!! I asked the agent why the website even allowed me to make a reservation if they were not going to have any cars at my requested time. she did not have an answer for me. Bottom line: DO NOT USE THE BUDGET LOCATION ON ALPINE AVE. IN GRAND RAPIDS if you actually want to be able to get the car you reserved when you want it. I will never use them again!!! EVER!

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 15, 2019

    I rented a car from Budget Rent a Car in Helsinki. When I returned the car the overweight fellow at the check in and I went around the car and confirmed there was no damage. I received a paper with the total charges for the rental car (just the rental charge nothing more) and boarded the aircraft. I am positive there was no damage on the car! When I got my Mastercard bill, there was an additional charge of 843. Euros on the bill. I called Budget customer service, they said I damaged the car. I knew that was untrue, both my wife and I were present when the overweight 20 something man and I went around the car to check. But Budget customer service said there was nothing I could do about it because it was already charged to the card. I have insurance with my credit card, and so it will not cost me anything, but that is not the point. I know they have cheated. I do not want them to get away with this.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 14, 2019

    I am not one to write negative reviews; in fact, I make it a point to do the polar opposite. However, I am having an issue with getting a refund back from Budget. Six weeks ago, I prepaid for a Budget car rental with my debit card as my car was in the shop. I had rented from them four years before without a major credit card so I had no reason to believe that I could reserve a car with a debit card only. When I get to the counter, they tell me I am not qualified for the car as I did not have a major credit card. Okay, fine. I called Budget, and initially the rep said I would owe $150 for cancelling without a 24 hour notice even though it was not my fault I was denied the car. I got a supervisor on the phone, and he clarified that I would get a full refund because I did not qualify because the rep was new. Okay, fine. I get that. He processed my refund and said it would be refunded 3-5 business days later.

    Fast forward a week later, and I still don't have my refund, so I called to check on status, and the rep told me it should be in the following day because it takes 7-10 business days. Fast forward to another week, and still don't have my refund. So I call again, and the rep says if it isn't in the next two days, to file a dispute with my bank. Of course the refund was not in so I filed the dispute so I start that process and them am denied the dispute a week later so we call Budget again.

    At this point, it is 28 days that I have waited for the refund. So we call Budget again, and they said the refund was never processed so give them my new debit card (as I had to cancel my old one due to the dispute), and they said it would be 3-5 business days for the refund to process. Fast forward, nine days later and I call and they said it takes 7-10 business days. This was two days ago. It's been nearly six weeks and I am waiting for a refund of nearly a $100 for a car I was unable to rent because they denied me, not because I changed my mind. This is so frustrating. I feel like am never going to get my money back.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 12, 2019

    I rented a vehicle from Budget in Salt Lake City. They charged me for a loss damage waiver fee ($40.99/day) without my consent. I called their customer service multiple times and never got a person or received a call back when I left a voicemail. I was later sent a notice in the mail that I would also be charged $33.28 in refueling charges, despite the fact that I filled the vehicle upright before returning and provided a receipt. Do not rent from this company, they are deceptive and will take your money.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 11, 2019

    I don't trust any of our rental car companies, but when you need a car, you need a car. I chose Budget because it appeared to be the lowest price up front. I made my reservation for the smallest possible car (economy), weeks in advance. When I arrived, first I waited about 40 minutes in line just to check in. When I finally got to the counter, it took about 10 minutes to do the paperwork and then I was told to go outside and I'd find my car. My paper said "Kia Soul," and unfortunately I'm not very familiar with various car models so I didn't question it and I went outside. The car was way too big for me, and I discovered they had gotten me with the old "free upgrade" trick (even though they didn't mention it when I was checking in).

    If you're not familiar, a "free upgrade" means they don't have the car you asked for, so they give you the next size up. I totally hate this because I have trouble driving larger vehicles, and the gas mileage is worse so you just pay more for fuel. I had to go back in and work to get the attention of a few employees because the line was still incredibly long. I worked with 4 different employees as I was trying to get the smaller car I had made my reservation for. All of them — ALL of them! — tried to argue with me and convince me that I'd be fine with the bigger car. They were rude the entire time, cutting me off mid-sentence and trying to talk me out of wanting the smaller car. I eventually got a slightly smaller car (though still not the size I had reserved).

    In total, I was in the office 2 hours and 30 minutes just to get the car I had reserved. But that's not all. After I had completed my rental, I got hit with this toll fee on my credit card for $25, which seemed incredibly high. I had to call, then go online, to locate my toll receipt (it was not sent to me automatically), on which there was an exorbitant daily fee for using the toll service. My actual tolls totaled $9; the other $16 were just fees! This was never explained to me or provided in writing of any kind. I absolutely would not rent with Budget again. The cheapest option is not necessarily the best option.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 11, 2019

    Never Again! The first time I rent a car, I prepaid for the car already but when I picked up, they told me the car that I prepaid was not available so they change me another car but one month after I returned the car, I WAS CHARGED because the car that they exchanged for me has the XMR radio?? Moreover, I refill full the fuel before I returned but I still WAS CHARGED about $40 for fuel. I asked them but they ask me for the receipt? How can I keep a receipt for the fuel after one month of my vacation?

    The second time I rent a car on July 21, 2019. When I picked car, the windshield was broken before, I let the men work there know and he agreed with me that the windshield was broken before but he didn't give me any letter to confirm about the windshield. Therefore, I had the experience from the first time, I took the picture include the time I picked up with the windshield and just keep it on my phone. 3 months later, I got a letter asking me to pay $200 for the windshield broken. I called the customer service, they asked me to send the picture that I took to the email "budgetdocuments@asvisbudget.com" and they would contact me after they take a look at my case. However, one week later after I sent an email, I WAS CHARGED $200 without any contact. I called them again and they told me that they will take a look and contact me later??

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    Reviewed Oct. 11, 2019

    On August 14th of this year I made a prepaid reservation with Budget Rent A Car for an upcoming trip to Los Angeles. The cost of the rental was $185, it was prepaid on 8-14-19. I picked up the rental car on the morning of Friday August 30th, at that time the clerk I spoke with indicated that he had a better deal for me with a different car than the Volkswagen Jetta that I had reserved. He stated to me that he could give me the car for only $20 per day. To the best of my recollection this was a small Ford SUV. Given the fact I didn't plan to do much driving other than from the Airport to the Hotel and back I was not overly concerned with what kind of car I was driving. This seemed like a good deal to me and a chance to save some money. On Monday Sept 2, I returned the car to Budget with a full tank of gas. I refueled the car at a Chevron Station on my way to the airport.

    Upon arriving home I discovered that Budget had charged my card an additional $120.56 for what they called an upgrade. Three days later on 9-5 they posted an additional unauthorized charge for fuel. They denied the fact that I had refueled the car and brought it back to them with a full tank. I challenged. This was a blatant attempt to rip me off. In the future I will be taking my business elsewhere.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2019

    Like Jerry Seinfeld said "You know how to take a reservation! You just do not know how to hold a reservation." At least 30 people had reservations but BUDGET DID NOT HAVE ANY CARS FOR THEM!! There was total confusion among the Budget team! Some said they had cars while other said they did not!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 8, 2019

    I recently went on vacation with my wife to Hawaii and rented a Jeep. Everything was great with the vehicle. We had no problems with it. Iit wasn't damaged when we picked it up and we only drove it on paved roads. Had no problem returning the vehicle. All of the customer service up until that point was excellent. There was no damage noted on the vehicle when we dropped it back off to Budget, because there was no damage that we were aware of while we were in possession of the vehicle.

    A month and a half later...I get a letter from Budget stating that there was damage to the vehicle while we rented it and that they were charging our credit card over $1000 for the repair. What!? I didn't opt to get their insurance when I rented the vehicle as I have good insurance already. However, they are stating that we damaged their vehicle with no proof and with no consideration. They just notified us that we would be charged. I disputed this charge immediately and have yet to hear back. DO NOT USE BUDGET!!! They tried to rip me off for over $1000!!!

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    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2019

    Yes, I did read cancellation policy. I was shocked when I had to cancel within a couple of days for a rental 6 months in the future and there was no wiggle room. It cost $50 to cancel $54 reservation!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2019

    Budget /Avis rental car (apparently same company) royally ** us over. Extremely long wait, broken equipment, staff verging on disabordinate, intentionally misleading aka lied to our faces, and damn near refused to make it right. NEVER AGAIN will I use BUDGET/AVIS.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2019

    No longer a quality service orientated company. Save yourself some dough and rent from a discounter, same hassles but less money. Budget was once a leader in customer service. Now they have so much business they apparently don't need mine anymore. Bye bye Budget. Oh and by the way the Kia I just had with 20000 miles on it was in worse shape than my last rent a dent.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2019

    The lady was very rude when we got there and she slammed my phone on the desk then she told me I could not rent a car because I didn’t have a credit card. She was saying that I was informed we needed a credit card which was not true. I live in Chicago and was in Florida with my three kids. I was stranded with no way to get to a hotel. With three kids crying and no one to help!

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    Sales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 3, 2019

    Orlando USA, trick you. Into signing. We travel to the USA two to three times a year, from the Uk (take in mind that this flight means that we have been trailing in total around 18 hours). We always use the web site Travel Supermarket. In May this year TSM site diverted us to the Budget car hire site. After its search. This is nothing unusual as its diverts you to the best price for your dates. When we approached Budget car hire pickup desk at MCO, The salesperson tried to sell us the usual extras, To which me and my partner both replied: That we do not need or want any extras or add ins. Everything great until around two weeks after we returned to the UK.

    We noticed that Budget car hire had taken £117 out of our bank account. I rang the Uk branch of Budget car hire around 4 times, they explained to me that I had asked for roadside assistance as an extra. I explained to them that I clearly told their sales team that I didn’t want any extras. After approximately 4 months, after ringing them for the 5th time. They sent me a copy of the paperwork my partner had signed whilst picking the car up, which had the extra roadside assistance fees on. They have since told me because we signed we will not be getting our money back. I believe this is fraud and advise everyone to double check what they are signing for.

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    Reviewed Sept. 28, 2019

    I reserved a car in July but I never actually rented the car but never canceled the reservation. 2 months later I get a $400 parking ticket in the mail accusing me of a ticket. How can I have a parking ticket and I didn’t rent the car. They are terrible they hold your information from previous reservations and pin false accidents and tickets on you. Stay away from Budget and Avis.

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    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2019

    Be sure to read all documents before signing. Rented a car, paid with Chase cc miles. I requested a car seat, toll pass, and pre-fill fuel. After turning car in I was charged an additional $289 and several additional toll charges. I was charged for insurance and several other fees. Chase was supposed to include all fees and taxes. I expected to be charged for my additional requests, but instead charged for more. What a joke. I also reserved a full size vehicle and received an economy. My Experience was straight out of the scene from Seinfeld. I will pay double before renting another car from Budget.

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    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2019

    I rented a car for 13 days from Budget Rental Car. I needed to pick the car up 5 hours earlier than I placed on the form but still within the 24 hours I paid for. I had made the mistake of prepaying for the rental. I called the airport and was told the car I had rented was available for when I now needed to pick it up. I made this request 1 day before picking up. I was told because I had prepaid I would need to completely cancel the reservation and start over to change the pickup time. This was going to cost me $350 additional to pick up the car even though it was available and I had already paid for the period I needed. Lesson learned. NEVER rent from BUDGET.

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    Sales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 24, 2019

    Showed up in St Louis MO at 9:30 am, reservation stated pick up at 9:45 am, agent was charging me $90 for being there 15 minutes early, keep in mind this is more than the full charge for the rental. Also reserved a luxury class vehicle and was told they had no luxury vehicles and offered me a jeep "for the same price" acting like they were doing me a favor. I asked to see a list of their luxury vehicles and they played it off by saying a jeep is a specialty vehicle. This is a business practice that I would consider less than ethical. At the very least is a bait and switch. Never Again!!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 23, 2019

    My entire experience with a Budget was awful. The check in room forever then I got a representative that I couldn’t hear. I was then Overcharged and no one can tell me why. I will never use them again!!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 22, 2019

    I rented a car at the Denver Airport at the end of May for one week. The car had not been cleaned and had trash still inside. There was a crack in the windshield and various scratches and dents on the exterior. I took pictures but was not able to find someone to speak to without going back inside and waiting in line, so I took the car and went on my way. When I dropped it off I was an hour and half late due to my plane flight back. When I got my charge, Budget charges another full day of rental for the car. I call and complained and they took $27 off a $60 charge. Now 3 and half months later, I noticed a $187 charge on my credit card from Budget with no explanation.

    I thought that someone had stolen my credit card number, so I called Budget and ask what the charge was for. To my disbelief, the man said that it was for a broken window which was already cracked when I picked the car up. I told the man that and that I had taken pictures of all the damage when I picked up the car because I could not believe how bad of shape the vehicle was in. Luckily the picture of the windshield was still on my phone. The man asks me to email it to the company and they would investigate. I will never use Budget again or Avis since they are both owned by the same holding company.

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    Contract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2019

    The process of picking a rental car company is challenging enough, but if you use price as I did, then you'll probably be extremely disappointed. I can share that I rented a new Ford Explorer literally one month before traveling. First issue: they rented all Ford Explorers to other travelers (regardless of whether they reserved that vehicle or not) and substituted another vehicle. We were not that upset as they substituted the Explorer for a Mazda CX-9. However, we immediately noticed that the windshield was broken (huge crack running from a rock strike) from right to approximately the middle of the windshield.

    In many of the US states, it is illegal to drive a car with a cracked windshield. The other issue is the cloaking of costs. Let's face facts. The airports of North America have turned service related sales into a gold mine! Our car rental agreement for a 7 day rental was costed at $559.04 Canadian Dollars. When we returned the vehicle, the final bill was $971.44 Canadian Dollars!!! That is 73.7% higher than the originally quoted costs. None of that information was provided nor noted in the original quote. The fact that adding a second driver inflated the costs by $90.93 is also ridiculous. How authorizing two people who sign for the same car as driver somehow adds "Costs" to the bill is pretty remarkable.

    What I'm hoping is that this complaint drives people away from Budget. It also should educate all of us to ask for a complete transparent quoting process that reveals all the hidden costs that companies push down the consumer's throat. These charges are ridiculous and only service to blow budgets and make travel costs prohibitive.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 20, 2019

    I had a terrible experience with Hotwire.com and them screwing up my reservation but Kahn at the Ottawa Airport (YOW) Budget rental desk was tremendously helpful! He was patient and understanding and helped save the day! Lesson of the day don't go through 3rd party companies like Hotwire.com. They will screw you over. Go directly to Budget.

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    Reviewed Sept. 19, 2019

    Rented a car in Dallas. The car broke down and was picked up but was never provided another car. Disputed the charge on my credit card. Their version about what happened differed from mine and ended up having to pay $396 for a one day rental. If you have problems with your car, document everything. Will never rent another car ever from any rental car company ever!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 17, 2019

    I had a rental planned for my trip to California and last minute had to rent a car earlier than expected I had nothing but problems. I couldn’t combine the 2 rental dates. Spent hours on the phone with customer service only to get a runaround. Worst service ever.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaffReliability

    Reviewed Sept. 17, 2019

    I rented a van from Budget in Chicago and the car cut out while I was driving it after first picking it up. Dismissed it and returned the next day to find that it had died. Waited 70 minutes for roadside assistance come jump it, drove it 40 minutes to my final location, turned the car off and then tried to turn it back on... but it was dead. Called again and Budget told me they not send anyone out to swap out the car or replace the battery. Was told to call back when I was getting ready to leave so I could drive it to their drop off location, even though it wasn't open -- Budget was acting like they were doing me a favor.

    I felt extremely unsafe driving an unreliable vehicle with a malfunctioning battery. Rep on the phone also threatened to mark the car as abandoned if I didn't wait for the tow to arrive. 90 minutes later... I had to flag down the tow truck because Budget gave them the wrong pick-up address. I was told over the phone I did not have to stay with the car so I handed their Budget-certified tow company the keys and Lyfted home. Called for a refund and found that Budget had no idea where the car was and that we were currently being billed for every day that the car hadn't been returned in addition to the roadside assistance and tow charges. Had to call the tow company myself to find where the van was located, something that shows laziness of company employees shoving work off onto their customers. In the end, I was still was charged for the day I had it rented even though the car was unsafe and not drive able.

    Fast forward three weeks and I had a convertible rented through Budget for a parade. Showed up at noon to pick it up and was told that the convertible was at a different location and that I could drive up there to retrieve it or come back later and pick it up at the original location. Returned later that afternoon and was told the convertible was unavailable because it wasn't returned. I was given an option of a Jeep or Nissan... for a parade. Or, I could drive up to Lincolnshire and possibly see if something up there would work. My entire interaction with Budget has been extremely unprofessional, lazy and a headache.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 17, 2019

    This is about the Budget Car Rental company in Israel. Mainly at the airport and in Jerusalem. On June 2019 - I rented a midsize car- Hyundai 25 from the airport. We arrived at 1AM in the morning. Went to Budget Desk. After a lengthy wait at the counter (slow, slow clerk...) filled all the paperwork and got the keys. Then, Headed all the way to a parking lot that had NO attendant, found the car, loaded the suitcases, Started the ignition, looking at the dashboard - 83,000 KM WOW. 3 yrs old car. SURPRISE --- the screen that suppose show info and enable to change Radio; WiFi; Bluetooth --is FROZEN. Went back all the way to reception desk and asked to replace the car - "There are no other cars available. Come tomorrow or go to Jerusalem." Next day - called the branches in Jerusalem - but no one wanted to handle it. "You should GO BACK to the AIRPORT office”.

    So, called their main office and got the run around. Finally, after 3 days I made to their main lot at the airport, and the manger – after a 35 minutes wait - tried to fix the issue to no avail. Spent there 1.5 hours while he tried to find another car but there were no cars. That is BUDGET!!!! Poor company!!!! No replacement cars!!! The manager then sent us to the airport lot and told us to call on the manager on duty who supposedly will replace our car as he spoke already with him to do so. OK, drove over there - and this is already into the 3rd hour of wasting time on this issue. Got to the office. The so called Manager with a bunch of his co workers standing outside of the office - on the porch – smoking, talking and totally ignoring me. Finally, I asked "who is (the name I was given) the manager here?" One of the guy says in an apathetic attitude: "Yes, it's me."

    I said, "I was sent to you to get a replacement for my car, as I was told they spoke with you from the main office..". He says: "I don't know who told you this. We don't have any cars." HA? “But, I see some in the lot" I said. So he answers: "I told you we don't have any." and he walks back to his gang and to sniff whatever joints. I called the reservation agency- through who I made my original reservation- and begged to do something. They managed to find a branch in Jerusalem which was willing to exchange the car. After 4 days without Bluetooth; radio, etc. - I got to the branch. Waited there for 2 hours until they found a car; washed it (not to the best) AND boom another clunker -- this time “only” 79,000 km and also 3 years old with NO modern features i.e remote locking/opening doors (you need to use your key to lock and open only at Driver's door).

    AND to the WORSE of ALL. At the day of our departure drove to the drop of the car at Airport. Got to the station at 5AM. My wife (handicapped) and I (not so young) barely took out our suitcase form the trunk of this rented car and placed them on the curve next to the Shuttle bus. We're the ONLY one there. Went into the office to return the car keys and then returned outside to the shuttle car. A young man talking on his cell totally unattending to us. This goes on for a few minutes. Finally, I turn to him asking if he is going to take us to the terminal. He nodded to YES. Waited a few more minutes, while he does not move toward us, I asked him: “Are you going to load the suitcase to the van?” He replied angrily: "Why should I? Am I porter?" “HA? Excuse me - what did you say?” - I asked and he replied again: "I'm not a porter. Just a driver. I don’t suppose to load your stuff for the few Shekels tip!!!"

    “Everywhere I went in the world - including here at this very office in previous times – we had the driver load the suitcase. Besides, as you see we’re very young and you see she is handicapped?" He answered: "Well, you should load the suitcases the same way you loaded them into your car - you can do so here too." I replied “My son-in-law loaded it for us." And before I finished the sentence he: "So ask him to load it here also." At that point I went inside the office angry and asked another young man standing there - doing nothing - if this the right practice here to do - not to load the shuttle bus by the driver" And he TOO repeated the same argument angrily.

    I slowly loaded the suitcases into the van while this jerk standing there and watching me. If this is not cruel – I don’t know what cruel is. This is the most CRUEL company with the most disgusting staff I ever came across in Israel and to that matter at any other rental company in the world. DO NOT EVER rent a CAR FROM these CRAPPY people and COMPANY!!! NEVER!!!!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2019

    My mother recently rented a van from Budget and there were policies that were not listed in the agreement, told to her or listed on the website about what happens if you get a flat tire and the people that worked there had no idea about the fees that they charge to put a new tire on their own vehicle when the tire that blew was a very old tire that literally split everywhere on it not a nail in it, it should never of been on the car to begin with. So in the end they charged them 300$ for a new tire and that includes a fee of switching the vans out which they were never informed of the fee they just acted like it was no problem.

    We were told to call a number to dispute it but the lady that we were supposed to talk to would never answer the phone or call back to respond to the message left. So they went back to the place and was given a runaround and at the end of all of it we paid 300$ for something that does not exist on paper or on the website of in the training of their staff! I have told everybody I know and they said they will never use Budget again and they will pass the story around, the only reason we used them to begin with was because the ones we usually use Enterprise doesn't give AARP discounts like Budget does. Next time we will just pay the extra money and not get ripped off, from dishonest people!

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    Verified purchase
    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 15, 2019

    I rented a car from Budget on September 2nd. Due to the Hurricane Dorian my flight was cancelled. I had to drive 16 hours straight to Orlando/Sanford airport to get my car out of the parking garage. I returned their car on the 3rd at 12:30 3 hours early than expected. I dropped the keys in the drop box because the entire airport was closed. When I saw my credit card they charged me an additional $395 for 2 more days of rental when I did not have the car, it was returned. I have shown them my CC statement when I left the airport garage with my car and they are telling me that is not proof enough!!! I will never use Budget again. I am not done with them yet. My plan is to take them to small claims court and dispute it with my credit card company. Very sad that they are putting me through this????

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2019

    I reserved a car a month ago and I live in NJ. The reservation was at the Phila Airport. Drove there paying the toll for the bridge and was DENIED FOR USING A DEBIT CARD! Never was advised that I needed a credit card and could not use a debit card when the reservation was made. Now they owed me more than $250.00 which was needed to make the reservation. Initially I was told 7-10 days for my refund. When that didn't happen I called and was then told "Sorry 3-5 MORE business days due to THEIR ERROR. Yesterday was the 5th business day and I was ASSURED the refund would be on my card today. Guess what? NO MONEY!!!! GOING TO THE BBB!

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    Contract & TermsPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2019

    First, understand that the Atlanta Airport Budget is a licensee, not a corporate location. Short version: In a hurry and late in the day. I twice confirmed I was *not* buying the insurance. As soon as I discovered they had billed me for it, I called. So sorry, cannot refund the money unless I return to the Atlanta airport, turn in the car, and write a new contract. Of course I was not in Atlanta and would need to cancel the trip for which I rented the car to fix the problem. In my opinion that is theft. I've lodged a complaint with the corporate HQ. My recommendation is rent from someone else at ATL airport. Don't give thieves your money.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 12, 2019

    My name is Denise ** and I'm a Fastbreak customer. I went to pick up my rental and I ended up getting the wrong car (because they claimed they didn't have my car). I went up there at 10 am and I didn't leave there until after 3pm. All the cars they kept trying to give me were very nasty (had food and smelt like weed in just about every car that they brought to me). The lady at the front desk ran my card TWICE and then had the nerve to try and swipe it the third time. I'm BEYOND pissed at this point and I don't think I'll be coming back to a company like this because nothing is ever right (workers are just TOO LAZY and very unprofessional).

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoverageSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 12, 2019

    My husband and I decided to take our son to Costa Rica for graduation gift. I booked our hotel stay thru Expedia, I decided to also book a car because they offered a discount. I checked over all my options, chose the best fit for total of 54-59$, sad thing is I was completely mislead. The car rental place was not at airport, it was down the street. We did not get the car we reserved but they offered a free upgrade. Boy oh boy there’s absolutely nothing free from these guys. They proceeded to ask us if we’d like in which I had already refused but they asked again, I said no no don’t want it. They also asked if I’d need an navigation system, I was never ever told I would be charged nor have I ever been charged before when I have rented a car. We were asked if anyone would be driving besides myself, we said possibly my husband. Never been charged extra for that either nor were we told we’d be charged.

    We asked about the fueling and they didn’t make any sense trying to say we’d get charged less from them but could get charged more if not told. We asked only but we decided because we only drove car to and from the place we’d refuel it. Well we were asked to sign refusing the insurance and sign to put a $1,000 hold on my credit card because we refused insurance. So they explained we’d get it all back when returning car. Well I figured ok, however I have never had a hold of 1,000 by any rental company before. We then were handed a rental agreement that we were never told we’d been prebilled by the way so we drove off. When we returned car they checked it over, no problems, all fueled up and we returned early too. We didn’t get a receipt we asked but they rushed us off and said it would be emailed.

    Keep in mind I was quoted $50 something through Expedia site and never dreamed in a million years that it was completely wrong. When I got home I never got a receipt so I called, no one could help me at first but then I was told I had it on the agreement. That’s when I realized what we signed that was never explained to us, never went over with us. Matter fact we had to ask questions and they still messed it up charging us for gas we never used plus charging us for extra driver per day, charging us for navigation that never worked by the way we used once, charged us for road side assistance we never asked for. Dear God they racked on charges per day when the darn car sat outside our hotel and never used it but to get to hotel and get back. There were destination charges for what?? There where three different charges that I have no earthly idea they are the codes????

    Well my total bill was $492 when I was promised a vehicle for $59. Look I get taxes, I get fees for some other out of the country charges, but both those things sure as he I wouldn’t cost $100’s of dollars, maybe a total bill of $100 maybe and that’s a lie too cause we were given a prequote of $59. We were not told anything but the applied charges to a bill we never were explained only that they offered get it offered a navigation that didn’t work plus we asked about gas and they charged us anyway and we never knew until we came home. All of this was a scam. They lied to us, they told us we were signing the agreement to not get insurance and to place a hold on our card. I have rented cars before in many places outside the US and never been precharged, never not been explained our bill nor told we’d be signing something that it was not.

    They took our money before we even drove off. They can’t charge you for something you don’t agree to or use, it’s ridiculous. My husband travels all over the US and the works he uses rental cars and so does his employees but after this he will never use Budget again seeing how they are not willing to acknowledge someone total screwed up and did not comply. It poor business to not be honest with your customer about the documents they are signing especially when there are in another country where things are already confusing. Come on Budget do what’s right because almost $500 is definitely not a budget price I was promised. You will definitely lose a ton of business from everyone we know and meet, word of mouth is number 1 in advertisement. I have reached out to Expedia and you as well Budget and even disputing the charges and I want stop until someone admits the mistake.

    I know others will run away from ever renting from places outside the US if they can’t be fair and explain what the bill actually is before you sign. You can’t expect me to say oh well and give you my money for something I didn’t know I was signing, seeing how myself, my husband and our son never heard anyone explain, only the hold and insurance refused that’s what I signed, that’s what was explained.

    Every time I rent I have to sign to refuse insurance and after I return car I am charged for the rental that’s how it’s always worked. It should be explained, it shouldn’t be this way. It’s a crappy thing to treat someone who is at your place bad and not be honest. Sad, very sad, totally bad business! I said it once I’ll say it again. I will keep complaining. I am not done, I am not going to just accept this. It’s very very wrong and those people who stood behind that counter knew what they did cause we asked questions and they never explained they just charged us. Beware folks, stay away from this company! Btw you can’t give it no stars, it will not let you.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 12, 2019

    I reserved a mini van from Budget Rent-A-Car in Wichita Kansas for our summer vacation with our grandchildren. I was supposed to be able to pick up the van at noon but when I got there I was told by an extremely rude employee that he would have to call around to find a van available. He finally found one that was 25 minutes away from where we were supposed to pick the van up from and proceeded to tell us we would have to go get it ourselves. He did offer us one of their rental cars to go out there but we were losing time in doing this.

    When we arrived at the second location they were very busy and an agent rushed us around the outside of the van, dismissed our questions and sent us on our way. We got the van home to start packing it and the back seat of the van was disgusting. There was popcorn and other food, along with hair in the seat and on the floor. Keep in mind by this time we are running almost 2 hours behind to pick up our grandchildren in Dallas. We took the van up to the first location and had to deal with the extremely rude employee once again. He had 2 customers in front of us and kept checking the time. I asked him to please come out and look at the condition the back seat was in.

    I asked him if he would be willing to accept that which he replied no and stated that he could send it back to be cleaned but that we would have to wait for it as there was not another van available. I explained we didn't have time for that. He stated "Well then just take it and I will put notes on your account about it". He seemed very pleased to let us know that the agent who signed off on it being clean was the person "in charge" of sending the vehicles out clean. Needless to say we had to take more of our time to clean up the van before picking up our grandchildren in Dallas. The van ran terrible and sounded like it needed some transmission attention.

    Upon returning the van and once again dealing with the same rude employee he told us that my card was going to be credited for 1 day's rental due to all of the chaos. Guess what? It never happened! I emailed several individuals at Budget about this nightmare and still no results. How much is your time with your grandchildren worth? Don't rent from Budget. I am pretty sure you will regret it as we did. Marsha ** (grandmother from Kansas).

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 11, 2019

    We picked up our car at the New Orleans airport. It was dirty both inside and out. It clearly had not been cleaned or wiped down. It was gross with fingerprints all over the screen, spilled drinks in the cup holders, sticky stuff on the back seats that we had to wipe off before getting in and crumbs from food throughout. Just plain dirty. How can they provide a car like this??? Doesn’t someone check it after it’s been cleaned? Clearly the employees are not doing their jobs.

    We rented a car 3 weeks ago from the Denver airport and it too was dirty. The outside of both cars were also dirty. We could barely see out the front window as they were smeared with bugs. It appears Budget no longer cleans their cars after a rental prior to the next customer getting it. The frustrating thing is that we can’t count in getting a clean car from you. Once we are in it, it’s a nightmare to have to try to get another one, takes time and it’s difficult to even find someone to speak to. I tried calling the desk at the airport and no one even picked up. Two horrible experiences in a row with Budget.

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    Reviewed Sept. 10, 2019

    Reserved and prepaid a month in advance. One week prior to the reservation date I cancelled the reservation due to a change in plans. I was charged $50.00 to cancel. NEVER, EVER PREPAY. I WILL NOT BE DOING BUSINESS WITH BUDGET AGAIN.

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    Reviewed Sept. 9, 2019

    Rented a car. Had an issue. No one would come to help. No one would send anyone out on the weekend and I was told not to leave the vehicle. Stranded and had no help until weekend was over. Then was docket 750 dollars on my bank card without authorization... Currently fighting it with financial institution... DO NOT RENT BUDGET!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 9, 2019

    Been waiting for 6 hours for their system to work so they can help. I get thru. Am told that I agreed to insurance. That why there's additional charge. I tell him I didn't agree to insurance. Counter agent marked it wrong. Check your "F" document you sign because they will LIE, LIE, LIE. Even if there's customer line for pick up sit at the counter and read the agreement. NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE BUDGET!! Now their system is down again and I can't get copy of what I signed. Call back in an hour they say. Why aren't there better companies out there. This one is not....

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    Reviewed Sept. 7, 2019

    I was charged more than 500 EUR because Budget said that I made a scratch that I never did. The car was already very damaged in place that they said that I did the scratch. They said that I did another scratch just aside of the existing ones. Of course the pictures they have in the system does not show the entire area already damaged when I picked the car. A big stealing.

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    Coverage

    Reviewed Sept. 6, 2019

    I rented a SUV in Tucson airport thru Expedia for $227 for 4 days. When I got there Budget charged me $457. They do not honor Expedia's collision insurance or taxes. $40 dollars per day. Plus full tank of gas. I'll never go Budget again.

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    Sales & Marketing

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2019

    Budget Rental Company employs bait & switch tactics promising car level upgrades that are not given at pickup. Both its online ads and call center reservations staff promise you an automatic upgrade when you rent the car. However when you request the upgrade you are told that there is NO upgrade cars available. HOWEVER if you are willing to PAY EXTRA for the upgrade they HAVE cars available. Budget has sunken to a new low with this one. I will never do business with these lying cheats again.

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    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2019

    Picked up a car in Denver. It immediately overheated and had to be towed. Left me and my daughter stranded in a very sketchy part of town at 4:00 in the morning. We were exhausted, cold and scared. They wanted us to take a Lyft back to the airport where we had just waited an hour and a half to pick up a reserved car. Today... They are telling me I won't get my refund until Saturday, a full eight days after the nightmare. Unbelievable.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2019

    Rented a compact car on Aug 12 from Tampa Airport. Had to wait 1 hour for a vehicle. After I reserved it in July was told I would get a 100 dollar deposit back and paid an extra 50 dollars so I didn't have to bring back the car filled. On Aug 21 brought the car back filled anyway forgetting I paid the extra charge. Have not received my 100 dollar deposit as of Sept 4. When I called they told me they were going to keep 50 dollars because the gas needle was a tad under the full line and I would still have to wait another 10 business day for the remaining 50 dollars of my 100 dollar deposit. Spoke to a manager, was told that is their policy, there is nothing he could do and kept telling me, "Handle it. It's just 50 dollars." Asked for his name. He kept telling me, "I can't hear you" then hung up on me. When I called again and asked a customer rep for the name of the supervisor I was told he couldn't give it to me because I had never called. Total nightmare.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Aug. 31, 2019

    You can book your car as fast as you want; but no way of find a chance to cancel. Reserved a car within one day. Due to weather, going to cancel after one hour reserved. Customer refused to cancel, you have to call another phone to cancel. But that phone you call 3 hours could not connect it. Never to rent it from them by credit card. They can charge what they want .

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 31, 2019

    Literally didn't even want to give them one star! On July 8, 2019, we reserved a 12 ft truck to move my daughter 6 hours away into her first college house. We confirmed it two weeks prior. When I called the specific location to let them know we were coming a half hour early to pick it up, the man was extremely unprofessional and even rise. He said he didn't have a truck and we had to deal with Budget directly. When I asked his name so we could let Budget know who we spoke with, he hung up on me.

    Needless to say, we called Budget and they escalated our claim and stated they would do their best to find us a truck within 15 minutes to 2 hours. They never called us back! We ended up with no truck and a driveway of furniture. This cost is the loss of a $200 hotel reservation, $400 because we had to borrow a friend's old pick up and trailer with bald tires that would blow on the freeway hauling that much weight, not to mention the loss of getting my daughter's semester parking spot on campus because we were not there for the lottery drawing. My husband is also out of his schedule overtime. A loss of $1200!! ! I will never use this company again and would strongly caution everyone else to do the same. Pay the extra money for Uhaul!

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    Reviewed Aug. 21, 2019

    What a nightmare! We were renting a car from Budget Car Rental in Rock Hill. Got in the car a nearly threw up, solid cigarette smoke. Guy says, "Sorry you'll have to take it into Charlotte to exchange it." SERIOUSLY! So husband drove it to Pineville (45 minutes) to exchange it. He is heading home now with a compact car. We paid for a full size. The roof is rusting, door panel is coming off... and on! He is calling their customer service now. We'll see what they say! I am at a loss for words. Are all rental car places this bad these days? We haven't rented a car in at least 10 years, so maybe things have changed. #EpicFail

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    CoveragePriceOnline & App

    Reviewed Aug. 21, 2019

    We rented a vehicle from Budget late at night in May 2019. Despite loudly telling them that we already had insurance, they slipped that expensive option in on us anyway. After "signing" for everything on a glitchy tablet that kept blinking in and out, they printed out our paperwork. We tried to get the extra insurance removed, but they refused since we'd already agreed to it by signing the tablet. Also beware their toll package that charges so much per day for local tolls instead of paying for each individual tollbooth. We paid for that as well, but it's now August and we're still getting toll charges from Budget on our credit card every single month. It's only about $5 per month, so it's not worth the time to fight with them. But they have our credit card number and have been billing it all summer.

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    James increased rating by 4 stars.
    After a positive interaction with Budget Car Rental, James increased their star rating on Aug. 25, 2019.

    Updated review: Aug. 25, 2019

    Ok, so I overreacted a little because no one who I spoke with at Budget was helping me resolve my issue — and I thought I was out $243. That was until I sent an email to the help desk at Budget and someone got back to me and said they would reverse the fee. Praise Jesus. I can buy groceries now. Thank you to Budget for coming around and helping me out in this messy situation. I will 100% from now on be triple checking the drop off location.

    Original Review: Aug. 21, 2019

    I was charged $243 for not dropping off the car at the correct location in my small town. I take the blame but it's an easy mistake to make. The locations are less than 10 min away from one another. A $20 fee would be reasonable, even a $50 fee would be hard to argue about. But a $243 fee is criminal and these guys shouldn't be allowed to prey on consumers like this. I rent a lot of cars. Never going with Budget again knowing that they're just waiting to ** you.

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    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffProcess

    Reviewed Aug. 20, 2019

    I have returned the car on time and dropped the keys in drop box around 7:30AM on a Monday. The owner of Budget claim the car is not in the lot till Tuesday. They didn't do their job right and charged me 165$ instead of 75$. She says good luck in a rude tone for me; when I said if I can escalate. Continued arguing that the car is not in the lot on time; when I asked them to look at their cameras. Customer care says they can offer 15% discount instead of refunding the extra charge for a service that I didn't use.

    They also say that I didn't check in after dropping the keys. This check in process is not there with Enterprise. I specifically asked in the Budget office the process on dropping off the car and they didn't mention anything about check in. The corporate office is also of no help. The question is if they can't help or they don't want to help. This is a clear demo of poor customer service and being very incompetent.

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    Verified purchase
    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 17, 2019

    We reserved a 4 Door Jeep Wrangler months in advance and prepaid. I even called the week before to make absolutely sure they would have one. Pickup time was 1:00pm. Not only did they not have ANY 4 door Jeep available at 1:00pm. I’m still sitting here 2 HOURS later with NO vehicle. They have told numerous lies! That one is being cleaned and now they have said they are waiting on the oil to be changed in one. The manager has offered absolutely nothing to accommodate for their failure. They have destroyed our vacation and our itinerary timeline planned months in advance. DO NOT use this company!!!

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    Reviewed Aug. 17, 2019

    According to Budget's website, you can earn Amazon gift cards when you pay through Amazon Pay. I followed their direction to the T. Now they won't issue me a card. This was a long term rental and one of the reasons I went with Budget was because of the gift card. I will never rent with Budget again. Too bad for them - I travel every 3 weeks.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 16, 2019

    I have recently rented from Budget from San Jose Airport. I paid the full amount beforehand to save money. But alas! 1. At the time of picking up the car, they did not have the car I have rented and they gave me another car, which is not unusual I would say. 2. I declined all the insurances they offer as I have my own premium insurance. I declined everything at the time of online reservation also. But the agent added extra 225 dollar charge for the car and 159 dollar for something called RSN (which I had no idea at that time, let alone sign up for it!) insurance which totals to 368 dollars extra money.

    Bottom line. My idea was very simple. I have rented a car, paid in full for it and will get the car. That is it. But it is not like that. Their customer service literally told me, they will put these charges intentionally and you have to watch out for those. If they do not have the the say they have, then you have to pay extra for it! I will NEVER rent from Budget again.

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    Sales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Aug. 15, 2019

    Got stuck renting a car after missing my shuttle - got quoted $139 online and when I picked it up, drove for 3 days, dropped it off. $402.39. FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS after being quoted $139. SCAM. They will charge you hidden fees and I will read off my receipt: Energy Recovery, Customer Fac Charge, LDW (which was $92.97????), 11.11% Fee and also doesn't even give a description for what that was for. Absolute lie and a scam.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Aug. 13, 2019

    I will never book with them again. Booked a month in advance. Decided to cancel within a day of booking only to be charged $50. I called them to figure out what this could be for, then spoke with manager who refused to waive the fee.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Aug. 12, 2019

    I reserved SUV Budget rental car from Costco travel site for BWI airport from 7/30 – 8/7. When I got there, a front desk person asked if if I want an upgrade. I said if it is free then I would. He said there will be 50% discount if I want the upgrade. I told him that I would not want upgrade if it cost me more. Then he said he has a Camry if I want it. I told him that I reserved SUV, not Camry. He finally gave me GMC Acadia with 8 seats.

    My point is the guy treated me like a stupid person. He tried to give me downgrade car without telling me it was downgrade which he thought I do not know the difference between SUV and Camry. I rented car from many company and never see this. Most of the car companies auto upgraded if the car you reserved not in stock at the time you pick up. Budget rental car will not and will downgrade your car without telling you it was downgrade. Is that you Budget operate? If this is their policy then be aware that you could be a victim of this disgrace services.

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    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedOnline & AppStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 11, 2019

    I am a Budget Fast Break customer. I rented a car in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, last month from Budget. When I picked up the car it was late at night. The windows were rolled down when we got in, and we drove off leaving them down. We did not use the car until the following night. Then, when we got in the car to go to dinner, we noticed the car smelled terribly. Which was probably why the windows were down! It was a Saturday night, and late by the time we returned from dinner. We had a wedding the next day, and a full schedule on Monday. So I didn’t call them to complain, but when we returned the car Tuesday, I told the attendant, who wrote on the windshield that the car smelled. Now Budget is charging me $250 for the smell. When I called to dispute the charges, they said there was no evidence that the smell was there before I got the car.

    On top of this, on their website they say that their cars in Florida come with e-pass option for the toll highways, but when I got into the car the paperwork instead said that, if I went on a toll road I would be charged the toll AND $3+ for each day of the rental, even if I only went through a single toll. So, between the toll charges, and the erroneous cleaning fee, they basically doubled the rental cost for the car. And then, in response to my complaint, they offered me a $20 coupon!!!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 10, 2019

    I come to Chicago frequently and always rent a car during my stay. This was my first time using Budget. This particular trip, I was in town to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding. On Thursday, 7/18, while on my way to the rehearsal I got a flat tire. Unfortunately, me and four other cars that simply could not avoid a large car piece that had broken off and was bouncing around a busy intersection. No big deal, I thought, because my fiancé came with his mother's car to assist me in changing the tire. Lo and behold there is NO spare tire in the vehicle! There was, however, an inflation kit. This did not help because the tire was so shredded that the inflation kit was completely useless.

    We contacted Roadside Assistance. I was on the phone with the woman for over an hour. She assured me that someone would be out in 45 minutes to simply trade out the vehicle with a new vehicle. Seemed easy enough. I was so grateful to her for making a stressful situation infinitely less overwhelming. We received a text message from roadside assistance with the towing company information and ETA of one hour. So, my fiancé and I waited. About an hour went by and we were still waiting, so we decided to call the towing company. They never received the order to come to our location. So, if you're keeping track... This is over an hour on the phone with Roadside Assistance and now an hour waiting for someone who was never scheduled to come.

    Again, I contacted Roadside Assistance and shared with them what occurred. The gentleman that I spoke to informed me that the woman I originally spoke with never completed the request, which is why it was never sent to the towing company. So, we were, in fact, waiting on the side of the road for an hour for nothing. He said that he would now have to complete a new request and the ETA for a towing company to come out would be approximately 90 minutes.

    At this point, I had already missed my cousin's rehearsal at the church and I wanted to at least make the dinner, so my fiancé and I came up with a plan. I was not able to leave the car on the side of the road where I was, so we decided to take my mother-in-law's spare tire, put that on the rental car, he drove that to his mother's house, replaced the spare with the flat tire and I would take his mother's car to my event. I just asked that Budget please pick the car up from my mother-in-law's home.

    On my way to the rehearsal dinner, I received a phone call from Budget asking if I wanted to wait for a new car because they had someone who was in my area that could trade the cars. They assured me this would be within the next 20 minutes. I was already on my way at that point, so I thanked them for the offer but declined as I did not want to wait any more than I had. This whole situation was a total of four hours. I got to the rehearsal dinner over three hours late. I was still getting text messages and phone calls from Roadside Assistance up until 9:00 pm. They did not pick the vehicle up from my mother-in-law's house until 9:00 pm. I was just thankful that I didn't decide to sit and wait.

    Sunday, 7/21 I received a text message stating that my car hadn't been checked in. So, I contacted Budget to check the car in. I planned on calling Budget to share the frustrations that I encountered once I returned home because I felt like it took up enough of my trip, but I spoke to someone that day. I shared my confusion as to why every vehicle doesn't come with a spare tire and then my frustration with the entire situation that occurred on Thursday. The man I spoke to was apologetic and offered me a $50 credit for my troubles.

    I asked to speak with a manager regarding the matter because I did not feel that this was sufficient. The manager I spoke to was very short with me and provided me with no reassurance on the matter. He stated that $50 was all they could offer and ended the call. I truly don't care about the money, I planned on paying for the car regardless, but I feel that there should have been more of a desire to make my experience a positive one and that just simply was not the case.

    I had no intention on pursuing this any further, however this week I checked my credit card statement and I saw a charge from Budget for $59.86. I checked my email and there was no receipt sent as to why I would have been charged. So, again, I contacted Budget. The man I spoke to told me he would send me an email with where I could send the screenshot of my charge. I never received that email, so now ONCE AGAIN, I am on the phone with this company requesting assistance in rectifying their mess! So, unless you enjoy wasting your time and energy, I urge you to look at other options than renting a vehicle with Budget.

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    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 10, 2019

    This review is for a minivan rental from 5-9 August 2019. Being in a hurry, I did not review final printed agreement of the vehicle I rented at Norfolk International airport, by Budget agent Tracy, showing I had accepted Loss Damage Waiver Insurance; even though I verbally stated to agent Tracy that I declined all insurance.

    This is a deceptive business practice. I have not experienced similar deceptive behavior from any of the other car rental companies at major airports.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 7, 2019

    Recently I rented a car in San Fran for a road trip with the family across California. I reserved the car online. When I arrived there, the agent suggested the standard SUV is too small for 2 adults and 3 kids and I upgrade. The upgrade charges was about 5-10 USDs a day so decided to go for it. However when we finished all the paperwork and walked to the car, I realised the upgrade was not as described. In fact it was smaller than the original SUV I reserved online. Everyone was really tired after 11+ hour flight so decided to take it and ask for a change next day.

    So next day I called Budget and they told me to go to closest Budget agent and they will change the car for me. So I did. When I went to local Budget, they told me they do not have any extra Cars to change the car I have and suggest I go back to SAN Francisco Airport to change the car. Well it was about 2 hours away so decided to make do with the car. When I went back to drop the car, I went to Budget desk and explained the upgrade they gave me was smaller than the original car that reserved and I paid extra for it and I want my upgrade charges back. The guy at the desk was so totally hopeless. Explains it to him and showed him online why the car I got was not an upgrade and it was the same or smaller class car than I reserved. He said he understands but there is nothing he can do other than advising Budget to downgrade the car that I had...Zero customer service. No interest in customer satisfaction.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 6, 2019

    Hi, I rented a car from Budget/Avis out of Brindisi, Italy airport on 7/18, with a rental period of 7/18 - 7/27. Prior to arriving at the airport, and during the initial rental car reservation process, I attempted to decline all optional insurances (i.e. collision, etc.) through both the online reservation process, and by calling a Budget/Avis customer service representative. Neither approach was successful. The online booking would not allow me to decline the optional insurances, and the customer service representative told me on 7/16 I could only decline them in person at the airport when renting the car. All conversations were recorded and documented. While picking up the car at the airport, I specifically requested all optional insurances be removed from the contract.

    This topic was covered at length with the rental car agent and she confirmed multiple times the services had been removed from the contract prior to me signing an electronic signature pad. Upon reviewing the contract on 7/22, I recognized some suspicious terminology regarding optional services requested, many of which appeared to be insurance related. The exact opposite of my request during all previous interactions. I called the Budget/Avis customer service number on 7/22 and they confirmed all the optional insurances were mistakenly included in my contract and I would have to pay for them for the duration of the rental period. I requested they be removed from the contract terms, but they refused and said it was impossible over the phone, a clear unwillingness to do right by the customer once a mistake was identified.

    I even offered to pay for the services I didn't want up until that point. My only option was to finish out the rental period and call their customer service to revise the final invoice, fully knowing how that would play out. I asked the customer service representative to document the conversation and open a case number, which they did.

    Upon returning home, I spoke to Budget/Avis customer service department on 7/28 and they refused to revise the final invoice. Furthermore, their customer service team told me they get these types of calls all day long and won't do anything about it. This was the part I found especially amazing. Budget/Avis is freely admitting they overcharge customers all day long and are happy to continue these fraudulent and misleading business practices with no remorse. Customers are being charged for additional services they specifically didn't ask for multiple times over, and furthermore, they are making it especially difficult to opt-out of services they don't want. I'd strongly suggest taking your business elsewhere. I sure will be. And by the way, I travel for work 50% of the year. Nate

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    CoveragePrice

    Reviewed Aug. 6, 2019

    I rented Two vehicles from Budget Rental car in Guayaquil Ecuador. 1 for 11 days the other for 3 weeks. I specifically went to Budget (USA based) because some of the others force you to purchase insurance. When I got to the airport at 10pm I was told that I had the base price and would have to pay for Insurance for both vehicles for $25.00 per day per car! This was more than my original booking (which was done thru Priceline who does car rentals thru Rentalcars.com). The man at the counter said I should be happy because I had base price so he had to charge more. I booked on AMEX which has rental insurance and the 5k balance other companies would hold.

    I also have rental coverage from my personal auto coverage State Farm. I called Rentalcars.com based out of London and the person agreed with me and tried to convince Budget rep to waive that charge. I had no choice in foreign country but to get insurance. Then they charge another $1,000 per vehicle not for deposit, but rather as a deductible if anything happens to cars? What the hell is the daily insurance for if I have to pay $2,000 in deductibles? I am still waiting on my cleared deposits and I am also disputing the daily insurance charge. Rentalcars.com only help was to tell me to dispute the charge! So buyer beware of Budget car rentals in Ecuador.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 3, 2019

    I rented a car from Budget on 7/18/19 at the Wilmington International Airport. I reserved the car online and it was $155. When I picked up the car, I had declined all insurance but my bill was $191? I figured the increase was due to maybe tax? Then when I returned the car, my bill ended up being $210? I contacted customer service who stated that I was charged a refuel charge. Since I had filled up the car prior to returning, they would credit me back. However, I had chosen roadside assistance and that charge stands. When I checked in, I had declined any and all insurance.

    After reviewing the contract from when I picked up the car, it reads the following: By my approval I accept or decline optional service/products as shown above.

    X- Agreed Apparently, the rep even though all insurances were declined, had left Roadside as Accepted? Customer service stated I should have read everything. The only selections offered are Agreed or Disagreed with your signature at the bottom. I feel its a scam. At least have the option to accept or decline the insurances on the tablet when you check in. Don't leave it up to the rep.

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    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 2, 2019

    Due to bad weather our plan was delayed 3-4 hours. Reached Orlando Airport and the Fastbreak was closed but the sign did not state it closed at midnight. Had to wait in line for over an hour and the cars were not ready. Had to return to the desk at a later time before the cars were ready. Our vehicles were supposed to be the equivalent of a Ford Edge. One vehicle was perfect the other one was a foreign car, Mitsubishi! That car had ants, we even left a can of insect spray in the glove department. Something was wrong with the defroster, the front window was always fogging up making visibility poor. Changing gears was not easy and we couldn't even figure out how to put gas in the car? Our counter person never told us if we needed to return the car with a filled tank or not. Horrible experience! Have not contacted Budget, too upset to talk about it!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Aug. 2, 2019

    I booked my rental online over a month in advance. Went I got to the counter I heard the lady upgrading the people next to me yo the type of car I had reserved. I did not think much about it until the lady helping me told me I could not get the car I rented and they were going to upgrade me to a different car. I did not want an upgrade and the car I ended up getting was not even an upgrade and smelled like smoke on top if that. To make matters worse when I looked at my credit card bill they charged me an extra $189 for insurance I had declined. When I called they told me that I signed for the insurance. I tried to explain that I did not tell the lady I wanted extra insurance as my credit card has rental car insurance. They would not listen and said I marked the box. They are a very dishonest company and their employees are also dishonest in the way they trick people and lie. I will never ever rent from them again and wish I had looked at these reviews before I had

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Aug. 2, 2019

    My car broke down in Lawton, Oklahoma on a trip. I am from East TX and 6 hours away. Dropped it of at a local dealer to be fixed. At the dealership I booked a one day rental through Priceline for Budget. I booked a compact car. A few hours later I took a uber to pick up my rental. Well when they looked up my rental I was told they had no compacts, only full size. I asked how much more and was told 18 bucks more a day. Since I needed a car I paid the outrageous price. Later that night I heard back from the dealership my car was going to take some time to fix. So I booked another car for a 4 day rental. The total was going to be 112 bucks for the 4 days. The next day I get there to drop off my rental and pick up my new reservation at the lower price. Only to be told if turned that car in that they could not rent it back out to me at that lower rate. I had to keep it at the 60 dollar a day rate.

    My new reservation was for the exact same car. So it was pay the double rate or no car at all. Why make a reservation if the can’t honor it. Not once but twice. And don’t get me started with their customer service. I called them to try and get help. And was on the phone over a hour to be hung up on. And from I bet no one from Budget will read this or care. So please stay away from Budget. I know I will nor my family will use them again. So I am stuck away from home and have to have my elderly parents come from TX to pick me up. Because they will not honor a price for a reservation I set up through their customer service.

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    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 1, 2019

    We went to Denver last week for a family vacation and needed a car for which we made a reservation with Budget through AARP Expedia. We chose Budget because they had "in airport" rentals. Actually, the rental was not in the airport, but a 5 minute bus ride away. When we got to the Budget office, there was a long line of customers waiting which was moving very slowly. There were about eight stations where Budget agents could have been serving customers, but about half of the agents were bunched up talking, laughing and joking with a person who appeared to be a supervisor. The line moved really slowly. We did finally get our car, but it was a frustrating experience and will make me reluctant to use Budget ever again!!!

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    Reviewed July 31, 2019

    This is the worst car rental company hands down. Yesterday we picked up a car rental from their office in Dayton airport in OH so we can drive to Chicago’s O’Hare airport this morning to catch a flight overseas. As we were loading the car with luggage , we were shocked as we noticed the license plates had expired stickers!! This is very irresponsible of them and their negligence caused us so much stress and risk as we feared we would miss the flight because of this.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed July 31, 2019

    I was handed a GPS device, so I assumed it was part of my rental (I booked through a third party). I did not ask for the GPS nor was I told it would cost extra. I was also charged for an upgraded vehicle that I did not receive. When I called Customer Service to ask about these incorrect charges, they told me to contact the location where I rented the vehicle. However, the automated messaging options at the specific location took me back to Customer Service, so there was no way to reach that location directly and Customer Service could not transfer me. It was a very frustrating experience, and unfortunately it is still unresolved.

    I should not have taken the GPS (that's on me), but the representative is also at fault for not asking me if I wanted it or telling me the price. The representative is fully at fault for the upgraded vehicle charge, as I did not receive an upgraded vehicle nor was I told I would be charged for it. Overall, my experience with the rental representative and with Customer Service was pretty terrible. If you do choose to rent with Budget, make sure you question every charge before you sign anything to verify they're not trying to charge you for things you aren't getting or didn't ask for.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed July 31, 2019

    I am a constant renter at least 2-3 times a month, both personal and business. I prepaid for a rental today and once I got a confirmation the receipt amount changes by almost $200. Called the CS number and had to argue with them about the price of which he admitted that it was their fault and he finally cancelled the reservation and submitted a refund. What he did NOT do was close the rental out and now the payment is stuck in a pending state. I called the corporate office for further assistance and of course the CS rep "Cassie" was not in the least bit concerned that they had tied up my money.

    As much as I rent from them she could have at least opened the reservation to be sure it was closed out, but NO. All she could say was "well I can't make it go any faster and I have seen the prices jump in the system". This is why no one wants to deal with customer service and now other companies are getting the money and accounts. I will be bringing this up at our next meeting that we stop using Budget/Avis and start using Hertz, at least they take care of their customers!! You reap what you sow!!

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    Reviewed July 31, 2019

    Rented a car at the airport. Worst car ever! Had 2 big cracks on the window over 20 inches each. Was noted on damage sheet. Had 2 warning lights the whole time. 1 for oil and the other for tires. Turn indicator would not reset after turning. Windshield wipers completely rusted and ineffective in clearing the rain. Brake pads shot, squealed when applied. Transmission slipped. Can’t believe a major rental companies would put such a car in use. Arrived in the evening and were on a tour the next day. Didn’t realize all the problems until next day.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed July 27, 2019

    Had a horrible experience at the LAX Budget Rent a Car location. They tried to over charge us by 700.00 and tried to secretly add on charges for things we didn’t need. Had to insist on seeing the manager for assistance who had to cancel the whole transaction and redo it correctly. Had to call our credit card company who also said Budget was trying to scam us. We originally reserved a SUV, and they tried to give us a pick up truck. They finally gave us a SUV, and it reeked of ** throughout the car. Had to go back in to get another car. Printed receipt showed they gave us a full tank of gas, but it was almost a half tank. Had to go back to get it adjusted by a worker. Not a good experience and we won’t be renting from Budget Rent A Car any more.

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    Reviewed July 27, 2019

    We rented a car out of Budget Rental JFK NY airport. We are Fastbreak customers, which allegedly means fast in and out. Not so. The car was not ready. They claimed they had to run it through the car wash. There was a half hour delay. Apparently Budget washed the exterior. The interior of the car is filthy and reeks of cigarette smoke. Disgusting. DO NOT RENT BUDGET OUT OF NY! AIRPORT unless you wish to experience delays and drive a filthy car.

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    Budget Car Rental Company Information

    Company Name:
    Budget Car Rental
    Year Founded:
    1958
    Address:
    6 Sylvan Way
    City:
    Parsippany
    State/Province:
    NJ
    Postal Code:
    07054
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.budget.com