Budget Car Rental Reviews

NEVER rent from this company. I was charged a "pet hair" cleaning fee. I was on vacation and NEVER had a pet in my car or even a human in the back seat for that matter. My husband and I put our luggage in the trunk and that's it. I have disputed this and they have provided "after pictures." I would love to see the before pictures because there WAS NO ANIMAL IN MY CAR. After doing research, I have compiled several reviews of customers with Budget rental claiming this "charge" with no animal in the car. This is fraud. Pay more for a better quality car rental.

I booked a car with BUDGET. I went to a location to pick it up and the car was unavailable. I was left in the middle of nowhere without help. I called the customer service - no help as well. I truly don’t recommend to rent a car with BUDGET!!!!

This business charged me an extra $1,300 for returning a car early, refused to return my phone calls, and claims that counts as "pro-rating" my $1,500 rental rate for the number of days used. I rented a car from Budget for a month in late Dec when I was not sure of my return date. The women at the counter told me I must return the car within 28 days as per state law. I asked if I returned it earlier if I would receive a refund for days not used. She said of course, at return, they would refund me for the days I returned the car early, and "pro-rate" my rental rate.

Bad news! Budget Cheaters!!! I rented a car in October 2020 (3250 S Ocean Dr, Hollywood, FL 33019), traveled, returned it back, everything is as usual, nothing boded trouble. Three months later, I received a call from the ** (Budget claims service) with accusations that I returned the car with a broken headlight and a dented hood!!!, and charges are based on a photos taken five days!!! after the car was returned and the odometer readings differ 13 miles!!! from what is indicated on the return receipt!!! I have no idea what happened with car after I returned it!!! I returned it in same condition as I took it!!! Never use Budget!!!

Rental agreement # **. I rented a van March 14th-March 20th and received horrible service and inconvenience after inconvenience up until the middle of my trip. The day of my rental I was called while on my way to pick the car up only to be told that there were no 12 passengers available and they would call me in a hour to see if one was available. A hour passed with no call I attempted to call the location only to be directed to the sales department which couldn’t give me any information. I finally received a call back around 11:30 am, 30 minutes before close and was asked if I was coming to get the rental. I advised that I was waiting on the call to confirm something was available then made it to the location 15 minutes before close.

Worst billing and service ever. Paid $797.27 for a 5 day rental, charged late fee - wasn’t cost me $60. Extension fee $10. Starting price was $79. Then when I extended they charged me $104 each additional day. Customer service will lie to you and tell you they informed you about the extension charge. I picked up the car on a Sunday at 11:14 am and returned the car on Friday at 11:14. So how am I late? DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET!!!! WORST EVER.

I was forced to return home from a trip early due to a massive snow storm and returned my rental car two days early. Budget could've cared less and charged me for the full week. I contacted their customer service and was given reason after reason for their refusal to issue any kind of credit with the last one being that "it stated in the pre-paid agreement that you would be charged the full amount no matter what." Terrible service and from a company that only cares about profits and not their customers. I will never use them again.

Hi. I was shocked to find, even though your website says open 24 hours in Fort Lauderdale airport that in fact is not true. I am a long time Fast break client HY224H. We landed in Ft Lauderdale and went to Budget to get our car. When we got there we were told Budget was closed and had to go downstairs to Avis. Being a fastbreak member I am used to going out to the garage to the fast break booth picking up my reservation and getting my car.

I should have known this would be terrible when they failed to retrieve me and another customer waiting for their shuttle at the airport! Thankfully the Enterprise shuttle took us close to their building. They claimed they had no more reservations for the night, and proceeded to magically find our reservations. Maybe there was a language barrier, but I asked for the "gas insurance" he agreed, and I was on my way... Upon return, I had an extra 200 dollars charged to my rental. TERRIBLE COMPANY. NOT WORTH THE CHEAP PRICE... BC IT WILL BE MORE!

I had made a reservation for a Vehicle on Monday for a Friday pickup. I had called Budget customer care service on Thursday to confirm if they would have a vehicle for me. They assured me that I would get a vehicle. I got a voicemail later in the evening while I was at work letting me know that they don't have a vehicle for me. This is not even the first time this is happening. This is the second consecutive week and has happened to me a few times in the last months as well.

Reserved a suv that was a Ford Edge. Got to rental counter at 3:30pm in Miami, only 3 workers at counter waited in line for 1 1/2 hours. Got to counter, could not understand the worker, he asked if there were tolls. I said yes but I did not want the optional SunPass I would rather pay as we go because there were only 2 tolls to go through. The contract was printed out on the oldest printer on the planet, when I got my copy I cannot even read it (old school printer that you have to rip the perforations off the sides).. Anyway finally get to the car, it is not a ford edge but a Mitsubishi Outlander, much smaller than a ford edge, hardly fit our two boys in the back, let alone our suitcases.. There was no attendant in the ramp to talk to, we waited for 15 minutes and no one came.

They are a horrible company. Initially they did not have the vehicle we reserved and had to go to a different company at the airport to locate one for us. We pre-paid through Priceline and reminded the person at the counter of this information. So after being on a flight all day and waiting for them to locate the vehicle, we were tired and anxious to leave. We signed their "contract" and were told the extra charge on the "contract" was a hold they put on everyone's card, but apparently it was for the extra insurance we declined. We were told the extra charge would be taken off when we returned the vehicle, but it was not. When I called the 1-800 number to dispute the charge, I was told the extra $300 plus dollars was for the insurance, which I told the representative we declined. She told me it was my word against theirs, and they were not going to do anything about it.

DO NOT. I REPEAT, DO NOT COME TO THIS OUTPOST. Shady as hell. The representative tried to charge my husband as a second driver; he had no cars on the premise (not sure how this is even possible given it’s a CAR rental place); the car we eventually got reeked of cigarette smoke that he tried to disguise by blasting on the AC and putting in a disgusting air freshener. GO TO ANY OTHER LOCATION, there is an Enterprise in nearby Lyndhurst. Avoid this place like the plague.

I have never had such bad service in my life. I would never ever rent from Budget again! There was no explanation on charges on credit card holds when I booked and then surprised me with a crazy hold on my card. When I tried to ask for explanation or to fix this l, they were very rude and kept referring me to some stupid fine print on their site. I will never ever rent from Budget ever again.

Went to reserve a car and it suggests that the customer "pay now." If you do, you void all rights to turn the car in early if your rental is less than $150. Whatever savings the customer gets for paying in advance seems to come from these poor devils who turned their car in early or tried unsuccessfully to cancel. I don't like policies like this. Each rental company has their own little scheme going. This companies policy makes me want to reserve 1 day at a time and reserve day-of since there's no refund with cancellation. Customer beware!

I rented a car for 24 hours in Honolulu. I knew I had to return the car before 10:24 am. When I arrived at returns there was a line of 5 renters returning. The process took at least 10 minutes before my turn. I was not given a timestamp of return. I assumed I made the timeline or right at it. My credit card had an additional 92 dollars for late fees. This is crap. I will never use a car rental again. Use Turo instead.

Ordered and paid for a 4wd vehicle. When we showed up, the salesperson was rude. Told us our phone didn’t work (untrue and she could not validate the number she called or if called correctly) and told us she had tried to call us that morning to cancel our reservation! She then gave us a non 4wd vehicle with at least 4 other 4wd vehicles on the lot. When the confirmation email was shown her she said, and I quote “we don’t have those.” Attempts at calling Budget to speak to a supervisor were in vain. NEVER USE THIS COMPANY.

We landed Christmas day 2020 just two months ago and rented a car from Budget student line for 2 hours finally got our car. We returned it five days later. They charged us $90 because we were told to bring it back empty. We were never told how much it was going to cost that they just about tripled the gas price. I then two weeks later received an email stating we were being charged $300 for a broken windshield a roadside assistance charge. We never got roadside assistance. We never broke the windshield. Nothing was even wrong with the windshield but we still got charged and they would not take the fee off of my credit card.

So my boyfriend and I were in Seattle for a couple days and we decided to rent a car to explore the city a little more and also drive to the airport and save some money on Uber (a ride from our hotel would cost us around $50). And so we rented a car from Budget for ONE day and whenever we were not driving it, it was in a secure parking lot provided by our hotel. So literally nothing could’ve happened. We dropped the car at the airport, everything is was fine until it wasn’t when a couple weeks later I got a ‘happy’ letter saying that the vehicle was damaged and we are now obliged to pay Budget $450 (x10 daily car rent). The letter didn’t even explain what the damage was and contacting them didn’t help either since we didn’t have any proof that the vehicle was just fine when we dropped it off. Long story short, this is a SCUMMY company and they’re gonna try getting as much money as possible from you for the things you didn’t even do.

Budget is charging me $450 to clean smoke from car. I have NEVER smoked a day in my life. Mileage and return date from my receipt are different than their inspection report yet they still say I was the last person in the car. The mileage clearly shows that the car was moved and almost 24 hours had passed since I dropped it off. They just keep repeating that it is a valid charge. We gave them a second chance after they tried to charge us for gas after we returned it full. Absolute bold-faced liars and cheats!

I dont recommend rent on this company, Worst customer service, cars stink marijuana, they make hidden charges after you return, Avis, Payless, Budget same owner same problems. No te recomiendo rentes tu carro en esta compañia, horrible servicio al cliente, carros huelen a marijuana o peor, te hacen Cargos extras al regresar tu carro, no rentes aqui, son 3 compañias mismo dueño, Avis, Payless, Budget.

Bugdet car rental overcharged me for gas although I brought back the car with a full tank! Plus they never sent me my receipt in regards my rental. It was the Budget car rental in Canada, Vancouver airport. This inadmissible.

Budget Rental Car, Phoenix Airport: Scammers. I arrived at the Phoenix Airport 1/21/21 to pick up a car at Budget Car Rental. I had purchased an American Airlines vacation that included air, lodging and the rental car. “TJ” at the counter was very friendly and chatted us up. When he asked about additional insurance, I CLEARLY DECLINED just as I have EVERY TIME I HAVE EVER RENTED A CAR. TJ, responded, “Ok, then, just the basics.” TJ continued chatting and then asked me to insert my credit card for the $211.99 charge. I reminded him that my car was prepaid through American Airlines. TJ appeared confused and said, “Well sometimes those vouchers just pay for part of the rental. I’ve seen that before.”

Rented a car in St. Thomas, in US Virgin Islands for vacation in St. John via car ferry. First sign of trouble was when the low tire light was on when I got into car, went back into Airport terminal to rental counter. Agent at desk sternly told me sensors are bad in all the cars don't worry about it. Really! Ok. Here's where it gets worse!!

When I picked up the rental car I took pictures of the outside but did not realize I had to take pictures of the insides as well. I returned the Budget rental car after my deployment to help the Hurricane Delta victims. Budget had an alternate location to drop off the car as I had an early flight. No clear direction. Hard finding the location. I had to call Budget to find out where to go. Budget then charged my government travel card with $479 stating they "discovered DIRT in the Spills - Stains - Liquids of the car." I called to dispute the charge because first of all I had no liquids in the car. I drove the car from the hotel to the deployment location. The car stayed parked until I left early that morning to head back to the hotel in Houston. I ate in the hotel. Had no "liquids or DIRT" in the car.

Absolutely the worst experience EVER! Budget in Maui airport rented me a Jeep Wrangler. On the second day with the rental, the vehicle left me stranded as it would not start. I called budget to inform them and they sent roadside assistance. When they arrived they said the battery was bad and had to be replaced. They explained that budget would not allow them to replace the battery, only jumpstart it. So I drove it to my condo only to have it start the next day. When I called budget to tell them I need a new vehicle they said I had to drive it back to the original rental place even though there was a budget 5 minutes from my place.

Paid for car, prepay. Placed rental in my gf name because she needed the rental and I had a good alumni rate. We get there and it was all bad. The rental was placed with my card, but the rental agreement was in her name. I paid for it with my debit credit card. Okay. I always keep credit cards on me so I provided my credit card once there. The lady says to me \, "No!" She needs a credit card from the driver. "Well, I am the second driver and it is prepaid with my card, can't I provide the credit card." "No!" Well, my gf forgot her cards at home. "No! You need to call 1-800 to transfer the rental into your name or cancel." My gf decided to drive her own car out of frustration for her 1 day trip. Canceling the car means no refund. A terrible policy, never renting from Budget again. Bad customer service as well. All her answers were "NO! Call 1-800."

I rented a standard SUV and signed up for an extra driver prior to my rental and PREPAID the full amount. When I arrived for pickup, the Budget representative said he did not have a standard SUV and was giving me a free upgrade to the next level up SUV. He also had my daughter show her ID as 2nd driver and had me sign the rental agreement. As I was not changing anything on the rental, I did not review the contract in detail but just initialed where the rep said to and left (I did not notice at the time that he had added a 2nd driver again even though it was already in my original confirmation).

Whatever you do, steer clear of this company. I paid $400 on the date I made my rental reservation. Upon picking up my vehicle, they tried to charge me AGAIN, claiming I had never paid for my rental even though I showed them my receipt and email confirmation. Then, the day after I returned my rental I had a charge of $208 appear on my account for this same rental. I have called and tried to talk with someone and they have been very rude and told me I just needed to get over it. They will not respond to my emails either. I will NEVER go through this company again and I HIGHLY suggest that no one else ever rents from here either.

I rent a car from Budget thru Expedia from Dec 28- Jan 4,2021 the Expedia was $172 for the 7 days. When I checked in I emphasize to the budget agent that I do not want to sign up their insurance because I use AMX which has travel auto insurance and I have California private insurance which covers. The budget agent said ok then sign here here here there places.

In all honesty I wish I can give 0 stars. Please if you’re looking to buy from them. I beg you to read this story and reconsider. I don’t know where to begin with this sleazy and despicable company Budget. To begin, upon my arrival to Los Angeles airport, I booked my car and once given to me no one checked my car to record any damages before leaving the lot. I asked a representative to do it, and they had me waiting for 35 minutes before I actually had to get going because I was on a time constraint. Before I left I took pictures of things that I thought could be problematic on the car before I left the lot because I saw a customer doing the same thing who said they have tried to charge him for “damage” he did not do. I followed along and did the same.

Companies are known by employees who represent them and this is one of the worst out there. I had booked a car a week in advance prepaid for it arriving Houston 2 days before Christmas, arrived with my family. Grabbed the luggage. Went to the shuttle 9:35 PM waiting to go get the car with family. Watching most of major companies coming and picking up their customers. After waiting for 20 minutes and NO one from Budget I went inside where I saw counters for companies, Ahh a sign at Budget counter, "We are closed. If you need assistance go to Avis counter," so I go to Avis counter, Ahh another sign, "We closed 10 PM." but wait it's not even 10 YET.

Is so sad about the experience renting with this company. Dirty car and the tanks it wasn’t full, Also when we arrive they try to oversell other car we didn’t require. Just more money and not the best customer service.

I was quoted $77.45 for 2 days. Rented 12/9 to 12/12. Called on the 11th asked to extend 1 more day. Was quoted $47.00. While I had this vehicle I went to a bonfire. Well when I returned the vehicle that Saturday. I was informed I was being charged an extra $250.00 for cleaning. OMG I vacuumed that vehicle not 30 minutes before return. Was told ashes were on outside window ledge. Give me a break. People drive vehicles all over the place and you mean to tell me they have stupid rules but AREN'T IN THE CONTRACT. My ending total was $329.00 when over and done. Today received email from Budget saying they were refunding $228.00. We'll see.....

To extend a rental, I asked for a price to extend 4 days. I was told ~$90 extra to the 4th. I agreed to it. Then I realized that was a 3 day extension, but it was too late to change. I was told I could return it at the original time to effectively cancel. I kept it anyway. Then on the last day I called to extend 4 more days and was told my total would ~314. I agreed to it. But I asked for a confirmation email and was told one would be sent to me. It never arrived. I finally called about it and was guided to finding information online and found out it was ~$314 extra! I would not have accepted that. I would have returned the car that day without any extension! I was told I could bring the car in first thing in the morning and talk to the person there about it. I brought the car in shortly after they were open, but nothing could be done about the unwanted day(s). They stole over two hundred and twenty dollars.

CONGRATS BUDGET, YOU HAVE LOST ME AS A CUSTOMER FOREVER OVER YOUR GREED. I reserved and pre-paid for a SUV in Portland OR for December 2-4. We were flying into town to do a video shoot. Mid-flight I got an email announcing the shoot had to be cancelled due to COVID. Discouraged but understanding, we re-booked our flights to leave at 6:45am on the 3rd and had the car at Budget's return at 4:30am the next day. This resulted in our 2 day rental becoming less than 24 hours.

I rented a truck in Rochester, NY at the airport and when I got it it stunk of pot and cigarettes. On time constraints I returned the next day and again was given a truck that smelled like pot and cigarettes. The next morning I went to start and return but it would not start. Customer service called a truck believing it needed a jump but driver said it was a bad starter. He later towed it back to airport and I got a ride to get my 3rd vehicle which was the only one with a cleaned by slip in it. When I returned it later getting the bill Budget charged me for the failed jump start. They said I did not buy their roadside service so They said it was my responsibility. So, I was given 2 vehicle that clearly had not been checked, one had a bad starter and had I lost hours of my time they felt I should be charged $216! Insult to injury is how horrible my experience was with Budget. Stand behind your "policy" you don't your customer service..

Will not be renting from Budget/AVIS anytime in the future due to their hidden fees. I took a short weekend trip to Chicago with my mother for my grandmother's 90th birthday. We had our rental for 3 days and put maybe 50 miles on the vehicle. I had placed my reservation via Costco Travel and had no issues. On 10/30/2020, I picked up a Chevy Equinox from Chicago O'Hare. Got my mother and luggage into the vehicle and noticed an error alert and the tire pressure symbol was lit. I left my mother with our luggage and the vehicle to see if I could find someone to make sure everything was okay. Not one person was located outside (it's a pandemic so I'm sure staffing is short) so I went back inside and spoke with the person at the FastBreak rental desk. She changed my rental to a GMC Terrain and we were on our way. If this was the end then I'd give a decent review.

My entire weekend was RUINED by the experience that I had as a DIRECT RESULT of the faulty condition of the vehicle which was issued to me! I contacted customer service by phone. Spoke to Robert, then his supervisor, Brenda. The best she could do is issue a 50% refund. The vehicle's issue was that the battery's negative connector was DETACHED from the terminal due to a MISSING nut, rendering the vehicle UNSAFE! I called roadside assistance, based the assurance of the Budget representative (who I initially called) that I would NOT be charged for that service.

I reserved a rental car and paid for the reservation, was not informed verbally or in writing about the extra deposit required. Arrived at location and was informed a $250 deposit was required and they did not have the vehicle promised. Spoke with customer service, was promised a refund in 3-5 days, it has been 8 days and I still have not received the refund and their customer service appears to be dodging the issue. Very dissatisfied and would not recommend this company.

I was charged by Budget an additional $590 because I changed our arrival time. Note, the arrival day, location and car class all stayed the same, just the pick up time. This change was made due to our inbound flight being changed because of the pandemic. I went onto Budget.com to make the quick time change and then I received an email stating my bill increased to an additional $590. I call customer service to ask why this is my new bill, they said, "Anytime you make a modification to an existing reservation, the new base rate will be added." THIS WAS NOT STATED ANYWHERE ON THE MODIFICATION PAGE. Overall, for a simple time change, I was charged. Customer service was rude an not helpful at all. I do not recommend Budget to anybody.

We rented a car from Budget in Boston and we were charged for sand in the car. They added $250 to our bill. I am almost 60 years old and have never been charged "sand". We stayed at a lake. Unbelievable. DO NOT USE BUDGET.

After locking the key fob in trunk. We called customer service for OnStar to unlock the doors. Unsuccessful. Could not unlock. They suggest we have car towed. We wait on tow truck. Wait, they show up and unlock the door. Tell us no charge. "MY" insurance covered the lockout. So two weeks and another $800 to purchase missed flights, extra day car rental, and did I mention .4 gas charge of $4.00. Yes it is true. They charge $9.99 per gallon. This would be considered a fraudulent charge.

I rented a car, the bumper was falling off while I was driving. There were two holes in the front and back seat, the car was filthy inside. I brought it back to the location after they didn't answer the phone for two days. Had to drive all the way back from another state to return the car and they offer a $90 discount. INSANE. The customer service was awful, the workers use profanity and discuss how horrible other customers are with customers there.

When I made this reservation, I purposely chose the cheapest car possible (I have been furloughed and needed the car for a job interview; so money is tight). Upon arrival, everything is as usual. The employee asks the usual questions about insurance, hands me my contract and asks me to initial it and sign which I do without reading it (my bad) trusting in the employee's professionality (and Budget's). I return the car 2 days later and am told that I will get my final invoice by mail. I never got that final invoice and upon checking my Amex account, find out that I have been charged $39 extra. I call their office and they tell me that I approved, with my initials, for an upgrade (?!).

Budget charging $50.00 cancellation fee for travel during pandemic with no acknowledgement of restrictions by state and national concerns. Called on November fourth 2020 for cancellation on February 13, 2021.

My friends departed two days earlier than I was able to for Daytona Beach. With the last minute change of plans I decided to rent from Budget as my truck/motorcycle were already heading for Daytona. Upon arriving in Daytona the battery died. I jumped the battery twice as the security officer had cables each time. We noticed the safety covers were already off the battery prior to us jumping the car. Upon departing Daytona, it died again at a restaurant. I called Budget and informed I needed to call Road Side assistance and then for me to bring them the car for exchange. I did as instructed, I pulled up with the car and was informed no cars were available in Daytona Beach area. I drove the car back home to Cincinnati without turning it off. I was then charged $218.00 for their broken car.

I rented a car from PDX for 2 weeks, we were told when we rented the car (at an offsite location) we were told if our flight was before 10:00am we would need to return at the airport. When we arrived at the airport there is no Budget return location, asked multiple people where to go and no one knows. Finally I get dropped off to run into the Budget office which was closed but had a sign that we needed to return to @Avis preferred. We had to drive the airport 5 times. We were very lucky we got there early. Tried to call a few times and could not get a person on the phone. Do better.

Not worth the hassle. Wish I had used Enterprise. The website is unclear, the employees are untrained and unclear, and the vehicle was old and poorly maintained. Not at all consumer friendly. 1st they called 2 days before my reservation to say I couldn’t use a debit card to prepay for a van. The website accepted the debit card so how was I to know. But that’s fine, I have a credit card I was willing to put it on. She said we could bring that card to pick up. But what she didn’t tell me was that the name on the credit card has to match the name on the debit card used to prepay with and that person has to be there to pick up. They would not let my husband pick up the van because it was in my name. The lady who called to say we couldn’t use a debit card for van rental could’ve told us that the names had to match but she didn’t. And email did not state that.

Super frustrated and annoyed with Budget Car Rental! Insurance and roadside assistance was added to my agreement without my approval and it has been a hassle to have any of it removed! When I initially called to have it removed, I was told to go to any on-site location to have the agent remove the additions. I proceeded to go to the closest location since I'm on vacation and they were only able to remove the insurance. They were really nice and told me to contact the reservation to have it removed but when I called the reservation desk again and was transferred three different times, I was told they could not remove it and that I have to return to my pick up location for them to fix my agreement.

I rented a car from 430 to 430. Returned the car and was gladly handed my receipt. And was charged 75.00 for a 1 hour late fee. This was my first and last budget rental. I was rushed out the door when I rented the car and was rushed again when I returned the car. I was asked 3 times if I had filled the tank of gas and how much gas I had purchased. 75.00 late fee for a 108.00 24 hr rental is absurd.

I reserved a car online to rent at one location for a one way trip. I was going to pick up a car I was supposed to buy. A one day rental for less than 3 hours for $187. The seller cancelled because the car wasn't ready. I called to cancel the reservation before the pick up time and was charged a $150 cancellation fee. The clincher was I was scheduled to pick up a car from a closed facility.

Budget charged my card 4,044.56 and I have never rented a car in my life nor could due to the fact my license is suspended. So they allowed someone to use my card info to rent a car. Their policy straight says they won't allow the use of someone else's card but clearly, they do. Scam artist is what they are.

We were charged $414.53 for a 1 day rental at Budget Car Rental because we had to pick our dogs up from boarding on our way home from the airport. We didn't have time to sweep it out before returning the car because we had to work the next day. I was quoted $77.68 to rent the car for 1 day. I could understand a $50 charge for sweeping some dog hair out of the car but $336.91 to sweep a car out is beyond outrageous. I feel like I was violated. Beware of renting a car from them.

Paid for my rental car & car seat online ahead of time. Got to Indpls. Airport to pick it up and they said they couldn't rent me the car because I must have a block on my credit because they can't run a credit report. Maybe the stupidest thing I've ever heard... I have no block, I have good credit and most importantly I'VE PAID FOR THE CAR ALREADY. The lady even said, "Guess you'll have to get a Lyft". It was me and my 3 year old stranded at the airport for hours!! I rented the car so I had a car seat. No taxi, Lyft or Uber had car seat... LITERALLY STRANDED FOR HOURS! Then, as if they couldn't possibly get worse, they won't refund my $500 unless I take more time out of my vacation to call them. ZERO EXCUSE why the lady at the counter, NOT RENTING ME THE CAR, couldn't initiate the refund. WORST CAR (NON) RENTAL PLACE EVER!!!

I still believe it a ridiculous amount based on an extra 10 minutes of vacuuming at most on one bench seat. (No damage to the vehicle). I almost missed my flight because when I drove to return the vehicle; I had to turn around and drive to the other side to drop it off at Avis lot as Budget was closed and there was no signage until I actually pulled into the Budget lot. Not to mention your company could not locate the vehicle initially because it was in the other lot (returned September 6, 2020) and attempted to charge me another $1,544 based on your company ineptness. And then trying to charge me additional fees that were included in the initial prepaid rental.

I want the world to hear our story. I want you to feel it and visualize every aspect of our nightmare. On October 3rd at 2:45 pm while visiting Indiana Beach Amusement Park my husband was on the swings ride over the water. The key fob to the rental car was in his pocket. Well it fell out on the ride and into the water! Omg our fault YES! However, the next 24hrs of hell needs to be heard. First call into Budget rental car company was at 2:58pm Oct 3rd 2020. The situation was explained. A two way tow had been authorized. Which meant a tow truck would go pick up and replacement rental and bring it to our location and then tow the current rental back to the service center. Sounds easy. The process was to take 4 to 6hrs. Ok not to bad. We are at an amusement park.

I reserved an SUV weeks in advance and show up to be told it’s not available, they give me a much smaller car. Then a half hour down the road the low tire light goes off, I try to put air in, it’s at this time I see that the tours are bald and it doesn’t fix anything. Further down the road warning lights start going off (no idea what they mean it lights up like a Christmas tree) the car is pulling hard to the right and begins making loud noise.

I reserved a car over a month in advance. I got to the airport to pick it up and was told it was not available. Then they told I could find a rental in similar class at another location to switch (Why Me). Also charged for a toll I didn't use.

Booked and paid for rental vehicle on Friday, September 4th 2020 via the 800 number. Was told that all locations (6 or so) would be closed the following day which was a Saturday. They had 2 that I could go to and pick up vehicle. Went to one of the said locations at 2 pm only to be told that they had no vehicles and I missed the time slot to pick one up. Was directed to local airport. Started going there and decided I would call ahead so that they would have car ready. Called and as usual in this story, it rolls over to the corporate call center.

Are you kidding me with a $9.99 gas charge? I filled my tank up so much before returning it that it overflowed from the vehicle... This will be my last rental with Budget! I called multiple times during my rental so I could talk with someone and was not able to speak with anyone... The car was filthy... smelled of stale cigarettes and had cat hair all over the back of the vehicle... My wife is allergic to cat hair! We had no idea what was making her sneeze and itch... I emailed too and never received a call back. I am a RapidRez/FastBreak Customer. I am to go right to the car parking lot and by-pass the counter. No one was at the car lot! I had to go back to the airport. There were 25 people in front of me... Only 1 person at the desk.... There were another 15 people behind me.... It took an hour to get my car. Horrible experience! Never again!

We used to rent here all the time but never again. I paid for a muscle car rental two weeks in advance for a trip with my son. They informed me on pick up that they offer no such type of rental yet never bothered to contact me about it. I was given a V6 Camaro with no price adjustment. The car was filthy. I had to pull over to clean the windshield so I could see. It smelled like cigarettes on top of all that. I tried contacting the manager several times. No callback. My son left his hat in the car and never got a call back on that even though I tried getting in contact with them the next morning. These people are rude and will blame you for renting something they don't provide. The lady actually laughed at me for expecting a car I reserved and paid for. If you don't offer certain types of vehicles they should be removed from your site.

Read the fine print and then assume they’re going to find loopholes even in that. We had a Covid related emergency and had booked through Priceline. Priceline directed us to budget. Budget directed us to Priceline, And they both charged us for two days rental for a car we only rented for a total of less than three days.

Absolutely horrible experience from Budget/Avis. Do not rent from them. They are shady and very unprofessional. When I went to pick up my reservation they said they had one car left and I could take it or leave it. It was $250.00 more than my initial reservation. At that point, I was stuck and HAD to have a car. If there is a Bait and Switch, Budget/Avis sure do it. I don't normally write reviews, but save your self the hassle! Even if you have it in writing, they will NOT honor it. The reps are horrible as well.

TLDR: 12 hours into the car breaking down and we’re stranded in middle of nowhere Delaware waiting on a replacement car that no one can provide an ETA on.

Don't use Budget Car Rental!!! I picked up a vehicle from the airport for a week with Priceline for $236. Budget told me that I can extend over the phone for the same price I paid with Priceline by calling the # on the reservation envelope. Well 23 days of having the car, I dropped it off early. They never sent me the bill but I got notification from my credit card I was charged $3900!!! Well after much back and forth, they finally sent the bill. They charged me $25 PER HOUR and a $600 RECOVERY FEE!!! Customer service is AWFUL and not helpful. DO NOT GO TO THIS COMPANY, they are scammers and a rip off. I will be disputing it with my credit card company since Budget is not making it right.

We booked a truck, months in advance, because we were traveling with a family member with a heavy wheelchair and needed the space. When we arrived on the time and date of the rental they had NO vehicles and a very long line up of unhappy travelers. You could tell from the clerks' response that this was a typical day for them. They ended up having no truck for us, we lost a day of holidays having to figure out a different way to transport our family.

I am not one who normally posts detailed reviews, but I had such a horrible experience with this organization that I felt I had to warn others. I reserved a rental online and arrived to the location with no employees there to provide me with the vehicle. After calling several times the organization was completely unable to help me or find somebody to help with my situation. The customer associates are not empowered at all to help customers with issues. They would not even provide me with a refund. Truly unbelievable, do not use this rental company!

I was on my way to Budget Rent-A-Car with their car and flat occurred two blocks away so I drove the car there and they charged 400.00 for a tire. If they would have checked the car before I left that would have resolved the problem.

I rented a car from DTW, it took over 2 hours to get my rental. When I turned the car off at my destination the battery died. When I contacted customer support they said to call roadside assistance. It took 4 hours for them to get to me. Even after jumping the car the battery died every time I tried to start car. I had to purchase a jump pack. Then I had to find a place to exchange the car. More hours wasted. After all that they charged me 218.00 for the roadside they sent to me. I will never use Budget again.

Rented a car via the Budget website for Costa-Rica. Arriving on site, hidden fees appeared that we were unable to refuse. This double the fees for our trip. Talked to a BRAC customer service, but their argument was that if I had paid, that meant that I had "accepted" said charges. No further actions were taken on their part and they closed t

The car was good except missing a front panel. We had a blow out on the right front car tire during our trip. We called for Roadside Assistance. They never came. Some men pulled over and helped us. We had to drive on the donut for two days until we handed the car in. When we drove to LAX the man who we left the car with said they would email the receipt. But they did not, instead they accused us of stealing the car. They asked for proof that we flew home. So we provided our boarding passes. Then they sent a formal letter requesting we return the car. We called them. They again asked for our boarding passes. They sent us a bill for 600.00 and then another bill for 700 then another bill for 70.00 and another bill for 250.00.

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!!!

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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!

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.

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.

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 ☹️

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.

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!

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.. **

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.