Budget Car Rental Reviews

I set up a car rental for a trip I am taking. Loved the pricing and selection of vehicles. Went to pick up my vehicle, and was greeted by a young woman from **. She did not speak very good english. She asked for my driver's license and that there was a $250 deposit needed. I gave her my debit card, as I do not believe in credit cards. She informed me that they don't accept debit cards, only credit. I called the main Budget #, and spoke with Natasha. After explaining that never was I informed of needing a credit card to reserve or use their vehicle, she put me on a brief hold. After a few minutes, she came back on and said there was nothing she could do but cancel the reservation. So, 15 hours before my trip is to start, I am without a car! I had to walk in the rain to the Enterprise, which is about a block away, where I got a car immediately, and even better, for only $50 more! I will NEVER use Budget again.

Never again! I’ll pay more to rent a car from another company before ever renting from Budget! First, I was supposed to get an upgrade, never got it. Second, there wasn’t an after hrs drop off, so I was charged an extra day to return the next morning. I booked and paid online, after returning the car, I was charged even more on my credit card. The car was spotless and I returned it with a full tank of gas. I’ll never rent another car from Budget! And I rent several times a year, so your loss Budget!

Worst experience I have ever had. Told car was in spot X, there was no car in that spot. Back to counter to get another, supposed to get Nissan Altima, nope, it was a Kia. Return car, leave keys in cup holder, now they claim they can’t find keys. Will NEVER rent from them again.

Phone calls go to outsourced call centers and those poor people have no insight. I can’t think of a worse experience than a long term rental from low Budget. They gave the car away, then the next was electronically devoid of controls. Then their malicious contract system played games with the contract after 30 days to add numerous additional costs. So far 5 phone calls, several transfers and declaration of fraud on my credit card. Shun Budget Rental Car. 1000% not worth the grief.

We had a reservation. Budget wouldn't accept the rental when we landed. All the other car rentals were unable to provide cars due to Labor Day weekend. We are now stranded in Colorado Springs. We had to cancel our 650$ hotel rental.. And now we have to cancel our 580$ airplane tickets. I will not be using Budget ever again. I will suggest everyone I know to do the same.

When picking up the car, it was obvious that the car had never been cleaned after the previous renter. We complained and the attendant ran it through the car wash. But the inside still had dog hairs, food crumbs, and smelled like **. Every time we would get back in the car we had to open all doors to let the air out. We called twice to complain and get a new car. They said there was none available but we could disrupt our trip and go to different local rental locations and try and find one. WHAT!!!! They should have delivered one to us. When dropping back off, ALL MANAGERS WERE IN A MEETING. No one could help us. We left our number to get a call. But it never happened. Worst rental experience we've ever had.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Rebecca at the Barstow branch absolutely made my whole rental experience horrible. She was rude. Just outright mean, they did not have the car that I had rented so she was rude to me because they didn’t have the car charged me more to put me in the only car that they had. I couldn’t get the car started. I was unaware that it was a hybrid. I went in and told her and she said, "Are you serious and went out there? It’s a hybrid" and walked away not "Have a nice day. Thank you for spending $300 here at Budget. We appreciate Your Business." It was absolutely the opposite. It was something I will never forget. I will never be coming back to Budget because of this person. I will say that the customer service over the phone with customer care was phenomenal.

Made a booking for 1pm. Came to airport at 12:45pm. Online still at 1:53pm with 17 people in front of me. 2 people working desk on a holiday weekend. I will never rent from here again. To pre register system doesn’t allow me and fellow customers on line.

Returned the vehicle four hours late and was charged an extra day on top of an additional late fee. Seems like double Jeopardy and ridiculous to me and then things on my receipt for additional services, such as tolls weren’t adding up and when I questioned it, they told me it was just taxes included. We are talking 40 to 50% increases that they call just added tax. These people are all criminals, multiple times I have dealt with them and I think I finally learned my lesson. They hide fees, add fees, and then tell you their system can’t change them and it just is what it is. Get your credit card companies involved and Dispute charges.

Budget Rental is a scam and will find any way to overcharge you for things that make no sense. My rental time was 2 days and budget charged me for allegations of have the vehicle over the return time which didn’t make sense because the time they said I had the vehicle was when I was boarding my flight. I provided time stamps of the vehicle return date and time and was told by multiple people that I would not get a refund despite the documentation showing I returned the vehicle with a full tank, no scratches, and on time. The communication is poor from customer service to the in person reps. I was told to leave the key in the car which started all of this. The reps spoken to were Aphiwe, Hailey, Shameeka and were very unhelpful. I spoke with a supervisor finally and got refunded half my money because the documentation were sufficient.

We recently rented a vehicle at Everett Washington Budget Rental. When picking up the vehicle I specifically asked the guy doing the paperwork what I needed to do to return the rental. He said make sure it’s full of gas if not they will charge you 9.89$ a gallon. I then said that’s all I have to do and he again said yes. We turned this vehicle in on August 8th a full day before we were supposed to. In the parking lot there were two ladies cleaning all the returned vehicles and she said I could leave the keys with her so I did. I asked her what I needed to do to get refunded for turning it in a day early. She asked if I did prepay and I said yes. She then said because I did prepay I couldn’t get refunded.

I prepaid for a rental car at Budget at the MCO airport. The car had several issues liftgate would not open. Brakes were not in good shape and it had been previously hit so it had damage. I was very surprised when I returned the car eight hours early and got a receipt that added another $237 on me even though I had prepaid in full for the rental. I had used budget several times before and will never ever use them again. Renters of budget vehicles beware.

Entire experience was terrible. I booked directly through Budget for my car rental and showed up at the scheduled time. There were no cars available. I was told to call later and check on when one was available, instead of them calling me. I had to Uber back later that day once I called and one was available. Then the phone customer service was even worse. I returned the car a day early and did not get refunded for that amount, so I called about that. I was told they would refund $1.00. When asking them if there was anything else they could do with the issues just to pick up the rental and not being refunded for the early return, they agreed to refund for a days charge. Then they could not process the refund because it wasn’t in the 48 hour window yet. He told me to call back and said he had a note on file for the refund to be noted and guaranteed I would not have to repeat the whole process again.

First and last time I can say. I have a problem with the receipt because it's so confusing and unclear, and I need to use the receipt to do reimbursement for my business trip. I called them 3 times for 3 different phone numbers. The last number I dialed out, I finally had a chance to talk to someone, then I asked her to clarify, she said please wait for her, after I waited a few mins the line got cut.

I've ever had with the rent a car company! I reserved and paid online that morning. Also, I left a $250 deposit. When I get there first I'm told they don't have any cards for me then he came back and said they ran a soft credit check on me and I need to use my credit card. I explained there isn't a $250 on my credit card then he told me to call Budget and get a refund only to find out that it can take 3 to 10 business days before I receive my refund. Oh, I caught a Lyft to pick up this car. I had to catch a Lyft to get back home, all for nothing!!!

Updated on 08/27/2025: UPDATE AS OF 8/27 I was forced to challenge the no show fee on my Credit Card. They also took down their response to my initial review which I find telling. For your own sake, do not use Budget Bloomington. Read through the rest of my review to understand why this is your worst option available in the area. They will lie to you and not rent you a car that you reserved and be exceptionally rude about. It is also worth noting that their office, if you can even call it that, is absolutely filthy. You will feel like you need a shower after going inside.

If I could put zero stars, I would. Had to cancel my reservation weeks before it was to take place. Budget charged me 50.00 cancellation fee. I will NEVER use them again EVER. I will also make sure that everyone knows about this policy. With so many other options and practices such as this it is only a matter of time before Budget no longer exists.

Budget Car Rental overcharged me despite returning my rental on time. My contract return date was August 6, 2 PM. I returned the car as agreed, left the keys inside, and the attendant confirmed. A week later, I was wrongly charged $1,407.47 for “not returning” the car. After I provided proof (flight info, parking receipt, license plate mismatch), Budget admitted their mistake and refunded $829.26. But their math is still wrong:

I absolutely had a horrible experience with Budget this time. That extra money I paid to get a reliable company definitely didn't pay off this time. I found a bloody bandage that was on the floor. Candy all over. They didn't even take the time to clean after the The previous renter. The car from the outside it was really dirty as well. I will definitely won't be booking with them again and especially not recommending anybody to book with them. Especially the bloody bandage that could possibly even carry diseases is disgusting.

I rented the car for 3 days prepaid so I know what I'm paying for. Return the car. The guy that received at the parking lot said everything was fine. They email me a receipt. Charge my card 164 dollars more apparently for insurance. When I got off the plane I call them right away. They I would get a refund within 2 weeks. Never did, call again. They I agreed to that insurance, check your receipt before you leave because you won't see no refund. Never renting from this company again.

I reserved a SUV for pickup in Atlanta on 8/15/25 form the Courtland St location. Upon arrival they were completely sold out. Cayce, was the agent that assisted me. He apologized but offered me a smaller SUV. Because I was moving my college graduate home from college the smaller SUV didn't work for me. Cayce and Jarva both agents in downtown, apologized again and arranged for me to pickup a larger SUV at the airport. This was a major inconvenience for me, but what was I to do?

Rented a car for my vacation, arrived at the airport to pick it up and was told that they overbooked and I'd be reimbursed for my Uber to my hotel and back the next morning. My hotel was 45 minutes away, they assured me that this would be covered. I waited for surge to subside thinking that's a lot for them to have to reimburse. Next morning desk tells me to call customer service to get the refund, after several calls they say policy is $50 Uber reimbursement. This company is a joke, 5 different people told me that I would be fully reimbursed. I should have checked reviews first. Never again.

Just don't. The potential savings in cost are not worth the hassle. I rented a small SUV to travel from VA to NY. We were barely on the road before the tire pressure light came on. The rear tire was supposed to be at 33 psi and it was at 11. Since we were already on our way, we just continued to refill it as we went along. We continued this for 5 days before the other rear tire also started losing air so fast that we couldn't keep up with refilling it. When I called customer service, I was told to go to a different Budget location and swap the car there. Once we found another location, the gentleman at the counter was very brusque, to be kind. No greeting, just, "Is the gas tank full?" It wasn't so we had to leave, find a gas station, fill up and go back to the store. Once I got back, again, not even a greeting and never an "I'm sorry for your inconvenience."

We arrived at the Portland airport Budget Rental. It took an hour to get through the line to pick up our rental car. We were told to go to some benches and they would bring our car to us since it was being cleaned. We waited for half an hour. My husband seen it in the distance from us with another man driving away with it. They double booked our car. Fast forward to the car that was the replacement. The car was roomy (2023 Hyundai Santa Fe). We could barely see out the windows because of the lack of cleaning. We were on the highway and it wobbled so bad and had a clunking noise when we turned the car. We returned it to another location to trade it out. Another hour out of our vacation time. Very frustrating experience.

The experience was not an experience but a time to forget. It was supposed to be a celebration day with a trip with my extended family for my daughter’s birthday… Rental was paid in advance but car was not available with excuse of all cars have been recalled, but I was never informed. I was told I had to cancel my reservation to receive my money back, but have I cancel the reservation or was it cancelled on me? Hotel and park tickets in hand and not able to travel with family… My only option was to travel into my 2 separated cards and reduce time with family on the road trip planned. Basically my trip was ruined by Budget that did not care about any of it, not even for a call a day before to let me know that I wouldn’t be able to rent and returned my money, which I had to get in a call to get back.

If you rent a vehicle, and nothing goes wrong, you're golden. If you have ANY issues, no matter how little or huge, just know you will have the luxury of dealing with a person with a thick Middle Eastern accent, who has been trained to be less than tolerant to your problem. EMBARRASSING FOR AN AMERICAN COMPANY. Rent from any other company. I paid $544.00 to rent a vehicle for less than 20 hours. They were less than sympathetic that my vehicle was telling me that it needed serious service immediately. NEVER USE BUDGET OR AVIS. Complete scam artists!!! If you don't believe me and have to deal with anything outside picking it up and dropping it off, just be prepared to deal with Middle Eastern people that are incentivized to screw you over. The CEO of Budget/Avis should hang their head in shame.

The line to pick up the rental car took longer than our flight. The ceiling was leaking water only all of the customers. Elderly people needed assistance from other customers because they were unable to stand for hours on end.

I recently flew into Detroit to visit with family upstate Michigan. I had reserved and paid for a rental at MBS due to convenience of return. I was dropped off at MBS, sending my sister on her way, reassuring her I had a confirmation and had prepaid for my rental. Arriving at the rental counter, the customer in front of me was having an argument with a rather unpleasant agent. He expected a smoke free vehicle, but it reeked of cigarettes. Ugh! When I approached the counter and presented my confirmation, I was told that there were no vehicles available. She stated that overbooking was common practice, corporate had decreased their stock by 30%, etc. etc.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET CAR RENTAL! Worst experience I have ever had and I have rented a lot!! I booked online, paid in full, went to pick up from airport... car wasn’t ready, stood in line for 2 hours, car was dirty, had to clean the inside of windshield because I couldn’t see out… Smelled like **… trash still in floor. I will never ever rent from Budget again!! Save yourself some money and headaches and rent from any other car rental!! Honestly!!!

This company deserves 0 stars. From the time of picking up the vehicle to today when I have been on hold for over 2 hours. We rented an premier elite vehicle. Was told that it would be similar to a Grand Cherokee or tahoe. Got to the airport which the line was AWFUL and it took almost an hour and a half to get through. We were offered a Kia Soul or Toyota Rav 4. We needed a three row vehicle as we were traveling with 7 people to Disney. They ended up giving us a truck because that was the biggest vehicle that they had. It had scratches and dents everywhere enough that we took a video of the whole vehicle in fear of being charged for something we didn't do.

I rented a car from them to drive 1-way, for 1 day 7/29-7/30. Baton Rouge, LA to Decatur, AL. I had to pick up a new truck for my company. After dropping off the car I was told I would receive a receipt via email. I got the receipt for $178.90 and figured all was good. 2 days later I got a text saying the vehicle was not returned. I called and was told it was a mix-up because the clerk in Louisiana accidentally selected Decatur, IL for the drop-off. I was assured the issue was resolved. I used my company issued credit card to book-pay for this rental, and on 8/01 Budget charged my card for $1,638, then again on 8/3 for $1,781. I hadn't seen those transactions because JP. Morgan declined them.

Reserved a car months in advance for an LA trip. Got to Budget site to find 1.5 hour wait to get the car! Even tho I reserved a car they had few reps there. Most places have you go right to your car. This line and wait was ridiculous. When I asked the rep Is it always this backed up she said “ well, yea” and laughed! I will never rent a car from Budget again! This process is under engineered and no one seems to care people are spending a good chunk of their day standing in line.

Online rental booking process not smooth and had to be repeated several times before confirmation was received, even though this was a very straight forward booking in a mid-sized US city. Pick up and drop off was smooth. I received inaccurate information from an initial phone advisor prior to booking as well as from the gate agent on pick up regarding appropriate steps to take to ensure that the appropriate documentation that I needed would be obtained upon drop off. Upon drop off, once payment was confirmed, it was only then that I was told that I would not be able to receive payment documentation as initially requested, only after payment was already posted to my credit card.

I’ve rented cars many times, but this was my worst experience. Reserved a Standard Elite Electric SUV at Tampa Airport and was given a small Hyundai Ioniq sedan instead, then forced to pay for an “upgrade” and extra insurance I didn’t need. Misleading, non-transparent, and not recommended.

The customer service from the Jackson location, was excellent, the car made it to my drop off location in Chicago without any problems. Also, the customer service was amazing in Chicago. This company can most definitely count on my business. THE RATES are amazing, my deposit went directly back on my card after returning the vehicle.

Had to pick a time for pickup and waited 2 hours in like when it reached our turn in line they did not have our car ready, workers are rude. Requested manager after waiting another 45 minutes and told us we had to walk to get one with attitude. DO NOT GET A CAR HERE.

Terrible service at airport. Waited 60 minutes for a dirty car with 40000 miles on it and then the complaints process was even worse. Stay away from Budget. Far away. Will never rent again from them. I have rented cars my whole life. This experience was terrible.

We reserved a car a month prior to our trip to Seattle, Wa. After traveling all day from Panama City beach, Fl, we went to the Budget counter and got in line with 20 others. NO ONE working behind the counter. After about 20 minutes, someone showed up and I asked why there was no one working. She said, "We are out of cars"!!! This should be illegal!!

Currently waiting in an extremely long line with a reservation at Denver Airport location. Reps are rude, no clean cars, manager came out, saw the long line and went back to somewhere in the back never to be seen again. DO NOT book with Budget!!! From what we are hearing from the counter, the cars that we have rented are not available. Save time and forget Budget!!!! I even went through Costco thinking it would be reputable place but BUDGET sucks!!!! Been waiting in line an hour!!!

Beware, do not rent from 27900 Chagrin location a Franchise. The owner gave misleading information pertaining to renting a vehicle, discriminated and against ** Females upon entering the establishment and proceeded to belittle our intelligence. He is an ** always. Gave preferential treatment every ** male that walked in.

Budget called two days before trip and cancelled saying they had no vehicles available. There was no attempt to rectify the situation and the representative's attitude was most unsatisfactory when I objected.

Booked a month in advance. After 28 hours of flights etc... nothing was ready, different car, Child seat NOT ready. It took over an hour, to have the seat installed. The car we reserved, was not available, we got a car that I didn't fit in. I rode sideways, in the backseat. None of my corporate discounts were honored. Almost $500 for 1 day, in Europe. Never.... EVER AGAIN. Car was badly hail damaged, which I was also questioned about.

I would give this company 0 stars. They have really poor customer service and they lie. I was charged $450 for a cleaning to vehicle. They lied and said it was smoke garbage and pet hair left in the vehicle. I do not smoke or have a pet and me and my son made sure we cleaned car before turning it in. I will not recommend.

Wait for customer service at LAX location was ridiculous with only 6 representatives available. Our rep was great but she waited at least 15 minutes for a response on vehicle availability. Now, “finding your vehicle”???? They send you to a garage to locate on your own and after searching for another 15-20 minutes, you find out it’s not there yet and they will be bringing it to a loading zone! Communication nightmare! Go elsewhere!

⭐☆☆☆☆ 1 out of 5 stars. Budget Rent a Car – Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). I recently rented a car through Priceline from Budget at PHL. The total quoted cost for a one-day rental of a mid-size SUV was $79.10, including all taxes and fees. I returned the vehicle early, in excellent condition, and with a full tank of gas. Upon returning the car, I went to the counter and was told I was “good to go.” I even asked the car attendant if there was anything else I needed to do, and he also confirmed that everything was in order. Strangely, no one inspected the vehicle or asked me to sign anything—something I’ve come to expect from most rental agencies.

Car rental experience was excellent until I returned the car and forgot to take the disabled parking permit. I immediately called c/s and submitted a lost item report. No reply calls have been received 2 days later. I went to the airport in person to get the parking permit and was told I needed to know the number of the placard or call the DMV and get the number. A long drive for nothing. Not a happy camper right now.

We rented a car from Budget Car Rental from the airport office usually at the lower level from arrival, and you will be directed to the parking lot where their office booth is located, where you will hand over the paperwork given from the main airport office. We picked and chose the car we wanted which is a Camry, obviously there was a corresponding rate for that. But when we went to the parking lot to get the key and the car, we were given a Chevy instead but it's on the way to the exit and he said it should be fine, there's no way to go back to the main booth who assigned the Camry since it was on the lane where all cars are about to exit.

They add tons of fees without disclosing them. Rented a car with a quote of 460$. After returning the car they added 380$ in fees! Called customer service 3 times and kept getting moved along to another person. They can't even tell you what the fees are for. After a week and a couple hours on the phone getting moved from one rep to another they refunded 220$. Still over charged 160$. I don't know how they get away with these practices.

Booked a Premium 8 seater SUV through USAA Perks!! Their website stated that the vehicle would be a Suburban or similar. Two weeks before I was scheduled to pick up the vehicle I called the local number however each time, the call was transferred to their 800 line. I attempted to get them to transfer me to the CVG location and was told that they had no way of transferring. I called everyday, sometime several times a day but had no luck. Also had problems getting them to transfer me to a manager. I finally at one point had to tell the rep, so you are refusing to transfer me, your customer to a manager". It was at this point that I was transferred. The mgr was of no help and lied to me telling she had no way of contacting them. I asked what happens if you get an emergency call for that location. She again said she had no way to contact them. I asked if she could send them an email and send me their response via email.

My four-day car rental was a disaster. I had to switch vehicles four times due to maintenance issues, with one car even having roaches. Customer service only refunded two days, which doesn't make up for the safety risks and constant hassle. I would not recommend this company.

This was the worst car rental experience of my life. Rented a car at JFK and came to find that there was no left windshield wiper because it started raining. It took 3 days and endless hours of calls and driving around looking for a car to resolve the issue. Phones at individual locations are NEVER answered so the only way to get a car is to keep driving around with NO support from Budget. At the end of the rental I wasn't given the discount I was promised and that was, quite frankly way too little too late. I am back on with customer service trying to get some resolution. DO NOT USE BUDGET IN NY. Let me say I have had great experiences renting from Budget at LAX in the past.

If I could give a negative score, I would. This company steals money. After paying for my rental at reservation. I got a late charge nearly doubling my rental. They had no one to check the car in when I dropped it off. Never use this company or their affiliates. They steal your money and lie.

I reserved a rental a few months in advance for pickup and return at SJU airport. Picked up the vehicle and it was scratched up and dented up everywhere. All 4 tires were bald and when I called they kept telling me that they didn’t have any inventory. We drove to the Aguadilla airport 'cause I was not driving back to San Juan being on the west side of the island. When we got to the Aguadilla airport, again I was told that they had no inventory. The girl told me I could take the vehicle to Pep boys to have them replace the tires. They have a contract with them.

Completed an unauthorized charge on my card. Diana at the location denied that they charge it. On with card company now-and they confirmed that Budget charges it. Go anywhere else-not here. Anywhere else.

I rented a car from 10 p.m. at night to the next day 3 p.m. from Budget car rental company at LAX airport with a return the next day to Ontario airport, California. This was a less than 24-hour rental with a drive of 78 miles which cost $146.60 (Rent Agreement No. **), not because it was a big car, it was a KIA K4 but this was all because of falsified penalty that the car was returned at 9:25 p.m. which is a lie, the car was returned at 3:02 p.m. a lady on site can confirm this. We asked for basic insurance, SLI and roadside assistance, was added to bump us the insurance cost to $49 for the rented period, which BTW are not part of basic insurance. California sales tax is 7.25% while our receipt had 9.750%. BE WARNED!!!!!!!!

I had a confirmed reservation upon my arrival at Orlando (MCO). Stood in line for 2.5 hours, the same amount of time as my flight. Then they ran out of cars. Zero communication. We missed a family function due to this incompetence. Worst rental experience ever. Never again.

We arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma airport car rental facility on a Monday (8/4/25) to see 60+ people ahead of us with 4 agents manning an 18 station desk. The line drug on for over an hour. 😕 The other rental car companies had about 2-5 renters each and got people processed much quicker. Do not be fooled by the lower price at Budget car rental at the Sea-Tac airport! Pay a little extra and get your rental car keys much faster.

I hired a car from Budget in Italy, booking made online in Australia, and was shocked to later find an unauthorized charge of €1,200 on my credit card. After multiple requests and a long trail of correspondence, they eventually sent through photos of alleged “damage” to the car — minor scratches. Fortunately, we had taken thorough photos of the car at pickup, which clearly show these scratches were already there. We provided this evidence, yet Budget continues to refuse a refund, offering no legitimate explanation.

I rented recently from SLC and the information on the rental page was for a Tesla Model 3 and in small print below, or similar vehicle. When I picked up the vehicle I received a Kia Niro which is no where close to a Tesla Model 3. I think Budget is practicing deceptive tactics to get rentals. The Kia Niro does not have Apple CarPlay, so the connection between phone and car was minimal. The navigation in the car is clunky and impossible to use while on the move if your plans change. The charging infrastructure in Utah for a non-Tesla is sporadic and the prices shift widely. I saw one location that charged $63/15 min while another was $6/15min. Also, the chargers were often difficult to understand how much charge had been delivered to the car and the charging time was much longer than with a Tesla.

Disappointing experience with Avis/Budget. A vehicle system failure [Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)] led to a downgrade in my reservation, and the response I received minimized both the price difference and the inconvenience caused. Poor customer service overall. I’ve reported the issue to my company’s travel manager and would not recommend it based on this experience.

I delayed writing initially because I was told someone was going to call me or respond via email. Lies they tell and no integrity for the company. BUDGET is exactly what you get! I reserved a car after my plane landed, there was a long line and one rep at the desk, I stay in line for over 2 hrs traveling with small child and a senior. The rep came to the front of the line, by this time I was 4th in line when she told us they are out of cars. Help me understand, if you reserve that car is suppose to be in that spot waiting for pickup!!! Not at Budget. This was the Florence KY location, I just need to know why reserve a vehicle and you will not have one available for your customers. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!! RENTER BEWARE OF BUDGET.

The service at Calgary Airport was horrible. We waited in line for over 2 hours. The care was fine. Once we returned the car, my card was billed double. Customer service did nothing to help. Said I signed for everything. I said yes I booked thru Expedia and I chose the insurance, when I signed the agreement I was told to initial here for insurance. I did, well apparently they’re saying I chose for additional coverage. I was supposed to pay $400 and was billed $800. Had to call multiple times before getting it reviewed and after they refused to refund me. I WILL NEVER BOOK WITH BUDGET AGAIN!!!

If I could give a negative I would. It’s so awful the experience we had in June at the Colorado Springs airport Budget center!! I’m still dealing with them!! On a Friday We were given a Highlander that had been used roughly.. it was obvious. As we got further from the airport the tire pressure light came on so we thought we will just add a bit of air once we get to our son’s house. We had to put air in on Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning so we decided to go back to the airport only to be told that there were zero cars to swap out. We were stuck so we decided to have the tire plugged and as told by a man at budget to summit the cost. Sat 90 mins. in tire repair shop, only to be told that there was a slit in the side wall.

Received a car with a punctured tire that was slowly leaking air. Took it back to the rental facility only to be told they couldn't help. Then, was charged an additional $250 fee for minimal loose sand on the floor and dust that had accumulated on the dash. It's a money-making cash grab. Who knew you could get scammed so easily by a large business? Zero customer service. Same canned answers via email. Rent somewhere else. It will cost you the same no matter what you do. They'll do some pretty low things to get their money out of your wallet and into theirs.

I rented a car from Budget in the U.S. and was misled into paying for optional extras I never wanted or knowingly agreed to. The desk agent told us part of the charge was a refundable deposit, but it turns out we were billed for things like insurance and roadside assistance — even though we already had coverage and made that clear. We’d just arrived from an international flight, it was late at night, and we’d been travelling for 24 hours. The agent rushed us through the contract without properly explaining the charges. Yes, we signed — but we were exhausted and not told clearly what we were agreeing to.

In the process of finalizing the rental of the car, I was deceived at least once in that an extra fee that I had specifically declined in making the reservation was added to my reservation without my knowledge. Additionally, in her attempt to sell me gas the agent at Budget lied to me about the price of gas if purchased off site. She told me that gas would be $5.90/gal if purchased at a surrounding gas station when the actual price was $3.70/gal. I did not buy gas from Budget. In the end my final bill was $16% higher than the amount quoted to me when I made the reservation.

I rented a minivan from Budget Rent A Car in June 2025, expecting a safe, reliable vehicle for a family trip. What I received was neither. No spare tire was provided or disclosed, and we only discovered this after getting a flat on a dark highway outside Wilmington, NC. Budget left us stranded overnight with no real help. Their roadside assistance left us stranded, didn’t and they didn’t provide a replacement vehicle until the next day. After all this, Budget charged my credit card $842 for roadside assistance. Service I never requested, never approved, and nowhere mentioned in the rental agreement. Their response? A $10 Uber voucher and zero accountability. This is more than just bad service — It’s negligent, deceptive, and dangerous. If you value safety, support, and transparency do not rent from Budget.

Zero minus minus. 1st the name Budget is a misnomer, they are no less expensive than anyone else, although it probably refers to the quality of their, well, everything else. The car I rented was filthy inside and out. In less 10 miles the add oil light came on requiring not 1 but 2 quarts of oil. Had I not been already running behind for a funeral I would have taken the car back. If I hadn't had my entire family with me I would have driven it until the engine seized. After arriving my brother pointed out that the right front tire was down to the tire wear indicator showing what little tread there was. I got home and there waiting in my email was a how did we do survey. I shared all of the above.

We rented a car online for a two week stay in Germany. The car was fine, but when we received the final invoice upon our return to the states, the amount was double of what we were quoted at booking time. We added insurance at the airport counter, but the amount quoted was not even close to what showed up on the invoice. We called and were told that the German Frankfurt office had charged country fees and tire fees, plus 19 % tax on top of all the other fees that were listed. We ended up paying $2,200.00 for a 2 week rental of a regular full size car (Volvo, no luxury car). the US office told us we would get a refund, but after 2 months and several calls we got nothing. the German office just hung up on us after putting us on hold for a long time. Terrible service!!

This review is for Budget Rent a Car at JFK airport (Federal Circle, Jamaica, NY). Employees at this location were downright hostile to customers, the line was very long, and even though I made a reservation, it took several hours to be assigned a car. Then, I had to pass on multiple cars due to body damage, punctured tire, flat EV battery. Finally, I settled on a car that had not been cleaned since the last rental. Employees didn’t seem to care at all… they had a “take it or leave it” attitude. And after waiting for hours, I just wanted to get on the road.

No cars available, gotta wait 2 hours, this is a franchise and the website doesn't know what we have in stock (some of the excuses I was given). So wat exactly is the purpose of making a reservation and prepaying? You got my money and I made a reservation so where the hell Is my car?

Pretty disappointing as a Fastbreak member getting to Budget at PBI to find they had cancelled my reservation. My flight was delayed by 1 hour and the 20 minute wait for the Budget bus meet my car was gone. Even though I included my flight number with arrival time that didn't matter. You'd think Budget would check for flight delays and text with a cancellation warning that did not happen. Best of you lie about the arrival time to allow for flight delays. The car I finally got was fine but the additional delay at Budget was not warranted.

They gave us a broken Tesla with everything disabled on the vehicle. No GPS, no radio, no Bluetooth, battery died every 2 hrs, the phone number in receipt was disconnected, We turned the car in early yet they lost the vehicle and were trying to claim we still had it. I'm not even telling you everything....NO refunds, NO credit, but I got a ton of extra fees. Zero help from any other agent at other locations. I documented everything.

This is the worst car rental dealer ever. Besides waiting more than an hour to get my reserved vehicle, I was told the vehicle I reserved was not available and offered a large van or truck as a substitute. Becasue I was now late for my appointment, I was forced to accept the large van they offered. But the thing that really pissed me off was I was overcharged $69.00 to fill my tank after I had already paid for a full tank at a gas station about a mile away from the Budget return location. I had only driven about 40 miles my whole 3-day trip, paid $14.00 to fill the tank and then charged $69.00. I contacted their customer service 3 times but never got the credit to my account. I will never use them again. Beware - they are rip-off artists! And I will not use Avis ever again since they own Budget.

I rented a car at Budget at YYZ on June 21st 2025, return it on the next day. Left a deposit for fuel, a partial refund was due. After several calls I managed to received a refund which was denied before. Points on my Aeroplan Air Canada Card were due too, after over a month I still don't have them. Service is so poor. Very unprofessional. Never again!

Everything about this company sucks. The Budget right by the airport in Birmingham Alabama is the worst rental car place in history hands down. I booked a vehicle a week in advance got there on time and tried to offer me a small ass sedan when I booked a 7 seat suv a whole week in advance. The budget Rental car company should be shut down completely!

I rented a car at Islip Airport and prepaid and there was a 45 minute wait online as the car was not at Fastbreak for pick up. I signed the contract which said it was full of gas, it had 1/4 tank so I took a picture and thought I would deal with that at return. As soon as I got on the highway I realized that the car was completely out of alignment and pulling to the right. It was 8:30 at night and pouring rain so I continued on to my lodging thinking I would return it to a local office as I did not want to go back on the highway with it. The local office ended up being closed for July 4th so I called roadside assistance which told me they had no idea when they could bring mr a new car so I took Uber ($130) every place I went that day.

I am very disappointed with Budget and the car I rented for a week. I waited in line for 45 minutes, to go through rental process and then another line to pick up the car. When I got the car, it was smelly and dirty. There was trash under the driver's side and the glove box (e.g. receipts). On a positive side, the car itself, Ford Bronco was good. When I returned the car, they charged me extra for gas and I had the car filled. I had to stand another liine for 20 more minutes until the credit was given. I tried to speak with the manager and he walked away and never returned to address my complaints. Bottom line, I will not use Budget again.

Your company is awful. Neither I, nor my family, nor anyone in my business will ever use Budget or Avis EVER again. I did not agree to this refund amount. You all said this is all you would give me. You all owe me more than $282.60. You can keep your dirty money. I haven’t received it anyway. You owe me now an additional $679.52 on top of that amount. My rental agreement was for 1 day which was for July 31 through Aug 1st. The total on the agreement was $167.25. I returned the car within the time of the rental agreement as I dropped off the car on August 1st. However, your worker there failed to check in the vehicle in your system and I was charged $1,129.37. Apparently he didn’t check it in until August 6th. I actually was in Nashville TN on August 6th, so I’m not sure how I could have returned it then. Even with the $282.60 refund (which I still have not seen btw), you all still owe me $679.52.

The desk was greatly understaffed, and the lot itself had just one person available to provide cars to the very long line of customers waiting outside in the blazing sun and 90° heat. I am a heart patient, and the heat was causing me to feel dehydrated and light headed. I had no water with me, and unfortunately there are no vending machines on the premises. I was legitimately concerned that I might go into afib or even pass out, and the entire experience was extremely stressful. Then when it was finally our turn, we were told that there were no SUV’s available, even though we had pre-paid for one. Our only choice was to accept a Chevy Malibu, which we did out of desperation to escape the heat, but we never received a refund.

We had rented through Budget for our trip. When we got home I had noticed our bill and it was way more than what it should of been. They ended up charging us for 2 insurances, which why would you need two of them, and wouldn't do anything about it. Customer service is poor and they obviously try and scam you out of more money. Would not recommend!!!

What a nightmare. I made a reservation at the Avis/Budget location on US Hwy 19 in Palm Harbor, only to show up and be told they had no cars available — even though I had a confirmed booking. Instead of taking responsibility, they sent me to the Tampa airport, over 30 minutes away, claiming I could pick up a car there. But when I got to the airport, the Avis office said they had nothing to do with my reservation and basically shrugged me off. The woman at the counter was completely unhelpful and seemed annoyed I was even asking for assistance. This whole experience was a waste of my time, money, and patience. No accountability, no coordination between locations, and clearly no respect for customers. I’ll never book with this company again. Fox rental car was the one that help us!

Falsely accusing me of damaging car and breaking windshield. I did my research and they have done this to so many people. It’s a scam. Sarasota, Florida location. I took car to get washed before turning in, pictures showed a dirty vehicle.

Very bad experience. First I’m given a key fob with Scotch tape holding it together. We were at the San Diego zoo and the car was dead. 2.8 miles away from the Rental facility. We could have walked there in one hour to exchange the vehicle but we were told that the tow truck would be there in an hour and a half and that they would pick myself, my wife and son up. Instead we waited four hours and a second tow truck company to pick the car up and just myself. My wife and son took a taxi. Incompetence. Unacceptable service. And then no partial refund because we prepaid. Horrible.

I rented a car from Budget at the Hilton Head Airport. Long story short, I lost my key. This lead to 22 phone calls and 3 emails between myself, customer service and emergency roadside service. It also took two days and three tow trucks. At one point, emergency roadside needed to talk to the Hilton Head desk and could not get through. They literally asked me to do so and then call them back! On more than one occasion, I had to call customer service to connect me to emergency roadside assistance because when I would call, it would ring eight times then disconnect. Ultimately, they told me the car would be towed to Hilton Head Airport. I changed my plane tickets from Savannah (where I was flying out of) to Hilton Head Airport. That cost me over $1000.

I was changed $773 for a $329 rental. When calling customer service to get an answer I got the runaround. The representative kept back peddling and trying to use rental car lingo. When I asked for clarification, she was unable to provide because the charges were erroneous. I was told I would pay a fee of $177.13 on top of rental agreement, NOT $443 additional dollars. I spoke to 4 separate representative prior to dropping off car to confirm charges.

If I could give zero stars I would. We had to wait over an hour in line at the airport to get the car in the first place, it was in bad condition as far as cleanliness goes and was only half filled with what we thought was gas. It turned out to be an electric car which they never told us it would be, and they did not provide us with an adapter. We have wasted two hours on the phone to try to figure this out. They have sent us to two different charging places, neither of which can accommodate us and we’re still waiting to figure out how to charge this car so we can get back to the airport. Horrible service!!!

We had a reservation through Costco Travel for a 7-seater minivan with Budget at the Long Beach Airport location for pickup on a Thursday evening. The vehicle was reserved a couple months in advance for a family vacation that had been planned for months. When we arrived, we were told all vans were under recall and worse, the staff had no backup plan and could ONLY offer us a 5-seater, which obviously didn’t work for our group. We were told to call customer service to check other locations ourselves. After a long call, we were informed that John Wayne Airport had a 7-seater elite SUV available for $300 more. Frustrating, but we agreed to pay the extra just to move on.

My husband truck was down so we decided to rent through Budget 'cause of what we was quoted. We kept the truck a few extra days and they gave us an estimate of what it would cost of 404 so my husband took the rental back yesterday and they sent him a final bill for 5 days of 868.97. Please tell me where all these extra fees came from. They overcharged for the insurance by 115.00 and then the others fees of such as a taxable product fee and rental tax of 340.59, plus a nota-taxable fee of 44.95 on top the 238.87 already paid. What did we miss 'cause budget this is rip off and will not be renting from you gain ever. You are worst than HERTZ.

My family and I rented a small vehicle at Budget in punta cana international airport. It was the worst experience ever, our booking price was $233 for 5 days. We was ok with the price but then they tell us that we have to pay for insurance par day, and a collision deposit that was going to transfer back to my account in 30 to 40 days. The total came up to $633. Now I tried reaching out to them and they tell me I don’t have any refunds. That should of read the fine prints before signing. A total rip off.

We rented a luxury car at DTW. After our wait at checkout, we waited under a white tent for them to bring a Volvo to us. Pulled up in a Mazda and told us it was a Volvo. Next car was a Mercedes that still had trash inside. It was electric with only a 25% charge! Call center said we could exchange it at any Budget location. Drove 30 mins only to be told that was not the case. Drove an hour back to the airport and dropped it off. Went across the street to Enterprise. 10 mins and we were off in a clean car. No issues! We were charged extra b/c we were 1 hour over 24 hours! Still fighting that since we were given incorrect info as to retuning at any location.

I only gave it a1 because a 0 was not an option. If you rent online they will not tell you they need a major credit card to get the keys but if you're like me, I like paying everything off for my vacation so the only cash I need to bring is for souvenirs. Budget took my Mastercard debit card and reservation and paid off vehicle. When the time came to pick it up they told me I needed to show a major credit card to get the keys. I rented from them yearly since around 2015. Never no problem till now. The problem was now they wouldn't give us the rental and we had to look around for another company to find an 7 passenger SUV with no reservation and not expensive as all our money for a rental went to Budget who said 10 days for a refund. When making the reservation there was no mention of a major card. Found a small SUV 7 passenger at Enterprise same price with bumper to bumper insurance. Yes it was smaller but we had a vehicle.

The representative was very rude and patronizing and attempted to upsell me on everything — resulting in double the Costco estimate. The key I received was broken and they could not care. The rude treatment was unreal— was this N. Korea or USA? Manager was rude as well. Never received such a depressing and discriminatory experience., They should not be in business at the Fort Lauderdale location-/it was a nightmare from communism-. Could not care at all about customer. Worse experience ever in car hire, Costco and AAA should warn customers-this was bad and unsettling!

I’ve done numerous rentals with various rental car businesses over the years, but by far my experiences with Budget Rental Car are the worst! Recently, I rented a car from Budget Rental Car at a nearby airport, only to receive a car that not only reeked of cigarette smoke but had several damages to the outside of the vehicle. It wasn’t even cleaned out but was dirty and still had numerous brochures in the back seat. There was even cigarette hole in the driver’s seat! Needless to say, I contacted Budget Rental Car Services, and they requested I take pictures of everything and submit it via email to specific case number. I was then informed to bring the car back and exchange it at any nearby Budget Rental Car.

I had reserved my car weeks before I was to be at the Albany airport. My flight went well and was on time getting in at 4:15 p.m. EDT. When I got to the Budget Car rental office (they share a kiosk with Avis) I experienced a 25 customer line with three agents helping customers. I was discouraged but thought everything would proceed on a timely basis. I was so wrong. After 30 minutes I had not progressed one step. The same customers were with agents the whole time and had not moved on. It was a slow go. After and hour I had progressed roughly two customers. People who's turn to was to get a car and move on were going nowhere.

If I could give it a zero, then I would! I stood in line for about 2 hours to rent a car with one person working the front desk. Never told me how much would be charged to my card when I did the pre-check. Find out it’s twice as much! This has been an absolutely horrible experience!!!! Do better Budget!

I am not one to leave reviews, but I would give zero stars if I could. My husband and I packed up everything we own to move across country and rented with Budget because USAA has a relationship with them. Not only did the first truck’s check engine light come on 3/4 of the way to our new apartment, but my husband was stuck for ten hours before someone could come out and look at the truck and ANOTHER two hours before it could be towed, as the mechanic deemed it out of commission. Mind you- It’s the middle of summer with a high of 93 and he’s stuck at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere while all of this is happening. Fine, we get it, life happens.

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Major Customer Service and Vehicle Issues. I waited in line over 102 minutes to pick up my Budget rental. The pickup process was complete chaos — the line order was disorganized, and only two representatives were working the counter for a large number of frustrated customers. When I finally reached the desk, I was told the passenger van was not clean and needed attention. After waiting another 20 minutes, I was informed the van was actually at a different location and not yet brought over. I was then told I could walk with my entire group of eight people, including seniors and children — all with luggage — to retrieve it myself.

I rented my vehicle from the Budget at the MCO airport in Orlando. If you choose to rent a car with them, review the contract thoroughly and ask questions before signing. Their staff will not voluntarily explain the nuances between their different offerings. For example, they have two different E-Toll options for their vehicles. A standard option (pay for the tolls that you incur and a small convenience fee on the days you incur them) and an unlimited option (pay a flat rate every day of your rental regardless if you go through tolls). The staff member that finalized my reservation simply asked me, "Do you plan on using the toll unit in the vehicle?" to which I responded, "Yes." I had no idea at the time there were two different toll programs. He then proceeded to sign me up for their E-Toll Unlimited program and I was hit with a hefty fee at the end of my reservation. Be careful!

I rented a car from Budget in Florida and it completely stalled while at a red light about to get on the Florida Turnpike. I called customer service and they told me I was in an unsafe spot to be towed, so call patrol. I called 911. The police officer got me a tow truck who took us with the car back to the airport Budget for a new rental. I received a bill from the tow truck company in the amount of $282 and Budget is not reimbursing me the money. They left me on the side of the road in their broken-down car that the hazards wouldn’t even go on. Their customer service is horrible and their cars are even worse. I will never use Budget again.

I booked a van 3 months before my daughter's graduation to move her back home. I received a call during the graduation that I could not pick up, obviously. Two hours later we arrived at the Haynes Mall location to pick up the vehicle only to find out that there was no vehicle for me to rent. Dennis told me that he tried to call me. He didn't say he was sorry or even attempt to help me in my situation. He told me I could drive to the Greensboro airport and see if they had anything. I asked him to call, but he said he couldn't. I called Budget while driving and they couldn't help me either. We did drive to the airport and ended up getting an SUV that worked okay. They couldn't have been nicer and more helpful. I can't believe how bad the Winston Salem customer service was. No help, no apology, nothing.

Never and I mean never rent a car from Budget. Budget has become real shady. I reserve a car from Budget on July 10. In my reservation I refused the Budget insurance, because my Allstate Insurance covers me for rentals. When I did pre-check, Budget ask me again and I refused. When I got to the Budget counter, they ask me again did I was insurance on the car and I said no. My Allstate Insurance covers me for rentals. Why did the Budget representative charge me insurance of $114.45 on my car. They specifically added the charge after I told them several times that I didn't want the insurance.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. This company scammed me to pay for damage their own employees did to the car. We picked up our car at the Tampa Airport. As we were leaving, the customer service agent said, “It’s a new car. If anything happens to it, it’s your fault.” We thought, “That’s a really weird thing to say.” 10 minutes into driving, the whole underneath of the bumper fell off and began dragging on the ground. We realized we’d been given a broken car on purpose to get out of claiming the damage I assume one of their employees caused and hid. When we were safely able to pull over (it fell apart on a bridge to make matters worse), you could see that someone had tried to tie up the bumper, the tie snapped, and the whole thing fell down.

I rented a car from Budget and was charged $ 483.91. I was given a refund by the counter agent when I picked up the car of $ 27.05. I was then charged an additional fee of $ 34.74 when I returned the Car (showed up on my credit card). When I called they said it was for refueling which was a lie, we filled it up in the gas station on the same road as the airport a whole $ 6.50 (I didn't want any questions) so I had to send them the receipts and copy of all the other charges, they kept saying I was only charged $ 456.86. They refunded $7.69 and said it was resolved but kept the $ 27.05 and told me it was a computer glitch, they couldn't explain why. I will never rent from this rip off car company. I hope you won't either. The counter Lady was really sweet but the customer service sucks. Just talked in circles, really had no excuse. I wasn't supposed to not see that and the believe it was refueling.

Renters beware renting from Budget. We rented a car at Dallas Fortworth Airport June 27. The car inside was dirty but we were in a rush so for a week it would do. The next morning we drive and the driver’s front wheel was leaking air. We put in air and observed. 2 days later tire was deflated again. We call roadside but had trouble getting through to a live person so we called the local Dallas Budget. He told us that they would charge us for a new tire and recommend we go to Discount Tires to get it patch. At Discount Tires, they told us both front tires were so bad, the treads were less than 2 and they could not patch it. In fact, they said Budget should have never let us drive in it.

Budget Car Rental is nothing but bullshit they overcharge you, they are rip offs and the customer service sucks. Do not and I mean DO NOT ever rent a car from them.. I'm getting a hold of the Better Business Bureau and reporting these people so they don't take advantage of any other customers. 👎👎👎👎

I reserved a car to be picked up at Logan Airport in Boston Massachusetts on July 9th. As I arrived at the counter there were at least 50 people ahead of me. I got in line after almost an hour and a half. A lady (Budget employee) started yelling that if anyone had a reservation get out of line and go to another line in a different area. So we went. There were about 20 people in that line. Shortly after getting in line another Budget employee began yelling that unless we had a special membership we had to go back where we started. Grrr. There was NO ONE to get information from. I canceled my reservation then and there. Went to another rental company and within 15 minutes was on my way.. for about the same price for the same grade vehicle. I will NEVER use Budget again.

I recently rented a 7-seater vehicle and prepaid $179.01 for a one-day rental. After a 20-hour international flight, I wanted to ensure my family could travel home comfortably, without being cramped or struggling with our luggage. Unfortunately, the rental process was already slow—due to limited staff handling a high volume of customers—and took about an hour.

I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my recent experience with Budget Rental Car, which involved misleading pricing, poor customer service, and the failure to return a $194.20 hold that I was assured would be refunded. When I booked the rental, I was told that the total cost would be $257.75. I paid this amount in full with the understanding that an additional $194.20 hold would be placed on my card temporarily and refunded upon return of the vehicle. However, the total charge to my account ended up being $451.95, and I was never refunded the $194.20 hold, despite being told otherwise at the time of rental.

Reserved a larger van for our vacation MONTHS in advance. When we went to pick it up, a smaller van was substituted with no compensation. We requested a larger van for a REASON - now we have to tow an extra box to carry our items that would have been "okay" in the larger van. Not acceptable and I will tell others not to go here if you have an expectation of being treated fairly.

Just spent $44.55 filling my rental up before returning only to get charged a $100 refueling fee. RIDICULOUS!!!! I AM BEYOND LIVID!!!! AND 3 -5 DAYS TO GET MY MONEY BACK?!?! And I have to wait for the deposit????

⭐️ (1 out of 5 stars). Unacceptable Delay – Missed Business Meeting Due to Poor Service. Very disappointed in Budget’s customer service. We reserved our car for Friday at 10:00 AM and arrived at Atlanta International Airport on time at 9:30 AM, checked in at the Budget counter at 10:00 AM — but didn’t receive our vehicle until 1:30 PM, after waiting 3.5 hours.

During the rental, I discovered a significant tire bulge (approximately one inch) on the rear, right tire. This kind of sidewall damage made the vehicle unsafe to drive, particularly on highways or over long distances. I contacted Budget’s roadside assistance, but they were unable to help. All they said was that I could drive the vehicle to a repair shop (risking my safety in doing so) and that they would reimburse me if I went out of pocket to replace the tire. No repair shops were open, as it was Sunday, on 4th of July weekend. So, I was advised that replacement vehicles were available at the nearest Budget location, so I reluctantly risked driving the unsafe vehicle there. However, once I arrived, I was told that no vehicles were actually available.

I placed a reservation with Budget for a full size SUV but was given a standard SUV. It would not fit our all our luggage and was told we would receive a 20 percent discount but only received less then 10% discount. We had to rent another vehicle just to carry our luggage.

As I write this, my husband and I are waiting in line to pick up a rental car from the Cleveland airport, we have been here about 45 minutes. There's only one clerk working and now they only have electric cars left. We're airport car rental experience ever

This is the worst experience I’ve ever had with a rental car company. Two lines to wait in. Completely inefficient. No one is working. Those who are, are incredibly rude. This is the second line after waiting 30 minutes for a shuttle and 30 minutes in the first line.

Where most companies publish the total price, Budget excludes taxes. They obscure thus until you pay. We hit the pay button, saw the confirmation, immediately called to cancel and was told we cannot. I travel quite a bit. No longer using Budget.

Horrible experience in Blountville Tn. We reserved a full size car from Budget 2 months in advance for a trip. Went to pickup the car and they claimed they have no cars available in full size. They then tried to put us in an economy car that is way smaller and also charge $225 more. To me this is deceptive overcharging practices. It's a con job and fraud!!

I recently had a frustrating experience with Budget that I feel compelled to share. I was assured by an agent over the phone that I would be reimbursed for a charge, but when I followed up later, they completely refused to honor that promise. It’s incredibly disappointing to deal with a company that does not stand by its word. I expected better customer service, especially after receiving confirmation from their representative. I won’t be using Budget again in the future, and I would advise others to think twice before renting from them. Budget is trash.

Had to stand in a long line at the off site Budget Car Rental at New Orleans Airport. Completely understaffed. Absolutely unacceptable - avoid Budget at all costs. Poor poor service and not a great start to my work trip here.

We received a rental car that had a crack in the windshield that could not be noticed from the outside and could only be noticed once the windshield wipers started, which they did about 30 minutes into our trip. At the counter they had told us to simply take pictures of any damage and it would be easy to rectify this. We called Budget and they instructed us to return the car to Cork Airport where they could get us another. At Cork, they commented that Dublin had dumped their problems on them and were not joking and treated us as such. They kept insisting on showing us the initial damage report despite us telling them that we already knew that Budget had missed the initial damage on the car. They charged us 660 euros to pay for a new windshield that we had not damaged.

Budget rental is a scam customer service is horrible and they lie about everything. Please save your money and use another car rental service. They quoted me several different then they kept me on the phone 2 hours trying to find out the correct price. USE ANOTHER RENTAL SERVICE. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Worst rental experience of my life!! Picked my car up Friday 7/4 at CLT. I reserved a premium SUV but the lady at the counter said the full size Expedition I got was a premium. So shafted from the start. Had to take because we were leaving the next morning for vacay. Left with my family of 7 at 4am Sat 7/5 and quickly realized I only had one headlight and no high beams. Couldn’t see anything. Stopped at a QT and realized the entire underpinning on the front end was falling off. I’ve called customer service 4 times since then and all they want to do is make me drive 5hrs away to get a replacement. Won’t offer to meet me half way or anything. This whole thing has been terrible!! Now I have to drive back 11hrs with the same pathetic car. Never again!!

We booked a rental from Budget in Niagara falls NY. New girl at the desk. Another employee was trying to help 3xs to do it and it was pre reg. Ask her to add my son, my CC back. She said I gave it back, my son said no it's hidden under that pile of paper from the many times she. We pay for pre fill gas. After 2 hours we go get the car. It's electric, wth, side panel flapping off. We got another car. Stop at a store. Realize the little ** didn't give me my license back. Wth. Now this was Bday gift so son couldn't drink since I had no license.. He had to do all the driving and no cocktails at his own party. We returned the car and there was my license. Pay $$ to get a replacement so I can drive to work. They did give a mere $ 50 credit.

The car was so filthy I had to clean the inside of the car. The tires were bald, the car shook going 50 mph and the wiper blades did not work. Customer service was worse than the car. I called to complain and was told I would be refunded a day (including taxes) and was given 2 coupons. I received the coupons but was never refunded a day. I called and talked with a supervisor and she said we received coupons and would get nothing else even though we were told we would get a refund.

I had a reservation at the Atlanta Airport on 6/25/2025 at 2 pm. Upon arrival to pick up my vehicle, I am informed I am way down the line! It was people that had a reservation at 11:30 am that were still waiting on their vehicles. I must say it was a total cluster! I ended up staying at the Budget reservation until 6:pm when I was told again I was way down the line for a vehicle that I paid for in advance! I had to cancel my reservation and purchase a rental agreement with Hertz! I ended up paying $850.00 for a new reservation! This is unacceptable!!! I would never recommend or use your services again! There is no accountability at all! I really expected more from Budget!

Renting the vehicle in Grand Junction went well even though the car could have been cleaner. We allowed six and a half hours to make the four hour trip. Unfortunately, there was a horrific accident that had us in a traffic stoppage for three hours with no cell service. When we let the Denver office know we'd be late, they said no problem. We got there and nobody to check us in with a long line inside. They went ahead and charged us for an extra day and wouldn't budge. Be careful with their fine print and lack of understanding. Back to Hertz we go!

Website is not intuitive and I ended up making 2 reservations for the same day. When I saw my credit card statement, I attempted to contact customer service and never got anything other than an electronic response. When I finally got confirmations for the two reservations, I cancelled one of them only to find out that it cost $50 just to cancel one of them even though the reservation was still almost a month away. Still no contact with customer service. They are now on my AVOID AT ALL COSTS list. Would give 0 stars if possible.

Budget San Juan, Puerto Rico Airport was horrible! I reserved a car online and then did a pre-check to speed up the service at the counter, they failed to let us know that the person making the reservation has to be the driver listed in the pre-check. I put in my husband's information as he is usually the one who drives in PR. They told me that I mixed the information and the reservation was no longer valid. I had to update it myself. I asked them if they could override the information on their system and they said it was not possible. Which is a complete fabrication as I work in IT and know you can override the system. They ended up renting us another vehicle for about $200 above my original reservation price. This was a complete and total racket! I will NEVER rent from Budget again!

Staff at counter difficult to communicate with due to language barrier. So miscommunication was a huge factor. We were charged the extra insurance even though we clearly said no when making the reservation and no at the counter. After reviewing charges, the added insurance cost was taken out of our account without consent. Customer service did not assist and said "they couldn't do anything to help." Explanation of reservation was not clear due to staff at counter could not speak clear English. Long wait lines. Dont use Budget! They'll trick you into paying more without your consent!

Prolonged wait time. Lack of explanation for the delay. Failure to provide reserved vehicles. Customer without vehicle remains at desk with representative until it is ready. Rest of customers, still in queue.

My husband and I rented a car with them in July 5th, we arrived at JFK at 13:30pm, our reservation was for 14:00pm. A huge line with more than 30 persons and just 2 people working. After a long time we just give up and found a new place to rent the car. Why do you need to pick up a hour if you are not getting the car on time? Super rude staff. No recommend at all.

Customer service agent at the Hampton, VA location was very unprofessional and rude with us and the customers before us. When asked any questions her answer was to call customer service and I get off at 1pm. Secondly, after paying for my reservation the night before and already having my account charged, I was told we did not pass a credit check and therefore could not pick the car up without a major credit card. YOU HAD ALREADY CHARGED MY ACCOUNT. YOU HAD THE MONEY. We had to call customer service and wait on hold for 1/2 hour to cancel the reservation and get a refund.

Doesn’t matter what state we are in -THERE IS ALWAYS A PROBLEM. Somehow we make reservations months in advance and the car has been given away, they have to get it from somewhere else, car seats reserved and sorry we don’t have anymore. How do you do business and plan a day without knowledge on how to run a business.

I recently rented a car from Budget in Sarasota Florida. I was taking it and my daughter with cerebral palsy back to Nashville. I had all of her stuff with me. On the way to Nashville, we were inundated with roaches all over the car, coming out of every crevice and getting into my daughter’s stuff. We had to change course and go to Atlanta to change cars. At the budget office, no one helped me move anything in fact they were quite indifferent to my situation. I had to move an entire car full of boxes and bins and bags and suitcases by myself out of one vehicle into another.

Worst shopping experience of my life. Horrible communication by staff, I was never told I needed a credit card until I showed up to pick up my rental. My spouse tried to use her credit card and we were told that we couldn't do that and would need to start a new rental process. When we did that, the "only" car available was 1/3 the size and $750 more than the Rav4 I had paid to rent that they refused to rent to me when I showed up. They then had me escorted off the property by police when I asked for a refund when they refused me a refund at the store.

I rented a car from the airport location in Wilmington NC. They never inspected or cleaned the car before they handed it over to me. They did apologize and offered me an $18 discount on a $300+ bill. I also changed my flight home and the person checking me in assured me it wouldn’t be a problem bringing the car back later in the afternoon. The $20 late fee on my bill confirms that was a lie. I called them and they told me there’s nothing they can do. So they got $20 but I guess the $18 discount covers that and I should just deal with it.

My wife and I rented a car from Budget at the Salt Lake City Airport and were absolutely impressed with the service, friendliness and professionalism of Spencer **. Spencer explained every detail of what options were available as far as insurance, upgrades and of the goodies. All of vehicles were newer and in excellent condition. Thank you Spencer for all of your help.

I rented a car from DFW Budget for several days. While using it, the weather was terrible. While getting in and out of the vehicle, grass and dirt were left on the floor mat. I was told to leave the fuel close to empty on return. I returned the car with dirt and grass on the floor mat on the driver's mat and some debris on the rear hatch mat as I was traveling alone. I was back charged an additional $125.00 for "vehicle cleaning cost". When I called to talk to the person who sent me the letter, I was told that was impossible. The "customer representative" said that I was supposed to clean the car before returning. My contract did not state that. I received no help form the representative and was put on very long hold times during the process to no avail. It doesn't seem right to need to clean a rental car before returning it. That's why people rent things. And if it is required, then that should be stated prior to rental.

Surprise by the hidden charge of a fuel service charge. The vehicle should have a full tank of gas when you rent it, but they charged me a fuel service charge for the convenience of having a full tank when you pick the vehicle up.

Everything was great EXCEPT I got charged $107.00 additional for toll pass. I DID NOT HAVE this option chosen in my original reservation. I DID NOT use or plan to use it. I did not realize it was added to my reservation until I returned the vehicle and they emailed my receipt. Dirty, shifty work by the ticket agent. Needless to say, I WON"T be using Budget again!!!

I rented an SUV that seats 7. Paid in advanced. When I got to Budget, they insisted that I ordered a car that I had rented 6 months ago. Finally someone came over and found the mistake and I got an SUV but it only fit 5 passengers. The SUV I paid for cost $49.99 a day. The one I got cost $28.99 a day for four days. They would only give me $50.00 for the difference. On top of that, I was told that I don't qualify for a Veteran's discount even though I can prove that I served Two tours in Vietnam. Budget Car Rental is a scam and have NO respect for their customers. I was told that I could not talk to anyone higher than the manager Dalton ** or Manager Zena **. I would love to talk to the CEO to tell him how I was ripped off but I don't think he cares.

Do Not Rent from Budget!!! I flew into MPLS Airport on Fri 6/28/25 in Terminal 2. From the beginning my experience was awful at best. I went to the Budget Car Rental Desk around 5:30 a.m., the desk was closed. Signs said proceed to the Budget Rental Car area upstairs and outside. It too was closed. A phone call to Budget said they will have a car for me at 10:30 a.m.!!! Are you kidding me!!! Never mind that I had plans to meet folks earlier than 10:30 a.m. Horrible Customer Service. I then decided to go to Terminal 1 to see if I had any better luck. Am pretty irritated by now. I get to Terminal 1 and it is open. I think to myself success. At the counter I briefly share the events, told her never again will I rent from Budget, and she said, "Let’s see if I can make things right." She was wonderful!! She got me processed, handed me my info and up to the 5th floor I go to get my vehicle.

Reserved 1 month in advance. 1st time using Budget and the last. Arrived early at 230 pm for my reservation, even though set at 4pm since was told if I could arrive anytime between 1 and 4 PM. Got to desk, no one is there. Instructions to call 2 different phone numbers, called both numbers several times with no answer. Called customer service to find out what else I could do. Talked to two different people after the first person told me to keep calling the number, he didn't want to deal with me anymore and transferred me to another agent. Once off the phone with that agent, the number I called previously was calling back. He said he would be there between 4 and 415, we waited. Called number back several times again at 420 pm as no one has yet arrived. They finally answer and tell me another 10 minutes.

We booked a car and are now waiting in a loooong line of other customers. Only 2 people working, it will take us about 2 hours and we will miss checkout time at the hotel. Never again, such poor service!

We had an awful experience renting a car. After arriving on time, we were forced to wait over 2 hours just to get a vehicle. The car we reserved was unavailable, and there were no upgrades offered to make up for it. The vehicle we were finally given was dirty and reeked of urine—completely unacceptable. Since the rental, I have called customer service four times and have been told each time that a case is being submitted for reimbursement. Weeks later, I still haven’t received any credit or resolution. This has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing. Overall, the service was unreliable, unprofessional, and unsanitary. I won’t be renting from this company again.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET — They Do NOT Honor Reservations. Just spent $45 to not rent a car from Budget. Why? Because they decided not to honor my prepaid reservation due to "inventory issues." But they had ALL DAY to call, text, or email me — and did nothing. I showed up, 4th in line, only to be told there were no cars. The man in front of me? He didn’t have a reservation. But he had his kid with him. I overheard "Sam" (Budget) tell him no cars were available — then suddenly, Sam "makes it happen" for him. I watched as he was handed keys to a red SUV and walked away smiling.

Bait and Switch? I reserved an electric Luxury Elite Long Range vehicle (Genesis G80E or similar) at Houston Intercontinental (IAH). Instead, Budget provided a Ford F-150 Lightning. I was told it belongs to the same rental class, but the truck I received was the Standard Range model (240 miles), not the Extended Range (320 miles). Budget’s website clearly labels “Long Range” as the higher-range offering, so this felt misleading. On top of that, the rental line was extremely slow. I waited over two hours at noon on Saturday, and the queue length had not shortened by the time I finally got to the counter.

Let's start with the 1st Suburban we got. Picked it up June 21st. 1st thing I noticed was the "CHANGE OIL SOON" light is on. On Monday the 23rd we had a flat. Pulled the tire off and found it is bald with cords showing. Upon inspecting the other 3 we found they ALL are bald with cords showing! After waiting on hold and being transferred twice we got a replacement suburban lined up. Unfortunately for us, we had to drive an hour to Bangor Maine to swap them and then drive the hour back to where we were staying.

I made a reservation and prepaid for a large SUV with Budget Car Rental in Kendall, located at 13760 North Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33186, USA. I called before picking it up and was told they were sold out for that day, meaning they had rented the vehicle I had reserved to someone else. Either they overbooked or they couldn't care less about a prepaid reservation; the service is terrible. I was told the nearest location with an available car was over 40 minutes away. I ended up canceling my reservation, and to top it all off, they only refund my money within two weeks. What the hell!!! I will never do business with Budget again.

I made a reservation for a rental car on 4/10/25 for a family vacation 6/18-6/25/25. I received numerous email confirming my reservation. When I arrived at the designated time on 6/18/125 at 8 AM I was informed that there was no car available. I was shocked. The young gal at the desk called the manager who said they'd call me when there was one available, probably needing to come from the SLC airport. She also mentioned that I should have gotten a call from the manager the day before but I never received a call. :-( This is degusting customer service!!! Luckily for me I was able to get a car from Enterprise Car Rental and able to leave for our trip within 2 hours.

I booked and paid in advance for a compact car with Budget Car Rental in Englewood, CO located at 1101 Dartmouth Avenue. Two hours before I was to pick it up, they called me that they were all "sold out" for the day, meaning they'd rented my reserved vehicle to someone else. Either they overbook or a paid-in-advance reservation means nothing to them. I discovered that the closest location with an available car was over 30 minutes away. They didn't have a comparable-sized car and I had to reluctantly pay additional for an SUV. I will never do business with Budget/Avis again.

I had a terrible experience with Budget Rental Car. I paid for the car through Expedia and arrived in Albany to find a wait of over an hour in line. When I finally reached the counter, they refused to accept my Chime card for incidentals, despite having already paid for the car with that same card. It was a long, frustrating day, and I ended up breaking down crying. Staff simply told me to step aside and offered no help or solutions. I was left stranded in New York with my 11-year-old and no car I had already paid for. Completely unacceptable. Someone from the Enterprise counter came over and asked if I was ok, and they set me up with a vehicle! They were so kind! Budget is not answering my calls, I still have not received a refund.

We rented our vehicle on 6/14/25. It had a slight smell of "skunk" but because it was in the shade of the parking garage it wasn't super strong. Within hours of driving and the car sitting in the hot sun, the overwhelming smell of marijuana was giving us headaches and making us stink. We called Budget and they said to exchange it at the nearest Budget rental location. We were already hours away from where we originally rented. The person said they put notes in the system that read "will not be charged you until you have been able to exchange the vehicle". We called Hickory, NC; we spoke with Jay. We requested a new vehicle as suggested by Budget. Jay, from Hickory, was extremely rude and she only offered for us to sit there for an hour with a machine that could "hopefully" take care of the problem. This Hickory Budget location was not close by either.

Our car failed to start after shopping at a farmers market. After our initial call to travel assistance in which they sent a tow truck to pick up their car and provided an Uber voucher for a ride back to the airport we were unable to reach a live agent to inform them that there was no Uber drivers in our area of breakdown. We were left stranded, and only by luck was I able to call my daughter 2000 miles away who was able to arrange a taxi to come rescue us at a cost of $165. Budget refuses to reimburse us and accepts no responsibility for renting a car that was not raid worthy. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY.

Total ripoff. I rented a car in Florida for a week out of Fort Myers. Rented a pool home, and never went to the beach, not once. $450 charge for excess sand in the vehicle? My credit card company will be telling to the same thing soon enough. Charging double the actual rental rate to clean the car of sand in a state made of sand. How do you people sleep at night?

Never rent from Budget! We went to pick up our mini van and they said there was a rental car shortage. We needed the mini van to fit all of the girls and luggage but they didn't have it. So they gave us a small SUV and said to bring the car back without filling up and they would comp our gas. Well they didn't and they charged double in gas what I would have paid if I had just filled it myself. They won't do anything about it. It was a nightmare and I will never do it again.

I reserved a car and only one employee is working to check people in. Some people ahead of me have been waiting for three hours. No refund available because I booked through Expedia. They knew in advance when and how many people would be here. I will never use Budget again. This is the Detroit airport location.

We will never use this company again period. Poor customer service ..Scam at the fuel process. Make sure you read the odometer mileage before taking the vehicle out of their garage. They charge extra for just anything they can think of.

In Orlando airport. Arrived in long line 2 hours ago. 1 agent. Maybe 50+ people in line. Rest of other rental brand lines moving smoothly or now empty. Will never use Budget again. This should never happen.

I recently rented a car from Budget at the Ontario Airport. Immediately upon starting the vehicle, the "Change Engine Oil Soon" light came on. I asked the attendant at the gate about it, and she assured me it was just a routine maintenance alert and that the car was fine to drive. Shortly after, I received news that my father was having a medical emergency, and I urgently needed to get to the hospital in Las Vegas. While driving through the desert, the check engine light came on, along with a warning that said "Engine Power Reduced." The car automatically slowed down to 60 mph on a 70 mph highway, creating an unsafe situation.

We received the vehicle filled with sunflower seed shells…everywhere. That I had to clean after we arrived. There was no one to report this to when we arrived because no one was at the airport. There was sand in the vehicle because it’s in Florida. A $250 cleaning fee for vacuuming sand is insane. When we arrived, we were told that the car seat that we needed wasn’t available and waited 40 minutes for a vehicle. So much for fastbreak. So with no customer service, a lack of any sort of care, and then being given a dirty vehicle that you have the nerve to charge ME to clean is crazy.

DO NOT rent to these company PLEASE!!!! They are NOT pet friendly!!!! They will charge you $487.34 for any pet hair they will find. If you have a pet make you a favor, look for a pet friendly company.

I have been a long standing customer of Budget. I have always had a good experience. Until our recent trip. First, we were supposed to be FastBreak client, we were not. Second, due to riots in LA, I called to verify costs to return the car to another airport as I knew the contract stated additional charge would apply. When I called, talked to Amanda, she quoted me my total rental fee. I confirmed that was returning to the different airport and she repeated the TOTAL rental fee (below $500). After changing flights, based on my conversation with Budget, I called Budget back to confirm the new return location. After much back and forth, I was charged over $700.00 for the return car. Budget continues to refer me to what their contract says. to which my response is 'I know - that is why I called BEFORE'. Budget will be my last option from now on.

I rented a car in May 22, 2025. Everything was great. I knew I would have the car for at week but had to call weekly to extend and pay for another week. They were very friendly and great to work with me. They asked me to bring the car back on the 22nd of June to do a new contract. I went in and was told I couldn't rent it again or get another car because they weren't supposed to rent to me using a Cash App card. They told me the day I rented it that they would hold $200 because I was using a Cash App card. They refused to help me and I was left to figure out how to get home from the Salt Lake Airport! How could they do this after me paying for the car for an entire month with the same card?

I rented and paid for a midsize sedan. I got a Kia Forte. That's a compact according to everyone except Budget who rips their customers off that way. I was expecting a toyota corolla but was cheated out of size and style.

We rented a Budget car in Tampa for a weekend family event. Day two - We noticed that one tire was low and added air by the next morning. The tire was totally flat. We had to miss a family breakfast to change the tire to a spare doughnut that was in the trunk. A Few hours later, we returned the car with their donut on and their spare tire with a slow leak in the trunk and I reported the incident at time of checking in car. I exchanged many emails with budget where they would not consider the case because I did not have documentation.

Unexpected emergency led to reserving a car. Took $30 Uber to location, no cars. Sent me to a second location, $30 Uber. No cars. Did nothing to help me and left me stranded with all the money in my bank account locked up for 7-10 business days. I had to walk 37 miles home.

I had a nightmare experience with Budget two days ago. We rented a 2025 Ford Escape from them. The car broke down in the middle of nowhere on the way to International Falls. It was extremely difficult to reach a live person on the phone. When we did reach live person, they have strong accent. It is hard to understand them. Then the first 7 calls somehow got disconnected or they just hung up. No one called us back. On the 8th call, the phone rep told me that we have to pay for the repair and they won't reimburse us!

First off. I prepaid my rental. When I arrived at the airport I noticed they downgraded my car. I went to the counter to dispute it and the guy gave me an attitude. He actually told me not to rent with Budget if I didn't like the way they do business. He ended up putting me in a Tesla Model 3 which was the class I rented. I added roadside assistance remembering a previous experience I had with Budget. Unfortunately on the last day of my trip I lost my car key. I phoned Budget Roadside would scheduled a tow but the tow sent the wrong size truck despite me telling them the clearance of the garage. I had to head to the airport. Had to pay for a shuttle which Budget was also supposed to reimburse. That didn't happen. I explained the situation to the Budget counter lady at the airport. She said they would take care of it. After I got home the key was found.

Highway robbery! Fees are anti-consumer in every way. For example: a $2.95 toll turned into a $9.90 charge because they rip you off for a $6.95 "convenience fee". If I had seen a toll booth, I would have paid toll myself (I did on other tolls). That fee was minor compared to all the other additions and fees. I will never, never, never rent from them again.

Beware of doing business with Budget Car Rental. I rented a vehicle from them at the Cincinnati airport. I paid in full online, returned the car filled up and on time, and was charged and additional 450.00 three weeks later. The claim was that the car was left excessively dirty. This simply is not the truth. They sent a picture of a single water bottle and a bit of grass from typical use, and used this to justify charging me almost a half grand extra for the rental - which I don’t have to give to them! I’ll never use them again, and would caution anyone else considering using them.

Tried calling PIE Budget for a question about my rental car, automated system gave me the option for a call back in15-20 minutes. 2 hours later I have yet to receive a call. Poor customer service, I will be seeking another option in the future.

We reserved a premium SUV (Chevy Suburban or Ford Excursion) with you 2/2/25. We reserved that particular size SUV for a long-distance trip with 5 adults, two dogs, all our luggage, and dog kennels (which were a non-negotiable requirement for the VRBO rental...) and supplies. We contacted Budget well in advance of our reservation, these past 6 months, on three different occasions: two in person and once over the phone. We explained how important it was for us to have that size SUV and each and every time, they GUARANTEED that the vehicle would be available.

Picked up a car on 4/16/25 in Oregon to drive to Southern California. Stopped in Sacramento for the night. On 4/17/25 we continued driving south. We were going to get home on 4/17/25 and return the car on 4/18/25. As we were driving I noticed the brakes were not working that well and then one of the tires literally fell apart. This was a situation that could have killed us. We were forced to pull over on the side of the freeway in the middle of nowhere. There was no spare tire so I called roadside assistance. We were stranded in the dark on the side of a busy freeway for several hours waiting for a tow truck. We were supposed to be home this night but instead we had to get towed 150 mile to Los Angeles, completely out of our way, to get another car and we had to spend the night at a hotel.

I’m honestly shocked by how bad this experience was. Budget’s Miami International Airport location is completely disorganized and poorly run. I spent nearly half a day dealing with their incompetence — a total waste of my time and the start of my trip. The first car they gave me had bald tires, a nail in one, a barely attached front license plate, and other visible damage. I flagged it immediately. Instead of helping, the staff sent me in circles. No one communicated with each other, and not a single person took ownership.

I prepaid for the vehicle and the only thing they needed was a credit card in my husband's name (as I booked it under his name with my credit card and there were no issues while booking). Unfortunately THIS location apparently didn't accept Visa debit cards so they refused to give us the car we already paid for and tried to get us to rent another for 1000 instead of the 300 I paid.

I got a call in June after I had rented a car April 14 thru April 17 and was told I had to pay $600 for a windshield that was cracked. I told the agent I picked up the car from the airport after Budget had closed and got the car assigned to me. I had a card to circle the damage to the car if any. I circled the windshield and wrote cracked on it. My card used to rent the vehicle in April was charged $600 in June for a cracked windshield the vehicle I was given. This is not over. The vehicle came from Florida.

Extra charge for Cleaning car $250.00. It is additional to the bill, totally unexpected. Poor customer service. They don’t care that I am not a smoker. They are scamming for extras. Way they conduct business is very disappointing trying to charge for everything.

If I could pick zero stars I would my experience with this rental place was very bad, first and foremost I paid in full for rental car. So when I got to Nashville airport to pick up they said I couldn’t get approved because they didn’t take debit cards which still don’t understand why they processed my payment and I told the rude lady that I had paid for it in full. Also noted that online nowhere did they say they didn’t accept debit card. Safe to say I will never use this place again and won’t ever refer family and friends.

I rented a car in OCTOBER 2024, went in with a prepaid voucher. I picked up in Orlando and dropped off in West Palm Beach. Fast forward to May 2025, I was slapped with a bill of over $4k. My credit card was left on file for a security deposit and they cam back with bogus fees, extra half a day stating I returned my car half hour later. The time I have for drop off, I was actually back in the Bahamas! Then there is a charge for "License recoup" fee at over $700 per day and I had the car for 3 days. I think they realized the foreign Credit Card Companies do not dispute the charges like the ones in America so they are getting away with it. I am not stopping until my charges are removed. I wish there was a way to leave worse than terrible as a review.

I was charged $933 for "Optional Services" I had not accepted. Yet, the bill I received after turning the rental car in showed this amount. A copy of the contract shows "accepting" all of these add-ons. The lady who checked us in did not acknowledge my response of "No" to additional services (i.e. Vehicle Damage Coverage, Supplemental Liability Insurance, etc.). I already had additional Rental Vehicle Damage Coverage through Travelocity. I did not need this additional Insurance. I have a witness that will verify I said "No"... The rental agent tried to slip a fast one on me. I will never rent from Budget ever again. They are dishonest and need to be investigated.

They don’t deserve not 1 star the staff is rude. Shawn is the manger at that location, It’s the budget on Airline next Pepboys in Baton Rouge Louisiana. I was over charged for a rental car I had for 1 day. They doubled charged me and I didn’t notice it until I checked my email and saw my receipt. My rental was for $146 and they are now charging me $253. This has been a stressful day. I have called customer service and they’re doing everything they can to get this issue resolved. Thank God for the customer service representatives, but as far as the staff at that location, especially the manager is rude, disrespectful and a theft because he was the one who over charged me. I recommend people to stay away from budget if you can, I know they may be a lil cheaper than other car rental companies, but I rather pay a high price for a car rental than pay a low price and get overcharged and be treated with such disrespect.

Offered an upgrade at no cost presumably because they didn't have the vehicle I had reserved (Suburban), This is a premium SUV. Gave me a Pacifica after many "modifications" to the price it was within $10 of original reservation. THEN actual billing was $120 more. Las Vegas store would not stand behind what their agent (Ali) said.

Worst experience with a car rental service ever. I will never use them again, staff are the worst, not at all helpful. They will not reimburse you for any unexpected travel changes at all. I would rather use Enterprise than these con artists. Only had the car for one day but was charged the full $638. They honestly did not care that a family emergency changed our travel plans.

Jairo at Budget inside Walmart off of 35 and Palo Alto....can't say enough!.. Thank you so much for turning a bad day into a great one! Customer service is very rare these days with all that we have going on. But Jairo proves that there is still good out there!

I spent hours on the phone last night to make sure there wouldn’t be any problems. The lady working is so rude I’m not renting from here I’m taking my business somewhere the employees aren’t so unprofessional.

I recently rented a car from budget. It was the worst experience I ever encountered. I would not recommend this company to rent a car., the vehicle broke down. I called customer service had no they had a lack of empathy. No regards for my personal safety or well.

I made a reservation a few months ago in Milwaukee for my wedding. I go to check my reservation today and find out the car that I rented to pick up at 10:30pm won’t be available because they decided to change closing time to 8:30. I had nothing from explaining this to me. If I did not check I would’ve been stranded at the airport. I called customer support and they told me to have someone pick it up before they closed and that’s the best they could do. Terrible company. Watch out or you could get stranded too.

Rented from Budget in Ireland back in April. Had to pay a towing charge because of an incident. Was told I would be reimbursed for the charge by the customer service rep on the phone when I called to request the tow. Tried to submit the receipt when I returned the car and was told to submit an inquiry online, which I did as soon as I got home. Have spent the last two months trying to get reimbursed for the nearly $200 I paid out of pocket for the tow (emergency call out) and every time I email customer service, I get told I should have a response in 15 business days. Total **.

*Beware of Budget Car Rental at Columbus Airport—A Nightmare Experience!** I wish I could give zero stars. **Budget Car Rental at Columbus Airport took $700 from my account before even confirming that I was eligible for a car**, leaving me stranded without transportation and severely limited funds. No verification, no consideration—just instant withdrawal with no regard for the customer’s situation. I contacted them for help, and their response was dismissive and unhelpful. A rental company should prioritize **honest transactions and customer service**, yet Budget failed at both. If you value your time and money, avoid this location at all cost!

I've used Budget twice recently, but never again. Both times they added fuel and toll charges totaling about $90, even though I topped off the fuel right before returning the cars, and I did not go through any tolls or request their pre-paid toll charge. They are absolute SCAMMERS!

Stay away. At the counter the prices will triple. Way too many hidden fees. If you are in a hurry and don't have the time to argue, will will get screwed. The car was nice, I will give credit to that.

I will never be renting from Budget again. The car broke down at the gas station at the airport. I had to call roadside assistance to get the car towed and then ask a stranger for a ride to the airport so I could make my flight. For this wonderful experience, they charged me full price for the rental. I had to call customer service not once but twice to get the charge for that day removed. And that was a struggle. They insisted that since I was able to use that car that day that they should not refund me the day's rental cost. WOW. Amazingly terrible customer service.

Highly recommend renting from Budget (specifically the Clinton Hwy location). The customer service rep was very nice, knowledgeable, and helpful with pick up and return. They also have the best pricing (which is what originally made me choose them but now for many more reasons). I rented a midsize SUV and got a Dodge Hornet in which I had never heard of before but absolutely fell in love with, so much I now want to buy one. It is a Hybrid so you can use gas or electric and it comes with all the bells and whistles (auto assist, heated/cooling seats and steering wheel, turbo/sport mode, etc. etc, the list goes on and on). I extended it a extra day just because I enjoyed driving it that much. Overall great experience with Budget and they now have a lifelong customer. If you are looking for a good (great actually) place to rent from, look no more. This is the right option!

Beware, Budget charges you late fees even if your vehicle is returned on the right time. They put it on the camera that was unable to read the license plate. Seriously? We had all the proof, we also had tire issues with car which was flat two times and we had to deal with the trouble of getting it fixed while on vacation. The tire had issues from before which we didn’t know. My husband talked to the front service desk associate the same day he returned the car. Yet we were charged a huge amount of late fee. The manager did not cooperate in spite of explaining him Eve and asked him to check the video camera. Such a bad experience. Please be aware before renting it.

Rented for 2 days, returned the vehicle. On time and two the same location. And my receipt shows I returned the vehicle to Bangor, ME. Charged my card $1,387 when it should Have been $397, Never using Budget again, I rented from The LGA location in East Elmhurst, NY 88-08 23rd Ave. This particular location needs to be investigated For fraud.

How is this company still in business? The worst customer service in the history of car rentals, we had a prepaid reservation and we still couldn’t get our car. Left us high and dry did absolutely nothing to help us. For the love of God never ever use this company.