Budget Car Rental Reviews

I am a Fast Break member and I have been a Budget customer for 35 years. On April 25, 2022, I went to pick up my reserved Budget rental car at Harry Reid International Airport. A snotty Budget service rep said that Budget or Costco had canceled my reservation. I told her that I didn't cancel it and asked her to please make a new reservation. She did so begrudgingly. When I asked her questions about the price hike of the new reservation she became openly hostile and yelled at me. The rest of the process went worse. She made me wait two hours for a car that Budget never provided; she unilaterally canceled my new reservation and she sent me to her manager. The manager refused to rent any car to me. I complained to Budget Customer Service which did nothing. After spending thousands of dollars on Budget rental cars over 35 years, I'm done. ABB. Anyone But Budget.

A truly appalling company. I rented a car and waited almost two hours to get it because they did not implement their fastbreak system at all, had no one staffing the position, were beyond understaffed, and everyone at the location was utterly incompetent (someone told me in line to go the fastbreak station, even though no one had been there, and there was still no one there; they lied about why fastbreak wasn’t working, why my name wasn’t on the list just to pick up the car, on and on and on). It was just as bad on return, when I had to waste another entire hour dealing with their negligence.

I rented a black 2021 Chevy Camaro in March from Budget. It is because I pre-paid my purchase that all this issue happened. The car they provided to me had squeaky brakes for my whole time. It wouldn’t have been that much of an issue but seeing as it was a convertible the noise what a major issue. I also pre-paid for the whole gas tank to be filled so I just returned the car on empty. When I rented the car the person didn’t apply my AAA and Costco discount, I can't remember which was granted.

Agent-Telling you not to take the Insurance, giving you a broken down Rental Vehicle. Upon your return fabricating defects! And charging you extra for damages. I am telling everyone never to rent with Budget Rental in Jamaica or use their American Express Card. They are ripping off unsuspecting Travelers.

Abysmal experience. I researched meticulously the option of picking up a vehicle in Dublin and dropping it off at a Budget location in Rosslare Harbour. I tried unsuccessfully to upgrade online to an automatic transmission. Only after calling customer service was I informed that the Rosslare Harbour site is "permanently closed". Budget informs me that they wouldn't have so informed me until 48 hours before my pickup. I booked a ferry trip and related hotels and car rental in Wales, all based on driving to Rosslare and dropping off the vehicle. My confirmation said that was confirmed.

My son, a soldier in the US Army based at Camp Meade was able to make a reservation online to rent a car for the one week period he will be on post prior to deploying overseas. That sounds great, right? it was not. He was denied his car rental right there at the counter because all cars were being held for airport return flights! Well, if that was the policy, they never had to take his reservation (and payment) online! This is the complete and worse experience I've ever seen from any car rental vendor. It is absurd. Budget Rent a Car literally left a current active duty soldier and a veteran without a ride. I work for a large IT company out of the Round Rock Texas area. I travel corporate frequently and I will be sharing this story widely.

I made a reservation in FEBRUARY, 2022 for a pick up in MAY, 2022. Budget never informed me that the city center location where I reserved my car is now closed. I found out by accident this morning while making another reservation (In April, 2022). The airport price is an additional eu 250. I need the original reservation transferred to the airport for the pick up, and the price for the original reservation needs to honored.

I recently rented a vehicle for one day, the default setting on the site, since I changed the pick up time to 11 am the return was at noon. They set the rental for 1 day but charged for two for prepaid. I was not able to get the car for an hour late due to understaffed counters and returned it by the time in the agreement. I was overcharged $200 because they said this constituted an early return. Despite the contract saying 1 day, which I was within.

I rented a vehicle at Dallas Fort Worth airport. I used the vehicle to go home from the airport, which was less than 50 miles. I then went to Denton TX and back. About 110 miles. I then took the vehicle back. I used the vehicle for less than 250 miles. I never took a picture of mileage at pickup or return. They did not check the car immediately. I returned it but I was told to leave it at parking. When I was charged, I was charged for 508 miles. If you rent from Budget keep up with your mileage. They will con you big time.

We had a great experience with our car rental until drop off. We got to our location a couple of minutes before our drop off time (2pm). Unfortunately our drop off time was the same time they closed. When we got there the building was locked and no one was inside. We called customer service for what we should do and she suggested we drop it off at the local airport and we would be charged over $300 in fees. I said that wasn’t fair since we were at our designated location before close. She said ok she spoke to someone and that I just needed to call customer service after drop off and we would be refunded. I asked her several times if she was sure because I didn’t want to get stuck with this fee because this was not our fault. She said yes.

Where do I begin! These crooks' hidden fees are unreal! They charged me for snow tires on a vehicle when they had no other vehicles to give me! They charged me for "damage" on the vehicle when they did not do a follow-up walk around! When I asked for pictures or proof they did not provide them! I may be wrong but I know there was no damage when I dropped it off!!! Watch out for these crooks!

Over 150 people waiting on line with their reservations in hand to get their reserved vehicles at Tampa airport on April 4 at 3:30 pm with two employees working the counter at an average of 15 minutes per customer. Furious customers in a frustrated state of affairs. Many leaving to find another rental company, which fortunately we had Hertz gold car membership and got a car. I took photos since no one could believe it. We called Budget to complain and cancel and they had the audacity to say if we cancelled, we owed them a cancellation fee. No apologies or understanding. Never again will I use Budget.

I had a very positive experience with Budget Car Rental. I made a reservation the night before. I got a good online price and I prepaid. I used digital check in. When I arrived, the next day, I spent only about 10 minutes at the counter. The car, a Mitsubishi Outlander, was clean and ran well. The staff was professional and friendly. I would use them again.

I rented a vehicle from Budget Akron OH one way to Detroit MI. The vehicle had crack on the windshield before I rented it and the agent noted this on the rental agreement. One month after the rental Budget charged my credit card amount of $313 and claimed that was due to cracked windshield. I called customer service and was put on hold for hours then submitted tickets online in their website. Again no reply, no luck. I got ripped off $313 dollars.

I've been trying to contact Budget support for 3 days now. I am now 2 hours on hold and they are not rushing to answer the call. Support is NOT available on their website. Instead of changing my reservation, they added another charge...

This was terrible. Had a 10am reservation in St. Louis. Waited 40 minutes to get a vehicle & still did not have the vehicle I reserved. Staff used excuses, & worried more about masking people than doing their job, even though local policies did not require masks, Budget did not, and the Budget website and reservation details specifically stated masks were "encouraged," not required. Meanwhile, one of their employees failed to wear her mask. Never renting from Budget again.

I did a prepaid amount online to rent from budget went to pick up car and the cashier said they have been sold out of cars for a week. They have held my refund for 2 weeks. No explanation. I have tried.

Don't believe me this company sucks. Call this number 844 705 6426. This is the 24 hour roadside assistance number. Ya know for when your rental car breaks down. You would expect someone to answer it when you have a problem. You would expect if no one can answer you would be put on hold till someone can. Well I have been calling for 3 hours and I get disconnected every time. NO answer, NO put on hold, No options. Just disconnected. I have also tried the national number, the location I rented from. All I get from them is CALL 844 705 6426. NEVER AGAIN. PLEASE WANT TO KNOW THIS IS FACTUAL CALL THIS NUMBER. You think this number is some scam I put on hear to have you call me. Then please go google and ask for the Budget Roadside number.

I cancelled a prepaid reservation and received an email confirming that I would receive a refund within 3-10 business days (minus a $50 fee). Six weeks later I called as I hadn’t yet received it. I was then told that if you cancel online, you have to phone them to initiate the refund. This is contrary to their information on the email.

Be Careful!!!! We rented a car with my wife in Los Angeles Woodland Hills and returned the car the next day at the airport. After 2 weeks we received a letter in the mail that Budget will charge us an extra $450.00 US because they have discovered animal hair in the car. Make sure the car is checked when you return it otherwise you might be hit with a charge. We never had an animal in the car and we were quite shocked to received this letter.

WARNING READ: I cannot say for sure if all Budget branches take part in these practices but here's what I experienced at the Mesa branch on AZ ave: First time rental was a moving truck, in which upon returning the truck I was informed a fee - believe it was $25+ - would be applied if I did not "fill the tank all the way to the top." My definition of "full" is when the gas pump shuts off, which it had. To avoid the fee, I had to return to the nearest gas station and put in another $1.19. All in all not a horrific experience but annoying enough that I took my business elsewhere for years.

Did the sign-up before I went, got there and the guy said I could not use my debit card. Said they run a credit check on customers, and that I should have brought a copy of my bank account all of which is not on the pre-sign-up page. Said my credit was not good...in the upper 700's but not good enough for Budget. I lost a days pay because of no car. I will be suing for the ** lies. This is the Sunny Isles location.

Booked a rental for 11 days through Costco and was quoted $847.03. I knew I was going to get the damage waiver so I was expecting just over $1000 total. I ended up paying $1,362.11 (still haven't gotten my invoice). NO IDEA WHY. Also, they put a hold on my cc for the entire 1300 plus a $250 "deposit". Why did I have to pay a deposit and the entire rental upfront? Car was a piece of crap anyway and I am glad I got damage waiver. So upset because I had to scramble to use money on my vacation because of a $1500 hold on my cc. NEVER RENT THROUGH BUDGET!!!

Brandon at this location is awesome. I have dealt with a few other rental companies and their employees the past few months due to some car issues. Hands down he was the most professional, accommodating and streamlined process out of all my previous interactions with other companies. I live in Robinson and moving forward will only rent thru Brandon and at this location. I recommend everyone else to save themselves the hassle or time searching by taking my advice and going here! And by the way, the car was filled with gas and perfectly clean… Which far exceeded the condition of any of my past rentals around our area or picked up at airports for during vacations.

We are traveling to Alaska with our family. Rented a car. Got an email in January saying we had cancelled the reservation. Lie. I called 4 times. The representatives were rude and unhelpful. Could not book another car because supposedly they were all booked. A month later we received an email saying they cancelled because the rates were wrong. Scam. Totally.

We rented car in Calgary on Jan 20. Our flight was delayed by almost 2 hours from Toronto. We met Victorino, who was very courteous and professionally helpful in helping us provide the car that we needed. As much it was great to interact with Victorino who helped quickly reserve us a car without much time, his friendly approach and a nice gesture was welcoming to guide towards car.

The wait time was two hours. They need an efficiency expert to run this office. There were 3 men working and it so long before we got our car that we will never use them again. When everything was done and paid for there is no excuse for such inefficiency.

In Aug 2021 I rented a car from SFO airport and few days later I dropped it off at the same location. The lady who received the car said that I will receive an email about the final bill. Few days later I got an email saying that the car was never returned and they are looking into it as a lost case. I tried to reach out customer service but there was a long wait and I left my number to be called back, which never happened. I opened a case too with the details for which I got a response next day asking for the details - where was it rented from, where was it returned, time etc, in spite of having the reservation number in the email. Few days later I received an mail thru USPS saying the same - car was not returned.

Please beware of this company because they practice bait and switch tactics when it comes to reservations placed via Expedia site because in my case they did not honor the reservation that I made via Expedia and cancel my reservation without my knowledge and charged me $50 dollars for them cancelling my reservation. They then charged me a higher rate without my knowledge that tripled my original amount made via my Expedia reservation. Buyer Beware!!!! Bad ethical business practices and I would never do any business with this company and I have already told my family and friends to stay away from them.

Simon at the Budget Car Rental location on Broadway in downtown Denver scammed me out of $1216 in fees!! I called Budget support to report the issue, and they refused to help. Be careful renting from budget!

We reserved a one-way Elite SUV from Budget.Com to pick up from O’Hare because our flight was cancelled to Florida due to blizzard conditions and we needed to get there. Long story short the car (a Dodge Journey - not an Elite SUV) had 4 bald tires, non functional windshield wipers and a pull to the right. My husband, myself and our two young children were put out in a blizzard in a car that was not safe. We were not able to exchange it until we literally demanded a different car at the Atlanta airport, at which point we were rented a Kia Soul (certainly not an Elite SUV). Customer Service has been an absolute nightmare and we have not been able to get a refund. I have been disconnected and given conflicting information, and will have to resort to stopping payment from my credit card. I will never rent from Budget again. Ever.

I made a rental car reservation for 7 days with Priceline, it was $370. Had to extend it 3 days with Budget because my flight was canceled. When I returned the car, Aziza at Budget Rent A Car in Flint Michigan she said they had to charge me $332 and that they did not get the payment from Priceline. She lied. They got the $370 from Priceline and they charged me an additional $332 for the additional 3 days. Not only that, they changed the daily rate from the Priceline rate so I got stuck paying a higher rate thru them.

I rented a car at the Fort Lauderdale Airport location, the woman at the counter by the name of Sheila was wonderful!! She was so kind, accommodating, & patient. I received the car clean both inside & out, with a great deal through Priceline for 4 days! Join the FASTBREAK program to beat the line people, lol!

We rented a car through expedia.com at the Las Vegas Airport for $357.00 for 5 days, when we wanted to pick it up they forced a $109 insurance on us that we did not need since it's covered by our State Farm policy and told us it's the law. Nobody came with us to inspect the car, and when we returned it their employee went straight for 2 little dings on the fender, telling us we damaged the car, but that's not all, the final bill had unexplained and unexpected extra charges that made my bill $562 instead of $357 for a 5 day small car rental. But I am not alone, they do this shady business with many people as I found out later by googling reviews, BE AWARE, RENT FROM SOMEONE ELSE!

I rented a car from Budget Saint Thomas from 1/20/22 through 1/23/22. When I went to pick up the car, there was a long line. I waited for around an hour before I finally got my rental car. I was told to walk over to a certain parking lot, given the parking space number where the car was parked, and handed a key. When I got to the car, there was no one present from Budget to go over the current damages to the car with me.

Do not rent a car from Budget! I reserved one that I just made yesterday less than 24 hours and even though it's 6 days till I pick up the car. Even though it's 6 days till I pick up the car. They will refund me everything but $50 that they get to keep. My grandma passed away and I decided to fly instead of driving 9 1/2 hours. I let the customer service rep know this. They said they could keep it until I travel again. I told them I wasn't on planning on going anywhere soon. They said they could cancel it for me and deduct the $50! AWFUL!!!!

I prepaid for my car rental and expected to go in, get my car, and everything would be fine. When I got to my hotel, I found out that my credit card was charged for extras I did not want or ask for. It took (4) calls to customer's service and opening a case to finally get resolution. I must say that their customer service people tried to help and did their best to find me resolution. Where I had the biggest issue was with the desk representative when I went to return the car. Freddie was not helpful at all, didn't want to hear about my issue, and would not even take my Case #. It was the rudest person I have ever dealt with with any company. I did finally get resolution when I made a final call to customer service and told them of how I was treated at the rental counter. Needless to say, I will never rent from Budget again. Countless time and anxiety spent trying to resolve what should have been an easy solution.

I reserved a car for a week for my son's upcoming wedding in Alaska. This week I got an email saying my reservation had cancelled. I phoned customer care to re-confirm my reservation and was told that my rate would not be honored. They offered a new reservation ($1000 more). So once they booked up, and price increased, they cancelled and left me high and dry. Wow!

ZERO STARS: Customers beware of added cost for your rental!!! Writing about my experience to help others…I rented a car from Budget car rental with a pick-up and drop off at Fort Myers International airport 1/18/22-1/25/22. I booked the rental through Southwest.com with the expectation of paying around $220.57, according to the estimated cost from the booking. What I paid in total was basically double that, $482.64!!!! I thought that possibly it was a safety deposit and that I would get some money back. I waited a few days and when no money was returned to my account, I called customer services. I was told that I pre-paid for gas, which I totally understand and have no problem with. However, what I did not realize is that I also paid $26.99/“PER DAY” (x7 days = $188.93 extra) for some kind of damage waiver that I apparently agreed to at the time of pick up.

If I could give Budget Rent A Car zero stars, I would. I rented a car from them recently for an eight-day trip. When I arrived at the pick-up location at the designated time, it was closed. I had to change the pick-up location to an inconvenient one, and the return location was changed to that inconvenient one as well. I called twice during my trip about changing the return location back to the original, as it was more convenient. I was told that would be fine but would entail a small reservation modification fee. After I returned the car, I saw a $413 charge on my credit card (in addition to the full cost for the rental, which I had prepaid). I spoke with Budget customer service, which "informed" me that returning the vehicle to the original location instead of the inconvenient one constituted a one-way rental. That is patently false. This company cares not a whit about its customers.

NO customer service, rude agents that hang up on you, no way to speak to a supervisor. Bait and switch tactics on their website. Not given the type of car stated on their contract, ie, clean. I was given a filthy car with a broken left mirror and such bad stains on the windows that I had to cancel my road trip. I could have lived with the dirty interior and the compact car but the windows were so hard to see out of I could not risk driving long distance with my children. Budget would not replace the car without me having to go back to the airport to pick up another one and it was just too late in the game for me to do this. What a yucky, scummy company. GROSS.

I reserved a vehicle on 12/30/2021 for pickup on 1/4/2022 from Atlanta airport for one day for $178.17. When I went to pick it up attendant wanted to charge $265.99. When I showed her the reservation she dropped it down to $178.17 on my CC. However, when I returned the vehicle at Tallahassee airport per contract they charged $200.85 on my CC. When I complained, the women at the returned desk told me to call Budget at Atlanta airport since they are independently owned. I called them a few times to complain but no answer from the manager's desk. I will never rent from Budget.

I hate to leave bad reviews. I understand that customer service is a difficult and thankless job. That said my experience with Budget rental was so terrible that I am trying to tell as many people as possible. Our initial experience was very positive. We got our car in a friendly and efficient manner, it was clean, well maintained and full of fuel. We went from the airport to the beach and that’s where the troubles began. I lost the keys. That’s my fault, I accept that and take responsibility. We contacted roadside services. They walked me through the process and assured me a wrecker would arrive within an hour to take us to the airport and we would have another car waiting.

I WILL NEVER RENT BUDGET AGAIN. 1st I waited in the quick checkout line at Charlotte Airport (because the directional signs pointed me there for Budget Rental) for 30 minutes only to be redirected without being assisted at all. 2nd, the initial vehicle provided smelt strongly like cigarette smoke, I immediately requested an alternate vehicle. The 2nd vehicle provided had a slight odor upon receipt, however once we began our travel and turned on the climate system; the vehicle had a ridiculous odor of **. The presence was so strong that it caused headaches and nausea.

I selected a car to rent scrolling down after selecting So West Airlines flight plan. The car selected compact was advertised for $57.99. The rental company charged $127.79 per day. Included in the cost Veh license recoup fee $2.80, Concession recovery fee $17.81, CA sales tax 13.80 Facility charge $10.00, CA tourism fee $5.51. Advertising a special price then doubling the cost is clearly Deceptive.

Here is a brief summary of our experience with Budget:

My name is Kevin ** and my phone number is **. I am writing to file an official complaint about one of your employees at Miami International Airport. His name is Ivan. I arrived at around 8:30 p.m. from Chicago on December 19. The car was dropped off on December 24th at around 4:00 p.m. The issue has to do with the $59.95 I paid for the use of the Sun Pass transponder. I was having a difficult time deciding what I should do. I was told I had to decide at that time whether I wanted it or not. No changes would be allowed after the fact. I am about to tell you exactly what Ivan said to me as I was pondering what to do. I remember vividly what he told me and it was deceiving at the least or even downright dishonest.

Budget Rental offers no designated walk up line for paid, online reservations. However, you can immediately sign up for Fastbreak and get a rental then and there. How stupid!!! I waited in line with 70+ people in front of me to get my PAID rental for almost 3 hrs!! Worst ever!!!

Why bother planning your trip ahead, PRE PAYING your car rental 2 months ahead of time? Don’t, Budget will take your money and NOT have your car. Oh and I checked in on their website, so is not like they thought I wouldn’t show up. No, they overbooked and had no cars when I went to pick it up. They told me they only had a full size car, when I prepaid for a category above it (note the manager actually lied to me and told me it was a category above, BUT IT'S NOT). Then the employees from the store told me "there’s nothing we can do, you have to take this car and try to exchange in another location". So Budget transferred THEIR problems to me. I would have to check with other locations IF they have my car and drive there to exchange it.

Made a reservation on line, paid for the extra insurance as well as one additional driver. On the way to pick up the rental, received a phone call that they did not have a vehicle for me. Contacted customer service, was told about an alternate location that had a vehicle if I could pick it up there instead, drive across town to be told they also did not have a vehicle for me. Once again, called customer service. Manager on duty extremely rude, when I inquired about speaking with his boss, I was told no! I was told at no site was there a vehicle available for me, I inquired as to why the reservation was allowed to be made and the funds immediately taken from my bank account if in fact there were no vehicles available. This man proceeded to tell me that a reservation is no guarantee of a vehicle. In order to get my money refunded it can take up to 10 business days. They were HORRIBLE in every aspect of the word and should not be allowed to do business in this manner.

Take your time to read. We are not from the US and this company was not able to help at all after our accident- would rather let their customers freeze to death. We rented a vehicle yesterday, Sunday, December 12th at 10:30am from Budget Chicago downtown. We were on our way to Forest City, we hit a deer 5 minutes away from Cedar Falls around 7pm. We called Budget roadside assistance right away to get some help and a representative said that she will send some help on the way and a towing company will be there to tow the vehicle from where the accident happened.

I called to rent a car and mentioned I was active duty but 23. They said I could not rent because I was not 25 so my mom did it. They charged MY card 930 before I even got the car and had no problem charging it to my card even though they made the reservation under my mother's name. After the phone call we called back to ask about a security deposit because they didn’t mention one. They said one of $250 had to be made but didn’t specify a card. When we arrived at the Budget after our flight with my 2 month old baby, they refused to accept the security deposit because the card wasn’t in my mom's name. I reminded them that the card they ALREADY charged for $930 was under my name and they didn’t care. We then found out active duty can rent a car before they’re 25. I tried to switch the name on the reservation and they said I had to call their supervisor to change the reservation name.

I returned the car on time, but the employee didn't scan the barcode and give me the return slip, turn out the system showed I returned the car late. Call the customer service kinda said it's all my fault that I didn't get the return slip. I mean I already ask their employee to check the car with me, what else I can do if he didn't give the return slip? Next time, Please make sure you get the return slip before you leave the car!

Rented from Budget, had an accident, tried for days to tell them about it and where to find their car. Shuffled from phone to phone. Emailed, faxed and verbally filled out accident report. Accused of not returning car. Told I could never rent from them again. Talked or wrote to rental agent at airport to corporate offices. After three months they finally called for report on accident. Sent police report. Never heard from them again. Rent from them but pray you never have an accident.

We rented a car in Sacramento, CA on 10/29. As soon as we entered the freeway, warning light began cycling: Engine oil service due, Forward driving aids temporarily disabled, Front sensor blocked, see owners manual. There was no manual in the vehicle. Also, the car had not been sanitized as there were fingerprints covering the display, and the driver's seat belt wreaked of old perfume or cologne. Upon return, Budget counter person said I'd need to contact corporate, which I did, and provided pics as well. I've heard nothing! Plus, they charged my c.c. for $14! We filled the tank before returning it, so know it was full!

I will never rent a car from Budget again. I rented a Toyota in Florida a couple of weeks ago, it was a worn out Camry with out of state Texas license plates with over 61k miles on it. When the employee brought the keys to the clerk at the counter he said something about the battery but gave me the car anyway. The next morning of my One day in Florida the car wouldn't start. It took about 20 minutes to get through to Roadside assistance and almost 1 1/2 hours until someone showed up to jump the car. After I got the car started I had to drive back to the airport and stand in line to get another car.

Don't rent from Budget no matter what. I received a bill for $638.00 for so called damage that I never did to the vehicle. These guys are a scam and the Jeep I rented was filthy dirty and rusty. This happened on Kauai in November. I am a pilot and frequently rent cars. I am contacting everyone I know and also AOPA to tell them about my experience.

As a member of AARP, I have often rented from Budget in the past. Never again. I recently rented an older model KIA out of MCO for two weeks. The vehicle was not washed. It failed to start about one week into the rental. The wait times to contact an agent to report the problem were nearly an hour. Eventually someone responded with booking a service provider to come jump the car. The wait time for service was even longer. I finally made my own arrangements for a jump, cancelling both with Budget and the provider. Even so Budget still charged my credit card for over $100 for the service! They did reverse the charges, but the dreadful experience both with the quality of vehicle rented and the poor customer service has ruled out ever renting from Budget again.

This is the 2nd time this car rental company CHARGED ME FOR GASOLINE USED WHEN I RETURNED THE CAR FULL TANK. I was told when I rented the car to either return it empty or full tank so as not to be charged extra. I accepted the offer to buy the gas from them BUT I MADE SURE THAT I RETURNED IT FULL TANK. The first time it happened last July 2021, I was charged for 5 gallons. I called to complain and I was refunded the price difference between the prevailing market price and their price. Now, it happened again. I rented a car for 4 days in Maui and returned it 11/28/2021. I will not let this pass and complain to all the necessary agencies including COSTCO and this CAR RENTAL COMPANY. DON'T GET DECEIVED BY BUDGET RENT A CAR.

I recently rented a vehicle from Budget. It was a local rental for three days. I filled the tank up about 3 miles from the drop-off location. Later that day I received an invoice from Budget, and the bill included a $100 refueling bill. Then I called their customer service, was on hold for almost 30 min, and I still have not been refunded my money. I even provided a receipt for the refueling at a gas station right outside of the drop-off place. Make sure you take a picture of the gas gauge when you return your vehicle. It is insane that I am being ripped off by a supposed reputable company like this. Honestly save yourself the headache and rent from someone else. This is just not worth the hassle.

On 08/10/2021 I booked a car with Budget company (rental station - Split Airport, Croatia) from 08/29/2021 19-30 to 09/11/2021 19-30 for 13 days for 579 EUR. I arrived at the rental station at 20-00 on August 29, 2021. Despite the fact that I previously inquired by phone with the company about the amount of the safe deposit, and they said 579 euros, the employee of the rental station demanded 1200 euros. I agreed. After three unsuccessful attempts to pre-authorize the entire amount on my card, the employee said that the PIN is incorrect and my card is blocked. As a VIP client of my bank with 24/7 support around the world, I contacted my personal manager by phone. The manager assured me that my card had not been blocked. Moreover, from the third party there was not a single attempt at any request for any amount whatsoever.

When renting a car, I was asked if I wanted tolls to be pre-covered. Thought good idea. But what they don't tell you is that it's 25 dollars a day. You'd have to drive circles in a toll both to 25 dollars a day.

Unfortunately the mystery car that my wife and I prepaid for 3 months prior to our arrival to Hawaii had issues with the sun roof top. When we picked up our vehicle and began to drive to our hotel (Moana Surfrider) the sun roof started to fall apart. The side windows came undone and almost caused an accident on the freeway. This car was not only a hazard to us but others on the road. The sun roof would not retract to a complete close causing for it to open on its own while driving at speeds of 35 MPH. We only drove the vehicle 134 miles due to this unsafe issue. My wife and I missed on many scheduled trips.

Do not rent with this company. It is a real scam, even if I contacted to tell you that there were problems to leave LAX airport on time, they never explained to me that this would have a charge of almost $ 80.00 and apart from leaving the car on time and with the tank full and they say it was three gallons short. In total they are cheating me with an additional $ 100.00 that of course they charged for the guarantee.

This company is a scam. I paid upfront, returned the vehicle early. Never received my refund for the early return. A pre authorization charge of $250 has still not been refunded either and is pending on my debit card 60 days later. Don’t rent from this company.

Spent 2 days of my vacation trying to get a tire replaced. One hour just to get a hold of them, then another hour waiting for a service that was supposed to arrive "within 40 minutes". Caught the company blatantly lying many times and had many operators hanging up on my face (happily recorded the conversations). Oper Then they tried to charge me over $200 for a toll (to remedy their incompetence.) This company is so poorly run. You can tell they don't give a crap about their customer as every public-facing web channel hasn't been updated for many months/years. Companies like this should face governmental consequences.

I would avoid Budget (in Spain at least). I was overcharged at the Palma office and when I submitted an explanation to Budget, I was ignored. Their social media person responded to a Google review I posted (check it out) but then ignored me. I sense that the social media team is just a scam where they pretend like they will look into the matter to try to disarm negative reviews. Really disgusting how Budget Spain preys on tourists. Avoid!

Stay away from this company. Went to PR to see family members after the loss of my uncle. Budget overcharged me. When I called them they can't even explain why they are overcharging me and refuse to reimburse. Stay away from using this company.

This happened at Tucson airport, and I can't verify if it's true for all counter persons, but mine said I'd pay less per gallon upon return. She never said it only applies if you use the entire tank!! Budget will not refund any money for gas you do not use. I used a quarter of the tank and ended up losing $37 by using the pre-pay option.

'Budget' in every way. Having used Budget for years in the USA and Europe my family and I had a shocking experience this August in the UK - with huge wait times, poor service, child's car seat which wouldn't fit properly (and was unsafe), tyres which deflated after a week's driving and then slow, uncaring customer service by email. Budget responded by giving us half the cost of the child's car seat hire back, which felt derisory. I understand COVID affects service to a degree, but Budget's job is to provide good cars, good car seats and good service - Budget simply did not do its job here. We won't be using Budget (or Avis) again and cannot recommend their service and product.

This is my response to this company's lack of responsibility. They are trying to file false claims against me months after my rental.

I shared my displeasure and how complicated it was to rent with Budget and as I walked away after finishing my rental process this employee named Peter decided he would say “** off man”, I let him know customer service would be contacted and asked him his name and was told “can’t you read?”. The conversation went on as I told him, "You know this isn’t the way you should treat customers" and he covered his mouth and got wide eyed as to say “oh no I’m in trouble now". sarcastically. My wife and I walked away and contacted customer service and waited for a call back. Apparently Budget thought 50 dollars should shut us up but I’m sorry half of what we paid should be refunded and this man should be fired at the very least. I will be contacting local media and be posting this experience on EVERY social media platform.

The worst experience we've ever had. We have a service animal and the company charged us $250 because they found animal hair in the car. They allow service animals so I don't understand what the issue was. The customer service people I spoke to were extremely rude and condescending. Would not recommend ever.

Rented Jeep in Kauai for one day. Jeep wasn’t in best condition. I received two months after rental a charge on my credit card for $342.09. After receiving letter. Spoke to customer service. They sent me blurry photo with a circle “supposedly” showing a chip windshield. Budget said I did this and that they would settle for $100. Tried to explain that I checked vehicle and didn’t see any damage. Plus how do you miss a chipped windshield? I will not rent with budget again. Plus will dispute with American Express.

Customer service was very poor with Budget on my last rental. The rear view camera was not working, but wasn't noticed until I used reverse off site. Informed Budget of this, but was still charged after explaining to customer service.

They need an efficiency expert in the worst way. I will never rent with Budget again. First I waited in a super long line to check in. That line was over 50 minutes. Usually you get your car and keys in this first line but all I got was a slip of paper and instructions to go wait in a second line. That line was around 40 minutes and I did get a car but then there was a third line to get out of the garage. In all, renting the car took half as long as flying from New York. NO JOKE. If you value your time, pay a few more dollars each day. I will never give them another opportunity to waste my time with their incredible inefficiency again.

I rented a car in Florida. From Oct 13 to 18th. I returned the car very early in the morning. I took a photo of miles and that the gas tank was Full. Looked at my statement and was charged $132 and change for Gas, Toll Charges and misc fees. 1 the gas was full. I never went through any tolls. None, Zero. Was charged over $59 for toll charges. Was told that they couldn't tell if I went through any toll roads so they have to charge me. Are you Kidding?! I even told the lady at the counter when I picked up the car, where I would be. I will Never Ever used Budget again. This is very upsetting considering I already paid for the rental car upfront and then be charged for additional fees.

I rented a car and told them I would not need any toll services as I was staying local. After returning home I received charges for tolls for NY bridges. I was never even near NY. I contacted Budget who informed me that they can’t help because toll issues belong with eToll (even though Budget engaged them on my behalf after I declined the service). I contacted eToll who said I needed to provide proof it wasn’t me. Even after providing proof to eToll that there is no way I could have traveled to those toll plazas given the low number of total miles I traveled (as documented on the Budget receipt), they still say I might have generated those tolls and are denying the reversal of charges. If I could give Budget a zero rating I would - that would at least accurately reflect the service I’ve received. EToll deserves a negative rating.

I have spoken to at least a dozen of your customer support reps tonight. As you notice the rental dates, on the 16th of October we started having a alert warning on the dash. I called this evening, spoke to at least a dozen of the most incompetent people I have ever known of, wasted over an hour and a half of my life to be hung up on by way over half of them.

Rented Jeep Wrangler in Denver. It was dirty, smelled so bad, cracked windshield, shifted poorly, a low tire, & braked poorly. We responded to customer service by email & they have not responded. We will not use Budget again.

I am being billed for 5 extra days, late fees, fuel charges and misc. charges. My $237 bill has turned into over $1,100. I cannot get this resolved no matter how many times I call. It's always "escalated" to someone who is supposed to call me, but never does. When bringing the car back, there was no one there. I left the car and then received a nasty letter 2 weeks later that accused me of embezzlement! I am unable to get any "supervisor" to call back. All I get is a person answering the phone that says I have to prove I brought the car back. They have a document on their website that someone filled in at some point that is not even matching anything except the car type! They say to provide a copy of a boarding pass for the airline to prove I brought the car back. Really?

The clerk put my name on someone else's rental and I have been fighting Budget for 5 months now. They have even sent the bill to collections for a car I DID NOT RENT. Their customer service does not return my calls.

Rotten customer service people, very rude. The company needs to review and put a hold of $500 when using debit card, then they are selling insurance. Nothing is smooth. Very bad experience. Renting at Hertz was much better and faster. Never going back to Budget again.

By far the worst rental company I have ever had to deal with. Management and customer service are horrendous. We had booked a "luxury car" for $355 total. We get to Budget and they bumped us down two grades, yet somehow we were charged more. After asking us twice and confirming which insurance company we would be using, they still charged us over $150 for insurance because they marked we accepted. We ended up calling customer service and they directed us to go to the budget rental desk when dropping off the car to get the charges dropped. Rod (manager) was no help and extremely rude. Did not offer to adjust for their errors. Tell us how we go from $355 to a final price of $650?! I beg you stay clear of budget rentals.

The Budget rental car located at SW Washington Street in Portland Oregon neglected to close out my contract after the car had been returned. They charged me daily rental fees from August 2nd to October 4th 2021. The Virginia Beach and Tulsa offices then took 4,800.00 dollars out of my checking on October 4th. I had to deactivate my debit card and start a fraud claim with my bank. In the meantime various bills are unpaid and my checking account remains overdrawn. I started dealing with Budget on August 4th 2021 after I became ill with COVID symptoms on the way home from my trip. I could not reach anyone at the local or National offices for 36 hours. Finally I got a man who told me not to touch the car and promised I would get a e mail with instructions within 48 hours. I never heard back. Budget apparently has no employees. Chat was unavailable. Phone contact unavailable. I sent an e mail. My e mail was unanswered.

Made reservation to travel to New York, took uber to the airport to pick my car after calling to confirm the reservation. Got to the airport around 8pm only to be told no car and no hope of getting any. Waited all night and had to take another uber home after much exhaustion and frustration. Called customer service and was told to present the receipts for the uber which was about $80 total. I received an email back saying they can only compensate me $50, not even the full amount spent on uber let alone the opportunities lost for not making my trip. This is fraud and this company should made to pay or business license suspended. Definitely will have my attorney look into this ** of a company and their dishonest business practice of making customers book reservation when they do not have cars available. Will never use or recommend them to anyone ever again!

$50 No-Show fee charged to my credit card for a reservation I cancelled after 30 minutes but because it wasn't 24 hours prior, I'm still being charged? What's the point of "free-cancellations up to time of pick up" if you will still be charged that no-show fee if you're not cancelling24 hours beforehand? Makes no sense especially if you're reserving the same day you plan to pick up. You guys are crooks and I'll never do business with you again. You don't even deserve a 1 star from me.

Car? It drives. Return process? I don't have the car still, so it worked. Price? Could be fair - except for charges added without consent. We were rushed through the check-in process and said no to any add-ons, however in hindsight when we were asked to confirm "so you're just getting the basic rental?" that actually meant "so you're buying add-on basic insurance?". We signed believing there was no possible miscommunication, but upon seeing the receipt about an hour later we called customer support to confirm if there was an upcharge. Customer support confirmed to us that there was NO upcharge on our account and that if we were to run into charges in the future, we could cancel as we had not "used" the insurance.

Budget gave the best initial price, but after either a general clerical mistake or flat-out dishonesty, my rental ended up being higher than quotes would have been from other companies. In addition, they will not give me a copy of my rental agreement. My idiotic mistake for discarding it before my deposit was returned.

Despite having a prepaid reservation at ABQ Airport, they were out of cars and were rude and flippant. This was after waiting in line for 30 min. Even the shuttle driver said this was common and advised to always use Enterprise. It left me stranded and needing to stay in a hotel for the night.

This is the second car rental at with Budget in Indiana International Airport in the last month. The lines are incredibly long, at least 1 hour to get your car both times, unacceptable. There were 12 employee booths for employees to work only 5 this time and 2 the previous time we rented. The car we rented was great, a Jeep however it was not cleaned when we got it, and there was a horrible smell inside the car, that was down right gross. But we couldn't return it, because we were an hour away from the airport and had to get to our destination at Indiana University for parents' weekend. The license plate was Ohio, **. I suggest the CEO of Budget check out the car, and tell us what he thinks of the smell and if he could drive that car around for 3 days. If he can then sorry for bothering you but if not, have him send me back my money for the crappy rental we got from your company that was unacceptable.

I rented a car from this location for a 3 day trip to Denver with my wife. We get our vehicle and upon seeing it, it had a cracked front windshield and plenty of body damage (scratches, dings, dents). The agent replaced our vehicle with a Ford Expedition. Truck was good, but did have rear driver side fender/bumper damage which was duct taped. No issues with the car until it was time to check the car back in. We arrived an hour earlier than drop-off time and parked the car in the rental return line. Took down all necessary info, took a photo of the dash indicating a full tank and the mileage. Photo is time stamped showing time and date I dropped off the car. I asked if anything else needed and the lady stated to leave the keys on the dash. BIG MISTAKE!! Should have asked for a return receipt as we are now over 96 hours since drop-off and it still shows that I have the rental!

Had to change flight...called Budget and spent 3 hours on the phone to move the car rental reservation up...worst customer service ever...then Travelocity forgot to send in the voucher for the car rental and budget charged us again for the rental... Here it is three weeks later and I still don't have the second charge refunded back to my credit card... The customer service reps are rude, you spend hours on the phone and they just give you the run around... We will never rent a car from them again...

Last night I reserved a car and the reservation was confirmed. I arrived to pick up the car and they didn't have. They said I could upgrade to another vehicle that was $60 a day more. The representative was rude and unprofessional. I called customer service they offered me another car for only $35 more and I had to get to another location. I will never use Budget again. I found a car down the street for about the same price as my original reservation.

Bad experience. I advise don’t pay for your rental beforehand. I don’t see how you are penalized for paying ahead of time to try and secure a reduced rate. I had to change plans due to covid and the company refused to issue a full refund. Horrible business ethics. The people do not care, only concerned about taking your money. Once they get they get the money good luck getting it back. Safe to say I’ll never use Budget again.

We rented a car from Baltimore-Washington Airport and they charged $250 for a rental from Friday evening to Sunday morning. Though to be fair, when I looked for a car, they were the cheapest company! First, picking up the car was confusing. We took the shuttle bus from the airport terminal to the rental car parking garage. We went to the Budget counter, and it was closed, with a sign telling us to go to the Avis counter. So we went to the Avis counter and saw a sign that said people with reservations can go to the outside kiosk. Since we already had a reservation, we went outside. But no one was there. Another customer was just as confused about what to do and she had been waiting a few minutes.

I have rented from Budget for years and until recently they were one of the best car rental agencies. Lately, their policies have changed to rip the consumer off. In March of 2021 we rented at Richmond Airport - we prepaid. When we got there they told us they were running late as they were short staffed. We waited as instructed in the lobby and after 1 hour we were instructed that the car was ready and to go to the garage - when we got there there were 40 people in line at the kiosk and we had to wait another hour in line. Once we got to the kiosk attendant they told us that they were running behind and we needed to wait for the car to be cleaned. We waited another half hour and when we got to the car it was 2 car downgrade.

I booked a rental a month in advance and prepaid. When we arrived to pick up the car, we were sent to another location to pick up the rental. At the 2nd location, the rate more than doubled but we were not informed of this by staff; the rate was on the rental agreement. We took the car because we are already late. The car was dirty inside and out and staff did not even walk around the car with us but gave us the fob and told us to hit the button on the key fob to see which one it was.

Lying scam company. This was my first (and last) rental ever with Budget. After pre paying for my reservation through Costco, I paid an additional $227 for their useless insurance. I didn't even use 1 first day of the rental due to flight delays. I called the customer service and let them know. They didn't extended the reservation (as I wanted) but they said not to worry and I wouldn't be charged extra. Then, I returned the car with a full tank and in the same condition it was rented. After I turned my car in I get a text that my total due was $227. Okay, fine.

Book a car for 9am several weeks in advance. Get to kiosk at 9 and no car. Offered smaller car that wouldn't work. Now waiting an hour for them to courier a car from town. And the whole time she made it seem like I was putting her out. I prebooked so I wouldn’t have to do this.

Customer service sucks, being transferred back and forth to incorrect dept, I was placed on hold for 50 minutes when I was "dropped call" from a landline, simply for trying to get credit for a rental. I had to call roadside service to exchange for a malfunctioning rental car. I will take a life supply of bus passes before doing business with Budget Rent A Car again.

The guy who was guiding me in parking lot to park my car to whatever location he wanted me to park, was moving his hands fast and impatiently with no clear directions. When I tried to keep up with the speed, he started yelling at me to slow down and threatened with a 1000 dollar fine. Staff needs more training in how to provide parking instructions to the customers who are returning the car and behave politely. He was completely disrespectful, rude and mean.

On my vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada, I booked a Budget rental car thru my 3rd party booking site for $225 for 5 days. To offset the outrageous cost of the collision damage insurance charged by rental companies, I accepted the insurance offered by my site (only $45 for the entire 5 days!). When I got to the Budget rental counter near McCarran Airport, they refused to accept the policy. The agent claimed they were not familiar with that company, and could not accept it. Since I needed a car, I had to accept Budget's collision damage waiver for $25/day. And, she kept asking for my personal policy number, as if I would actually give it to her.

Budget rental car is horrible and we had the worst experience. First it took them an hour to get us the car that had been reserved for three months. At high speeds the car would shake and we were on our way for a family trip. I spent days on the phone with customer service and they were unable to find us a rental car to exchange our vehicle. On the freeway the car was shaking severely. They found us a rental car exchange in Cleveland Ohio at 11:00 at night. 250 miles from when we first called it in. When we got there we exchanged to unsafe vehicle for another. After we were charged for gas when both rental cars were filled up. Then we were charged for a cleaning fee on the unsafe first rental. Due to our safety and the issue of being in an unknown town we were not made aware that we should find a vacuum at 11:00 at night. Budget rental car just wants to charge you for as much as they can without a care for their customers.

I prepaid my rental two months before I took the car, when I got to Budget, there were more than 100 people waiting for picking up their cars, after 1.5 hours waiting finally I got my turn. I told the check-out person that I have already prepaid the rental and I didn't need any other services. And I returned the car with full tank of gas. When I returned home, I found that Budget added the supplemental insurance and fuel services and charged me 200 dollars. So disappointed!

We waited hours in a miserable line with hundreds of people, staffed by one lone customer service rep. It took us longer to wait in line at Budget to pick up the car we paid for in advance than it took us to fly to Salt Lake City airport. Many did not even get the car they had reserved after waiting for ours. The airport staff told us this has been going on for months, so Budget knows about it and simply doesn't care to fix it. The customer service reps, both in person and on the phone, also claim they cannot look up the Fastbreak account despite it being used for many years. Spare yourself this misery - it was awful.

Rented car 2 weeks in advance. Waited in line 2 hours. Finally got to window and car was not available. Automatically upgraded and charged us without our consent. Forced us to sign papers. When we realized what they had done, we immediately cancelled the car. Never took possession and waited over 10 days for a refund. Which wasn’t the full price of the car.

RUN - don't walk - away from Budget. They charged me $558 extra because they *claim* I returned the car late 3 hrs late, when I actually brought it back 1 hour early. When I returned the car to Hyannis (agreed upon drop off location), at 9am (1 hr before 10am agreed upon return time) no one was at the Budget desk, and I was directed to drop the keys with someone at Avis instead, which I did. Also, car REEKED of smoke. I tried calling the Logan location over and over, and the corporate number, and was on hold each time for over an hour.

I rented a car from Budget six month in advance. I choose mystery car that are similar to Nissan rough. When it was time to pick the car up it was convertible. There was not any space in the trunk to feed 2 suitcases. I did not had chance but I had to pay extra for an update. I got Jeep Wrangler instead. The second we got in a car we all noticed it was extremely dirty. The crumbs and sand were all over the car and the car smelled like weed. Next day my friend, 2 teens and I went road which was going through the mountains and had a lot of turns. About half way the car including the breaks started to make such a scary squeaky noises that I started to get nervous that either we will never make to the end or the break will fail and all of us are going to die.

We rented our car in Tacoma Washington. The procedure was pretty much seamless and the car was clean and ready as promised. Five days into the rental period the car's battery failed. We called Budget and they sent someone to jump the car's battery. This was in Bandon Oregon a small coastal town with limited services. We had two further dead battery issues before I could get the car to the local Chrysler Dealer in Coos Bay about twenty minutes from our hotel. I spent close to six hours while the dealer diagnosed the check engine light and replaced the dead battery. The repairs were done on warranty from Chrysler thank goodness and we continued on our way with no further problem. A week after returning from our trip and returning the rental car we received a bill of $218.00 for the battery jumps. Lesson learned, carry and use your own roadside emergency service. Do not depend on the rental company.

You may think you have prepaid for your rental. Think again. I had a 9:30 reservation and drove the car out of the Budget garage at 10:00AM. I returned it at 11:00AM. For that extra hour I was charged a full day rental fee, $83.00. Beware, this business is a scam.

In no way should anyone use this company...ever. Renting a truck (moving) the check engine light is on and the air conditioner doesn't work. They send a guy out to fix it...it didn't get fixed. The air turns on and off periodically and the check engine light turned back on as soon as I turned the vehicle back on. All that means is that there pressed the reset button on the light to cover themselves until they walked away. I am driving across the country through the hot desert (AZ, NV, NM, TX) and the air doesn't work and the engine could explode. Great.

Missed my flight, needed to change dates for rental car. YOU CANNOT REACH A HUMAN on the phone. I tried PRICELINE - they said to call the car rental location (Norfolk Int'l Airport). When I got them they sent me back to PRICELINE - who sent me back to Norfolk, etc. Never did get it resolved.... PRICELINE gives you a good rate - but Lord help you if things go wrong!

I rented a car through Budget in Miami on a Thursday. The line was long and it took about 45 minutes to get the car. When I received the car it had low tire pressure and no gas. They fix this issue and I went on my way. The day I was supposed to return the car it stopped working. I believe there was an electrical issue because the lights and windshield wipers went haywire flickering and moving on their own.

Made a reservation. In March for July. Was told could use bank card. When flew into Illinois. Was told could not use. Was stuck in Illinois. Girlfriend had to drive from Florida to Illinois to get me and kids. Reason for the trip.

Buyer Beware! I will NEVER rent from this company EVER again. As in other reviews I read, unfortunately AFTER I rented from them, all they do is diplomatically repeat themselves over and over, saying the same thing and directing you to their agreements. They do not provide any response to other questions or their lack of transparency. I called Roadside Assistance for a dead battery. That is what I thought I should do. NEVER did they say there would be a charge. I didn't cause the dead battery. I did not leave the lights on, I did not leave any doors open. They rented me a faulty car.

My ordeal with Budget car rental was the absolute worst when it comes to customer service and ultimately serving the customer. Budget should be ashamed. I am still walking through this nightmare as I am leaving this review. I rented a car out of Orlando Airport of which I prepaid for it (July 26). I stood in the line for two hours. Please note as well that I am traveling with 6 children (two of which is 5 month old twins). On my way to the resort, a signal on the dashboard said that the tire pressure was low. Now whoever serviced this car prior to me picking it up should have seen this and ensure that all was well because it was more than just low air. I went to the gas station and filled it up with air to the correct psi which removed the signal from off the dashboard. Half an hour into the journey the signal came back on and the tire started to feel wobbly.

Got a rental for 7/24-7/31. 1st your rental office at OKC was not open when our flight arrived 11:45pm on 7/23. So I rented from an off airport location. When I get there the system was down, had to wait 25-30 minutes for them to do it remotely and fax information over to us for the rental that was prepaid and supposed to be quick pick up. They also then informed me that even though we are off airport property because we are so close and from out of state we must pay the airport taxes +$100 more. Now our plans changed and we wanted to turn the car in early and expected that we would not be charged for the days we aren't using it. Called in to change the reservations and was told that since we prepaid there would be no refund for returning early.

Budget rented is a car with known issues and then left us stranded for an entire day in a parking lot with no food, no water, no restrooms and elderly travelers. After waiting from 9am until 430pm for help, with no answer from Budget Emergency Roadside Assistance, we had our personal insurance tow the vehicle back to the airport. We missed the entire event we flew into town for. Thank God for USAA and coverage on vehicles we did not own or we would still be sitting in the parking lot. No refund, no compensation, no communication. They simply don't answer.

I had reserved and paid for a car rental online. When my husband and I arrived at Tampa airport, the sign at the beginning of the service line stated a wish for only one person in the party to stand in line. Since my husband would be the primary driver, he went through the line. Unfortunately, the area was noisy and my husband doesn't hear perfectly. He explained happily after we were in the care that we received a free upgrade because we are AARP members. Unfortunately, this was incorrect. We were charged for an upgrade we did not need.

I have rented from Budget for years, personal and business. Recently had an emergency and have to fly home from a work trip, returned to different airport. They charged me $2,780 on a $400 rental! I tried to call the 800 number and local counter number, as instructed, and never got through in 2 days and 14 days after. Worst customer experience I have had and we will be closing all our memberships. They have not worked with me even after I mentioned how I could not get through on their support lines in time, prior to flying home. I use this as example of how not to handle my clients to my staff.

From the moment I got off plane to leaving the building. No good. The bus had issues with running. Took 30 min to pick people up after getting off plane. Budget only accepts credit and that's not said at beginning. Had to find out 2 hours later that they don't accept cash or debit. It's not the workers. It's the process of the business. Everyone don't just use credit.

Turned in my car to the Denver Airport and the gentleman, Karar, checked out the vehicle and told us to leave the trash in the car and that it was good. A month later I received an additional charge for $450, no email, no receipt of the work just a charge to my card. Once I was able to get ahold of Budget, they then send me the damage report claiming that there was excessive sand and dirt in the car.

I returned the car on time and still got charged for an extra day. I called to complain and was told that they corrected the problem. One week later they still had not returned my full refund. I called again and told wait was 30 min. and I was on hold for over an hour. Finally I chose to get called back. When they called back they said that the refund was never processed so they did that. They said by Monday I will get my money back. Another week later, I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE FULL REFUND FROM MY DEPOSIT!

I had problem with my bill. Then I call customer service, then I wait 3 hours, finally some answer me. After the guy get my all informations, he hang off the phone. Then I have to call and wait other 3 hours. The guy just answer my phone, told me wait. Then he hang off phone again. I just waste 6 hours to wait a customer service? If you want to choose this company, think, think and think. If you have any problems, no customer service!!!

This is the first time renting through Budget Rentals. I got a great price combined with my airlines ticket but that is where the positive part of the experience ends! I was traveling with my elderly aunt (68) and mom (73), we were to rent an economy size car in LA at the airport. We were exhausted when we arrived due to delayed flights totaling 6 hours, so we were wanting to get the car quickly and drive the additional 50 minutes to our hotel. Well that is not how it came about…. We waited 1 hour outside of the airport for the shuttle to take us the the rental office and then we waited another hour to finally get to the desk! Then I was told that the only vehicle they had was a Jeep Wrangler and that I needed car insurance (which I didn’t). It was now 4:00am and I just wanted to leave!

I am a 25-year Army combat veteran who throughout my career have traveled the world and rented thousands of cars from various rental car companies. By far this has been the worst experience. Reservations were made through USAA (Military Bank) for a total of $576.31, which included supplemental insurance coverage (mandatory). I created a fast break account to rapidly obtain the car as I had an event later that evening but clearly, there was nothing fast about getting the car. Upon checking-in at the rental car location (Las Americas Intl Airport in the Dominican Republic) I was told that additional insurance was required to rent the vehicle ($1,600 US) which would of made my total $2,176.31. After almost 30 minutes of holding up the line and arguing with the representative they finally agreed to let me rent the car for $897.27 with a $1,500 extra hold on my credit card.

We made an online reservation for our rental through Budget, we arrived at the airport in Orlando and they did not have the vehicle we reserved. We took the next thing available because what other choice did we have? We rented the vehicle from Jun 24th through Jun 30th. In our email we were told to return the vehicle by 6am on June 30th and park the vehicle in Terminal A. I took the keys inside to the rental Returns front desk and handed the keys to the budget employee. Well a few days went by and apparently he didn't check the vehicle in properly. So I started receiving automated calls saying I needed to extend my rental.

Customer service means nothing to their manager Joseph at the FLL location. He rudely explain he had no options for me and my mother, after they sold insurance to my mother and we tried to remove it the next day. We went in with the car, and he couldn't help us secure a car or the price or nothing. After denying we speak to his supervisor "as he was the highest manager there" he denied providing his manager's name or email address, he denied providing us with even a pen, and when he became completely irritated after being asked to bring any other manager he even called me a **. I am not sure what training or assessment is done to train or select managers at this location, but based on other reviews and my own experience, we will never be renting from Budget again.

When we arrived in Miami to pick up our car, the line was so long that we waited for 2 hours to pick up our car. With 2 young kids who had been traveling since the wee hours of the morning, we were not happy to see only 2 people at the desk when there were clearly hundreds of folks waiting to get their cars. The process was harried and rushed, as they were clearly trying to move as many people through as quickly as possible. We declined any additional insurance and all the add-ons, signed our contract quickly and tried to get on the road (after already having our flight delayed over a day and waiting in a 2 hour car line). Same song and dance when we arrived back at the airport to return the car- a ridiculously long line and one person working the desk- we nearly missed our flight because the process took so long.

My sister made a reservation for a car days ago. My family and I started traveling from 5:30am. It is currently 2am the next day and we have been told that they overbooked the cars and that there's none available. Now we have to pay for an Uber to and from the airport because we did the right thing and made a reservation in advance. NEVER again!!!!

We had a car reserved in Orlando Florida. We waited in line for 3 hours, from 12:30 am to 3:30 am. Customer service at the desk was extremely limited, sometimes no one was even at the desk. At 3:30 am, it was announced by Budget that they had no more available cars - even for those who reserved cars beforehand as we had. We were up all night. If Budget had relayed that information earlier, we could have taken an Uber to our hotel. We were in Florida for USA Cycling Junior National Road Championships with two teenage boys - not a good way to rest up before a national level competition.

This is for the Budget rental at St. Louis Airport. You have to really watch them. I declined all the upgrades they ask you and signed away. Returned the car and had another $460 in charges. This doubled my rental cost. They put me down for every type of insurance they have. Make sure you spend the time to read the entire contract before signing. Needless to say I'll never rent from them again. Lesson learned.

I rented a car from Budget. I received a car with a small dent to the passenger side door. Now I am receiving a bill from them that's 4 times what it would cost to fix, for damage that was already there before I used this vehicle. And when you call them, they go straight to voice-mails. No explanation or photos of damage was sent to me. The place is too busy and overbooked. They don't even personally give you the vehicle, they park 30+ cars in a busy lot and you have to look for the license plate number. They obviously don't inspect the cars between each use.

My wife and I went online to rent a car from the Budget Rental Car Louisville location on Plantside drive. We had not even received our confirmation and our $800 was out of our account. Upon receiving our confirmation I took my wife’s car to the mechanic and drove to budget to pick up the car she would now be needing to take my son to football practice everyday at 6:30 am and upon arriving and entering the building we are told they don’t have and won’t have a car for us. We told them there must be a mistake as we have been charged already and have the confirmation of our reservation. We used our debit card to pay for the rental and it has a $800 daily limit so after realizing they weren’t going to give us a car regardless of the fact we had a reservation we told them we would need the money put back in our account so we could go rent somewhere else and they told us it would be 2-5 days before it would be credited to our account.

The good: The car was great. Pick up was relatively easy, and drop off was very easy. The bad: The desk agent tried to upsell me by saying that compact cars are not good "road cars." He phrased it in such a way that made me think they had no more compact cars available. After clarifying that they were available, I avoided the extra charge (which would have been about $120) and got what I chose beforehand, which happened to do just fine on the road. Incidentally, I heard the clerk next to the person I was talking with tell another customer that his selected car wouldn't be good for driving in the mountains.

I went to the Budget rental car in the Orlando airport because my job had a thing with them where I could get 20% off. However, it definitely was not worth it as they were very slow - it took them over an hour to get us through there. Also, part of they had a decent amount of people working the terminals, but, I think the part of the issue was they were constantly trying to upsell people and it was just very slow with a very long line. In the future, I definitely would not use Budget. Whenever it takes longer to get the rental car than the flight was, that is a very bad sign.

BEWARE - SCAM ALERT, DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET RENTAL CAR. I was recently charged a fraudulent $450 cleaning charge for Ford Ranger I rented for one night in Albuquerque NM. I left the vehicle clean and full of fuel but was charged to clean cigarette ash and smoke odor. I don't smoke, there was no smoke odor nor were there ashes on the floor when I returned the vehicle. Scamming your customers from their hard-earned money is not a good business plan and will not garner brand loyalty. This was the first and last time I will be doing business with Budget.

I would like to say that I was pleased with the helpful staff at pickup and that my car was ready, clean and almost brand new. I was disappointed that I paid in advance to lock in a lower rate, but found they added a $54 fee anyhow when I picked it up! Prices are already expensive this year. They really should be upfront with pricing and not sneak in an extra charge.

I will be filing a complaint on all platforms. Budget location on 306 N Rosalind Ave Downtown Orlando, FL. Budget has so many money hungry stipulations, they were looking got ways to make extra money by any means necessary. I noticed I was charged $90.00 in airport fees. However this is not an airport location. The Spanish worker at the front desk seemed agitated that I realized I was charged. She then removed the fees and said I smell smoke. However, the car was detailed prior to returning and I do not smoke. I objected and she then charged my card for 450.00. She advised me that she smelled smoke and shrugged her shoulders. She stated that she could take off airport fees which would changed my amount due. However, my card was still charged airport fees on top of smoking fees. I will be disputing with my bank, since No one at budget is attempting to resolve the matter.

I rented a full size SUV from Budget. I received a Mitsubishi Outlander that had significant dents, dings, scratches and funky smell. That is the best part of this review. The counter person tried to sell me the insurance and I declined. He tried to sell me the fuel option and I declined. He said that I would have to fill up within 5 miles of the airport. I told him I understood and declined a second time. This is not a true statement but I chose not to argue as there were hundreds of people waiting in line behind me.

Had pictures of car after. Tried to scam me. Beware! Nothing was wrong with car. They tried to scam and take money out of my account. Always take after pictures for proof. Look at Better Business Bureau.

Please avoid Budget car rental, for the sake of personal respect and freedom. Budget is a bureaucratic, unsympathetic corporation, where you do not count as an individual person, but another number. I have never left a bad review in my life, but I feel I have no other choice in this situation. The particular Budget location I dealt with in Bloomington, Indiana and especially the corporate system have been a huge nightmare to deal with.

SCAMMERS. COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF. All of my emails are going unanswered and this is not acceptable. I did not leave a signature on anything. The man at the desk told me all of these things were required and not optional. He also told me not to sign and put a line through the agreement. After he asked me to do that he then informed me that the hold for 250 would not be part of what I was looking at after he told me it was before asking me to put a line through it. That amount was 800 which I argued about for another 20 mins on top of the two hours I waited in line for my rental. This is a scamming company because now I have no idea why even more money was added on top of the money I never agreed to.

I called Budget customer service number to rent a vehicle. I picked the car up on Monday. The same day I called the man on the phone said I could smoke in the car. I asked for an economy car they put me in a big car I had the car for 6 hours and they charged me 115 dollars. I couldnt believe it. This company is a ripoff. Budget my ** car. Renter beware.

On December 24, 2020, I rented a 2020 Chevy Camaro from the Budget location at the John Wayne airport. I picked up the vehicle at 4:50 pm and at that time the odometer had a mileage reading of 20,828. I had this rental car for a total of 6 days. I returned the 2020 Chevy Camaro to the same Budget location on December 29 at 6:54 a.m. At my return and vehicle check in the odometer had a mileage reading of 21,296 (see attached copy of my receipt from Budget). Upon my return the vehicle was inspected for damage and none was found. I was immediately issued my full deposit back in the amount of $250.00.

Picked up car from Budget at Raliegh NC airport. It had some paint chips and paint was peeling off front spoiler on car. Office informed and they called drop off point and explained situation, who acknowledged they were told on the return of the car which was in a different location. We did take pictures while the car was sitting in a marked parking spot on their lot. They are not accepting our pictures. They want $1800 dollars for a $300 fix which was their fault. Also the tire were worn below tread safety indicator.

I had a car for rent for two weeks from Budget at Logan Airport in Boston from June 5 to June 20. The person who took care of me to make the rental was super nasty. They charged me almost 120 dollars for a toll payment system that I never had to use. But the worst thing is that one day the car discharged the battery while in a parking lot, I requested service to charge (jump start) the car. I had to call three times and each time I had to wait about an hour to be attended. In each call I was told that they would come to charge the battery in five to twenty minutes and it took four and a half hours.

On the 17 of June, myself and two sisters traveled from San Angelo, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri by American Airlines (that was our first mistake). American Airlines changed our flight causing us to arrive late in St. Louis. My sister immediately phoned Budget to let them know we would be arriving late. She was assured, not by one person but by multiple employees that someone would be there until midnight and for us not to worry.