Budget Car Rental Reviews

On May 13/17 my husband and I had ordered a car for our trip to Miami approximately a month before. When we arrived it took us about 2 hours in line to get the car, the estimated cost was $324.49. When we finally found the car I noticed that the gas tank was only 3/4 full so I called the company to tell them because it was supposed to be full. The gentleman said not to worry he would make a note on the file. When we returned the car, the bill was $333.74. I was not too concerned about the difference. When we arrived home and received our Visa bill I noticed that there was another charge for $114.00. I called the company regarding this bill and they told me that the car was not filled, we had made sure that the gas tank was filled above where it was originally when we received it.

Budget Rent-A-Car has a highway robbery policy for their gasoline refill... They charge me $175 for 14 Gallon of gas. They ripping the customers. It is the sweet way of making money... TOTAL RIP-OFF...

This is the letter I sent to Budget and I received the answer immediately following it almost a month after the initial letter and many e-mails asking them to address my concerns: "I rented a car from Springfield PA and due to my car being in the shop and business that took me on the road my rental extended beyond a month. I was in constant contact with the Springfield office and Budget corporate. Or at least what I thought was Budget. I was told as long as I checked in the terms of my rental agreement were fine. I was assured that my charge was the agreed upon $185.00 per week. I was to return the car on Friday March 31 because my car was out of the shop and payment from my company would be in my bank account and ready to be processed from Budget.

I made my reservation for a car on May 6,2017. I don't recall the person I spoke to but he told me that a one way rental for the above date was to be Approx. $72.44. I told your representative that I would be returning from a cruise and would need the auto at 8:00 am. He booked my reservation and told me that the auto rental is located in the cruise terminal (WRONG!). I had rented a car also through Budget at Orlando International Airport on the 20th of May and was told the return would be at the location that the Budget Shuttle for the cruise terminal is located. After the cruise, I did what the shuttle driver told me to do when he dropped me off on the day of the cruise and picked up the shuttle after departing the cruise a week later.

Worst car rental company ever. Always when you return your car they will try to let sign on any incident on the vehicle so they can renovate their vehicles for free on your back and back from the insurance companies.

I rented a vehicle from Budget Rent-A-Car in Orlando Florida at the airport. The original reservation was for two days but I told the guy to extend it out and he told me it's cheaper with the late fee. It's also in their contract. Budget Rent-A-Car also cancel the third-party reservation and just put it under their reservation. I paid Budget upfront in the daily charge on the vehicle was $25 a day. I was charged $580 for 9 days. A rental car that was returned after hours so I did not sign and authorize the additional charge of $508. Also the tank was full. The vehicle was clean. I did not drive it much.

We requested and prepaid for a minivan. We received a confirmation email with a photo of a Kia Sedona minivan that read "Your Car." We arrived at the pickup location, Long Beach Airport. The disinterested "customer service" rep said "We have no minivans. That reservation just guarantees the rate." He offered a 12-person van at a higher rate than "reconsidered" and said the original rate would be honored. Problem was, we needed the space, not the seats. The Budget counter staff could not have cared less. We told him to cancel the reservation and were told we had to call to cancel it.

I ordered a convertible Ford Mustang last week and pre-paid the entire rent online. However, when my friend and I came to pick the car the staff ask us to pay the upgrade fee to rent the convertible car otherwise is will be a hard cap. The upgrade fee is 200 dollars!!! My friend and I decided to rent the hard cap and not upgrade. After a few minutes, the staff said they will give 150 to rent the convertible. We insisted not pay the extra money and rent the hard cap. The staff said they will give me the convertible with 50 dollars. We don't agree. Finally, the staff said give us a free upgrade. We accept that.

I prepaid for a rental car from Dallas ($72.48) so I would have a rental car when I landed in Phoenix. Upon arrival at Budget in Phoenix I was told I needed a credit card. I explained that I already prepaid and the guy told me that they can't use debit cards and that was just a HOLD. I used the car for 2 hours by driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff and dropped the vehicle off with a full tank of gas. The next day I checked my receipt and was charged $158.86. Interesting that the $72.48 charge remained on my debit card and the balance was put on my credit card. I inquired with Budget about the additional costs and they told me that I requested and approved all the additional charges. I disputed this and their answer was "Well you signed the contract". Read the blogs - do not use Budget Rental Cars! They are nothing more than extortionists.

We picked up our car hire from Fort Lauderdale 13th May 2017. Waited almost an hour to be served even though we were second in line. Customer service was very poor with no advice given to procedures that should be taken on refueling. We declined the refuel option by Budget as we intended to return the car the way we received it which was a half tank of fuel. The girl serving also stated this fact and as the department was very busy we did not read the small print when signing the paperwork. BIG MISTAKE! The paperwork in fact said the fuel tank was full! This we only realized when we arrived home in the U.K.!

I rented a truck for a few hours and was originally quoted a price of $86 online. When I arrived at the location in Baltimore City (1005 E 25th St) it was raining and the attendant was behind the building working on a car. No one else was there. I approached him to let him know I had reserved a truck and he just said, "Go around front". When he finally let me in the small building and out of the rain, I quickly realized that my quote had grown significantly to $180. Insurance fees, deposit, etc. I was also told that if I don't refill the gas, there's a $30 fee. But just make sure the gas hand is on "Full" when I return it.

They should have a class action lawsuit filed against them for the same reason Payless Car Rental is being sued. Budget uses predatory, unfair and deceptive business practices to rob working families of their money. I was told I was getting the loss damage waiver for free "because you're a nice person" I returned the car and get charged. I tried to speak to someone at the location I rented the car from but with lines out the door and a plane to catch I couldn't. So I called the location when I got home but could not get thru for the life of me!

I will never use Budget again - and would like to warn others. We rented a car from Lanzarote airport. We had a very long wait in the airport to collect the keys - however, the problems really began after the holiday! Budget try to make money by applying extra charges. Budget Lanzarote confirmed no hidden fuel fees - however, they attempted to make a refueling charge which is hidden in the small print you sign at the airport after they have kept you waiting for an hour. Budget also tried to charge us for an extra day's rental as we had apparently brought the car back about 2 hours late. In fact, at the time we were supposed to have returned the car we were all sitting on a plane! It has taken me 6 weeks of calling to get the incorrect charges removed and at no point was it a pleasant experience; I even had an agent hang up on me mid-call. Avoid BUDGET AND AVIS (all part of the same company).

Rented a car for 5 weeks... Pre-paid as I went... (extended pre-paid). I was charged again on credit card after turning car in... 193.00 for economy! Then get sent a bill from corporate 4 months later after disputing and getting some of my money back... A letter wanting 400.00 for "over -the-floor" charge??? What the ** is that? They can't explain either? BEWARE! They will rob you! Turn you in to collections and DNR you from ALL affiliates. ON NO GROUNDS! Have to fight them... Half don't even speak very well English! Go somewhere else to rent a car... It's worth the extra $$. (NICER CARS.)

Budget in Las Vegas on Gilespie on 5/20/2017: Terrible experience. Terrible Customer service. I had 6 people so I reserved a minivan. No Minivans available and they did not have anything that would seat 6. I was told my reservation got me a good price but not necessarily a Minivan and that it was a holiday weekend (it was not). Also I was told "first come first serve" even though I had a reservation for a Minivan and it was 6:00 AM. I was the only person there! Basically I had a reservation that was a good deal, so I feel that somehow motivated them to treat me so badly that I would eventually cancel which of course I did cancel. I rent cars often but can't imagine using Budget again.

Came in to pick up a car after a deer totaled my car. Took all the necessary documents as asked on the website. BTW, it was Budget in Joliet 3340 Mall Drive. I do not have a credit card and my credit is good. Interesting that he told the customer in front of me that they are independently owned and Budget doesn't care about them. His exact words. They still use a DOS based system that was back before the millennium. He came back and said I was denied which I should not have been. Thank you Budget for a week that you could have made better. But I will never use them ever again.

I recently went online to book a reservation for my daughter who was traveling. As completed the required information but the booking website returned the message that the card did not go through. I attempted the process again and received the same message and was instructed to contact Budget reservations by phone. When I called was given a reservation number and discovered that Budget had billed my daughter's credit card twice. I canceled all reservations only to be informed that the money would be deposited in her account in "five to seven business days". This is completely unacceptable behavior as hundreds of dollars were inappropriately removed from her account while she is traveling for school and relying on her card. I will never use Budget again, period!

I agreed to rent a Budget truck because your staff begged me to use your service at a discount rate. Little did I know that it is a custom for Budget not to have their trucks available. It is easy to disrupt someone's life and right now mine has been disrupted. I came from Florida to rent and bring my items from Maryland. Today is Thursday, May 18. My truck was supposed to be secured at 5 o'clock, little did I know that this was a custom. I was told they would find me a truck yet they failed to look at a Silver Spring Office that close to 7 o'clock where I would have been fine. Maybe. Reviewing all of the complaints I now fear that you would give me a truck with bad tires, bad transmission, bad and leaking roof to the detriment of my safety.

BUDGET RENTAL CAR TIMELINE. 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. Charges to credit card for car rental $290.83. Charges to credit card for lost keys $400. We rented a car from Budget Car Rental on September 21, 2016. On Friday September 23, 2016 we lost the car keys. We called Budget - they arranged a tow truck to meet up with us in the parking garage where the car was parked. The tow truck promptly took it to the Budget repair lot. The tow truck driver arranged for Uber to take us back to our hotel. The tow truck driver told us that Budget would be covering the cost and that we need not worry. We left for home the next day not seeing the car again. When we arrived home we did call Budget to confirm they had the car in their possession. They said yes and that everything was taken care of; no issues.

Budget car rental scam Tampa FL. I rented my wife a Ford Escape and pre-paid for the rental stipulating no additional optional insurance charges. They said "we have a Chevy Traverse ready" but never told her it was at additional cost. They gave her a Chevy Traverse and charged an extra $18.80 a day, then in addition they charged her for every conceivable insurance option to the tune of $237.48. She was rushed by the fast talking clerk, and she had difficulty understanding. What was supposed to be a $240.00 rental turned out to be a $532.50 rental scam! Budget's customer service agent sent me the rental agreement but it's not the original. I will never use Budget again and will tell this story to every traveler I meet unless resolved. I'm also challenging these charges on my credit card.

Rented from Budget at Victoria BC airport. After we got home there was an additional charge on our credit card. Called the 1 800 number but that location is privately owned and they have no access. Tried to call Victoria office directly and received no return call. Called again a few days later and unable to even leave a message, told to try back another time. Called the 800 number again and they are not able to make any calls to individual locations. Very unhappy.

Car was a piece of junk. Had to fix a flat tire and get would not reimburse. Passenger side seat felt like you was sitting on the road. Customer service was very unprofessional and very unfriendly. Never again.

Because of not having a sticker on my rental car it was towed from my apt complex attached lighted garage. Budget said they picked the car up at Bush airport in Houston but I have pictures proving otherwise. Even though they emailed me admitting their mistake. They still debited my bank account over 1500 dollars. I get disability check for 735. And this is totally messing me up. This is the second time they did this since I filed a claim with my national bank and they unlocked the account but now they just did it again May 5, 2017. Please help. I have pad and heart problems.

I almost feel like this rental company is trying to be as bad as they are. Maybe it's a joke to them? There is no way someone can run a company this bad. No employee at any location can give you an answer for any question. They say to call the 800 number... Even talking to the manager of our pickup location, I asked if I had to pay extra if I dropped the truck off before it was due. He said, "I can't tell you yes or no. Call the number." So I call and the woman says there shouldn't be an extra charge... why would there be? But that's how backwards they are.

Do NOT use Budget Rental Tomball. I have had the absolute worst experience EVER with this location. They have lied time after time and refuse to answer their phone or make things right! I had a reservation at 9 am and my car was not delivered until 9:40! The driver told me that he was not even informed about the car until 9:15... 15 mins after I was supposed to have it!! To top things off... I was told from customer service that this location did not do after hours drop off. When I was there picking my vehicle up, there are signs with drop off instructions and a drop box.

Budget Rental in the Salt Lake City Airport is not honest. DO NOT TRUST THEM! You have no recourse once you sign any document. This location is independently owned and Budget Corporate can't and won't do anything. We rented a car there a couple of weeks ago. A specific vehicle for the purpose of test driving it, because my wife and I are thinking about buying one. When we got there, they politely told us they didn't have the specific vehicle, but could get us something close for an upcharge of $10 a day. We were in a rush and just agreed. Who isn't in a rush at the airport. They asked about the insurance and only because we were expecting snow, I said yes. I told them I have good insurance, so I only wanted the lowest coverage. The gal behind the counter smiled, basically repeated what I said and unbeknownst to me, charged me the max!

package as well as $7.99 a day for roadside assistance. (I was also charged $30 for gas even though I brought the car back full, but I was eventually able to get this charge removed.) My personal car insurance covers rental cars, and I have AAA. I would never agree to pay these extra charges.

Made a reservation an hour and a half ago, need to cancel because one member of travelers had a work emergency. I explained I wanted to reschedule the reservation, but didn't know the dates, so would need to cancel this one and call in a couple weeks to get another. They still insisted on charging me a fee after only an hour and a half! Enterprise here I come! I will never rent from Budget!

I would give 0 stars if I could. I try not to write reviews, but after my ongoing experience with Budget I felt I needed to warn others. In March 2017, I visited my family in MD and rented a car from BWI Budget. I got an amazing new car and was excited. Within an hour of driving (took me about 2 hours to get to destination) the low air light came on and I thought it was odd. The next day I realized the tire was flat. I contacted the roadside assistance, confirmed I had purchased the roadside assistance for $67+ dollars and then proceeded to ask for help. They said a tow truck would assist. After getting my notification that it would be an hour wait I was ok, after over 2 hours of waiting Budget called saying the tow was not coming and would set up another company. That company said it would be 2 hours until getting there.

Booked a standard SUV through Budget website online to be taken at Cleveland Airport, OH, from 26th April evening through April 28th morning. Pre-paid $181.73, in full, through my credit card. At Cleveland Airport, the female at the counter took the credit card, license and mentioned "Sir, there are 3 cars. Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango and GMC Acadia. Which one do you want?". I chose Ford Explorer. Returned on 28th at 9 am only to get a receipt with an extra charge of $35.67. Immediately called Customer Service to hear "It was an upgraded car. We can't reverse the difference". When I mentioned that the female at the counter never mentioned that these are the options for an upgrade, (which I never asked for or never booked) and also would cost more? How would I know if that is an upgraded to the next class or not - The customer service says "You signed the rental agreement. That is all".

Budget… Never again!! We booked via Ryanair website and included the insurance from AXA insurance. When we received a confirmation email from AXA, we got to know that our excess was €1800!! When we arrived at Trapani Airport, we had to wait for over two hours in a queue of only 3 people. The woman at the desk was taking a long time with each client as she didn’t know her job well and was asking help from her colleagues all the time. When it was our turn to be given our car, we got to know that we had to pay 3 times more the insurance, to lower our excess. We were also told that they do not have any cars available at the airport so we had to wait further in the parking until they got a car from Palermo Airport.

Orlando Rental. When renting a vehicle from Budget on April 22, 2017 there was a waiting line of approximately 30 people. It took 1.75 hours just to get to the desk. When arriving at the front desk the monitor for the customer was malfunctioning so the Budget employee was reaching around and just tapping the screen thus accepting things that were not wanted during the Rental Time. When I got to the hotel I called customer service and voiced my concerns and they said they would credit the rental 25%, even though the employee was told I did not want this option.

I will NEVER NEVER EVER recommend this company to ANYONE. We used one of their rental trucks back in November and when my husband went to pick up the dumb truck they got us to purchase the extra insurance and it says 0 FAULT which means the person is covered. Well he told them we were going to have someone else drive it down for us and they said that was no problem, he would be covered too. So when the person we had driving was going to park the truck he accidentally hit another parked truck at a U-haul place. Well they said that budget would probably cover it without any issues and it would be an easy claim.

I rented a car for one day from Budget a few months ago. This car was to be picked up and dropped off in different cities. I drove the car half of my nine-hour journey and then took a break for the night at my mother's house. The next morning as I was taking off, the car malfunctioned and was clearly not safe to drive. I called Budget's 24-hour roadside assistance and they sent a tow truck. The tow truck picked up the car that same day (within the 24-hour rental period) and took it to their garage. Budget did not bring me a new car so I borrowed a car from my mother. I drove the rest of the trip that day. I noticed a few days later that Budget charged my credit card almost $700. I called and called constantly being told it was going to be fixed. It wasn't until I contacted the executive office twice sending proof and letters that anything was done.

I went online a month in advance to rent a car for a vacation in California. My credit card was charged but I didn't get a confirmation from them so I thought I would call and verify everything. Thank God I did because when I talked to them they said that I did not have a reservation with them. After talking to a foreign guy for a very long time, I was told that something went wrong online and that I would be getting a credit within 12 hours. I am yet to receive my money back and now will be reporting them for fraud. I will never do business with this company ever again.

The worst experience and company I have ever dealt with. I can't believe they get away with their fraudulent charges to people who have already reserved cars but they charge for upgrades and extra insurance you don't want. Never told I was paying for upgrade. Never could contact anyone that wanted to help. Disputed with my credit card but because they had a signature on a contract that I was never even told was a contract, thought it was extra insurance I was declining. Rushed and agent didn't care. If I had known I was going to pay an extra 463.00 for upgrade I would never have accepted as I reserved early and got DISCOUNT. Haha. I think I will contact the attorney general about their fraudulent practices. DONT USE BUDGET RENT-A-CAR.

Upon arrival at the Budget Rent-A-Car area Orlando airport, there were over 100 customers in front of me, my husband was exhausted from the flight. I found him a wheelchair to sit in, no seats in area, he watched the luggage. So for over two hours I stood in line, other customers had loved one who were hungry, had to go to the bathroom, and restless children. I was told by foreign travelers, why do we have to wait here in this line in America, with all the technology available, I apologized for all of our inconvenience. Then as we moved in the lanes we were able to watch the three Budget staff waiting on customers and other blue Budget shirt employees standing around, looking at their phones, laughing having a good time while we in line were losing our patience.

Rented a car in Norfolk VA in April 2017, which was pre-paid by Expedia. After getting my credit card statement I saw that I was being charged $640 CDN extra from Budget. Called them up and they claimed that I had agreed to an upgrade of $10 USD a day, which I did not, was never informed of and did not agree on the contract. Then they said I was being charged $89 USD for a fuel surcharge for not bringing it back full, which I always return full as I know how much they rip you off if you don't. The worst was when they said I was charged for having XM radio as well as roadside assistance. Again I never pay for XM radio, I always have my own music on a usb stick, and my credit card covers all damages, accidents insurance. The Budget rep said they'd give me 50 percent back on upgrade, and then said they would submit a request for refunds of the other charges.

If I could leave zero stars, I would. Both the S. Pine Street location and the airport location in Ocala, FL are owned by the same person. I left a cash deposit that was supposed to be returned to me when I dropped off my rental. The rental was returned in excellent condition and I was due my entire deposit. The location said they didn't have the cash and that Budget's corporate office would mail me a check in about 6 weeks. I told them I could pick up the deposit in a couple days, but they said they wouldn't have it then either. You would think a good rental company would have $150.00. This is not what was supposed to happen according to Budget's customer service department. Unfortunately, the customer service department does not enforce corporate policy or I would have my refund in my hand. DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE! DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY!

Budget late at night had caused an hour time and I still didn't get to rent a car. I had a ride from a son who tagged along, helping with the cell and car and so many questions and insurance sales. No use. I was given option first of a truck and waited then after 20 min told only CREDIT card. My Costco Travel didn't work. I carried my Chase debit and one Target credit and one Federal Credit Union savings card. No way I have a car rental for this weekend. She kept saying the $200 charge is not going through the Federal Credit and the Visa or Master logo must be on my cards. Asking why all this she tells me a new law effective March 21, signs she said are on the application. I don't see any signs except as you wait 35 min and posted where she stands. Nice Uber drivers and again get Uber...

Appalling service from Budget. Had to queue up for 2 hours for my car at Lanzarote, and then there was absolutely no one to show me where the car was (had to find it myself in the car park) and absolutely no one to give me any information, advice or instructions or directions... THEN WORST OF ALL, when I returned the car (and had the car checked in) confirmed full of petrol, but was overcharged £16.74 + VAT for "refuelling service" and £9.52 for something else (could not possibly be petrol, because car was COMPLETELY FULL) when I got back to the UK. Something very remiss is going on within Budget, very remiss indeed, and I can't get anyone to do anything about it. There are lots and lots of car hire organisations around; suggestion: use another one as Budget can't be trusted.

My family (two kids and my wife) and I had just got to the Budget Canada office at the airport to rent a car after a very long trip. Having been tired and in a rush to get to our destiny, we asked about our reservation: A midsize SUV (ford Escape or similar). I asked the person on the counter if he thought the size was ok for the four of us and 3 suitcases. As I remember the salesperson said, "I have this one, a Ford Explorer". To me this was a similar car since I dont know the difference about models. Ford Explorer and Ford Escape to me it was the same.

BUDGET RENT-A-CAR IS A RIPOFF - They refuse to take debit cards or advertise that fact and HAVE THE WORSE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I have 2 agreements due to my recent move. See Agreement No ** quoted total was $331.33 for 8 day van rental with turn in at a different location not in Florida. Then see Agreement ** quoted agreement $219.84 with turn in at a different location in Florida. Because Budget refused to take my daughter's DEBIT card we used my Credit Card. 4 days after we rented the first car we went to pick up the second car and were told we had multiple rentals and again they DON'T TAKE DEBIT CARDS. Both cars were on my credit card even though we were each driving a different vehicle. Because we put the second car on my credit card my 8 day rate went from $219 to $578.10 because Budget tacked additional charges like loss damage waiver when I have USAA car insurance which covers rental cars.

Made a reservation online and got confirmation. At the counter we waited quite some time for them to get the VIN while others were coming and finishing before us. Finally were sent over to the space to pick up the car for just a "short" wait. More than 25 minutes later we walked over to the person in the box and she was not real happy to even slide the little talk door to listen to us. Finally a man came over and said they would swap out the car. I asked if the price would change and the response was "of course not". Prior to returning the car I filled up about 2 miles away from the return. Reviewing my credit card, they overcharged me by $14.83. Waited on the phone for someone to answer for about 10 minutes and they said they could not hear me because of a bad connection. I had no problem hearing them.

On 4/11/17 I arrived in Albuquerque with a Budget reservation for a econ car. By the time I arrived they were "sold out" so I was given a large SUV. Two days later, on 4/13, I returned to exchange the SUV for a smaller car as I was quite uncomfortable in the larger vehicle. After some hemming and hawing I was issued a Dodge Dart. Aggravated and stressed by the process which took some time, I stepped away from the counter and set my wallet down in the "lounge area" about 50 feet away. I went outside to get into my new car and realized I could not find my wallet/license in order leave the premises with the vehicle. I went back inside to check with the counter; I informed them my wallet was missing; they had not found anything at that point.

We have a dispute with the RENTAL CAR (Malaga Airport / Spain) during our recent travels in Europe (April 2017). The car had over twenty thousand km and definitely used tires with all this mileage. After picking up the car, 60 km away from the airport, we noticed a flat tire when we pulled in to a supermarket garage and we called the rental car's roadside service number and they said we had to return the car to Malaga airport (nearest Avis/Budget) or they would have to send a flat bed truck and we should take a taxi. We said we would return the car next day since it was getting late.

I made a reservation with this company online, of which I prepaid (as usual) for today (Apr 23). I always use my debit card for this since this is allowed. I had an event to be at (which I paid for!) at a certain time, and I went to pick up my rental. The person at the counter told me to pick my car and go to the gate to get my contract since I'm a faster break member (I've never had to go to the event for my contract). The ladynamic had THE WORST attitude, was very rude and told me she couldn't give me a contract since they just changed their policy a few weeks ago to only accept credit cards (mind you, I just reserved a car last week with no issue and no warning).

I returned my car with a full tank of gas and it was documented by the agent when I returned my car. I still got charged for a full tank of gas and had to send a copy of my fuel receipt in to get a refund. This is a real pain in the ass to do. I have a lot better things to do than search for my receipt and fax or scan a copy to Budget. It doesn't have to work this way. If a car is returned with a full tank of gas, you should not be charged for one.

Today, I had the absolute worst experience with Budget Car Rental. Traveling with my sister and her husband we split expenses for everything. Two months before our trip to Vegas, she rented our convertible, paid in full with her debit card. Upon arrival, we made our way through the long budget lines to pick up our car only to be told we couldn't get the convertible with the debit card but we could get a sedan with the card. This made no sense to us and my husband even offered to add our credit card to the reservation as back up. Still they refused. The man behind the counter acted like he couldn't have cared less about our problem. Finally we insisted on speaking with a manager who told us she didn't care that the online sales allowed us to reserve and pay in full for this rental because she couldn't get us our reserved car.

Prepaid rental on expedia.com. Upgraded at counter at Kona International Airport in Hawaii. Was given a new contract with upgrade increase of $20 a day. Explained we didn't want any added insurance. My credit card was billed for an exorbitant amount of money. Called customer service. On hold forever. 3 days into our trip was told we were charged for insurance and that we could have it removed once we returned the car. Upon returning the car we were told by the desk clerk that they would not remove it but that I could speak to a manager except that she was in a meeting. Left my cell phone number and never received the call. Attempted to call once we got home and was told that the service was down. I am currently disputing it with my Discover card.

I made a reservation over 8 weeks ago with Budget Rental Car. I received an email confirmation at the time of the reservation and another email confirmation the day before I was to pick the car up. I drove an hour and a half to get the car and was told that they didn't have any cars and that I was the 27th customer to come in that same day that was told the same thing. I showed my email confirmation to the guy behind the counter and he didn't care at all. He just said sorry. I called customer service and got the runaround. I then called Enterprise and got a reservation very easily. They understood my frustration. I will NEVER rent from Budget again. I was very frustrated and they acted like it was not a big deal. I got a better deal from Enterprise and an upgrade for cheaper than Budget was charging. I am very disappointed in this company and the way they handled the situation.

Orlando Airport - worse service and the line was at least 25 people deep. Waited an hour to get served and when I finally did, the clerk went through NONE of the rental agreement. I declined the additional coverage (Loss damage waiver) and yet, lo and behold, a charge for $268 appears on the credit card that I had to give at the desk, even though this was a prepaid rental of $221.17. Why would I get coverage that was more than my rental to begin with? I have car insurance AND booked with an Amex cards which also provides extra rental car coverage.

There are 100 people in this line, 21 stations to rent cars and 6 -- count them 6 -- people taking our information. This is not how we wanted to spend the first three hours of our vacation! Budget just became our last choice -- if we did not already have a reservation we would move over to Avis.

I would like to share my concerns and frustration with my recent experience involving a rental car and moving truck with Budget.com. I had reserved a car for pickup at Charlotte Douglas Airport online through budget.com, dropping off in VA the following day. Upon arriving at Charlotte airport I found out I had made a mistake on my reservation (my fault). The gentleman at the Budget counter would not assist me and told me I had to call the 800 number to correct this and they did not have any cars available other than a very small car. Upon calling the 800 number the gentleman informed me that he could get me in the same size car I had reserved however there would be an additional charge which I was okay with.

I am not going to go into the painful details of my experiences with Budget. First - Budget incapable of renting a car for more than 30 days without initiating a new contract. They do not explain this process. They require you to either return the car to the original location, or call them with the mileage on your car to initiate a new contract.

I had a reservation for a mid size car, and after traveling 12 hours in the air and in airports, I arrived at the SLC airport at midnight and come to find out they did not have a car for me, and did not have any solutions. They acting like that is my problem. "You do not have a way home, too bad, sleep in the airport." They are the worst and I will not rent from them again!!!

We waited for over 2 hours to pick up our rental car at the Orlando Airport, which was an ordeal that started with the flight being delayed for over 6 hours. Started to drive the rental and noticed a terrible smell coming from somewhere inside the car (not sure from where). It was a mixture of vomit, BO and baby poop causing us to drive with the air at full blast and windows down the whole time. My little girl almost threw up coming back from dinner and we had to pull over just in case. Called the rental place repeatedly, but the call goes straight to the general number. Spoke with customer reps, supervisors etc. and the best they could do was: go back at the rental place, exchange the vehicle (which they don't have – I need a minivan as we are 6 people on vacation) and if they don't have a similar vehicle, wait for them to clean it and take the same one back.

Please stay away from Budget Rent-A-Car at Flagstaff airport Arizona. We had a vacation package thru American Airlines. Budget was supposedly our rental car on February 7, 2017 to Feb. 11, 2017. American Airlines is the only airlines in the whole airport. Budget knew that a family of five was coming but when we get to the airport around 9:00 pm they, "Budget" were gone. They left my family high and dry in the airport after a long day of travel. We tried to call them, nobody would answer.

After being offered an upgrade by Mr. Benjie **, I rejected and explained that I was getting the cheapest deal for being on an student budget. Also, I presented the reservation paper having the value paid in advance. In addition, I mentioned that I had paid the reservation in advance to get a better deal and that nothing else should be added to my credit card. I was told that nothing else would be added. However, he added an extra charge of $70.65 without mentioning that to me and without my authorization. Beyond that, it took more than 20 minutes to get the car.

Do not rent from these crooks! I returned my rental car with over 3/4 tank of gas, I didn't use a 1/4 tank, they charge me $32 plus change for gas??? Also, had so many extra charges my rental was over $100 per day!!! What started as a good deal ended in a unreal amount of money for a Ford Focus! Very upset, disappointed. Also when I returned car, the woman never said anything when I commented on bill nor thank you, bite me, nothing. They just want to get your money and get you out of there. Budget knows we have flights to catch and can't stay and argue our case!!! I feel cheated, ripped off and I know I'm a $$$ to them. Customer service, does Budget have one???

I have had the worst customer service experience in my life tonight. I made reservations for a rental like I have been doing for the past five months because I wrecked my vehicle and the new vehicle I ordered has not been shipped yet. I proceed to the counter and the customer service representative was rude from inception, and it was not what she was saying but how she was saying it… She asked for my driver’s license and credit card, then she asked for a telephone number, she then asks for an additional number and I told her that I did not have one... She tells me I can't rent to you if you do not have two contact numbers. I then respond, "You have to be kidding me." She says, "No I am not." So I tell her, "I can just give you a number", by this time she has already made up in her mind that she is not going to rent to me at all...

BEWARE of BUDGET rental at the airport. I rented a 12 passenger van to drive friends to DC. Here's the story. Saturday morning it was suggested that I should pick up $30 insurance on the 12 passenger van since it would not be covered under my family insurance. I agreed. Well today my card was charged $117 for 2 days of $40 insurance and 2 days of roadside service. The guy NEVER said it was $40 or PER day and I NEVER discussed or was offered roadside service. I just returned from Budget and the manager would not take off the $40 per day but said he would take off the roadside part. (I was too pissed to wait for this). He said that since I signed it was my fault, I told him (maybe yelled) that I would have signed almost anything at that point because they were 45 min. late with the van and I was VERY upset. I told him I would tell all my running friends who rent there about their ** business ethic. I plan to Yelp the hell out of them and warn everyone.

We reserved a car through Costco and Budget in San Francisco for a total of 120.00 online. When we were checking in, the counter person said he would upgrade us for 28.00 a day and we accepted it. He did NOT say it was plus taxes and additional fees for a total of 298.00!!! I called customer service and was on hold for over 40 minutes. They were very superficial and unwilling to adjust the bill except for 20.00!!! They certainly have the ability to do this. They were very deceitful in their upgrade approach, very slick!!! We have never had a bad experience with Hertz whom we usually rent from and where we will from now on. My suggestion, don't rent from Budget and whatever you do, DON'T upgrade unless there is no extra charge!!!

I rented a Budget car in Penticton BC to drive to Vancouver for a week. Due to tire pressure sensor issues I had to have the tires by a tire shop in Hope BC. They discovered that three out of the four tires has sidewall separation. I was allowed to continue on to Vancouver with the understanding that any change in driving characteristics would see me off the to the side immediately. An exchange was arranged for that same night, at the Vancouver Airport. The second vehicle was front wheel drive and there was so little front tire tread on either tire as to be dangerous. Another exchange was arranged for and the third vehicle has a ten-inch crack, that apparently was thought to be just fine with the Budget crew.

I was having car troubles so I needed to rent a car in the meantime while my car was getting repaired. I decided to rent a car from Budget for a week to be safe not knowing how long I would need it. I am under 25 so I paid a pretty hefty fee for renting the car, but I was in a bind and I decided to just take the hit. I prepaid online through their website roughly $450 for the 2nd cheapest option they had and selected the same return location. When I went to pick up the car, I asked just to make sure, if I returned the car early which was likely, I would be charged the daily rate for the days I used it + the fees and refunded the rest. I was assured I would. My family was able to help me out and get me a car I could use for the week, so I returned the rental car the same day less than 8 hours after I picked it up, but an hour away at a different location (pickup location Flint airport, return location Lansing airport 50 miles apart).

Rented a car through Budget Tampa airport. First they only had one person to check people out. Second they kept trying to upsell me a different car, I kept saying no. Then they charged me extra for insurance that I did not want but kept forcing it in me. At 830 am after a long flight you’re not really focused, they prey on that especially weary travelers, I wish I read the reviews before renting of them. I spent more on my car rental than I did on vacation and they never gave me my booster seat. I said to take the charge off, instead I got there was plenty of them and yes I should have asked but again I was exhausted after long flight with a toddler in tow. Don't rent from them. They are such a rip-off!!!

Prepaid for an intermediate car. Offered me a Mitsubishi (can't remember model). I asked if he had anything else as I had never driven Mitsubishi. He offered me a KIA Optima which I thought was same size. There was no mention of an upgrade. Rushed me through the checkout process where I thought I was declining all upgrades. Receipt was so faint I couldn't read. Was charged an extra $77 over what I already paid. WILL NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET AGAIN. SUCH A SHAME YOU CAN'T TRUST PEOPLE. AGENT CLEARLY KNEW HE WAS SCAMMING ME. Total rip off Budget!!!

I have booked a car through budget.com (Pre Pay). The total cost for 24hrs it shows $37 (Timings: 04/01/2017 12:00Am to 04/02/2017 12:00Am). I landed at 11:50pm (03/31/2017) and went directly to Budget rental car customer service, she told me that, "We can't provide Sedan car for 24hrs. You have to take SUV. Its total cost takes $51. If you don't want you can cancel (No chances for Refund)." I tried to explain her that, "I booked through online. It shows $37. Now after coming how can you charge extra," and moreover she not giving respect and talking RUDE to me.

When we rented the car on 2-17-17 returned it on 2-20-17 we were told we could return car at any time on the 20th. Well when we showed up at 4am the return center is closed. So we called the 800 number and were instructed to drop car off at airport parking garage. Level 2 B1 is where the car was left. I called the office manager Billy ** that morning and left a message stating where car was left and asked for a return call. I have been contacted several times from Loss Prevention for Budget and now over a month later we get charged 2400 dollars for a 170.00 dollar charge .This is a joke of a company .They should be called WE SCREW YOU Car Rental.

My husband went to Florida for spring training in the beginning of March for four days. Although he was staying with a friend, we decided he should rent a car to get to and from the airport as he had an extremely early departing time. We decided to pay for the car in advance since the price would be locked in. At the counter the salesperson was fast talking and even though my husband is sure he told them he did not need any upgrades, he apparently received one to our surprise when we received our visa statement. When I called Budget, they tell me he agreed to an upgrade as well as a refueling fee of close to $40. I asked them to send me any paperwork that he signed as he did not have the copies, and they said it would take 5-7 business days.

When getting to airport I was asked if I wanted to upgrade to a BRAND NEW 2017 BMW X3 FOR a discounted rate. At the end of everything, I was given a bill of $300 on top of the 40,000 points I already used to get the regular mid-sized SUV. Two days into my trip, I get a low tire alarm. Filled it up twice and then got it looked at. Mechanic said a pull from a previous hole was the problem. He then made notice of the almost bald other tires. I had to pump up tire to 50 psi and then drive 45 minutes to Key West Florida to exchange it for a four-door sedan instead. So much for enjoying a BRAND NEW 2017 BMW X3.

My friend, Tony ** and myself, were stranded at the Philadelphia Airport on March 28th in the evening after our final leg in the trip flight to Williamsport was cancelled due to weather and nearby alternative destinations not made available by American Airlines. I went to Enterprise to then attempt to then rent a car to Williamsport - and they had none but suggested Budget and then transported us to your office where we worked with Rich **, Customer Service Agent number **, who was extremely understanding, took such good care of us, giving us a fabulous car, at a great deal. I am an emergency physician and deal with in need people all the time... and recognize when someone shows compassion and cares for other human beings in need just as they would like to be treated. Yesterday Rich ** became that Biblical 'Good Neighbor' to us... and I will never forget!!!

My experience with Budget over our vacation in Salem Oregon, was completely dissatisfying. Our family was traveling by plane from San Diego to Portland Oregon, where we needed a rental car. We rented through Costco and got a great deal on a Minivan, which was what we needed with 7 passengers. When we arrived at Portland airport we were required to take a Budget shuttle to the rental car location. While we watched every other rental car shuttles pass us by several times, we continued to wait over 45 minutes for our shuttle from Budget to arrive. Once getting to the rental car location (and waiting another 20 minutes to be helped, with only 2 people ahead of me) we were told that they didn't have any mini-vans or any other cars to meet our needs. After reluctantly agreeing to take a 4-Runner with the promise that we could turn it in at the Salem location the next day for a mini-van at no cost (including the gas), we left.

I rented a car through Budget. When picking up the car, my card was charged 111.00. I didn't think much of it because, I figured I would get this back, upon delivery of the vehicle. I figured it was fuel costs, since I had rented an extended van. I, of course filled it back up, before I returned it. I was charged 68.00 again, when delivering the vehicle back. I immediately called Customer care and they stated that I had liability coverage added to the vehicle. I told the rep, "Absolutely not, my insurance covers me in anything I drive." I declined this at the counter, when picking the vehicle up. He told me that I signed it. So basically the rep tricked me and stupid me for believing him. I honestly thought the guy was being nice, he told me that the SUV, I originally rented, he would give me a van, for no extra charges, since I had 5 children with me.

I reserved my rental car online and pre-paid for it to save money. Upon arriving at the Budget rental place in Manassas, Virginia, the man at the counter insisted I get an upgrade. I informed him I did not want an upgrade it, I just wanted the rental car that I prepaid for because I needed to get going. He told me that it was only $5 day please take it. I said no. He said he would give it to me for half of that. I said no. He told me he would just give it to me for free. It was then that I realized it was the only kind of car he had available to release for rental. I agreed if it was for free I would take the car. He printed me a receipt and it shows that I owed $150. I asked him why. He said the rental car was $45 a day plus I was going to have it for two extra days. I told him the rental car upgrade was supposed to be free and I didn't owe for the two extra days. Only one, per my prepaid reservation.

I have been renting from Budget for over 5 years. I had never had any issues with renting and having the vehicle I reserved available until last week and this week. I had to attend my grandmother funeral. I reserved a full size car last week and I got dropped off at the airport in Jackson, MS but when I got there, the employee tells me they are out of vehicles and she don't know why they keep letting customers reserve rentals when we are out. Well, it's not my fault that I was allowed to reserve a vehicle when clearly there were no vehicles available. Instead of the employee trying to get me a vehicle to accommodate me for them not having the vehicle I reserved available, she tells me to go elsewhere or try Thrifty to see if they have a full size available. Then she tells me "all the other vehicle we have in the lobby is reserved for other members."

We had 17 days luxury SUV S class rental planned on driving from Seattle to San Diego. Our car was broke into at San Francisco in daytime (while we were 200 feet away for less than 10 mins to take a picture of the golden gate). After this incident, we had to swap the car at the airport. They swapped a SUV F class for us, and we drove all over nearby airports to exchange what we paid for. They refused to swap it for us! After what we went through (backpacks were stolen, iPads and stuffs) they just want to rip us off because they can! NEVER RENT FROM THIS CAR COMPANY AGAIN!

Car returned on time at 12:30 pm after several day rental and rental agreement stamped. All tolls went on my personal EZ Pass and were verified online as charged before car return. Some days later, received emails from my credit card company and Budget that I incurred a toll of $1.00 plus a $19.75 convenience fee. Reviewed toll charge online and discovered: It was charged at 2:30 pm, two hours AFTER the car was returned. The return time was altered to show 3:30 pm, three hours LATER than the actual return. I asked for and received a refund. What I think happened is that Budget transported the car to another location and incurred the toll but they have automatic software to try to charge this toll to the last user in hope that the user doesn't notice. Clearly, Budget has corporate culture issues that need to be addressed.

I rented a car on 3/10/17 for a trip I absolutely had to make on 3/11/17. I paid in advance online, arrived at the airport the next day to pick up the rental... and the counter was opening late. The representative was standing around on his phone, not paying attention to people coming up and telling them they wouldn't open until 9:00 (open was supposed to be 8:30).

I made a reservation online 24 hours prior to needing a simple economy vehicle (Hyundai Elantra) while my personal vehicle was in the shop for a few days, PREPAID for this vehicle and received a confirmation number, showed up the next day at my designated pick-up time, and was told they were all out of vehicles except for a Camaro.

I recently flew into Austin for a job interview. Decided to rent a car from Budget instead of doing SuperShuttle as I normally would when visiting friends in the area given that most, if not all, of my travel expenditures would be covered. I'm given a Jeep Grand Cherokee and advised that I must return the vehicle with a full tank or be charged. Two days later, just as I'm preparing to return the vehicle to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, I stop off at a gas station near the airport and refill. Arrive at the airport rental car return location (at approximately 5 AM) to discover that no agent is available to check me / my vehicle back in.

A reasonable car turns expensive. I booked through carrental8.com. Everything went smoothly. We got to Budget at the airport and they ask you if you want liability insurance saying it is State law so they completely scammed scared us into the insurance, $15 A day which adds up. We called our insurance company the next day and like someone else said we didn't need that insurance. Make sure you have all your facts before finishing the rental. We called Budget the next day less than 24 hrs. They would not refund the liability. Poor customer service the man argued and said he would refund $20,"haha", for the hassle. Still haven't seen the refund. I guess next time I won't use Budget. They say contact customer service for issues. That's a lie. They don't help!

I rented a van from London Waterloo branch one week ago and they charged my credit card. This morning (less than 24 hours from pickup time) they texted me and informed that the reservation was canceled due to security checks. I called them and they cannot give me any explanation even though I booked with them last year with no issue. I explained them we can change the reservation under my boyfriend's name but they tell me they are sold out before even cancel my reservation and refund my money, so it means my booked van was gone already. It sounds as overbooking.

I contacted Budget Customer Service via email with my complaint, and again I got the same resoponse: "We have on file that you signed for it, so we can't help you". I then went to twitter and posted my complaint there. I got a response to email **. I emailed my story to them. Within hours, I got an email that as a courtesy they were going to refund my money and drop the charges. Not entirely pleased that I had to go through so many routes and so much back and forth to get my money back.

I just recently rented a car from Budget Rent A Car. Really pricey considering I'm under 25 years old, it added an additional $250 for the week on to my total so I ended up paying around $500. The following day after we returned the rental car, I noticed that an additional $90 had been taken out of my account. I called and they said it was because I returned the car a day late, which was false. I returned the rental car about an hour early the day that it was due. The lady on the phone even admitted to technical difficulties that had happened all day the day that our car was due. So the lady said we still had to make a claim to get my money back and that it would take about 4 business day.

Will never use Budget ever again. They will hold your money and then take out double when you return your car. And you should receive your other money in 7 to 10 business days!!! That's a big IF. Horrible, horrible, horrible... I've been trying to get my money they have held for days now and no one can seem to find the right answers.

I booked a car through Priceline and total for the car was 53 dollars. When I came to pick the car up at SFO, the clerk asked me about insurance. I declined coverage because my credit card covers it. He told me to sign here and there, and I thought it was all good to go. When I got my credit card statement I saw that they charged me extra 50 dollars for insurance. I guess it is my fault that I did not double-check the price at the counter and trusted the clerk when he told me to sign the papers. Will never rent through Budget again.

I reserved a vehicle, waited about 40 minutes in line at MCO airport. The rep who took my reservation mumbled everything, I declined the insurance, which he still added on. I reserved the car for 6 days and was told to drop the car off between 10:30 am and 11 am. Waited to drop my car off, the following business day I was charged additional money for taxes, and an entire day extra of insurance. The billing customer service rep was very rude and hung up on me, needless to say I would never rent from Budget again nor do I recommend it. Poor customer service and a lot of in-between the line things they do not make you aware of.

I was talking to Tonya about making a reservation and their reviews and possible charges for returning early (9:00am as opposed to 11:00am). She was trying hard to sell me but when I started asking these questions, she just hung up on me. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, if it was an accident, to call me back since I had given her both my home and cell #. No return call. Glad that I did not book with Budget to later find other unpleasant surprises! The email that she sent to me did not work when I tried to contact them with this experience. I wish I could give them a negative star. This is the email address that she sent to me: BudgetConfirmations@budgetgroup.com.

I reserved a car from Budget almost one year in advance of Jan. 31, 2017, for a period of one month. I rented so far in advance because I knew that this time period in Tucson, Arizona is the busiest of the year. Although I reserved a Hyundai Elantra or similar, I received a VW Jetta. I did not accept any additional insurance as I have always been told that if you have your own car insurance this was not necessary. First, when I picked up the car there was no one in the garage to even show me how to turn on the car lights! And there was no instruction manual in the glove compartment.

I had been researching and comparing car rental companies for my vacation with my daughter. Online reviews gave a decent score for BUDGET Rent A Car and their prices were lower than most, so I thought it was a safe choice. I placed my reservation online and instantly my account was charged the entire price, but the reservation didn't take and the online form said that they were having problems with my card information, so try again. I called the banking institution for my card and that charge had most certainly been applied. So, I did not want to put my information in again.

I rented a car from LAX on Sunday Feb. 26 and I am still in possession of this car but here is my complaint. 1, the computers were down when I rented the car and waited in line for almost 2 hours. The representatives were great, very friendly. They had to hand write everything, things happen but my representative breezed right through. Now, I get my keys, go out to check the car, there were multiple dents, dings and scratches on the car, when I got in, it literally smelt like someone just smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in the car with the windows ups. There were ashes on the dashboard and didn't look like it had been cleaned. I was already running 2 hours late for my check in with my unit but luckily they understood. The car is also hard to turn, like it needs power steering fluid or the fluid line was busted.

My friend rented a 16 ft. budget truck and car carrier, in Las Cruces NM. We spent 3 days moving her to the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. We returned the truck one day early, very clean and full of gas. I had called Budget Rent-A-Car to rent a SUV from the location that we were dropping off the truck to. When I talked to that lady on the phone I informed her that I don't have a credit card but I have a American Express Debit Card with plenty of money on it. She told me that would be fine and just present the card when I pick-up the SUV. Long story short, the guy would not rent to me and said that I had to have a credit card.

Budget is giving me a nightmare!!! I prepaid for a rental more than two weeks ago. I am supposed to pick up the car tomorrow and I got a call from the local Budget office that the car won't be available so I should call customer service. I spent half the day yesterday getting transferred all over the place and when I talked to someone they insisted the car would be available. I pleaded with them and even talked to a supervisor to just call the local office to confirm the car will be available but they refused and kept telling me the car will be available. Nobody was picking up when I called the local office when I called them.

We rented two trucks from Budget, both trucks had the check engine lights on but we were told to drive them anyway. One had no air conditioning (driving to Florida) and the other broke down 5 hours into the 12 hour drive. My daughter was stranded for over 30 hours while she waited for three different mechanics, none of whom could fix the truck. Finally they offered to replace the truck and provided reloading services. Damages are not covered for lost time, hotel, meals and road side assistance is horrible. I called over 80 times in 2 days and constantly Sat on hold or was given vague answers. Nightmare company. The worst company to rent from. Moving is never fun, but this was a dangerous nightmare. As I type this my poor daughter is still stuck on the side of the road with a family emergency she has to get home to.

If I could leave a minus 10 - I would. We rented a car in Oralndo FL to Sarasota FL with another car company - starts with A ends with O. On the way back from Sarasota to Orlando we rented with Budget, a few bucks cheaper. The experience was the complete OPPOSITE from my awesome A___O experience. The agent at the counter was RUDE and more. I am a working woman with a new business and money is tight.

Shortly after I rented a car from a Budget airport office, I discovered the front left tire had a slow leak. I brought the car to a local Budget office (not the airport office) and had a garage across the street examine the tire. I thought I'd run over a nail or other sharp object and was prepared to pay for the tire repair. However, the garage folks told me (and Budget office staff) that the leak was from a previous "mushroom" plug patch and that the tire was defective and couldn't be repaired.

I rented a car from Budget at the Jacksonville International airport on Feb 3 2017 at about 5:30 PM. I was told I have to buy the supplemental liability insurance because of a mandatory Florida state law. I could not get the car unless I paid this, so I paid for the insurance. I already have private USAA insurance which provides liability insurance for rental cars. My USAA credit card also provides some coverage. The cost was almost $15 per day. In doing further research I found there is no such mandatory Florida State Law and this appears to be a rather common complaint. Management may incentivise in some way this type of behavior.

If you use one credit card to hold the account & check out using the same card, you should have no problem. But beware! If you try to pay using any sort of prepaid card, you will get double-charged! Customer Service took me to Corporate, where I talked with Darrel, who was MUCH less than helpful. He showed no compassion that we were charged on our personal card as well as our prepaid card. When I tried to get him on a conference call with the card company, he hung up! I got them successfully talking for 5 minutes before he hung up again! Awful customer service, and completely inadequate employees who don't know how to run their card system, thus resulting in us getting charged twice! The good news? Our funds will get released back to us in 60 days! Ha. To sum it up: Feel free to try to use Budget, but if anything goes wrong, THEY WON'T HELP, and won't care.

Dealing with Budget Car Rental for the 1st & last time! Initially I rented a car from them for 24hrs which is about $100. I will take fault for oversleeping and missing my return time by 15-20 mins, which of course we would expect a late charge so I'll accept that $60, but I called the office and told the representative I will be extending the rental; figure the extra $100/day would have me at $200 which would be a waste for 2 days when Budget offers the same vehicle at $335.99 for the week, so I told them I will keep the car instead, her replied no problem.

I rented a car from Budget for my vacation in Kauai, HI. I paid in full for my rental car upon my return. One month later, Budget charged my credit card $400 US (I'm Canadian so it's even worse) because I got the car keys WET. They did not invoice me or talk to me before charging my credit card and would not remove the charge when I complained. DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET IN KAUAI!!!

If you want to change the time that you pick up the car, they will charge you a fee. They do not tell you about the fee till after you paid the money to rent the car. They don't have a grace period for returning the car late or picking it up, like other car rental places do. I will spend more money next time and go to the ones that have this.

Budget Car Reservation Arkansas - I contacted Budget Rental to inquire about a reservation using a Visa Bank Card since the website states this form of payment is accepted. I was advised there will be an additional hold in addition to the car rental fee. The pay now option was available and the Visa bank card was accepted as a form of payment. I arrived at the car rental location 3 hours later and was advised a credit check was needed because I did not have a "Credit Card", however my bank card had already been charged when I checked my bank account. The rep then stated I would need 2 forms of payments, meaning 2 cards on file, which I had 2 Visa bank cards in "My" name. However, I still was not able to rent the vehicle, which is unbelievable seeing that even car insurance claims are not this difficult and I CHOOSE not use credit cards.

Everything was fine except we were vacationing in St. Croix for the first time and it would have been nice if they had provided some guidance regarding what type of car we should rent for the area in which we would be traveling. We might have made a more appropriate choice for our needs, but were unfamiliar with the area.

We made a three-day car rental reservation in advance. Our flight into SFO was delayed several hours because of weather. When we finally got to the car rental counter we were advised that Budget could no longer honor our reservation because we were no longer meeting the three-day minimum for our rate. They wanted to charge $100 more than our original reservation, think about that. Because we were keeping the car two hours less they wanted to charge us more than $100 more. When we insisted it was a flight delay we were advised to take it up with the airline. What a ridiculous answer. We asked the agent to assist us in finding a different rate. We could use a AAA, military, AARP or outlet discount. We were told all he could offer us was the walk-up rate which was much more expensive.

Flew into Honolulu airport for a family vacation on 1/26/1977 decided to rent a minivan from Budget. While out doing some site seeing my kids were going through the overhead compartments and found a ** pipe with drugs. Called Budget right away and was informed that if we wanted to we could bring the car back to swap it out or if we preferred the vehicle and we would be compensated upon return of the vehicle. Being more than an hour away from the rental location we decided to dispose of the pipe and drugs rather than risk getting a felony offense for possession while driving with it in the car.

When we picked up the car it was dirty inside, there was no fuel in the tank (and no fuelling facility at the pickup point) and the odometer reading did not match the paperwork. We pointed this out to the manager who signed our rental agreement to confirm this was true. Budget still insisted on charging us for fuel and a refueling charge. We challenged this through our credit card company who refunded the charge to us and took up the issue with Budget. At this point Budget refused to investigate the matter and did not respond to communication from the credit card company. Instead they chased us for the debt (which wasn't owed) and refused to conduct the internal investigation because we had referred the matter to the credit card company. When I ran to discuss this all they would say was "it is company policy not to complete the investigation once the matter was referred to the credit card company".

When renting a car from Budget be aware of what you are signing. I rented a car recently and turned down all insurance options verbally. So I assumed I could initial the rest of the forms agreeing to the contract. When we retuned our car we were slapped with a "supplemental liability insurance." Oh well, I guess verbally turning down all insurance for a rental car does you no good. They will always get you in the end. I will never rent a car from them again.

Overall fair service, car, value. Check in was a little hurried and things were forgotten, but check in when they wanted their $859, things picked up a little, with more staff, more attention detail and getting me out the door.

I rented from a local dealer at a service station. The selection was limited to one car for each category. I reserved online which was easy to navigate and complete. When I picked up the car it took all of about 8 minutes to sign the agreement and get the keys. The reserved car was not available so they upgraded me to the next category. Customer service was professional and business like. The price was fair and the office was convenient.

First off vehicle was nasty when I got it. Had to be somewhere quickly so I took it. I filled tank at gas station next to airport. Budget still charged for gas. Agent told me because I drove less than 70 miles I had to have a receipt for gas purchase even though line was above the F line on vehicle. I will never use Budget again. Shame as I am an elite member with them.

Don't use Budget Rent A Car!! Recently rented a car from Budget in Orlando, FL. I had reserved my car online and had anticipated extra charges (hidden) but generally knew how much the bill was going to be. I was charged many extra's (liability insurance, gas, and who knows what else) that the customer service rep never told me there would be an extra charge for and the company refused to refund the full amount, only refunding $30 for gas. They were unethical in their contract practices and their customer service was awful. In all, my bill was approx $150 more than I had calculated. Yes I will rent a car again, but NEVER from BUDGET!!

Customer service was bad. Car smelled like smoke and they said it didn't, and I'm a nonsmoker. Went through AARP, they really screwed up. Did like them at one time, but now I'll try a different Avis/Budget office.

Budget, Dollar, etc in Orlando International Airport are all the same. Seems a majority of them have lawsuits pending against them for falsely charging running tolls and activating transponders. They tell you transponders are there "for your convenience," which is true for some, but it also lets them charge you since it's apparently automatic and they can claim it activated when you didn't activate.

Not only the worst company for car rental, but an horrible customer service. Charged TWICE at Budget - Toronto - Ontario. In October of 2016, I returned a car on date and time of my contract. Went to the Budget counter to pay the total amount of my rental in cash. After paying, I asked the gentleman from Budget if the amount would be waived from my credit card, and he said "YES", and gave me a receipt. After a few days, I noticed the charge on my credit card were not waived and I called customer service and for my surprise, the answer for this terrible mistake was: "You need to wait for 14 BUSINESS days for their analysis."

Our arrival by shuttle to the rental centre went (relatively) smoothly. When we got to the Budget center, things went from bad to worse. The lineup was over 30 people long and they only had 4 stations (out of 10) helping customers. It was mid-afternoon, so it wasn't likely they were all out to lunch, but it took almost an hour before it was our turn. Suggestion for improvement: When there is a huge lineup of people waiting to begin their holiday, put a few more people on to serve them.

I rented a car for 7 days. Because of my USAA membership, the young driver fee was waived. I paid it online and the car was pretty cheap then - only around $33 a day. At the counter, the man told me, I have to sign "here" and "here" and have to tell him the reservation number, my name and my USAA membership number. Sounds like a normal process. Then he asked me for my credit card that they can put a hold on it until I return the car. I said "fine" and gave him my credit card. On the day that I returned the car, no one was there. Doesn't make sense for me because I selected the return time. So I filled in the paper work and throw them together with the keys into the mailbox. The tank was fully filled up.

We rented a car to drive from Miami, FL to Ft. Myers, FL. We were instructed to "go find" our "red" van in a parking lot parked across the street. There was no parking space number so we were told to just "push our key button" until we found the right van. After searching the parking lot, we finally found our "red" van which was actually "grey" and blocked in by another car. No customer service to be found. The gas tank was 1/2 full and we were instructed to fill it to 1/2 upon delivery. After we filled the tank to the specified level, we were still charged for the gas in Ft. Myers. I went to customer service to have it removed from my bill and it was unbelievable how rudely we were treated. SAVE YOUR MONEY!! Do not rent from this company!!

I will never rent from this rental car company again. I went to Miami. Rented a car for 4 days. Brought the car back about 2:15 am to get on my flight for 5:15 am. Someone who work at the rental car place took the car out. After I return the car charged my card $724.53. I have called over and over again so the person who took the car out after me kept it for 12 days and charge me and this happen in May 2016. Nothing still have not been done. Do not rent from these people. They will steal your money. I called. Talk to so many people. Nobody did anything. The lady at the Miami airport told me that the car might have been lost in the garage. Yeah right. I'm going to take them to court.

This is the absolute worst car rental company. My boyfriend and I were trying to reserve a car for our trip. As we are trying to confirm our reservation online it tells us there was an error processing our card. Next thing we know, we have no car reservation but the entire charged with instantly taken out of our checking account. Upwards of five phone calls later we are out over $300 with no rental car reserved. They have now told us it was because there was a system update that is stated NOWHERE on the website. Now we have to wait over 3 days for the 300 dollars to be credited back to our account. This is now causing us to postpone other things we need to book on this trip because we are out $300. Absolutely ridiculous and will never book with this company again. Don't waste your time, book a rental car elsewhere.

$100 charge for returning with over a half a tank of gas. $20 charge for going through a toll. Customer service is pathetic --- I suggest never using them and if you have to, make sure to read the contract with a fine toothed comb.

We had a terrible experience with Budget. I am so annoyed and unhappy about Budget that I can only mention how bad Budget is when someone asks me about my trip. So we reserved an intermediate vehicle. We have an intermediate vehicle at home and it fits our luggages and the 4 four us comfortably. And I called Budget customer service to inquire what kind of tires are provided on the vehicle. The people in the call center said that the tires would be whatever it needs to be for the weather in the city we rent. So we go to pick up our rentals. There were 4 of us. Two adults and two kids. We have one regular size luggage. One medium size and a hand luggage. The lady tries to up sell us to an SUV for $600 more. Are you kidding me? That's 4 times the price of what we paid. But that's not the problem.

I rented a car from Budget via Hotwire and got a lower price. Budget states that they promise to match 3rd party sites yet are refusing to match my price. I have complained and asked to speak to a Cust Service Manager and they refuse to provide me with a name, an email or a phone number. The only thing they are willing to do is suggest that I call or email their generic call center number, which I have and has accomplished nothing. I have spoken with a dozen people who barely speak English and they have also refused to provide me with a corporate number to call. All they do is take your complaint and file it in the garbage. They are a garbage company which doesn't care about its customers. Shame on them.

We rented a car through Budget for our recent Christmas trip to the Island of Hawaii (Kona Int'l Airport). We booked in June which I highly recommend -- as you approach the holidays, prices skyrocket. Upon picking up our jeep, we were greeted and cared for via a great representative. It was rather quick and out we went. But not for long, unfortunately. At our first right turn, we realized the blinker light was out. Nothing major, so we turned around and they swapped our car out with another Jeep and off we were. Both Jeeps were rather dirty, inside and out. We take exceptional care of our own cars so this was a slight disappointment, fortunately the car wash wasn't too far away. Less than 24 hours later, we soon realized that our replacement Jeep was infested with ants. Hundreds of them. I took the Jeep back and explained that it was infested. The agent this time wasn't quite as friendly.

I rented a car to drive home in (7 hour drive). I told the company rep that I would return the car in the evening at my destination. He said "no problem, you have until the next morning." I returned the car as I said I would in the evening. BUDGET charged me a $75 fee for returning the car early! It was when I said I would return it! NEVER USE BUDGET!!!

I rented a car at the Raleigh-Durham Airport. When we got to the rental agency, there was only one person working and a fairly long line. I have Budget Fastbreak so had picked my car, etc before I got there. There was no indication that I should go in a different line. After waiting 15 minutes someone came in and mentioned fast break (my fault for not asking) and sure enough a separate line. So I was able to get out of line and get my keys and rental agreement and leave.

I booked a car and paid for it online a month before vacation. A couple of days before leaving I wanted to add an extra day due to weather conditions. I clicked from my reservation confirmation to modify the rental. It was going to cost $380.00 for 1 additional day. This couldn't be right $380.00 for 1 day. I called the number on my confirmation, it was no longer in service. I went to their website, called two additional numbers that were out of service. Called the 800 number, the system was down so they couldn't help or provide any other options.

I rented from this company in Oakland, CA and the first two cars we got in STANK like ** and/or cigarettes. They said they would apply a coupon for the next rental and never did. The next rental was given to me with an empty tank of gas despite the contract saying that it was full. I have rented cars for ten years and have never been given a car with an empty tank, thus I didn't even realize until I was on the CA I-5 in the middle of nowhere. I am a female and it was dark. This was not only unprofessional, misleading, and untruthful, but very dangerous.

NEVER again will I go to Budget Rental car. The car was $37 a day. I was an hour and a half late, and they charge $25 an HOUR. Other places I've been charge $8-12 an hour over. For another $25, I may as well keep it for another day. So I did. They take $200 off of your card, not just hold it... But take it off and it then takes 7 to 10 business days to receive the refunded amount. If they can take it off immediately, why can't you put it back on immediately? Smh... Never again will they receive my business!! Budget is definitely not for anyone on a budget!!

I rented a car for a road trip from 12/26-1/2. When I arrived in Denver to pick up the car at the airport, the representative insisted that I upgrade to an AWD/4WD vehicle since Colorado had traction laws that go into effect during the winter that require either chains which they do not allow on their cars, or an AWD/4WD vehicle. I had prepaid, but I agreed to upgrade for an additional $220 since the representative essentially told me I needed to if I were to be driving through the mountains.

Arranged for a one-way rental. When I spoke with the rep, they told me that I would have to return the car to the airport because the return point near me would be closed Sunday night when I would be returning the car. So I went 60 miles out of my way (30 miles one way) to drop at the airport just to find that there was no one at the airport either. I had to use the key drop-box. Budget claimed that I returned the car the following day and billed me more than double the agreed-to rate. They said I had no paperwork to show that I returned the car when I claimed, and they refused to review the video from the many cameras they had at the return site that would prove my case. I contacted them multiple times and disputed it through my credit card company, but Budget refuses to adjust the bill to the amount that we agreed to. Total scam. I will never use them again.

I will try to give you all the short version: the truck broke down in front of our new home in the driveway. We are miles away from our vehicles. We were stuck for over 3 hours awaiting for roadside assistance to come. Customer service and reservations are a joke. They are rude, do not know their jobs, and cold transfer you to other departments who are closed. They speak to you as they are doing us a favor by offering 15% reimbursement on a truck that is broke down, and it was leaking inside the truck when it started to rain, and wet our king-sized mattress up totally, and ruin my brand new towels. The CEO needs to read these reviews and change these practices with how customer service treats the customers. I will NEVER USE THEM AGAIN!!!

I rented a car on 12/08/16 for one day and returned the car at 3:30 AM on 12-09-16 the following day in order to catch a 6 AM flight to Bogota, Colombia. As Budget does not operate a 24 hour service, I was instructed to return the car to Avis which is locate in the same area as the Budget return area. I did so as instructed. The attendant had a problem printing a receipt so I had to go to the Avis counter inside. My contract was for $70.08 but I was billed $447.00 because Budget said the car was not turned in until 9:30 PM on 12/12/16. I have file with my credit card company for a credit of the difference in the billing. Do not rent from Budget. Especially if you are returning a car after hours.

Brownsville, TX. 12/25/16. Reserved an economy car on 11/14/16 online through USAA Explore service. Arrived at Brownsville airport to discover the business was closed for the holiday. Left us stranded until a family member could leave the rest of our family in Texas to come pick us up. Every other rental agency was open, mind you, but without any available rentals. We spoke with the national Budget customer service line and, although sympathetic, they could offer us no solution because of the holiday. We asked if they could contact any manager or employee of the local office to find a solution and they would not. We weren't getting the car that day, period.

I recently reserved a minivan from this Budget location on 11/24/16 for pickup on 12/9/15 at 8 a.m. Me, my mom, daughter, sister and my grandkids were making the drive to Nashville for my niece's wedding that my granddaughters were in. When I arrived at the location at 8 a.m. on 12/9/16 to pick up the mini van, I was told that they did not have one. I asked the gentleman at the counter why they didn't have it and he responded with a shrug. He asked me if I just reserved it the night before?? I said, "No, I reserved at least 10 days ago, on 11/24." I then said, "What am I supposed to do? I have to get my family to Nashville by 3:00 p.m." Mar, the attendant, proceeds to tell me, "Don't be getting no attitude. An attitude will get you nowhere here!" I ended up having to take a 15-passenger van because I HAD to have my family in Nashville by 3 p.m.; which I have NEVER driven one.

Policy, policy, policy to the absurd! I prepaid for a car rental from Budget from Christmas Day until January 2 at Ohare in Chicago. I drove the car to Traverse City, MI on Christmas Day. I then wanted to return the car on 12/26 in TC as my son decided he could take us back to Chicago. Since I had prepaid a contract, there would be no refund for an early drop off. Oh, and there would be a $300 charge to drop the car off in Traverse City. Gotta love the car rental business!

The tellers where I rented were rude and tried to provide me with a car with an indicator light for low tire pressure on. When I let them know about this issue they told me they were sure it was fine and that it was likely an indicator issue not a low tire pressure issue. After determining that they were just guessing at that, I asked for a car without any indicator lights on since I am paying to rent a functioning car. After much attitude I was provided with one. A few weeks later I get my second toll charge on my credit card so I call to confirm the charges and figure out how much more there will be as this was a work rental and I had already submitted my forms for reimbursement.

December 20, 2016. The car we got from Budget here in Florida is registered in NY (has NY plates). The registration sticker on the window is in complaint, the vehicle inspection sticker was expired in May of 2016. We found this out in NY when a meter maid point it out and wanted to give us a ticket. The wiper blades are worn to the metal. It rained on the way back to Florida we had to parked the car because we could not see out the wind screen. We expected to rent a car that is road worthy and this was not. When we return the car we explained to the counter person the issues with the car his response to us is "take it up with corporate" because he is responsible for inspections or vehicle safety. OK Budget please train your staff and have your vehicles road safe. Thanks.

Stay away from Budget. This slimy company charged me a bogus $25 fee because their SunPass was broken. I called them to tell them not to charge me for this, and I would send in a check for the toll. The customer support person said that it was OK and there was no charge. A month later, they charge me $25 anyways even though on the phone the support person said they would take care of it.

We arrived in Orlando on November 4th after more than 12 hours flying with a baby. My husband went to pick up the car and the attendant asked if he wanted insurance. My husband said that he didn't want any other expense and the attendant told him that he should get. So, my husband asked a simple one and the man showed him that it was just 34 dollars. So my husband signed, but when we returned the car, on November 10th, it was 34 dollars PER DAY, which means that we spent MORE in insurance than in the rental price! The attendant was speaking in Spanish and maybe he got mistaken.

Recently I rented a car from Budget. I asked if I could pay cash to avoid attracting huge fees the bank imposes when I use my Credit Card OS. I was told that is not a problem and I subsequently rented the car. However, when it came time to pay I was told they don't accept cash and I had to use my credit card. It didn't matter how many times I explained the situation Budget just didn't listen... First, they try to blame me for using my credit card... then they tried sending me to the bank because it was a bank fee and then to add insult they tried blaming me for not understanding the exchange rate between the two countries.

Car rental was in July, they apparently had a difficult time "capturing" the card. Which in their terms means they didn't accept the payment for some reason. I used that card the entire time I was camping which wasn't a lot. All of a sudden in October we are trying to get billed from Budget- 3 months later. Our bill doesn't even have the rental date on it... we deny it with American Express because it looks like FRAUD!

We recently rented a car at the airport in Bloomington-Normal IL. We picked the car up at 6:55 p.m. When we went out to the lot and transferred some stuff to the Volkswagen Passat, we noticed the low tire light was on. We immediately found a parking place and returned to the desk to find the representative had already left. I had forgotten my cell phone but we called the number on the contract when we got to where our phone was. I explained the situation to the lady and she said she would have to send out roadside service. Since technically the car was not service ready when we picked it up, I never expected to be charged for someone fixing their lack of service. When the guy showed up, he measured the air in the tires. Two of them were over 35 pounds of air, the other two were over 45 pounds, and the spare had over 55 pounds. With all the tires over-inflated, this car was a hazard on the highway.

I have NEVER had to give my SS number or pull my credit when renting a car. Budget would not give my wife a car until she gave her SS#. Now 3 weeks later, we are getting charges on our bank card in cities we've never been to, including Budget rental in NY. It's some kind of SCAM. My bank returned the charges and I am reporting this. I will never use Budget/Avis again.

I rented a car on Nov. 15 & returned it on Nov. 22, 2016 at 9:10 am. Now I'm thinking everything is ok until I gets a call from my credit card company saying budget trying to take $500 so I'm like "For what? My car has been returned back." So I called corporate yesterday to talk to them. They said they will refund my money so I'm like ok cool no problem. So today when I gets home from work my credit card company called again saying they are trying to take more money. So I just called them 20mins ago saying "why are y'all trying to take money from my card?"

On October 4, 2016 I made reservations for a car rental with Budget through American Express. On October 5, I printed out this reservation on Budget’s website (confirmation #**). Received confirmation from Budget, the vehicle was to be picked up on Dec 5, 2016 at your Sheraton location in Santa Clara, Panama. When I arrived at the Sheraton on Dec 5 to pick up this car, I was informed the office had closed. No one at Budget had the courtesy to inform me of this change. As a result of this gross negligence, me and my family have been caused a great deal emotional grief, not to mention an additional expenditure of $500.00 for local transportation costs. Is this the way you treat a loyal Budget customer of 6+ years (I normally rent a car from Budget for at least 3 months every year when we visit Panama.)? Your company has ruined the start of our vacation and I would never recommend Budget to anyone, ever again.

Got rental car at Portland, OR airport. Was handed the keys and told what parking spot to get the car. There was no attendant around to walk to vehicle for damage and as we drove away we noticed a crack in the windshield. We assumed they knew about this. Upon return of the car, there was an attendant who pointed out that we cracked the windshield. My husband explained that it was there when we picked up the car and filled out a form to state that. We then received a bill saying that we were responsible for $184 to replace the windshield. I disputed and they said that since I didn't purchase additional insurance I would have to pay. I told them that additional insurance shouldn't be the issue since it was there when we picked up the car. They charged $184 to my credit card. I am currently disputing the charge. I won't use Budget again.

I reserved a car through Kayak for my visit to Seattle. I selected Budget Rental Car. I prepaid it. When I got there, they did not have the car available, but did not tell me they were switching the car OR charging me for an upgrade. In addition, they added collision insurance. They did not have the first two cars they assigned to me, and finally found me a car. No mention was made to me of the additional charges, and the service agent even told me I was personally liable for any damage to the car as I was leaving. When I received my credit card statement a month later, I found an additional charge for the upgrades and the insurance.

I rented a pickup for 2 days and was quoted a certain price. When I returned in, the guy at the counter said just drop off the keys as it is prepaid. When I got my credit card statement, it was 80.00 more. I called the customer service number and they said I was an hour late in dropping it off and was charged for an extra day. I was way early. The guy just waited to check in the pickup to get that extra money. Customer Service said nothing they could do because of their policy. What ripoff!!!

I rented a Kia Rio at the Sarasota airport. I agreed to take possession of a car with a full tank of gas and return the car with a full tank of gas. Since the car has multiple scratches I was busy cataloging them with the aid of the rental car Rep. So when I finally drove off I did not notice that the car did not have a full tank of gas. I finally took notice when the gas gauge moved to 3/4 after driving 24.9 miles. During my rental period I filled up the tank and I drove 89.1 miles before the Gauge moved to 3/4. A car which is rated 27/36 MPG was far from having a full tank of gas when I drove off. I don't think it was an oversight on the part of Budget Car Rental. I believe that it is called Budget because the company meets its budget by shortchanging their clients.