Budget Car Rental Reviews

Upon arriving at the Charlotte International Airport, my family and I determined that we needed to rent a vehicle to drive to Hilton Head, SC. We executed the rental agreement, proceeded to the vehicle and left the airport. Before we were even on the highway, we noticed that the car indicated the air pressure was low in one tire. We stopped at a gas station, added air to the tire and were on our way to Hilton Head. During our trip, the tire would not hold air and needed to be re-inflated every time we drove it. We called Budget and were advised that we should trade in the vehicle for a new one at the Hilton Head Airport Budget counter.

My daughter brought a blanket on a trip that had dog hair on it. I didn't think anything of it, until just now when I opened my mail and found a letter from Budget charging me a $75.00 CLEANING FEE. Not to mention that I returned the vehicle OVER A MONTH AGO. I have been renting from Budget for years, but will NEVER rent from them again. Run, don't walk, to ANY of the other rental car companies in Tucson. HORRIBLE COMPANY!

I rented a car in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands) and when I got there they told me that if my husband wanted to drive we needed to pay $7.50 extra per day. When I told them that Budget in the mainland did not charge extra for a spouse they told me I was wrong (I confirmed later on with Budget that I was right). I left the car early morning on the day of our departure (I had to fill the tank the night before as we had to leave at 5:30 am for the airport) and when I dropped it off at the airport the needle showed that it was full. They charged me $26 extra for gas as they said they had to add 2 1/2 gallons. The manager told me that their cars do not have good gas mileage (12.5 miles a gallon) and the airport was 15 miles from our house (so even, if as they said, the tank was not full-contrary to what the needle was showing in the car) we would have never used 2 1/2 gallons.

I rented a car online. My flight was delayed 3 hours. I called Budget to update my arrival time. Nobody answers even though I'm calling during their open hour times. I call back three times, nobody ever answers. I arrive at Edmonton airport to pick up car. I miss the counter closing time by 10 min. I have to sleep on a bench in the airport for 7 hours. Thanks to budget for not answering phone so I can update my itinerary. Rent from another company. Budget's terrible reviews are accurate.

We rented a car at the Zurich Switzerland airport. When we asked if it would hold two large pieces of luggage and two carry-ons, and when we were told it would, we said to her that was a good thing since we'll also be driving to Germany and Austria. She said nothing regarding fees for highway travel in either country. On the Budget Rental Car website the only things written about travel to other countries is the following...

I rented a Ford Excursion XLT to drive to Florida from Ohio for my mom's internment back in March. When I got the car home and I opened the back to load it I found trash, spills, and worst of all - vomit. Additionally when the car was given to me, the girl at the counter told me that the oil light could not be turned off at the current location but not to worry, because the car had just been serviced and it was good to go. Not so... The next morning when I started the car another light came on informing me of low tire pressure. Turns out the other light the girl at the counter referred to was not an oil light, but was also a tire pressure light (which I might have known had the manual been anywhere accessible). I filled all four tires which satisfied the lights and began to make our way. I made it as far as Atlanta when the light came on again. My dad got out his tire gauge and found the front driver's side tire to be very low. We filled the tire once again.

I was in a bind so needed to rent a car in a hurry. I thought I had a one-way rental with unlimited mileage and an overall amount of $304. I wish it was only that. I got a .79 per mile fee added on which brought the bill to over $800. Had this ever been explained, I would have asked to have been returned to the airport where I could have flown first class for less. I feel like no one wants to own the fact that the representative didn't cover this important item that dramatically changed the fee. I would have rented from anyone else. I used Budget because I use them for work and they always have unlimited mileage. I have a feeling I am stuck with this but don't want anyone else to be. I really think that should be a legal requirement to give an approximate amount based on the return location at least.

I called about two weeks ago to rent a 15 passenger van for my sister's wedding. I was told I could rent the van for one day at $220. Well I called today to reserve that and was told I couldn't rent the van for just one day, I had to rent it for two! How is the van available for 2 days but not 1? All 3 representatives I talked with were very rude. So I called EZ Rental and they were so helpful!!! Plus it's cheaper :) I am glad I had a bad experience with Budget because now I am saving money!

Picked up my car on time in Minneapolis and returned it on time. Never was there any mention of an upgrade fee. Got a charge from them effectively doubling what I thought I was going to pay. Their response was "sorry you agreed to it in the contract." In my opinion deliberate deception on their part to get more money out of your pocket. I do not plan on using them again and would recommend others avoid them as well.

I will never use their company again. I had been a long time customer with this particular location. The last time I rented, I prepaid online for a 1 day rental for $33.86, and ended up being charged an additional fee a $162 for a cleaning fee, 3 days after I turned my car back in. After disputing the fraudulent charges, they refunded my card (almost 30 days later, when the manager and the corporate office stated that it would only take a few days). I am a full time student with a very small budget that does not leave room for bogus charges to my account. Their error put my account in the negative which had a domino effect on my other expenses. I was highly disappointed and inconvenienced by their error and the only compensation that was offered was a very dry apology and extra stress on my part. I will NEVER recommend or utilize Budget Rental Car services again.

WARNING: Budget Car Rental is SNEAKY! We traveled to Iowa in March, during which time our rental car got a flat tire. I called to see if we had coverage for the tire change and was assured that we did. Because we waited hours for a company to come change the tire, despite being told repeatedly that someone would be there in less than 30 minutes, I called several times. Each time I was assured that Budget covers the flat tire change. We exchanged vehicles at a Budget location so that we would not be driving to our destination on a donut and asked at that location about problems related to the tire or exchange, and was told this is not problem and no charge. We signed papers when the car was returned at the final location, again reassured against any tire issues.

I recently reserved a vehicle through Orbitz at the New Bedford, Mass. airport Budget location. The price including taxes was in the Orbitz printout. When I picked the vehicle up I was never informed I was being upgraded. Had I been told I would have refused the upgrade since I reserved the vehicle 2 days prior to picking it up. When I returned the vehicle and looked over the receipt later that evening I noticed an $11 per day upgrade charge. I called Budget and was told I signed the contract therefore I had to pay the charge. When I told her I had made a reservation for that vehicle and therefore that vehicle should have been on hold and if Budget did not have that vehicle then Budget should absorb the upgrade charge. The woman from Budget offered to only charge me half the upgrade cost and I sternly refused.

I went to rent a 7-passenger car which they did not have. The car that they said they will have even when I confirm the night before and was reassured that the car will be there. Guess what? Waited at the airport for 1 hour before I got a car that needed air on the tire and an oil change and the car was giving us problem. Return the car the next day, was given another car and our bill was lower and was told by the manager to bring back the car empty and our bill was lower. We received our credit card bill for the car and we were being charged the regular price of the rental and we were charged 125.00 for gas. Shame on you Budget, you do not honor your word.

Basically I was charged $20.97 for XM radio, something I did not sign up for. We declined all options/services. When I called customer service to ask about the charge they told me I signed up for this. The customer service representative was absolutely rude as I asked about my bill. So I asked to speak to a supervisor, the "gentleman" told me he would not connect me with a supervisor, as he had answered my question. I realize $20.97 is not much money, but this is about the principle of being charged for something I did not approve of. As I read other complaints on this site, I realize this must be a business practice for Budget. Overcharging its customers, and charging them for things they did not ask for. I think this is criminal and should be looked at by the Attorney General for fraudulent business practices.

They will take your reservation and will not take payment upfront. Then on the morning of our event they notified me when I was there to pick it up that they did not have any passenger vans available. I would have to wait 2 hours minimum in order to get one. They did not seem to care that they booked it and didn't even have any available. I will never use this company again.

Ordered via Expedia. Got to Fla., did not have car we reserved so they "upgraded" us to a Civic and directed us to the parking deck row R #37 and POOF! That Civic must of drove off with the original car we reserved. Over 25 minutes later wearing winter clothes in Florida heat, hair 3" bigger and family members blowing up the cell wondering where I am with the car (just trying to convey my frustration at this point), finally find a Budget worker and we walk around for another 30 minutes until he finally finds me a Camry (poor sucker who reserved that car).

I returned my car in with full tank. There were only two people checking the returned cars, which may take 15-30 min. I couldn't wait. So I left the car in the return queue and took the shuttle. After a month, I check my credit card statement, seeing that they charged me $123 as "fuel service." And the only way to get the money back is to send them the receipt of gas station, which I don't have. They don't accept my credit card statement, which also show that I had a transaction in Shell near the return branch. This is unbelievable -- if they charge $10 for a gallon -- which means my car was missing 12 gallon gas. But in fact, I just filled it full before return. Those people are stealing my money. Don't do business with these thieves.

Reserved a 7 passenger van for family vacation. The car reserved was to have accommodated 7 passengers plus 2 suitcases. The van they tried to rent us could not seat 7 adults, unless they are hobbits, much less a suitcase. Ended us having to rent two small cars instead and was charged more for one Ford Focus than what I was quoted on the 7 passenger van.

We rent cars on a regular basis from the Norfolk International Airport in Virginia for weekend trips. Much like everyone else my first few times I was duped in to agreeing to the prompts on the digital display to find out that they were charges for services I clearly state that I do not want. The total amount was about $300 for insurance and other stuff that I never wanted. This seems like a good tactic for them to use and trap people who just hit accept to get the car and go without looking at the prompt. Thank the Lord for my Amex for removing those charges. I spent over 3 hours trying to tell them that I already paid for the car when I reserved and would never agree to their insurance rates because my Amex covers this rental. It was one of the most horrible experiences in my life with my kids and wife who were exhausted from the trip.

I had reserved a car 3 weeks in advance through Priceline. I told them that I can't see over the hood on some of their compact cars and needed some other type of compact car. When I arrived at White Plains, NY counter, they swiped my credit card, made me drag my luggage to the car lot (bad back) and had me sit in a car that had the slanted hood. When that didn't work, they had me sit in 4 other cars (all with slanted hoods) When I told them none of them worked, they finally put me in a car without a slanted hood. DUH I went back to check-in counter and told them I would rent this car.

We booked a Budget rental on Orbitz. It was around $35.00 a day. When my husband picked up the car he was asked to initial here and there. We were later billed over 300.00 dollars for additional insurance. I have spoken to Budget customer service with no avail. Sent them a copy of our insurance with State Farm which covers rental cars. They are incredibly unprofessional and a TOTAL rip off!!! This is how they scam you on good deals over the internet. I will NEVER use Budget again. HORRIBLE company. I offered to pay 75.00 to settle this but they insisted on the total amount. $303.00 is an amount I pay for my SUV every 6 months with State Farm. This was a little compact car. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I went and requested a van a week in advance for June 19th 2015. The lady at the front desk printed out my rental agreement and let me know how much it was going to be and I agreed. So when I go in on the 19th to get the van the lady swipes my debit card and says their soft credit check is not letting my card go through. I looked at her puzzled like why is it not going through. She looked at me and said "there is nothing more I can do for you." I said "so I made this reservation for nothing?" Why would she print out a rental agreement and not swipe my card in advance to see if it would go through? Well I had to go somewhere else to rent a vehicle. This took an extra 3 hrs and when I found a place it was another Avis Budget place in Charlotte NC.

I really got misleading by the drop off time on the info Costco 9 am to 1 pm and the actual drop off time at the Anaheim budget car rental. When I picked up the car on June 28 no emphasis was made to me about returning the car by 930 am on july 1st. I got there about 42 minutes late. I was charged $42! The sad thing was that I was ready to return the car the night before but the site was closed. The employee acted worse than a Vietcong personnel that I used to see! I really disappointed by the service! I rather donate $100 to the poor or the homeless.

On June 25, 2015 I went to the Budget counter at the Indianapolis Airport to pick up a rental car that I had already and pre-paid for online several days prior. I showed the agent my confirmation print out, showing exactly what I wanted. She asked three questions, about my driver's license, how I wanted to pay for gas, and confirmation that I had declined one of the optional charges. I told her clearly that I did not want the optional charge she had referenced. I was asked to hit "accept" on a touchscreen and sign, which I did.

I had rented a minivan from Budget two weekends ago. I knew it would be busy, so I reserved the minivan weeks ahead of time and even prepaid. My husband went to pick up the minivan from Budget only to find out that they did not have any minivans available. They did not tell us that they were unable to provide us with one. The guy at the desk had no customer service skills at all. He was very rude and acted like it was not his problem. After some discussion, he told my husband he would look around to see if he can get us one. He should've done this to begin with! I'm sure he knew we would be picking it up! He did find one.

Everything went fine with our car rental. They did try and overcharge us when we rented and luckily we caught it before we signed. Car was great. When we left the garage we noticed a box on our window. We asked the Budget representative at the booth where we check our car out what it was. She told us that it was a Easy Pay toll booth electronic payment. We should use it if we go through a toll booth. When you leave the airport, there is a toll booth. So we used it. I later checked the paperwork given to us and saw no comments about the Easy Pay.

I rent the car for a day to get to the airport. From my house to the airport there is 20 miles round trip. Budget charging me 132 miles, $60 for 6 gallons of gasoline. They had the information from my credit card but did not charge me and sent me to collection.

I had an accident with my vehicle and rented a car with Budget through my insurance company. I informed them that my insurance company only covered $30 a day. They informed me the cheapest rental they have is $55 a day. I took the car and was just going to pay the difference. Well my insurance company calls me and tells me that's ridiculous and they called Enterprise Rental and got me a better, newer car for $30 a day. NO OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE. The people at Enterprise were friendly, accommodating and a pleasure to work with.

I extended my rental for one day and they tripled my rate. It went from ~150 to just shy of 300!!! I will never rent for Budget again!!! What a ripoff. It would have been cheaper for me to get it for a week!!

I rented a large SUV from Budget on June 28th, 2015. I rented the vehicle to take my Family on a cross-country vacation I which so had to cross many state lines. When we returned from vacation we took the vehicle to the car wash and my 13 year old son found a large quantity of drugs in the vehicle stored where the tools are kept. I immediately contacted budget Monday morning and advised them of this and was told by the staff that over 30 percent of their cars are rented by drug dealers. Unbelievable. He also told me that the car had come the airport and that he did not have time to check it before It was rented to me. Also, I had to call the corporate office because there was nothing that he himself could do. I called and gave my statement and was told that the charges would be taken care of. I was promised that someone would contact me immediately instead of the normal 24 to 48 hours time frame.

I was quoted 495.00 CAD for a 10 day rental from Vancouver airport. This was meant to include extra driver and all other charges for a Hyundai Accent or similar. On arrival we were told the car we had booked was actually a Ford Fiesta and to upgrade with another driver insured was going to cost over 1300 dollars plus 50 cents per mile outside BC! We did not take this rental, what a con! I will never use Budget again.

I previously rented a car this past weekend for one of their locations in the city. And keep in mind I've done plenty business with this company several times before now and they supply you with good nice up to date vehicles. But for some reason they always try to trap you or come up with some BS to overcharge you. They claimed I didn't return the car back on full at return but the clerk came out, check me out and printed my receipt and showed how much was to be refunded on my credit card. But when I checked my account they only partially refunded me saying that later on that night they due a final audit saying that they had to top off the vehicle at 7.49 a gallon. Really!!!

I reserved via Expedia for a car out of Manchester Airport in the UK in US dollars ($125.84). Whenever I finally was charged it was 125.84 in UK pounds (a 50% increase) plus I was told the other supplemental coverage was in dollars (it was in pounds) - ended up being overcharged by this - do not expect Budget or Avis to honest in the currency they are quoting or following the original quote from Expedia.

Budget Rent a Car Fort Lauderdale Airport. Budget agent added the supplemental liability coverage by saying he is charging for collision coverage plus Taxes for the collision coverage that I already had bought through Priceline. He pretended charging for collision coverage that was already paid to Priceline. Recommend not using budget after booking through Priceline, as budget agent that I had experience with trick me into additional coverage by telling something else. So all fellow renters, be alert and always watchful.

This is for people who prepay for their reservation and foolishly think that covers it. Their cars are fine, but you better be exactly on time or they'll change their quoted rate. Anything over 29 minutes different from what you guesstimate at time of reservation and they change the rate. Don't bother trying to return the car early either, that changes it as well. I went round and round with customer service on it... it was like talking to a brick wall. "Well sir, whenever you are outside of the 29 minute grace period, we reopen the reservation and can change the fee structure." WHAT? I RETURNED THE CAR EARLY!!!

I would give this company zero stars if this site would let me. Budget left me and my family (including a 11 month old baby) in the middle of the country with a negative bank balance. We left the state of Maine and stayed the night in a hotel in Ohio. I woke up the next day and attempted to put gas in the truck but my bank card was declined. Come to find out budget had booked and charged me for twice the amount of my rental. This left us with no food, gas, or hotel money for the rest of our trip. I called budget and they said that it would take 5 - 7 business days to refund the money. If it wasn't for family members we would still be stuck in Ohio sleeping in the truck with no food. Thankfully, no thanks to Budget, we have arrived in Arizona (over 2,700 miles later). Still haven't received my money back (over $1000 is owed). DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET!!! They will screw you over and not care about what kind of bind they leave you in.

I rented a vehicle from Budget online for an economy vehicle. I arrived in Baltimore to get the vehicle and waited in line for approximately 30 minutes. There were 17-19 people in line and there was one person at the counter to handle the customers. After a few minutes a second person came out to assist. Knowing that they had all the reservations coming in at this time, why would they now have more staff?

I reserved a mini van with Budget Car Rental through Costco Travel. When I arrived to pick it up I was told they had no mini vans. I had a confirmation number and they didn't care. They offered me a 10 passenger panel van Ford Transit or a Chevy Traverse. I needed lots of luggage space for this trip and neither vehicle would suffice. I spoke again to Budget and a Budget supervisor, neither whom cared. Not their problem. I asked for help locating another mini van and they again said they could not help me. I finally ended up renting a mini van from Hertz at twice my quoted price from Costco Travel. I'm very upset with Costco Travel and Budget Rental. Budgets lack of customer service will ensure I don't return there again.

I called the rental at Moncton, NB two days before my arrival which was scheduled for 1:15 am in the morning to see if the rental would stay open so I could book a hotel close to the airport if not. I was assured that that they would stay open if someone on the flight had a rental. I arrived at 1pm, 15 minutes early and immediately made my way to the rental counter. The Avis rental was open and told me that the budget Attendant left 10 minutes earlier. That left me stranded at the airport. I asked Avis if they any vehicles but they only had one ready and it was reserved by someone on my flight. I said if they don't show up I'll take it. After waiting 45 minutes and the Avis Attendant verified with Air Canada that all passengers were off the flight and all luggage was picked up, he rented the vehicle to me. Thanks Avis, that's service. Budget you better learn from Avis!

I rented a car from Budget at the Ft. Myers, FL airport from May 26 to June 4, 2015. I returned the vehicle as scheduled with a full tank of gas. The Budget attendant checked the car, said everything was fine and gave me a receipt. Nine days later when I received my new credit card statement I noticed an additional $42 charge. Checking the Budget website I discovered it was for refueling. My request to Budget to refund my fueling charge was denied. They offered me half as a "goodwill gesture," leaving me cheated out of $21. I have been robbed. I will never rent another vehicle from Budget again.

Very bad experience! They kept me waiting for almost 2 hours, and added the loss damage waiver without my consent. I particularly asked not to add this insurance, since my credit card already covers it. I was too anxious and I did not read the agreement very carefully. After 2 days of my rental (11 days), I called budget to remove this insurance. What they told me is that they cannot remove it during the rental, and I should call them back after I return the car. When I call them back finally after the rental, they said it is denied, and accused me not to driving back to the site... Well, legally, they did nothing wrong, but I will never never rent a car from this company or Avis ever again.

I recently rented a car at the Orlando Airport. I never looked at my rental agreement or my receipt until I got home and that is when I discovered a huge overcharge as well as a smaller one. I declined the insurance waiver at the time of rental as well as clearly telling the clerk that I did not want it. When at home I discovered they charged me for it ($255.92). They also charged me a $10.00 late fee when I returned my car 17 hours early.

Rented a car with Budget and was told on the reservation there was unlimited mileage. Once there, the rep was claiming to have trouble with her computer and had to develop another rental agreement. She also "accidentally" placed a hold on my credit card for 300.00 in addition to the price of the rental. Upon return, the rep claimed I had gone over the mileage and said I owed an additional 300.00. Location is in McAllen, TX. Do not rent from them!!

Folks, use a different car rental agency especially if you are a federal or state employee. I am a government employee, and regrettably used BUDGET-AVIS at the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport in VA. The car was picked up on 9 June and returned very early on 12 June 2015. The rental fee was supposed to be around $150.00. Instead, the e-receipt shows $309.41 as the final charge. I did not sign for a rental car upgrade, and I returned the vehicle with a full tank of gas (have receipt), completed the return paperwork properly, etc.

It takes a lot to get me upset and I am pretty loyal even in the face of poor customer service. Call it patience or perhaps laziness. I have been using Budget for decades.. I still use them, but I cannot stand their website.. I typically try and book budget cars through other websites so I don't have to go through Budget's 20 year old website. Their user interface, their customer experience on the website has to be one of the worst. Managing one's profile, password, user ID are the worst. I once lost my user ID, and password... I tried and tried to reset but it wouldn't without the user ID.. I called, and gave them all my information, but they couldn't do anything without the user ID. What kind of verification process is this?

I rented an economy car through Budget and was overcharged. They have the ability somehow to charge you for 7 days when the car was only rented for 5. I rented the car on the 10th of June and returned it on the 15th and was charged for 7 days. I said yes I want insurance for 11$ but that is a daily fee if you look close. So they charged an extra 77$ to account for insurance between the 10th and 15th. Duh, I should have known.

Returned car 45 minutes after rental period. Was charged full retail rate for car that was over 3 times the rental rate I was charged for car. Could have rented car for full week for what they charged me for 24 hours and 45 minutes. Budget Rent a Car should be jailed for this unethical operation. Let the buyer beware. Do Not rent from Budget, these people are crooks!!!

I made a reservation with Budget for a rental car in Italy from 5/18 to 5/24/15, and I got a quote of USD 200.79. I admit that when I picked up the car, I requested some extras, which I am perfectly willing to pay for. However, when I returned the car I was charged Euros 518.73, without receiving a detailed statement for the charges, and at the exchange rate in effect on 5/24/15, Euros 518.73 amount to about USD 570.00. I was charged USD 612.79. Not only was I cheated on the exchange rate, Budget took none of my other complaints into consideration. When I picked up the car in Italy, I got a defective GPS from Budget, and I wasted two hours of driving and gasoline. I then returned to Budget and got a new GPS, but no allowance for the gasoline I had wasted.

When I went to return my rental car on a Saturday morning, I walked into the office and clearly said "Can I leave my keys here?" And the employee (only one present in the office) started screaming at me and said I did not say "Please." He kept coming forward towards me making it look like he would attack me. As a female, I felt very unsafe. I kept trying to calm him down but he kept getting more emotional with every second. He finally screamed "Get the ** out of here!"

On Budget.com I reserved and prepaid for a Ford Expedition or equal. When I went to pick up Expedition they did not have it. I was told I would have to pay for an upgrade. I did NOT want upgrade but was told I had no choice. After flying all night I just agreed so I could get out of there. What a scam; charging me extra when YOU don't have what I reserved. Upgrade should be FREE considering I wanted what I prepaid for not the upgrade. Don't reserve with Budget. They will not have what you reserved and then charge you extra.

They were going to charge me $150 fee for 'excessive dirt'! I rented a car to drive from Dallas to Big Bend with my 4-year old son and my dad. Great trip, beautiful part of the country, but involved a LOT of driving. Needless to say, between hiking in the desert and spending between 2 and 8 hours a day in the car, we got dirt and food crumbs in the car. I cannot deny, it NEEDED to be vacuumed. However, vacuuming and a little wipe down of the dash (seriously, it wasn't even dusty) was all that was needed to properly and completely clean the car. I know the low level of effort required for a fact because when I tried to drop the car off with Budget, I was informed I needed to clean it myself or I would have to pay them $150 dollars to clean it.

I rented the car on Thurs at 1 pm and returned the car Fri. 1 pm. 3 days later Mon. my card was charged of $161.09. When I called to inquire about the charges, they said that it was a cleaning fee for an excessive smell of pot in the car. I do not smoke.

When I rent a car at Budget Rent-A-Car, I also rent "I-Pass" which pay toll fee at gate automatically. I think it didn't work. Then they charged additional fee to my credit card without any notice and letter. It wasn't my fault. Their card doesn't work. I recommend other rental car company strongly. Because, other company's contract shows that when customer purchase "I- Pass" they don't charge any additional fee.

Went to get rental car and was told they do not have the car in, and there were a couple people waiting on the same car. They overbooked the same car and told me reservations are not guaranteed although I reserved the car four days in advance. Never will go there again. They ruined our day and had no concern about it.

Rental car customers who use third party companies to rent BEWARE!! I was charged for an upgrade that I did not ask for. I was only asked if I liked a particular car. It turn out to add more to my bill over what I paid to Priceline and when I complained the rude customer service person said it was a legitimate charge. PLEASE READ WHAT YOU ARE AGREEING TO - DON'T JUST SIGN AND INITIAL!!

This is the worst experience ever I had have in my life. When I returned my car back to the company I forgot my Iphone 6 inside the car. After that I just crossed the street then I realized that I forgot my phone inside the car. I came back to the agent and he told me that the car was brought to the cleaning area. Another agent went to bring the car and when he arrived I checked the car but the phone was gone! It is obviously that the phone was taken by one of Budget car rental employee. I spoke to the manager and she did nothing. She just asked me to leave my contact information and she will call me if she found the phone. It was a frustrating experience. They steal their customers' belongings. I would not recommend this ** to anyone.

It's been a long day. We get our truck loaded, car on trailer, and the left signal lights don't work on the truck and trailer. We had called roadside assistant at 7pm, 8pm passed 9pm, 10:30pm no DANG TECH. We received a call a tech will be sent in 3 hrs. I'm tick!

I rented a van, and I was told to returned the next day before 11:00pm. The next day I dropped off the van before 11:00pm; we couldn't find anyone on Budget parking lot or in the terminal. After looking for 30 minutes for someone from Budget, we dropped the key in their drop key bin. They overcharged my account $500. I tried to call Budget customer service, but they were rude and told me they couldn't help me. They said the terminal closed at midnight, so that was the reason they couldn't refund me my money, and the van was returned at 4am in the morning... I recommended not to use this company if you don't want a headache like a do. I have to assume it's ok for them to take my $500 or find a lawyer, who wants to do that? I had rent car in the past, but never had a experience like this. Please do not use Budget.

Don't just drop the key to their returning box. They may charge you something extra!!! I got my rental car from ALB airport on 5/31 and returned the car at 4am on 6/2 back to ALB to catch my flight at 6am... I've filled it up to full tank right before returning the car. Since it was out of their service hour, I did what they said to drop the key to their box. Now they charged me a full tank gas fee. I contacted their rental office at ALB, no reply. Contacted billing office, they asked me to prove I returned with a full tank. Why they don't prove I didn't? A dirty way to get extra money from customers!!!

Please never book with this company. They are a rip off, tell you misleading information, and give you a dirty car. The employees withhold information at check in and when I checked out there were additional charges. I asked the guy at the counter why I was being charged more and he said the previous person at check in quoted me for the wrong day and price! I cannot believe how much I had to pay for this rental car. More than that I cannot believe that SOUTHWEST AIRLINES does business with them and are partners with the rapid reward program which is the only reason why I decided to book with this company. I will NEVER book with them again and I will NOT be recommending them to anyone.

We are moving. Reserved a truck a month in advance. The day came to where we had to pick up the budget truck. We wait 40 mins because the worker ran to another location to get the truck. She was the ONLY one working. Several people came and left. Then she said she couldn't find my husband's name and that it was reserved at a different location... Mind you she was going to get OUR reserved truck. Then she proceeds to say the trucks have holes in them and did we still want it. Why would budget fix those trucks!

I rented a car at PBI through Expedia. Upon arriving at their desk at the airport, I was asked a series of questions each designed to add to my bill for the car which I pre-paid. I made an unexpected drive onto a toll road and discovered that one cannot pay for the tolls in cash. This led to a $4.80 charge plus $15 for EACH toll I passed under thanks to something called the Budget Rental Car Fine Center. This amounted to charges over $60. I called the number on the bill they sent and negotiated it down to $38 which is what the company wanted to charge me up front at the airport. This is not an acceptable business practice and I would encourage anyone thinking about using Budget to pass them by. I will add that the fellow at the airport was rude and the time it took for their van to get me to my car was 40 minutes; hardly a good start to the experience.

I purchased a rental car online through Budget Car Rental for one day on May 25th from 11:30 to later that night. The online price was only $23.00 without the insurance. When I arrived the lady suggested I get the insurance and told me it was a additional 27.00 as shown on the website. I agreed and she had me sign papers and off I went. I filled the car up and returned the car. The lady stated everything looked great and I was on my way. While taking the shuttle to my hotel and looked at my receipt and I was charged $93.00. These included being charged additional fees such as mileage and I was given a car with unlimited miles.

I rented a Budget car for 5/28/15 until 5/31/15. I received a note from my airlines that my flight was cancelled until the following morning. I immediately notified Budget of this cancellation, and wanted to extend the contract from 7:00 pm to the following morning at 4:00 am. I was staying in a small town 50 miles from the rental location-therefore it would be easier if I could extend my contract for 8 hours. I was informed by the customer service that this charge would be $116-extra! (Which I consider "gouging"). I am a senior citizen and on a fixed income and because of this outrageous price I was able to enjoy sleeping in the airport!!! For those 8 hours that the car sat in the rental garage. Therefore, I will never use Budget for any further rentals!

My wife and I recently went on a vacation with our 2 children and rented a car from Budget car rentals. We were greeted at the rental counter by a very friendly staff and were having multiple conversations between the staff members and our family regarding where we were from, and what we would be doing while visiting the state (New Mexico). They pointed at the monitor for us to check off what we thought were the appropriate boxes regarding extra insurance, mileage, gas. The standard stuff on the agreement forms while we were all engaged in pleasant conversation. How wrong we were. When it was time for us to return the car we were searching for a gas station so that we could replace the 14 gallons we had used on our vacation. There were no gas stations visible from the freeway, and the few times we took an off-ramp there were no gas stations, or signs indicating a gas station around.

My husband and I have rented vehicles at RSW for over 20 years and have never been charged a cleaning fee until this year to the tune of $150. We rented a compact vehicle for two weeks and prior to leaving the garage I mentioned to the individual in the booth that the front seats were dirty and the windows weren't cleaned very well. She didn't seem to feel that was enough of an issue to note and moved us on.

Beware the "Our computers are down" scam. Booked online for a compact car for 2 weeks in France ... Upon arrival at Paris CDG we were told that the computer system was down and they couldn't see all of the details of our on-line agreement. We hand filled out a rental agreement and because the computers were down they could not tell us how much each additional service or insurance would be ... We were getting frustrated at the lengthy delays and finally a supervisor of sorts intervened. He looked at our new signed handwritten rental form and said that everything would be OK... They would sort everything out once the system was back up and we could go over it upon our return.

We rented from Budget/Avis in Daytona beach (4/25/2015) - use to be a reliable company, but at the Miami 2nd street office, when we turned in the car, next day we were overcharged by more then $220.00. Same thing happened to a man in the bus when I told him our experience. He said, "I didn't check my receipt. Oh migosh. I'm way overcharged", obviously not an accident. Response from Budget was, "rates must have changed after you rented the car"! Otherwise, total disinterest on the part of Budget or Avis. Incidentally all records of the gross overcharge disappeared from the files immediately after the counter agent "corrected it".

It is a bait & switch operation - charged extra day and charged extra bogus insurance that you don't even need. Supposed to be $174 that was the quote, they charging me $320..... This is my experience from the one in Aurora Illinois.

Worst experience I've EVER had with a rental car company. I denied the coverage and fuel purchase option when I picked up the car and they still put it on my bill. Now, they refuse to issue a refund even though their employee is the one who messed up. I will never go to another Budget again. The customer service rep I was dealing with was extremely rude. She was talking and laughing with another employee the entire time she was "explaining" things to me...and she explained everything incorrectly. I told her NO to both of the above mentioned items yet she still added them to my contract.

We rented a car on contract number **. The rental agreement was in my husband's name **. It started on April 30 to May 15th for $201.48. We were to pick the car in Tucson AZ and return in Sacramento CA. On May 13th I call to see what it would cost us to keep the car until May 21st and was quoted $356.95 plus $10 change fee. They gave us a confirmation number **. We were waiting for our car being shipped from Florida. When our car came in it was unloaded one block from the rental return so we went ahead and return the car Monday late so we were two days early on the contract. Budget charged our credit card $3716.20. I guess because we were two days early.

It was our first time renting a car. When we rented, we clearly asked the representative whether fuel was included, and he told us yes. We were shocked when we returned the car and we were billed over $100 for refueling. This is a dishonest company, and I would not recommend anyone trusting this company with their credit card info.

I have several complaints about your Sarajevo airport office. Please notice them below:

We booked a car online for a trip. The posted hours at our local location were from 8am-12pm on a Saturday. (We did not prepay, thank goodness). I did think that was odd, since this budget is located inside a Sears and Sears did not open until 10am, but I was assured by the online chat agent that Budget is there and open. Well, sure enough we arrived at 9am and no one was there, doors were locked. There happened to be a keyholder employee arriving at the same time and we asked him about the Budget counter. He said they NEVER open until 10 and sometimes later. So we gave them the benefit of the doubt, grabbed some breakfast, and arrived at 10am. Still no one there.

Do not rent a car with Budget. I rent a car at Edinburgh Airport. The salesman was very polite and told me that there was a free upgrade of my car. I told him I just needed a GPS and he told me that it was included. He gave me the contract and there were several upgrades that I didn't want and he told me that it was all included in what I had already paid. I asked him several times if he was sure about that and he told me with a smile that he was sure. The surprise was that they charged me 5 times more of what I had originally paid and I can't do anything about it. So do not sign any contract with Budget... ever... you'll come home and discover they charged whatever they wanted!

I rented a car at the Grand Rapids Airport for a last minute trip last month and after traveling all day I arrived almost 11 pm to get my rental. Budget's desk was closed so I had an Avis agent help me. After completing all paperwork and handing me the keys he told me to "walk around the car and if you see any damage let me know". This is in a dimly lit parking garage. I did as I was told but saw nothing of any note. I returned the car several days later, and the agent walked around the car and looked at it, gave me my receipt, and told me to have a good flight.

We reserved a car for $134.58 through Costco Travel services in California to pick up at Vancouver Airport. I had my insurance policy STAPLED to Costco's confirmation letter to show that I had coverage in Canada. I showed it to the agent and told him that I did not want to purchase their coverage. The agent said to initial several places on their rental agreement to show that their services had been offered. This included the $442.22 written within their policy on travel outside British Columbia which we had no intention to do. We were charged $367.19 on our credit card by Budget because according to them I approved the $442.22 as an estimated total charge. We are seniors and felt grossly taken advantage of by an agent who claimed that he was new and his English difficult to follow.

I reserved online, declined all options, and prepaid for the rental car. Then after waiting 20 minutes at the airport check out (after a flight with 2 kids), Supplemental Liability ended up on the final contract for $14/day. I remember verbally declining all options at the counter, but Customer Service said I accepted it on the touch screen and signed for it. Best they'll do is refund 50%. Maybe the screens are confusing or maybe it was added to the final contract by the agent before I signed. I realize it's on the customer to ensure everything is correct before signing, but based on other Yelp reviews, this has happened to other people.

Charged double for rental this past February. An additional charge of over $200 a day was added. Still waiting for resolution.

We took the valet key out of the glove compartment b/c if the car was stolen, our insurance carrier would have to pay for the vehicle. When we contacted a Budget representative about the key, the person was very unprofessional in their responses and actually talked down to me. They never answered the question, "Why is the valet key kept in the rental car?".

Went to stay at St Croix and needed to rent a car to get around the island. I booked online with no problems. Because I am 22 years old I called the budget company to guarantee that they would rent to me at this location with how young I am. They assured me that everything would be fine, just said they would charge me more per-day. I ask the representative again, just to be sure, "I don't want to be stuck on an island with no way to get around, are you sure you can rent a car to me?" Representative: "Yes yes you will be fine". Got to the airport and went to get my pre-booked car. They couldn't because of my age plus the person working the counter laughed at my predicament! I will never use this company again! I will tell everyone just how I was treated and hope no one else has the same experience as me.

I rented a car from Budget in Florida in April 2015. The battery died and I called their number to get it started. About 2 weeks later, I received a notice in the mail that I was being charged for the jump start. I contacted their customer service multiple times and also their CEO and they refused to remove the charges from my credit card. When I rent a car, I expect it to work properly. I don't expect the battery to die. Also, appearance wise, this was the worst car I ever rented. Dings and scratches and a poor ride. Will never rent from Budget again and wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

My wife and I rented a car from Sacramento to go to Lake County CA. During the course of the vacation we had a flat tire. Most auto repair store were closed. We called the 24h service and were told to drive 150 miles on a donut tire (the tires are rated for 50 miles an hour) on interstates and down a mountain rd (Hopland Pass if you know the area). They would then change the tire for us. We bought a new tire, after we were told they would refund the cost, but when we went for the refund, oddly the customer Service rep had never entered into the computer.

Budget has been updating their computers now for several months. From time to time, myself and everyone is having issues, even with simple online reservations. I have had Corp. discount for over 10 years. Well the past few weeks as I load that, it is requiring me to put in a discount coupon, which... #1. I didn't even touch that space & #2. I don't have a coupon! I called Budget and was transferred 5 times, with each one telling me that it wasn't their ability to work on computer/online phone issues. BUT EACH ONE WANTED TO DO THE RESERVATION OVER THE PHONE! Then I was told to call a special number, who could straighten it "all out" and they dealt only with Corp Discount people. Well that turned out to be just as big of a lie!! I have rented for the past 10 years, weekly and the runaround/BS/Lying that went on during those incredible phone calls was enough to make me never rent again from Budget.

The booking was made on line on Saturday 4 April for Monday 6 April with collection from Farnborough airport. When I arrived at the booking time, I found the Budget/Avis office closed with a sign saying that it was closed on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. Monday was a Bank Holiday. I rang the office number and on a couple of occasions and was told that I was second in a queue but never advanced any further. The phone could be heard ringing in the office. Shortly after another customer arrived in exactly the same situation.

While processing the return of our rental car, the representative from Budget car rental locked the keys in the car with my daughter's dog and personal items in the vehicle. We arrived at the car rental one hour and 45 min prior to our flight. It took an hour to unlock the car and 15 min to get to the airport where we missed the flight. We had to pay full fare for a new plane ticket for a mishap created by Budget Car Rental. Upon contacting Budget, we were treated rudely and given no information - we were hung up on at least 5 times - and misinformation - wrong phone numbers to contact someone to correct the issue. We were told that some of the contact people were supervisors.

I booked a car through Priceline.com for about $250. When I picked the car up they tried to charge me over $500. I had my confirmation so they honored it. Two months later I get a bill for $183.77 for "damage" to the car. When I spoke to the claims dept the rep said he couldn't see any damage to the car while viewing the pictures attached to the file. They claim there were 2 chips on the trunk. Est repair $98, loss of use $35.77, admin fee $50 totalling $183.77. The rep closed the claim and told me I didn't need to pay for anything. I really feel that they were trying to scam me.

I had RESERVED a car for my family's trip to the Dominican Republic over the winter break. When I arrived at the counter, the Budget rep told me that they had NO cars. I asked if they would get me one from a different company - they said no. So, it was 9:00pm, I'm in the office with my wife and 2 kids, 2 hours from our hotel, and they basically said, "Good luck." They said I could drive back in two days to see if they had any more cars. The only other car available was a standard transmission pick-up truck for my family of 4. On top of that people who pay on site have to buy all of the insurance. So, I spent 2 weeks driving a monster truck around and spent an extra $800. When I got home, I contacted the Budget rep. After an "investigation" they offered me $50 off my next Budget purchase. I will never use Budget again.

I have tried to several occasions to get registered with RapidRez and Fastbreak service to expedite my move through the airport. After two failed attempts to get registered using Budget's online system, I thought I got registered by phone. I rented in Midland, went to the counter to where the agent filled out many keystrokes of additional information. I was supposed to be all set-up for website car registrations and the ability to bypass the rental desk… NOT SO.

I signed to rent a car for one day with a drop off in another city. Instead I was charged by the 14806 oxnard st. van nuys 91411 rental office, for over a week of rental. I called to bring the car back to the original office after one day, but agreed to keep the car until monday because I needed it, which would have been 4 days. The car did not start on the fourth day, giving me only 3 days of car use. The office had the car picked up by budget, it having a dead battery after being parked all night.

I rented an SUV for a 10 day ski trip. No problems with the rental process, and on return the Budget employee looked over the car, said everything was fine and sent me on my way. At the end of the month I received a letter dated TWO WEEKS after the return saying the car had "excessive dirt and sand on the front carpet", and they were going to charge my credit card $75 for cleaning. I don't question that the car was dirty, or even object to their excessive cleaning charge. But why was nothing said on the return inspection? What can I expect next time - weeks after the return I get a bill for a dented fender? I'm done with Budget.

I was traveling to Dallas Texas for a week for work. I reserved a mid sized car and was given a rate. First I was made to wait for over an hour, late at night. When I was finally helped, I was told what car I was getting and told initial here, here, and here. Sign at the bottom. I did so in a rush, as it was late and I had to be up at 5am. There was no mention of an upgrade. I was confused about the 2 separate charges to my debit card, totaling over $700, but was told that part was a hold and the charge would be corrected when I returned the car. I ended up being charged an extra $200 for an upgrade I did not ask for or ok. I was told later that a box I was told to initial was for an upgrade. The agent at the desk never asked me. This is clearly bait and switch. Myself and my company will never use Budget again. When I realized what happened and called the customer service number I was told I asked for an upgrade. Not true at all.

We rented a BUDGET car. We returned the car in perfect condition. No issues. And that fact was noted on the turn-in sheet after two employees did a walk-around with us. Upon return to the service desk to pay we were told that we would be charged $200 extra for a scratched tire. We objected and wanted more information. The story then changed.

I hired a car in Indianapolis for 2 weeks. Whole process was polite and efficient as I came to expect from budget/Avis. Normally use Newark and drive but this time decided to use Indianapolis branch. At the end of the rental, handed car back after being checked for damage. All in all great experience. Then they send a bill 1 month later to my hotel address in USA (I'm now back in UK a whole month.) The bill for $150 for smoking in the car. Problem is, I don't and have never smoked in my life. Neither did I have passengers in the car during my trip. Bigger issue is I can't prove this unlike I could have with damage to the car as I always photograph car before handing back. Nice little money spinner with no way to contest it. Especially a month after the initial rental.

I rented a car in Miami Airport for vacation and first day it was towed. The rental was for 5 days. When a Budget car is towed forget to have it released by the Budget processing department. They don't want to help. At the beginning, they said it will be released in 48 hours, after it was 3 business days, after it was 5 business days...It is up Budget and during this time, you have to pay for the rental, for the towing company, for budget processing department, and each day they add more fees. Why they don't want to release it immediately? Why they don't want to provide an exact time? Crooked Business. Easy cash cow. Is there anyone (attorney) who can help to have in BUDGET agreement the maximum authorized day for the release time? It has to be changed or forget Budget rental car company. Use competitors.

I wish I could have given a rating of 0 stars. I rented a car from Budget on 4/2/2015 and returned it on 4/6/2015. I used the prepay online service and paid for my rental in the amount of $75.06. When I went to pick the car up, I was told a deposit would be held on my debit card. I was aware of this, it stated $100 deposit on the website when I did my reservation and paid online. So, I returned the car, tank was full, car was clean on 4/6/15. I received my receipt. A few days later, I checked my bank account and noticed the $100 was still being held out of my account. The first unprofessional person I talked to at Budget said that the hold would be released after 3-5 business days.

We were not informed about the e-tolls that were on our car rental. We paid as we normally would at each toll gate. After getting home and paying bills, we noted an $18.** charge from Budget RentaCarTolls. I guess each time you pass the e-gates, you are charged whether you pay or not. Disputed the charge with our Visa company… filed fraud charges and called the 866-642-2000 which is Budget's third party processor of the credit cards. Beware of the Tampa Airport and rental cars out of there as you will not be advised of this as they don't have you sign to accept or deny the service. Will never rent from Budget again and most likely never fly into Tampa. :(

Dealt with a representative on the phone and had just an awful customer service experience. Was hoping just simply for an apology and received a "your fault, too bad" response. Absolutely unbelievable! My poor wife had set this rental up to be sweet. They charged us .30/mile for a one way, which is in the contract FINE PRINT! No representative ever explained this to us and my wife had booked as a ONE-WAY RENTAL! The bill tripled from our estimate! Will never, ever again use budget and suggest you never use it as well. Worst front desk and over the phone service we've ever had. And we have a corporate membership!

Started out online making reservation for a vehicle that was quoted at $38/Day unlimited km's. All fine and dandy when I check in to get vehicle, ** asks me if I would drive an SUV (not the vehicle I made the reservation for). I say ok at no extra charge! Turns out when I return vehicle three days later that this vehicle has cost me an additional $230 a day for an upgrade. I drove this vehicle for a total of 90kms on this trip and my bill when I returned was $1200! I tried to dispute with them with no answer and as I was running late for my flight I couldn't stick around any longer. Do not get conned into this company at this location as there must be hidden fees of some kind. What a rip off!!!

I prepaid for a car rental with budget car rental. When I arrived at their Atlanta office to pick up the car, they refused to rent to me. They said they would issue a refund, but they have not and now they have refused to issue a refund.

I prepaid for my rental on budget.com declining all offers for upgrades or extra insurance and liability coverage. Upon picking up my car at the airport I was again asked if I wanted upgrades, which by the way the agent cleverly disguised as just an offer for a different car. It wasn't until I asked "does that cost extra" did she tell me that it did. Again, I declined all offers for upgrades. The agent then asked about extra insurance and liability coverage, I declined that as well stating that I have coverage though American Express and I would not need extra coverage. She said "O.K." then she walked away. When she came back to the counter, she said "Now I just need you to sign and we'll get you on your way". So I signed what she lead me to believe was a rental car agreement.

I needed to go out of town to see my a sick family member one last time. She has lung cancer and was on her last few days. I needed a feasible rental car to drive out there. So I googled it and found budget. I rented the car and went on to see her. On my way back I ran into some awful weather in which several cars pulled over on the road (including myself). I called them and said I would be a little late. They then told me that I would be charged total an extra $80! I thought that was excessive. Then when I turned the car in EARLIER that I told corporate that I would be when they gave me a final price I was charged an additional $30!!! The price for a 3 day car rental came out to almost $400! It was cheaper to fly.

I made a reservation for an SUV to pick up at a specific time and date. Two days prior to my reservation, I get a call from the local agent letting me know that they won't be open in the morning and to call him back. I spent the entire day calling and was not able to get anyone on the phone. I called the next day again with no luck. I ended up having to leave work, I work an hour away, to drive to the Budget rental place to have the agent tell me, "never mind, we will be open." No apologies, nothing. I called 800 number before driving the hour, spoke with four agents two of them supervisors that pretty much said they couldn't do anything since they couldn't reach the agent either. I am just so upset that they can't even keep track of the agents and I no longer consider them to be reliable.

I rented a car out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and returned it to the West Palm Beach, FL locations with no problems. No damages or excessive dirt or anything else was noted and I was on my way. About 2 weeks later, I received a letter saying that $75 will be charged to my credit card because "we discovered excessive sand/dirt in the interior of the car."

I made a reservation to rent a car online. I used my debit card to pay for the car rental online. I asked the budget car rental representative via online chat if I could use a debit card for the car rental and if I could use my international driver's license for the car rental. The online chat response indicated there was no problem with either. I then asked if there were any more requirements for the car rental when using either the debit card or international driver's license. The online chat representative indicated there were no other requirements. When I arrived at the counter to rent the car, the counter person said there were numerous additional requirements to complete the transaction. I did not have these additional requirements, so they refused to rent me the car.

I left my iPad Mini 3 in a Budget rental car under the seat. Using Find My iPhone, I was able to track the device to mobile home park in North Las Vegas. Since the iPad was left in the car in California and the vehicle was then driven to Las Vegas and returned there, it was clear that the device was taken by a Budget employee. Someone would not have rented the same vehicle the day it was returned and driven it to a trailer park where it sat for a couple of days.

Arrived at the Phoenix airport on Saturday, March 28th. Reserved a Ford SUV because we had four people and four golf bags. I researched the trunk size and saw that Budget advertises a Ford or Nissan as their SUVs. Both of these would have suitable trunk space. When we arrived at the Budget site, we were told to "take a number", even though we already had a reserved car and confirmation. We were told that the wait would be 20 minutes. After an HOUR and FIVE minutes, our number was finally called. At the counter, we were told they were out of the Ford, and that we could have a Toyota RAV. A Toyota RAV was not one of the cars listed on the rental site, and has a much smaller trunk. We said that was not acceptable, and so they offered us an "upgrade".

At 10 o'clock at night, I give my booking number to the clerk. It looks difficult for him to enter the data, then he started very roughly to push me to buy an extra insurance which I already have. I had to argue with him for several minutes before suddenly when he saw my character changing, changed his mind. Then he tried to offer me a "deal," he said, for a mini cooper convertible even if he knew that we was 3 with all the luggage, telling me it was a compact car as booked and that I had no choice to accept. Now my blood pressure start to increase severely, then he said that the real reason was that they had no other model available at the moment. So I then asked to see the manager to get an explanation about all that show.

I had a confirmed reservation for one price and we got to the airport and it was $50 more. Why - because I rented during a blackout date which conveniently left out of the rental confirmation... My kids went to pick up their car and they were told it would be $50 for a 4 door car since all they had was a two door. Dishonest, worthless, and will never rent from them again.

Never will rent from Budget again. I was emailed an estimate and charged a different amount. I was also given a car with a flat tire. Huge hassle to exchange.

I booked a corp/mil. long term rental from the Gresham OR location. Received a confirmation yesterday stating they would be open till 3 PM. They knew I would be there in the afternoon. Drove 90 minutes, arrived at 2 PM to find the location closed. Called Budget reservations. They said I could go to the Holman Rd location in Portland (PDX) and they would honor the reservation. Drove 20 min. to Holman only to be told that they cannot honor the reservation. I left. Got back to Gresham and tried to find another location online.

Waiting for a shuttle at the airport took a long time. The line at the pickup location was really long. Once reaching the line we went over everything including the fact that we didn't want insurance. We were told "sign here, sign here...." We specifically said we weren't sure of what we were signing and the lady said it's all the stuff we just went over. When we returned the car we were charged almost $200 more. Insurance was put on the car even though we said no. Never again will myself or family use Budget. One last thing. We were told go get your car, no one knew where it was. We walked around the parking lot looking for it... It wasn't even in the lot, it was still being cleaned.

I have rented Budget trucks before and had no problems. This time, however, I got one price online and was charged more than the reservation price when I picked up the truck. I was told an extra driver was $10 per trip and was charged $28. The problem stemmed from input from the pick up location. My reservation was for a one-way trip from Missouri to Ohio. The website quoted a price of $449.10 for a 4 day trip. I opted to add another day for $70 in order to drop off the truck at 4:30 pm.

Charged an additional 3/4 of a daily rate for returning the car within 1 hour after the 24 hour rental contract expired. Made 4 or more calls indicating that we were stuck in traffic and we were on our way. Horrible customer service. Stay away.

Although my experience isn't as bad as some of the others, I believe that the Budget operation in the Philly airport has set the bar for gross incompetence. Additionally, I am attempting to have them correct their billing me for gas, when I filled it up before drop off. When I picked up the car, I was second in line, but had to wait half hour for the person in front of me and it took them a half hour to process my paperwork and get my car out front for pick up. My business co-travelers could not believe how long it took, but we all chalked it up to a bad day.

I reserved a car months before my trip (a full size) for $342.85 for 6 days. I was traveling with my elderly parents and was very tired from the long trip and anxious to just get in my car and go. After another hour wait to get to the Budget counter, the agent advised me I could get into an SUV for a small upgrade price. I agreed and just signed the contract without really looking (my mistake). I don't worry about money that much so a few more dollars was fine for me. When I got to my destination I looked at the bill and it was $608.65, this is 78% higher then my original reservation. I called the location and talked with the manager and he told me too bad, you signed the agreement. The agent that served me, if he was customer service oriented, should have pointed out the large increase and not told me it would be a small amount more.

Truck was 2 1/2 hours late at pick up. Was told I could come get truck - trailer was not there, could drive back later and get. Truck was falling apart. Dash was hanging down. When starting it will stall and not want to restart. Did this several times - it would shake your teeth out at idle. Trailer bearing blew apart 75 miles from my final destination. Called roadside assistance at 2:09 am and someone showed up to look at it at 3:40 just to tell me “Ya its broke. Cant be fixed” which I already told them that. He told me Budget will call me.

I had the worst experience with Budget. I requested a vehicle with at least six seats and I was given one with only five. When I requested a different vehicle I had to pay about $400 more for a vehicle I did even like. The service was horrible. I had to call customer service multiple times and still nothing was done. This company ruined my vacation!!!! I give negative five stars.

I was treated unfairly by budget at the airport here in savannah ga. Because of lack of information on budget online and the customer service call center I wasted 4 hours at the airport for nothing. I also missed my grandma funeral. I was a loyal customers until now, I didn't have the money to pay for the rental so my friend offer to pay, budget was not helpful and they gave me a very hard time. So I'm done forever!

Beware-never prepay your reservation with them using your debit card. They will gladly take the money off the debit card when placing the reservation, but when you go to pick up the vehicle they will run a credit check. Without perfect credit they will cancel the reservation and your refund will be returned in 5-7 business days. If this is their policy they should run the credit check when placing order with a debit card and refuse the reservation at that time vs leaving a paying customer stranded without a vehicle and their money for 5-7 days! Beware!!!!

March 5th, the weather in N.E region of US was very poor. Our flight into Newark was cancelled due to plane incident at LaGuardia airport. Immediately after finding a flight out the next day for us to attend immediate family wedding, we contacted Budget Car Rental to notify them that we will not be arriving on the 5th to pick up our rental car. The phone representative was told by us that our plane will be landing on March 6th at 11:45pm and can we please change our rental to March 7th around 1 AM. Representative told us that our Confirmation # would remain the same and there will be a car waiting for us.

I've been using Budget for the last year. I've spent approximately 3 thousand dollars with them so far. It's unfortunate for me that I don't use credit cards and Budget is the only one that I know of that allows Debit Cards-which personally I don't get since Debit Cards is using my real money-not loans through Credit Card Companies.

On Thurs. Aug. 28th, 2014, my mom and I arrived in Sky Harbor Az. Picked up our pre-arranged vehicle from Budget Car rental at the airport. On Friday night, we noticed it was making a funny engine sound, we called Budget first thing am on Sat. morning. My mother was instructed to return the vehicle (Nissan Murano) to the local Budget dealer on Bell street, which we did. The store employee drove the car in the parking lot and agreed there was something mechanically wrong with this car. He did a walk around and confirmed there was nothing visibly wrong with this car, however, we did find it odd that when we asked him what the rules were if my husband or I wanted to drive, he said "they try to push the extra charge on you, I won't admit this if asked, but you don't need it if you have your own insurance."

I left an expensive article in the vehicle and only realized it once I was 1,200 miles away. Only after getting the airport police involved did Budget give any sign that they were "aware of the left article". The only contact still directly from Budget is, "Each year the Budget team finds hundreds of cell phones, CDs, sunglasses and other personal items in our vehicles, and in our rental locations" insinuating it's a trustworthy company. But this was no cell phone, this item value's over $1,500 and would be very obvious to any employee cleaning out the car after its return.

When we went to the Budget counter in Las Vegas we were literally bullied into every sales option by **. When we refused buying their insurance, he walked over to one of the other sales people and made snide remarks about us. After about 30 minutes of this torture, we found out they didn't have the vehicle we pre-booked and had to settle for something else. Will never rent from Budget again!

Rented a car through Budget to be pick up at Jacksonville NC. The flight was to arrive at 1:09 am. Due to the late arrival, we called the rental department at both the pick up location and the national office. We inquired if this was going to be a problem since it was coming in late that evening. We were assured that someone would be at the counter to make sure we got our car. When we did arrive on 11/25/2014 and went to the counter it was closed. We were not the only ones standing there wonder why there was not an attendant at the counter. I call Budget rental and spoke with the person who was employed at that particular Budget rental. I was told that no one would be there until the next morning.

I rented a car for the week which got stolen from in front of my house. The occupants were arrested for trespassing and I called budget right after the police. They recovered the vehicle from impound then charged me 2414.00 on my discover credit card with no explanation or final bill. I finally got the statement but it states the bill is unpaid!!! I have my credit card statement which I have faxed to them, they said it's not proof. They have sent me to collections. I am so frustrated and hurt that a business would play games about my misfortunate situation! It was difficult to pay even once, impossible for me to pay twice, they have placed me on a do not rent list. I can't believe they would do that, I did nothing to deserve this.

I went to the Toronto airport budget and the chunky Asian counter lady started bullying me into a 500 dollar upgrade that I did not want. I was a cancer patient there for treatments, just wanted what I agreed to online. She grabbed my credit card and ran the extra 500 dollars through. 30 minutes I was there arguing with her because when I rejected the upgrade she tried to give me a car that I did not want. She never discussed with me the charges that occur when you do not fill it up with gas. I got lost, could not find a gas station. 193 dollars they charged for a tank of gas. IF you are a cancer patient, this will be the most abusive experience you have getting a car rental. Customer service does not care. DO NOT put yourself through this. GO with Enterprise, but Budget WILL take money from the sick...just for extra money.

I am being billed by Budget diminished value of their car. I was hit by a car while stopped to make a turn. The other driver was ticketed by the police. The car's damage was 21% of the value of the car. Budget salvaged the car out and billed me for the diminished value of the car. They then sold the car to a broker and it was shipped the country of Oman. When I signed the rental agreement with Budget they say they gave me a separate jacket. The only signed agreement I received from them was the contract from Costco and them. This happened in Ohio. The cost of the repair was $6600 and the car's value was $28000. Beware of renting a car from Budget.

We reserved a budget car through Costco and obtained a reservation number. Upon arriving at the Salt Lake City counter, I was told that the large vehicle I specifically ordered was not on the lot. They tried to substitute a small four door car, but I have 6 adults and 6 pieces of luggage. I was told that I was first up when one comes in, but I heard the clerk tell the person at the counter the same thing... Waiting at the counter for 2 hrs now. Very frustrated!!!

I was estimated one price and charged another based on a mistake an employee or company has made. When I received the BMW and accepted the price was 318 dollars, I accepted that rate not a rate of 168 dollars a day. If there was to be a rate increase I should have been notified at the time of accepting the vehicle not afterward. I have my E-receipt where it states returned and the price of 318.73.. I was charged 2,261 dollars. Once I called and complained about it they changed the receipt in their system..... Rip-off. I need an attorney.

The rear driver side tire of our rental car kept going flat and I had to keep stopping to fill it, probably since it was 4 below zero. I called Budget to ask if they wanted me to change the tire or keep driving on it. The representative told me to do nothing and that they would bring a new car. I had to wait 5 hours for them to bring a new vehicle, greatly delaying our plans.

The car they give us was terrible! It had been smoked in, not cleaned, ashes and dust everywhere inside and it smelled like an old smokey hotel room after a rain! I didn't even want to sit in it. Knowing I had to be in this car for a over a 7 hour drive made me want to just walk instead! I used Dollar rental car the day before and regret ever having booked with budget to begin with!

This was the worst car rental experience I have ever had. Check-in was horrible and took forever. The computer crashed during the process. The car had 86,000 miles on it with the brakes starting to grind in the front and squeaking when backing up. I brought the car back 27 hours earlier than expected and was charged one dollar less than the original contract. When I asked why I was still charged for the extra day I was asked to produce my contract. I didn't have it as I have never had a problem with a car rental company before in my life. The counter person said she would print the contract and then said the printer didn't work so she would have to go in the back.

Reserved a car in July 2014 for Sept. 2014...an economy car, NOT a SUV which seats 8-10 people which we were given the evening when our plane arrived. The agent said all cars were GONE. I guess they don't understand the definition of Reservation. Had to return to airport the next morning to see if anyone returned any cars. Was able to get an economy car at that time. What a great way to start a vacation. Called several times the Budget headquarters, they really don't care...They said that is how their business works. Buyers Beware...you can't depend on them.

Rented a car for two weeks to travel to Florida from Maryland. Three hours into our trip the tire blew. We called Budget and were told we would be responsible for replacing the tire and it had to be the exact tire on the car already. Bad enough. We waited for Budget to come put on the spare while we waited on 95 for 3 hours. Finally called our OWN AAA and they came and put on the spare. No word from Budget. We drove to a tire dealer where we ordered the tire and were told it would be available the next morning.

When we were handed over the keys, the tank was not even half-full, and it was agreed upon that we had to return the car with an equal amount of gasoline in the tank. This turned out to be a bit tricky, though, because it is not easy to refuel a car up to a certain amount, if you cannot measure the gasoline level in the tank, because the engine is turned off. So, we had to refuel more gas than necessary. The excess gas was not refunded. Then, we had a flat tire which I changed. They charged us about US$ 6 for the repair of that tire, although it had been me who had minimized the damage by changing the tire and although we had taken out all the insurances they offer. So, next time we rent a car we will probably choose another company who hopefully does without such unfair and mood worsening practices.

I only wish I would've found this site before I booked from Budget. Please adhere - Budget Rental @ Hartsfield International Airport. They did not have a single car when I arrived to pick up my rental. I had to wait over an hour and was forced to either drive this large vehicle or wait additional time and their billing was incorrect. You will regret it if you don't read the consumer complaints. They're posted for a reason. I'll NEVER rent from Budget Rent a Car again. Hotwire---Yes, Budget NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Returned rental car to Tampa Airport about 7:15 Sunday evening. Moments later, realized I left my wallet in the center console. Returned to office and asked that they bring my wallet up to me. Said they "searched" the car and there was no wallet. Demanded they bring the car up. The manager (Ishwar) opened the drivers side door and picked my wallet up off the floor and handed it to me. I opened it up and $270.00 and my computerized key was gone. Had to catch flight. He said he would investigate and get back to me Monday. Tuesday I called and spoke to a different manager who said he would investigate and get back to me Wednesday. Friday morning I sent an e-mail to corporate. Saturday evening, Ishwar e-mailed me back stating "his investigation did not reveal any inappropriate behavior by Budget employees". Hahahaha! I will do my best to ensure 15 traveling salesmen never use Budget again!

Local Current Hertz office has been providing excellent service above and beyond and has gone to great lengths to try to help solve the problem. About 10 to 15 years ago, the Budget/Avis parties involved falsified their records and denied what they told me to do. They said everything would be okay and I should return the car as agreed. However this was not the case. I paid them thousands of dollars at the time and they tried to bill me for even more costs which were unreasonable. I do not recall exact details but I do know that as always I did as was recommended. I have rented cars from Avis since 1976 or earlier and without ever having a problem. This is the first and only time I had such a problem with Avis/Budget, except for poor service by the Albany local Avis office about 15 years ago. Never went back there.

I've had a very uncomfortable and displeasing experience with Atlanta Rent-a-Car which I am still trying to find solutions from their part: On December 25th 2014, I picked up a rental car at the Budget Rent-a-Car agency at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia (Chevy Impala, Vehicle N **). On January 4th 2015, I noticed that my recently purchased clothing had stains and holes, which looked like burn marks, and were damp with an unknown substance. Upon inspection, I notice a large stain in the carpet of the trunk of the rental car, with smell similar to the one in the damaged clothing. Also, several other items of clothing I had put in the trunk of the car were totally destroyed, along with one of my suitcases (A Victorinox Suitcase).

I'm sorry for everyone who had a bad experience at Budget. My truck is in the shop for the next 3 days and needed a rental. Went on PRICELINE.COM (last night) typed the dates and times for pickup and drop off, they (Priceline) do the searching and find the best deal, Budget was it. Prepaid with my cc. $111.64 for 2 1/2 days! Went to Jax Airport this morning with my reservation I printed out from my email. Was 20 mins late. "No problem," they said. Handed him my license and cc I used to reserve the car. E-signed for my ins (did not have to show proof) handed me my keys and said enjoy. Literally that simple!

I rented a car and was quoted 219 dollars on the phone with no other hidden fees... at the rental counter in Orlando airport it was 331. The man said I HAD to accept the collision insurance fee or I could not rent the vehicle so I agreed because I needed a car. I read the agreement when I got home and realized I didn't need to... called airport budget 3 times with no answer. Customer service closed... will speak to these thieves in the am when I return.

I rented a car for couple weeks in Prague Budget.cz in November 2014. When I was returning a car they registered two small scratches that seemed to be new one: 1 x 1 mm barely noticeable scratch on the windshield, probably from the small stone, this kind of scratch just can’t cause any major repair like the windshield replacement. It’s usually fixed, if fixed at all, by filling a scratch with a filler. Such repair should not exceed $30-50. 2 x 8 mm scratch on the left side at the very bottom under driver’s door, almost on the edge to the bottom of the car so barely noticeable as well. Repainting such spot can’t cost more than $30-50 either. I have to notice that prices above are for USA. In Czech Republic they’re usually 2x lower. I also need to notice that car initially had more noticeable registered scratches when I rented it.

I was charged four separate temporary hold totaling over $1100. Then they charged the actual fees + $250 cleaning fees because they thought that they smelled cigarette smoke in the vehicle. They never informed me that the "hold" charges were separate from the actual fees. They had no way to prove that there was a smoke smell, and all supervisors stood firmly by the employee that accused me of smoking in the car.

I made a reservation (Reservation number **) and was given a total charge of $659.30. When I arrived in my destination I was told by the agent that I needed to purchase additional insurance of $208 and that my credit card did not cover me for any damages, etc... even though as per my credit card member agreement it does. I argued with the agent at the desk about the charge and he stated that I had to be charged it regardless of whether my credit card covers me. There was nothing I could do about it and as I had just flown 17 hours and had 6 other people with me including 4 children, there wasn't much I could do about it other than be stranded in a foreign country's airport.

My husband made arrangements over the phone with Vicky to have a rental car available when i arrived at the rental location. I was rudely told because my debit card has my husband’s name on it, that she wouldn't accept it as a form of payment. Because i am out of town and away from home i don't have another credit card on hand. My husband even spoke to her over the phone to confirm the reservation while i was standing there and tried to pay with another card that was in my name. She refused to help or find a solution to the problem and refused me service. I feel this was a blatant gay bashing hate filled person that refused to work with me because i am gay.

Arriving in Israel. Last January 30, at 4:20 we arrived at Ben Gurion Intl Airport, from Poland. After reserving and prepaying a car in Budget via Rental Cars (voucher #**), we spent at least 2 hours in its office trying to pay the minimum self participation charge with a credit card. Five of them, Visa and Mastercard cards were refused, because all of them where linked to Cirrus and Maestro. For the first time while using such cards worldwide, they were refused. So we tried to cancel this rental operation. Once more, the employee told us she couldn’t do it, we should negotiate directly with Rental Cars.

I hired a fiat 500 through Jet 2 from Budget car hire. The car was excellent, the service very good, unfortunately my partner signed an agreement without reading it thoroughly (our fault) as if we had read it we would not have hired the car. At no time were we told that the amount I had thought I was paying, organised on line, was in fact not even half of the final amount. A month after returning I found home a further amount of £338 was taken from my account. I could have hired a luxury car from Mahon for less than this amount.

Stay away from this particular company. They do not honor their rates reserved from 3rd party sites like Hotwire. Reserved a vehicle for 39.99 online. The charge later showed up as 89.95 for one day. If you like spending hours on the phone with your credit card company disputing charges or paying double the agreed rate, this company is for you!

I have given Budget more than a fair shake and after several rentals will never rent again. Here is a brief summary of my experience. Signed up for and paid in advance for a vehicle in Utah - arrived to find my car was not there, waited over 2 hours for a car, any car. Was told multiple times it would be "any minute", that they oversold their inventory. Meanwhile I'm watching "fast break customers" walk in and get into a car and take off. I paid for a Mustang - talked with the manager and basically begged for any car - I was told I had to have the car I paid for. Eventually a Mustang was returned and I was on my way. The manager recommended that I sign up for "fast break" and I "wont have to wait". Done. Now I'm a fast break, problem solved? Nope.

Picked up car and declined all insurance and additional services. Upon Accepting the declination of insurance services Apparently I was actually accepting additional charges. I called and explained this and they are not willing to refund the monies. I feel that they are using a systematic process in which to trick clients into additional services and fee without their direct knowledge.

Their corporations are thieves. They promise you one thing and when you return the car they jack up the fees. They charged me for gas when I brought it back with a full tank. They charged me $91 dollars for gas, which even out to $9 a gallon when gas in Chicago was $2.25 a gallon. Such thievery.

I called and spoke with someone named Liz to find out how much of a hold will be put on my credit card for a one day car rental. She was unable to provide me with any information, not even a rough estimate. She told me that that would need to be determined at the counter on the day of rental. This is of no help to me as I am trying to figure out how much money I need to free up on my credit card for this transaction. I refuse to believe that this company can offer not even an estimate as to how much of a hold I can expect. I am beyond infuriated after wasting my time on this unhelpful woman. Employees need better training.

Two or three years ago I had very pleasant, courteous and professional experience with BUDGET in Sunnyvale, CA. And the price was right too. At that time, I decided to stay with BUDGET for my future needs. Disclaimer: I do need to rent a car once, sometimes twice a year. In other words, I am not a heavy user of the rent-a-car service(s).

We waited ages at Orlando international airport to get our car that was pre-ordered. I purposely booked a car rental that had a full to full fuel policy. At the end of the rental we returned it to the airport full of fuel and was given the end of rental receipt which clearly showed this. When my husband's credit card bill arrived Budget had helped themselves to about £40. We had no explanation - nothing. I contacted Budget and they said we had returned the car around 3/4 full!! This was just not true and we had the paper work to prove it. After a lot of communication and wasted time plus sending them the receipt I luckily had kept they eventually did a refund. They are thieves and with no apology and appalling treatment during this episode we will never use them again... Beware and check your credit card bills.

Rented car through Expedia as part of 4 day trip to LA. Wait line of 20-25 people in front of me: wait time 30 min., unacceptable and taking into account that all data has been already entered online and it still takes 15 min per party to get them into their rented car. At first 2 people at counter then 5...not acceptable. Wait times need to be published with daily rates for cars!

We rented a car through AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL for cost of 350USD. Gave our rental reservation paper hard copy to BUDGET AGENT in CHICAGO after traveling from Asia for 20 hours. Told the agent we didn't need insurance or anything but prepay gas and toll service Expected/trusted that to be on the contract only (which it turns out was cleverly NOT THE CASE). Signed the document and left. Upon getting our bill at drop back it was 1134USD. It seems the agents at Budget are well trained to say ok ok ok, to what you want and then add in all the extra charges and upgrades. After calling AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL and BUDGET we were told "YOU SIGNED IT." I feel like we did out part in making a reservation that was completely switched out on us at the desk. WELL DONE at Budget for getting 3x the amount for the rental fee than we had expected. I feel like I have been purposely mislead and defrauded with no re-course. It was easy to over bill travelers who are tired and had DONE the work ahead via a reservation in hand.

Our vehicle was at least an hour late in being delivered to us at the Montrose Colorado airport. The price for an identical minivan vehicle that my friend had reserved from Enterprise was about 20% of the price I paid. The Budget rep promised to call us about the exorbitant price after speaking with his manager but that call was never received by us. We quickly learned that the traction on our vehicle in the snow of Telluride Colorado was terrible, in fact we became stranded at least twice in our own driveway.

I rented a car in Fort Lauderdale. They charged me with additional fees and charges that I DID NOT AGREE and REFUSED SINCE THE BEGINNING with the sales representative, who probably did not understand, did not hear, or who knows. I Tried to solve the issue with Budget; its customer service is a joke... people rude, poor or in-existent customer services skills and overall unable to solve anything. Many Phone numbers provided for "budget's customer service" redirected my calls to answer machines, nobody answered and/or returned my voice messages. Thank you Mediocre and dishonest Budget. Definitely DO NOT RENT A CAR FOR THIS CON COMPANY EVER or even apply to work for this place.

Salesman at counter gave us the hard sale on upgrades, add-ons and insurance... thought I was buying a car rather than renting. Come to find out we, after talking to our personal car insurance agent, that we purchased additional insurance (damage waiver) we didn't need. This cost us about $27 a day extra which added up to an additional $190 for the week of rental. We will NOT be using Budget again. Will look at Hertz and Enterprise since they do not charge daily fees for vehicles not in service due to an accident. On another issue... we had to wait about 1/2 an hour to even get to the counter and another 20 minutes being subjected to listening to salesman.

I rented a car from Budget, which I haven't done in over 10 years. When filling out the paperwork the manager never asked or told me to check out the car so I asked her. It has been so long since I have rented a car. I thought perhaps policy had changed especially since she did not take me out and show me the car. When I asked about doing a walk around she said no, that was not required. So when I got out to the car I noticed a crack on the passenger side front window. My friend was with me and actually pointed it out. I took a picture of it with my phone just in case because no walk around was required. I also tried to call but got only automated system, could not get a person. When my husband returned the car he mentioned this entire situation and they had him file a damage report. Nothing else was said.

I made a reservation online via CarRental and received a quote. Upon checking in at the Kona Airport, the front desk told me my car was not available and offered me an "upgrade." I was in a rush and didn't ask questions since I was told it was a terrific deal of $65 per day. When I returned the rental car, I learned the truth - it was an ADDITIONAL $65 to my previously quoted rate I received when I made my reservation online. Budget is a scam with dishonest employees. Adam ** is the so-called manager there. I can see why the customer's rating for Budget is so consistently low and why it is considered a third-rated car rental company by friends and peers. I'm going back with Hertz. They have excellent customer service and would never, ever pull something like what the Budget folks at the Kona Airport did. To be fair, the pickup and drop off processes were fine and speedy.

I reserved a mid-sized car at Budget, I was initially given a Nissan Sentra (mid-sized car?) When I went back to the counter I was offered a Ford Fusion (mid-sized car) for an additional $25.00 a day, I declined. The Rep then offered me the Fusion at an additional $15.00 a day, which I accepted. I filed a dispute with Budget the day after the car was dropped off, without a response. I filed another dispute and Budget responded to my dispute stating that a Nissan Sentra is an intermediate car (still doesn't sound like a mid-sized to me). Intermediate car is listed as "intermediate - Dodge Avenger or similar" on their website. Compact car is listed as "compact - Ford Focus or similar." I would put the Nissan Sentra in the same category as a Ford Focus.

I used my USAA membership to book a car with Budget 25 days before the scheduled pickup, which gave a discount and waived the underage fee. Everything went through successfully, and when I went to pick up the vehicle the service rep told me that I will have to pay $27 extra per day in order to rent the car because I am not 25 or older. I explained to the rep that I used my USAA membership and he immediately began to belittle me, asking me if I ever served the military and I need to prove to him that I am in the military or have an valid ID. The rep kept trying to tell me that anyone can get a USAA membership, how he can sign up for USAA on his cellphone right now, and how he needs to verify that I am in the military. Funny thing is, anyone in the US can get a USAA membership, which stands for United Services Automobile Association; you do not need to be affiliated with the military, or have family in the military in order to become a member. I did not have my USAA ID with me, but I had all of the membership info, I had a printout of my membership info, yet he refused to help me at all. I called Hertz customer service, who told me that this is an error in the rep's part, and told me to ask the rep to call Hertz to get this resolved.

I have rented from Budget four times in the past few years and there seems to be a pattern. The charge is never the inexpensive quote that I have gotten on the Internet when I reserve the car. This last time it became obvious that I have been scammed each time. I rented a car at the San Diego Airport for December 18-24 and was quoted $239.79 on the Internet. I declined all the product and services options and the total came out to be $150.00 more than the original quote. I didn't catch this until I got to the hotel and called Budget and was told I had to go back into the office to get this changed--they couldn't change it over the phone.

I had booked hotel and car rental for my 2-day Tucson trip through Orbitz and I opted for the economy car. At the Phoenix airport, the person behind the counter told me good news, saying that since I had booked through Orbitz, I was entitled for a free upgrade and was asked to choose from either a Toyota Camry or a Ford Fusion. I thought great, I'd take the Camry. We pretty much went through the agreement in a breeze but of course, I was assured that the $41 per day was included with the upgrade.

We pre-booked a car using Atlaschoice (Budget) at Heathrow airport for my wife and I for a 17 day trip to the UK recently. The cost was roughly a little over 10 GBP per day so we were reasonably happy with our deal. When we arrived after nearly 2 days travel and went to the car hire place at Heathrow. The seemingly friendly lady at the counter looked at us, sucked some air between her teeth, and suggested that we should upgrade. We asked "How much would that be?" To which she replied with a smile, "I'll have a look". Little did realize that we had fallen into her trap. We were now like a mesmerized lamb waiting for the wolf to attack.

Rented car in Orlando. Refused extra insurance. It was 11 PM at night, signed all the stuff & when I get home realize they added supplemental insurance on without my permission. Customer service no help. Total con game.

I paid 300 dollars to rent a car for less than a day. When I returned it to the Lawton, OK Budget office at the airport, the girl was very rude and did not even say thanks.

In October 7, 2014 I make a reservation in a 1800 # for a Budget Car Rental in a emergency because my car engine light come out before my daughter's wedding in Bay Area CA. We supposed to leave Oct 9th right after I pick up the car rental. When I got there a girl told me that they don't accept my debit/Visa that they need a major credit card. When I called to make the reservation I clearly ask if they accept debit Visa and they told me yes. I was so upset because other car rentals were closing in half hr. I'm so upset till this day. Budget make our trip a nightmare because I was having my daughter's heavy long wedding dress and now! Without transportation while everybody else were in Bay Area waiting for me and the wedding dress. Because Budget mistake ruined our trip to my daughter's special day and make my day miserable.

Rented a car during Christmas vacation from Palo Alto, CA location. Thanks to Budget for screwing my vacation! The car they gave started leaking oil on the third day of rental. Called road side assistance and they asked me NOT to drive with the car with leaking oil and told they will send a replacement car to my location. Hence I pulled over to a nearby parking lot and was waiting for 6 hours in the cold. Finally the tow truck came and gave the replacement car and picked the other one.

On Christmas day (12/25/2014) we were visiting family in Charlotte NC. We had to return home later that day (300 miles one way) to ensure my husband was home and ready for work on the 26th. Sadly the fuel pump went out on my car as we were leaving, leaving one option. Rent a car, and I'd be driving him home then return to Charlotte to get my car once the mechanics opened and were able to fix it. We rented the car from the 25th until that Saturday (with thoughts a fuel pump is an easy quick fix and I could just do the turn around on Saturday the 27th.

I rented a car couple of months ago. Car was returned undamaged. There was no accident either. I have a witness who came to pick me up at the rental car returning station. No damage was reported to me at the time of returning the car. Budget send me invoice claiming the damage few weeks later. I graciously had American Express Insurance paid the claim, but still Budget is harassing me for the payment. Be very careful renting the car from Budget. Me and my family has already discarded them as a car rental company.

Flew into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Went to pick up a rental at Budget. The guy at the pickup desk asks if I want insurance, and I decline because I am insured through Geico with plenty of comprehensive and liability coverage. I tell him what I always say in this situation: "Thanks for the offer, but I'm covered and have looked into it and am all set with insurance." The Budget employee says that the company does not work with outside insurance companies, so if I don't take the Budget insurance, I'm completely on my own, whether or not I carry my own personal car insurance. I was traveling on business and was groggy from the flight, so I just accepted this unpleasant situation. I should add that the pickup location was basically in an underground concrete bunker, so I could not consult the Internet for help. I've never had this sort of problem before, and now I know why - that guy straight up lied to me.

We reserved a full size car for the weekend in Asheville, NC. We asked if any AWD cars were available for upgrade. They said we could upgrade for a very nice Tahoe. The price was prohibitive and we declined. He then gave us a special rate of $42 per day, an additional $11 per day. It was the last flight in, we were the second to last customer, and we were tired. We took the Tahoe, initialed 4 places, and signed. Upon getting the credit card bill, the price turned out to be $42 higher per day, or double the price for the 3 day weekend. Shame on me for not reading the contract carefully and shame on the Budget for not honoring their verbal offer. 3 conversations with Budget and no satisfaction. This is one customer that will not be back at Budget or their partner Avis.

I had a guest staying at my house and she had a rental car from Budget with full insurance coverage. She accidentally ran into my yard and caused $1300 damage. It has been 2 months and Budget has done nothing to address the claim. They are trying to get out of it. I may end up having to pay the damages as a result, even though I didn't cause the damage. This company is unethical and I don't recommend renting from them, or bothering to pay for insurance, because they don't pay claims anyways.

We rented a car in Tampa, FL. At the time of signing the contract they never made mention of eTolls or the additional fees we would incur. Apparently there are some highways where eTolls are the only payment method (snap a picture and bill the license plate owner). This is fine, but for about $3 in tolls, Budget whacked us with $15 in "service fees". Ridiculous if you ask me, totally taking advantage of a system that forces you to pay via eTolls. Not to mention this charge just appears on your credit card without your knowing, and makes you call and spend like 20 minutes on the line to figure out just what the charge is. This should have been disclosed at the service desk at the time of pickup. Never renting from Budget again.

On the 25th of November 2014 I hired a car from Budget rent a car at Brisbane domestic Airport. I then drove to the Sunshine Coast where the car was primarily parked in underground, secure parking for four days. I returned to Brisbane on November 30 and returned the car to the Airport drop off location. The car was signed in by a Budget staff member, there was no damage and I was given a receipt for the total hiring charges of $240. On the 11th of December I noticed a pending charge of $2890 on my credit card from Budget rent a car.

Provided my driver's license when I rented a car at Midway Chic. They made an error entering my address. I was given a $100 red light violation and $100 late fee. We did not receive the notification from the city of Chicago due to wrong address. We are eager to pay the violation but not the late fee. We are advise by the city to have budget contact them with the right information to waive the penalty. Been in touch with budget since mid November, they are rude, unhelpful and won't take responsibility of their mistake esp. Ms. ** (won't give her full name) who is the supervisor. She even blame me of not paying it on time since I knew about the ticket. The instruction we received from budget was to wait for the city of Chicago to send us the notification/ticket for us to pay. We have not received it due to budget's error in forwarding the city of our address. I was told bluntly by Ms. ** that they can't do nothing about it and they can't help me despite the fact that the error was made by budget!!!

I rented a vehicle online... called to verify, checked and double checked... and when I got there to pick it up, the credit card (visa debit) was not good enough. They wanted a "real Visa," but they had already debited the funds from my account using the visa debit card. Needless to say they got my money tied up and I have no vehicle. This could have been covered during booking. I do NOT recommend you use this corporate giant. Then she asked for my social security #. I have since found that they ran a background check without my permission.

The agent asked me if I wanted any extra coverage on my vehicle. I told him no. He confirmed this verbally back to me, and then typed "accepted" on the extra coverage. I didn't see it until I returned home from my trip. They, of course, refused to refund me because I signed the contract. No disciplinary action was taken toward the employee. Probably because he is doing exactly what the company wants him to do!

On 27 November 2014, I rented a car from Budget Rent-A-Car at Dubai airport. I was told that there would be airport parking charge of AED 45. The amount was stamped on the contact as well and I was asked to sign it. When I returned the car on 29th Nov at the same airport, I was told that I would be charged AED 50 for the parking. I asked the desk staff that what is the AED 45 charge for. He said it's different and I will be charged 50 + 45. This is unfair, as they are charging double of what is written in the contract. Secondly, the office does not reply to the email to explain the breakdown on the AED 125 charged on my card. I would not trust Budget Rent-A-car again!!!

Wow, the audacity to charge me $265.91 for bringing a vehicle early. Yes, you heard right $265.91 for bringing it early; not late...early. And to make matters worse, they hung up on you when you try to explain the madness. Do yourself a huge favor and never look this way for a rental car, and to call them the worst would be a compliment.

I rented a car for Thanksgiving holiday online. I fly to O'Hare Airport and take a shuttle to pick up the car. The guy at the counter (some old guy with missing teeth) started his spiel, "do you want this added; would you like this included" blah blah. I said no to the extras because everything I needed was already paid for online. I signed my name to an electronic pad (no paper contract given). I grabbed my things and left. A week goes by and I realize I haven't received my deposit back, so I call Budget and lo-and-behold, the crook at the counter charged me for everything I said NO to! They charged me over $600 for a one week rental!!!! I don't know if they work for commission but that is so wrong!!! And the only thing Budget does to rectify the problem, offers me $50! I've been a loyal customer of Budget's for 20 years, but after this mistreatment, I will never ever use Budget again!!!

I rented a economy car from Orlando airport for one day. At the time of returning the car, no one was present to check the car. There was a board at the car return location which says "If no one is present, leave the keys in the car and note down the mileage reading". So, I left the keys in the car and walked away. Few days later when I check my credit card statement, I do see that they have charged me extra $40. So, when I called them to find out why they charged me extra, the customer representative said that the tank was not full and that is the reason why they charged me extra. He asked for a fuel receipt so that he could refund the money back. I said that I could provide my credit card statement but he was not willing to accept that.

I rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee at the San Francisco airport. I prepaid online at a very cheap rate. (I requested a Ford Escape, but they were out of that model in San Fran). I declined the loss damage waiver because it is covered by my auto insurance. They added the loss/damage coverage it at the counter without mentioning it to me (and I foolishly signed without reading all the fine print). On checkout, they added $120 to my credit card. I called customer service and complained that this practice is deliberately deceptive. They declined my request for a refund.

Been waiting an hour to get a car because Texas can’t find the one we returned. So Florida won’t rent to us. We have the return receipt. We have a return confirmation number. Yet here I am sitting with no car (this is the third time this has happened) because my company has a contract with budget and we have to use them. If you can help it AVOID BUDGET at any cost!!!

Worst vehicle rental experience of my life. Each year my husband and I take a 4-5 day vacation to Miami. It is usually the weekend prior to Columbus Day. We celebrate my Birthday during that time even though my Birthday is actually October 15th. In the past we had always booked our vacation package through Expedia Travel Services which included airfare, hotel and rental car. We have always used Alamo Rent A Car in the past. This year I wanted to use my American Airline Credit Card so I booked the package through American Airline over the phone and they advised me that Budget was the least expensive with the package deal so I agreed. Shula's Hotel & Golf Club in Miami Lakes, FL is a great place to stay.

In September my wife and I took a trip to Costa Rica. We rented a car with Budget. On our last day a truck driving on the wrong side of the road slammed into our rental vehicle. Our car spun around twice and we then hit two other vehicles. My wife and I were taken by ambulance to two different hospitals. Needless to say there was no car to return to Budget as it was no longer driveable. Budget charged my credit card $5600 for the car. VISA paid it. But then Budget charged my credit card a fee of $57.50 for a fuel surcharge. According to the rental agreement a fee will be assessed if the car is not returned completely full of fuel. But there was no car to put fuel in so how can Budget charge me a fee when there is no car. I contacted Budget to find out who was responsible for my medical bills here in the U.S.? I inquired about the fuel surcharge and medical bills but I have never heard from anyone. I will never rent another vehicle from Budget.

In Grande Prairie Alberta rented a Grand Cherokee with one low tire. Went back to the airport the following day no one there and told by their phone line they could not do anything about it. They hoped I could drive the next two days before it went completely flat. Tried three different service stations but valve stem does not accept hose. Called again this morning as tire is very low and was told to just drive it back to the airport. Told them it would ruin a $200 tire and she just said there was nothing else she could do. I have a day of work and rent left, and will be driving on rim before getting it back. What sort of service is this?

On November 25, 2014, I Rented car from Budget Rental in Oklahoma City Airport, OK. The car was a piece of crap. The plug adapters to charge phone and GPS were not working. On top of that to my surprise in the evening the back lights of the vehicle were not working causing me and my children to drive around town with the emergency lights in hopes i didn't get hit from the backside by an eighteen wheeler. Did they give me a refund for all my stress? NO!!! Never ever will rent any vehicle nor will i recommend Budget to anyone. I am requesting a refund for putting my children in danger.

Nov 22, 2014 Palm Beach International Airport - We made reservation over the phone in advance with an outsourced agent who promised a Dodge Charger would be available and our total cost for the 9 day rental was $284.09 prepaid no additional charges everything included as well as insurance. We have full coverage on our cars and also did not agree to any insurance coverage for rental. When we arrived the agent who was quite pleasant said the Charger was not available and we should not have been promised a particular type of car over the phone. He offered a Ford Mustang same price, again no additional charge, we stress that, we repeatedly asked if there were any additional charges!!!! He said no.

I rent multiple cars weekly in various cities from various companies. This Budget location decided to charge me for a broken windshield that was already broken when we received the car. When we tried to dispute, they said that we could write a letter disputing. So we wrote our letter and then received a response letter from a credit agency demanding we pay 377.58 within 10 days or our credit would essentially take a hit. Hardly seems like a fair system. We have dealt with this in a timely manner and Budget won't even deal with us, it was immediately turned over to collections. We are being bullied into paying, because if we seek justice we risk a negative mark on our credit. Well played Budget. From someone who spends thousands of dollars a year on rental cars - let me advise you to stay away these guys.

MISTAKE made on my part because budget did not inform me of return time on car! So therefore I was charged an additional $55 which I cannot afford due to being a single mother and being on a budget! MY bill was suppose to be $86 total, had a confirmation number and everything! They were unhelpful, unavailable, non professional, and should provide customer with all the important details such as RETURN TIME!!!!!!!! I will never deal with them again!!! You got to help a girl out once in awhile jerks.

I was very pleased that we were able to rent a car that night that we needed it. So I went up to work out all the details and pay. Insurance is not required there. I didn't know this so I asked them. The rental agent told me it was required to have insurance to rent a car. When we were driving I looked at the packet and it clearly said I didn't need insurance. I found this out about 4 hours away from the place that I rented the car. They wanted me to drive ALL the way back and cancel the insurance. I wasn't going to do that for sure and apparently no other budget locations could. I wasn't going to drive out of my way to fix a problem that was all caused by them. There was VERY poor costumer service but I did like the car that they gave us.

On September 7, 2014. I rented a vehicle from Budget Car Rental located at the Ontario Airport. I was given a Chevrolet Impala but then switched out to a Black Mazda 5SPT Van. After "inspection" by a budget employee, I took the vehicle off grounds and proceeded to my destination in Las Vegas. I noticed that the tire pressure light was on. I immediately tried to contact Budget Car Rental in Ontario to notify them but no one answered the front desk phones. When I first approached the car rental, no one was there to immediately help me. Employees were in the back fooling around. As I was halfway to Las Vegas, there was a blow out in my left rear driver's side tire. I pulled over and checked my surroundings. I notified roadside assistance and explained to them my situation. They tried contacting Budget Car Rental in Ontario and had no luck either.

I rented a car on 11/7/2014 which I paid for online. On 11/10/2014 when I returned the car, I was told that my credit card needed to be run again. I advised the representative that I had already paid. His words to me was, "don't worry about it, the first charge will drop off" and I will only be charged once; This did not happen. I called customer service 11/14/2014 and was told "yes" they see the two charges and will issue a refund which will take 5 to 7 business days. The 7th business day was 11/24/2014 and I have yet to receive my money. I have talked today (11/25/2014) to 5 different people and no one can tell me what happened, only that the request will be resubmitted and it could take another 5 to 7 business days. I tried calling the corporate office and spoke to Kenneth ** who too could not tell me what happened but I would have to again wait the 5 to 7 additional business days for MY money.

A week ago, I reserved a car for a one-way transport for yesterday, November 24th. I show up and despite prepaying, no cars of the size I requested or larger were available in the entire city. I needed to move my stuff down to Georgia from Indianapolis, IN and instead, had to fly back home without my stuff because I had no way to transport my things. The only suggestions I was given verbatim: pay an additional $500 for a moving truck (Not an option for a graduate student on a budget) or don't move. Horrible service, how invalidating! I see a reservation as a contract (as I'm sure your company does if I didn't follow the rules). Yet your company backed out of the contract without accommodating my needs. My sister was supposed to drive down with me and then fly back, and because she already bought her plane ticket when I paid for the reservation, she essentially burned her money as well since she couldn't drive down with me. In the end, given a refund (yet no email confirmation of this yet) and a lot of wasted time and money.

Don't be SCAMMED by BUDGET RENTAL CAR!!! I rented a vehicle from Budget Rental Car in Ft. Myers, FL Oct. 31, 2014 - Nov. 7, 2014. I filled the vehicle FULL of gas on my return to the airport. When I turned in the vehicle, the Budget Rental Car Check-In Assistant checked my fuel gauge, saw that it was indeed full, entered that information into his hand-held device and proceeded to print out my receipt showing the FUEL READING: FULL.