Budget Car Rental Reviews

I arrived at Budget car rental to pick up a prepaid car. The desk clerk told me that "optional" insurance was mandatory in FL and that if I wanted my car I had to accept it. I told him I had full coverage through my auto policy and additional coverage through my credit card and didn't need insurance. He insisted the only way I was getting a car was to accept insurance. Later I discovered it was all a lie. When we called Budget Customer Care we were told that I was an adult and shouldn't have signed the contract. There was nothing they would do. It was my word against their employee's and they have my signature. After numerous attempts to resolve this with Budget I've concluded that their corporate leadership is aware of and condones these scams. Profit at any cost. Stay away from Budget car rental. They are a horrible, unethical, sleazy company.

My rental car from Budget had a major transmission failure on the way back to the airport. I called Budget and the breakdown company arrived within 1 hour. What I did not realize was they had only come for their car. They left me stranded 70 miles away from the airport and told me to get a taxi!! The taxi cost me $150 and I am now trying to get this back from them. This company has no customer service and they could not come up with any solution to get me to the airport to catch my flight..other than get a taxi!! I was in a foreign country next to a major freeway (QEW). The recovery guy did give me a lift to the next small town but then I was on my own!! At no point in the many conversations that I had with budget did they try or suggest any solution to this problem. I very nearly missed my flight to London, UK.

Rented a car from Budget in Manzanillo through Expedia. Paid $164.38 to Expedia. Upon arriving at Manzanillo airport and going to Budget counter to get the paperwork processed I was told even though I have car insurance from using my credit card they don't take them and I have to purchase insurance from them or no car. So I bought the insurance. When we returned the car 1 week later and they filled in the paperwork, they, like Expedia, charged us for the car. They said we can never collect off travel companies. They then added a 10% airport fee along with a 16% fee for who knows what for, for a total of 3705 pesos or $317.49 Canadian which I just got my Visa bill for. So you add that with what I paid Expedia and the car cost 481.87C for the week. I emailed Budget which was a waste of time as they are giving me back a whopping $23.06US as they said I overpaid. I will never rent a car from Budget again. Total ripoff.

I rented a car from Budget a few weeks ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The charges ended up being twice the amount I expected. With taxes, I estimated around $110 for 4 days. The island has tolls and they told me to go through Auto Express and that the charges would be added to the bill. I only went through a few. What they don't tell you is that you have to pay an additional $15.00 for the convenience. If I would have known that, I could of paid for the tolls myself, if that was even an option.

After reserving a car in advance and receiving a confirmation number, the woman at Budget/Avis counter at Hilton Head SC airport informed me that "we don't have any cars but one usually comes in sometime soon". "You don't have any cars?" I asked. "That's right" she replied. I was then told to wait. While waiting I witnessed her assigning cars to other customers. When I finally did get a car (45 minute wait) and went to it, there were two other cars in the lot. Since the airport is very small and she is the only person working for them it's pretty clear that she lied. The drop off was not any better. Trying to return the car early and avoid an extra day's charges, the attendant in Caldwell NJ (Jessica) said "I have 5 people in front of me and I'll call you right back". 15 minutes later when I presented to the store it was closed. And of course she never called back. Now I am being charged for an "extra day". Never use Budget or Avis. I never will again. Had a good experience w/ Hertz and several good ones w/ Alamo.

We arrived in San Fran on 5 Oct 2014 to collect a hire car from Budget San Fran Airport. I booked a Ford Edge car. On arrival I was told that this car was not available. However, they could upgrade me to a Ford Explorer which was good although this car is too large and I would not feel comfortable driving due to the size that's why I requested the Ford Edge which I had on my previous visit to USA. I was told this vehicle was not available and I could have a similar car, a Mazda. I asked for the specs to be printed so I could compare the like for like as this car was not on the car list. The sales assistant was not helpful and said that it was not possible to get these details.

Most people do not know that when you rent a car from BUDGET they run a credit check on you when they swipe your credit card at the desk. This inquiry hits your credit report and lowers your score. DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. Also, their customer service representatives are rude and discourteous. All they will do is recite their policies to you. They have no desire to help anyone.

Last weekend I had my worst car rental experience ever - and it's of over 50 I had in total. It was with Budget UK at St. Pancras station. So I advise anyone to avoid this company or at least this rental location. Key problems I've encountered: It seems that I've been offered a car 1 category below what I'd booked and paid for. This was explained by an internal software issue, but I don't buy into that. The car was not inspected upon return. There was a damage claim done retrospectively, without me being present. Immediately afterwards, my credit card was charged with £300+ without any investigation being done. Customer service is bad. For 4 days I did not have any response to my e-mail. Communication by phone is as frustrating as representatives deliver contradicting information.

Budget Car Rental Springfield MO - I rented car through Priceline for trip to Branson Mo. to celebrate my mother's 90th Birthday. My Mom and Sister and I were traveling together. Our flight was a little early and I ask if it would be a problem getting the car prior to 12noon. I was advised not a problem, Bradley, rental agent, read "script" to me, I did initial. I was never advised there was a 29 minute grace period, and if we waited an additional 13 min. there would be no additional cost. My mother was in a wheelchair and at the counter with me. If I realized I would be paying $100 more, I would have certainly waited the additional 13 minutes to be within the "grace period".

At the airport I was adamant I did not want anything extra, only the rental of the car and a child car seat. Total price quoted was £349. Checked my credit card to see they took £716.84. After requesting the invoice 7 times I finally got it. There are 4 different charges on it I never authorized or accepted. There is a top of the range extra insurance charge, there is an additional driver charge (even though I traveled alone with my child), there is a City Supplement Charge, I hired the car for an additional day & they charged me £163.56 for this one day (I paid £220.70 for 14 days). They will not respond to my emails & each time I phone it usually lasts 30-40 minutes to be told I agreed to everything. I requested them to show me this agreement but they will not provide it. I traveled to UK to get treatment for my 1 year old child which has left me under huge financial strain. Not in a million years would I have agreed to anything extra other than the car & the car seat. If I did sign it then it was under false pretenses. I am hugely annoyed & have now wrote to the ombudsman for car hire. I will not let this one lie!!! AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!

Reserved and prepaid for a premium vehicle to be picked up at Budget location in Portland Oregon. Arrived half hour early, and was informed by the agent on duty that she had no vehicles at the location, but she would have one delivered from the airport location. We waited and about an hour later the agent informed us there would be no vehicles available because the airport site informed her that they would not send a premium car to the downtown location, because they are able to rent the vehicle at a higher price at the airport. Now she claimed she had remembered she did have one car available at the location, not the premium car I had reserved but at least a vehicle. We also ordered a GPS and she had one left. OK we needed to get on our way so we acquiesced took the car and headed for our destination.

I made reservations a month in advance for an economy car. I didn't need anything fancy, just a vehicle to take me from Montreal airport to my mother's house in Victoriaville and to do errands for mom during my 10 day stay. When I landed, on time, went to pick up the care right away got in line with the rest of the people and waited. It took forever, because they didn't have the cars that people had reserved. There was a guy next to me who needed a large vehicle. They were telling him that they only had economy cars. When I got to the clerk he told me that he didn't have the car I had reserved, BUT he would let me have a choice between a van and an suv for the same amount. There would be no extra charge. Of course I agreed. (Was thinking why don't they offer the guy next to me the van?)

I rented one day car from budget. I am business customer with them. I have rented with them on multiple occasions. Be very careful because they charge you later with fuel charges. I have provided them my bank receipts that I filled gas twice that day. They do not want to understand you and want you to pay money even if you are right. At the end I pay money because I have wasted more money (time) talking to them on multiple occasions. They are nice upfront but later you have to pay. Good Luck with Budget. They lost 2600 business to get 26 dollar.

I originally had a reservation at Dollar Rental Car at Indianapolis for 1:30AM Friday September 26 2014. I was traveling to my hometown 2 and hours away to finish cleaning out my mother's apartment (she passed away in August of this year). When I arrived to get the car, they were closed, even though they were supposed to be open until 2AM.

We rented a BUDGET car in Boston for five days while visiting a relative there. We prepaid the charges in order to save money. We returned the car to the designated location with a FULL tank of gasoline and left the airport that same day. I was surprise when I look at my Credit Card and noticed I was charged an additional $82.33 for GAS CHARGES and something called a CUSTOMER FACILITATION fee for an Additional $36.00(?).

I attempted to make a rental reservation online on 9/23. When I checked on the confirm button, the page just kept spinning and then timed out. I tried a second time and the same thing occurred. I never received an e-mail confirmation and my debit card wasn't affected. When I arrived in Milwaukee, I used another car rental on 9/24. On 9/25 I had two charges from Budget for the amount of 192.00. On 9/25, I contacted Budget and was told they would remove them from my card. I contacted Budget on 9/27 and was told again it would be removed. Now I am told by my bank that the charges were approved. So I paid 400 dollars and never received a vehicle.

I rented a car at the Indianapolis airport. I went over the paper contract carefully before signing, initialing to waive insurance, etc. It was the paper contract that the agent and I spent time on. Then, what I thought was the same contract, came up on the screen. The agent just said I'd need to sign it again. I verified the waivers, the cost, everything else (I thought) and signed. Turns out this contract had some other optional costs in it (rather obscure under the waivers but without the same box to accept or decline) that was never pointed out, I didn't even realize I had, didn't use, and that cost another $6.99/day (for a month!) and that they adamantly wouldn't even partially refund because they said I'd received the service. This service, their roadside assistance, was not mentioned anywhere on the original paper, the one we actually went over together. Watch out!!

I prepaid for my car rental online through Budget for $78 to rent car for less than 24 hours. During pick up, I declined GPS, declined having them fill gas afterwards and all other upgrades or additional fees. They told me to sign here on tablet to be on your way. They NEVER disclosed upgraded vehicle, new balance or that I would be charged more. Admittedly, I was in a rush since I flew in to see my grandfather after his heart surgery and did not read, nor did I see a new balance. Upon returning vehicle they were charging me another $87 or $166 total because they claim I upgraded. They never disclosed upgrade or additional price.

AVOID Budget Rent A Car and Priceline!! If there is zero star above, that's what I would have chosen instead of one star. This was the first time I used Budget but also the last time and it was still one time too much. I would tell everyone not to use this company. Reasons: Did not get the car I reserved. Talked into getting a larger car. Initially, I reserved an economy car on Aug 23, 2014 for 2 days. At their SFO airport counter, I told the staff I would need it for 4 days instead of only 2 days (before the deal was concluded and paid, NOT after!) And I wanted to make sure there would be no penalty. The staff assured me that there would not be any penalty except the additional rental for 2 more days. After I returned the car 78 hours later, my credit card was charged not just for 4 days but also a late charge of $20, a transportation fee of $20 (what is this??) and miscellaneous expenses. The final bill was more than double than what was shown on Priceline's website where I reserved my booking.

I waited 10 minutes with no one in line - understaffed. Got the car - waited 10 minutes for someone to open the gate to leave - unattended. Returned the car - no one to receive it. Walked in the paperwork and explained...someone who identified as the franchise owner overheard my problem and stood back and smiled - no assistance, nothing. Worst car rental experience I've ever had. NEVER Again. Multiple helpful alternatives there.

Boy do I wish I had done my research on car rentals prior to my trip last week. I found a great deal at Budget at the Pittsburgh, PA airport so I prepaid for a vehicle. When I picked up the car the only words the Customer No-Service Agent said to me were "You can upgrade to a small SUV for $5 per day" which I refused. No other words were uttered when he should have said, "You need to fill the car up within 5 miles of the return location in order to avoid being charged $15 for a gallon of gas." WHAT THE HECK??? I didn't look at my receipt when I returned the car but did so several days later to discover this additional charge on my credit card.

I booked a budget car from Chicago O'Hare airport for one week from 8/5/14. I booked through Rentalcars.co.uk an online booking service. I paid for a Ford Escape or similar and additional driver CDW all paid for up front. The staff at O'Hare said, "Everything is paid for, you just need to sign this tablet to confirm the contract and the additional driver has to sign it for insurance purposes."

My husband and I rented a car in August out of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Upon returning the car we filled up at the Shell gas station not a mile from the airport. We returned the car in the garage and the attendant said he would process it so we didn't need to go to the desk. We just received our credit card statement and Budget Rent A Car is charging us $129.00 because they said we returned it with only a half a tank of gas. After speaking with them we need to provide a receipt for fuel. Well we have the credit card receipt showing where and when but not the actual gas receipt. Thanks Budget. My husband and I are in our fifties, have rented many rental cars over the years and this is the first time we have ever encountered such a misrepresentation. We will never use Budget again. Dishonest company.

I was never notified that this car rental requires $400 deposit and good credit in order to rent with a debit card. My reservation was prepaid with AAdvantage miles and cash. They simple did not offer to assist me or give me a choice but to go to a different car rental that I was able to rent without any problem. This car rental was sold out and simply decided to give me a hard time and bad customer service.

As a frequent traveler to the US and Canada, I use to rent cars at different airports with different rental car companies. I was unlucky enough to rent a GMC Yukon XL last August in Montreal by BUDGET. I'm willing to warn customers against some snares embedded in Budget's rental contracts in Canada. First, customers are not informed from the start of what the compulsory insurances cover or not. Second, you are not informed that there will be a drop off surcharge of approx. $100 with no other reason than the following: "non pkg items" including "energy recovery fee" (I refueled the tank just prior driving to the airport) and an incredible $72 "tire mgmt fee".

When dropping off car, husband was told we dented the car which was a small scratch (which was old). We did not have time to debate the issue as our flight was leaving early which was 7-17-2014. We received a letter stating it was 588.86 which they stated was a follow up letter (we never heard from them till Sept 1st). We had no choice on paying this bill. We will never use Budget again.

Budget just lost a loyal customer today. I am a military spouse who is relocating on Government orders. I rented a vehicle from Tucson International Airport to drive down to Sierra Vista, AZ. Less than 24 hours of the vehicle in our possession the A/C completely went out in the vehicle. Since we're in Arizona with high temps and a monsoon, let's just say driving around was miserable. I called Budget Roadside/Customer Service. We were told by Budget Customer Service, to first take the 2014 Chevy Cruze to a service center for diagnostic testing. If it was more than just refilling the coolant, to call back and they would "happily" tow a new vehicle to us from Tucson and pick up the previous rental at no additional charge. After having to pay $110 out of my own pocket for a diagnostic (which thankfully I'm told I'll be reimbursed by Budget) I was told by the Chevy service center rodents had previously chewed through the censor, causing the vehicle to "think" it was -40 degrees outside, not allowing the A/C to work. The Chevy service center also said that it has been some time since this occurred based on what they could see, so since we had only had the car less than 24 hours, it more than likely happened with a previous renter or while sitting in Tucson.

Credit card was charged a 'cleaning fee' of $150 two weeks following delivery of a perfectly clean car to the rental agency at Tampa International Airport. With a little web research, there are plenty of others who have fallen prey to this obvious corporate scam. Please get the word out. Don't use BUDGET!

I was at the Tucson airport and needed a large vehicle. I went up to Budget, asked how much it was for 2 day rental - they said it be little over $300 so I said fine. The customer service rep set everything up and told me ok it’s $390 and I said what happen to little over $300. He said you are covered for everything - insurance and everything - you don't have to worry if you get in an accident so I said fine. Two days later I come back to return the vehicle and my bill was $550. I had to complain and they still charged my credit card $445. Now a month later I get a letter saying the vehicle was dirty and they will withdraw $75 from my credit card. Never again will I use Budget...

I rented a car. It was a FORD SILVER FIESTA veh. # **. I REQUESTED A NON-SMOKER CAR, I got a smoker's car. The smoke smell was soooooo strong a full bottle of air freshener did not take the smell out. And the other thing is my reservation was for 2 pm pick up, I got there 1:45 pm and had to wait until 2:30 pm before I could get a car. It would have been nice if someone could have called me to let me know that they did not have any cars until that time. They did not change my pick up time from 2 pm to 2:30 pm. THE YOUNG LADIES WAS VERY MATTER OF FACT. This is why it is better SOMETIMES to hire mature people. I HAD TO WASH MY CLOTHES AFTER I DROVE THIS CAR TO AND FROM MY DESTINATION. This was not a good experience!!!!

I pre-paid to reserve a hybrid at the San Diego airport Budget Rent-A-Car. To be certain the car would be available, I called 4 days ahead of the rental date and was assured that if I reserved a hybrid it would be held on the lot for me. Well, the end of this story is predictable - there wasn't a hybrid on the lot. Additionally, the car I ended up with had a push button ignition, which didn't work some of the time, requiring multiple attempts to start the car causing me to be late for two meetings. This was the first and last time I will use Budget-Rent-A-Car.

Upon arrival in Denver after more than 20 hours of flying, I went to the rental counter at Budget where I had reserved and prepaid £419 for a car online through Holiday Autos. The clerk went through the normal questions regarding upgrades and extra insurance, which I all verbally declined. I was presented with the contract and after so many hours of flying, admit I did not read it carefully. I had paid online in GBP and when I saw the amount on the contract I thought it was roughly the amount I had already paid converted to USD, so I signed the contract and went on my way. Several weeks later when I returned home I noticed an extra £301 on my credit card from Budget. It turns out those were all additional charges for extra insurance I had verbally turned down to the agent.

Made an online reservation for a given amount. Went to the airport knowing full good and well that they would try and up-sell me any and everything. Said no-no-no to all offers. They presented me with an amount twice what I had a reservation for. I did not sign and said “Look I do not want any upgrades or anything that is not required by law”, multiple times. I said I wanted to pay the $189.00 indicated on my reservation. The rep said ok and showed me a screen for the amount I agreed to, which I signed. I later got a bill for twice what I agreed to. The customer service agents responding to my inquiries were rude and unresponsive, ultimately moving to sarcasm and hanging up on me. Don't do business with them. UNETHICAL!

I reserved a weekly car with rate at $117 with taxes and fees. On day it was due, I called customer service to extend another day. I asked them for pricing and they said it would be $117 + $31 for the extra day, totaling roughly $150. I said fine. When I went to return the car, they charged me $180 ($130 + $30 extra day + $20 in taxes and fees). I showed them the confirmation I got for $117 showing taxes and fees and the customer service who quoted me the $30 for extra day also confirmed the $117 but they would not accept it. I was livid and will never, ever rent from them again. They do not honor their prices online and I will be contacting Costco Travel who I placed it thru. I also called Costco Travel and all they kept telling me was to talk to the guy behind the desk who is wanting me to pay $180. PISSED today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Budget Car Rental sucks quoting one price to get your reservation and charging a higher rate at time of rental when they have you trapped with no car at some airport. Avoid them like Ebola.

We rented a car from Budget in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho May 27th, 2014. We were at the office at our appointed time, but there was no one at the office. After waiting about 15 minutes, the owner drove up in a nice looking Nissan Altima. The owner drove it into his garage area and kept us waiting longer until he finally came in and rented us the car. He asked some questions, pointed out some paperwork and gave us the keys and turned his attention to the another patron.

I had set up a prepaid rental to be picked up in Seattle WA. We arrived a half hour early and went to the rental desk. They were having computer problems and it took 45 minutes to get the car. I was traveling with my 8 year old grandson who is a very good traveler. He was weary from a 3 hour flight and was on the way to see his mom. I was dealing with rude desk people and a tired boy. We needed a child seat and found out after a short time it had a problem. $18 wasted. When examining my credit card charges from the trip I noticed a $125 charge from Budget. I call them and was treated very rudely. I asked about the car seat problem and was told there was nothing they could do about it because I didn't complain that day. They had no explanation for the additional charge but said they would refund $108. I will never use Budget again.

Complete rip off. You pay the same as the other companies. Then they ask for £23 per day for the CDW or pay £850 for any damage. I said no, so they reduced it to £13 per day. THEN THEY CHARGE YOU A DAILY ROAD TAX FEE. COMPLETE CON ARTISTS, BOOK ELSEWHERE.

I rented a car from Budget at Charleston International Airport on July 28, 2014. The car was very nice and very clean. I returned the car on August 2, 2014 to Charleston International Airport with a full tank of gas. Upon entering the return lot, the Budget Rep scanned my car, but came up with a different customer's reservation. I was told to go to the desk in the airport to correct this. The rep at the desk took my rental agreement and looked up my info on the computer. He saw the problem and told me "you're all set, we just have some computer work to fix on our end." I stated my concern about being charged for someone else's rental and I was assured that everything was fine and that I would only be charged for my rental, $315.26. Off I went to catch my flight home.

In the past six weeks I have rented from Budget twice. The first rental was a dream. The employees at the office were beyond professional and went out of their way to ensure that I was happy with my decision to rent from Budget. However, when I ended up at a different local office my experience was anything but pleasant.

I booked my rental car online and got a good deal. When I got to the reservation desk, a gentleman double checked the rate, said it was still good then offered the extras to which we replied "no thanks". Then he brings up a screen that shows insurances. My husband said "no thanks" but the gentleman stated that by Florida state law, we had to have the SLI insurance. So we agreed that since we "had to" have it, fine. We signed the paperwork (dumb mistake).

August 11, 2014. Budget car rental, 333 College St. Toronto ON. Car picked up at 9:30 AM, dropped off at 5:45 PM. Purchased collision-damage-waver for approximately $25. Car was undamaged until I entered the Budget lot to return it. Then I ran into a high (10 inch) concrete curb immediately in front of the office. The curb was unmarked and impossible to see because it was hidden by another car and is the same colour as the paved lot. I was told that I should not have parked in that location. Yet another car was already parked there and there is NO SIGN to indicate no parking. Then I was told that I should have backed in. There was NO SIGN to indicate that fact.

I attempted to make inquiries about an admin fee I was charged, but Budget had no record of the charge, and could not explain why it was not in the system (my credit card was charged). The customer service representative started giving me a passive-aggressive responses and attitude to questions he clearly couldn't answer. I did not get a satisfactory answer to my problem, and it remains unresolved.

I reserved a full size in Austin and they gave me an F-150 truck which wasn't a problem. I returned the truck with a full tank, purchasing 17 gallons 3 miles from the drop off. The attendant was busy and told me to leave the keys which I did. Five days later they charged me $142 extra for 14 gallons of gas, saying that the truck was half full. The truck has a 26 gallon tank. It was full and they were too busy to check when I returned it. They say I can submit a fuel purchase receipt that I don't have because the service station was unattended and did not print a receipt. I don't know where they put the gas or who pocketed the money but these guys are crooks in my book and you should steer clear.

As we were inside the Budget office signing the paperwork and picking up the keys to our car, a traffic police was writing a ticket because it was parked illegal in the street outside (not by us). We saw it, two witnesses, and the Budget staff saw it too. They asked us to bring them the ticket and they would take care of it. Several months later the ticket of $107 was charged to my credit card. I called Budget to resolve the issue, was bounced between different persons and finally to an answering machine. I tried this twice with the same result. Then I wrote them a letter/e-mail explaining my story and received back a generic response "that I am responsible for all tickets during the rental of my car". Seems they ignored or didn't bother to read any of the details in my letter.

I recently rented a vehicle from Budget and I got so many prices for a rental car till it was pathetic. After getting car the first week, decided to renew car the second week. Went in to local place, no one knew how to put new card on file. So the people told me I was okay, just wait until closing before charging me. Started to receive calls like I was a criminal stating investigators looking for car. All that over a mistake that people from Budget made. I will never rent again from Budget. Bad business people.

We reserved a Budget rental car on for a Sunday delivery. I used Expedia to get the best rate. They only had 2 cars left, a ford fusion and a camaro. We were 3 adults with our daughter flying in later so the camaro was definitely not a choice and I had reserved a full size car. They didn't accept the Expedia price. Told us it would be 350 dollars with tax fee etc and everything it was close to $400. Then they told my husband it was Sunday and they couldn't check our insurance bringing the total up to $665 and a $1000 hold on our card, which when we returned the car it would take 2 to 3 days to release our funds. Josh was our attendant..condescending is a little lite. We have rented cars at all hours and this was the first time we've had this problem. This will be the last time we will ever use this price switching condescending company.

On May 12, 2014, my wife and I rented a rental car from Budget Rental in Norfolk, VA for a one day, one way rental to Washington, DC. I stayed the night of May 12th at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in DC in order to catch an early morning flight to Anchorage, AK. When preparing to leave the hotel the morning of May 13th, we found that one of the tire on the rental car was flat tire.

About one month after a rental, I received a letter from Budget claiming I returned a car five gallons low. Though the letter came with no enclosures or other documentation, and did not give a date, I knew immediately it was incorrect because I by habit return cars full. I complained and sent a gas receipt, which I just happened to have, to Budget, and they reimbursed the $46.50 (!) they had charged me for the falsely claimed 5 gallons. So this is not the issue.

We have had two very major issues with this company, both of which involve employees lying or being misleading with us. Our problems started when my sister called and asked if Budget charges a security deposit, whoever she spoke with blatantly lied and said no. Just to be sure she even called back and asked again and again whoever she spoke with said Budget doesn't charge a security deposit. When we arrived at the service counter and was indeed charged a deposit, we were surprised. It was my first time ever renting a car and so I was unaware that it was an industry wide practice to do so. The second problem arrived when we received our balance. First, there really should not have been much of a balance because the car was pre-booked online and that balance was paid in full. We added a driver and so I understand the additional charge for that and increased taxes for the increase.

According to the agreement I was totaled 197.06 dollars. But when I returned the car at the airport, the guy who took the car from me charged around 236 dollars. He said the tank is not full. But I explained him that when I took the car it was not full and it was 1:30 am and it was all empty and no one to assist or ask or tell about the fuel. Actually, I didn't notice that the agreement says full tank. I thought I am taking a quarter less than full so I’ll return at the same amount. So I returned it with that amount and also told this to that person who took the car. Then he said ok, I will waive it off for you. Since I am an international tourist and I have come back to my own country, I can’t go and ask that guy that why didn't he remove that fuel charge now as he told me.

Rented a car in Providence, Rhode Island and upon returning, noticed I had an extra charge on my bill. I called the location I rented from in downtown Providence RI and the owner took my call (did not identify himself as such or as any authority until a later call). His first assumption is that I did not fill the car up with gas because I did not drive it very many miles and I was being charged for not providing a receipt. I informed him I did fill it up (he did not believe me) and he never told me I needed to provide them a receipt. He then launched into a diatribe about how I had to pay them and it was all my fault and I must not have heard him because I had my kids with me (my terrible kids who make me deaf in public were actually off to the side with my wife). I have never met a ruder person in my life. He then gave me the run around and had me call the location I dropped it off at.

I recently rented a vehicle for vacation in Colorado. I rented the car from the airport rental location. I took the 12 dollar a day upgrade and was very pleased with the little chevy equinox that we rented. They held 200 for a deposit and assured me that it would be credited back when I returned the car. We had a great time... and the car performed well. Upon returning it, I stopped at a car wash and cleaned it inside and out and filled it to the top with gas. Turned it in on 7.23.14. Still no deposit return. Won't be dealing with Budget rent cars again.

When making the reservation, I very clearly stated I would be picking up the auto at 1:30 on a Thurs and return at 3:00 the following Mon. THEY priced my rental at 4 days. Yet when I returned the auto they charged me for 5 days... The taxes and fees went from $48.05 to $65.68. That is an increase of $33.63... Since I was comparison shopping, I chose Budget because the price quote was less than it was at other companies... But now I see I didn't save anything... Not happy with being overcharged!!

Las Vegas, prepaid online with no protection. Waited 1hr at location, agent directed me to press buttons on screen. We stated again we wanted no extra coverage. Returning the car, I find an extra charge over $200 for extras we did not ask for. Too bad.

I arrived a weary traveler due to a sad family loss. Feeling somewhat covered financially since I had prepaid my expenses so I did not have to deal with finances during my visit. Upon arrival at Budget Rental to pick up my prepaid economy car that was to be Hyundai Accent or equivalent I was face to face with a 2-seater Fiat. When I expressed my dismay I was told this was economy and I would have to upgrade to get a larger car at a fee. No compromise. When I got home and called I was told basically to read the fine print. Budget Car rental is now in the on budget business. In addition, prepaid fuel means you are paying for a full tank of gas regardless of the amount of gas left in the tank. So renters beware.

My daughter just drove a rental truck from PA to Largo, Florida. She paid and had no problems, so she decided to rent a car from them prepaid online. When she went to pick up car, they told her she didn't pass credit check, kicked her out of office and told her to call for refunds. This is after they trust her to drive rental Truck 16 hours????? Where's her money? What happened to customer service? She said the girl with no name was rude!!! We will never use their services again and I will check into our legal rights.

I am at the Salt Lake City Budget counter and have just been told that "they have my car but it's in the other lot. I can wait for it to be shuttled to this lot or I could have an SUV right now for only $25 more per day." I asked Bou how long the car shuttle takes and told me it could be 30-40 minutes. I asked if they always play this bait and switch with their customers and she said that she had the car, just not there. Bait and switch. Avoid Budget.

I booked a one day rental, Las Vegas location, via Expedia.com on 7/19-7/20 2014. First issue, stood in line for 1.5 hours waiting to receive my rental, 70 customers in line and 2 agents working. By the time we received our rental it was too late to take the planned drive to Hoover Dam. I was charged a $100 deposit upon pick up and another $200 when I returned the car the next morning, along with the $29.00 rental fee. Why I would be charged another 200 bucks upon return is beyond me. Budget use to be a reputable company - not anymore! If they're looking to close the doors of their business they're on the right track. Absolutely horrible customer service! Thank goodness for social media, I have forewarned all of the folks in my circle to steer clear.

Me and my fiance rented a car from the New Haven, CT location while on vacation. We decided to end our trip short and bring the car back a day early, 26 hours early to be exact, with a full tank of gas, as required by this company. They said the gauge was not touching the tip of the F and we would be charged 100 dollars. We said ok, brought the car around the corner to put 2 dollars in gas but the gas take would not take it on the count that it was full. We told them that the tank is full and would not let us put anymore money into it. They said there was an air pocket in the gas tank hence why the gauge would not touch the tip of the F. They said we might still be charged for it and there's nothing they could do, PLUS be charged for an Extra day still even when we brought it back a day early. They began to yell at us that there was nothing they could do and to take it up with customer service. SO RUDE and disgusting, I never in my life!

I rented a car from the Kent, Washington location and paid in full at time of reservation. The transaction posted to my account. After returning the car Budget charged an even larger amount to my card without my authorization. Budget is now saying that they are charging me extra ($455) because I didn't use the vehicle for the entire time. I'm a Fastbreak customer so all my rental agreement/paperwork was signed in advance. Also paid in advance. Didn't ask for anything for the unused part of my rental but also should not be charged extra.

Reserved a vehicle online for use during my vacation. On the second day of my vacation we had a flat and had to spend hours getting it repaired (company said it was my responsibility). Third day had another flat one block from where the first was repaired. We got a replacement vehicle and was proceeding with our vacation when the brake light came on in this vehicle. We therefore decided to minimize our driving for the rest of the vacation. At the end we also had a bill for the tire repair.

I rented a car from Budget for three days. I prepaid online, $93. When I went to pick the car up the person at the location said their computer system was down and she was not able to look up my reservation. When I returned the car, I took the online reservation with me but she did not take it, the computer system was still down. The car was filled with gas when it was returned.

After I had rented a compact car online and paid for it, I got to the Denver Airport Budget where I talked to Jay and he told me that a Volkswagen Beetle would be what I would get but that people going into Beaver Creek drove SUVs because an SUV was needed to get up and down the mountains. First of all, a Beetle was not listed on the website as a compact car. I had never been to Colorado but didn't think his SUV story was true. After his repeated claim for 30 minutes, my daughter and I got so disgusted that we just told him to upgrade because we wanted to get the car and go. That was my fault but it was also based on 2 lies that he knew weren't true.

Was given an outstanding price on a rental on the day I was arriving by email from Southwest Airlines that beat all other prices by many dollars. Got to airport. Was given the run around for about 15 minutes and then was told which car I would get. I told them that I had to sit in it first (I am a big person) to see if I could drive it, and they told me to take that one or pay for an upgrade to a bigger car. The woman could not have been more rude. I was humiliated and treated like an animal. I complained to the company and they sent me an email sticking up for the woman. Rent from anyone else, just do not rent from Budget....EVER.

I was badly treated by your manager at Oakland Airport when I was picking up a rental car on June 27, 2014. After standing in-line for more than one hour which I don't mind, the car I thought I was getting was not available. I was made to wait for the Chrysler 200 Sedan for extra 30 minutes or more. The service lady (Lavon) was very helpful but the manager Sue was a nightmare. She ignored me when I tried to have a conversation with her the first time. When she eventually stop to talk to me, she was very rude with I don't care attitude. I tried to talk to see why the delay and why others who came at the same time as us had all gone. She just look at us and walked away saying "you will get the car when it's ready". At the end, we end up in a dirty Impala.

I was in a hurry with my young daughter at the Seatac airport looking for a one-way rental to the Sacramento area. I explained that I wanted a rental without mileage. I am hard of hearing and did not have my glasses. The Budget agent showed me the price for the car and I agreed. When I arrived at my destination, the desk clerk said that my fees for the one-way rental was now actually $449 not $221 that I was shown on the agreement. Budget is the worst business I can imagine. If you are a senior or in a hurry to rent a car be careful. There are people out there that will take advantage of you.

I rented a car for a week with Budget at Charleston, WV from the Yeager Airport site. When I returned my vehicle, I was parked in the 20-minute unload zone (so we could get our luggage, etc into the car we were headed home in). I went inside to bring the keys to the counter, etc. and told the lady behind the counter (Jennifer) that I was parked in the 20-minute zone and asked if that was ok. She said I would get a ticket if it wasn't moved and I then asked her if she wanted me to move it real quick and she told me to not worry about it, that she would do it (she already had the keys by this time anyways). I asked if she was sure. She said yes.

2 jerks at counter at Budget Rental 111 Rte 109 Farmingdale, NY. They don't explain why they don't accept debit/check cards. They don't tell you that it costs extra to return early. The Indian guy here was raised by wolves. He has ZERO customer service training. If you call Budget national phone number to complain or question the policies, they can't answer?????? Also the car was filthy. All around a bad experience. I will never use them again. ENTERPRISE is so much better.

Rented a Budget small car through Priceline and bought insurance since I would be in the Dominican full of reckless drivers. When I got to Budget in the Dominican Republic, the rep told me that Priceline's insurance would not be acknowledge there and if I want insurance I would need to buy theirs and get a refund through Priceline. I have no phone with me so I take their word. What a huge mistake. I called Priceline and they told me that of course it covers all collision damage and that it seemed like they just told me something to sell insurance. Now neither Priceline or Budget have refunded me. Budget customer service rep said they will not refund me because they have no way of knowing what was said and that this insurance was optional. This is news to us because apparently it wasn't when we were at the counter. So upset! I'll never use them again and tell others on social media never to use them!

Did a one-way rental from Chicago Midway to another airport in a different city in Illinois. Rented the car at 10:30 p.m. and returned it the next day at 10:05 p.m. (rented less than 24 hours) and was charged an additional $145.00 because the car was returned after the facility had closed at 10:00. I had proof of the return time on my cell phone from a picture I took of the gas gauge and odometer on the car, along with a pic of the car in the Budget lot. Have returned cars to closed facilities in the past with no additional fees.

My daughter and I planned a 10 hour car trip to Las Vegas and decided to rent from Budget since their prices were significantly less expensive than other car rental services. However, when I arrived at Budget to pick up my car, I was told that all they had was a SUV in the lot when I had ordered an intermediate several weeks in advance. The woman at the counter told me that an intermediate would be there at 10 if I wanted to wait. This setback would make us arrive at 9 pm in Las Vegas. She told me they couldn't guarantee what cars they had on the lot all of the time, even though I had reserved it in advance. I was upset for not getting the car I wanted and don't suggest ever renting there if you want fair service.

I am sooo angry and surprised this company would be so deceitful!! I rented a car from this company BUDGET RENTAL CAR so I could get the cheapest rate. When I got to the rental area the man kept trying to sell us an upgraded car. I told him that no the car is fine, we do not need an upgrade. He then tried to sell me insurance.. I said "no I have insurance, I do not need additional insurance." My girlfriend was a witness to this whole conversation.

Budget has some really bad practices. Unlike most rental cars that just put an authorization on your card, they actually charge a deposit to your card. I rented from them on Friday morning at 8 am. The charge showed on my credit card right away. I returned the car on Saturday night at 8 pm. I returned it a full day early.

I had rented the vehicle at Ft. Lauderdale airport for transportation to the Miami cruise Terminal E at the port of Miami. The rental agent mentioned dropping off at the Miami port is better since they will provide free shuttle to the terminal. If you notice, there is a change in the reservation for dropping at the port instead of Miami airport. As per agreement, I brought the car to drop off at 2ND Street, Miami FL. (Port of Miami location) on Sunday 18th at 1:30 PM. To my dismay, the budget rental agency had closed at 1:00 PM. Since my cruise was leaving shortly, I had no choice but to park the car in the Terminal D parking garage.

In April, I rented a weekend rate car from BUDGET in MPLS. The total was less than $100 for 3 days. I asked to extend the rental for 2 more days. BUDGET now says I owe them $367. I also got a letter from headquarters stating that I damaged the car. NOW they say they have no record of that (I have the letter). The phone rep was exceedingly arrogant, said she would send me a copy of the agreement-billing, which I never was able to get from the place where I rented the car. She never sent it. I asked to speak to a supervisor; she said that a supervisor would call back within 48 hours (at her convenience, of course). I think I was scammed by the local agent and the company is just stonewalling. I have used BUDGET often in the past (about 40 times). This incident is making think twice about a future rental.

I pre paid my rental 1 day before my trip and I ask the employee what else I needed to bring to the store the day of the rental. He told me just the card I used and my license to be better prepared. I even call their 800 number to be sure, the person there told me that since I had use a pre paid card, they will put a hold of $100.00 on it on the day of the rental. So next day I went to pick up my car and the employee (same one I talked over the phone) told me that I couldn't use that card. He was very rude when I remind him that I asked him the day before about it, even there was a manager there and she asked him not me about the situation and they didn't let me talk. He told her that he has explained to be VERY CLEAR the day before about this. And I remind him that he didn't, that it was in the 800 number were they told me since he didn't even mention anything to me about the type of cards they accepted.

My Partner and I were charged $250.00 on our credit card, extra, because of pet hair in the back seat of my rental. I was not told of this problem prior to getting my credit card statement. $250.00 seems like an excessive amount to vacuum a seat. I did not really notice excessive pet hair from my small 9-pound dog. We disputed it with Budget, to no avail. We even asked for a supervisor. They left a voice mail on our phone. I guess they are not on my Pet-Friendly Travel list. We have rented many times, will never again with Budget or their partners. Car was rented in Minneapolis. We will dispute it with our credit card company as a charge we did not approve of. When the car was dropped off, the Man checking us in looked at the car and said nothing about pet hair. Beware of hidden charges on good deals.

Rented a truck and was told I had till 430 the next day; now they are charging me an additional $121.68 when i made it back before the time; the male sales rep was extremely rude to me, refused to explain the additional insurances they were requiring you to purchase. I am handicapped. I had to walk from the end of the terminal to the pickup area without any assistance from these rude people. And the truck was nasty. Had a spider inside the truck, not something you want to see when you are driving down the expressway at a higher rate of speed.

I recently rented from Budget Rent A Car at Orlando International Airport. After watching customer after customer arguing with counter reps, it was my turn. When I presented my reservation, which included the purchase of the Budget Insurance, I was forcefully told that the State of Florida Required that I purchase SLI insurance and if I didn't they would check. After 20 min. of arguing, I finally gave in, purchased the insurance just so I could get my car and begin my vacation. Only after talking to the adjacent rental car company and reading my rental agreement did I realize it is not required. If Budget is so desperate for extra money, they should raise their rates, not lie to customers about unnecessary insurance coverage requirements. Shameful and they have lost a long time Budget customer.

I rented a car from Budget after a red eye flight from LA to Toronto. After walking through up and down floors, I found the rental place. Got the car, no agent to do the walk-through, just got handed the slip. The car was parked front-in of course in a dimly lit parking lot. I drove away. Hardly used the car all week long. Swear I didn't get it hit. Going back, I'm told it's damaged in the front. I had no idea. Now they want me to pay $1400 for it. How's that for a car I didn't hit, hardly drove. I am being screwed. I know, what I should have done is pull the car out, inspect it, be thorough, but fool me I trusted that Budget wouldn't rent me a damaged car. Don't trust them, cheaper yes, but you pay in the end.

Rented car through Costco travel services Budget for best price and nearness to dealer where my car was in for service. Rental agents did not have the car until four hours after the reserved time even though I called them in advance to confirm. Found the car to be filthy and disgusting inside and out. Food all over car interior. When I requested that they clean the car, I was told they do not clean the cars. At an hour and one half from close, was told take it or leave it on a Friday night, and headed out of town. Took car only to discover it was more gross than I thought. Called Costco travel who assured me dirty cars were not acceptable and transferred me to Budget who they said would take immediate care of my concern.

I rented a car for 1 day. I was conned into paying for insurance which my insurance would cover. I returned the car on Sunday, which they were closed. They claimed, without proof, that I was an hour late and charged me $97.00 for an extra day. No one will call me back! I would be very careful when dealing with this shady company!

I got to Santo Domingo and Budget didn't honor my reservation. They demanded 499 for the week. They explained I didn't book it directly and they won't honor my reservation with Priceline.... I will address this further with Priceline.

We went to Washington DC just last weekend. I have used Enterprise before, Great company! But this time, we went through Budget rental. Everything was very good, I have no complaints on the car, except that it was dirty in the outside, no big deal. My problem is that NO ONE READS YOUR PAPERS, (budget) I got charged twice for gas, because I did NOT READ! We ran 52 miles, it cost me only $8.75 to filled the car back up! Of course, for $8.75 I am not worry about gas, I FILLED THE TANK TO THE MAX! But they say I had to show them a receipt that I filled it up! WHAT, You dummies don't know to see your tank is full to the max?

I flew into Wichita and rented a "car" from Budget Rent A Car. It was a discounted Ford Cargo Van which was supposedly full of gas when I received it. After driving it around Pratt and Preston for a few days, I returned it to Budget, having fill the gas tank at a Phillips 66 service station about a mile from the Wichita airport. A couple of days ago, I received a letter from the Wichita Budget manager, Shannon **, indicating that they had to put 2.3 gallons of gas in the vehicle and charged my credit card $25.43. Budget charges an exorbitant per gallon rate of $8.99. In my opinion, this is a SCAM. I filled the vehicle with fuel in good faith. I am assuming that I returned the vehicle with very close to the same amount of fuel as I received it.

Our rental car experience all went rather smoothly until after we had returned the car. While checking in at the airport our travel guest realized her bag was a few pounds light and she had left a bag of clothing in the storage well behind the drivers' seat. We immediately returned to where we had returned the car and were told the car had already been driven away not more than 15 minutes later. We immediately started calling Budget trying to have her clothing located and returned. We kept getting shuffled back and forth - call here call there, no one willing to help or care in anyway. We made at least 6 calls and no one offered to mediate in any way. On returning home, we found a Budget Car Customer care email address. We have written about our problems, and 24 hours later got an email saying our letter has been forwarded to the appropriate office. Five days after we returned the car, and no one has been willing to find this poor girl her clothing!!

Stay away from Budget Car Rentals. My wife went to Vancouver and rented a car from Budget, returned it at 5:11am due to her return flight being at 6:45 am. Someone was there to check vehicle back in, when given her receipt she noticed she was charged for Insurance @ $25.95 per day for 5 days. Now here's the rub, before she left I called my Insurance Company to see if we had Insurance for car rentals and we did for all of Canada and USA which we pay a additional yearly fee for. So my wife says no she doesn't want the Insurance because she already has coverage, so when she returns vehicle that early, there is no one in the office to correct the situation, just the guy checking in vehicles for damages and to see if you brought it back with a full tank of gas.

I have frustration. I need help. My father is terminally ill. I have taken FMLA from work to travel from Seattle where I reside to Ogden, Utah where my father lives to assist with his care and spend quality time with him until the inevitable occurs. Since I will be gone for greater than 60 days, I thought it more prudent to rent a car than to pay for several suitcases of luggage on an airline to take with me. I did my price checking and decided on Budget Rental Car. I made my reservation with them via phone on the 27th of May and received a confirmation number. Note since I am requesting a one-way rental car, I was notified I must pick the car up at Seatac as no other Budget location in our area rents cars one way. I was quoted $370.00 or so on the phone for the one-way trip dropping off at Riverdale Road in Ogden, Utah.

When I returned the rental car at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Rental return, I was issued a Receipt. The receipt reads as follows: TAX 15.300% 62.02. My problem is that 15.300% of 146.73 = $22.44, NOT 62.02. In fact, $62.02 is 42.26% of 146.73. The service agent at the rental car return said I have to call customer service, the receipt prints automatically and she has no control over the tax being wrong. I called customer service. The rep I spoke to refused to listen to me as I tried to explain that 15% of 146.73 is 22.44, NOT 62.02. She kept telling me tax is not refundable or changeable - again, she simply was not listening to me.

We had made our reservations online in the US using Booking.com to pick up a car at the Budget office in Galway, Ireland. We planned to drop off the car at the Dublin Airport. We were to have the car for 12 days. When we arrive at the Galway office, we are told that our credit card was not valid to cover the mandatory insurance. This is correct. There are a few countries which will not honor the Visa/MC policies and Ireland is one of them. (This was a lesson for us, to check and double check when your travel and plan to rent a car in another country) The agent at the desk proceeds to inform us of the various insurance options, all of which were very expensive, but they will not rent the car to you without it.

I used reward points from a hotel loyalty program towards a budget rental vehicle. I opted for the insurance which according to the receipt should have been about $200. I also rented a gps which was $50 for the trip. However, the vehicle I rented came equipped with an in-dash gps navigation unit. When I tried to return the gps they said they could not take it off the bill and there is absolutely no way for them to know the vehicle already had gps before they rented me the mobile gps. In addition, there are charges that aren't explained on the receipt such as "@non pkg items, add pkg chgs". When I got angry the lady behind the counter went to speak with the manager and he wouldn't come speak to me. I called customer service and they also were not helpful in any way. I will never use budget again and will urge every else to let that company fold.

Budget charged me $233 more on a total of $629 for a 3-hr return delay which they were forewarned about. They also tacked on a gas charge when I returned the vehicle more full than when I received it (I saved all the receipts to prove this). The 37% surcharge (which includes gps rental, insurance etc for an extra day) is excessive and arrogant and bad business policy. Shame on Budget -- consumers should know as well as better business bureau. When I called it in, the attendant also told me the same thing - "you might as well keep it another day," but I did not do that - just returned it 3-hrs late which changed the cost of my Budget SUV rental from $209/day to $287/day. Never Budget - stick to Enterprise or Zip Car.

Rented a car in Marrakech, Morocco for two weeks travel in the country. When I asked for a map of Morocco I was handed a glossy map of the tourist center of Marrakech, the kind of cheap map you get at hotels, full of ads and that falls apart after a few uses. If I wanted a country map I had to buy my own at a nearby newsstand. So for a $600.00 two-week rental, Budget is too cheap to provide a map (it says it's under no obligation to provide maps!). When I complained to Budget and asked for a $10.00 credit to the charge they insolently told me, in effect, that they didn't have to provide maps and would only give me a credit towards a future rental. No thanks. Don't need them.

I prepaid for a rental, then explicitly told the counter agent that I did not want the extra insurance as I was covered by my credit card. I then initialed a long confusing list of charges, with no total--should have read it more closely of course, but I was tired from a long flight and seriously didn't think this type of ins ripoff was still going on in the US. The final bill was almost double what I had initially paid. I called to complain and while the charge was removed, the agent chastised me for not being more careful - best of all. When I said Budget should be more careful and I was not going to use them again, she said "So then, we're not going to refund you the money". Unbelievable!!! I got the money in the end but what a nasty experience.

When picking up my car, the Budget rep asked me what car I drove at home. I replied a Buick Rendezvous. He said, "Great, I'll put you in a Nissan Rogue, initial here, initial here, sign here." And off I went. When I returned the car I noticed the final price was $100 more than I thought it would be, but I was in a hurry and so I signed and went. Upon inspection of the receipt, I realized I had signed for a $20/day x 5 upgrade for the Nissan Rogue. I have called to complain and get this resolved, but they only offer to credit $50 back. What is right is right and I will only accept a full credit. It appears that Budget is complicit in this criminal behavior. I will not rent from them again and I suggest, if you do, buyer beware.

I was charged an upgrade fee after being told there would be no extra charge. Why would I want to pay an extra $15/day after renting through Priceline? I asked the mpg of the upgrade vs. the compact car we rented and was lied to by the CSR. I was told the Compact Focus got 22 mpg vs. the Full Size car at 36 mpg. I tried to resolve the dispute through the BWI rental location to no avail. I called Budget Headquarters at (918) 624-4210 and was pleasantly surprised to have the upgrade charge reversed after explaining my story. Moral of the story: never accept an upgrade when renting a car, even if told there will be no extra charge.

I made a reservation on the phone for a car with hand controls at Canada’s largest airport - Toronto Pearson and was quoted 182 including taxes and fees. Someone was supposed to call to confirm and no one did. I called to make sure they would be installed and was informed that the price was increased to 383.00! ALSO, they stated they were not willing to put the hand controls on a car but only an SUV and were charging me for the SUV. The most ridiculous part is that I am in a wheelchair and cannot transfer into a SUV by myself therefore making the request completely moot. Apparently, Budget will only install hand controls in a SUV at the Toronto Airport location which totally defeats the purpose of the client who needs them in the first place. Also would like to mention this was only made clear to me 4 days before I was to pick up the vehicle. Not happy with the service at Budget and no further assistance was offered.

Location: Budget Rental Car DFW Airport - I booked a standard car via Priceline at Budget Rental Car DFW Airport. I´m a German native and live in Europe. I always book at Priceline and never add any upgrade or insurance when I pick up my car. I have rented so far approx. 200 cars within the past 10 years. Never had any issue. At check in I ALWAYS refuse any upgrade sell or any additional insurance since I have my own coverage.

Let me start by saying for all of you with opinions, this is just my story and I'm probably 40% at fault. We rented the car from Priceline and paid in full $340 and change. It was 6 days and we were to the minute with picking up and returning the car. We have three children and one need a booster seat. On the Priceline website they said there maybe a charge for this. That was the last a heard about the charge until I saw an $83.06 on my credit card. At the counter in Houston, Pedro never mention the price of the seat. He just asked if we needed one and said he would be happy to get one out of the warehouse. We took one and drove off. When returning the car, we noticed on our receipt a charge for $83.06. We asked what that was for and they said we were not being billed anything.

I rented a vehicle via ebookers and was charged a fixed price. I then discovered on my return home that Budget had charged me an extra $300 at the end of the rental. I did not agree to these charges but Budget tell me I signed for them. What I was led to believe was that I was signing for the rental of the vehicle and to abide with the rules and regulations. I did not sign to include those other extras and I said so to the clerk but as it is 100 pages long of rules and regulations and you just want to enjoy your holiday you just sign and collect the car. I had no idea that Budget were a bunch of unprofessional cheats and I will never rent or recommend Budget again!

I gave 3 stars because of end result only.

You would be better off walking than take a chance renting from Budget. How they run their business is exactly what their name says - on a BUDGET! When you rent a car from them, they don't guarantee a certain car or class, just a vehicle. So if you rent a large vehicle because you need that much space for the number of passengers and luggage in your group, you would expect to have a vehicle as such waiting for you. But not so with Budget, you most likely will get a car much smaller. So much smaller that you can't get everyone and the luggage into the vehicle. Then what? Well you have to rent another car from them.

I rented a car from Budget (BMW) for 6 days fully insured. Got on the highway, a stone hit the front windshield, cracked it about 4 inches. Now they are asking me for about 1800 US dollars for it. I checked on social media for anyone with same problem. Nobody believe it.

Three weeks after dropping of car (03/20/14), they decide to put charge on our credit card $75 for vacuuming the car. Do they not vacuum every car after a use? Also why after three weeks such things can be seen and charged for at time of return if necessary and they do this after the initial bill has been signed and paid for! I do admit some sand in car but Florida known for sand - not dirty otherwise, and this type of business should own a vacuum. This is where credit card fraud starts with companies holding numbers. I also have called the customer care line now two times with them "a supervisor" will call back and they do not. Also, at the desk when we rented the car, we inquired about a transponder and we were quoted $14.95 per day. Have found out that the price was really $3.95/day - who was really getting the other $11.00 (turns out we didn't need one)? We paid as we went and that total was $5.00. The car was fine but the company kept trying to upsell everything - and the insurance being very hefty. We will not use that company again - consumer beware! Apparently, they have pictures of the sand we shoveled into the car.

I went the OAK airport Budget car rental to pick up my car that I had prepaid for. My rental dates were from Saturday, March 29th - Friday, April 4th. At the counter I upgraded to a BMW at the rate of $250 on top of what I had already paid. While driving the car, service light came on "Drive Moderately. Brake pads need to be changed. Call service center". Approximately 20 mins after the service light came on, we reached our destination & I called roadside assistance. They took the report & assured me that I would receive a replacement vehicle at 10:30 am the next day & someone would call prior to the drop off. The replacement car would come from Budget at LAX in Los Angeles, CA (closet Budget to my location at that time).

Recently shared a car rental with a friend in Florida. The rental agent at the desk was very friendly and seemed informative. He called someone in the garage to check on our rental and asked us if we wanted to upgrade. Assuming the car we asked for was not available, we asked him how much. He said no worries, he would take care of it. Nice guy .....right? Renter BEWARE!!!! He now had us in a false sense of security and we trusted this guy (both of us being new to the car rental game). He had my friend sign and initial a bunch of documents in a very hurried manner, all along talking, I realize now to distract us from reading the pages (the sad thing is we both know better than to sign something without reading it).

Budget Car Rental Sucks Major Wind. Reserved car not available at airport. We had to wait (from about midnight to 1 a.m.) at airport for car (2 of us are disabled, one 85-year old in wheel chair). I rented a full-size car for the wheel chair and need for 4 doors. Car delivered will not start. When the driver gave us the car at the airport, he said they had trouble starting it but it seemed okay now. 1-800-354-2847 Roadside Assistance agreed to deliver new car at 10 a.m., showed up at noon. 1-800-354-2847 Roadside Assistance tow truck diver was abusive when informed car MAY NOT start. (Before the tow truck came I went to the car to remove my stuff from it and the car fob was dead. I had to use the backup key to get in the car. I did not know if it would start.) I only know how to start it with the fob. I did not see a way to start it with key fob dead. 1-800-354-2847 Roadside Assistance told me to take the car back to the airport (several miles). I cannot start it. I am VERY unhappy with Budget.

3/16 vehicle rental online via Budget.com reservation with promotional code from USAA. My bill from this sale is itemized in the following way: car 191.15; options 0.00 (my assumption was that "fuel option" was promotional since not listed); fees & taxes 40.94. Total paid online: 232.09. 3/20: picked up car at Avoca Airport/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. I immediately noted heavy cigarette smoke smell. I assumed it was from whoever parked the vehicle and would dissipate on drive to my home with windows down.

I reserved a car online for Friday to a Monday. 76.99 for a weekend special and I figured it would be a bit more with insurance. I picked the car up, added the insurance and was on my way. Monday car was due back at 1:00, I called them said I have a late appointment and will return by 4 PM. The rep said ok no problem, no mention that I have to pay an extra day. When I got back he said, "Oh you have this till tomorrow, why don't you just keep it?" I said I had no idea, then he explained the extra charges. I said, "Well you have an hourly. I figured that's what I would be charged." He said NO, you it's an extra day." So I said, "Fine, that will help in the morning and I will return by 1:00."

They added an upgrade but didn't tell me nor ask for my permission, but did take the time to discuss other details of my rental leaving me to trust I had all the information when I was signing. I only found the SURPRISE upgrade upon rental return.

I called Budget to rent a car and reached the 1-800-527-7000 reservation line several time after calling the local number with no answer. I reserved what I thought would be a Ford Fusion for $34.13 daily rate with total being $102.39 for 3 days. When I arrived at Budget I spoke with Lynn who advised me as soon as I arrived that she was about to close. I told her I had a reservation already for a Ford Fusion. She advised me for the amount quoted, I would have to pay an extra $30 for that car, even though that is what I was quoted. She was rude and did not take the time out to explain the insurance option to me.

This is a mixed review, but the billing really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I rented a car from Budget in Vero Beach, FL at 1:25 pm on 3/10/14. I returned the car to Fort Lauderdale airport the following day at 1:30. As I left my phone in the car (idiot) the people doing the returns were good, they retrieved my phone, took 30 minutes, but they'd already moved the car to another location - but I got my phone back. Good for the crew. I looked at my phone when I got it back and it said 2:06. I'd been waiting 30 minutes at that time.

Got a car from Budget and it was prepaid including insurances but picking up it from Washington DC Dulles airport they added for me an extra insurance option I do not want and never asked them to add. Once I extend the rental for another month, they kept the extra insurance and insisted they cannot delete it. I was busy to get to meeting and started to deal with this over phone later in evening... 3 calls that ends up with no one being able to help me and once they put me on hold for 30 min!!! I feel like they just try to cash out any extra cent with tricks and taking advance of customer who do not read all small print text & are not 100% fluent in English language. Looks like I was then forced to pay extra changes for last month, and I still do not know how to get those charges off for the month coming. WiIl visit nearest Budget location tomorrow to tell them what I think of this!! A SCAM!!!

I rented a car with Budget from their Airport Location in San Jose, CA. Upon arrival, I told the person who was assisting me that I am declining whatever it is that he is about to offer. He said okay. But at the end of the day, he charged me a total of $86.26 for a Roadside Assistance charges that I have clearly told him that I am declining. These people just want to suck every penny out of you. Another incident I had with them is that the person told me if I upgrade he would only charge me additional $20 and when I looked at my receipt it was $200.00 in total. I will never use Budget as rental company ever again!

We prebooked our rental car when we purchased our flight ticket. We had paid for a Mid size car for 4 people. When we got to the rental company, the man said that they had no mid size cars left, so he was going to give us a smaller car. I told him we paid for a mid size & I want a mid size car. He said he would give us a mustang as the other 2 people that were supposed to come with us cancelled due to a death, but the car was going to be close to $200.00 more.

Budget Rent- a Car operates a bait and switch scam against their customers. We made reservation for a rental compact car at Budget rent a car at the Ontario for February 28, 2014 for the weekend rate of $98.00 plus applicable taxes and fees for a total of $120.00. Upon arrival at the location, we were given a Chevy Equinox; 10 minutes after we drove off the transmission of the vehicle became inoperable. We return the vehicle to the lot and was given a Ford Fusions, it should be noted at no time did the agent at the counter told us we were getting an upgrade.

In early February 2014, my husband and I rented a car from Budget at the Jacksonville, FL airport. When we renting the car online the estimated rate was $265.60. The woman customer service rep at Budget JAX counter told us that an upgraded vehicle had just arrived and there would be no additional charge for the upgrade. She went to get the keys before someone else claimed the vehicle. When we returned the car I noticed we were charged $394.00. The receipt indicated we rented a full size car but the vehicle charge was for intermediate (what we rented online). However the additional charges were for the upgrade.

Hostile, disconnected (no) receptionist assures you that you're a bother by simply walking in her door. One word answers - Scowl, Monotone. "ID and credit card." "Bill." And from there, she just repeats the rules about (in my case) the (non) use of debit cards without mail. Aesthetics: It looks nearly abandoned. I rarely see more than two cars in the lot and a customer or two, and it is on my daily commute route. Are car and truck rentals really what they do there? Oh, wait. She's got my credit card information and home address/phone numbers. So just in case, I'll leave that question for corp to answer.

Rented online with air miles and was promised a mustang convertible, we needed something a little bigger so we upgraded to a jeep. Brad in Kona HI printed the paper off and at the bottom of the paper it said that "I agree to be billed in CAD and my choice is final". The bill was to be 722.56$. When I dropped the jeep off they charged my credit card 722.56 US which worked out to 829.14 CAD. When I pointed this out to the gentlemen at the return desk he said it was US funds all the way, even though it was clearly stated on the bottom of the agreement it said CAD funds. These guys can make up their own rules as they go with no regard to any morality at all. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BE A VICTIM.

Budget Rental Car is the worst company to ever rent a car from. I started with a three day rental at $48.98. I needed additional time so I was going to reserve another car but the agent at the counter in the airport said it would be cheaper than a new rental to just increase for two days so I walked away with paperwork in hand stating $62.67. I was not able to complete my project and needed one additional day and remembering the agent said I could call in and do that. So I called in was told the total would be $79.73. I am thinking 6 days at $128.71 that cool, I done better but no time to shop, I had to finish what I was doing.

I reserved a car for rental around Dec 20 2013. I had been quoted $750 for a 7 day rental and taking the car on a trip which I had to cancel because of the nightmare I went through with these people. When I got to the budget counter the lady said the car that I reserved wasn't available and I had no choice than to get another one but O explained to the counter lady I would be back to return the car. I called customer service and explained I was extremely dissatisfied and she assured me that if I was going to return the car they (budget) would credit my account.

I reserved a car rental online...I was told I would have to get a credit check once I arrive if I would be using my debit card. I arrived at the local Budget facility and if I was in there 1 minute it was too long before the guy told me i wasn't approved. But here's the kicker, I have credit monitoring which sends alerts via email when there has been a change with my credit.. I've received two alerts, neither are from Budget. Needless to say besides being rude he NEVER ran my credit to see if I could be approved for the rental car.

In April I prepaid an economy car at BWI Budget by Capital One Travelocity site. When I picked up the car the agent was so nasty she at first couldn't find the reservation. Then she says, "Ok, what kind of car did you prepay?" I told her and she proceeded to give me the keys to Ford Focus. So far so good, right? When I return the car I get a second charge on my Capital One card. I call CS at Cap1 and they try to tell them it has been already paid and they take the charge off of my card. Then the nightmare begins... I get nonstop mail from Budget that I have an unpaid bill. I called 8 times but no one returns my call. I sent the receipts but to no avail. Now I got a letter from a collection agency. I will not pay this on general purposes that I think they are crooks. I later found out my problem is very common with Budget, they try to bully the customer and hope they pay twice!!

Budget website states that the port of Miami location has a shuttle available. When I contacted the office, they told me there was no shuttle available that I had to pay for a cab ride (additional $20). When I arrived at the office, I asked for a discount or a class upgrade for the inconvenience - the clerk offered me a FREE paper map! RUDE! When I returned the car (FULL of GAS) to the Miami airport, there was nobody around to check me in. When I received my credit card statement I found out that they charged my credit card for the FULL tank of GAS! This company is crooked & I would never deal with them again!

I rented a SUV online from Budget Rent A Car for San Jose, Costa Rica. When I arrived at the location, I was informed that I had rented the car in San Jose, California not Costa Rica. They had tried to get me to buy insurance before the mistake was discovered. I declined insurance as I have Road Star which covers me anywhere in the world. Once they found out the mistake they insisted that I take insurance or they would not rent to me. But what has me so upset is that they charged me a one way fee yet I returned the car to the very same location. I contacted Budget but got a form like letter stating they could not help me. The joke was the letter said fortunately we can not help you rather than unfortunately we cannot help you. I will never do business with Budget again.

What happened: I made an online reservation for a car for Sunday 1/26/2014. On their website, Budget in part states this language: "Free pick-up service available. Learn more." This is verbatim cut and paste. Because my reservation was for a Sunday, I decided to call up and check to make sure PICK UP (I am less then a mile away from Budget!) was available.

My boss did a full prepay using Kayak for Budget Rent-A-Car to cover my trip to Cleveland. I just needed transportation from the Cleveland airport to Sandusky and back (a quarter tank of gas was used in total). The prepay was $225. When I got there, I didn't read the fine print and scrutinize everything I was given carefully. I'll chalk it up to inexperience dealing with car rental companies but this is the first time I've gotten taken like this. I ended up with $255 in extra charges. The only thing I agreed to was "locking in" the cheap gas rate that was offered. Sounds like a great deal if you don't notice the $57 service charge added to that (and not explained, of course).

I made the reservations in August for a Trip in December, and included our flight number in the reservation. We arrived in Cedar Rapids on at 6pm Christmas Eve after a 1 hour flight delay. We find a sign on the Budget counter that says, "We close at 5pm," and a sign above the counter that says "Cars Available." I check with the car rental desks on either side of the Budget counter and they no longer have cars available, but the staff for the other car rental agencies where still at their posts. So, I called the Budget 800 number and they try and call this local agency in Cedar Rapids to solve the problem. The agent then tells me no one answers the emergency number they have on file.

Had reservation in St. Thomas VI, got there and they had no cars. I called 3 hours before we arrived and they said no problem! Now I am here for ten days in a condo, have no food, no way to anywhere without spending a fortune on cabs, get anything or see anything. NEVER AGAIN will I use Budget.

Quoted $82 for a three-day rental which ended up costing $281.88. Got no satisfaction from calling customer service. Basically it was "You signed the rental agreement, is there anything else I can help you with?" I lost it at that point, swore at the guy and hung up fuming. That is the last time we will rent from Budget or Avis. I rented from Hertz for a one week trip in London this summer and I paid what I was quoted. My advice is, if you are renting from this bunch, travel with your lawyer.

Budget Rental, Phoenix, Dec.7, 2013, Sky Harbour Airport - Situation in progress. Written rental quote of $405.90 which they did not honor. Aggressively tried to upsell to SUV model at around $1065 with price and information on screen before us. Eventually agreed (really under protest although protest not recorded in writing - we needed a car and had commitments - 1/2 hour discussion) for $492. Budget did not say what charge they were making on credit card and I found out the next day from my banking records they charged $1062 already to card even before we took the rental.

I rented a car for 19 days and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, the toll is $6.00 I was charged $22.75 apparently based on the # of days I rented. I crossed once one way!!! Seriously!! So how can this be justified???? I called and complained resulting in a $11.80 reimbursement, a one-time only event. I did not receive confirmation by email as promised by the agent so I attempted to call to confirm and was cut off 3 times after being on hold each time. Is this good customer service? This might sound petty, however the rest of the bill with $150.00 charge for changing drop off and the $10.00 fee for whatever plus the rest of the statement adds up to a major annoyance. I will not rent from Budget again. Beware!! Those cheap daily rates aren't so cheap, of course they talk everyone into a more expensive car when you arrive at the counter. Live and learn!!! Their creativity for gouging is astounding!!!

On Sept.19th, my husband and I rented a Nissan Altima from Budget. We made an online reservation and picked up the car at the Port Columbus International Airport. We were satisfied with the amount we were being charged. But once we got the car home and took a look at it, the car was not very clean, but we needed it, so we kept the rental. When we returned the car on Sept. 23rd, the attendant said everything was fine, car looked good and gas was on full, like always when we return a rental and we then went inside and paid in cash. Now almost three weeks later, we noticed a pending charge of $250 in our bank account and we immediately call to find out what this charge is for and nobody could tell us.

I rented a mid-size vehicle from 9-11-13 to 9-15-13 from Budget Rental (DFW). I rented online and was told that my charges were $33.25/day. Which amounted to $166.25 + tax. When I arrived my total had reached $300. The counter attendant told me that taxes were upwards of 40% at DFW. On the 26th, additional charges came out of my checking account in the amount of $13.91 which got me investigating further what I was being charged for. 1st: I was charged for a roadside assistance fee of $27 I didn't ask for. 2nd: the $13.91 was an e-toll charge. Which I didn't use $13.91 in toll charges!!

Rented Corolla from Ft. Lee, NJ Budget on Lemoine. Returned car after 10 days rental in essentially same condition as driven out of lot: clean, no sand, no soil, no stains, no pet hair. Because the carpet may have had a few tiny pieces of residual gravel from where driver & passenger's feet were, vendor gave me a warning that in future I might be charged cleaning fee. I challenged vendor's statements & asked him to show me precisely what led to his warning. He refused to show me, said I could look for myself.

Recently I rented a car from Budget using my internet account from Southwest Airlines. The contract stated a mid-sized automobile from its Boise, ID airport location. When I arrived, the Budget representative strongly pushed a Mini Cooper vehicle. After trying to fit my luggage and myself into this extremely small car, I gave up and had an Avis person swap cars with a Volkswagen. Even though this was still not a mid-sized car, it was doable even though I hit my head every time I entered or exited the vehicle. I currently do not plan to ever use Budget Car Rental again...

Rented a car at the Kansas City Intl Airport location in July 2013. Reserved it online at Budget.com and picked it up. Signed the paperwork and hopped in the ride. Reservation including fees was around $45.00. A change in my plans yielded a call to Budget's res hotline to inform them of the changes needed. Not a problem... changed it from a local to one-way rental. New total with fees was now $261.47. I return the car within the 24 hour period as already agreed upon to their location in Lexington, KY. I inform the woman that I would like to use my debit card to settle the bill. Well, unfortunately Budget doesn't utilize a computer system that corporate, Kansas City, or Lexington all have access to. Each spot has no idea what the other place is doing. Awesome!

Declined damage waiver. Noted on form. Provided requested insurance info. Billed for damage waiver. Car rented in Las Vegas. Cheated of 402.98 by Budget Car Rental.

I rented a truck to move from Oregon to PA. I was given a truck that needed an oil change, was leaking oil (found out after it was parked at my house overnight, called roadside assistance and took 6 hours to get to my house and repair. They had to send someone from Salem which is an hour away), the cab was full of trash and rotting food under the seats. The trailer had so much corrosion on it the straps would loosen up after 100 miles and had to be reset. The truck had 57k miles on it and no cruise control. Yes me knees still hurt.

I flew into Charlotte airport on Saturday, July 27th, to attend a funeral for my grandfather. The airport had to hold flights leaving and coming in for about 2 hours due to severe thunderstorms. This development led to over 100 flights being cancelled including mine I (along with my sister and niece) could only get on standby. We were desperate as we had to get to Augusta, GA for the funeral. I tried to rent a car. Many others had the same idea and every place was out of cars. I now understand why Budget was opened as they would be most sensible people's last choice. I waited on a long line with one woman helping people. At some point a young man opened up another line. The woman was truly a moron as she helped two people, while the younger worker helped 6 people including myself.

I wanted to extend my car for three more days, but before I do I wanted to know what the rates will be. Computer activated response booked my extension. At the end computer asked if I agree, and to that I said no. However, when I called the service desk, they keep repeating that my itinerary is extended and they cannot do anything. I explained to them that I said not to extend my itinerary. To that service desk said they will not return the money. I have decided I shall never rent a car from Budget in the future. I also advise everybody do not rent car from Budget. They are ill-mannered and do not support customer.

I rented a car for $79.08... Several weeks later I was mailed a letter, then billed an additional $75 for what the letter called Excessive Soilage... pet hair. Yes, I had pet hair in the back seat. The inspector upon checking in said this was not a problem... Obviously a communication issue. I have been on the phone for the past hour, trying to talk with a sentient being employed by Budget, but to no avail. Hence the internet complaint route... BE FOREWARNED. DO NOT RENT A VEHICLE FROM BUDGET. They misdirect, lie and use your credit card to their advantage.

I returned my car to Budget rental, Fairbanks AK airport. Few days later, hysterical person online claimed car was damaged due to yellow overspray paint. I informed them what was noticed came off immediately with water and I didn't give it another thought. I also let them know WD40 or numerous other compounds would take care of the problem. I apologized and thought that would be the end.

My wife and I went to Chicago for 10 days. We reserved a car that they didn't have when we arrived from Florida. We chose another car which at the time was told it was in our budget and price range. Noticed from receipt that they charged us a upgrade fee of 200 dollars, which thank god we noticed. We returned that vehicle and obtained another.

The Las Vegas Airport facility is trying to charge me for damages that I did not do. The previous renter left their damage slip in the car, noting the same damages. Budget is still charging me.

I was traveling to Scotland and compared Car rental rates. I have used Enterprise in the past and they have always provided good service. However, this time, Budget quoted a better price so I went with them. I booked through Budget's own booking service and received confirmation of the reservation at the quoted price (including all fees and taxes). Upon arrival at Glasgow Airport at 7:00 am and tired after 14 hours of traveling, I presented my paperwork with the confirmation number and agreed rates. Representative printed up an agreement to sign which showed a price 30% higher than on my reservation confirmation. When pointing out I had an agreed rate and that was what I would pay, I was told his rate was correct and I could not have the car unless I signed his paperwork.

I have rented from Budget several times but no more! I returned a vehicle a day early, clean and full of gas. When they came out to look at the car, they showed me "excessive" pet hair in one rear floorboard and in back area. We had just returned from a 13-hour overnight drive from Durango, CO to Grapevine, TX and we did NOT have a pet of any kind in that car and I could barely see the hair he called excessive. He said I either take it to vacuum it out or be charged $250 for detail of vehicle. I reiterated I had no pet! He only threatened the $250 fee again. I took the vehicle a few miles to a car wash who cleaned and vacuumed it out but when I looked, there were a few tiny white stiff hairs embedded in the carpet so I picked them out one by one though they were NOT mine.

We had a confirmed reservation, with a guaranteed price, for my sister to rent a car for the first time out of the Budget Nashville airport. She is a religious nun who was renting a car for the first time. My sister did NOT request an upgrade, but after the trip, I reviewed her receipt and she was charged for an upgrade and they refused to honor their original guaranteed rate. If they will take advantage of the religious, you should be wary of renting from them as well!

We rented a truck. They have a sign posted saying you could prepay for gas at a reasonable price or if you don't return the car full of gas, it's $8.99 per 9/10 of a gallon I put $85.58 to fill the truck up. I drove 1.2 miles and turned in the vehicle, then got charged $55.00 for not returning it with a full tank. The FTC already fined them for these actions, but it seems like they are going back to old habits. I need two more people for class action against Budget.