Budget Car Rental Reviews

4,913,341reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified
  • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
  • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
  • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.

About Budget Car Rental

This profile has not been claimed by the company. See reviews below to learn more or submit your own review.

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

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

Budget Car Rental Reviews

Filter by Rating

  • (63)
  • (17)
  • (29)
  • (144)
  • (3,119)

Popular Mentions

    How do I know I can trust these reviews about Budget Car Rental?
    • 4,913,341 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
    • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
    • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
    • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
    Recent
    • Recent
    • Oldest
    • Most helpful

    A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.

    How do I know I can trust these reviews about Budget Car Rental?
    • 4,913,341 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
    • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
    • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
    • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
    Page 16 Reviews 2640 - 2840
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed March 25, 2016

    I rented via a third party website, got a confirmation and a quote which included unlimited mileage. The Budget location did not have a vehicle type I requested, did not honored the quote, and charged me $270 for a single day car rental (based on mileage). Needless to say they charged my credit card with what they called authorization charges for a large sum of money without an advanced warning. The customer service was unapologetic. The worst rental experience I have had.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase

    Reviewed March 24, 2016

    Visited the desk at and was served by Yolanda. I specifically told her that I did not need any additional insurance. I didn't check the small print and signed for the daily accidental damage cover. In addition they converted the charge from US$ to Sterling with a 3% fee. Be warned look at the small print. They just keep saying tick accept on the terminal. Check the document before you leave. Would not use them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed March 23, 2016

    OMG!! Wow!! WHAT A RIPOFF!!! So I booked online for $36/day unlimited miles from their 1701 W. Exp. 83 location McAllen, TX (doubles as the airport location). When I p/u car the price went up to $76/Day. $25 extra per day for taking it out of town. Do not believe them when they tell you not to worry about returning it right on time and that you won't be charged for extra day. (BS). They charged my wife's credit card even though she specifically said she DID NOT authorize for the extra day and her name was not on the contract. The worst customer service. When we tried talking to the manager he was Rude and very Unprofessional. These people take the cake. Their unethical business practices are beyond belief.

    The attendant that had authorized the late return w/o extra charge went back on her word and shamelessly told us "Look, if it's between my job and helping you, I'm keeping my job." Judging from their reviews here and on Yelp. It seems they have a pretty good scam going. They do this regularly. We had forgot the receipt in the car and they refused to give us a copy. NEVER AGAIN!! REPORTED TO BBB, ATTY. GENERALS OFFICE and Corporate. Hope someone can help us.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed March 18, 2016

    We rented a car in January. When returning it nothing was said about the condition of car. A month later we get a letter stating that there was excess sand in the car. There was not. They are charging our credit card $150.00. I called several numbers for Budget on March 1 and no one has returned my calls. What constitutes excess? We always leave cars clean when renting. And are they allowed to keep my numbers of credit card on file?

    Thanks for your vote!
    Profile pic of the author.
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed March 18, 2016

    I previously made a reservation as I was attending a funeral in another state. When I arrived and requested the car, the agent just said "we do not have any vehicles now and do not have any idea when any will become available." He suggested I call customer service because he couldn't assist me further. I did contact customer service which took a long time for an agent and she recommended another location but it was too far for me and I was already late to start my trip.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed March 17, 2016

    I believed I had a reservation for a car for a week. They couldn't find the reservation. So they saw the opportunity to STICK ME. They tried to charge me $1200 for a week. Gauging **.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed March 16, 2016

    I will never rent anything from them. They are liars. Made a reservation for a compact car, went to pick it up, they had none. Very inconvenient for me. They told me to go to a competitor and would pay the total cost of the rental. Of course, when I turned in the final receipts in that's not what happened.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoverage

    Reviewed March 16, 2016

    Vacationing in Belize. Make rental through RentalCar.com. Get to the car pickup at airport in Belize and was told that Budget would not accept Visa's damage loss coverage and that I had to pay $180 before I could take the car. No way to fight it. Budget says that the Belize branch is not their problem and no, I couldn't get a refund. Then the car was not as promised in the rental agreement. "That's all we have. Take it or leave it." This company is the poster child for poor customer service and deceptive practices. Screw me once, never again. Or anyone else that I can warn!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed March 14, 2016

    I can tell Budget truck rental does not care about their customers. It seems not only do they have they don't keep maintenance on their equipment but their customer service is equally inadequate. Budget customer service just likes to transfer you to someone else while you hope that someone will eventually cares enough about your issues to do something. You know because the car transporter you rented almost caught on fire and a truck won't fill up with gas because there was previous damage. You never find that person they don't care. They just refuse to let you talk with their supervisor and hang up on you. You're forced to talk to 8 people by the time. You speak to customer service who refuse to do anything until your burning car transport is picked up and the account closed out. I recommend you never use BUDGET unless you really feel as though you deserve some kind of punishment.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed March 10, 2016

    We are vacationing and made reservations 10 days ago for a mid-size car as we had 4 passengers. We paid in advance. When we arrived we were told all they had was a 12 passenger van and we would have to wait at least 30 minutes for a different vehicle. We had someone waiting on us and reservations for lunch so had to take the van. Why make reservations if they are not going to hold what we reserve back for us. I could understand if we just showed up when we arrived. It was quite embarrassing. We use Budget every time we come to Florida which is usually 2 times a year and have only had this problem one other time. That was in June of last year in Venice, Florida and the vehicle was smaller than we reserved. We had to squish in. Really hoping this is not a pattern.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed March 8, 2016

    We rented and expect a 7 passenger SUV for a trip. Obviously each person carry at least one luggage. The pic and the info in the receipt showed us an Expedition (NOWHERE in the receipt said an equivalent or something like that). When we get there they gave us a Toyota Sequoia, that might accommodate the same amount of people but NO ROOM in the back whatsoever, only one luggage and 2 bags fitted in there. We have to spread the luggages in friends' cars and buses.

    On Sunday the 6th, we have to find another car (in a place that we don't know) to help us jump the car battery. Thank you very much Budget. Thank God it wasn't in the middle of the road or in the middle of the night. We supposed to return the car on Monday at the same pick-up time. Nobody was there. Somebody appeared 20-30 later and of course we get late to work. When he asked if we were satisfied or if we had any problems, we told him but, no facial expression/concern/care. If I wasn't late for my work I would definitely stay there complaining and requesting a refund.

    We were planning to rent again for another long trip in April because the prices are competitive but no thank you, I prefer to pay more for a better car and definitely a better customer service/care. The least that the company should do is a refund! Or at least show any care about this complaint and any others from other customers to keep your company rolling. Thank You for nothing!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed March 6, 2016

    I reserved a car at McClaren Airport location Las Vegas. I had a reservation for a car since December 2015. I Show up, NO cars! And they charge the full rental to your CC. A convention was in town and that took priority. Don't rent from here!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceProcess

    Reviewed March 5, 2016

    I would never use Budget Rental ever again! We rented a car because my son was in an accident. Per the police report my son was 100% not at fault. We were told my cc would be charged $50.00 for a hold while everything was figured out with the insurance co. While going through the process my card was charged 3 times within 2 weeks without notification. The amounts varied from $150 to $814. I asked numerous times if there are any issues please call me and I will help figure anything out. Not one phone call came from them just me following up why they kept charging my cc.

    When I called they said they had no reason on why they do this its just there process. Then they lost my son's information and said they had no idea how that happened either. I have used Enterprise in the past and I will never use Budget rental again. I have never dealt with any fee issues with Enterprise and everything was taken care of and no stress at all. My only issue is I didn't go to them first! I would never recommend them unless they can seriously come back from this situation!

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed March 2, 2016

    It's simple. I booked my car online for a certain amount of money. When I returned the car, I didn't catch that they charged an additional $16.34 upon return. A "signature" is apparently not required, and therefore a charge cannot be disputed. Talk about **. My credit card company could not even do anything about it. I will never rent from Budget again, and I hope others will reconsider before booking with them in the future. It's stealing from customers, and somehow they are able to get away with it??? Nah. Last note, with these bad reviews, I hope this damn company is brought to its knees and out of business sooner than later.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 29, 2016

    Ok... So to start. I first dropped off a truck, one way from Las Vegas to Torrance. At the time I made this reservation, I also made a reservation for 7 days later to pick up a truck for return from Torrance to Las Vegas. When I went to pick up the truck, was about 45 minutes late for pick up (I know, my fault for being late), the truck I had reserved months before had been rented out about 20 minutes earlier. As the guy working the counter continued to tell me over and over (not exaggerating) how it was my fault for being late... Over and over, I kept asking, does customer service not exist anymore that someone couldn't pick up a phone to call to find out if in fact I was stuck in traffic, etc.

    Again, all that he could continue to recite to me, how it was my fault for being late and I should be accountable. I have rented vehicles of all sizes all over the country for the better part of the last 25 years and I have NEVER been held to the exact time of pick up... Is the reason my credit card was on file and why I reserved well in advance.

    As I proceeded to ask the clerk what he was going to do to get me a truck, he made the grand gesture to call one other rental place up the street, but nothing available and that was the extent of his customer service on my behalf... One phone call. I stepped outside and started calling all over the city and finally found one 25 miles away, but of course at three times the rate. My gut feeling, this clerk, who did not have the first clue or desire of customer service skills, took the first opportunity to rent my vehicle at three times the rate himself rather that take the brief moment to pick up the phone to find out if I was still planning on picking up the truck.

    The one humorous and infuriating thing he said to me "Someone should have called you," but when I asked him, "Who is someone" given that it was him who opened the store and made the decision to rent out my vehicles. Budget... I will never rent from you ever again. Your folks are so improperly trained and treat folks with such indifference. Incredible. Incredible. To the idiot who rented out my truck on 2/27/16... You have NO business ever being in front of the general public for anything remotely associated with dealing with customers or any human being... Period.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Jessica increased rating by 1 star.
    Customer ServiceStaff
    After a positive interaction with Budget Car Rental, Jessica increased their star rating on March 9, 2016.

    Updated review: March 9, 2016

    After going above and contacting someone higher in the company they investigated my issue and I got my whole refund. The gentleman that I spoke with was a help but said that it boils down to being a miscommunication. I disagree with that but I am happy to say that I got my money.

    Original Review: Feb. 29, 2016

    I paid for my rental along with my tickets as a "deal". When I got home after my trip I realized Budget had taken $215.00 out of my account on top of what I had already paid. When I called the CS, rep told me that my bank was holding the money. I called my bank and they told me that that was not right. I called Budget back a second time and after talking to the rep and having her treat me like I was stupid I realized that they were all charges for stuff that they say I agreed to. The lady at the counter assured me that my card would only be used if I were to get in an accident.

    I did not want to give her my card but she said "mam this card will not be used" so now I have charges for gas which I left full in the tank, a $65.00 charge for a car seat that was not used and a bunch of other non-sense. The lady was saying things like "don't worry about having gas in the tank it's on us... please initial". They are a bunch of scams and the CS reps are rude and make you feel like it's your fault that they hustle you... DON'T RENT BUDGET!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Feb. 28, 2016

    My daughter's car died just as she was headed to work, so we needed a quick rental. No available cars at another place, so we wound up here. Told them our situation, that we needed a two day rental. They were very friendly, quoted us a rather high price. I got them down to a reasonable price by getting rid of all the extras and insurance. Never once did they say that the price was per day. When my daughter dropped it back off, they had charged me twice what they said it would be! I was very clear that I wanted a quote for two days. Obviously the quote was per day when we got the receipt. I will never again use Budget rental again, and will always book online first with any rental company. They told us they only had one vehicle available, but we could not see what was on their computer. They gypped us good. I call them crooks. Don't use this company!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Installation & SetupCoverageSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 25, 2016

    We had reservation for a small Buick at LAX. When we arrived to the rental desk with our reservation, we was informed that our car is not ready and we have to get a different car and pay more but they will discount us on the upgraded car. We have refused and ask for the car we requested. The guy at the desk was nasty and told us it will take up to 1 hr waiting. We said it will ruin all our day with the appointment. We had ask if he can rush the car receiving so we wouldn't be late. We refused again for another upgraded car and decided to wait. He ask us if we want to insured the car and we answer "no. We have 1miliion liability from our business as we are in the transportation trucking moving."

    After all we got a small Nissan and went on the way return and fuel as needed. Got home and was checking my credit statement and saw we had $126 extra

    bill on the rental car!! The guy in the cashier add us the insurance, make us sign on the bottom, and let us go. Trying to resolve it with Budget but they said I sign for it. That is not true and if I needed any insurance I will be adding it up on the reservation process online. Be aware from Budget workers as they scam you and sign in the wrong place to the extras! If that's how they doing businesses they lost me and a lot others!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    CoverageStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 25, 2016

    While talking on the phone with the rental employee in January 2016, I asked about the insurance coverage. I asked the employee if everything was covered, no matter what happened to the car was it covered, he said yes. A non-alcoholic drink was spilled on the front seat and we just left the car and nothing was said at that time to us by the person checking us in when we returned the car. One month later, I received a letter saying my credit card was charged an additional $250 for removal of the stain. I contacted Budget and they said that damage to the inside of the car was not covered by the insurance. I said why didn't they tell me that when I rented the car. They said more or less to bad and that the charge would not be removed. DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET, OR IF YOU DO, GET IT IN WRITING WHAT IS COVERED AND WHAT IS NOT COVERED.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 24, 2016

    Rented a car from Budget and went to pick it up. The person behind the counter wanted to upgrade us to another car for an extra $6.00 a day so we declined and told him we want the car we rented. He went on wanting to sell us tire insurance which we thought ridiculous since the tires came with the car and it's Budget's responsibility that they should be in good condition.

    We were supposed to have the car for 3 days and we returned it the 2nd day we had it. We were on the highway when a signal came on that the tires needed air. We stopped at a gas station and when I went to put in air, I noticed that the valves were missing all the caps and the valves were rusted. I was surprised since this was a 2015 car. Also I was not able to put in air because the valve was pushed in. We leave the gas station and just a couple of minutes after that the rear tire on the driver's side gets a flat so I changed to the spare.

    I called customer service to let them know what happened. I was on hold for at least half an hour before I got to speak to someone. Now we are heading home because we didn't want to drive around with a spare tire and half an hour later the other rear tire on the passenger side goes flat. Again we called customer service and after holding for another half hour, we were transferred to roadside assistance. We told them what happened and we need a tow truck. We were told we have to wait 9 hours before they can send us help. I asked them to send us another car instead and we were told they can't do that. Now this is almost 2 hours later and we are still on the side of the road.

    We were told that there is a Budget car rental place close by and they close at 2:00 p.m. That was no good for us because it was 2:00 already. After Budget was absolutely no help to us, we called the Budget rental location where we picked up our car but they were closed on Sunday. We called Budget back but we were told again that they couldn't help us. We were so frustrated by then because it was 5:00 p.m. and still didn't get anywhere with Budget. We ended up calling CAA to come help us. They came to get us and tow the car to the pickup location. By the time we arrived to the Budget car rental location to drop off the car it was 11:45 p.m. We had to get a taxi to take us home from the Budget rental location. So now by the time we get home it's 12:15 a.m. Monday morning.

    We went back to the rental location on Tuesday since it was a long weekend and they were closed on Monday as well. We completed a form with what happened. Originally when we rented the car it was to cost $70.00 but I noticed they charged $90.00 to my credit card. I call Budget customer service to complain about the charges because I feel that after the ordeal we went through, we should not be paying for the car. I was talking to customer service and for one of the questions I had to look up the information. When I came back to her with the information, she had hung up. I am very frustrated and upset about the whole situation. I truly feel that Budget should give me a refund for the car rental. I feel it is Budget's responsibility to rent out cars that are in good working condition and safe for the people renting the cars. After this experience, we will never rent from Budget ever again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Feb. 23, 2016

    I rented a small car and they offer me one for the same price but bigger. Of course I asked if it was for the same price and they said YES. After this and knowing it was for the same price I agree, well, they ended up charging me double, and now they said I accepted the upgrade!

    Thanks for your vote!
    CoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 23, 2016

    Was not given the car I reserved, was charged a gas service option that I did not ask for, was charged .22 cents a mile even though I had unlimited mileage. I was asked if I wanted supplemental insurance, I declined but was told I had to initial next to it on the paperwork, turned out when I initialed it I accepted the insurance and was charged $72 for it. When I tried to dispute the charges after receiving my bill, I was told all those services were rendered so I could not get credit for any of them. Sales rep was very pushy and abrupt.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 22, 2016

    Had a car rental reservation from Budget at RSW airport - arrived and 25 people in line. After 30 mins and not one customer being helped I asked what the problem was and they said, "We are out of vehicles." Really with computer reservations and no vehicles for customers in line with reservations in hand. Being 8 pm and knowing that RSW is a smaller airport there was no way I would even get a rental by midnight.

    Left and rented one from Enterprise at double the cost. Two days later thought I would call customer service to pick up my rental and the lady said my reservation was not valid anymore. Told her of the situation and she wouldn't believe me and pretty much called me a liar. Things went south from there. After an hour on the phone I got nowhere. Please whatever you do never rent from Budget as they do not care about customers nor want to correct the situation. Tried to call directly to the rental place at airport and they won't answer the phone. Complete disregard for customers. Stay away. Stay away. Never again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Profile pic of the author.
    Contract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Feb. 20, 2016

    Rented a car from Budget Fort Lauderdale Airport through Fast Break service and drove to Key West and returned the car 3 days later with a full tank and gave them the receipt for refueling just before I returned the vehicle 2 miles away from airport. It took Budget over 3 days to finalize my contract and send me a receipt and now I find that Budget Key West Airport is trying to rip me off by adding a fuel service and claiming that the car had the fuel at half. They charged me $77 dollars for fuel service!!! That doesn't even make sense since the car I rented has a fuel tank capacity of 15 gallons and fuel in Key West was around $2 so refueling would cost $15 for the price of gas so whatever the FEE is the total shouldn't reach $77.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffProcess

    Reviewed Feb. 19, 2016

    This letter is intended to bring to your attention the complete lack of customer service and utter failure in the process for renting a vehicle at the airport Budget Car Rental location in Kahului, Maui. My husband and I travel frequently and always reserve a rental car. On a recent trip to Maui we reserved a vehicle from Budget for 2 weeks. Upon arriving at the Budget location on January 30, 2016 at approximately 5:15 p.m. we were amazed to see the entire front of the building congested with people waiting to pick up rental vehicles. There were easily 200 people waiting for vehicles. We were told by those waiting that we would need to go inside and get a number. After obtaining a number my husband was advised by the location manager, Vinnie, that it would be an approximate 45 minute wait. There were approximately 92 individuals in line ahead of us.

    However, as we were talking to some of the other people waiting outside, they stated that they had been waiting for anywhere between 2-3 hours! Needless to say we were appalled. What Vinnie failed to mention was that the 45 minute wait would begin once your number was called and you were in a line inside the building. I will also mention here that we also spoke to several individuals who were returning vehicles and they stated that they too, had to wait well over 2 hours for their vehicles upon their arrival in Maui the week before. Not wanting to waste precious vacation time while in Hawaii, my husband among several others walked to the Avis car rental location to look into the possibility of renting a vehicle.

    While the separate Avis location did have cars available, the increase in cost was so prohibitive no one wanted to make the change. When the issue of individuals going to another company was mentioned to the Vinnie, her comment was "Well they are part of the same family, so it's all good!!!" I could not believe the complete lack of concern on the part of the location manager. It makes one wonder if Budget purposely advertises low rental costs, counting on customers becoming frustrated and go with the much higher price of a vehicle offered by Avis so they do not have to wait the exorbitant amount of time at the Budget counts.

    When Vinnie was asked why there was such a delay she stated that they just got slammed because 3 flights arrived at the same time. This is a ridiculous statement because the multiple flights arriving in Maui at the same time is always going to be constant. And based on the comments from people returning cars from prior weeks it confirms the ridiculousness of the slammed excuse from Vinnie.

    Inside the facility there were no more than 5 people working behind the counter the entire time and the individual that waited on my husband mentioned that he was supposed to have gotten off work at 3:30 p.m. and it was nearly 8:00 p.m. While everyone was frustrated about the long wait, cars were constantly being returned but there didn't seem to be enough staff to prepare the cars for redeployment. It was obvious this location is severely understaffed. Ultimately, my husband and I waited over 3 hours to get through the check in process which should have taken no more than 45 minutes. I think you will agree that this was a terrible way to spend vacation time in Hawaii!

    Another factor adding to the frustration, there was not nearly enough available seating provided. There were many elderly people, small children, and handicapped individuals that had to stand in the heat of the day with no water available, except for a partial bottle of water inside the facility with tiny little cone shaped paper cups. And then to top it all off, the manager would come out and call out numbers and virtually yell at people not to stand in the parking lot but there was nowhere else to stand! The area under the awning was completely crowded with waiting customers. The manager did not convey the least bit of concern or understanding of the anger/frustration voiced by clients. She was leaning on the counter inside the building until she could go out and call in 10 or 15 more people!

    According to the mission of your company (taken directly from your website): "We will consistently deliver a quality product, friendly service and great value that make customers confident that Budget is their best car rental choice." And also from the Values on your website: "We use new ideas and innovations to enhance service and increase customer service satisfaction. We provide consistent and dependable service that exceeds expectations and creates loyal customers."

    In my opinion and also voiced by many of the other Budget customers, the Maui airport location has failed miserably in delivering on the mission and values. The process at this location is terribly broken and it doesn't seem that there is any interest on the part of the manager in coming up with new ideas and innovations to increase customer satisfaction. Upon my return to work, I was mentioning this fiasco to my co-workers and one of them stated that a family member had the same experience (over a 4 hour wait) at the Los Angeles Budget Rent a Car location. This fact further confirms my belief that Budget Rent a Car does not live up to their mission or values. My husband and I travel to Maui on a frequent basis, this was the first time we have used Budget and it will be the last. Furthermore, we will not recommend Budget/Avis to friends and family for their rental car needs.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 17, 2016

    Reserved a Mid-Size car from Budget using Priceline - when I arrived at counter at DFW the agent "Vernon" never asked if I wanted upgrade - his spiel was "I have a nice car for you" - that was it. The price was different from what I reserved but I figured it was some type of Airport or city taxes. Yes it was buried in the contract I signed but after a long flight I don't know of anyone who reads the rental agreement word for word. We take for granted the Rental agency will honor our reservation as we made it.

    I am a frequent traveler and have never had this happen before when renting a car. I am a very educated person and have no doubt this is a "tactic" Budget uses to increase its profit at the consumer's expense. It should be illegal to give an upgrade to anyone without getting their verbal consent. I contacted Budget and received two different replies - One was to turn the car in (I had already turned car in - that's when I discovered the upgrade charge) and the other reply was basically I signed the contract so too bad. Will report to BBB in Dallas and blast on all Social Media. Not only is it deceptive but I think bordering on the grounds of illegal.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 16, 2016

    I made a reservation online to rent a Minivan for 12/5/15, to move from my college dorm to my home state. When went to pick up the rental I was told the rental was reserved for the following weekend instead. Apparently if a vehicle is not available for the time requested the computer system defaults your rental date to the next available date. I told the agent I need a Minivan today and asked if anything was available. The agent said, "No," and suggested I call customer service. I called customer service and made arrangements to pick up a Minivan rental at a different location. I traveled to the other location and picked up the vehicle. Once my travels were completed I attempted to return the vehicle at the out of state location specified on my original reservation.

    When I arrived the agent said there was never a return scheduled at his location. He said he could take the vehicle but additional fees would automatically be charged and suggested I call customer service. I called customer service and was told someone made an error while booking the reservation on the phone. Rather than changing the existing reservation, the agent cancelled the old one and created a new one with a in-state drop off address. I agreed to pay the price originally quoted $465 for out of state drop off address. The agent said I would be charged an additional fee of $300 for traveling out of state but that I would be able to get this amount refunded once Budget listened to their phone recordings to confirm an error was made by the booking agent. I paid $765 for the rental and later called to follow up on my refund dispute.

    On 1/5/16 I was told a check was mailed for $243 (refunded amount minus taxes) and was given a check number. On 2/1/16 I called to follow up again because the payment was never received. I was told to wait a few more days since the mail can take a while. On 2/5/16 a charge of $243 appeared on my bank statement from Budget. I called Budget and was told that an agent issued a refund by check in error so Budget charged me again to correct the error. I explained to the billing agent that this is not what I was told the last 3 times I called and that I never received nor cashed a payment from them.

    I then spoke with a billing supervisor and asked why a stop payment was not issued for this check they claim was issued in error and requested documentation proving the check was cashed. The supervisor said he would contact the "specialty department" and call me back. The issue still has not been resolved and I have now paid Budget over $1000 rental charges and fictitious fees. Never ever rent from Budget. This is the worst customer service experience ever!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Feb. 16, 2016

    I made a car rental reservation with following details: Budget Standard SUV Chicago (MDW) Reservation dates Sep 4, 2015 - Sep 9, 2015 Itinerary # **, Confirmation # **. As you see I booked a standard size SUV but when we reached to Budget Rent-A-Car they said they don't have any SUV but just standard sedan. So I had no choice to take one sedan. I was advised to call next morning to see if they have any SUV available. I called many times to facility and to the manager directly but no one responded to my call. They did not refund any money so I ended up paying 3 times more than average price.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Feb. 14, 2016

    We rented a car from Richmond Airport. Could smell air freshener but the next morning the car reeked of cigarette smoke. We were traveling to Florida and checked for Budget locations so we can exchange cars since that is what Budget Rent-A-Car customer service told us. Note that Budget Rent-A-Car claims "smoke-free" cars. This is a violation of their contract to me. We cannot find a car comparable to what we paid for and most locations will not answer the phone. I have asthma and this is a health risk. We spent much of the day with the window down so we wouldn't have to breathe the cigarette smoke.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 14, 2016

    We took a red-eye and arrived in Newark NJ very early in the morning Feb 13, 2016 the coldest day of the year in NJ. The lady behind the counter gave us a car that was at the end of the parking lot. We walked to the car in freezing cold, loaded the luggage and kids sitting in the car. Then we realized there was no key in the car. I walked back to the office. The lady and her manager Mike ** did not say a word of apologies. They offered two other cars in the parking lot which I had to walk in the cold again to look at. No one in Budget cared to help. Mike simply said "Someone stole the key last week, it's not our fault." When my wife complained, the lady behind the counter screamed "You are not even the renter, you have no right to complain," meaning my wife's name was not on the contract!! I don't understand how Budget survived as a company with this kind of attitude. I will never rent from Budget again, even it's free.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016

    I rented from Budget in October in Portland Oregon. I drove it to Bend Oregon one way and left it in a garage overnight. I returned the vehicle 2 days later. They are now trying to say that I owe them $1,000. I even had the gentlemen returning sign the waiver at the end with a written statement NOT TO CHARGE me.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016

    I spent over an hour on the phone booking a car rental in Iceland. The person that I was speaking to stated a certain price and when I finally got an email it was much higher. In addition to that, the country was incorrect. The whole experience was a waste of time and the employees are completely incompetent. I am very disappointed and will not book with them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverage

    Reviewed Feb. 12, 2016

    I rented a car from Budget for a 4-day period. After coming home I noticed that I was charged for roadside assistance which I had declined. My first call to Budget resulted in the customer REO "negotiating" with me to refund me 2 days of the fee. I did not accept since I declined the coverage. My second call to customer service was a horrible experience. Mario was rude and laughed repeatedly at my pronunciation, refused to allow me to speak with a supervisor and basically said "There's nothing you can do." I WILL NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET AGAIN.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsCoveragePrice

    Reviewed Feb. 11, 2016

    I rented a vehicle from Budget through our company reservation system. At the airport I told the guy that my company has covered all the extra insurance so do not put any of those on me especially one that cost about $30 per day (I didn't remember it's name at that moment) and he said only the very basic ones would apply. I then signed the contract according to his instruction without careful reading and questioning - my usual way dealing with car rentals as I use them often.

    When I returned the vehicle after two weeks I found there was an LDW charge over $500 and a fuel charge of $I25. I called their manager. He refunded me the fuel charge but not the LWD, saying a contract is a contract. He even waved aside the fact that the reservation was through our company channel of which other rental companies accept the fact that no LDW/CDW APPLY - other rentals impairs usually did not charge this item or refunded me when I explained to them. So my fault trusted Budget this first time. I think it an indication of poor business behavior of Budget - I would never use them again. If you happen to use Budget, please read through all their contract items and make sure you understand everything.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Feb. 11, 2016

    I had reserved a car which I do monthly to visit my husband. My car won't make it. I booked online through Hotwire. I wanted to contact my local St George office to ask 2 question. After 3 days I have yet to speak to my local store. The first day the number was busy all damn day. So I called the 800 number, talked to some call center in god knows what country, just to be given a number in SLC 400 miles away from me, which was also busy. I tried for two days, always ended up in the stupid 3rd world call center repeating my issues 10 times just to be told ** that had nothing to do with my call.

    Finally I was done. I booked online with someone else. And wanted to call and cancel. Again got the call center not in the USA, just to be hung up on once, yelled at once & ended up with a supervisor who still couldn't help. All I wanted to do was cancel, which I finally got to do when I called Hotwire. All of this could have been avoided if my local store would answer! Never ever will I deal with Budget again! I even emailed them about the issue before I canceled. Got an email back saying they couldn't help me and had what I am sure is a standard complaint email. Seriously a waste of time!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 11, 2016

    The car I reserved had not been delivered. I chose an alternate vehicle and completed the rental (paperwork AND payment) after which the rep discovered that that vehicle was also not on the lot. I settled for a third vehicle and was given a discount (5%) and my total was $154. I drove my daughter to report for the military and it took longer than expected so I extended the rental for an additional day. I was charged an additional $185 (for a total of $339) and I was charged for TWO extra days. When I called customer service, after dealing with a rude rep, I asked for a supervisor and was told that she didn't have one.

    I then spoke with another rep named Matt who informed me that it is "normal" for customers to be overcharged (and I should basically just accept it). I told him that it is NOT normal to pay for products or services that you didn't receive. He refused to connect me with a supervisor and basically told me that my concern was not important enough to involve a supervisor. He was EXTREMELY rude. He consistently spoke over me and interrupted when I was speaking. He stated that I signed a contract which gives them the right to charge me for an extra day after I return the vehicle.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Contract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Feb. 6, 2016

    I Rented a car from Budget through rentalcars.com, where they offered a small SUV for around $500 for 5 days in Los Angeles which I prepaid. When I arrived at the Budget counter I asked for a bigger SUV and they offered an upgrade and lead me to believe that with the upgrade my rental would cost about $785 in total, which would be fine. Finally I was charged the initial 500 and also another $785 extra which they now say it was the cost of the upgrade and the extra insurance. So what I thought would be a $500 rental ended up costing me more than $1200. The people at rentalcars.com tried to help and claim this extra charges but Budget refuses to help claiming I signed a contract and accepted the extra cost. So now there seems I can do nothing. I WILL DEFINITELY NEVER AGAIN RENT FROM BUDGE. Worst experience in car rentals ever.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Feb. 6, 2016

    Rented a car Seattle when I flew home over a weekend to visit my family. I was charged $175 for a cleaning fee because my little puppy left a little bit of fur on the seat. I protested the charge as it could have been done for $20. I warned the company if they proceeded to charge me I would never do business with them again as it was an outrageous fee. My dog didn't really leave a big mess and I could have vacuumed the little fur he left, but I didn't have the time. I will never again do business with this company for such an outrageous expense. All rentals get vacuumed and washed anyway after each rental. This was unnecessary.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 4, 2016

    Do not rent from these people. They will cheat you. Your billing will not match your reservation confirmation breakdown, they added insurance on my bill without my consent. Pure daylight robbery, I was charged $69 extra to have double insurance on their car. I have always rented with Avis for years in and outside the US with no billing issues. I rented a car from these Budget people when I booked flights from Dallas to LAX through Southwest airlines and sounded convenient. Alas, the convenience is not for you to enjoy but for Budget to suck you in their deceptive rental agreement that they can use to siphon extra dollars out for your hard earned income. So if you are renting here go ahead but bringing an attorney at your side to go over the terms on the paperwork is highly recommended. Because that front desk person who gives you the rental is probably going to have you sign up for the most expensive 5 or 7-day insurance policy.

    I will never ever use this company again and I will make sure no one in my network go through this horrible organization. Avis, now I appreciate how good you have been to me. Integrity, honesty and excellent customer service is all what AVIS is. Just one step I strayed to this Budget company I got trapped and mugged... and ill-treated. Well I hope someone can read this review... they say forewarned is forearmed..

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Feb. 1, 2016

    I booked a car from Budget on Travelocity on 1-23-16. On 1-24-16 I called and asked them to change the date from 1-29-16 to 1-30-16. At Budget at JAX on 1-30-16 they informed me the date was note changed, and that I would have to pay for the extra day. Wanted me to pay about $140 for a one-way to ATL. They're crazy! I went elsewhere.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Feb. 1, 2016

    I attempted to book a reservation online. I entered all of my reservation information in, provided my credit card number and was given an error notice that my card was not accepted. I tried again, checking all of my numbers very carefully. Same error code. I then called my credit card company and was told I had been charged not once, but twice!!

    I called Budget and was told that they could not release my funds for 48 hours, but that they could book a reservation by phone, of course at a higher rate. Meanwhile they were holding over $300 of reservation that would never be used. The representative was very matter of fact and unapologetic. I asked to speak to manager and was transferred and then disconnected. I called back twice asking for a manager and was put on hold for more than 10 minutes each time... never got a manager! Unbelievable!! Never again!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 26, 2016

    I booked through Budget for a one day rental. I used a discount code on the back of my airline ticket to get up to 25% off. The total cost came to $59 if I paid in advance. So I did. When I arrived at SFO to pick up the car, I was greeted by Vincent **, a very rude person. I wanted him to know that I had already paid for the car as he did his thing behind the counter however he never acknowledged what I told him. Finally when he did say something besides ask for my license it was to tell me I would be charged an extra $24 because I was an hour early picking up the car and that I had told him 3 times that I had already paid for the car.

    He left me to agree to the extra $24 charge or forfeit the car. After he swiped my card again, I signed, the receipt printed then I ask his name because he is just too rude to be an asset to customer service in my opinion. He then said he would remove the $24 charge if I returned the car the next day by 8:30. I agreed to bring the car back full and by 8:30.

    Today I returned the car full and at 8:28. You didn't drive the car 75 miles so another charge was added onto the ticked for $14, because I didn't bring a receipt for gas. What??? I just filled up the car and no one said I needed to produce a gas receipt or be charged $14. Please don't think I am making this up or did not get gas before I returned the car. This is exactly what occurred. I argued with this car company to get the agreed price and I still don't know the final total. I've booked online time after time and I have never gone through what I did with this company. My advice is like the others are saying. This company is going to rip you off. STAY CLEAR!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedReliability

    Reviewed Jan. 25, 2016

    I rented a car and declined the insurance. I put no more than 30 miles on the car and the front tire shredded going down the freeway. I called for assistance. They said it would be an hour to hour and a half. I told them never mind I will change the tire myself and bring the car back for either a different car or a new spare. They gave me a new car. Month later got a bill in the mail for 25.00 roadside service and 169.23 for vehicle repair costs. I called and requested a review of what happened and they said it would be pushed to a different department which I never got a call back.

    I called 3 weeks later and they acted like I have not called before and said any damage to the car is my responsibility. This was a defective part putting my family and myself at risk. They were not prompt in responding to my flat tire putting the effort back on me to get off the side of the freeway. I was less than 10 miles from where I rented the car. They explained it had sidewall damage. I told them that's what happens at 65 miles an hour on a freeway when your tire goes flat and you have to pull off safe. I asked for at least the roadside service to be dropped but know it's for the administration fee. Very dissatisfied with their lack of follow up and fair play. Basically pay money daily to rent then pay more money daily to maintain their car. Never again with Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 24, 2016

    I booked a reservation via Budget.com. The site was advertising a special on the Ford Escape (or similar) for the same price over two weeks as a full-sized car. I clicked on it, clicked through the pages OK'ing my selection and got to the payment page, which offered a pre-paid price of $398, and I entered my credit card information and approved. The last page came up saying I was approved and I would have the Ford Escape for two weeks. BUT the follow-up confirmation email only had me getting the vehicle for six days for a different price. I tried to straighten it out in person, but they were absolutely unhelpful and said I had to call the 800 number because I was a "pre-pay".

    So I called the 800 number, and they weren't helpful again - just repeating that the rate for the Ford Escape was $600-something! I asked over and again why the automated system would have charged me $398 out of thin air if that wasn't the price, and no one could answer. No manager ever talked to me and all they wanted to do was charge me another $200-plus dollars on top of my pre-pay! After losing an hour of time going around in circles, I let them put me in a smaller car for what I had pre-paid. Bottom line: If you pre-pay, you're screwed and they can bait-and-switch you. Don't do it! At least not with Budget!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed Jan. 22, 2016

    Budget cars look cheap ($12/day and up) compared to Hertz ($24/day and up). But the hidden gotchas are: Extremely high rental charges (minimal + liability) of $48/day. Crappy dented, scratched car with no hub caps, 60,000 miles, squeaky brakes, no power lock/windows - individually lock all doors - broken radio, no USB etc of course. A digital gas indicator with bars which drop from full down within 10 miles. So on return they claimed only 7/8 full and charged $3.70/liter = approx $14/gallon (when street prices are $1.10/liter) for a total of $40 extra. A 5 day car rental of an old car cost $360. Checked with Hertz - same insurance, new model car would have come to $250. Avoid renting from Budget. It is anything but "budget" and gives you all the experience of staying in a roach motel.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 20, 2016

    On January 8th, my friend and I rented a car from the Budget Car Rental for 11 days to drive around Costa Rica. When initially signing the contract, we specifically asked for the lowest insurance package they would provide, the LDW package. Whether it was due to pure deception or miscommunication because of the language barrier, I was charged with paying for the insurance package that includes not only the LDW, but also their PAE and SCI package. A package that is around $500 more than what we had planned on spending.

    Being excited to start exploring, I quickly looked over the receipt and signed on the dotted line, assuming that my rental car representative had indeed listened to what I had asked for. The currency in Costa Rica is Colóns and at the time was around a 500 to 1 exchange rate for the dollar. Factoring that in, seeing the receipt and the price on it (which had no currency sign next to it and I am happy to provide the receipt to prove that), nothing stood out to me.

    A few days into our trip, I checked my bank balance to see if the charge had gone through and that is when I noticed I was charged an obscene amount of money for an insurance policy I specifically did not ask for. At the end of our 11 days we returned the car (in the exact same condition that we had received it in) and tried to get an explanation for the excess charge and figure out a way to remedy that mistake. That was not the case. We were told in broken English, which is no one's fault, just another factor to overcome, that once we had signed the bill, that was what we were going to pay. We again told our rep (who was the same rep that we had dealt with originally) that we specifically told him we wanted the cheapest package.

    Ultimately we did not come to any remedy and were given an email and phone number (which did not work) to contact. Once home, I called customer service and told them what happened. After being transferred to a supervisor, we politely explained our situation. After a few minutes of us being completely courteous, he hung up on us, all before we could even ask him what his name was. I WILL NOT BE USING BUDGET AGAIN.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    CoveragePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Jan. 19, 2016

    I reserved a Full Size SUV weeks ahead of time, but when I arrived, I was told none were available. I was informed Budget would give me a "free upgrade," but found the last person's receipt in the car and they were charged half of what they charged me. The car I was then given did not match the vehicle on the paperwork, so that had to be changed and more of my time was wasted. The car had not been cleaned since the last renter and the last person's receipt was even still in the car. That is know how my "free upgrade" actually cost me double what Budget charged the last person. The gas tank was not full and the window washer fluid was empty. All the floors and the backseat were covered with white road salt. I really cannot think of any more ways Budget could have done a bad job.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 19, 2016

    I made a reservation for a rent car back on November 2015. The reservation was from 12/20/15 until 01/09/16 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We were supposed to get a Full Size Chevy Malibu or similar make. The first day we went to pick up the car the agency did not get a car for us, so they gave us a Kia Picanto mini, (this car was so small that our baggage did not fit in there) stating that they will provide us the car we rented by the end of the day.

    Budget staff never contacted us. We were going to the agency for 2 days before they changed us the car for a bigger one. They gave us a Honda Civic middle size (the key was broken, the windows tint was peeling off which was difficult to see outside) car stating that as soon as they get a full-size car for us they will call. We never get contacted by Budget and we call every single day to get the car change and we also went to the agency a couple time and our issue was never result. We never get the car we rented. Budget is the worst.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 17, 2016

    I rented the car in the Little Rock, Arkansas Budget service site. I had asked for a car comparable to a Ford Fusion. At the time of pickup no cars were available and I was given a Dodge Challenger to drive. The following morning, very early, I drove to Dallas and parked at the hotel. Next day I noticed in the that the passenger side rear tire appeared to have almost no tread on it. Customer service was contacted. They stated the only location to return the car was to DFW airport, which I did that afternoon.

    I met the reception person at the DFW airport and they looked at the car. He stated "we see this a lot." Appeared that persons at some time prior had swapped the tire. The attendant said again that they see that frequently. I stated that obviously something was wrong as inspecting all other tires that they were in very good condition and consistent with the wear from the mileage on the vehicle. It was very abnormal as the edge of the tire showed no clue of me being put on the road of a very unsafe vehicle from my walk around of the vehicle when I picked it up. I had visited with desk persons and onsite "managers" in Dallas and Little Rock that apologized and did state they were sorry for my inconvenience. Following my return home I received a letter that stated it would cost $163.80 for repairs. I have contacted via email and phone and was told that I would have the issue taken care of and to date it has not. I was billed for entire amount.

    I feel that it would be incorrect almost to the point of being unethical to have me made responsible for something that should have been attended to at the pickup point prior to me leaving on a 6 hour drive on the freeway. It was very dangerous, unsafe and I feel fortunate that the tire did not fail in the condition it was in.

    Would seem that I should not be liable for the cost as it was very obvious that the issue had nothing to do with me and was indeed preexisting. I do not believe that I should be responsible to crawl under a car that I rented to inspect it. Nothing was noted on my ticket when I picked up the car. Was only asking that I not be charged for something that was not my fault.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 16, 2016

    I had terrible experience with them. I rented a car during the summer for about 50 days and paid fully. When I returned the car at Los Angeles airport, they kept me waiting for about 45 minutes and told me that, "You owe us $250." I showed my reservation documents and convinced them that the car was prepaid. They had a bug in their system which was only showing the payment for one month, not for 50 days. I was about to miss my flight. I returned home and kept receiving letter that, "You owe us."

    I kept calling them and convincing them that I have paid the full amount of money, but as if the next representative did not have any information about my previous calls. After about one month, they deposited $250 into my account by mistake (bug of system). I called them again and gave them my credit card information and asked them to leave me alone. Again, I received threatening letter regarding sending my bill to 3rd company for cashing payment as if was a thief. The third company called me with high voice that, "How you want to pay your debt?" I explained everything for him and he apologized finally. Please save yourself and do not rent from them.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Jan. 16, 2016

    We prepaid for our rental car over 2 months ago. When we arrived at the counter they had run out of cars. They didn't try to assist in finding another rental - just "sorry there's nothing we can do."

    Thanks for your vote!
    Bernard increased rating by 3 stars.
    Contract & TermsCoverage
    After a positive interaction with Budget Car Rental, Bernard increased their star rating on March 6, 2016.

    Updated review: March 6, 2016

    I wrote a complaint to Budget after $640 debit on my Amex credit card for additional options selected by Budget agent in Miami airport without being informed. Recently I have been refunded by Budget. I appreciate Budget Customer Service.

    Original Review: Jan. 13, 2016

    On oct 29th 2015 when I handed over to Miami airport Budget agent my prepaid voucher I underlined I did not want additional options. In fact she selected the following 3 options without me knowing it: 334,60$ "supplemental liability insurance", 195,72$ "personal accident and effects", 28$ "emergency sickness plan". Now at Budget desk we do not put the initials for each option if agreed on a paper document as previously done. Only on a screen the signature at the end of the contract.

    Besides the total amount of the options was about the same of the prepaid voucher amount, one in $ one in €. Consequently a confusion is possible. It was supposed the amount of the options was the amount of the voucher. Since 15 years I often rented in Florida a car with Budget. I never selected additional options. It's not a misunderstanding. I speak and understand English and Spanish as well. Claim has been sent to Budget customer service. The answer is pending. I'm back to US Feb 11th for 3 weeks and March 28th for one month. I will wait before renting a car.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Jan. 12, 2016

    I reserved a standard car (Chrysler 200 or similar) 11 days in advance for a trip to Dallas. Upon arrival, on my reserved date and time, they had 'no cars' available and only had SUV's. They said they rarely have cars available at this location. I asked about another location and they said they had already checked and that there were 'no cars' available at any other locations either. Since I had made plans with my daughter in Dallas that evening, I had no choice but to take one of their 'gas guzzler' SUV's, only got 20.6 MPG.

    After the trip, I made a request to customer service to be reimbursed for the additional fuel costs of $33.00, over and above what the fuel costs for a car should have been, 30 MPG to 33 MPG and was flatly denied. I also asked what assurances they could give me that this would not happen again on future rentals and none was given, just excuses. Never again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Contract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 12, 2016

    On December 2015 I rented (booked) a mini van on Budget Rent-A-Car of Miami Collins Av, and when I arrived there, they did not have the car for me, for my surprise in the store had three more customers with the same problem. The attendant told me that some another customer was going to return the car in one hour and told me to wait. With no choice I waited, but the car did not arrived, by the way he was gambling with my time because he could not guarantee that.

    Finally after two hours of waiting a different type of car arrived. It was bigger than the one that I choose, spent much more gas than the mini van and they gave me it was very dirty and wet (they washed the car very fast), and was not what my wife wanted, but we could not wait there more time. Because of that I lost a lunch with my whole family and a meeting with a co-worker that almost made lose a very important contract, imagine the stress that my wife and kids waiting for two hours complaining.

    What makes me more disappointed is that when I returned the car in the Miami Airport, I explained to the attendant what happened and he gave me a 25$ Dollar coupon to redeem on the next rental. This is an absurd out of the charts, I gave him back this coupon. I don't recommend this company because THEY DO NOT CARE FOR THEIR CLIENTS. Thanks.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 11, 2016

    I phoned Budget to inquire about adding a driver. The customer service rep kept asking for detailed information. I only wanted to know a yes or a no and he hung up on me! Hanging up the phone on someone is the rudest thing you can do to anyone, let alone a customer. Good grief Budget!

    Thanks for your vote!
    PricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 3, 2016

    We booked a rental for our trip to Phoenix months in advance. We found out a few weeks before our flight that it would be delayed 3 hours, so we called to change our pickup time. We were told not to worry, our car would be there, and we would still have 24 hours to return the car. When we arrived at the Phoenix airport an additional 2 hours later due to further flight delays, Brian, the rep we dealt with, told us not to worry, we would have 24 hours to return the car (so 3 pm instead of the original 10:30). So (after an hour wait in line) we got to our car to find it to be a compact SUV, meaning we had to drive 2 hours with luggage on our laps! Since we were already very late, we didn't try to get it switched (and wait another hour!) So we returned the car at 12:30 the next day - only to find the location in Tucson closed at noon!

    We immediately called Budget, and Jonathan their agent told us not to worry, we would not be charged the extra day. So this is now 3 different people who told us that we would not be charged for returning it within the 24 hours after we picked it up. But when it got to their management, everyone rejected it, and we were charged $240 (CAD) for the extra day! Because none of the people we talked to actually changed anything on their computers when they talked to us! These people are absolute SCAM ARTISTS who rip their customers off every chance they get. Sadly we didn't do customer satisfaction research and got suckered in by their lower prices, or we would have seen that most other people have the same opinion. :( They count on suckers being drawn in by lower prices and then doing all they can to rip them off. That's the only way they stay in business!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 2, 2016

    I booked and prepaid a full-size car rental using Budget website. Everything seemed okay until I arrived to the airport in Ponce, PR. After having to wait 2 hrs due to an alleged computer malfunction, I was advised that the only cars available were compact and that they would get the type of vehicle I ordered the next day. Moreover, I was assured by the employee that the manager would be calling me the next day to arrange the vehicle exchange. The next day, 12/25, I received no call from Budget. I called the local office and the person who answered stated that she was not aware of the issue and said that no manager was available and furthermore they had no vehicles available. I submitted a formal complaint to Budget online and 5 days later I received a boilerplate response stating that they are investigating.

    In the meantime, on December 31st, I received a voicemail from a Karla from Budget advising me that I needed to return the car to the airport because the vehicle registration was about to expire at New Year's eve at Midnight. I called back since this issue sounded insane. How does a company allow their employees to overlook the validity of a vehicle registration? Why did they call the same day that the tag was expiring? How do they expect the customer to drop any commitments and drive back to the airport before they close at 5:00 pm? Yes, the vehicle registration expired at midnight on 12/31 but they were open until 5:00 pm. And their spin was that they had no personnel available, so it was up to me to pick up the tag.

    I spent hours today on the phone with multiple employees and I was given all kinds of advice on how to bring back the disable rental back to the airport but not one employee dared to take responsibility on behalf of their employer. I'm still in possession of a rental with expired tags! The employees? It seems that they couldn't care less of any complaint generated based on poor and unprofessional service. These employees do not care about customer service or satisfaction since their goal seems to be to destroy the company by keeping away any previous or possible customer one by one. One female employee stated over the phone that one option was to drive the vehicle to the airport without a valid registration since that was "okay." Really?

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 1, 2016

    12/18 I prepaid for a car rental with Budget for a discounted rate. On the day I dropped off the car my credit card was charged an additional $258. I called Budget and they stated I agreed to additional insurance. I said, "No, I did not. Please send me documentation showing where I agreed." I received the additional insurance documentation via email (promptly) and the signature was not mine. I called customer service back and they stated, "Since you used the service we can't give you a refund." I see below in many other complaints this is what they are doing. I called my credit card to dispute the charge and told them this was fraud. I will be calling their corporate office 1-800-525-7521 on Monday. Maybe if a "Class Action Lawsuit" if filed against Budget this won't happen to more people. BEWARE OF USING BUDGET.

    Updated on 1/19/2016: This is a follow-up regarding insurance fraud that was charged to me by a Budget agent in Phoenix, Arizona Airport. My credit card is appealing the charge of $258 on my card. In the meantime, I sent out a blast of emails to BUDGET Executive Corporation with the hopes that my email would find the right person to look into what is going on with their company.

    I actually received a telephone from a James **, executive group manager who left his phone number. Finally, I think I have the right person. WRONG! Mr. ** offered me 50% off the bill. I declined as I explained that his company has 894 complaints against them for charging for services that are non-refundable. THIS IS HOW THEY GOT US ALL. I asked Mr. ** who his boss was and he said you have reached the top of the chain. As my credit card continues to appeal the charge, MAYBE if enough people call Mr. James ** at **, maybe BUDGET will look into what is going on. I will continue to try and locate the right person in this company that will give me back my money and investigate these complaints.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Jan. 1, 2016

    I left my scheduling book in my rental when I returned it and called customer service immediately to see if they could retrieve it. I spoke with Raven who was very nice and called me back when she found my item. I immediately went back to Budget and retrieved my book. My mother gave me an envelope containing a some cash to help me with some finances, and I put in my scheduling book. I checked that the envelope was still there when I picked up my book but it wasn't until I got back to home when I found out my mother gave me $1,000. I was short $400, and I gave Raven $20 for retrieving my book but at the time didn't realize they had already stolen 40% of my gift. I am disabled and ill making me unable to deal with this situation at the time. The Budget employees of Boston Logan Airport are nothing but conmen and thieves. I would stay far away from this business in the future.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Jan. 1, 2016

    I reserved a rental car thru budget at the Ontario California airport. I paid for it weeks in advanced with my bank debit card. Had no issue. Was told over the phone that when I arrive to bring my D.L and debit card. Which I did but when I got to the counter with my husband and 2 children they tell me that they need to run my credit. Once they did they then say "sorry but you don't have good enough credit to rent one of our cars", at that time I'm pissed. I prepaid for the car that I can't get now and my kids, husband and myself are stranded in Ontario. They wouldn't give me my money back. I had to call their 800 number talk to 4 different people to get my money refunded to me and then told it takes 5-7 business days. WHAT. So you're telling me I prepaid for a car I don't qualify for.

    I can't get my money back for a week and my family is now stranded with no money (not enough money) to rent another car of $600. It would of been wonderful if the guy on phone would of told me then that they do credit checks in order for you to rent their vehicles I would of not paid for the car up front had I known about that. But I guess they rather have families stranded than rent them the vehicle such person already paid for. **. I will never ever rent from them again or recommend them to anyone I know. Thanks for leaving my family stranded and 2 little kids scared not knowing if we could find a way to our destination. My credit score high 600 almost 700.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 30, 2015

    First of all, Budget and Avis are the SAME car rental company. Rented a car in May for a week in Honolulu while on vacation. Paid almost $500.00 for 7 days but figured everything in Hawaii was a little bit more expensive... Oh well. On day four, family and I went out to eat and returned to find our car would not start. The battery wasn't dead, but apparently the key fob or the anti-theft system wouldn't allow the car to start. It would've been nice if I had TWO keys, but that was never an option I guess. I was on the North shore about as far away from my hotel and Honolulu as one can get and had to call the 800 emergency number. Long story short, they brought me another car, took the non-starter and we continued our vacation. When I turned in rental at end of vacation I asked if everything was in order and if there were any additional charges and was told no... Everything’s fine.

    Just got a bill for 628.92 SEVEN MONTHS LATER for vehicle repair and towing!!! Calling customer service is ZERO help. Finally told repair cost is for "vehicle glass"- which of course, was not damaged at all when I had car!!! Towing charges for Budget car that wouldn't run??? Optional Roadside Emergency Assistance covered things like lockouts, running out of gas, etc. etc. shouldn't be required for inoperable car! Customer service reps are rude and combative and it is impossible to speak to any type of supervisor or manager. I was told that I would be contacted in 2 to 3 business days by an ERS rep and am still waiting after a week. I have filed a fraud complaint with my credit card company and believe there should be some sort of class action suit against Budget/Avis for this sort of scam!!! Don't ever use Budget or Avis!!! Ever!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 29, 2015

    I rented a car for two weeks and rejected all add-ons when they were offered to me at the check-out desk. I even prepaid for the rental six days prior to picking up the car. When returned the car, I was charged an additional $119.59 for the Road Safety Net ("RSN") option. I told them I did not accept any of the add-ons offered, but they told me they "checked their records" and said that I did accept the RSN. THEY ARE LIARS AND SCAM ARTISTS. So far, Budget has ignored all my follow-up emails. I am contesting this with my credit card company.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Dec. 29, 2015

    I made a reservation to rent a car, called back to change and was quoted a different price since I would be returning it 27 hours earlier. When we returned the car, we were charged the full amount. When I talked to Budget about the cost, they said I was charged the full amount because I had the car for 8 hours our second day. Wrong - will never rent from you again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 26, 2015

    I book my car and when I went to pick it up I check my bank account and they had charged me 3 times for the same rental. I ask them why and they had no answer. They assured me it would be refunded in 5 hours. That was a lie. It has been two days now and still my money has not been returned. I usually rent from Enterprise and have never had a problem. Do not rent from Budget. If you do, be prepared to get ripped off in one way or the other.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 23, 2015

    Made a car reservation with Budget Rent A Car. The day before pick-up of car, received a call from the Budget Rent A Car manager saying the car was not available and offered an unacceptable replacement vehicle. They wouldn't even give a discount for the inconvenience. I will NEVER use Budget again. Poor business practices. If you commit to having a vehicle, and I have a confirmation from them, you should deliver.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 22, 2015

    We rented a car from Budget. My husband inspected the vehicle for damages at the time of pick-up as best he could as the vehicle was parked in a darkened airport garage. On the way home the tire pressure light on the dash came on. The car was handling fine, so we finished the short distance to our home. My husband then check the tires, which were much easier to see since the vehicle was now outside. One of the tires had a large gash in it and the rim had a rusty dent, in the same area.

    We immediately called the Budget location we rented it from. They were understanding and asked us to simply return the vehicle. We asked if we could take it to another location that was actually closer to our home as it would be safer considering the condition of the tire. Both sides agreed that would be the safest option. Once at this location the clerk tried to give us a smaller vehicle since they didn't have any in the same catagory we rented. I explained that wasn't going to work as my wife would be driving her elderly mother to appointments the next week. After all was sorted out the manager of this location apologized for the inconvenience and assured us the issue was over and we had nothing else to be worried about.

    Eight months later we received a letter from Budget stating we were going to be charged $485.50 for roadside assistance being dispatched to repair the tire. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS NEVER DISPATCHED!! We immediately disputed the charges with Customer Service and on their web page. We were issued a case number and were told the dispute would put the issue on hold until it was resolved one way or the other. The very next day we were charged and the money is gone!

    As I compose this letter we still have not been contacted by anyone from Budget. When we call we are transferred from one department to another without ever getting a reasonable answer to our questions. We are also told the roadside assistance Budget uses is actually a third party supplier. In all honesty I don't think I have ever experienced a worse example of customer service in my entire life. My advice to anyone considering using Budget would be to inspect the vehicle thororughly and take LOTS of pictures of the vehicle pre- and post-rental or don't use Budget at all. There are many other options to choose from and they are certain to provide a better customer experience.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Dec. 22, 2015

    I rented a car from Budget rental car on 11/16/15. Once I got in the car and was at my destination I notice the tire indicator light was on. I called roadside assistance as directed when you get the car. Roadside assistance came out, changed the tire and left. At no time was I informed that I would have to pay for a new tire. Upon returning the car, I let the desk agent know what happen and I received a discount for the inconvenience. Two weeks later I was charged for that service and I have yet to get a receipt. Each time I have called I'm directed to another department that does not handle this. It has been over a month since I returned my car and still have nothing to show for the extra charge. NEVER EVER RENT WITH BUDGET. THEIR CARS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ARE BEYOND TERRIBLE.

    Thanks for your vote!
    CoveragePrice

    Reviewed Dec. 18, 2015

    I cannot begin to express my displeasure at the outright fraud on behalf of Budget in regard to the above rental. I booked a rental car through Hotwire and was quoted $213 dollars for the 8 day rental. When I showed to pick up the car, I was informed that there is a mandatory insurance of $191 and the car would not be released without these coverages.

    In addition there was a 73 location fee that was also not disclosed! My 213 dollar rental ended up being over $600 by the time all was said and done. International Rental Coverage is covered through my Chase Sapphire preferred card so there is no need for me to ever pay for these coverages. I had no choice because I needed the car so I had to take it and pay an additional $191 dollars doubling the cost of the rental for the week. This is outright fraud and I will never use Budget again. You should be more honest and upfront with these charges and what they will really cost when people are booking the reservations online. I am sure you are only getting away with it because it is not in the US.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed Dec. 17, 2015

    I was told by my elite credit card that Budget offered better deals on rental cars thru them, but found out this is not true unless you contact them in advance. I had a car repair that was going to take a day or two so I went to Budget and they informed me I would not get any type of good rate without advance notice. I just needed the car for one day and to me, one day meant that I could return the car at any time the next day as I can when I rent with Enterprise.

    They did not tell me that I had to return the car within 24 hours or I would be charged an extra day. They informed me of this after I returned the car 30 hours after renting it. If I would have known I could have returned the car before the 24 hour period was up. The woman who rented me the car did not want to even put down all the scratches and dents on the walk around. I probably will get charged for these. I have now paid for 2 days rental and had the car for 30 hours. They tell you nothing and treat you like trash. I put only 30 km on this car and have a bill for over $180.00. I would not even pay that for hotel. I have no idea who these people think they are. Never ever rent from Budget. There are way better companies. I have rented cars for years and this experience makes me sick.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 16, 2015

    I made a reservation online. When I checked in at the airport I was asked to add several items. I verbally declined extra insurance. I stated I am covered by my personal policy, roadside assistance (I have AAA) and a larger vehicle (I was told it may snow so I should get an SUV. I stated to keep the mid size.) I went through the screens (can't remember the exact wording, but there were no prices for anything on the screen). When I returned the car I had an additional charge of $86.97. When I called the 800 number I was told that I signed the screen and the charges stand.

    What I verbally agreed to and what the employee entered into the contract were NOT the same. This is poor business practice and very shady. I have rented frequently with National, Avis and Hertz for business and vacation purposes and have NEVER had this happen. I hope to find an alternate avenue to approach in order to pay the price I intended, but I want to encourage others to use another company than Budget for their car rental needs.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 15, 2015

    I missed a flight from Dallas Love Field to Albuquerque on 11/10/15 and rented a car to drive back. The Budget Rent a Car employee Bobby who rented me the vehicle didn't tell me about any return period grace time and told me I was "covered" for insurance and then charged me for liability insurance etc. without asking me or telling me it was optional. I hit some traffic and was checked in at 7:23 pm, the arrival time printed on my rental agreement was 6:55 pm. My original charge was supposed to be $238.98 for a one day, one way rental. The employee named Sarah at the Albuquerque airport where I returned the car charged me for another day bringing my total to a whopping $433.36 for a one day rental.

    She told me "There was no grace period and she couldn't do anything to adjust the total." I called Budget Finance dept. on November 13th and an employee Zach (employee number **) told me that there was actually a 29 minute grace period and that I shouldn't have to pay the extra charge. He said they would adjust it and refund the money to my credit card. Early that next week I called to check on the refund and another employee Alex (employee number **) said there was a record of my call and adjustment but it was not, and needed to be approved by the Finance Dept. While I was on the phone, he contacted someone to get the authorization and told me I should receive a refund of $154.24 to my credit card.

    One month passed and I contacted Capital One and confirmed that a refund From Budget was never received. I contacted Budget today 12/15/15 and spoke to a woman who looked up my record and said $194.00 was supposed to be refunded but never was and she had no explanation. She said she would email me the new receipt for the original total and the refund would process within five days. I asked her to email me the new receipt and she told me it takes an hour to receive. I'm not holding my breath.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Dec. 12, 2015

    I had been a victim. I had been stolen. On December 9th 2015 I called Budget Car Rental in Nashua, New Hampshire. One of the employee that work at this location, led me to give my credit/debit card information with the understanding that it was only to secure the rental. But he said that no amount would be charged on the card unless I came down personally to the store and sign the contract, and confirmed the transaction. I had this conversation over the phone around 2:30 pm and I was supposed to come down to the store to see the car at 5:30 pm that same day.

    At 3:30 the amount of $300.00 dollars was charged on my credit/debit card, from a car that I had never seen, 2 hours before the time scheduled which I came to found out only the next day, since I decided not to rent the vehicle anymore. Do not even think about rent a car from this company. They are horrible at customer service, plus they will try to take your money, at all costs. I have been a victim.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 11, 2015

    While in Louisville I rented a car from Budget for three days travel. On the 3rd day the car broke down, so I contacted Budget and they dispatched their towing company and picked up the car. Next I receive an additional charge for $773.56 for extra days rental not used. Have tried to contact Budget but they keep referring me to their different departments without results. Their reps are very rude. Stay away from Budget Car Rentals.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 9, 2015

    We have rented cars with Budget 8 times, for a total amount of $1,400. The first time we rented a car was on the 25 of September and it was for the day, and we encountered a major problem. The doors of the car locked automatically when we closed them. As we informed one of the employees at Budget downtown Flagstaff, we were locked outside of the car, with all the car papers as well as our personal belongings in the car. The engine was on, and we were unable to do anything. We therefore called Budget, asking them for help. The person on the phone, wouldn’t send anyone to help us out since we wouldn’t give the reservation number (knowing that I had repeatedly explained that all the papers were locked inside the car). At the end of the call, the employee informed me that they were going to send someone to open the car for us, and that it would take around 30 minutes.

    We waited in the cold, for at least one hour before realizing that something was wrong. We had no other way to call since our phones were dead and the chargers were in the car. We therefore went to the nearest motel, asking if we could borrow their phone in order to call Budget once more. The employee of Budget informed me that they had no records of anyone sending us help, and that they needed our reservation number in order to be able to do anything. As explained earlier, we did not have the reservation number on us! Unfortunately the motel needed to use the phone for work, so we were cut off. We then met two Americans who called a mechanic for us and they arrived ten minutes later, and at the same time a mechanic sent from Budget arrived 2h 30 after we called them.

    We had to pay 60$ for the service as well as a 20$ tip that we gave to the other mechanic who arrived 10 minutes after our call. After explaining this situation to Budget downtown in Flagstaff we received no apology. Knowing that the doors of the car shouldn’t have locked themselves automatically and that it was therefore a problem with the car, we would’ve appreciated a little something in return.

    Another time we rented a car for four days (from the 15th to the 18th of October for $298.46 and we never received a confirmation, due to a bug in your system) and both the USB port as well as the Bluetooth connection were not working. We therefore had to spend 30$ in order to replace them. Each car we rented with Budget downtown Flagstaff came without the cleaning product for the windscreen. Which is not normal, since we, customers pay to have a fully equipped and functional car. And which has never been the case.

    Another really disappointing experience, was when Budget refused to rent me a car (bearing in mind that I had rented a car for the same time just two days before). The employee of Budget downtown Flagstaff refused to rent me a car because I did not have a social security number. Every time I rented a car, I was never asked for my social security number (moreover I am an international exchange student and do not have one). I was at the office at 12:55, and the manager refused to serve me under the pretext that they had to close at 01:00 pm. This is very unprofessional. I was there while the shop was open and it is their job to serve the customer. I had a flight to catch in Phoenix, which left me in a pretty difficult situation.

    I must also add, that I had reserved beforehand online, and because we were not allowed to rent the car after all I precisely asked the manager not to charge me! The manager confirmed (I am quoting “The transfer will be canceled automatically on our database system since the car will not be rented”) that we would not be charged! But two days later 70$ were debited from my account!

    We have also encountered many problems with the various GPS we rented. They were not functioning properly, not charging, presenting cable problems...and we also had to go at least twice to the airport to fetch them (still keeping in mind that we had reserved everything beforehand on internet). Every time we were informed that the car had to be handed back before 10 AM the next day, apart from once when we were charged 60$ because we apparently handed the car in late. Our impression from Budget Downtown Flagstaff, is that the team is unprofessional, unfriendly and not helpful at all.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Dec. 8, 2015

    I made a reservation to pick up the car at a location. I called to confirm and suddenly was told that my reservation has been canceled/dropped by the system. Apparently, that location had a big demand so they just dropped my reservation since they made more demands than the offer. It'd have been worse if I went there and find out that there is no car available. I was a bit luckier to call and confirm. They didn't even care to notify me that my car reservation was canceled by them for no valid reason. This business has NO place in the car rental market and consumers should avoid them and punish their bad practice...

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Dec. 4, 2015

    We returned our rental car in excellent condition. Had the inspection upon the return and the woman inspecting the car said everything looked good and have a nice day. Thinking everything was fine until our credit card was charged 150.00. for excessive sand in the car. We never went to the beach! There was probably some normal gravel from the street/pavement. We called to complain and they said they will send our complaint to the accounting department. 2 weeks went by we checked again and they said no they are not reviewing it, and they never had record of our fist phone call. So we will be taking this to the Attorney General's office because this is fraud! The thing I regard most is not reviewing all of the reviews of Budget prior to renting our car because I would have never rented from them! They have terrible reviews. So protect yourselves. Theirs initial prices are lower but they get their money at the end. Beware!

    Thanks for your vote!
    PriceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 4, 2015

    Budget Rent-A-Car, USA - "A happy customer is an opportunity wasted." Budget's business strategy - very basic cars and "sharp" practices dealing with customers. "Compact" car - fine if you are compact, less than 5'8" and 90 lbs. "Intermediate" could seat 5, but only Snow White and four of her dwarves. Do NOT believe what the agent tells you the form says. Always read very carefully before you sign anything; have your glasses, a magnifying glass, and take your time. The forms are very complicated and hard to interpret. They are not designed to help you. They are meant to confuse and get you to sign for things you don't want, and that's very expensive. Particularly at airports; if you are tired, jet-lagged, fed up after waiting in a long queue and desperate to get moving the agent is more likely to make "mistakes" and get your answers wrong. YOU will end up paying for what you had refused and probably enough gas to fill two cars.

    And don't bother complaining: "We don't care how we got your signature. We have it and we will use it." I suggest try Alamo for those "extras" like friendly, polite, courteous, helpful, and honest service at all stages - even at airports - and cars which do match what you signed up for. Always had good experience with them or Dollar though I have not used them much.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 2, 2015

    If I could give Budget Rentals a 0, I would. Terrible! Everything about this company is worthless and horrible! NEVER going back. I suggest everyone do the same, or stay far far away. Here's my experience! Never rent from Budget rentals, please. The experience I suffered through renting a truck and trailer from them was horrific. Honestly it was.

    It started out that they didn't even send the truck and trailer to the correct location - it was across town almost an hour away rather than the location that was 15 minutes down the street. We got the trailer to the house, come to find out the foot for the jack was missing - therefore we couldn't unhook the trailer and u and load the truck. We retraced our steps, found the jack lying on the road some miles back - it had fallen out due to improper installation in the first place. We finally get it back home, insert it into the jack itself, come to find out the jack itself is broken and doesn't crank.

    Call roadside assistance. They say they will come fix the jack in an hour. Seven hours later, they show up. Therefore, the day we were supposed to pack up was ruined. Stayed up all night, and up early the next morning to finish packing in the dark. Oh yeah, turns out none of the lights in the truck trailer work either. So, we packed by lantern light and flashlight. That was fun!

    Sleep deprived and cranky, we finally leave around 10 in the morning, embarking on a 11 hour long drive towards Las Cruses. We make it to El Paso, by then it's dark. Come to find out the headlights are dim and don't even spray a distance of 5 feet in front of the truck. We slow down and crawl for the sake of safety. Speaking of safety, next thing we notice, a cop pulls the truck over. We were not speeding, impeding traffic, talking on the phone and all had our seat-belts on.

    Guess why he pulled us over? Turns out, the tail-lights nor the lights on the back of the truck don't work - so the only lights that worked at night, were the ** headlights. Basically, it had no illumination whatsoever. Cop lets us off with a warming, tells us to put the hazards on, follow the truck with the car I was driving and go ten under the speed limit during night. GREAT! Slowing down our trip even more, and hazards mean no turn signals and no brake lights obviously while they are on. Real safe, right? Finally we made it to Las Cruses in our hazardous and unsafe vehicle.

    We made it to Kingman without incident. Then, we made it to Reno to visit our families for Thanksgiving. So, we arrive, notice one of the trailer tires is flat on the 25th. They come, take the tire and then leave the trailer, tireless, and never come back. We call all day, no one comes. Thanksgiving day, no one is open to assist. The 27th, the day we are supposed to leave, no tire still. Finally, by the late afternoon, they give us a new trailer. We are then also informed the Def-tank (just a clean burning system for diesel trucks) sensor is dysfunctional. Basically, that means it was burning Def-liquid way faster than it should. Wasting our money, and it's not the cheapest stuff in the world either. Well, with 2 hours worth of sunlight left and our truck being unfit for night travel, we are again delayed.

    Finally, Saturday, we leave. Make it to Eugene Oregon without issues, and then Tacoma Sunday. Get all our stuff unloaded, go to return the truck. They end up charging us for the 3 days that it's late - even though it was their fault that it was late with all the delays. Lovely, no? Call customer service, and they only refund less than half of what we paid, (which I won't even say because it is painful), and that's including reimbursement for the late days. They didn't even give our money back for those for free - nope! So, everyone, if you want an unsafe truck, a trip that will be delayed and go broke in the process, go with Budget! They will surely guarantee all that to you! Also, when you call customer service, they just bounce you around constantly and seem to never "be able to do anything to help you!"

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 1, 2015

    This was the worst rental experience I have ever had. I rented a car on a Tuesday afternoon to go away for the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. Tuesday evening my son came down with a stomach virus. We cancelled our plans and I returned the car that night. I had it for all of 6 hours, most of which it sat in a parking garage while I was at work. It was driven 4 miles. I was "changed" to the daily rate when I returned the car early, which for one day was nearly the same price as my 5-day rental. The agent at the location was rude and not at all helpful. Then I called customer service and got similar treatment. I was NEVER informed of any change to the rate structure if I returned the car early.

    I am a first member with Avis and this would never have happened with them. I should have read the reviews before renting from Budget. I am a frequent business traveler and will never make the mistake of renting from Budget ever again. I will be pursuing this further. Not because I want the money - but I don't want this to happen to someone else.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Dec. 1, 2015

    I reserved & prepaid for a rental out of the Akron Canton airport. Because my flight arrived after the closing time I called before reserving the vehicle to inquire as to whether they would stay to give me the rental; I was assured they would and they put my flight information into the system. I know this was done because when I called on the day of the reservation to again confirm someone would be at the counter to assist me, my flight information was repeated to me. Upon my arrival at the airport, at midnight, there was a sign on the budget counter saying go to the Avis counter. There was no one at the Avis counter & the girl at the neighboring desk said, "he left". When she messaged him he said there was no flight information in the system.

    When I called the next day to lodge a complaint I was told someone from corporate would contact me. With it being the holiday I didn't realize no one did until the following Tuesday. When I spoke to a customer representative I was told that she wasn't sure why someone would tell me they would follow up because the counter closed prior to my flight arrival time. I replied maybe because they thought Budget cared about such a poor show of customer service & would be interested in attempting to right the wrong. Clearly I was wrong. DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET IF YOU HAVE A LATE FLIGHT OR YOU'LL BE STRANDED AT the airport!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 30, 2015

    Thanksgiving weekend. Traveled over 1,000 miles. The Bluetooth in the car would not sync up to my phone. I would not have rented this car had they told me. When I called, the customer service rep was sorry but refused to place a credit on my rental. Not sure if I would rent from them again. Nice car but Budget should inform people of the antique car they are renting. By not having Bluetooth I had to pull over numerous times for traffic advisories and direction updates. Frustrating!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 26, 2015

    I hired a Ford Kuga, the car had not been previously cleaned and the fuel tank was not entirely full. I returned the vehicle and ten days later $462.45 was debited from my bank overdrawing it. I contacted budget and they had made an error so they electronically refunded the money but told me it may take 3 weeks to clear. I told them this is unacceptable as I'm a single mother of 6 on a pension and they had overdrawn my account causing me hardship and overdrawn fees. Their response was... "Sorry but we can't do anything else."

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 24, 2015

    I never write reviews but my recent experience with Budget deserves to be heard. I rented a car from Budget for my trip to Costa Rica last week and I will never do so again. I had been saving for the trip for over a year and paid close to $500 for a rental car for 6 days and insurance. More than enough to expect proper customer service. The first issue was they never gave us an option on if we wanted a manual or an automatic car in the online purchase or during the very long pickup at the office when we arrived. When we realized it was a manual, that neither of us knew how to drive, we ran back in and had to wait another 40 minutes for the only automatic they had in the lot to be cleaned. They said we were lucky they didn't rent it out to anyone else, but we were never asked to give a preference.

    The next issue was after we were in a car accident. This is bound to happen with car rentals and I feel they should be well-equipped to deal with this situation. They were not at all. When we picked up the car we were given a pamphlet with directions on what to do if we did get in an accident. They asked that we not move the car, alert ANY of the Budget locations in Costa Rica, call the police for a police report, and call the insurance company for a report from them. I immediately called the police so they would be on the way. I then spent the next half hour trying every single location in Costa Rica for Budget and not one place picked up. I made over 20 calls (at 20 cents a minute since I was calling internationally) before anyone answered. The first time someone answered a man spoke very little English and was not willing to work with my intermediate Spanish so he told me to call another location and hung up on me.

    The second time I was able to get anyone to answer it was in Tamarindo (around 4pm on November 15th... If anyone from Budget reads this I sincerely hope you train whoever was working at this time more). She spoke fluent English but had zero patience to listen to me. When I told her I was in an accident she immediately starts yelling at me. I had purchased insurance and was trying to do the responsible thing they had asked me to do and I do not understand why I was yelled at as if she was an angry mother.

    Her next move was to angrily tell me that she was too far away to help me and I needed to hang up and call the San Jose location. As I already had attempted to multiple times I was not about to let her hang up on me. She then starts angrily calling all the other locations on speaker phone because she did not want to assist me at all. I could hear the speaker phone in the background as she continued to tell me I needed to call the insurance company. For whatever reason the company they use the number was 800-7825-4827... I attempted to call about 50 times, half the times with a 1 in front of the number to make sure that wasn't necessary, and my phone wouldn't connect at all. I believe it had something to do with it being an 800 international number with my American phone number.

    When she realized finally that no one else was answering at the other locations to help me she finally almost hung up on me and told me to call the insurance company. I literally had to beg her to call the number for me after I explained multiple times my phone would not recognize the number. She then read out the number to me about 8 times telling me I wasn't doing it right as she waited for help with the insurance company on the other line. She finally was able to contact them and they were an hour away. At this point we were well over an hour into this process and I was just finally able to get in contact with anyone from the insurance company. They probably would have arrived by then if I didn't need to call Budget 50 times to get assistance.

    At this point she yells at me that I need the police report and insurance report and I need to exchange the car if it's leaking. I tell her countless times that the police have already left and I was holding the report in my hand but she would not listen to me. I also told her the car only had superficial damage and she continues to lecture me about leaks. She then calls me back to tell me I need to get an affidavit from the court in that town. As it was now after 5pm on a Sunday that was not possible as the court was closed. We were driving 2 hours south to our hotel in Manuel Antonio and she calls me back 2 more times to insist I need to get this paperwork and to again tell me I need a police report (that I was holding) and I can't drive the car if it's leaking.

    So, after all of this we leave about 3 hours later. We then drive 2 hours to our hotel and wake up at 4:30am to drive back to get the affidavit at the court at 7. We were leaving at 8am the day after so unfortunately we had to deal with this immediately. I had booked a $150 ATV experience in Manuel Antonio that morning I had to cancel and will never be able to experience. I don't think Budget could ever do anything to make that up to me at this point. We get all the way to the court house and they do not understand why we are there or why Budget told us to come. They required we hire a translator and said it would be an all day process. They kept hinting that this was not necessary and that we could pay the translator enough money to do the paperwork for us so we could leave.

    At this point I don't feel safe at all having a legal document in a foreign country where they want me to abandon my translator. I called Budget in San Jose and I speak to another man who said to come drop the car off in Quepos and we just needed the police report and insurance report and that's it. I spent an additional $20 on the half hour we used the translator that was not necessary. I literally spent 5 hours in a car driving back and forth to that court house, was yelled at, spoke down to as if I was a child, missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity, and ultimately feel as if my trip was ruined because I chose to use Budget for my rental car.

    I understand accidents happen and will most likely cause some headaches in a vacation. What I did not need was the excessive stress added to the situation by the customer service being incredibly rude, unhelpful, and demanding. I go get something that ultimately proved to be unnecessary and ruined the next day of my trip as well. If we could have moved on from the accident and enjoyed the rest of our trip and dealt with insurance and paying when we were home I may not be as mad. The fee to fix our car was paid immediately when we returned it so that is not why I am complaining. However, I cannot get over the anger I feel that we were forced to ruin the next day as well. I live in New York so it is not cheap to fly to Costa Rica. This will most likely be my only trip there and it was tarnished by this company. I will never rent with Budget again and I strongly advise you do not either!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 24, 2015

    I rented a compact car from the Colorado Springs Airport. Less than 2 hours later I got a flat. When I pulled over to change the tire I discovered there was no spare but a pump for a temporary repair. Unfortunately I could not use it since the tire blew out completely. When I called road side assistance they were helpful but was told it would take 85 minutes for a tow truck to get the car then it would take me and my companion to the airport to get a new car. I asked if they could just bring me a car as a separate 'transaction'. It would save me a ton of time especially since I was not in a good part of town and it was getting dark. The representative said they could not. I had to wait for the tow truck. This really blew my plans for the evening.

    The Company needs to rethink this plan for customer service. Even if it means having someone on call for these types of calls. Maybe work with another company at the airport to share the service. The representatives at the airport were very nice and were helpful but had their hands tied due to the procedures on how the company handles roadside assistance. I am just thankful I was not alone in the dark waiting for them. They did ask if I was in a safe place and when I had placed the initial call it was light out and I thought I was in a good area. Ends up I wasn't and I let the reps know. It didn't seem to change anything on the timing or procedures. I know that from now on I will check to ensure any car I rent has a spare tire.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 22, 2015

    Budget Rental Car Company's Horrible Customer Service: I just want to say "Thank you" to Avis/Budget for its lousy customer service. On Veterans Day, my father who is a 70-year-old veteran asked me for help in booking him a car so he and my mother could drive to go see their new baby grand-niece. Since technology is challenging for them, I did and prepaid with my credit card hoping to help them avoid any "hassles" at the rental office. Upon returning the car to the location, they had to wait in line while the sole customer service agent managed a busy line due to the NASCAR event that was in town. By the time they were checked back in, the return time had already passed and they were charged double the amount of the original online agreement that was prepaid.

    I just want to salute AVIS/Budget for not even taking the time to help them address this issue and instead hanging up when the issue was being explained. That is an amazing way to treat this country's veterans on Veterans Day! I will be sure to let everyone I know about the way he was treated.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2015

    I rented a car for 10 days at the Bradley Airport in Hartford CT. I asked if I could turn it in a few days early and the agent said yes, I would only be charged for the first 7 days at the daily rate of $25/day. I just called to try and return it 2 days early and the agent told me the total price would INCREASE by $50+ for bringing it back early. I told her NOT to make the change, and asked additional questions, and she hung up on me. I called back and found that they changed my reservation, are charging me more, and they cannot fix the mistake and put it back to the original return date, lower cost. I also asked to change the drop off location to one about 30 minutes away and they said the price would INCREASE $300 for that type of change. I will never use BUDGET again and I am sure I will have issues when I return the car in a few days.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2015

    What was a confirmed rental price of about $200 turned into a bill of over $800 due to added insurance charges and daily fees I absolutely DID NOT agree to. They did not accept my dispute of the charge and was forced to pay the full amount.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 20, 2015

    I picked up a car from Budget in Hendersonville, TN on Nov 10th. During my travels to Washington State the car began having mechanical issues. The windshield washer fluid mechanism didn't work, the oil service light came on, the steering wheel was sticking, and the car was wrecked previous to my rental. I initially contacted Budget and spoke with Jay on Nov 12th and which time he advised I needed to call roadside and they would issue me a new car and bring it to me. I advised I was traveling at the time and he said I could call when I arrived. On Nov 15th I then contacted Budget Roadside and spoke with Jerome, explained the situation again and he said I had to take the car to Budget location and they would exchange the car for me. I asked which location in which he stated the Bremerton on 6th Street.

    I asked if they were open since it was on a Sunday at 5pm. Jerome said yes they were open until 10pm. I then made arrangements to have someone follow me to Budget and upon arrival- it was closed. Due to the ongoing issues with the car, I decided to leave the mechanically failing car there on the lot. I then called Budget (the next business day) to explain I needed a replacement (as promised) or a total as per the contract. I spoke with Mary who initially stated I would be charged $1135.38 because I dropped the car off at the location. Mind you my ORIGINAL contract was $1007 for a MONTH and now they are charging me $1135 for ONE WEEK... I was told to drop this car off there and Budget would give me a replacement. Once I did this and called for a replacement this Mary lady said I dropped it off and so they closed the contract and I will be billed at a different rate because I didn't finish the contract.

    I TRIED explaining numerous times that I did was I was told and I wanted a replacement car or the AGREED rental amount per the contract (187.00/week) because the car had issues NOT MY ISSUE... I was then transferred to Megan who stated she was a supervisor and who again stated she wouldn't be sending me a replacement car because the contract was closed but she would be glad to "ONLY" charge me $778!!! This is OUTRAGEOUS. BUDGET failed to fulfill the

    contract and provide a SAFE and OPERATING vehicle per my contract. BUDGET refuses to replace the vehicle as PROMISED. I asked Megan repeatedly to speak with her supervisor and she refused to give me any further information and said she was the last contact.

    I advised that if she refused to assist me I would contact my bank and dispute the charges. I again asked for a manager to which she said she would note my account and hung up. Megan never offered a escalated case option - she just hung up. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE...(insert humor). I have since contacted my bank and explained what Budget had done and what Budget expressed. My bank was very prompt regarding this transaction. I KNOW and AGREE I owe Budget for the rental. Which is why I authorized $469 which includes weekly rental, one way fee, gas charge, and environmental charges. I dispute 100% the $1144 which Budget tried to charge. Keep in mind that is even more than what the Mary rep quoted.

    I emailed Budget and told them exactly what I've typed here and explained that is was THEIR vehicle that was unsafe and non-functional. THEIR representative(s) advised me to call roadside and take the car to the location in which I did. I am NOT responsible for any fee(s) occurred for the location THEIR employee told me to take this failing car to. It is NOT my responsibility to pay for a contract that Budget refuses to replace with an operational SAFE vehicle per the contract and BUDGET PROMISE.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Staff

    Reviewed Nov. 20, 2015

    I have a massive complain about Budget Rent-A-Car Madison Airport Wisconsin. On 13 October 2015 I went to collect my rental car which was a Ford Fusion (or similar). The agent (with glee) offered me an upgrade to a Toyota Highland. When questioned if there would be any additional charge we (my son-in-law was witness) an absolute no. Imagine my surprise when I downloaded my final bill (they didn't process it when I turned the car in on 13 Nov 2015) that I had been charged $25.00USD per day more for the car. They also charged me $250USD for a smoke cleaning fee. No one smoked in the car, I made sure of that. Budget doesn't care one bit. $1000USD is a lot of money. Beware folks don't let Rent-A-Car company process your return after you have turned your car in. No matter what they say.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 18, 2015

    I had rented a car on-line and showed up to pick up my car at 11:15pm. There was a line out the door. I waited over 45 minutes, it was after midnight and when I got to the counter I told the agent I didn't want any added insurance or other offers. She produced an electronic screen and told me to sign which I did. I was never given a copy of my contract. When I returned the car I got a bill for 3x's my original price. They had snuck in a $90 charge for additional insurance that I specifically denied. I am 100% sure that this was on purpose now that I have read all of the other comments. I cannot get the fee taken off my credit card because I did sign the line for insurance and they said it was my responsibility to get a copy of the signed contract before I left with the car. BUYER BEWARE. I am shocked a national car company can get away with this for more than a day. I feel like picketing their location.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2015

    My father and I rented a car at the Jacksonville Florida Airport desk. When we were asked if we wanted insurance and damage waivers through them we declined because we already have it with our insurance company and with the credit card we used. We after a week we exchanged the car for a larger one. We noticed that they had indeed charged us for these extras among several other charges we had declined or were not aware of. When we made the exchange we were very clear about these charges and did not want or need all the extras on the larger car. A week later we returned the car at another location. Once again we were charged for the "waivers" plus other outrageous fees for several other options we did not ask for.

    The printout for the rental on both vehicles were so blurred that it's impossible to read until it's too late. The charges are made at the beginning of the rental date and not at the return date, another BLATANT and DELIBERATE lie from the Jacksonville FL desk. We called the corporate office to complain and got a very rude "customer service" representative and would not remove the false charges. The Jacksonville FL. Airport rental desk BLATANTLY lied about every single "extra" from the price of the gas fees, extra driver fee (only one driver), the "waiver" on insurance, the drop off location, mileage, when and how the charges are made. Corporate clearly endorses these business practices. Renter beware, Budget Car Rental Company is crooked.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2015

    I reserved a Van for 8 days at a stated millage charge of 0.95. Due to an unforeseen problem I ask if I could get the Van a day early. They said "ok" and when I picked it up they said it would now be $1.13 per mile. I called customer service and I understood them to say they would honor that rate, and to call when I returned. 9 days later it was still set at $1.13 and they played dumb with me. During the discussion, I was transferred to another person and the phone rang for many minutes and no one answered. I will never do business with them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2015

    I was quoted 35.00 a day with 11.00 for insurance. I am paying 85.75 a day and 38.00 for insurance. My car is in the shop which is why I had to rent. Day 2 of having the car it smells like cigarettes. The bumper is cracked the temp gauge is on. Because I need it I have it but will go careless for the next 5 days because they are charging me so much. They have been rude, and anytime I have called they disregard what I have to say. Never again! I added a picture but I haven't returned it yet. I have needed to extend the contract.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2015

    While my vehicle was being repaired, my Mom was nice enough to rent me a vehicle. I, personally, had been renting from Enterprise, but my Mom's choice was Budget. Once the account was closed, she received an additional charge for fuel at a rate of $8.99/gallon which came up to $27.18 for 2.8 gallons. In the 18 years I have been renting vehicles, I have been quite careful about making sure the gas gauge shows Full. Apparently, with Budget, this method does not suffice. When questioned on the charge, the agent explained that it is not considered Full according to what the gauge shows, but only by when the gas pump "clicks off". I will never rent from Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Contract & TermsCoverage

    Reviewed Nov. 13, 2015

    I dropped the vehicle back off at the Budget at BWI airport early one morning before there were any employees on duty. So, there was no one there to verify that the fuel in the vehicle was on full or to give me a final receipt. A day later, I noticed an additional charge on my credit card and called Budget's customer service. I was informed that I was charged for fuel because the vehicle was not on full and that I had been charged for XM radio. Luckily, I kept the receipt from when I put gas in the vehicle that morning and the customer service representative I spoke with informed me that the charge for the fuel will be removed upon receiving a copy of this receipt. However, he stated because I had signed the contract accepting that had the XM radio charge, I couldn't be reimbursed for it. When I was at the counter picking up the car, I was asked if I wanted insurance but never asked if I wanted XM radio.

    Yes, it is my responsibility to read the contract info before signing, but I never been charged for any option without being first asked if I wanted it. I find it deceptive that I was asked about the insurance but never asked if I wanted XM radio. Furthermore, if asked if I would have wanted XM, I would have declined this option but how would it have been turned off in the vehicle? I definitely wont be using Budget again and want to warn others to be sure to ask if you're being charged for any other features before signing a contract. I've searched the internet and found that this practice of adding in charges seems pretty common with Budget. BEWARE!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Profile pic of the author.
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2015

    Rented a car from Budget at O'Hare location and prepaid online, big mistake. I handed the lady behind the counter my reservation information and informed her that I did not want any extras. She told me that everything was fine and there were no extra fees. They are so nice while you're there you feel like they are very trustworthy people (Do Not Trust Them). A few days after returning the car I see additional charges for Lost Damage Waiver at $13.50 per day and RSN at $6.99 per day. When you try to dispute, yeah good luck on getting someone to actually call you back. I had to go through my credit card company and dispute the charges in order to finally get someone on the line and luckily they were able to retrieve half of the money back. It is very obvious that this is how they train the employees and I will definitely let everyone I know not to go there.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2015

    I booked a car online for budget port everglades. I came off a cruise ship and went straight to the car hire location. I stood in a line for nearly 1 hour. Finally I was taken. I hadn't prepaid for my hire which was fine but I was told that I would need a hold on a card for 800 dollars. I was told in the UK by Budget that all I would need to pay was the car hire plus the fuel deposit which would be no more than 100 dollars. Anyway I wasn't happy but as I was in the middle of nowhere with my wife I said "ok".

    When they went to swipe my card the man behind the counter said my card wasn't accepted. Twice he done it then said he couldn't do it again. I gave him 3 other cards and the same thing happened. I contacted my banks with my mobile as Budget would not let me use their phone which I thought was way out of order. Anyhow my banks said my cards were not blocked and that there must be something wrong at the car hire place. So I told the Budget man and he said the bank was wrong and he couldn't do anything about it. The bottom line is he didn't care and to be honest I don't think they had a car for me as some others were having the same problem.

    Anyway due to Budget messing up and leaving me stranded I had no choice but to get a taxi to my hotel which cost me a lot of money thanks to Budget. I then went to another genuine car hire company and had no problems at all with cards etc. I would say to anyone looking to book a car whether it's in the States or anywhere else, don't book Budget. They don't care about you. I intend to take them to trade and standards in the UK as I feel all they seem to do is let people down as I have found out for myself and by looking at the reviews on this site. This company should be shut down.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 10, 2015

    Vancouver Airport Budget - SCAMMERS! When we were leaving our hotel, I hopped in the front seat of our rental vehicle with my hands full and my spouse took my jacket and put it in the back seat. In retrospect he says he knew he shouldn't have because he had a feeling we would forget it. Our luggage was in the trunk so when we returned the car to Budget at the Vancouver Airport we completely forgot to go in the back seat. Once we were situated on the airplane I turned to him and said "...where is my jacket?" We forgot to grab it! I didn't think it would be such a big deal getting it back but I tried to call Budget immediately and the person I spoke to told me they will call me if anything was left behind and I am not allowed to have a phone number to reach someone at the Vancouver Airport location directly.

    Now after making about ten phone calls I've been able to speak to someone at the location - Scott - who has told me the jacket was not in the car and there is nothing they can do. He said they would check again but if it isn't in the car then it isn't there, no need to check again, it won't appear out of thin air. I asked Scott for his manager's phone number and he said she will call me. Scott wouldn't give me his manager's phone number. I had to ask about three times and then I asked why I'm not allowed to have it, then he gave me a fax # and said it was her phone number.

    Now the manager Mary has called me, again telling me the jacket isn't there and it is my responsibility. Yes I understand that, but maybe the staff could have reminded us while dropping it off to check it fully. Maybe the customer service representative I spoke to an hour after dropping our car off could have let me have a number to reach the location. Mary also said the car has been rented out many times since November 8th (today is Nov 10) and I said, "Don't you check the vehicles before you rent them out?" If so then one of your employees would have my jacket. I asked Mary who I can speak to next about this issue, she said I can email them and she will show her Senior Manager, Debra, but she already spoke to her and was told to stand firm on the issue that the jacket isn't there and it isn't their responsibility.

    So now I'm left without my $200 jacket which is such a joke, what a ripoff of a company! Stealing from their customers and then saying it's my fault! This shouldn't be so stressful, my jacket was there so it must still be there! Unless an employee stole it. I'm not expecting anything back from this company - but I wouldn't rent from them. They don't give a care in the world to make things right with their customers and just tell you it's your fault.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 9, 2015

    I picked up a car at the Bob Hope Burbank Airport. I expressly told the lady at the counter that I did not want any additional insurance, two or three times. When it came time to sign the agreement, I signed it naively believing that no additional charges had been added. However, when I got the credit card bill, I saw that I had been charged for Loss Damage Waiver insurance, which I had declined. When I contacted Budget, I was told that since I had signed the agreement, I owed the money. Tough luck! One of two things is true: either the lady surreptitiously added the insurance charges even after I had declined the insurance, or she made a mistake. In either case, Budget doesn't want do anything about it. I recommend using another rental company, especially since I see that there are other complaints exactly like mine on this site.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 9, 2015

    I called Budget agent at the Dayton airport a week before a planned week trip to reserve a full size car. The agent said not a problem but to make sure that a full size was available it would be better to pre-pay (first mistake). When I arrived to pick up the car there were five people in line but only one agent, 30 minutes later he proceeds to tell me there are no cars available and the only thing available at my prepaid rate was a small pick-up. I explained I prepaid because they promised availability of a full size car and how was I going to put four people and luggage in a small pick-up truck. He stated there are no guarantees and that was all he had.

    After visiting two other competitors I was able to acquire a mid-size car at a much higher rate to complete my trip. But of course then the fun begins with numerous calls and e-mails to customer service asking for a refund on my prepaid reservation only to be told they would credit the rental balance but not the $72. insurance (my second mistake) as that is non-refundable through a third party company. Needless to say, Budget or Avis made their last promise to me or my company.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2015

    Was my first time renting a Budget Car Rental in Orlando airport. I always rent with Enterprise the wait in line was about 45 min then was charge way more than was told which we had already paid for the car about 308. When we was charged another 368. Which was not even told that he said all we had to pay was 14.00 a day for insurance which calculated to 108 and no one can explain why and we never got a cent back. I will never ever rent from Budget and we paid even extra over the phone another 115. For an upgrade and we still didn't get an upgrade we end up with a tiny car for 5. Shame on you Budget! I will never rent from you ever!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2015

    Hi, I rented a car from 10 to 25 July 2015 with priceline.com and provider was Budget in Frankfurt Airport terminal 2, Germany (Budget Rental Agreement **, Vehicle registration **, Priceline Trip Number **). If the rental price was OK (354.99 euros), the car insurance price calculated and offered by Budget was a total unacceptable: 835 euros with 235 bigger than the rental price. I'm a 57 years old engineer with more than 25 years internationally driving experience and is the FIRST TIME WHEN I SAW THAT A PRICE OF A CAR INSURANCE IS 235 BIGGER THAN THE RENTAL PRICE.

    I was forced to take the car by the conditions but I asked Budget to RE-CALCULATE the price of the car insurance because is absolutely unacceptable for the price of the car rental category in my driving experience. Because Budget did not advised or declared in advance that price of the insurance can be 235 bigger than the rental price - what could be the insurance price for a luxury car in this case is for a small compact car I paid 835 euro?

    If the insurance company is not Budget, how Budget is accepting this enormous insurance prices which are totally unacceptable. The Budget representative made all calculations but he declared that this is minimum insurance price which is coming from your system. With this price Budget is absolutely a NON-COMPETITIVE provider and I requested Budget in several messages to verify this situation and to take the necessary Corrective Actions. I requested to be refunded by Budget, their representative responded but they never clarified the case or proposed a Corrective Action on that. I'd like to know which are the Consumer protection agencies which can help on this case.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 6, 2015

    We were booked on The Pride of America on August 29th out of Honolulu, we had reserved a rental car from Budget for August 30th & 31st. We prepaid the rental fee as it was cheaper to do this. When we boarded the ship on that Saturday we found out that the schedule had changed due to Hurricane Ignacio and we would be in Maui on September 3rd & 4th instead. We gad also booked with Budget on Hilo and that date changed. We started contacting the tour companies and Budget to change our dates, all of the tour companies changed the dates without any issue.

    When we contacted Budget we were told that their system was down and we would need to call back. When we called back the next day, Sunday we were told that there was an additional fee for the rental because this was a pre-paid rental. We accepted this as we needed the car. When we returned we contacted Budget, the Hilo location refunded the extra cost. The Maui location at the airport did not, we had an additional charge of $75.98, we had no control over the change in venue and we are not happy with Budget. If you are thinking of using them, think twice, we will choose someone else in the future.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Nov. 5, 2015

    Rented a SUV at Reagan Airport in DC. I asked for prepay on fuel. Was told they did not offer it at that location. I always get it so I don't have to get it on the return. Last thing you want to think about when heading to the airport is your gas gauge full. I will not fight the charges for the gas. I would just like everyone to know what to look out for from Budget if they rent a car. If you don't gas up you will get charged $9.00 a gallon for gas! As a business owner and frequent traveler, I know how to take care of customers, but Budget doesn't. I will use my time more wisely by spreading this on different social sites so no one else falls into this trap.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Nov. 4, 2015

    Received a quote from Budget to rent a car in Prague, Czech Republic for 178 Euros for six days with full insurance. Was billed 496.46 Euros instead. The reason was when we went to Budget Car Rental company in Prague, they added several surcharges, plus added 21 percent fee and added conversion rates in the local currency that was again translated into dollars, so the final payment required was $588/-. They charged 99 Euros for 5/8 tank, when to fill the tank, it costed me only 35 Euros. BEWARE of BUDGET's International Partners as they cheat you and mistreat you. When we arrived to receive the car on the day to pick up the car, there was a huge line with only one person at the counter, taking us almost an hour and twenty minutes to pick up the car. The local company added 209 Euros in "over-charges", out of which we did ask for a GPS at 5 Euro per day for six days or 30 Euros that was legit.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Nov. 4, 2015

    My sister is a travel agent and booked a car online 11/1/2015 for me to pick up in the evening 11/2. Usually, we use Hertz. To save money however, we decided to try Budget. Thusly, she did the booking and read the terms allowing a debit card only for the counter personnel, denying me in lieu of a credit card they now claimed was needed! What a rip off!! I had to get the Hertz counter to get another one of their cars!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    CoverageStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2015

    I picked up a rental car for my honeymoon at the Denver International Airport on Sunday, October 25th. The rep behind the counter asked if I wanted any additional coverage. I said no (I have rented cars for years and always decline coverage). He put on the computer pad that I wanted the coverage and me, trusting a smiling face behind the counter... I signed (thinking I was declining). I was charged over 300 dollars for this coverage and after speaking to 3 reps at Budget (1 at the airport location and 2 at Budget customer support, one of which is a supervisor), they said that they have to go by the signature pad and I am stuck with the bill. I understand I signed it, but the rep behind the counter was extremely dishonest and Budget doesn't seem to care about that. They have my 300 dollars. That's what is important to them.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoveragePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2015

    I am absolutely disgusted and offended by the service Budget USA has provided me with. I have never experienced such rudeness, disdain and disrespect from a company before. As a lone female traveler in my twenties, I was given a car at LAX with the check engine light on and told to ignore it because it was an 'electrical miscommunication'. 48 hours later, driving through a forest in Arizona at night... with no mobile phone service... the car's engine started grating and wouldn't go faster than 30 mph. Due to Budget's negligence and complete disregard for the safety of its customers, I was forced to spend a traumatic and terrifying night alone, sleeping in the back of the car. The next day I was rescued by the police and Budget provided me with a new car with the change engine oil light on... again, I was told to ignore it.

    After a traumatic night on the roadside and a mechanic telling me he guaranteed the car was fine, I was hardly going to turn it down... obviously, a few days later I had to change the oil. So a lone female traveler was given two faulty cars... well done Budget, I can see you really value the safety of your customers. But it gets worse... I had purchased breakdown cover and then due to an administrative error, Budget took $1500 out of my account for ending my contract early and doing a one way drop... of the car that had broken down due to their flagrant disregard for safety and good service. This was refunded to me... eventually, but after writing two complaints I am yet to receive any apology - just standard response emails, which are quite frankly insulting. In short, Budget are the worst company I have ever done business with. Trusting your life to a company like this is an error... I feel lucky to have survived my experience with them.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 2, 2015

    Rented an economy for two days through Budget. I picked up the vehicle, did the walk around inspection with the agent. The agent directed most of the inspection, pointing out the obvious dings, and scratches on the paint. Gas was not discussed with agent. However, when I got in to drive the car I took note that the car was filled to 3/4 of a tank.

    Upon returning vehicle two days later at another location, agent tells me that I need to pay for or fill 1/4 tank more because the car is only 3/4 full. He tells me the agent at pick up location documented a full tank. He then further informs me that there appears to be a crack in the windshield that I would need to pay for today, and then put a claim into my insurance company later. I had no issues on the ride down, did not experience anything hitting windshield, and when I went to inspect this damage, the crack was so small I couldn't tell the difference between it and a bug splatter. On closer inspection there was, indeed, a crack. He states, the pickup agent documented no damage to the windshield. I found that interesting considering I never saw or even looked at the windshield.

    My advice is do not rent from this company. If you do, make sure to bring three sets of eyes, and a camera to photograph the entire vehicle for damage prior to taking it. Make sure to inspect gas with agent and have them sign off on that. They are running quite a racket ripping people off. The agent kept repeating that I didn't sign on for their extended coverage. He said this three times when no one was disputing this. I have insurance, but I resent having them having to cover something that may have been pre-existing. I also resent paying for gas that I never received in the vehicle to begin with. Awful experience, poor customer service. With all of these poor reviews, one would think Budget, which is part of AVIS would investigate and look to improve. I will not recommend or use this company ever again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 2, 2015

    Service was absolutely terrible. I am active duty military and called to book a rental car even though I'm 20. They told me several times and my supervisor that it was okay if I rent a car even though I'm under 25, I'd just have to pay a fee. After my supervisor drove me 5 hours to pick my car up, the man at the front desk said I could not get a car if I wasn't 21 and when I informed him I was told multiple times it was okay, he said "Well if you call to book the car, we will tell you whatever we need to in order to get you to book it. But when you actually get here and check-in, that's when we actually enforce the rules."

    I couldn't believe he even admitted that but even though it was honest, it was incredibly rude and insulting especially since I only had two days of military leave to see my family. This was the rental car place at the Jacksonville Airport. After I spent over an hour trying to figure out how to get my car and speaking with managers on the phone, I found out I could use a credit card to rent it (which wasn't told to me) 6 minutes before they closed. It was such terrible service. I ran down to Hertz car rentals and for a rental car within 5 minutes. I ended up paying a total of 261$ because of this company and I will never recommend it to anyone.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 2, 2015

    I returned a vehicle 40 minutes late and was charged for another full day for the vehicle, including taxes, fees, waiver insurance and a $10 late fee. How can you charge me with both fees? It should be one or the other. I know this can't be legal. If you want to be technical, the time printed on contract is not the actual time you receive your vehicle. It's the time agent start the paperwork, because I was still completing paperwork at the time the contract said I picked up the vehicle. The exit gate can verify the time I exited the business. RIP OFF.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoveragePricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 30, 2015

    Hi, I am a single, young female traveler on a tight budget. I chose to rent my car from Budget as I read reviews online that said they were one of the few companies who did not charge additional fees at the time of pick up. I called to book my car a few months ago over the phone and was quoted approximately $170 US included underage driver fees and all coverage. I specifically double check with the lady on the phone that this would be the FINAL amount and that no additional charges would be added at the time of arrival! She said this was the case and I would not be charged any extra. I was to pay on the phone with credit card, however, your service was down and the lady gave me a 20% discount (Bringing the price to approx $153 US). However! When I arrived this morning to pick up my car I was told it would be $290.

    The man behind the desk informed me that there was NO WAY that it would have been $153 with underage coverage etc. included. I have no phone so was unable to show him the proof that this was the case. He told me that there was no possible way that I would have been sold it for this price. By this point I was 2 hours late than my leaving time (As when I called to book the shuttle service the day before I was told I could not be picked up, another issue I have as I had to catch public transport hence being late), and had no choice but to pay and get on the road. I have since logged back on to the budget online and checked that I was indeed quoted $153. I have taken screenshots of such.

    To put into perspective, this is an ADDITIONAL $150 Australian dollars. I am a backpacker and cannot afford this sort of cost. I chose your company as I have used you before and have found you to be reliable and respectful. I have contacted Budget 5 times since this with no reasonable resolution. When I picked up the car I was told that I had to have coverage because I am under 25 and if I did not sign the rental agreement I would not have been rented a car. I was backed into a corner. Basically I have been punished because on two occasions, during my booking and then pick up of car, I was told incorrect information by Budget, yet they are saying it is my fault. Never go with Budget. They don't accept when they are wrong and have made a mistake on their end. They are unwilling to assist when this is the case. You WILL lose money!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 28, 2015

    Originally made a reservation for pick up on a Friday. 4-5 days prior, we called to change the date to Thursday. We were told that there was no problem and we could pick up Thursday at 5 pm. We arrived at 4:15. The place was closed. There was a sign on the door that said they were open until 7 pm. We called customer care, and after struggling to understand what they were saying, we were told that there is nothing they could do, and they could not promise anyone would be there the next day. Now Friday, we pick up truck. Upset that we are starting the move a day late, we pay for truck, and leave and load truck. About 2 hours into our drive (into the middle of Nevada which is basically the middle of nowhere) we stop for gas.

    I start pumping and walk away. As I walk away, I hear gas pouring on the ground. I was shocked to see all the gas pumping was going straight to the ground, as the fill line was split all they way around. After losing a few gallons, I stick the nozzle into the line to fill the very large tank. I have to do this for the next 4 fills. Finally, I was able to purchase a self vulcanizing repair tape to fix the issue. Meanwhile, the whole trip my passenger had to be on ant killing duty, as ants were coming out of the dash. We called customer care again, again with no help. Very dissatisfied with Budget's overseas customer care line. Be wary.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 28, 2015

    I hired a car from Budget at Orlando airport, it was pre paid through EBookers so shouldn't have cost me a penny more but I ended up with a $171.90 charge for extras I was never consulted about. I was asked to take supplemental liability insurance, which I declined, saying I wanted no extras, but when I got the receipt upon return there was this big charge and two extras included on the agreement (personal effects and emergency sickness).

    The kicker is I have later learned that while declining the supplemental liability insurance I was inadvertently accepting two other extras the agent had slipped in without telling me, as the approval for both is the same box. Needless to say because the contract shows acceptance of the extras they will not entertain any compensation. If you use Budget (or Avis I suppose) expect the agents to try every trick in the book to get extras on your agreement. My advice. Pay a little extra and deal with an honest company instead.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase

    Reviewed Oct. 28, 2015

    Beware! We filled up our rental and went directly to the rental car return within 1/2 hour. We were charge $43 for fuel and the tank was full. I wrote Budget to complain and they told me, we should have showed the receipt to the attendant. The attendant looked at the gas gauge! It was full. No more Budget for me. I hope they enjoy that $43, because they won't get another cent from me or anyone I know, that is thinking of renting from Budget. I had a reservation for tomorrow, but I cancelled it and booked through another car rental service. Done!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 27, 2015

    Rented a car for a week and after returning was charged almost $300 more. Started a dispute with card company, continued to rent then got notice in mail that I owed $100 for a red light ticket. I didn't have car that date, then on a rental again was charged almost $2000 for damages, towing fees several times and fuel they say I was responsible for when I filled tank up and didn't do any damage. Was given a slip with "taking as is" on it before any damages were claimed. Tried filing a dispute with BBB and Budget's response is that they can't pull up any records.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 26, 2015

    Don't use Budget Rental car!! Just got charged for going through a non-existent toll booth 3 weeks ago. We never drove on a toll road while in Texas!!! Budget says we did and laughed at Me when I told the customer service guy that we would dispute the charge and NEVER use Budget again! Budget will NEVER get any more of our hard earned money again!!! Plus he stated that they don't check their e-tolls after every return. I then asked how to fix this problem and again he laughed and said "You need to fight it with Texas department of transportation." This company is the biggest rip off place around. I know we are never going to use them again and I hope no one ever uses them again. I would love to see a company that rips people off go under.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed Oct. 25, 2015

    Arriving at Midnight + did not expect (and should not have) a line of over 50+ people checking out their reserved cars with 2-3 agents. One was on a break while 2 others worked. Everyone in line (not just myself) was exhausted and stunned that they were going through this awful experience. These were not walk ups.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 25, 2015

    Rented a vehicle through Budget.com for a vehicle in BWI Airport Hanover, MD and prepaid. When checking in, check-in was slow and numerous people in line. At my turn, customer rep ask the usual if I wanted the insurance, etc. and I informed her I wanted nothing extra. She then had me push buttons on a small screen to accept I was declining items. Then gave me my bill. My mistake, I didn't read the bill because she had added that I wanted some type of emergency roadside assistance as an add on that I found when my credit card bill came in added an additional $109.98.

    Naturally I called when I found that and was basically told you signed the agreement. Clearly, I won't ever use Budget again. But if anyone else is contemplating using them, I would strongly recommend you not push any buttons or sign anything until they give an exact total of what you are accepting and then look at the bill before leaving regardless if it holds up everything going through all their fine print. I should have searched the internet before renting from them as this practice of adding in charges seems pretty common with Budget. Another words, renter BEWARE!

    Thanks for your vote!
    PriceProcess

    Reviewed Oct. 25, 2015

    Rented a car for 2 days & at first I got quoted a very reasonable price. Only halfway through the process, realized that there were so many additional hidden charges. Ended up paying 40% more than alternatives.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 23, 2015

    The intermediate car (Chrysler 200) at Toronto airport for the price of $285.00 Canadian. When I arrived, no Chrysler 200 and put me in a Hyundai Elantra (TOO small). Only thing left was a Santa Fe, double the price, $438. I was accessed additional fee in addition and a 3% conversion rate. No more Budget for me!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoveragePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2015

    This review is concerning the Budget at Boston-Logan International Airport: On the one hand, I have to say that our desk to car experience as well as our return were fast and efficient; additionally, the customer service agent at the desk was friendly and the car was very clean. However, my husband and I were mistakenly charged for added coverage and, try as we might, cannot speak to anyone who will consider a refund. I booked through Expedia, so I'd paid for the car well ahead of time.

    When we got to the desk (10/15/15) and the woman brought up our itinerary, she asked for a credit card. I verified with her that I had already paid and that I would not incur any additional charges. She assured me that was the case; they just needed a credit card number on file. Then, she asked me if I wanted any additional insurance and I declined ALL inquiries. She asked me if I had ample enough coverage on my personal insurance and I said yes and again declined all extra coverage. She typed up our "contract" and verbally walked me through the prompts that appeared on the small, electronic screen. She said, "This verifies that you decline added coverage..." I saw no indication that any money was going to be charged and I signed.

    Now, my bank account has been charged over $98 for insurance I declined repeatedly. Today, when I realized I'd been charged, I called customer service and very politely explained my situation, as I abide by the belief that "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar." The representative with whom I spoke was very condescending toward me despite my politeness. At one point he said, "You clearly don't understand what I'm saying to you..." and "I apologize that you failed to take the time to read the contract." When I indicated that I felt this was employee error he said, "Was I at the desk with you? No, I was not not. We do not make verbal contracts, only written ones, and you signed a written contract." I was offended by his tone.

    My husband and I were only trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and go away for a long weekend for our tenth wedding anniversary. We are not fraudulent people who are trying to cheat our way out of anything. I sense that this unauthorized charging is a regular occurrence based on other reviews I've read. I'm sorely disappointed in my experience on the billing end of this; I would consider renting with Budget again if I felt this was properly resolved. On a SECOND call to customer service placed by my husband, the representative said, "If you'd wrecked the car under this 'insurance you declined' we wouldn't be having this conversation." His implication was that we were being dishonest and trying to gain a refund under false pretenses. That makes TWO insults in as many calls.

    The rep was nicer when I finally was able to talk directly to a manager in Boston. He told me the same thing the other two reps had...YOU signed for this. Yes, true, but under false pretenses. I never visually saw an indication that I was going to be charged. This goes beyond the $98...it's a matter of principle. I asked the manager if employees are compensated for selling extra coverage and he said yes. I am not accusing the desk worker of anything, but seeing as how so many people have complained of similar practices, how can one NOT assume that employees are being intentionally deceptive? Word of caution... read your contract thoroughly BEFORE you leave the desk and do not rely on verbal affirmations from the agent. Once you sign (even if it's based on inaccurate communication on the part of the Budget employee), you seemingly will not have a leg to stand on when you are charged in error.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoverage

    Reviewed Oct. 20, 2015

    I rented a car from Budget for week using the travel site Orbitz. At the Orbitz site I included my Fastbreak number for points and I did not purchase any insurance with rental. When I returned the rental car I realized I have been charged for Loss and Damage Waiver (LDW) insurance for each day of the rental. When I contacted the Budget Rental customer Service they refused to refund the insurance portion. I mentioned that I reserved my car though Orbitz and I rejected the insurance when I reserve my car and at the time of rental pickup I did not accept the insurance since the section for accepting rental was not initialed by me.

    They claimed since I have selected LDW in my Budget profile before and provided my Fastbreak number then I automatically will be charged for LDW even if I don't select insurance and I don't need to initial any section on the rental agreement. I find this unacceptable. I did not make my reservation through Budget and made through Orbitz, I did not select Insurance and I should not be responsible for the charges. I request a refund from Budget and they have rejected my refund.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 20, 2015

    I rented a car through Budget Rent-A-Car's website and prepaid to have it ready when I arrive (no issues here). Drove it around for 5 days, no accidents, no damage, etc. When I returned the car there was no one at the counter, even though it was during their official business hours of being open. There was a number to call, so I called it. They instructed me to park the car at their designated Budget Rent-A-Car parking spot, so I did; and then drop the keys and documents in a lock box... which I did.

    10 days later I get a $1091.15 CAD charge on my credit card. I call them, they say there was damage on the car. After a month of back-and-forth with Budget Rent-A-Car International department and getting a case number opened they send me a picture of a cracked fog light on the car and say the charge is for that. At this point I ask for a work order and/or breakdown of charges... since $1k seems excessive for a $300 repair... besides the fact that the damage wasn't there when I dropped the car off.

    A month later still no work order and/or breakdown of charges. I called today to ask again... they said they closed the case because a dispute has been made through the CC company and they stop investigating if there's a dispute. Which is bogus because I haven't disputed the charge through the CC company yet. So basically they're giving me the run around to get out of explaining the charge.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverage

    Reviewed Oct. 19, 2015

    I'd give this place 0 stars if possible. I booked the car online for a reasonable $69.40. I returned the car 3 days later and was presented with an additional $160.91 in charges. Apparently, they tacked on full coverage without my consent. Called the billing office and they were beyond useless. They took no attempt to understand my situation. I have no need for full coverage. I have rental insurance through my credit card for free!!! Beware!! Avoid this company like the plague!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverageSales & MarketingPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 18, 2015

    First of all, I told them I did not need their extra car insurance and they tricked me when filling out all the paperwork. It was very late and I had my young kids with me. So instead of making my life easier, they just kept scamming me out of money. After I was tricked into signing up for their insurance that I specifically said I did not want, they told me about the toll fee device I could use and pay for all the tolls at the end. Of course, they did not tell me about the $15 a day fee to use this service!!! That night I realized the insurance mistake and they refused to fix it over the phone. They made me stop my vacation and come in person. I will never rent from them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 18, 2015

    I called to find a rental car for my daughter to drive to Tampa from my home in Florida. I was told she needed a major credit card. I thought she had one, and was quoted $69 for two days, which included insurance. When we arrived, she only had a debit card, so I had to pay for the rental, which came to &155; more than twice what I was quoted! Apparently I had to assume ALL responsibility, even though I won't be driving the car. And because I won't be driving, I had to pay extra fees for an "additional insured"! Why couldn't I just pay for her rental and let HER insurance company cover HER driving?! Why am I the one having to stick my neck out and assume all responsibility, damage to the car AND any other liability for others and get charged extra fees on top of it for just helping her out with the rental fee?! To boot, the guy was very rude and treated me like I was illiterate! I worked for an insurance company for several years!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 18, 2015

    Had to fly to Charlotte, NC this past week for a family emergency (mother was terminal), so I went online to Budget's site to rent an economy car for the duration of my trip. I was planning to stay 6 days and pre-paid to save some money according to their site. The price $348. After all of the additional surcharges came to $482. (Not a bargain). I also spoke with someone at Budget before I booked online and asked them what would happen if I brought a car back earlier than intend, and she said it would be charged the daily rate for that car.

    Well, to make a long story short, my plans changed and only stayed 2 days. And after returning the car, I was hit with a $460 bill. When I contacted Budget, I was informed that buried in some fine print on their site and my confirmation under full terms and conditions was a note saying that for my rate I would be charged 4 days plus 3 hrs! (5 days!) Well you can guess I was pretty livid on the phone to the girl and manager who kept telling it was spelled out in the buried fine print. Never again will I use Budget unless I have a lawyer review the "fine print". For the record, it's not the first time I've rented a car but it is the last time I'll rent one from Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Oct. 15, 2015

    Paid for rental car in Phoenix 4 months ago online. Once we got to the Budget rental we were handed a number like I was at a Deli, our number was 95. They were serving number 26. The gal that gave us our number said the wait would be 45 minutes. What a JOKE. 2 hours later we got to the desk to pick up our compact car. I have Never had to go through this much crap for anything in my life. I will never rent from Budget again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2015

    We are extremely unhappy with Budget and will never use them again. I am having to resort to disputing their transaction with my bank to get money back on recent rental from their Orlando Airport location. As we always do, we reserved a car online. Once we get to the counter, we waited for over an hour in line, while our friends in E-Z Rent-A-Car line got through and on their way in under 20 mins. We stated we did not need any insurance, as we have coverage through our regular insurance for car rentals. When it came to signing their screen, there was a section which showed a $111 charge and the woman at the counter explained we would not be charged that unless we kept the car for an additional day.

    We proceeded to get into the Ford car and it had not been cleaned. There were crumbs, and what appeared to be coffee spilt on the steering wheel. I was furious and tried contacting them to complain once we arrived at our destination, but they proceeded to state I could not file a complaint until 72 hours AFTER we returned the car. The next day, we went to get in the car and there were tiny ants crawling all over the dash and front windshield. The ant problem was continuous throughout our week rental, but again, we were told we couldn't complain until after the car was returned.

    Lo and behold, returned the car and called to complain 1 week after, but this time it wasn't just about all the issues I've already stated, but also because they charged an additional $111.76!!! And you know what they told me when I called? They were sorry about my experience but there was nothing that they could do. They went on to say that the additional charge (that was the exact amount the woman said we wouldn't be charged unless we kept the car for an additional day) was for supplemental insurance. Hmmm, interesting. Looked online and found out that employees of rental car companies get paid commissions on extra insurances they sell... Coincidence??? I think not. And forget trying to reach a manager at the Orlando counter. I've called and have been hung up on 3 times now. Lesson learned; never rent from them again. And thank God Visa allows you to dispute these types of charges.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2015

    This company sneaks in fees where they can and takes advantage of customers by using fine print and disclaimers instead of honestly advertising their prices. I booked my reservation through Orbitz. The base rate was $54 and the total was estimated at $76. After a hellish day at the airport, I got in line to get the car. There was a sign on their rental desk that stated "GPS $5.99 per day". I had selected the GPS through Orbitz but no specific price was named, so I expected to be charged that price, as advertised for all of their customers to see.

    When I got the agreement, I was charged $15.45 a day! $45 for a GPS for 3 days! I called and they stated that there must have been a disclaimer on the sign stating I would have to do other things to get that rate. There was nothing there in any legible print. So Budget is now pointing the finger at Orbitz, saying they should have informed me. The representative, of course, went over every other aspect of the agreement about fuel, the insurance and all of the money I might owe them very clearly, but neglected to review this charge.

    That's a ridiculous amount of money for a GPS and I never would have paid it had I been informed. They are taking advantage of weary travelers and hoping that people, like me, will be too tired or in too much of a rush to notice their scams. I will not be booking through them, or Orbitz again, since they seem to be backing Orbitz on this practice. Very disappointing.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 11, 2015

    My experience with Budget at the Victoria airport in British Columbia (YYJ) in late September-early October was horrible. I rented a car for 10 days. I paid for my rental through Air Miles and still ended up paying an additional $560.00 with hidden insurance fees, car seat rental and other unknown charges. I am a single mother and was traveling with my toddler. I was not aware (nothing stated on Air miles website when I booked the car rental other than $112.00 in taxes) ahead of time that there would be the $560.00 in extra costs prior to arrival and pick up of the vehicle. $100.00 of this cost was for the car seat rental, in which I was initially given a car seat full of vomit stains and smelled terrible. Although the issue was remedied by replacing it with a somewhat cleaner car seat, the car seat given was not in new condition, history of seat unknown and should be replaced ASAP.

    After complaining to customer service agent (Simon) of extra costs and condition of the car seat, he wrote a handwritten note to his manager; note stating my dissatisfaction of the rental experience. He ensured me that his manager would review this note so that a solution and possible reimbursement of some costs could be made but upon return of car rental, a different customer service agent said that there was nothing noted on her computer/my file so there was nothing that could be done. I will never rent from Budget again and will spread the word of same.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2015

    They ripped $6000 for 8 months that I used the car for. I wasn't sure how long my contract is going to go with my work in Charlotte. So I took short-term leases (monthly leasing option). So before I went and gave back the car, I called them and asked if they can do something to change my short-term leases into one big long-term contract (they have a long term option for 11 months which is cheaper), or at least something so that I can go out happily when I can give the car away. But they said they don't have a system that does that.

    I was wondering why not have such a system which is more helpful for a customer like me? I know it was my fault to have rental a car from such a worst company, but I didn't have a choice because of my international visa status. All they want is to rip you off. And the customer service is ever worse. Please don't rent a car from Budget. ENTERPRISE RENTAL Car is the best in the whole of US. They treat you pretty well even though prices are little higher on long-term agreements.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2015

    My husband and I just returned from our vacation to Utah and Wyoming. We flew into Salt Lake City on September 22, 2015 and departed from there on October 4, 2015. After we retrieved our luggage on that Tuesday evening, we immediately went to the Budget counter to pick up the Ford Explorer that we had reserved months in advanced. At least the reservation verification we received from Budget said that we had reserved a Ford Explorer! My husband was told there were 3 vehicles left in Budget's lot -- a pickup truck, a 15 passenger van, and a 10 passenger Transit van. No Explorer!!! Why did I make reservations? Apparently reservations mean nothing to Budget! After being told by the Budget employee that we could exchange the van for another vehicle at the Jackson Hole Airport Budget the next day, my husband reluctantly chose the Transit van -- the lesser of 3 evils???

    So, we picked up the Transit van with the intention of driving it to Jackson Hole the following day, where we were staying for 10 days, and turning it in at the Jackson Hole Airport Budget for another vehicle, supposedly a Ford Explorer or something similar. (Now, I have to tell you, I am 52 tall, and I had one heck of a time getting in and out of that van!!!!) The next day, we drove to Jackson Hole, and from our condo, called the Budget at Jackson Hole Airport, and we're told that our exchange of vehicles was impossible! We were told that the Salt Lake City Budget is privately owned, and the Jackson Hole Budget is corporately owned. The woman at the Jackson Hole Budget said they won't deal with the Salt Lake City Budget, because, for one thing, when our vehicles are turned in at the Salt Lake City Budget, we never see them again!

    She said the Budget employee that told us we could exchange the Transit in Jackson Hole knew the situation and it was an out and out lie on his part! After speaking with her for quite a while, I hung up the phone, incredibly disheartened. We did some research, and found that there was a Budget at the Idaho Falls Airport, and called them. We got the same story -- Idaho Falls Budget is corporate, Salt Lake City Budget is privately owned. And again, we were told that Idaho Falls Budget will not do business with Salt Lake City Budget. When our cars are turned in at the Salt Lake City Budget, we never see them again! She also said that the Budget employee in Salt Lake City knew that he was lying to us when he said we could exchange the Transit van for another vehicle at the Jackson Hole Budget.

    Now, we were tempted to turn around and drive back to Salt Lake City Budget, but it's a minimum 5 hour drive -- one way -- and we didn't want to take another 2 days away from our 10 days in Jackson Hole. Did I mention that I am 52 and had a terrible time getting in and out of that Transit van? (And my back is still aching!) Next, we had to go shopping for some sort of stool to aid in my entering and exiting the van. And the entire dynamic of our vacation changed the minute we discovered we were stuck driving that van for 10 days! We love driving all over Jackson Hole and the surrounding area looking for wildlife, and had to be very selective about where we went, what types of roads we traveled. You definitely cannot drive a Transit van the same places you can drive an Explorer!

    And parking is another issue!!!! My husband is a great driver and has a Ford F150 of his own, so he's familiar with driving and parking a truck, but parking spaces in Jackson Hole are few and far between, and you cannot park that Transit van just anywhere!!! So, it all boils down to one thing -- we will never do business with Budget Car Rental again, and will not hesitate to spread the word...

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 8, 2015

    I booked a economy car from Budget which I picked it up on 25th Sept and returned on 2nd Oct. After returning it I saw that there is a extra transaction of $54.12 on my card. When I talked to customer service, they told that it was the upgrade you got from the economy which I never asked for nor the person told me at the counter at the time of picking from the Columbus airport. How can you upgrade it automatically and charge the customer as your wish you like to? The person at the counter only told me at the time of picking that the remaining tank would be charged nor the full tank at flat rate of $2.11. I don't know why you people convey wrong information to the people and charge them wrongly... I don't expect such things from companies like Budget... I want my money to be refunded.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 7, 2015

    Let me tell you about one of the worst car rental experiences I have ever had. I made an online reservation (**) on 9/3 while setting up my corresponding flight with AA for an upcoming trip to Philadelphia. The day of my flight (9/23) there were several delays getting out of ORD. Since I had always used competitors and was unfamiliar with Budget's policies I attempted to make you aware of the delays. I made several attempts online, without success, and finally tried to call PHL Budget directly. This took several failed efforts. Some would get the recording directing you to select # for service (which would ring with no answer) and others would just ring and never even connect with the initial recorded directions. Finally, I was able to get through and explaining the flight difficulties to the woman that answered, was told: “No problem, your reservation will be held for 24 hours.” Good news.

    When I finally arrived in Philadelphia (granted it was much later in the day and perhaps a busier time) I was greeted with a pleasant shuttle ride to the rental office. This is where I was welcomed by a hoard of renters totaling about 40 or more and a 10+ station Budget office staffed by 2 ladies. One of whom was engaged in trying to work out a rental situation for a couple and a half dozen kids (They were there for the entirety of my wait.). The line went out the doors, leaving some, needing to stand far enough back from the automatic door (while waiting) to prevent it from constantly opening and closing.

    I and the other customers around me wondered aloud what the point was in making a reservation at all (Overall I was generally impressed with the fact that the waiting customers remained rather upbeat.). Anyway, as we kept our places in the cattle chutes, we gradually saw additional staff added 1 by 1 over the next hour or so. Well I finally had a rental assigned and made my way out to fetch my car.

    The vehicle seemed still wet from its recent bath and had the smell of smoking. There were no labels inside the vehicle so I assumed it was not smoke-free. No problem, I was certainly not getting back in that line and it’s just transportation from point A to B after all. So I departed the rental lot as the sun was lowering in the sky, heading for setting. I realized then, as I merged onto the local highway, that the spotting left on all of the vehicles windows and exterior mirrors was so bad with the glaring sun that I couldn’t even see.

    I had to travel some distance to locate a gas station and stopped to use their window cleaning stations. Not much help but by then the sun was low enough in the sky that the glare diminished and though the windows were still cloudy and presented some visibility issues with headlights, they were usable for the balance of my drive that ended well after dark. The following day I bought some Windex and the view became marginally better for the balance of my visit.

    My departure date arrived on 9/30 and I checked the offices site for return instructions. The PHL Budget site linked with Google mapping directions and I thought: “Sweet, no problem.” My drive to the airport, with plenty of time, went well until I reached the mass of interconnected roads in and through the airport area itself. None of which is very well “signed”. At least for getting oneself to the rental return area. I drove in and out of the area a few times, unable to locate the required entrance point. Finally, on one of the Google map directed paths, I ended up in the “Cell lot” and decided to call the office for assistance. The automated system put through to the desk location and the phone just rang. I gave up on that and called back a second time selecting the “manager on duty” number. This one simple continued to ring as well.

    As my departure time grew closer I decided to try again. This time the signage took me to the short-term lot. I figured: “OK, perhaps that’s the path” and entered the area. Realizing after a short drive around the lot, that I was getting no closer to the return area, I safely stopped the vehicle to call the office again. Two or three more attempts to talk to a human failed. At this point I decided my flight time was simply too near for me to try yet another airport approach. So I safely parked the car in a spot, noted the spot number, removed my personal belongings and locked the car after leaving the parking ticket and key safely inside.

    Because of the spot location in the lot I had to carry and drag my luggage across the airport access road and I’d estimate about a half mile or so to the terminal to check my bags. I just made the bag check deadline and once I was through security tried to call Budget again. Thankfully, this time I got through to a human. I explained what had happened, where I had left the car and the location of the keys and parking stub. All the woman that answered seemed interested in telling me was that I'm responsible for the car until it was retrieved by Budget staff. I provided the contract number (**), name, phone number, etc. and was placed on hold. While on hold I continued to make my way to the gate and my fast approaching flight departure. I stayed on hold until my group was called for boarding and shortly after turned off my phone when instructed to do so.

    As of this writing I still don’t know how, or if, the matter is resolved. To provide some context, it should be noted that I am exceeding slow to anger or frustrate. If I take the time to contact a company about service it is almost always to praise an employee or provide positive feedback about a service. Not this time unfortunately, what a joke.

    It was the attached online contact that seems to have prompted Budget's first efforts to reach out to me via email the following day. An email, merely sighting the STILL OPEN status of my rental. Within minutes of my reply I received an email apology for the inconvenience. Within a few hours, my credit card was billed, 2x the cost of the rental. No further attempt was made to contact me and/or explain the multiple customer service failures, or even to supply an accounting of their ridiculous charges.

    I sent the following email request and await a reply. "I’m delighted to see a part of your organization functions efficiently. However, the charging of my card for two times the rental costs is not where I was anticipating the required efforts at improvement (Though it clearly explains your capacity to remain viable.). Please provide a complete accounting of the charges immediately, via email, so that I may begin my legal efforts to address them. Of course you always have the option of taking the appropriate actions without the need for my doing so. I shan’t hold my breath. Thank you in advance for your kind attention in this matter."

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2015

    Rented a car at the Albuquerque airport from Budget for one week, my reservation reflected a mid-size car at $157.00 weekly rate. At the counter the agent briefed me on the gas refilling requirement and asked if I wanted liability coverage for the car and I answered at what rate per day, and responded $28.90 per day and I accepted the coverage to be included. Upon returning the car the lot attendant handed me a receipt and the total came to $503.00 instead of the agreed cost $305.00.

    I was directed to the rental office where a single agent was waiting on a line of people. Left to catch my flight and later submitted a form to customer service concerning the overcharges, and have not heard a response. After investigating the reviews for Budget Car rental I see that I am not the only person pursuing a refund from Budget concerning overcharges. Therefore, next step is to file a complaint w/ Consumer Affairs and whomever that will accommodate my issues with Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2015

    I rented a van at the El Paso Airport to move a group to a funeral. We had the van for about six hours, and drove less than 100 miles. About a month after the trip, I received a letter from a subrogation company with charges for a jack for the van, loss of rental time for the van and a surcharge from the subrogation company. This was my first contact. No attempt by Budget to contact me directly. The Budget maintenance guys said they discovered the loss during cleaning. I don't know what actually did happen to the jack, but I do know that we didn't take it and that the cleaning was very minimal from our trip.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2015

    We paid for our car on Priceline. When we arrived at the counter, we were offered the e-toll package, but we declined it since we expected to pay cash for any tolls. One way on our trip through tolls, we got stuck in the e-toll lane and couldn't safely move to the booth lane. Rather than go through without paying, we thought it best to use the e-toll box. We expected to pay for the toll as well as a convenience fee, but we didn't expect to be charged for the entire rental period after using it once on only one day!!! There is nothing in writing on their contract or rental jacket (see attached), that says you pay the convenience fee for every day of the rental.

    After 6 emails back and forth (because they refused to give me a phone number so that I could speak to a supervisor), they finally said I could find the fee charge spelled out on their website. So customers are expected to look up fees, etc. online, after they have left the counter?? The counter agent never told us we would pay even more if we simply used the toll one time. How can we know we need to carefully review their site to find items for which we don't know we will be charged???

    I filed a complaint with the BBB, but they felt that Avis' jacket (see attached), that states we will pay all tolls, fees, and taxes was a sufficient response! Also, they are saying that all fees, taxes, and penalties are handled by the Highway Toll people. So THEY charge us the extra fee for the damn box, even though it is registered to the Avis/Budget car? We used XM and I bet we didn't pay XM for the service! Unbelievable! I will not use Priceline or Budget/Avis ever again. I plan to let everyone I know how underhanded the company is!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2015

    I brought an economy sized car back with half a tank of gas.. The most to have it full would have been 15 maybe.. Maybe 20. They charged me 9 per gallon for 90 dollars. That's very unfair!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Staff

    Reviewed Oct. 3, 2015

    Reserved mini van for 7 to Tobermory 3hr drive for 8 days. Details given to Jordan (Budget agent). On the 'pickup date' Aug. 29, met with a very hostile female agent who offered me a small Ford van and said take it or cancel. I had to cancel.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedReliability

    Reviewed Oct. 2, 2015

    I was rented a defective car that caused a hazardous experience and was not compensated or reimbursed for the repairs made to get us back to the airport. We had reserved a car with Budget thru CheapOair for Sept 1 at Chicago O'Hare airport at 10000 Bessie Coleman Drive. We picked up the car and inspected it for any scratches or damages and did not see any. Later after driving for awhile, we made a stop and noticed that the front left tire on the car was a spare tire. Because we was driving the car from Chicago to Iowa, we wanted to make sure we did not have any problems so we checked the trunk for the original tire to install back on but noticed it was already cracked. So we proceeded to drive slowly and stay with the spare.

    On the day we returned the car on Sept 3, driving slowly back from Iowa, we noticed a funny noise and slowed down to pull aside. As soon as we pulled aside and was approaching the exit, the tire blew. We called the roadside assistant for help and they told us to swap out the car at the nearest Budget (2 Airport Circle, Rockford) which was an hour away. When we told them that we could not drive that far with the flat, they recommended for us to go to the nearest tire store to change out the tire and present the receipt to Budget for reimbursement.

    It took us almost an hour to crawl to the nearest tire shop (Moore Tires, INC) with the flat that we had. The repair man took off the flat and proceeded to replace with another tire and noticed the rod to hold the tire was bent which causes any tire to blow after time. Because the tire rod was bent, it also affected the right tire and he said that the right tire was not going to make it for another mile before it blew. So he ended up changing both tires and warned us that because of the bent rod, the tires will not last too long. We just wanted new tires on to get us back to the airport so we took pictures of the problems to show Budget. The bill for the tire change was $213.04 with an extra $20 tips.

    When we returned the car to Budget at Bessie Coleman Drive, the line was long and everyone we went to told us we had to wait in line. When it was finally our turn, they called for a manager to speak with us. Ernesto was the manager we spoke with that said to us it was not their responsibility because we were supposed to have checked the car before it left the lot. Now how was one to know if a tire rod is bent?? He made a copy of our tire receipt and told us that they will be mailing us a check. Because we were in a rush to catch our flight, we took that as our answer.

    It is now over 4 weeks since the incident and we still have not received a check or an email notice. I have made several phone calls to try to follow up on a number that Ernesto provided for us **. Every time it led us to an answer machine where we leave a message and was never returned back a call. On 10/2, I tried calling a main number (8006212380) where I was left on hold for long periods then transferred and finally got hung up on. I spent 3 hours trying to get some answers and finally spoke to a rep called Joanne and she told me, according to the records, there were no reimbursement issued for us and they do not pay reimbursement! The rental agreement number is ** under the name of Vincent **. Total paid for the rental is $256.35

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 1, 2015

    AT YOUR SAVANNAH, GA AIRPORT LOCATION -- Our friend Matt flew in to Savannah and had booked a rental car through your service and he was told he could use his USAA full coverage insurance to cover the rental. After flying in, he is informed by one of your desk reps that he has to pay $100 for added insurance and that they do not accept his insurance dispute being told on the phone when he booked that they ABSOLUTELY would.

    THEN, his mother calls your 1800 line and is hung up on by your reps TWICE! The first rep tells her that YES you do accept personal insurance, then when she asked why he was charged, she hung up. His mother called back and was told again, YES insurance was accepted and the rep wasn't sure why it was accepted and offered no additional details. She asked for a supervisor and was put on hold only for them to hang up AGAIN.

    He is in the U.S. Army and flew back from Afghanistan and to be treated this way is DISGUSTING. Lied too and disrespected, despite the respectful manner this was handled in on their end. I was standing beside them the entire time this was happening. Obviously Budget and their employees at the Savannah, GA location as well as on the phone, have no respect not only for their CUSTOMERS but also for their services member. His mother is reporting this to all the proper avenues and will be going to the airport today to place a formal complaint at the counter. PS: He booked the car for Oct. 1st through Oct. 5th only to find out when he arrived that they only had it booked through to the 4th and wanted almost ANOTHER $100 for one extra day when it should have originally been that many days. Budget is disgusting.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 30, 2015

    First they don't even deserve 1 star. I reserved the car online through Budget. I was trying to get prices for different options but the site would not allow me to change anything on it. So it reserved the car and gave me a price. At the counter to pick up the car I told them of the problem & insurance needed taken off and promo discount code needed to be put on. Instead I got charged for the higher insurance & no promo code added. Then when I get the car it's parked in the wrong location and it's dirty.

    So after all this I ended up calling to extend a day and it took 4 calls to do that and they were still unable to fix the problem and they charged me 8 for a gallon of gas because I didn't fill up within 5 miles which was not disclosed and I still returned it with a full tank. And once again tried to talk to a manager but he wasn't available to help me again. Every person who I tried asking to fix the problem said no they can't help. Customer care 800 can't help, counter can't help. And of course the fees are extravagant with over 70 being taxes and fees. Customer service is non-existent. Will never rent through them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 29, 2015

    I am a very pissed off customer with Budget. Never in my life have I encountered rude people who hung the phone up on me and their service is terrible. Overcharge you the weds it is a lie. Please do not do business with this company go to U-Haul or someone else. They will take your money and screw you over. I learned that 1st hand experience. One customer service person literally hung up on me. I wish to know his name. He was rude and he needs to be fired. Worse company ever. Don't do business with Budget. Put them out of business.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 28, 2015

    I spent the first night of my vacation sleeping in an airport, the second morning online trying to recreate the computer glitch on Budget's website that caused a major mistake on my reservation to rent a vehicle from them. And I am now waiting, up to 48 hours, for a return call from a manager with their consumer services department.

    Last week I went directly to their website to book a vehicle. I did not go to any other booking service that offers to provide a better rate. I used an offer from Budget's site directly that stated it was available for my situation as I was picking the vehicle up at one location and dropping it off at another. I only never entered these two separate pickup and drop off sites and triple checked my information. Yet after I entered my prepayment, which was part of the agreement in order to get the discounted rate, the reservation confirmation sent to me stated that I had booked through Kayak and that the drop off site and the pickup site were the same. I didn't notice, I had no reason to check as I had never entered the information that way.

    At the counter the kind representative tried to help but was unable to change anything and told me that I needed to pay almost double in order to drive away with the vehicle. It was well after midnight by then, shuttles unavailable, so I spent the night at the airport hoping to speak to a manager or customer service in the morning. When they opened up again I explained my entire situation to the clerk, including and especially the drop off site location. I was mislead into thinking that he had solved the problem as it was a "simple fix".

    After what was for the most part a sleepless night on the airport floor I was grateful, signed the form and drove away but this morning after reviewing the agreement and realized that nothing had changed, the locations were still the same. I believe Budget's website reservation process is faulty and I don't believe that the company cares once they have your money. I will know for certain after I speak with a manager... If I get a call back... I was told that they are very very busy.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2015

    I rented cars from Budget/Avis for months and they were alright for the most part, but they will change your rate, sometimes double it in a week. They're horrible! I consider them the very last resort rental car company. I rented with them for 6 months straight and they still treat me with no loyalty.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2015

    I recently book a car rental from Budget. I am from India and I have recently arrived in US. I don’t a SSN and that's also to say I don't have a Credit Card. I said them several times that I don't have a Credit Card and SSN. They booked my car and debited money from my debit card. When I called them for confirmation they were saying I need a credit card to get a car. All of the car rental customer service are idiots and don’t have proper information. They should be fired for causing serious inconvenience for customers. My 400$ dollars are blocked because of them and I can’t use them until they refund me. Even when it’s their mistake they are charging 10$ for cancellation.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 25, 2015

    On Friday 8/28/2015, my husband picked up a car that we had reserved at the Budget Rent A Car located at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, AZ 85034. We had reserved through Costco Travel a Standard Size SUV which should have been a Ford Edge or Equivalent. My husband brought home a Chevy Equinox, which is classified by the manufacturer as a compact SUV. We intentionally wanted a larger SUV to fit our family of four, luggage, and family dog for a weekend road trip. Unfortunately we were on a tight schedule to proceed out of town for a fast weekend trip to visit family in California so we did not return to Budget to dispute or question the apparent discrepancy between what we thought we paid for and what was issued to us. I include this detail only to substantiate my claim that Budget Rent-A-Car conducts business using dishonest and questionable practices.

    My REAL issue is an unauthorized charge to our bank account using the associated VISA card number that we rented the vehicle with almost four weeks ago. Our family of four + our family dog (an English Mastiff) traveled in the vehicle from the afternoon of Friday 8/28 and returned it first thing in the morning. Monday 8/3 after ensuring that, the gas tank was full and that all cups and wrappers were cleared out of the vehicle from our trip (the courteous thing to do). Upon returning the vehicle at the Budget center, a walk around of the exterior, validation of mileage, AND a check of the interior passenger cab AND luggage area were all performed before we were issued a final receipt for $159.82 of charges for the rental + fuel.

    On Wednesday morning 9/23, almost four weeks later, we recognized a memo hold for $150 against our checking account by Budget Rent A Car. We contacted Budget immediately and were informed that the additional $150 charge is a vacuum fee for excessive dog hair. It's important to point out that our pet can only fit in the luggage area of the vehicle and an adequately sized travel blanket for pets was laid beneath her. IF the amount of hair in the vehicle at the time of return was deemed excessive, requiring effort beyond the normal cleaning and vacuuming that they should do for every rental car, then I feel very strongly that we should have been told at the time of return. If that was the case we would have taken the opportunity to clean/vacuum it ourselves and bring it back to Budget rather than pay an arbitrary and excessive fee almost a month later.

    There was also no follow-up communication or warning by mail, phone, or e-mail to inform us of Budget's decision to assess this fee. The Budget Terms & Conditions on our rental reservation also do not list a cleaning fee in the Additional Fees section and the only fee we were aware of is the $150 penalty fee for smoking in the vehicles which are supposed to be smoke free. In the case of a smoking fee, I can understand the purpose of a penalty as someone is deliberately ignoring a policy. In our case we used the vehicle from Budget for a family road trip, abided by known policies, and used the vehicle just as we would have our own which unfortunately don't afford us the space needed for a long road trip of five.

    We immediately requested to speak with a manager to dispute and were advised however that a manager was not available and that we would receive a call back in 24-48 hours. As of Thursday morning 9/24 the funds were in fact taken from our account despite our dispute filed directly with Budget with no follow-up call from anyone. I called budget around 3:15 PM Thursday 9/24 again requesting a manager. I was placed on hold for more than five minutes, only to be told that there was no manager available to speak with me. I was told we were in queue for a call back and that we needed to wait.

    Frustrated I began to list for the agent the multiple reasons why we were disputing this fee, the main one being the amount of time since the rental, subjectivity of the issue, and lack of proof. He then informed me that he was looking at photos of the interior if the car. I asked if the photos were dated and he advised me yes and that even a photo of the odometer was taken. They had not been offered to us on the day prior so I requested copies of the photos and our rental agreement, providing two separate e-mail addresses for them to be sent to.

    At 10:11 P.M., I received an encrypted email from no-repy@avisbudget.com. The e-mail contained no text or contact information for follow-up. It also contained only one single photo of the exterior of a car window with "Detail Dog Hair 8/31/15" handwritten on it. This is far from the 'proof' I was expecting to corroborate their claims to a cleaning fee. It has also been more than 48 hours and we have not received any call back from a manager, rather, we received a very short e-mail response from their escalation department, lacking any apology, insinuating that the vehicle was returned in such poor condition that it required detailing and that the billing was deemed to be correct.

    Again, no contact information was provided for me to speak directly with anyone at a manager level and I STILL do not have any visual proof of this claim that the vehicle required extraordinary vacuuming effort, let alone detailing (there surely was no stains, odors or tears to address). We have very little faith in Budget's dispute process or business practices after reading several customer reviews online at Consumeraffairs.com, Yelp.com, and BBB.com (who reports 529 claims against this location in the past three years).

    I can say that I will never rent from this company or their Avis affiliate again. It seems that erroneous, outrageous charges and unresponsive customer service are how they normally do business. I consider myself a fair and responsible consumer who has no problem paying for services that I use. I feel like Budget is improperly utilizing customer financial information to unjustly implement questionable and subjective fees in an unreasonable period of time as a means to pad their bottom line.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 25, 2015

    I usually rent from Avis for work under our work preferred vendors, and we have two preferred Avis and Budget. Avis was booked so I went to Budget. Assumed they must be similar. The car I got was a Mazda 3, and has markers on where dents were found. I needed the car, and just moved on. When I drove from the airport to the hotel, the car sounded bad, but I just moved on.

    On the third day, the car would not start. I thought I would just call, and they would apologize and I would get a new car or it would be serviced. When service got on the phone, they asked why I did not try getting the car jumped! I explained I was there for work, knew no one who could jump me, and they scheduled service. They indicated that I would not pay for service, which was not what I ever thought I should expect. I expected an apology and a credit for the day I could not drive the car I was paying for. I called after service to customer service, waited on hold for 20 minutes only to tell me that customer service opens the next day and they transferred me to another person, who then did not come on, and was then told that the manager was busy with a Nascar event and would email me back. Just so infuriating. I ended up calling my credit card company so at least it was logged.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 24, 2015

    I recently rented a car from Budget and received a price of $150 for a week. With so taxes should have been $174 and change. After returning the car they charged me over $505. When I called to ask about all the charges the women I spoke with was very nasty and stopped speaking to me on the phone. I never yelled or raised my voice cause that will not help the situation. When she finally decided to answer me you was told I signed up for all these extras. When I spoke with the agent upon picking up the car. I said I only wanted to pay the $150. I don't need anything else on the car. She told me that's fine and stated it was removed from the bill. I signed like you are suppose to.

    When I received the bill they add an additional $300 plus dollars on services I did not want. Do not believe a word anyone says with Budget/Avis. Just received a nasty email from the company telling they will not remove the charge and next time I should be a little smarter about what I sign. They told me their service lady in Norfolk would never say that to me and pretty much called me a liar. Save yourself money and never use Budget/Avis. Worst company and customer service ever. Very nasty people work there.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 22, 2015

    I rented a car in January 2015 and in August, 2015, received a charge on my credit card for $336.25 stating it was interest. No one at the Anasco site or Budget responded, and I did not keep my receipt and contract information. I'm devastated that there is no explanation to this charge. I've read many, many bad reviews stating that this is common at Budget Rental. Never, never again will I rent a vehicle from Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsCoverageSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2015

    I reserved a rental car through rentalcars.com with Budget. The total rental price including taxes was 288.03. I have, in the recent past, rented cars from Budget, Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz. The type of car and time frame is always the same--thus the price is always within a plus or minus $20.00 for the rental. In addition, it is always unlimited mileage, and my rentalcars.com agreement confirmed unlimited mileage.

    When I picked up my car initially, the desk person was upset (I don't know why, there were no other customers at the desk). He quickly and in my opinion, rudely rushed me through the rental process, not even asking me if I wanted insurance coverage. At the time, I just put it off to someone having a bad day. I took the vehicle, took care of my business, and returned the car with a full tank on the required day at 4:30 pm. I was then informed that I had a mileage charge of $392.00, over $100.00 more than the cost of the actual rental. I, of course, disputed this and was told by the desk person that he could not help me, but the manager would "take care of it". I left all my contact information with the assurance I would be promptly contacted at 8:30 am the following day.

    After three days, I started to call and leave messages. After 8 days of no returned calls, I contacted Budget in New Jersey and filed a complaint. After two weeks and no response I called again and was told my complaint was denied, and that it was rentalcars.com's "fault". After contacting rentalcars.com, I was told that they could not help me. I tried Budget again, with the same result, and then tried the regional office in New Mexico (I'm in CO), and they wouldn't even let me talk to the billing office, but took another complaint, saying they would contact me within 10 working days.

    It has been three working weeks and no response. I will try to contact them once again, but I am sure it will be to no avail. This was a bad deal all around---technically a bait and switch. Terrible customer service from the desk to the home office. I will never use rentalcars.com again, and I will especially never use Budget ever again, and will tell anyone interested in renting a car not to use Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2015

    I rented a compact car for labor day weekend. Brought the car back 2 hours later than I told them. They charged an extra $20 for it being late, which brings the total to $64, I understand. A week later I get a charge of a total $114 on my card. I called to find out where the extra charge a week later came from and they claim it didn't have gas in it. I filled the car up at the gas station by the location before I took it back which was only $15. They claim since I no longer had the original receipt it stands as it is. Now why would I keep a receipt when I've been charged for the rental already. If I would've known a week later they were going to charge a bogus extra $50+ I would've kept it. This is the worst company to rent a car from and they lie. They don't try fix their mistakes. They may blame the customer. Ridiculous. Me or my family/friends will never deal with this company again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceOnline & App

    Reviewed Sept. 15, 2015

    I have rented from Budget twice, and will absolutely never do so again. Their website is designed to prevent you from seeing the myriad hidden fees they will charge. Their customer service is absolutely horrific. They offer no roadside assistance, and when they screw up (like not having a reserved car available) they don't do anything to solve the problem, just make you wait around - potentially for hours - for a car to come in. Meanwhile, they refuse to refund your money.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceCoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2015

    I made car reservations for my wife's trip to Phoenix to visit our daughter. As an experienced car renter (since I travel a lot) I knew to decline any other insurance offered. My wife on the other hand, does not usually do this, and although in her mid 50's, has never had to rent a car in her life. I told her that rental of less than $20 per day had been secured, that all she needed to do was to pick up the car. At the rental place, she confirmed the rental. The agent there, while chit-chatting about local current events, went through the checkout process and just had her initial agreeing to additional coverage without telling her that these charges cost more money. My wife, believing that I had already had everything setup, just complied with the checkout process.

    After two days, she returned the car, with a full tank of gas as instructed, and was given a receipt. Since she had to catch a flight, she got on the shuttle bus and proceeded to the terminal. En route, she realized that she had been charged $223.58 for a reservation of $19 a day. She contacted me about it and that is when I found out that they had conned her into agreeing to the additional charge.

    I immediately called "Customer Care" and explained to the customer service agent what had occurred. She stated that there was nothing she could do about it and that I would have to contact the local branch. She gave me phone number of 602-261-5950 to contact them directly. I attempted this number over 15 times in the course of an 18 hour period and it went straight to voicemail and a series of automated menus that at some point state that "my call is very important to them"! I remained on hold up to 40 minutes one time with absolutely no one answering. Try it to see what I mean. Without a doubt, this number is never answered. By the way, one of the calls was at 03:30 in the morning, and I doubt they were too busy to answer the phone at that time.

    Budget, your customer service is a disgrace. Yes, you will still be in business because hundreds of thousands do not know your company operates this way. But as for me and all of those that I can share my story with, will never, ever do business with Budget again due to the lack of business integrity displayed by Budget as company. A formal letter is being drafted to the AZ BBB, the AZ Attorney General's Office, and the Dept. of Transportation in Washington DC.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2015

    The worst car service ever!!! This company is fraud. I have made a prepaid booking ($200 advance) for an SUV for long weekend (Sept 7th) and when I reached to the counter the attendant kept me waiting for 2 hrs saying that the car is on the way but later on said that there is no car available and just went off closing the office (time ~6 PM). At that time because of rush due to long weekend, no other vendor was able to provide me car on an ad hoc request. My whole plan was ruined, my hotel booking, attractions tickets... just everything ruined because I was not able to show up as I didn't had car to reach there. This is not done yet. I called customer care to give my money ($200) back. They said since I am cancelling the reservation so they'll charge me $50. WTF!!! I said "I am cancelling because you didn't had car for me." It was not my decision. :( It's the worst!!! Don't TRUST THEM AT ALL!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2015

    I have NEVER interacted with such unknowledgeable staff or had such a difficult time retrieving information. When I placed my order, I paid for the rental of the vehicle and was required to pay the "estimated taxes and fees" when I picked the vehicle up. When I arrived, the employee who was helping me informed me that my remaining charges were more than three times the "estimated taxes and fees." When I asked how this could be, he simply said he didn't know. At this point, I asked to speak to a manager. Instead, he sent me to a different counter with another employee. This woman looked at my reservation and told me, "Can you read? It says estimate." I was irate. That is no way to speak to a customer. Again, I asked for a manager and was told that there was no manager on site.

    I was appalled at the service I was receiving and wanted to cancel my order. However, they had already charged me before I signed for the payment. My card was charged, and there was "nothing we can do, ma'am." I became upset and asked for the keys so I could leave, deciding to worry about the situation later. After all, I was on vacation. When I returned home, I received two more charges. I called to ask what they were for, and one woman told me that they were for tolls (which is understandable). Another woman told me I was incorrectly charged so she refunded a little over $100. Each time I received a charge and called Budget, I asked to speak to a supervisor. Each time, I was told that they were unavailable and would be called back. It has been two weeks, and I am still waiting. The service is unacceptable, and my entire experience was frustrating. I will never rent from Budget again, and I would certainly recommend that you don't either.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoverage

    Reviewed Sept. 12, 2015

    My parked car was hit and totaled this morning parked on the street. The responsible party's insurance has been a nightmare alone to deal with. Budget sent an email confirmation to my email saying to pick the car up before 6:30 when they closed. I got there as soon as I could (being an hour away) at 6:15 and nobody was there. Called customer service and they said to come back at 8:45. So I drove another hour home, waited till 8:30 and went back to Budget. 9:00 rolls around and the employee comes wandering in with his girlfriend and cafe rio. After ten minutes of looking for my reservation, he asks for payment. (Which ins has already taken care of) Then he says, "okay well, I will need a 600$ deposit from you on top of the 286 the ins co will be paying for the rental." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Screw you **. I've got lamborfeeties and I'm about to use them.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 9, 2015

    I do not agree with the prices charged by Avis/Budget. Here's what happened: I have rented a car for Decolar.com as described below: Confirmation #: **, Account #: **, IATA Number/Assigned Number: **, Purchase Request #: **, Voucher #: **, Voucher value: R$ 271.69 / US$ 86.00. Paid in cash but I upgraded because the car that was rented was small and I was informed that the car specified could not fit a wheelchair. I upgraded, I have been advised to drive a car Ford Edge. The value that came in the credit card is absurdly high.

    Avis Rent A Car 1 New York USD $ 285.21. Avis Rent A Car Tools 866-2856265, USD $ 27.70. I would like to know for more details because the discount was not given by Avis and that was already paid for Decolar.com, as attachment. I would ask review, otherwise, I would file a lawsuit against of that and claim in several Brazilian sites harming the image of Avis/Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Sept. 7, 2015

    I recently rented a car from 8/25 until 9/3 paid through Priceline. I called for two additional days and was told I would pay the same rates for the additional days. I got the bill after and the price I paid was triple what I paid for the original, including upgrades and other things I did not request. I called Budget customer service and was told they are all legitimate and no adjustments would be done. I have been using them over the last two years every other month. I will no longer use them or their affiliates.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 6, 2015

    I made a reservation on-line. It was a holiday weekend and I called to make sure there was a car available since I had to walk 2 miles to pick it up. Nobody answered, so I called the national reservation office and they assured me that my reservation would be good. When I got there I was told that she HAD NO CARS AVAILABLE, and there was nothing she could do. I called the national number to complain and the out-sourced agent suggested it was partly my fault for trying to rent on a holiday weekend. I called their "customer care" agent and was told that they don't offer vouchers or credit, just take complaint reports. The agent at the location at 4800 Evans, Glendale Colorado apologized, but said the on-line reservations often make these mistakes and create irate customers.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2015

    3 weeks ago I made a reservation with Budget. Pick up was set for 8 a.m. on September 5th. Arrived at the rental agents location only to be told "we will have your car in 2 hours". I called the toll free number for Budget to see what they would do to keep me a happy customer. In a very polite way they told me they weren't going to do anything. This is a breach of contract and I will never be doing business with them again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 4, 2015

    You have got to be kidding me! No one at the Budget counter (which advertises 25-hour service). Sign says go to Avis. Avis has 1 person working and the line is now a mile long. Unacceptable by any customer service standards! Recommend people rent from somewhere else.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 26, 2015

    Rented a car from them in Florida from 7/14/15-7/18/15. When I returned the car I received my receipt from them that showed all info including that when I returned the car the fuel reading showed full. When I looked at my credit card statement online it showed an extra charge for 168.99. When I called about it the first person I spoke with said "fax us proof that you put gas in the car and we will reimburse your money back." I sent them my bank statement showing the two times I purchased gas for the car the day before I took it back. The second person I spoke with said the bank statement was not accepted for proof of purchase, I needed the receipts from the gas station.

    After looking for a few days I found the two receipts and faxed them over. The third person said the one receipt was very light and if there is any way to make it darker, so I resend it. Now they are saying that because I never put gas in the car the day of return that's why I'm being charged that amount. I said to the fourth person it doesn't say that on the contract. "Well there are a few things that are not on the contract but that the contract. Your claim is denied." I requested for someone in corporate call me and the person that called left a message saying that they reduce the charge but not give me my money back.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 26, 2015

    I would give them a negative 5 stars. Horrific customer service after the rental agreement was entered. Was told I could return the vehicle to any location. What they failed to tell me was that there was a $300 charge for doing so. I made arrangements to return the car closer to home so that I could walk home rather than arrange for a ride from the farther location. Associate informed me of the charge upon my attempt to return the vehicle with a very sarcastic attitude. Offered no apology. Instead, showed me the computer screen as though the computers were in control rather than the humans. Said, "have a nice evening" in a sarcastic tone as I left!!!!

    Called customer service immediately and had to go through several automated prompts and one transfer before finally getting to a customer service rep whose best solution was to have a manager contact me 24-48 business hours later. And again NEVER APOLOGIZED. Not even 1 hint of remorse in his voice. Said he couldn't be responsible for what the other associate told me. I asked him how would I believe what he said if the associates at Budget can't be trusted and held accountable for the information they relay to customers. Hateful, non customer based service. I recommend public transportation or walking rather than getting involved with this ungrateful and disrespectful company. Run, don't walk, away from Budget.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 25, 2015

    My husband, rented a car to go visit his brother dying of cancer from Budget rental place in Dallas Texas. The cost of the rental through AARP membership was $359.52. He asked for collision coverage, but they added other insurances he was not aware of which totaled $602.05. I discovered this when I checked my credit card balance. Shame on them, taking advantage of a grieving spouse. He had to travel for 3 hours to reach his brother with no Budget rental place close by to modify the contract. They would only amend the contract in the larger cities in Texas. The office person could not give me any information on a close location and they won't refund my money. Budget, you only get to screw this non-returning customer once in this lifetime with your unethical practices.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Aug. 24, 2015

    This was the slowest service I have ever experienced. After about an hour I was finally given my keys. They gave me an "upgrade" supposedly at no extra charge. Upon turning the car in I found there was an extra upgrade charge of more than a couple hundred bucks. I'm done with Budget. Never again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Staff

    Reviewed Aug. 24, 2015

    I booked a Budget rental car through Expedia and paid in full. I was assured by Expedia that there were no hidden extras. When I arrived at the Columbus airport Budget desk after a 16-hour journey from the UK, I was asked for my credit card. I said that I did not require any extras, no additional insurances, no additional cover of any kind. The salesperson assured me the card swipe was just for security, and asked me to initial a form in several places "in relation to the car hire".

    I have now received my credit card bill with a charge of $273 from Budget. This is on top of the $350 I paid in the UK. That's a total of almost $600 for 5 days car rental!! I have contacted Budget customer services who have said that the extra $273 was for extra insurances that I apparently agreed to by initialing the form. I feel sick to my stomach that I have been conned, after a great trip and being so well treated by every other US citizen I met on my travels. Budget should be banned from doing this to travelers as it is giving a bad reputation to the travel industry.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 22, 2015

    I can't believe I thought Budget rental was a reputable company! My rental car Is infested with Roaches, they're everywhere! I can't drive and I had to leave it behind and have my friend come and pick me up for a really important event! I'm beyond disgusted. Then I call customer service because there's no way I'm getting in it and driving it! And customer service sends me to roadside assistance. They say, "Oh, this is a common problem." (COMMON FOR WHO? I don't have roaches in my 40,000 car sir.) Please help me, that's all I ask - One pissed off lady.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 21, 2015

    We were charged $200 extra with no explanation. When we called they explained that there was some pet hair in the van... some... We have pictures. A small amount. They encourage pets in their advertising. We were obviously surprised that they encourage pets but charge a $200 cleaning fee for having a small amount of pet hair after a week's rental. I asked for them to point that out to me in our rental agreement. To the agent's surprise she couldn't find it. Didn't matter though. She actually said that we can talk to a manager to receive the same answer she had just given us.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 19, 2015

    Just scammed by an agent. I reserved a mid size SUV. He asked me if I want a Hyundai or a Chevy Equinox. I told him the chevy sounds better and I left. After returning my car I see a charge for an extra 96. I called and they said "oh the Chevy is 10 extra per day". I told them it's a mid size suv like I reserved! And the guy never said it's additional. They said I should of read the fine print and refuse to return my money.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2015

    Rented a minivan from August 12th through 18th. I reserved this vehicle with the confirmation price being $379.65. I did authorize Loss Damage Waiver at $13.50 per day. After dropping the van off with full tank of fuel and 4 minutes early, my final price was $736.62!!! Wow! Never again with Budget!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2015

    Why do I have to give one star? They deserve less than that. I made a reservation for 12 passengers van to travel for vacation with my children, mother and other family members. I also rented a house via air bnb where I was going to stay at. We packed and I went to pick up the vehicle. When I got there, the manager said that it was given to someone else. This reservation was made for over 2 months and confirmed the day before. I lost money on the house rental because they could not refund the money, I was stressed out for not having a way to get to where I was going and my kids... Oh they were excited. What an awful customer service of that manager and how irresponsible people at Budget. There are not words to describe how I felt. I will never never ever will even try to use to company, but I will make sure no one in my family or circle of family does.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2015

    We rented a car at the airport in Cancun... A lady named Anel gave us a car with no plates! Then she made us sign an open voucher. 4 days later when we returned the car she told us she was going to charge us 3 thousand for the missing plates! We said she give us the car like that and we assumed that since then it was a car rental it had a special permit. Then she was super rude and told us it was our responsibility to check that the car had plates when they gave it to us!!!! She was rude and dishonest! Terrible service! Terrible! DO NOT RENT FROM THEM... They will try to rob you!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceOnline & AppStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 17, 2015

    Absolutely THE WORST COMPANY to deal with. They DO NOT honor commitments or promises. Customer service department is rude and unprofessional. It all started on July 10th when we used their convenient pre-pay option to rent a car for our family vacation. What the website does not tell you is there is a VERY good chance that they will not have the car you rented at the time of pick up. Which we found out 2 hours before we were leaving for a family vacation on July 31st. After arguing with customer care for an hour and 45 minutes, was told, "Sorry, nothing we can do! You can wait for couple of days to see if a car comes in or you can rent a car elsewhere, we will refund the difference." So we finally find another vehicle, rent it and go enjoy our vacation. Get home, submit the paperwork to the number provided and get an email two days later that our reimbursement was denied, since the car was rented in another name.

    So after us calling and explaining for another hour and half that it had to be because we didn't have another credit card with the name on it and they had ours tied up with the car we didn't receive, they finally agreed to give us the reimbursement. Received our reimbursement, yet now it is for the incorrect amount. Now being told after another 45 minutes on the phone that the amount of the car and the amount of the prepay was different and that I was actually going to owe them money when I picked up the car (yeah, that would have went over well).

    The agent kept telling me to look at my email confirmation and I would see. I explained that I was and the amounts were the same. Asked her to send me a copy, she said, "No," that she was unable to, that I just need to look at the one I have. When asked for a manager again, was put on a brief hold and told, "Sorry I have exceeded my time to wait for a manager, I have to disconnect the call, all I can do is open a ticket for someone to call and speak to you in 24-48 hours to tell you the same thing that I just told you." WOW. Customer Service at its finest!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase

    Reviewed Aug. 12, 2015

    I have been renting car from Budget for the last 2 years. I'm a fastbreak customer. I arrived at 8am to return the car I had to get another I prepaid. I was $20 short of the hold and nobody can do anything. So much for loyalty. Guess I should find another spot (airport/company).

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Aug. 12, 2015

    We rented a minivan through Priceline for a specific amount including taxes and fees to be picked up at the MCO on Aug. 2, 2015. "Andrea" and a man at the counter said it was Florida law to have the Loss Damage Waiver which we could not read on a scratched screen. Upon getting a copy of the contract we found out it WAS optional which we had argued, but had already signed the contract--they lied and we were charged $202.93 ($28.99 a day) plus more fees and taxes. I checked dissatisfied below under Vehicle Selection because we had to get them to give us a minivan instead of a Ford Flex that they tried to substitute! We will walk before we rent from Budget again!

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Aug. 12, 2015

    We booked basic car hire through Affinity Villas. When we arrived we were asked if we wanted to upgrade for 8 euros per day plus toll charges. We agreed and a swipe of our card was taken. We were charged £360 on this card as apparently we agreed to all sorts of things such as roadside assistance etc which we did not agree to. Yes we signed the form but the lady just told us what we had agreed to and asked us to sign. Total rip off.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 12, 2015

    I reserved a minivan online for a family vacation. When I went to pick up the car the afternoon before we were going to leave I was told that no vans were available. In fact, no cars at all were available. This happened after I waited for almost an hour before anyone was available to help me at all. There was only one person at the pick up station and he was trying to do everything. He told me that he would have a "similar" car if I would meet him in the morning at the airport. I did this and he never showed up. Calling customer service was a joke. They just told me they couldn't help me. Needless to say, I am very frustrated and will never rent from Budget again. My family vacation was delayed and we ended up having to drive separate cars instead of being able to travel together.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 11, 2015

    I am a frequent car renter, I've been renting with Budget for years. Today I could honestly say they will never receive a penny from me again. They took total advantage of me today. I flew into O'hare in Chicago and was told that since they had so much volume that I would have to pay a premium in order to get a rental car. I paid $850 for a rental that usually would run me $300. Even the friendly staff were honest and told me it was an outrageous rate. I went as far as to call customer service in order to attempt to get a better rate or to return that car early to avoid the cost and just take cabs from place to place and they told me I would get charged $585 for a single day's rental. I cannot believe the audacity of these people. Please stay away!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaffProcess

    Reviewed Aug. 10, 2015

    When arriving in my destination city the customer service representative just mumbled and was not informative or helpful. He was disengaged during the whole process. He gave me a hybrid car that has a push button start and did not give me a code or key to lock the doors, and no information about the car. I returned the car for a Ford Escape, which was much better, yet again when he informed me where it was located in the lot, I had to ask about the keys. I do not think he should assume that we all know; "The keys are in the car."

    Three days into my 11 day rental I received an e-mail that my rental has been recalled by the manufacturer and that I needed to exchange the car at "no extra cost to me." Why would it be any extra cost to me? I was on vacation and I tried to exchange the car at 2 locations and 7 phone calls with no satisfaction or help in exchanging a car that in their words: "was putting my life and the life of my passengers in danger." I also sent e-mails and never received a reply.

    When I looked information on the recall the article stated that it has been recalled since January 2015! When did they rent it to me in the first place? I called tonight to ask if I can return the car 4 hours later than my original scheduled time and they want to charge me for an extra day. Somehow when it comes to them collecting money I get a quick response! I will never, never use this company again!!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase

    Reviewed Aug. 8, 2015

    I reserved a mini van in Buffalo, NY Aug 7th 2015 for 8 days. I have large family with large number of bags. When arrived I was surprised to find that there was no mini van! Instead I was given a small SUV! What's the point of making a reservation and receiving a confirmation?!!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 6, 2015

    I'm a frequent renter and I get to the rental location (Budget) 20 minutes early and they wouldn't give me a car. I'm not only frequent but I've been renting from this location for 4 months straight. Not only did the cashier tell me wait until 20 minutes but customer service did also. They tried to charge me $60 more for the vehicle. I was at the Phoenix location Black Canyon highway. The manager is cool - Jamie, but the new employees aren't.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed Aug. 6, 2015

    I reserved a car to be picked up in Jerez, Spain for a week-long vacation. I returned the car a week later. I parked the car in the same spot I found it in #8. Then I went to the counter in the terminal to return the key, and couldn't locate an employee. I dropped the key in the key drop slot at the counter and flew home. A couple weeks later we got a credit card bill from the Jerez Budget folks for $5,000. Blatant attempt to steal. Beware of this company and this location in particular.

    After disputing the charge Budget created 2 versions of what happened. One version had the vehicle being returned overdue with damages. Another had me booking the car for 20 days. The doctored paperwork Budget submitted is laughable and will not stand up. What a huge hassle over a crummy rental car. Amazing how crooked people can be. This was more about screwing an American who speaks limited Spanish.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 4, 2015

    After telling me one price over the phone I was greeted with a completely different price at the counter (DFW). So I couldn't afford to rent at the airport so I found an affiliate branch outside of the airport in Arlington, Texas. It was more affordable but they were limited on the cars that they could rent to me so they ended up renting me the dirtiest and filthiest rental ever. They quoted the weekly rental at $255.57 including tax. Fine. Before returning the car early I got it detailed. Paid over 50 bucks to get it detailed because it was so dirty when I got it. Plus I didn't want to hear that crap about "Well, we had to charge you more for bringing it back dirty" type **. When I returned it I asked the checker did he want to see my receipt for the detailing and he said no. So I get back home and check my email a couple of days later and find out they've charged me 400 plus dollars for the rental.

    I contact them and they have absolutely no explanation for excessive charges the first 2 times I contacted them. The 3rd time I contacted them they said the reason they put a hold on the extra money was because of an authorization hold. WHAT!!! How do you put an authorization hold on something after the fact I had already rented the car. Plus the first 2 times I got replies from them nobody mentioned an authorization hold. After I cursed them out they promised to send me a 25 dollar gift certificate. I thanked them for it but told them not thanks because it doesn't began to cover the cost of the illegal transaction totaling over 400 bucks. So the person who responded back a 3rd time said to wait up to 30 days for my money to be refunded back to my credit card. 6 months later and it has still not been refunded So I'm going to the media next.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 3, 2015

    I have several unfortunate experiences with this company. I rent the car in Israel for 10 day. They overcharge me (charge me several times), they admit it, they said they will pay back in 2 week. This was last month. Customer service representative feeds me with "in a few days" promises.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 1, 2015

    Having been a regular and fast break member, I was surprised to get really treated as I did. Budget has to be watched on every rental made with them. This wasn't the first time I was overcharged. This time they refused to do anything about it or have a supervisor call me back and when I told them I was recording their call they immediately hung up. I actually prepaid my latest reservation with them and after looking at my receipt, once on my flight, realized they charged me an additional $55+ tax For a prepaid gas Bill.

    Now I rent regular and I'm a fast break member and in my fast break profile have no prepay for fuel nor never had used this service. I explained to the person who answered and they said they couldn't do anything about this Claiming I chose this. I explained that I was told to bring the car back full and why would I pay for fuel twice. They refused outright to have a supervisor call me back and said I would have to dispute it with the credit card companies.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed Aug. 1, 2015

    Came to pick up my 2 rental cars in orlando. Both drivers didn't need any extra insurance on the prepaid vouchers. We got the silent treatment. Nothing was said. They made us sign after confirming nothing was added to the reserved car. And yes, after arriving at home, the credit card of both drivers were charged with 112 dollar. Stay away from budget car ORLANDO.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 1, 2015

    Absolute worst rental experience ever. A line out the door with no end. 3 hours later I still do not have the car I rented. Budget online no help. In fact when I tried to complain I got transferred to AVIS. DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY. Beyond bad.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Customer Service

    Reviewed July 31, 2015

    I pre reserved a car online a week prior to my departure to go get my daughter. It was paid in full successfully with my debit prepaid card. Although Budget took my money and sent me several reminders none of those notices stated that I wasn't able to pick up a car without a major credit card. So after poor customer service and having to wait 30 minutes all for the guy to tell me that my payment meant nothing and he can't give me a car. Not only is this frustrating but now time that I coulda been on the road is lost and I had to figure out a alternate travel way to return my daughter back from South Carolina to Pittsburgh. On top of waiting 2 to 5 business days to get my money returned. Budget sucks.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Verified purchase
    Staff

    Reviewed July 30, 2015

    Transmission on my car failed on vacation. Rented a Budget car at Sarasota airport. Found it necessary to extend rental. Called Tampa office (car was being returned there). Told them circumstances. We were quoted a fee of $230.20 additional as we had already paid $ 835.88 at Sarasota airport. When we received the bill on return, we were issued a bill of $1,066 not the $230.20 we were quoted by their agent. They are double-billing us for the amount already paid when car was picked up. We will never use Budget again.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed July 29, 2015

    My father recently rented a 12 passenger van for a family vacation to Niagara Falls. When we picked up the van we were told the van was new and only had 35 miles logged on it, which one might say sounds like a wonderful thing! Only after having driven approximately 2 hundred miles we became caught in traffic for road paving, most people would be horrified at this, but for me I am thanking my lucky stars...after having been in the stop/go routine for a few minutes luckily we were only moving approximately 5 miles/hour when I (sitting in the third row back) hear my dad say "We don't have any brakes". My husband who was in the passenger seat was watching as my dad repeatedly pumped the brake pedal without any success when ultimately we hit the car in front of us in the rear pushing it into the next truck ahead.

    Once the police had arrived I proceeded to call for roadside service and was given a time frame of 2.5 hours for roadside swap...this was completed approx. 6.5 hours later. The state trooper made two trips driving my entire family (7) to a local hotel for the night. Due to safety reasons we were not allowed to stay with the van after dark in the road construction area. My father was also issued a traffic violation for this occurrence. He has not had an accident in over 40 years. After long deliberation we decided to complete our vacation although shorted by several hours at this point.

    Most would think this would be the worst part of the situation but for me it was the behavior of the employees on return of the van. The female was calm and courteous although I will admit I apologized at the very beginning for my anger...it by no means was her fault this had occurred. But the gentleman (and I use this word very loosely) who came from the office behind was a total jerk...at no point did he even ask if anyone was injured, he then proceeded to state that if my father had been paying attention this would not have happened, that we had driven it 2 hundred miles...is this all that is guaranteed by Budget rental cars? He also informed us the van had already received a maintenance review and was cleared...there was nothing wrong with the brakes. This would have been a little more able to swallow had the van not returned to the location at approximately 4am on a Saturday and this was just now 7pm on a Sunday...Really!!!

    Let's just hope that this guy who may have driven his own personal car for 80,000 miles never has any type of mechanical malfunction especially with his children in the car, we all know what they say about karma!!! What this "gentleman" who was dishing out such attitude should have done, was given my dad a refund for not only providing us with a van that malfunctioned, risking the lives of all included, but it also costed us an unplanned hotel night stay and loss of a day of our vacation. Also to top it all off, the tags on the van were not even issued to the van they were issued to a Honda car, needless to say the trooper was not impressed and also issued a citation for this as well. My main fear is that this van will be pushed back out on the road in a hurried manner, gotta make the next dollar.... the next customer may not be so lucky as to walk away.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Staff

    Reviewed July 28, 2015

    Phoned many car firms to confirm my driving licence was okay to use with no luck. Took the budget guy (Dan) a few seconds to confirm then offered to place the order. Very clear. Nice Irish lady at counter was excellent. All round friendly.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed July 27, 2015

    I am writing this review with hopes of helping people not make the same mistake. I reserved a car online with Budget in Sept 2014 for my pickup date of July 2015. I went to the Budget office a couple days before my pickup date and to make sure that all is well and my reservation was active and I also wanted to see what a Full-size SUV would accommodate as far as passengers and luggage. The guy at the desk looked at my reservation, said he did not have one on hand but that he would the day of the pickup and said that I would be getting a Ford Expedition. I was happy and I left.

    Well on the day of pick up, there were no Expedition in the lot when I drove in. I spoke to the guy and he said he didn't have one and would I mind driving about 2 miles to the nearest Budget. We actually had no choice, we were leaving for our beach rental that evening and we were ready to pack the car and go. When we arrived at the other Budget they tried to small SUV, we accepted only because we were pressed for time. When he tried to check us out he said that he could not honor the online price (per supervisor Nigel) and the only thing he can offer was a full-size car, or I will have to pay an additional $800.00 to rent the small SUV that was in his lot.

    Well, Nigel had open heart surgery and was not in the office, he was telling the guy at the desk this all through a phone call. I was literally sick to my stomach. We left, drove our own full-size car to the beach rental. We could not accommodate everyone in our car so we had to drive down in 2 cars. Now I will write a review everywhere I can and I will tell everyone I encounter about this Bait and switch practice that Budget does so well. I will also be going to Better Business Bureau as soon as I find out how.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Price

    Reviewed July 27, 2015

    After 12 hours on a flight we arrived very tired and wanted to get our car fast. Unfortunately the car we had paid for wasn't available and we had to upgrade and take a more expensive car (+500 dollars!!!) and the best of all: we had not had enough space for all of our luggage in the upgraded, "so much better" car! And after a few miles our car needed an oil change... Just ridiculous! Budget uses afaik selling methods that actually are illegal in other countries (like Switzerland) and that for good reasons!

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed July 27, 2015

    My grandparents and I rented from Budget at Richmond International Airport. The woman behind the desk was very helpful. We upgraded to a midsize car and it was a great car. We were all impressed with it. Upon returning the car, we made sure to fill up the tank and clean out the few gum wrappers that were in the cup holders. A woman checked the car, gave me my receipt, and we went on our way.

    When we got our credit card bill, we find we were charged for a $250 cleaning fee. With taxes, it was $300 more than what we had on our receipt. When I called Budget to inquire about the discrepancy, I was told there was a report of a smoke smell and ashes in the car. I'm highly sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke. If I smelled it, I would not have been driving the car for four days. Neither me nor my grandparents smoke and no one who was in or around the car smoked. We didn't eat in the car. There was barely any dirt in the car when we returned it.

    I spoke with two different call center representatives and one told me there magically were no pictures (they usually take pictures for proof of the charge) and that sometimes it gets too busy for someone to walk out with us to check the car when we take it, and the other representative told me someone who rented the car after we drove it must have reported the car smelled like smoke, so we were charged. I'm thinking either Budget saw an elderly couple and a young woman, didn't check the car beforehand on purpose, then decided to add on the cleaning fee for an easy $300, or whoever rented the car after us knew how to work the system. They smoked in the car and claimed it was us so we had to pay for their bad habits.

    I've called and called and gotten no proof for a cleaning fee. My next step is to call headquarters and to file a complaint. DO NOT rent from Budget. Apparently they make it a regular practice to tack on the cleaning charge after you've left, then have no proof for adding that on and say it is supported and valid. No one in my family and friends will not rent from any Budget ever after this. And you better believe I am telling everyone about this experience. All we see is a company who will take advantage of an elderly couple and young woman and not have any backing for claims of adding on hundreds of dollars of charges.

    Thanks for your vote!
    StaffReliability

    Reviewed July 26, 2015

    I picked up my rental car on 7/16/15 at Tampa Airport. When driving to my destination of St Pete Beach, the Check Tire Pressure light came on. I called the roadside assistance number and was told to take the car to their location at Sirata Beach Resort. When I told the man at the counter what had happened, he said he didn't have any cars to exchange and I would have to return to the airport. I asked him if he could please check the tire pressure, and he told me he didn't have a gauge to do this with but that it was just probably a malfunction of the sensor. Two days later I returned to this same location and dealt with a different person. There was a actually a maintenance port off to the side of the office. All four tires were low! I was able to exchange cars at this time. Obviously, I was given a car that had not been serviced. No more Budget Rental for me.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed July 25, 2015

    I pick up our rental car from Budget car rental at the St. John's Airport, NL. rental facility on July 16, 2015. A review for damages was done by me at the time we picked up our rental car. This car was returned to the airport rental facility on or about July 21, 2015. I did the review for damages once again at that time, and found none. After turning in my car keys to the Budget rental office, we were unable to use the flight facilities at St. John's due to inclement weather.

    With our flights being cancelled for three days, we finally were able to fly to Toronto and then home on the third day. After our arrival home, there was a message from Budget rental in St. John's, saying that there was stone damage and a crack done to the windshield of our rental car. I suggested that one cause may have been from flying gravel and stones, caused by nearby road construction equipment. I've not been able to speak with anyone via phone at this facility, but have sent an e-mail to Sandy **, a customer service representative of Budget Rental. As yet, I have not received an e-mail back. I don't want to pay for this damage, which I am sure was not done while I had the car rented.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Reviewed July 24, 2015

    We get to Budget and they don't have our car anymore. I was so mad that when I used their toilet, I didn't even flush. No joke.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Loading more reviews...

    Budget Car Rental Company Information

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