Budget Car Rental Reviews

I rented a car from Budget at the Palm Springs Ca. airport for 10 days. At day seven I received a call from Miami Fl that the vehicle I rented was turned in at the Florida office. I told them I’m still in the car and am in California. I was told to return to the airport and get another contract. I did and now I’m being charged twice. Way too many scams with this company.

Worst experience ever! Not only did I have to wait almost 2 hours in line to get to the counter to pick up the car I ordered online; a representative walked away for 30 minutes while there were still dozens of people in line. We get the car and it creaks at every turn, stop, go, bump and so on. Then after spending over $1600 to rent the car, they send me a bill for $450 for cleaning. Their reasoning, "excessive dirt and trash." I was expecting a minor cleaning fee due to 4 kids in a car for 2 weeks, but we picked up our trash, missed a few bottles of water, and a little bit of sand from the national park we visited, and a few leaves. But $450 is what they said would be the cleaning fee if we smoked in it, no other notations. There were a few times the creaking was so bad we were sure that it was going to break down on us.

I am disappointed with Budget's treatment of my rental in Toronto, Ontario. We rented a Tesla model 3 and I was given a car with a single key card that was left in the car. No need to mention that it was tricky to figure out how to start it, there is no start button, or how to lock it when I parked at the end of the drive and tried to walk away. The problem is that the car was set to require the key card to be taken out and placed under console to start up and drive. Once I parked in a garage, I walked out to the trunk, picked up luggage and saw the car power down and lock up... while the key was still inside of the car.

I picked a mini van at Midway in Chicago as only way a discounts was available (35% - ok as lived within 20 mins). But the address is wrong for the pick up is actually is on Laramie street - one block of west of provided provided address. There are no signs that all rentals can be accessed via a black steel gate located next to an Authorized vehicle sign on the gate and gate can only be seen once you’re nearly on it - see pictures. The guard at the address tried to explain but the picture/explanation wasn’t so clear. Not Budget's fault as ALL rentals were centralized by airport and their signs within the structure are confusing and the three people I stopped to get information said the same thing. Better Budget website and email instructions would super help pickup. The actual pickup was great as I had a reservation but wait was a little long at 10am on Friday.

I rented a car online from Budget in August for my travels to Bari, Italy in September. In short, the contract was not honored, and I was charged extra money at the counter. I didn’t mind that as much as the fact that our car had a strong odor of cat urine. We rented the car because my husband is handicap and cannot walk easily through the town. I tried to return the call, but I was told that I would have to go all the way back to the airport as there was no budget facility where we were. We drove the car only we needed with the windows open – needless to say it was disgusting and unbearable!

Late night arrival with reservations - said I could have an electric car - did not reserve electric or want one…. They would not give me a gas car unless I elected insurance coverage that I had already refused…. Tank was not completely full…

I had an extremely disappointing experience with Budget rental car company and their customer service. I've always been aware that some rental companies have a reputation for questionable practices, but I never thought I’d be a victim of it myself—until Budget made it happen. As a loyal customer of Enterprise, I’ve consistently had positive experiences. However, due to flight timing and distance constraints, I was forced to rent from Budget, and it turned out to be a huge mistake.

Epic Failure! We reserved a premium SUV at the St. Louis Airport, STL (offsite), and included our flight information. We arrived at the rental desk; it took over 90 minutes to check in, then waited outside in the direct sunlight in over 90-degree weather for over an hour waiting for our rental to be ready. I had my 87 year old mother-in-law, 92 and 80-year-old aunts, 9-year-old, and my wife with me. There was limited shade and no water for hydration while we waited. When the SUV finally arrived, we did a quick walk around and did not note any significant damage. We could not see the long crack in the windshield in the direct sunlight. We noticed the crack about 300 feet out of the rental lot.

I would give ZERO stars if I could. Waited over TWO HOURS for a car at OKC airport after being pulled out of line since I was a preferred member. Was told to go to inside booth and then told they couldn't help me and to get back at end of line. After the experience and being told to contact customer service for a refund, their online customer service credited another renter's account, sent me their receipt, breached their security and still sent lie after lie thru email... After a month and wasting way too much time I gave up on any sort of refund. Absolutely ZERO customer service or organization--crazy a company of this size.

The line to get the car was atrocious. With not enough staff. I have two babies and it was ridiculous to wait in a line for over an hour. Then after being told I do not need to refill the car and would be charged 3.08 a gallon (I have the proof). I get a bill after dropping the car off for $121. For 1/4 tank on a Malibu.

Waited in line for 3 hours and 20 minutes for a car at Denver airport location. Car was returned full tank but still got charged of $13.97 due to miles in 1.3 gallon less than miles out. Tires were worn out and leaked. Repaired but did not get the refunded.

I would give a zero if possible. I reserved two 12 passenger vans 5 months in advance (for a group outing) from the Tucson airport location. 2 days before, I cancelled one since our numbers dropped. So we drove to the airport to pick up the other one, and I was told it was unavailable. The agent said Kamala was coming to town and politicians get priority. So I asked for a manager. He said that the van was damaged and unrentable. 2 different stories!!! What about the other van that was reserved??? "We can offer you a 4 passenger sedan." REALLY? Don't ever rely on them to rent you a car. Unprofessional and unreliable for sure!

When returning a rental to the facility. Make sure you get a paper receipt and proof that you're returned the car. This facility has a tendency to not close your contract out for days and up to a week while your credit card is still being built on a daily basis. It has happened to be twice in one week and happened to me twice before over the years. I'm a fast break member with Budget and have been for over thirty years and this is the only airport facility budget at Islip airport that I've had problems with. Also if you have a night reservation good luck with that. Sometimes the employees leave earth early. And you get stranded.

I rented a car from Budget Car Rental at Boston Logan Airport. We ask for no add on's including insurance. After returning the car we got an email bill it included $256.58 for insurance. I called Budget Customer Service the agent told me I should have read the contract that they never provided me. She said they could only refund 50% of the rental. I ask to speak with a Manager, she Refused. It looks to me like a scam. I guess buyer beware. They should given back entire rental. They only refunded $128.29. I rented a car from Budget at Portland Maine Airport seven weeks before. They provided me great service. I Would give The Portland Office Five Stars.

We flew to Charlotte from Minneapolis and prepaid for a Budget car weeks in advance. We had to wait 1 hour and 45 minutes to get a vehicle. We were assigned an EV which needed recharging before returning. It took us more than 3 hours to find a charging station and then we had to add an app to our phone to use it. It took an additional 90 minutes to charge the car. All this for a one day rental. We are in our 70’s and knew nothing about EVs or how or where to charge one. I complained to the counter when I returned the car and was told I would receive a refund. That was two weeks ago and it never happened.

We came into town for our son's hockey tournament. Our flight got in at roughly 10:30, the desks were closed at the airport, which we only knew because of other people trying to get their rentals, not because of any communication from Budget. We took the shuttle to the Budget rental place and arrived at 10:35. We stood in line until after midnight which at that point by the time we got to the desk we were told there were no longer any gas vehicles available and our only option was electric. No one advised us that we should probably charge up when we could because there are not many charging stations around. We advised we wanted to keep all the same options we had on our pre-check minus the gas obviously since it was electric. We were told to stick our card into the card reader and asked, "Do you want insurance?" We said "No" and were told "okay click agree."

The service was horrible. Reserved the car days in advance. Had to wait over an hour to actually get the car. The one I did not reserve. They kept saying they have staffing problems. That was not my problem. It was paid for and reserved in advance. It should have been waiting on me ready to go when I got there. I wouldn't recommend Budget Rent A Car to no one. They didn't even have the truck I reserved. I'm so disgusted and disappointed in budget.

Updated on 01/06/2025: Near the end of Sept, 2024, my wife and I showed up at the Budget office at JFK airport to pick up a car we’d reserved months before, They had no cars and no sense of when they would have any, including well into the next day. They said they could put us on a waitlist, and our number would be #20. We were heading home after a transatlantic flight, and home was 5 hours away. We had to get a hotel for the night, take a train into the city, eat dinner and breakfast in the city, and get a bus home from Manhattan the next day. It cost us many hundreds of dollars, when the car would have been about $90. It was a frustrating and angering pain in the **.

I am a business owner that sent two employees on two different training trips. First was to Dayton OH 9/30/24. They refused the vehicle because my employee didn't have my credit card on them. When I spoke to the clerk at the desk he wouldn't allow me to verify anything about the card or reservation and expected my employee to wander the Dayton airport asking different rental car agencies if they had available vehicles. He ended up at Hertz and rented a vehicle.

We were given an EV because it was "all that was left" and were told by the guy behind the counter that it only takes 15 minutes to charge and can go for 300 miles. It took us 12 hours to get 3.5 hours up the road and we had to stop at sketchy places to charge all throughout the night. Then the 1st full day of our trip we were out of a vehicle because it has to charge for over 8 hours. We had to walk across highways and down roads to find food. Finally after talking to 5+ people we were brought another vehicle and the ev picked up. Now Budget is saying we have to pay a 1,200 dollar tow bill plus full price for rental. Absolutely outrageous. We will never use them again and would tell everyone not to also.

The car wasn't ready, I wait more than 1 hour, they told me they will give a day off, but they didn't, returning I was a bit late because the hurricane Milton hit us that day, they charge me 50 dollars for it when It was less than 30 minutes delay, (29 minutes of grace period). The line to return was full and I have to wait for the only employee was available so now I was supposedly 48 minutes late, wich is not true, I am pretty sure they do this to take some money extra. Other rentals car have a 2 hour grace period, Even lower end like DOLLAR but Budget doesn't?...Unbelievable!!!

On September 20th, 2024, I rented a car from Budget for a week, they charged me $458.30 and added a $200 deposit that would be returned to me after the car was returned. My bank statement showed $658.30. I returned the car on September 27th 2024 in perfect condition and with a full tank of gas, and I have been fighting to get my deposit back ever since. They asked me for the Fax number to my bank and I gave it to them, they told me that it would take 24 to 48 hours to process. It is now October 11, 2024 and I still do not have my deposit returned to my bank. I am literally on hold for customer service as I am writing this review. Unfortunately for them, I am relentless when it comes to pursuing justice.

I feel entirely taken advantage of. I did my due diligence and I read the fine print. It did not matter. I prepaid what was said to be the "total price" up front, but then was charged more than DOUBLE that after all was said and done and it was too late. I am a very financially responsible person and I NEVER EVER EVER EVER would have booked a car with them had I known what they were actually going to charge me. DO NOT book with Budget unless you are prepared to pay more than 2x what they say you will me.

In early October of this year I arranged a car rental with Budget, and was told the price would be $436.78. My credit card was actually billed $748.39. These people are thieves. Unrequested add ons were applied, and at the time of pick up I didn't scrutinize the bill. I could not hear everything the clerk was saying while finalizing the paperwork at pickup, so I suppose he was rambling through these "options" without my having any idea this was going on.

We had an absolutely terrible experience with Budget on our recent vacation. We picked up our rental car (Full sized SUV #1) on the first day of our 9-day vacation from the Denver airport location. After driving ~1.5h across Denver we realized the sun roof was stuck open. After connecting our phones to the car, the car's system alerted us that that it had an active safety recall about potential faulty brake lines (see photo below). Since our vacation itinerary involved driving over the Rocky Mountains with our 2 young children in the car, it was unacceptable to us to drive a car that potentially had an issue with its brakes. Not to mention the fact that the perpetually open sunroof became uncomfortable for our kids.

After prepaying for a 7-passenger suv 3 weeks in advance, I arrived after pick-up time and was told there was a 2 hr wait on vehicles. I went back to desk an hour and 45 minutes later to be told that there were no 7 passenger SUV’s or any upgrades available. The available vehicle was 2 size categories lower. I cancelled my reservation and had my wife pick me up. It’s 10:45 at night, we have no rental and should be leaving in the morning. Budget has ruined our trip.

Our HIGH MILEAGE rental was driven fewer than 250 miles before it failed and could not be repaired easily - Leaving us a hour from the airport, unable to shop or tour, etc. A struggle, requiring multiple calls, to get any sort of meaningful response from Budget. Many hours have been wasted so far - Time that should have been spent with family. It appears that Budget rents junk - In spite of their claims.

We rented a vehicle and 3 hours after having it all power was lost on the vehicle. We were driving on the grapevine and lost power. We coasted off the freeway and called roadside assistance. We were told we could receive an Uber voucher to get a ride to a new vehicle but would have to wait until the following day to get a car. The roadside assistance recommended a hotel to stay at within a mile and said we would be reimbursed. No Ubers would come to the grapevine so we had to pay somebody to come pick us up and drive us to the rental car replacement 2 hours away. We are seeking rental reimbursement, hotel, and ride reimbursement. Budget declined any reimbursement but $50. It was very traumatizing losing power at 5k feet in the fast lane on m a pass. Customer service has definitely been disappointing on this experience. Budget does not care about their customers and their safety.

The key fob on the car I rented from Budget broke (& no valet key), they gave me the option of getting it fixed at my expense or have the car towed. I opted to have it towed. Customer Service told me the contract was closed and I would get a refund in 3-5 days. Several days later I had a $1051 charge on my credit card. That customer service person did not say anything about the car being missing and that she would close the contract, a supervisor would call me & I would get a refund in 3-5 days. (No call from a supervisor). 5 days later I got an email saying the car was missing. The number on the email for loss prevention was not answered, the other number just went to customer service.

I reserved a moving truck for pickup 6 miles from my house, a week in advance for a local move. They called the next day and moved the pickup 50 miles away because the truck I wanted was not available locally. The cost alone would be over $250 additional in mileage and fuel let alone the time in Seattle traffic. No supervisor or manager returned my call and none were available.

My experience with this unreliable company could not have been worse. We rented a car on August 29th at Orlando airport, where we were quoted $417.82 USD. After they forced a bunch of "add-ons" on us, the final bill ended up at $874.83. We couldn’t understand the charges, but the unpleasant lady at the counter said, "We will return $200 to your credit card when you return the car. This is to cover in case there is an issue with the rental." We asked for a receipt and confirmation, but she said it would be sent electronically, which never happened. On the day we returned the car, we asked the agent again if the refund would be processed, and they assured us it would. However, after returning home to Canada, 10 days passed, and we received neither the refund nor the electronic invoice. I managed to open a customer care case, and after eight emails back and forth, they finally confirmed the following:

I rented a vehicle at Boston's Logan Airport. When I was traveling on the toll road, it was raining. I hydroplaned and came close to being killed in an accident. Later, I inspected the rear tires and found no tread on them. I wrote Budget on the issue and even sent them a picture of the tire. There has been no response. I would recommend that you check out their vehicles carefully prior to rental. For me, I will never rent from Budget again due to almost losing my life.

If I had the option to give zero stars or even negative stars, I would. I had made an on-line reservation for a full-size truck for our family road trip to the Grand Canyon more than a month ago. We needed to fit our bikes and we needed a truck. We even visited the site and spoke to Noor last week and he promised us that the truck will be available and there will be more than one truck to choose from. When we went to pick up our truck today as per our reservation, this same person Noor tells us that the person who was supposed to return his truck decided to keep it for another week and they have only sedans and small vans available for us.

I chose Budget through the Costco car rental site and prepaid for a 4 day rental. Since I would be driving a great distance, I chose the gas service option at the time of pickup so that I would not have to refill the tank prior to turning the car in. When I returned the car, the gas service option cost was 50% higher than quoted due to other taxes and fees, which weren’t explained at the time of rental. I called the Budget customer service representative who did nothing about the extra charges. Be careful and clearly understand any changes that you make to the contract because there may be significantly greater expenses than anticipated.

I reserved a rental car online and it asked for my credit card until I gave it. We ended up not needing the car for the full. I reserved and I asked if I could turn it in early. I was told sure that there was no refund. After I turned in the car a day early, contacted customer support and they confirmed no refunds. Be cautious when giving your credit card

Bad customer service.. Don't use Budget.. I have waited 10 days for my refund, and they keep passing me to someone else and saying I have to wait another 5- 7 business days. They are so quick taking your money out, but who knows if I will receive my refund. They don't seem like they care about fixing this.

Prepaid for a reservation back in the Spring of 2024 for a trip to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in September of 2024. Cost for Midsize SUV was $1500. Cost for a Full size SUV was $2000. I was shocked at the prices. I have been traveling for over 30 years throughout the United States using Avis/Budget for most of my rental car needs on these trips. Never have I ever paid more than $800 for a weeks rental. I consider this price gouging at it's finest. The cost of the vehicle rental was more than 2 round trip airfare tickets from the East Coast. Now that is crazy! When I picked up the vehicle it was filthy and during the trip maintenance lights would come on then go off. This indicated to me that vehicle had not been properly maintained. I'm very disappointed in Avis/Budget.

Honestly if you could choose no stars, I would have. I have been on the phone continuously today, visited with 6 different Budget representatives and have still have no resolution. Not only are these representatives unhelpful all but one of them were rude and unkind. I will NEVER rent with Avis/Budget again and would not recommend you do either. The car is beat up, old, not what I reserved and the help to get what you want is non existent. Enterprise for the win!

Rented a car from Budget in Southfield, MI Car reeked of smoke and had 2 tires that would not hold air. Budget sent me to a location to trade in the car 1.5 hours away. Got there and they had no cars. Called the next day to roadside assistance. They sent me to a location 2 hours away. I got the car exchanged but they charged me 79.44 for gas. I told them the car was full yesterday and I was not filling it again until I return the car when I am finished.

I guess one gets what ones pays for. I like this company because of their affordability, but my goodness they seem to be under staffed in every location (I visited various) and their cars always reeked of smoke. This last time it smelled so much of weed and cigarettes it was terrible, not even Febreze helped. Sadly, we had to take it because they did not have anything else available for us. Just be aware that if you decide to rent with them, you may end up with a smelly car and the service is less than desirable.

I had an incident in Oregon. The driver-side tire developed a golf ball size bulge. I called roadside assist. They said because I did not purchase their program I would be charged. Or I could drive 40 miles to Redmond and swap the car. I pointed out that this was a safety issue. They said they would not proceed unless I consented to the charge. I said I need to know if the car is driveable. They put me in touch with a local tire company that never came out to help. So for a 3-minute totally useless call, they charged me $162, simply for making a call. Total fraud. Avoid Budget at all costs. I wish I could go lower than 1 star.

I rented my car at the Santa Barbara Airport. I made reservations well in advance. I did make one error on my reservation. I made changes on my flight and got an earlier flight than the original. I called the support center and asked if I could change my reservation time from 3:00PM to 12:30PM. I was told that I would have to cancel my reservation and make another. I told them that the charges will be considerable higher because I was calling the week of my travel. I was asked what my flight number was and that I could pick up my car 2 hours prior to reservation time via Budget policy.

My 8-day rental started with a filthy car, inside and out. But that is not the worst part of my experience. I received a parking ticket, although I paid for parking. After my trip, I was able to make one call and match the $5.25 on my credit card for that parking and the $50 ticket was waived. About a month later, I received a $30 fee from Budget for any ticket on the car during my rental. I explained thru email that I paid for the parking and there was not a "real" ticket placed on the car and that it had been waived. Budget support indicated they could over me a 50% discount on the fee.

I recently rented a car at Logan Airport in Boston. When the rental agent asked if I wanted the fuel purchase option, I asked what rate did they charge per gallon. Gas in Boston is selling for about $3 per gallon. I was charged $9 per gallon. Deception #1. When she asked if I wanted insurance, I said my car insurance covers me. She asked, "so you want the minimum" and I said yes, assuming we were on the same page. I ended up being charged $175 for insurance that I apparently accepted. Add to this, the 11% concession recovery fee, the customer facility charge, and the extension fee, and what I thought was a $450 rental became $900 when I returned the car.

I made a reservation in El Salvador, at Colonia Escalon in San Salvador for a truck 4x4, for 2 day, we we got to the location. The staff was a bit rude, made us wait for about 10 min, there were like 5 people working but only one was with a customer, then someone finally got to help us, to the surprise that the they were forcing us to buy 3 insurances for the truck, which they were not optional, they were mandatory, they kept insisting that it was the policy of the company, which is not true.

I reserved a minivan at Anaheim. Due to travel delays I was diverted to a nearby airport and my daughter picked up the car. They not only didn't have the car I reserved, the only car they had to fit six people was an SUV with 3rd row seat. They also said it had a bashed in door but for the trouble they would buy the gas and we could bring it back empty. When she got out of the dark parking garage she saw it had a cracked windshield. As soon as she got to the hotel she took pictures of the windshield but since they told her about the door she didn’t take a picture of it. When I called the next day they to get a different car and report the damage I was told there were no notes to any damages or that we could bring the car back without gas. I wrote a complaint to the president of the company and got a blow-off letter back from an underlying.

On September 1, 2024, I went to the Budget car rental at Denver Airport to rent a car for 5 days. The attendant asked me if I wanted full coverage insurance, and I said yes. I thought that obviously meant full coverage collision coverage. When I got the bill, it was $760 and they charged me for PAE, SLI, RSN, toll and even full service which I declined. Budget is taking advantage on its customers. Full coverage only applies to collision insurance and not the other foolish things they sell.

DON'T. DON'T RENT from this location. You better run to somewhere else. I'm telling you you will be disappointed. If you have somewhere for sure to be don't go this route. BUDGET IN BOWIE MD. They are not liable. They will call you the morning of your travel and tell you they don't have the car you PRE-PAID for. And if you get TIFFANY walk away. She is not someone you want to work with. She is SUPER nasty without any help. She act as if someone made her work at Budget but she choose to work at Budget not me. Horrible customer service is what she offer.. I don't do reviews but I wanted to help someone else before they allow this company to make them look for another rental the day of your travel. Trust me.

My complaint is not being given a receipt for my rental car. The flat rate of $500 for 3 days felt excessive, but due to many flights being cancelled that day on August 6th, many were also looking for a car. At the mercy of Budget we had little alternative but to go along with that rate. I requested for a receipt and were told that one would be provided via email, but none was ever received. This left me thinking that something was dubious.

Yeah, two agents to check in 100 customers wanting a car. The weight was over two hours. They only had two agents for all these customers. I have a meeting. I’m gonna be late because I didn’t plan on it. Taking two hours to rent a car.

Biggest scam company!! When we dropped the car off at the Calgary Airport with a FULL tank of gas, we were rushed through the line of cars coming in. We asked if they would please walk around the vehicle to check for damages and check the gas to make sure we weren't billed for extra, but they waved us right through saying it was O.K. That raised a 'red flag' but we left since they weren't going to do it. Someone has always checked our vehicle in all the previous car rental returns. Well, we got home and got a charge for $137.92 stating they had to put 38 liters of gas in it! We called customer service and they said we had signed a contract stating a refueling service charge was added since we returned it empty. It was our word over theirs even though we had a receipt.

I retuned my rental with a full tank of gas and Budget still went ahead and charged my credit card the fuel purchase option without any explanation. My efforts to recover this unfair charge through my credit card company was unsuccessful. I feel cheated and have never experienced anything like this before. Is this how they roll?

Budget has been hit or miss in the past. Some of the best rental service I’ve had has been provided by Budget. The review today is for how difficult is it is to get ahold of a real person, let alone for an inventory question. The only way to answer my question is to drive to the airport location and speak to the agent at the counter. Maybe this is all rental companies - I'm not sure and that’s on me - but it shouldn’t take the level of effort it did to speak with a real person. After realizing you could just push a number (on the phone) that wasn’t on the automated catalog 5 times and it brings you to a live agent, it was not so bad.

Absolutely worst car rental customer service. Made a reservation online and received confirmation that vehicle was available, caught an Uber to location and was informed that the vehicle was not there and wouldn't be available till possibly late afternoon... The customer service did Absolutely nothing to remedy this other than try to GOUGE me for more money on an upgraded vehicle... Total scam....

I needed to rent a mini-van for one day. I went to the Budget/Avis Silverlake location in Pearland, Texas to pick up the rental vehicle. The vehicle they gave me already had damage (dents/scrapes) on both sides, a cracked and chipped windshield, as well as a dirty interior. A visual walk-around was completed with the Budget/Avis representative, and all damage was noted on their form. I returned the vehicle the next day. The store manager checked me out. I spoke to her as to the condition of the vehicles being rented, with the damages to them. She indicated they were in short supply, and that the mini-vans had also just been recalled. She made no indication that I had added additional damage to the rental vehicle I returned.

My entire experience with budget was horrible! Started off waiting 1.5hrs to get to counter, mind you there was about 6 people ahead of me. I ordered and paid for an eco car hybrid or electric, they started off by giving me a dodge ram and told me I would have to pay $20 dollar more a day if I wanted something else. Then went to get car and it wasn’t there so they put me in a Jeep Wrangler. Again I reminded them I paid for an eco car and they honestly did not care. The Jeep was unwashed and I had to go and pick up my granddaughter so I had zero time to argue, because of how long the whole process took. I have myself and extra 2 hrs to get to her and I literally pulled up as she was getting out of school. Worst experience I have ever had renting a car.

I had reserved a car since they had the best rates. I then paid Uber to get me to the rental location only to have my rental declined by credit check on my debit card - which I assure you had more than enough to pay even an extended rental, the deposit, and then some. They said this in the fine print, that they do this. Then they asked, ironically, if I had a credit card to pay for it instead - which is laughable since they just declared this to be unacceptable according to this Equifax check. The agent told me that this happens all the time to people to which I replied, "If so, then you should create something in the process to prevent wasting the customer's time and money." I said that I did not bring another card since I had no intention of charging this and so they said, "Thank you but no car for you," I paid Uber to return home, all in 30 dollars for the displeasure and still no car.

I booked my reservation through Expedia. I arrived to pick up the vehicle at Budget and was told they don’t have the class of vehicle that I reserved. I made this reservation 4 months ago but the person at the counter said that they didn’t have the vehicle because I made the reservation less than 24 hours in advance. They offered me a smaller vehicle with no price concession, and then I waited almost an hour while they were supposedly cleaning the vehicle.

Rental date was 8/1-8/6. I rented a Ford Transit van for a multi family vacation in Boston. The van was picked up on 8/1 from Logan airport. When the van keys were handed over I found it extremely dirty. There were stains on the seats, floor, wall, ceiling and luggage area. There was a very strong smell of urine throughout the va. One of the A/C vents was missing, and one of the seats had a seat belt strap but no seat belt receiver to attach. I pointed this out to the attendant who gave me the keys and he says there is nothing he can do and that was the only van available and it wasn't his job to help me get a different vehicle.

I made a booking online for a GAS rental from them for the weekend of my son's birthday. This is how that went. Upon picking the car up I was told they COULD NOT give me a GAS vehicle and that they only had electric ones. I stated that I felt uncomfortable in my ability to drive such a car. The person assured me it was exactly like driving a normal car, plus cheaper to operate. He then switched my booking to the electric vehicle.

Since my reservation was related to "Standard Elite Electric", when I picked up a rental car at JFK and it's not electric. It was 100% gas. There are no electric cars that Budget should hold electric car for me. I am very disappointed with that tricky selling rental online. Not effective.

I was given the price of renting a car of $77.07 per day in Long Island Huntington Station with tax and everything on 8/21/24. And the sales guy didn’t explain to me that if I am late for one hour, there will be a total different prorate of $95.58 per day nor it stated in my rental agreement! My rental agreement stated $70.99 prorate per day. And I was 40 minutes late on 8/22/24 because of the traffic in the morning.

My family and I flew to South Carolina to visit family. We had already reserved a car for when we got to the airport. Budget told us that the car wasn’t available and the only one available was a full size SUV, which was $200 more to rent for the week. The car I already reserved was for $670. I was traveling with three kids and my mother and needed a vehicle and they gave me no other option, and said I would get a refund. After I got back from vacation, I called budget to ask about the refund and when I would be getting it, and they said I wasn’t getting it because I signed for the car and they proceeded to tell me that I upgraded it. I’m extremely disappointed with the customer service here. Instead of sticking by their word and refunding me, they lied and apparently thought earning the extra buck was more important than helping their customers. I will never use budget rental car again.

I recently stood in line at the Atlanta Budget rental counter waiting for an agent to become available. While I was waiting I booked a reservation online and received a confirmation. I walked out to garage because I am Fastbreak and they said it had to be reserved 48 hours in advance which was fine. Walked back in and finally got to counter. The girl there said I would have to come back in 45 minutes before it came through their system. I asked if they could cancel my reservation and start a new one so I didn't have to come back. She said no just stand over there and I will call you in 45 minutes. Just walked down to Hertz and rented a car from them. Atlanta should upgrade their staff.

We are trying to rent a car at Seatac airport. There are over 50 people in line and only one agent to serve them. The lady at the front of the line reports that she's been in line for over 2 1/2 hours. By comparison, Thrifty, Hertz, Alamo, Enterprise, and National have almost no waits. Consider your time when you even think about renting from Budget!

Budget has agreed to refund me the extra amount they charged. I am satisfied with the resolution.

They accidently charged me $7,064.71 instead of $950 for a rental due to a mixup with my car, return date and return location, then managed to put the wrong day rate when correcting the error. Budget's customer services seem to relish the fact that they will not return the full amount I am owed, claiming they can only return $200 out of the $400 outstanding balance I am owed. Make sure you have a $10,000 credit limit on your card in case you accidently get overcharged the same!

I rented a car from Budget in Virginia to drive to NJ. I picked up the car at 4:30 pm on Tuesday so that I could get up early on Wednesday to head to NJ. The car stayed in the hotel parking lot. I drove to NJ on Wednesday and dropped off the car at 5:00 that evening. I received a bill from Budget for tolls on the PA turnpike on Tuesday night (my car was in the hotel parking lot). I used my transponder for all the tolls to NJ and was not charged for them. I was also charged for extra time as they have me dropping off the car on Thursday at 8:15 am (car was returned the day before). I was not going to dispute the car drop off, but when I received a bill for tolls where I wasn’t at, I decided to dispute. I contacted Budget but still have not received a response from them. Car had over 100K miles on it. Will not rent from them again

I decided to rent a car when I was stranded at the airport due to a cancelation because of hurricane Debby. I figured that I would have a car out of the airport than back in. When I requested it, the request was for four days. The CS had to have someone else take my request because she didn't know how to do it. So I had to wait till someone was free. Then that CS rep was told repeatedly by me the request was for 4 days. She kept saying 5 days. I thought she fixed that she did not. Then when I got to the car. It didn't start. The steering column was locked.

If I had wanted a minivan I would have rented one. I did not rent a minivan. I rented a car. I am a single woman, not a married woman with a trillion children who wants a minivan. I will never rent from Budget again. I'm over you. I should have rented from Avis rental car agency. They give you exactly what you want. Not budget. Do not rent from them. They might wait for you to arrive but then they give you a minivan. Not what you wanted. I have never wanted a mini van in my entire life,.

Rented a car out of Knoxville airport, seemed fine, drove okay, next day had a low tire warning, went filled it up, next day was back at 18 psi, and everyday after had to fill the tire up. The frustrating issue was the customer service, we called and let them know of the issue. When we got someone we could understand they told us to take it to any Budget rental spot and they would swap it for us, we went to a different budget, their lot was full of cars and they didn't have any available to swap though the exact cars were parked there. We called the customer service and they kept telling us to take it back out of our way to the airport which is a hassle. The Knoxville in town budget was less than helpful, he said that's what the roadside insurance is for.

Do not prepay for a rental! I contacted customer service the day before my flight asking if my flight was delayed would I get charged they stated,”No you will be only charged for the days you use the car.” My flight was delayed. I couldn't pick my car up until the next morning. I went to get car and was told since I prepaid I would not get a refund for the unused day. I contacted customer care, they stated I would get a refund of $123 as soon as the car was returned. I received my invoice and it didn't have the refund so I called the customer care line and was told we do not give refunds for prepay!! I would advise not to rent a car from them unless you like to get jerked around!!!

We rented a car in Chicago and got stranded because of a hurricane and when we called we were told it would be $178 to extend the rental and $100 to drop it off at another airport. When we dropped it off we were charged over $600!! Their customer service won't do anything and apparently, their phone calls aren't actually recorded.

It was complete chaos in Buffalo to return the key, we were packed in so tight when told where to park that you could barely get out the door and we were being rushed to get our stuff out. My daughter (Our driver) forgot to return the key, we had flight delays at no fault of our own and got back to our home airport a whole day later. Was supposed to be home Sunday night and got to our home airport about 4 pm Monday. She got to Fedex at 5:30 Monday and paid 60$ to overnight the key which did not arrive till 9:30 am Wednesday. Not sure why I was charged an extra 422.63 for a key that was returned asap and delayed through no fault of our own.

If you choose to rent from Budget, make sure you get some type of receipt when returning the vehicle. I returned a rented van on July 1 and on July 5 I received an email and a certified letter stating that vehicle had not been returned! I immediately called them up and they said they did not have the van and I would get a final bill. I originally paid $1,200 for the rental and honored the contract to the "t". I received final bill and it was for $3,800 AND they had already gone out and hit my credit card for the $2,600 balance! After nearly a month of arguing with them that van was returned on time, they told me that their records indicated van was finally returned on July 9! I kept track of our mileage while we had the van and Budget's records were showing an additional 1,500 miles on the vehicle. I told them obviously they had rented the van to someone else after July 1 and THEY returned it on July 9. I am not paying for someone else's rental!

We rented a vehicle from Budget Rent-A-Car in Kalispell, MT for about a week. Within a few hours of returning the vehicle, I received the final invoice and was shocked to see that charged us $450 for something called “miscellaneous” charges. I see other reviews here from others who have gone through the same thing. I called them and was informed this was a smoking fee, which is ridiculous and laughable. Not only did we not smoke in the car, but we washed it and vacuumed it out and even sprayed a new car smell in it. When we disputed the charges, they said it smelled like cigarette smoke and sent us their so-called proof consisting of photos of what looked like ashes on the console and the cup holders.

What a dissatisfying, pathetic experience, we rented a mini in February, show up end of July to start our family vacation and guess what no van, we booked a van to travel as a family, offers compact suv because it has 7 seats so does a van but they are not the same. First car seat belts not working, second car on empty didn’t see it until I left. He wanted to charge me 50.00 more a day to put us in a larger SUV. What a crock. I will never again rent from them, I will never again deal with that. It would be one thing if we booked a week before our trip, but 6 months should have been enough time to plan and coordinate.

Do better Budget! In Louisville airport. Arrive Friday morning with ONE EMPLOYEE. Over ten people in line! The Wait is ridiculous! Never again! Hire more people or let us do online. Been standing in line forever!

Do NOT rent from Budget!!! NEVER! Over a month ago I reserved a box truck with a pickup and drop off location to move our daughter to college. I received a confirmation email from them as well as a reminder 2 days before. Today I went to pick it up and they had no trucks. The worker just said, "Sorry. We have no trucks." My reply was, "No, I have a reservation," he said, "Oh that doesn’t matter. We oversell the amount of trucks we have every day. Sorry." The worker acted like it was no big deal that we were stuck with no truck at all. Do not rent from Budget! Terrible customer service.

I’d like to start with booking my reservation online, as I thought it went smoothly, I kept checking my email (all emails) for a confirmation. Never got one. So I call them to see if they could where I spoke with someone that couldn’t even understand what I was saying. They said it’s booked, just tell them your name. Not very reassuring. Then I pick up my car, wanting to swap credit cards, I was unavailable to do that as well. Upon returning the car I filled up the gas etc.. drop keys off in drop box. Later I see that I’ve been charged extra. So I call them the next day and try to find out why I’m charged and not only am I transferred to 3 different departments they couldn’t tell me why I was charged. I would have to wait 5-7 business days. I asked for a supervisor and there wasn’t one in the office located in MEXICO CITY. I’m in Pennsylvania. As I could no longer handle this stand off I hung up and still waiting for why I’m charged.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET, what a complete nightmare. We were promised one car and received lesser value and cheaper car. Was promised a discount of $200.00 which we were not given. Also promised a free tank of gas to bring it back empty and was charged $108.00 after we left for the gas. NO ONE at budget will help us. They keep saying we have to call the Orlando Airport location where we rented it but we cannot get through as it keeps sending us to the call center where they tell us we have to call the location. Seriously considering a lawsuit.

We arrived on July 23, 2024 to pick up the vehicle (same day, just a few hours late bc of flight delay). As we were providing my license and debit card authorization, the man at the counter told me that I needed an additional credit card for incidentals. I did not have an additional card. No representative told me I’d have to have this for check-in. This put us in a major bind with our itinerary and made us miss an important dinner reservation. A friend of mine offered his credit card for the incidentals, but the MIA Budget worker would not accept his “because it was not the same number on the license or debit card originally charged for the reservation.”

I rented from this company to go on a family trip to Charlevoix, Michigan. Returned the vehicle CLEAN! My husband and I had to vacuum some sand that got in the car. The years I have rented I’ve always returned the car clean. I get an email about a week later saying I will be charged $450 for the smell of smoke! I have called and spoke with 3 different representative explaining none of my family smoke! My 81-yr-old mother was traveling with us, I have a husband and a son who are asthmatics, I have a high schooler who is in sports, and a daughter who dances - we don’t smoke!

Pre-paid for car rental for rental at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Arrived at the Budget location. Line of people waiting with 4 people behind the counter. Which they would switch off so the counter help was basically 3. Ridiculous! Having to wait forever on a pre-paid rental. Then 2 of the counter people decided to chit-chat with a customer about their flight. If I had not pre-paid I would have gone to another agency. Service and process needs to be improved/updated.

Budget charged us for optional insurance damage when we clearly said "NO, we don't need it" since our credit cards cover rental car damage already. However, we got a charge at the end of our trip for a total amount of $175. When we called customer service to inquire about the charge, they reported that we agreed to the optional insurance damage. We tried to dispute it- there were 3 of us at the check-in counter when we checked out the car and all 3 of us clearly said, "NO. We do not need the optional insurance damage!!!" I don't know how this charge came up. We disputed with the customer service representative for 20 minutes until she finally refunded us as part of a "one time courtesy" even though it was not our fault. We will never use this car company again. That same trip, my family member rented with Dollar Rentals and everything was a breeze for him.

Every aspect of renting a car from Budget was substandard. The agent in the Orlando airport was rude and nasty with no attempt at civility. The manager's behavior was curt and dismissive, no apology. The agent who processed my rental had to leave his window for a few minutes and then handed the key fob to me that I later realized was broken. The car was parked the furthest away in a dark area. It was a filthy disgrace with windows caked with dried on dirt. Leaving the airport there was a deluge of rain that smeared them making it difficult to see. When we arrived home we discovered a small dent in the lower passenger side that was marked off with white x's indicating it's size and shape. The damage was obscured by the dirty car. It didn't end there as I received an email that I owed tolls. The agent "forgot" to activate the sunpass forcing us to go to a local airport because it couldn't be done on-line.

Reserved van. Paid in full 3 months in advance. Went to get my van and it was not available for family of 7 (2 infants). Couldn’t get money back for 3-5 business days and it was 115 degrees. No options. No other rental places had a van and Budget had a hold on my money. We had to borrow money to try and find a vehicle. We were suppose to be there the 17th-21st. Needless to say this was the vacation from hell with no help from budget to get us a van. They basically said they had no vehicle for us and we’d have to go to other rental places to try and find one. Do not rent from them because they do not guarantee they have your rental on pickup date even when they continue to send confirmation.

If I could give zero stars I would. I rented a car at the Myrtle Beach airport one week ago from today (Tuesday). I booked a rental through Costco Travel a month ago. Arrived at Myrtle Beach and walked over to pick up the car. The lines were so long and slow (but this is not what the review is about). I was asked for the payment I stated I had a digital card (in my Apple wallet) in which I use to book rentals. The associate Marvin stated that I could not use it. I was confused because this information is not in the contract. (I read policies for work and it’s not there). I even asked what if I show them my card and give my numbers. They stated they had no way to type it in.

Worst rental experience of my life. Car smelled like cigarette smoke and it was obvious they tried to cover up the smell. There was even a cigarette ash burn in the driver's seat. I tried to tell myself it was OK. But after a few days I couldn't take it anymore. My family and I were on vacation to Glacier National Park. After enjoying beautiful hikes in the fresh air, we had to get back into the ashtray to return to our lodging. So I put in a ticket and arranged and exchange at a different Budget location. Of course I was charged a "one-way" service fee, I was charged for fuel service. Now I'm on the phone waiting to try and get this all sorted out. Wish I had just paid a little more to rent from Hertz or Enterprise.

I would simply like to warn anyone looking to rent from Budget of the fees they charge if you cancel and if you want to make changes like pick up and drop off to a different location. I originally wanted to pick up and drop off a vehicle from a different Budget location because the other location closed at a later time. Well, they wanted $125 to make that change, so I didn't change my reservation. Well today I canceled my reservation today because our plans changed. It's 1 week prior to when I should've picked up the vehicle, they charged me $50 to cancel, well in advance. I don't know what happened to Budget but I will never use them again.

Just want to put this out there for anyone thinking of renting from Budget - just don’t. Last week we rented from Budget because they had the availability of a 12 passenger van. I had reserved the vehicle, already uploaded a credit card and driver info, and yet still the process was 2 hours once we were at their counter. After the wait, once we finally got our vehicle it was dented, had spilled paint, and only 3/4 tank of gas. We reported it and were told to take pictures and make sure to show them when we returned the vehicle, so we did.

Beware!!! Budget will try to sell you more insurance even though you already have some! This is a very underhanded tactic. If I already have insurance, why allow them to sell more on top? This is a sham and Budget should be penalized for doing this. I’m fully disappointed in their customer service, and the way they handle the lies when you use their business.

Rental car was damaged but acceptable. Billing has been a nightmare with no bill for weeks. Double billing after that and then they ask me to wait until the next billing cycle of my card so I can submit the actual statement. Should not be a multiple month ordeal for a simple transaction. (Not disputing single charge price but was higher than quoted with fees).

I was charged for insurance that I had already paid for through Expedia and was not refunded by Budget. I called customer care twice. Once I was told to call back in a few days. When I called back I was told that I would not be refunded. I will no longer do business with Budget.

My daughter rented a car the evening before expected start time of 5 am the next morning and it wouldn’t start. She called Budget to exchange the car and they didn’t have another car but sent a tow truck for the car that wouldn’t start. The tow truck picked it up around noon. Now she’s being charged for 5 days rental because they claim the tow truck didn’t return the car and she’s responsible for its return. She called towing company and they have receipts and pics but they said Budget “does this all the time”. Beware of their dishonest practices! Budget should change its name to LowRent!

Rented a car from them at the New Orleans Airport. It reeked of ** that we had to drive with the windows down for several days. I had to go buy Febreze and air fresheners to even be able to stand it. I asked for a price adjustment and they first said they would do whatever to rectify it. Their solution was for me to return the car for another, a four hour round trip. Terrible customer service.

Budget is no better or worse than other rental car companies for everyday ICE rentals.... BUT for Electric Rental Cars they are HORRENDOUS!... because:

I will NEVER rent from Budget rental car again!!!! I rented a car in September 2023 and the car would not start 4 hours after I picked the car up at RSW. When the car failed to start, I was in the Florida heat with my elderly father. I had to wave someone down for a ride. I called Budget roadside assistance & they said they would send help. I waited over 2 hours, no one came. I called again, and they said oops... they would try someone else. 12 hours later, no one came. The next morning, I called again. No record of my request for help. The Budget rep, said she would send an Uber to pick me up & return me to RSW (1.5 hrs away) to get a new car. A full 24 hours to get a working car (and my trip was only 3 days long). Today -- 10 months later -- I got an insane charge $$$$ for the 'damaged' car -- a Budget rental car that would NOT start.

I rented a car from Budget car rental in Las Vegas. I prepaid for the rental. The guy at the counter said insurance was MANDATORY in Nevada. He also said the money he was collecting included the deposit and I would get it back when I returned the car. The charges on my card were for the insurance and no deposit. They kept all of the money. If you want to keep your money don’t us Budget.

Thieves!!!! Budget gave me a car with 1/4 tank of gas and upon return charged me $96 for a full tank. That is dishonest business to steal money from the customer. I complained at the counter, showed a pic of the gas tank and was promised they would fix it. Next thing you know my credit card gets hit with an ADDITIONAL charge. THIEVES!!!!

I recently had a deeply disappointing experience with Budget Rental Car, which has left me extremely frustrated and concerned about their business practices. After renting a car from them, I returned it in the exact same condition as when I picked it up. I even took pictures of the car and had their employee verify the damage at the time of pick up and return. However, to my shock, Budget fraudulently attempted to make an accident claim against my car insurance for those pre-existing damages! This is nothing short of an unethical and dishonest practice. It’s clear that they are trying to exploit their customers by blaming them for damages that were already there.

You’re better off booking with some cheap local rental service than to use Budget. I book with another party and arrived for my appointed time. I was then told that my vehicle was given away and was charge twice the amount for the new car. Car was not cleaned and was last minute giveaway. I was not the only one who was there that found out they had no car. Definitely would not recommend

Very unhappy and disappointed with Budget. My wife and I flew Allegiant from Iowa on a regular flight into Austin that typically arrives at 11:30 pm. I prepaid and fast tracked a car knowing we were arriving late. Unfortunately our flight was delayed an hour and we arrived after 12:30 am, unable to get to Budget until just after 1:00 am. We followed the signs to the fast track monitor to get our car’s location, but it wasn’t on there. There was a service desk nearby, but closed. I called the local phone number, then the national number. No one there either — offices closed. And we’re now abandoned and stranded.

Good Day Everyone – If you are thinking about renting a car on St. Thomas it’s a good idea, however avoid Budget Rent A Car at all costs. Only one person working with several people in line trying to get their vehicle. When I got there the vehicle wasn’t ready so they tried to upcharge me to a higher car that was $300 plus more. This was not in our budget so I explained that. They did not like that answer and made me wait on a vehicle. The person became snarky sarcastic racists. The vehicle we got was not what we asked for and it was 5 years old. Funny I was told no care over 2 years were used for rentals.

The service at both Waco on Valley Mills and at the Lubbock airport locations was extremely poor. Not only did they fail check in my rental, but they also charged me 1000 for not returning even though the vehicle was returned early! When I called about this, both locations refused to help me.

I rented a car at Denver Airport. Upon returning it, I forgot that the remote key was in my pocket. The attendant said everything was fine and I proceeded to the airport shuttle. Upon going through security I found the key. I called customer service and was informed I had 48 hours to return it. The next day, I sent the key next day delivery, which would have arrived in time. However, USPS didn't get it there until 2 days. I was then hit with a $400 charge! I've called customer service twice, but got the runaround. I'm sure I'm not the first nor will I be the last to forget to leave the remote key. The attendants need to check for the key to be left in addition to examining the condition of the vehicle. I did my part in returning the key on time. The price was exorbitant! I'm never using Budget again!

Service was terrible. We rented a 2024 GMC that broke down. I understand things break down but the service after it broke down and to get another car was terrible. I was on the phone 5 hours to get a resolution and their service department is not in link with their retail department. I can go on and on how bad the service was but in short, it wrecked my whole trip and to get a replacement car took me 10 hours. Do not rent from this company, they do not have things at all figured out between their departments. To add to the bad the guy that they hired to tow their car is calling me for payment because Budget is not responding to him. After all this they still charged me full price and the guy at the counter even said their service is bad. Even their own employees are saying they are not good.

Please NEVER get a rental from Budget!! RACIST EMPLOYEES. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. The employees at the LAX location are RACISTS and rude to work with. Recent experience with them caused my family and I lots of trauma and emotional disturbance. Their fastbreak membership is also not valuable at all. Me and 5 other customers were turned down at the fastbreak counter even though we had signed up for it.

Renting a car with Budget Rental has been a horrible experience. From a very smelly car, which was then replaced with a broken car, to rude and not helpful representatives, an Emergency Service that could not even call a budget store to help me find a new car, to no viable options given or suggested to me, I was left with driving a broken car to my destination.

Steve at Ft. Meyer’s airport was rude & condescending. Treats women like second-class citizens. Not helpful when the key fob wouldn't work, while on vacation. Wanted to cancel my reservation immediately because of his attitude & go someplace else. Don’t think I’d ever use Budget again.

Never again. Booked and paid in full for a minivan over a month in advance. Show up at Pittsburgh International Airport and are told, "Sorry, we have no minivans or even a 7-passenger vehicle so call the 1800 number and request a refund." Go to Alamo! They took care of us!

I rented a car from Budget Car Rental at Orlando International Airport in Florida a month ago. As usual, I went online, selected a car, and received a quote. After using the car for a week without any issues and returning it with a full tank of gas, I noticed an extra charge of $164.95 that was not included in the contract. I called them multiple times, but they were unable to resolve the issue. This is the second time I've experienced such unauthorized charges, and unfortunately, it seems like their service is getting worse. In contrast, I frequently rent cars from Enterprise and Sixt, both reputable companies that have never imposed additional charges like this.

Reserved a rental over the phone with the nicest gentleman who told us if we would pay the money upfront over the phone they would take the debit card and a $250 damage hold. Get to the pick up and they tell us no it has to be a major credit card and we now have to wait 5 business days to get our money back. Eric floor supervisor ** that probably was a lie as well.

Worst rental company ever. Expect to pay way more than what is agreed to when booking the rental. If you return it with a full tank, they’ll still charge you for fuel. I don’t know how this company is doing. The cars are not thoroughly clean. Windows work wrappers left in the car. I will never do business with this company again or company. Customer service sucks. My rental ended up being 40% more than what was agreed to.

I no longer use Budget as they attempted to bill my credit card for a parking ticket they claim to have paid but have never sent me a copy of and I can only guess that perhaps my friend borrowing the car for day got the ticket. I attempted to contact the police department for a copy and never got one either but paid the ticket cost anyway to Budget. They are trying to add an administrative fee and some other fee I have refused to pay but will be paying only the 30 administrative fee in person at the local Budget rental... in loose change. Arizona law requires acceptance of cash if under $100, so start counting Budget as I plan to make this as painful for you as possible.

I scheduled a Budget rental at the Chicago Midway Airport through Expedia and was dissatisfied with the experience for many reasons. To begin with, the staff at the check-in counter was not at all friendly. They did not have the car promised and after leaving the desk, the staff returned and said they only had a gas-guzzling hemi engine that was hard to park anywhere at all. We needed 7 passengers capacity, so we agreed. She talked fast and did not at all describe the charges that we were asked to agree to. As far as my husband knew, they were charging the amount that we had agreed to for a minivan.

I had a reservation with Budget in Miami International. My credit card got stolen before arriving to miami. Luckily I have my credit card saved on my phone, as well as 2 other physical credit cards. When I arrived to budget (with my 3 kids), it first took 44 minutes in a line to get to the counter, once we finally arrived I explained to him my situation. Showed my ID, driver's license and passport. I also told him I could pay with a different card if my CC on my phone wasn't enough. The guy immediately got defensive with me, said there was nothing he could do and said it's not his problem my card got stolen.

I reserved a car at Keywest Airport on May 2024 and my plane landed at 7:30PM. When I went to the counter, no Budget staff at the counter. They are all gone home since 6:00PM. I called the company and she asked me to take a Uber to go to nearby Budget which has no office nearby. I decided to cancel the reservation and rent it from Enterprise/National car company. Those folks still work at their counter. Very disappointed with Budget. I ended up pay more.

What bunch of losers. I arrived to pick up my booking at 12.30 am and I see there are 50 people in line and there is only one employee servicing the customers with other 16 kiosks unmanned. I can see that it will be 4 am by the time I get a ride, if I get one! Who is monitoring this lousy customer service? One person is handling all renters from Budget, Avis and Payless. I don’t know what to say. Customers have family and kids and these people don’t care!

If I could give this company a zero I would. I sent and watched slow moving tellers casually chat and take their time with over 50 people waiting in line literally waiting hours to get a vehicle. Highly recommend against.

If I could give them 0 stars I would for how bad their customer is and how horrible of an experience I had with them. They didn’t have the vehicle I reserved weeks in advance and they wanted a $1500 deposit since I don’t have a credit card.

On June 7th, 2024 I was supposed to pick up my 2-4 door car that I reserved 6 weeks in advance, when I got to the counter after waiting a full hour on other guests and a new guy working, I was finally able to check in but no cars available, they rented all of them out. They found a Dodge pickup on the lot that had not been cleaned and had 3 low tires, my first reaction was I am 1 hour late already for my vacation, driving to Lake Michigan and then Niagara Falls and in a big truck that will cost me a fortune, especially Dodge truck so I took it only to think about it and returned it in 20 min. I decided I had to use my own vehicle which was a truck also and cost me a fortune.

NEVER USE THEM. They have ruined my husband's vacation. He is disabled. They did not provide him with an appropriate vehicle as reserved. They messed up the contract 3 times and my husband had to return multiple times. He missed several reservations as a result amounting in over 300 of unused services. Then they overcharged me by over 450.00. Now they say that they can't help me because of the multiple contracts they charged us for were not attached to my original confirmation. Save yourself the expense and headache.

I would highly recommend NOT renting from Budget. Three times despite reservations made months in advance I did not receive a car remotely similar to what I had reserved. I was basically told by the agent at Pittsburgh Airport to take it or leave it. Customer care and customer service are nonexistent. Will not rent from Budget again.

I had a terrible experience with Budget at Los Angeles International Airport. We reserved a car for pick up at 9:30 PM on June 13, 2024. Budget indicated that their airport shuttle runs every 10 minutes or so. We arrived at about 10 PM and waited more than 1 hour, but the shuttle never came. Their customer support number was not manned during that hour and we could not get any support. We, along with several other passengers holding reservations at Budget requested a shuttle driver from another rental car company, and he was kind enough to drop us near the Budget car rental office. It took another 30 minutes to process the rental. It was well past midnight before we drove out of the airport.

I rented a car from Budget in June 2024 from MSP airport. There was a very long check in line and then upon claiming my car, was told that it was not available and shown another car which I didn't realize was an electric vehicle. I guess I knew subconsciously but not consciously. All cars sound quieter these days. I trusted that a rental car company would not give me an EV without confirmation that I knew exactly what I was getting or signing something. Wrong!! I found charging stations and chalked it up to a learning experience. However, 8 days after I returned the vehicle, I received several emails claiming that I hadn't returned the vehicle. I provided my flight information and the issue should be resolved within 5 business days.

Horrible Experience with Budget - Will Never book Again! When we arrived at Denver International Airport at 11:00 PM, Budget refused to give us the car. We were left stranded in the middle of the night with my husband and parents. Their excuse? They were "uncomfortable" renting to someone with "no name given" as a first name on the license. If this was the case - why did they let us reserve the car with this info in the first place?

If I could leave zero charges I would. I rented a car that had zero gas in it, I bought the car back with more gas than when rented and was told that I should’ve have taken a picture of the dash for proof. Customer service stated basically that the burden of proof was on me.

Budget's policies were very unclear and deceptive. On their website, my reservation showed free cancelation but when I went to cancel it because of a change in travel plans, Budget charged me $50 only because I prepaid. Budget customer service (haha....) told me that if I had not prepaid, I would not have been charged $50 and when I asked to speak to someone who had the authority to waive the fee, I was told there was no one in the entire organization who could waive the fraudulent cancelation fee.

I got my rental (12-person cargo van) and went home to pack. I realized when I was cleaning the dirty rental vehicle out, the registration was past due. The sticker on the plate and the proof of registration was past due. I called Budget right away. With their pass-the-buck policies, I got no help. They told me that I need to call the location of pickup. They were close already. Day one of my trip put off till the next day. The next morning, when they opened at 9 am, I called the pickup location and they said that all they could do was have me drive to the airport, which is 45 minutes away, to exchange it for a different vehicle. If not then I had to wait till Monday to get the proper registration information.

It is a shame I can't give zero stars. I had rented a car under the impression it was free cancellation. It said it all over while I was booking. I called to cancel the reservation a day after booking it as my plans had changed. I was charged a 50 dollar fee because they put it in the fine print at the bottom of the website as you are booking. Terrible customer service and experience and I will go out of my way to not rent cars from them in the future and I travel quite frequently. I will also go out of my way to make sure friends and family know about this experience as well.

Horrible experience. Kids are running the entire set up. Jayson the manager was completely disrespectful, and the desk at the airport was rude and very impolite. No professionalism whatsoever. They say and do anything they like, as if they were speaking to someone on the streets. I had booked my reservation weeks ago and went to get my car after I picked up my luggage.

Most terrible experience. They gave me an electric car which gave wrong station addresses and ran out of charge on the way to the second station. After 3 full hours of waiting, it got a tow to another wrong station!!! Then another 2 hours of waiting, and this time it stopped charging!!!!

God forbid you leave your phone, glasses, computer in the vehicle at Return. They will end up in the garage in short order. You will then receive emails weekly telling you how they haven’t found your item- Even though it would have been easily recoverable in the first 15 minutes of the loss had they not put it in the garbage, to avoid loss of efficiency.

The only reason why I didn't give the rating a zero is because a 1 was as low as I could go. After waiting in line get to the counter and for some reason the clerk couldn't figure out how to order my car. He had my license. Another guy helped him and after 45 minutes I was given a ticket to go get the car. I get outside, get to the gate and the gate guard was asking me several questions and told me to meet him inside.

This is once again the worst service, this is the first time in over 8 years I thought I would try again, YOU SREWED IT UP AGAIN!!! It’s 10:20 I’m standing in a line with 15 people ahead of me and 2 people working the counter. I promise I will never use Budget again, I’ll walk instead!!!!

Rented a car in Chicago airport for 4 days. Get into the car. It does smell musty, though open the window will be fine so didn't report to them (Don't want to be picky and looks minor thing but NO). After few days of returning got an email letter that I got charge of $450 for smoke cleaning fee. I kept calling to negotiated for unfair charge, end up discounted me but still I do not agreed. 1st I didn't notice it was smoke smell and 2nd when I returned the staff checked everything fine and didn't mention. I tried read most review, seems like Budget try to charge a lot people with excuses of "cleaning fee" (to add on some more charges).

I have been a satisfied customer of Budget Car Rental for over 6 years. I have rented multiple cars per year from Budget at the Santa Maria Airport location. There are several reasons why Budget is my top choice for Car Rentals. One being, Budget usually has the best rates. The other car rental companies usually have higher rates for the same cars.. Also, Budget's fleet of cars are in good condition. As a female, one of the most important factors to me is reliability. I want to feel safe and assured I will reach my destination without my car breaking down. I love driving worry free when I rent from Budget. I have never had any issue regarding missing a flight due to a mechanical issue using Budget.

We were charged $130 to refuel the car. We used less than a half tank of gas in a small SUV. So by Budget's math to fill the SUV it would have cost over $300. I know the gas price is inflated but a tank of gas for that vehicle would have cost $60 at best. Absolutely ridiculous! I feel like this was done because I had discount codes and they wanted to recoup their cost. My friend used Hertz for their rental and had their SUV for 2 days longer, didn't fill the car all the way up and it was cheaper than my rental.

I thought I booked an economy car for 3 days for $165. Flight lands late, I check in, and head out to get the car. In the designated spot was a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I looked and looked again, my paper work says Jeep grand Cherokee, so I take the jeep from my designated spot. This thing is HUGE. The tires were out of balance. I fill it up before I return it. $60.06. Not exactly a Corolla… my card was charged double the amount. First customer service call, I was told I was charged for an upgrade.

Booked a car online and thoroughly read the terms regarding use of a debit card. When we arrived at the counter, the lady said she wouldn't take the debit card despite my meeting the terms required. So we're stranded at the airport with my husband in a wheelchair needing to get to his med appt. Probably just as well with Budget's insanely high "taxes and fees", as well as what other h.e. double sticks other customers have gone through. My takeaway is that tourist season is time for Budget to inflate their prices and cater to wealthy folks. They deserve to be regulated.

Budget car rental May 31, 2024 JFK airport. Waited in line for customer rep for one hour thirty minutes. While waiting in line Budget employee actually walked his daughter to the front of the extensive line for expedited service. When I finally reached Representative my reserved car was unavailable and for to take minivan. Rep told me that waits for this long are typical in the summer. Horrible service. Avoid at all costs.

On 5/30/2024 I reserved a minivan from the Budget location at 110 Vanderbilt Motor Pkwy in Hauppauge NY, I woke to a text saying that the minivan that I paid to reserve was not available. I asked if there were any SUVs available and at first there were none but then one was found supposedly. I agreed to accept it and when I arrived to pick it up I was using my debit card for the rental and I was then told that a credit check was needed since I was using debit card.

I rented a car to drive an hour to the airport. It smelled awful (musty, smoky smell) but I was assured it was clean and there would be no issues. I returned it to the airport drop off location with more gas than what I started with in it. I then checked my credit card charges the next day and was charged a gas fee and a smoke cleaning of fee of $250. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, and never will. Customer service has been no help except delaying the refund process. I am paying for the incompetence of the workers at one Budget location. Be careful when you rent from budget.

It took us over two hours to get out of the Baltimore Airport because of Budget. We got to the counter around 8:00 pm and did not get onto the road until around 9:40 (and had a two hour drive after that). There was only person working (he was great) even though Budget clearly had taken reservations and knew how many people were coming in. Then we had to wait again to exit the garage since there was only one (also great) person working there. By the time we left, there were over 30 people in line and waiting. Some of them had to be there until after midnight. I will NEVER reserve with Budget again!

I pre checked in at home and opted out from all optional services. I READ EVERYTHING VERY CAREFULLY before making my decision of opting out. When I arrived to San Diego rental office, an arrogant representative asked me "So, will proceed with full service?" I replied "I already made my choices and marked them down". He said "So will go with basic option?" I replied "I prechecked everything I wanted." he said "Ok", filled out something in the computer and gave me to sign. I signed and returned to him. After returning the car, I received the e-receipt with 3 optional services I did not asked for for $150!!!! I called the customer service right away and told them what happened. They said: "You should have read the agreement that you signed at the counter!"

My first experience with Budget Rentals cars was awesome and I was happy about it. Right now it's a second time when they are leaving me along with a problems. The first what I wanna say they took a deposit which one never been refunded ($300), then when we returned the cars with 1/2 tank they charge us $300 again!!!! Okey, let's calculate. We paid for the rent and + $600.... Okey we leave it like this, because the customer service said: "We are working on it. We need some more time."

My rental was actually out of Budget @ Denver Airport. We arrived in Denver around 7:05 PM expecting to pickup a rental car from a reservation previously made (weeks ago) and then be on our way. We arrived at the rental car counter about 7:30ish & waited inline for over an Hour all to be told once we made it up to the counter that they had overbooked and that they were fresh out of cars, we had reserved a Camry. All we had as far as options were an E-car or a minivan. We settled for the minivan as we were already very late to meet the rest of our party and we still had a couple of hours drive to get to our destination. We get to the parking lot where this minivan was supposed to be waiting and the spot was empty, no minivan in sight...but lots of other cars sitting around...We go back in at this point very frustrated and the young man was very stressed as well as they were clearly understaffed...

I rented Budget car at MCO - Orlando airport in May 2024. IN spite of having confirmed booking, I had to wait 90 min in the line to get a car. After I used the car and returned in a week, I forgot my personal item in the car. I immediately reached Budget desk for help, they said, "Your item is found and is in the office, but you need to file lost-and-found request." I did that, but never got the item. I reached the Budget CS, but still no help. I think their service is bad and not helping customer.

I wish I could give zero stars. I used the Pay-Now thinking I would get the best deal. When I found a better deal through Budget for the same vehicle Budget would not give me the better price without charging a cancellation fee for my first reservation. When leaving the airport I reported to the attendant that I only had a 1/2 tank of gas. He updated my receipt but never put it in the system so when I returned the vehicle with only 1/2 a tank they charged me to fill the tank.

I rented Budget from the Denton presidio location. My pick-up time was 6 pm, I received a call at 4:30 to come pick up my car as they were closing. But I told them I pick up time was 6 PM. They argued and wanted me there ASAP. Unacceptable! Upon returning the car, I left my sunglasses case in the car by mistake. I called him repeatedly for three days and when they finally answered all they said was, "Not our problem, we are not responsible for it." Horrible, horrible customer service, very disappointed with this transaction. Will never be using Budget again.

Bad experience in their customer service. I have reserved a car with a prepayment and it says there will be a refund after I changed my pickup location. But the fact is I didn’t receive any of refund after a month. Calling their 24hr customer service is useless! Their operator don’t care what you are talking about or maybe they don’t speak English in Canada hotline, their just tell you to call them again on the next day and hung my phone without other words. That’s so rude! I have to call again in the next day. Then after many times of trying, I can finally explain my situation to the other operator. And she told me there should be a refund after she check with my order which will be transferred to my account in a one day. But it’s already a week and I still haven’t get my money back! It’s unacceptable!

On 5/19/24 This was a prepaid rental for a minivan for 5/24/24 pickup time 0930. Received PC from agent, no minivans at agency yet. Expect to arrive at 12N. Went to agency at 12N. Still no minivans. All vans across river at airport do not know when ETA? I requested refund or transfer the reservation to airport. Another customer ordered van 3 mos. prior, no van. She had backup plan she offered me a ride to airport. The Budget/Avis all one counter requested my reservation fulfillment, they could not because no transfer was down. Told I had to contact Avis number, they would not transfer reservation, all they could do was refund, and assist with an Avis rental which was 250.00 more money. They would not honor the Budget price(even though this is all one corporation). They created refund, and told me there were no minivans available. I reentered line again another 45 min. They could rent me a van for $300 more than my original contract!!!

HOW CAN WE GIVE 0 stars? Nothing like being stuck on the side of the road (41) in the desert of California with your mom and 6 month old- because AFTER FIXING THE FLAT TIRE ON OUR OWN AFTER I ASKED IF THE CAR WAS OKAY to drive when I picked up the rental. At first they said yes and put air into the tire just to spend a day of vacation at the tire shop. THEN to have the car's oil pump go out. TO THEN have to find my own ride off of the highway for Uber. Requested a tow truck and they said find an Uber or call highway patrol (BOTH COULDN'T GIVE US A RIDE).

Budget rental is a horrible car rental company to rent from, they are a rip off. They do not give you clarity on vehicle charges as far as insurance. The wait to pick up the vehicle was an hour long. I returned the vehicle a day early due to family illness and they still charged me for the extra day. 100% do not recommend!!!

I bought the fuel option for my rental. My Tucson has a fuel capacity of 14.3 gallons, I was supposed to be charged $3.4x per gallon for Budget to refuel the car. I was charged $101.35 to refuel my car. That means that I was charged $7.09 per gallon to refuel. I talked to customer service and they said they refilled 22 gallons which is absolutely impossible as the fuel tank capacity is only 14.3 gallons assuming I drained the tank dry. That means I am being defrauded by Budget and they are filling other cars up with my money.

How do you give ZERO STARS for this company. They are the WORST! Zero customer service! You cannot speak to anyone. You leave message, no one returns your calls. The only way to communicate is via email and they respond days later after the issue has happened. No call just a message. HIDDEN COSTS EVERYWHERE!!! You ask for the quote, which you have a right to see, and they charge you without letting you know. There are better car rental companies to deal with. STAY AWAY FROM BUDGET / AVIS!!!!!!

I am just reaching out to express my shock at a significant and unexpected cleaning charge described in a recent memo after the conclusion of my recent Budget car rental. Perhaps we should all be a little more attentive to the fine print of the rental agreement contract, but my family and I were not aware of your standards of cleanliness nor the subsequent penalty for an accumulation of dirt. If this had been impressed upon us, we certainly would’ve been more diligent and attentive to your expectations upon return of the car... Surely open, clear communication is the hallmark of any successful, sustainable and ethical business. While we understand the need for a lengthy and detailed contract, certainly a bit more transparency and clear communication with customers regarding such matters would go a long way towards generating customer loyalty and repeat business!

I rented a car from Budget last Tuesday til Thursday however I returned it on Wednesday morning. I was expecting my 250 deposit to be returned to me at least in 2 days. Especially when you return car back early you don't get any money back so they are getting free money from you then even get to turn around and rent it to someone else. I called the 4th call abt my return. I called 5/21/24 Tuesday the 5th day I called. He told me it would be next Monday the 9th day. So basically they are in no hurry to return your money that is only post to be just a hold til you return car. They don't even deserve a 1. These are the ones whoever we all talk to on phone. Because the budget on w Washington Indianapolis has great people working there but they can't help the people that take our money. I feel sorry for them because they take a lot of heat from customers because the way whoever or wherever budget is ran.

Overcharged and RIPPED off. We rented a car from 3/13/24 to 3/27/24 (2 weeks) from Budget at LaGuardia Airport in New York and returned the car to the same airport. We stayed in a house in Brookhaven for the entire visit. We only drove 201 miles during the entire 2 week period. The round trip to Brookhaven to see the grandkids and back to the airport accounted for 80+ miles of the 201 total miles driven.

If there was a 0 option on rating I would of definitely done 0. Their scams and charged my card $160 extra for their own wrong advice on dropping the rental truck at the wrong location, I even dropped the car one day earlier but at the wrong location which they told me themselves. The customer service is bad and they didn’t even care of my charges when I called and mentioned it to them. Do not get your rental car from Budget. Try different brands with good reviews.

We arrived in Durango, Colorado (May 16th-May 19th), just to find out that "National/Enterprise car rental gave our car away and had no other cars available to rent to us. Next available car could be a day later, without a guarantee. We were told that we did not have a reservation but my husband called the Executive office and they confirmed that we DID have a reservation. The lady clearly lied to us since they did not have any cars available. Went to Budget and Sidney ** was most helpful. We couldn't be happier with his service. Smooth check-in, quick and efficient. Car was clean. Thank you, Sidney, for a wonderful customer experience.

I wish I could give zero stars. I have rented cars from other rental companies and never had this problem. I rented a car from Budget weeks in advance. I called to double check everything was ready and what the deposit would be. I have a 620 credit score which is not high but not terrible either. When I went to pick up the car they told me they didn't take my credit card. (Chime) I said ok and transferred all the money I needed to my of Debit card (a different bank). They then ran the deposit as a debit which is fine. But then told me I could not rent the car anymore because I didn't pass the credit check for debit. How can they run a credit check on my debit card? I asked how high the credit score needed to be and the woman working said she had no idea.

Renting a full size car or luxury after the covid is unbelievable. Full size downgraded to a Nissan Altima and a Luxury car. Now a Chrysler 300? What a joke on the renters. Also I've rented several vehicles this past year. Each one of them was filthy dirty... Bird droppings on them, dusty and dirty inside and out. I had to stop at a wash, wipe down and clean them after pick up. So sad it's about money and not the customer nowadays.

Booked our Budget rental car through the Sun Country Airlines site for MSP to PHX round trip. Paid the airfare AND the $600+ car rental fee at that time. Arrived at the rental area at our stated time, waited 45 minutes to get to the checkin counter where we were told we needed to pay another $600+ in rental and fees charge!!! Then got in a second line and waited another 2 hours to get a car. After the trip we contacted Sun Country and were told we should have been charged only the initial $600 and probably some taxes when we got to PHX. Budget conversations have not rectified this situation, so we won’t be using them again.

Don't trust them. I've used for years, but no more. Rented out of Columbus, Ohio airport. Returned it to their ridiculously fast express drop-off. A month later, reviewing expenses, I realized they charged $350 over because there was a bottle of Febreze left in the car, due to fast drop-off, and someone decided that meant smoking in the car (?). The reality was that the luggage area had a smell like bad milk when the car warmed up after pickup. At a month later and 2000 miles away, they got me. The previous rental from Columbus, Ohio Budget gave us a car with expired tags. We were there for a funeral and got stopped by the police. They did exchange the car, but we lost two days of use. Fun times!

Flew from KC to St. Petersburg, FL. in mid-March. Rented a car at the St. Pete airport. We were given a sizable SUV, but we needed a van to assist to complete a move. Still, it was a nice car, and we took it. We came back the next day mid-day to try and switch the car out to get a van or a larger truck. We ran into Rafael after he had left the terminal en route back to the dispatch yard. He asked right away if anything was wrong. We explained what we needed and why, that we wanted to switch the car out for a van. He brought us over to the dispatch yard, and switched cars with us. He made it that easy for us. Rafael - Thank you. Great customer service! - J.

The worst! Do not rent from them. Go read the reviews. Here’s our story: I’m grandma and was taking my young grandchildren to other grandma's memorial. May 3rd went to pick up car (had scheduled my pick up time for 6am). They apparently don’t open until 8 even though the offered pick up times are 0000-2400. When we able to get our car I was offered an upgrade to a hybrid for $15 a day. I took it thinking of the gas savings.

Can you give a 0 because Budget Car Rental SUCKS!!!! They don't even deserve a 1* ... The customer service is absolutely horrible. The service itself was freakin' terrible!!!! I would never EVER use them again!!!! I called multiple times about the car they gave me that has a super low # for tire pressure... That was days ago. No one ever came. No one ever called back.... They are horrible!!!! It wasn't even the car I signed up to rent!!!!

We had about the worst experience you can have with a rental car company using Budget at JFK airport. I had recently signed up for Fast Break, so I could bypass the extremely long lines I experienced at LaGuardia a month before. We received emails and texts stating that we were Fast Break customers. So we show up at Budget at JFK, and there are the usual 10+ customers in line and two agents. But we get in the Fast Break line where there is only one person ahead of us. That still takes a half hour.

I booked a Mid-Size SUV — Toyota Rav4 or similar. When picking up the car at the Orlando airport (MCO) on 5/10/2024, I was told only electric cars were available after waiting for 3 hours in line at 2am. I was told the car could be switched anytime at any Budget rental store. The next day on 5/11, I stopped at Budget Deland store and was told nothing but was available; they sent me to the Sanford Airport store, claiming the airport store has plenty of inventory. After driving for 40 minutes to the Sanford Airport Budget store, I was told only electric cars were available.

It was a very poor experience overall with Budget. I picked up in Fort Lauderdale and waited at least 45 minutes to get the car. I dropped off early in the morning and there is no one there so you just leave the car. I left a few pieces of paper and a water bottle in the car and they leveled a 250.00 cleaning charge. It would have taken them about 10 seconds to put that stuff in the trash.

I had a family member pass away suddenly and booked a flight for the next morning one way to be with family as soon as I could. I was flying from North Carolina to Ohio. I had called the Budget car rental and got everything figured out and made sure they knew I wasn't 25. I know many car places want you to be 25 to rent a car but the individual I spoke with assured all I had to do was pay a larger deposit. I flew out at 6 am and had everything in line, so I thought. Once I showed up during my "appointment time" and handed the lady all my IDs and card I was using to rent the car she told me I could not receive a car since I am not 25 nor did I have a major credit card.

I go through Budget Rental in Frederick Maryland to rent my vehicle. I truly is so amazed about the great customer service they provide whenever I rent a vehicle from them. Both the associate Tulo and his manager are both outstanding in providing great customer service whenever I need a vehicle. I have been renting at Budget for some time and never experienced anything negative about the service they provide.

Do not rent from Budget. The incompetence and inanity are astounding. 1] I rented a car for 2 days from the small office in Ridgecrest for noon. The office closes at noon. This is not indicated on the confirmation email and the office could not be bothered to text me that I needed to get there before noon. I got there at 12:10. Result: no car. I'm stuck in Ridgecrest for the day because no other cars are available. Budget wanted to charge a $150 cancellation fee for a car that I wanted but couldn't get?!? So 2} I try to make a reservation online for the next day for 1 day. I am unable to do this because their site kept erasing my DL # and the telling me the # was not "present." 3 phone calls and 1 and a half hours later I finally get somebody at the Budget 800 # to reserve a car at the same rate as the online rate. But wait, there's more It turns out 3} that the 2 online reservations I had tried to make did go through even though there was no indication that this had happened.

We planned a trip for our daughter's 16th birthday. Our car isn't fuel efficient and needed tires. After a few quick online searches and running numbers through the calculator, we found what seemed like an affordable option through Budget Car Rental. I used their website and created an account for the extra discount. Booking was fairly easy and confirmation came right away. Yay! Not so fast... Get to my local Budget office where I designated the car to be picked up, at the scheduled time, only to have the person working there tell me they have no cars available. I had to ask again... wait the site took my money and I have the confirmation to be here, but no car! They explained it happens a lot. They are an independent business so have no control of Budget. They told me to use my confirmation number at the airport in our area, which is 30 miles away.

Horrible customer service with people that can barely speak English and I have to be 'bilingual', just to converse with them. The counter agents at the US locations don't let you read the rental agreement disclosure and just want you to initial the contract and move along as quickly as possible. I will NEVER rent from Budget ever again nor would I ever recommend them to others!

Awful experience. Really, really long line at check-in and only a few people working and they were all REALLY slow! They need to staff a lot more people and train them better!!! I will never use Budget again!! Avoid at all costs!

Why isn’t there no zero star option. This company is absolutely asinine. I got charged for a window chip during my rental, I request proof it was during my rental period, they can’t provide anything, so they refunded the charge. 10 days later I get charged again!

I recently rented a car from Budget for my trip. After the returning the vehicle, I was charged $710 based on the E-receipt they send but my card card was charged over $1000 with no explanation. Then 45 days later Budget charge me $250 for damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was check in by their staff during the return process. I'm just frustrated with all the delay in notification and lack clarity. You can't just over charge and add charge for damage 45 days later. Budget is the worst car rental I have ever experience. I do not recommend renting a car at Budget.

Retuned a car to Dayton Ohio that I picked up in Illinois. Picking the car up at 9:48 CST and dropped it off at 10:18 EST. Would have dropped it off sooner but the Dayton location didn’t open until 10. I actually got there at 10 but I guess since I didn’t get there at 9:48 I was charged for an extra hour @$120 per hour. They put a $200 hold on my credit card which I never understood, didn’t worry because I just wanted to get home and I knew that I’d get it back. Not!!! Up yours Budget. Be aware because you too can get screwed by Budget rental car.

To start I did. Not want to give a star at all 1. The car was dirty inside and out. Thank God it rained two days later to wash off the dirt. The car smelled really bad like someone lived in the car. Bugs flew out the air vent. The car smelled like ** and to end it all the tire light came on while I was on the freeway saying tire pressure low. I will never rent with Budget again and I did it with JetBlue app. I will give JetBlue an email letting them know how bad the experience was and hopefully they don’t use them again. The lines where long at LAX airport. 2 hour wait outside in the heat and only one person at the counter at a time. My wife and child waited outside like animals. If I could get my money back and go elsewhere I would have but I wasted half a day getting this rental so if you have some place to go go. Don’t use budget rental. You will be late.

I am a Budget FastBreak member and when I arrived Thursday night in PIE the line was quite long. I went in the separate line for the fast break members where a few people were waiting. The man at the counter, Budget employee CHRIS, pointed at me and said “you need to come here.” So I stepped over, surprised, and he said “if you just signed up for the fast break today you can’t be in that line.” He was EXTREMELY rude and said this in front of about 20 other customers, implying I cut in front of all of them. He DID NOT question any of the other fast break members.

I was wrongly charged a no show fee for a reservation when in fact I did pick up the rental car when I was supposed to. I tried to get them to remove the charge from my card and sent them all of the documentation they asked for and they never took care of their mistake. This is now in dispute through my credit card company. I will never rent from Budget again.

I promise you don’t want to miss this review. It could save you a lot of stress and money. I'll preface this with the fact that I’m an airline pilot and rent cars regularly, utilizing my benefits for this specific booking as well. I was in Fort Lauderdale, FL for a week and decided to rent Budget's “sporty” car, noting that with my benefits I was eligible for a free upgrade. I was not given a free upgrade when picking up the car. Secondly, after a long wait, I was given the vehicle with an 80% full tank of gas and very low rear left tire pressure. Image attached. I had to wait even longer for budget to take the vehicle back and correct the issues.

While Budget's pricing was more affordable than the other rental car options, I deeply regret going with Budget. Several days into our travel, the key stopped working, and we were completely unable to operate the car (we couldn't unlock the doors and certainly couldn't crank or drive the car). Hours after contacting Budget, we were assisted by a towing company who came to us and fixed our key fob. Several days after returning the car, I received an invoice from Budget for the towing company expense (nearly $300). I called Budget to explain our circumstances, hoping the towing company invoice would not be my expense since they were only called because the car wasn't functioning.

My husband and I rented on April 24-25th, in Houston, TX. We are not smokers. We have never been smokers. 4 days later my husband received an email about Budget finding smoke residue and odor in the rental car and will be charging us 450$!! How is this possible?! My husband demanded to speak to the manager. Apparently wasn't available. We are extremely angry. We didn't even eat in this car!!! We will NEVER use Budget. We have filed a formal complaint with Budget and will go further if we have to.

Budget Rental in Essex MD rented us 2020 Nissan Murano that had 65,000 miles and the rotars were so warped it made the ride from Baltimore, MD to Sarasota, Florida awful. Every braking, the car pulled right and you could feel the rotors just pulsating because they were so warped. I didn't think rental companies kept vehicles after 25-30K miles. Their only customer service at this location when we called on our journey was if we felt unsafe, take it to a rental location near us, like we were going to unpack our entire vehicle and repack on our journey.

Worst customer service EVER. I have been a Budget customer for years, and have rented many times. On April 5, I went to the counter at Denver airport to pick up a car I had reserved and already paid for. The agent told me they were unable to use my bank debit card, with a chip, for the deposit for the rental. I have used this exact card several times in the past year for a Budget car rental. The agent, his manager, and THREE different people on the phone at Budget all gave me the same answer "nothing we can do". I walked to the nearest competitor, who were happy to rent me a car. Well, there is something I can do. I will never rent from Budget again and am cancelling my account.

I have been a Budget customer for years. I attempted to reserve a same day rental. It went through the website but when I showed up to get the car, I was informed that I had to have another photo ID beyond my driver's license to rent the car. I was informed I could come back tomorrow, and it MIGHT go through. I can understand if I didn't have a history with the company, but Budget has now lost my business, both for today and in the future. In the digital age, you should be able to do better. Shame on you, Budget.

Budget is efferent and they do a good job in getting you a car but IF they overcharge you, for whatever reason, you will be waiting for 10 to 15 days for a refund. I prepaid for a rental and I did not realize they charged me again when I picked up the rental, I was in a hurry. They required screenshots of both charges. I sent them email them the charges. After 2 weeks of waiting, I called to follow-up on my refund and was told by the rep that she had to escalate the case. I told her the case had already been escalated. She proceeded to tell me that I did not know how it worked, I asked to escalate the call, she said there are no managers available and the supervisor was busy... UNACCEPTABLE...

We rented a car for a weekend in Chicago. We flew into O'Hara and went to Budget to get our car. The agent quickly went through the additional services we could get from Budget. Several additions were put on without our consent and added $137 to our bill. The next day I called and asked for a refund I was told no! Now I know my business is worth less than $137. In the future, I'll pay more for a rental somewhere else if it means never using Budget again. because I am worth more than $137.

0 Stars! We were given an extremely damaged vehicle at the Honolulu Airport in March 2024. Not one person came over when we called to them to point out the damage. After a 17 hour travel day we decided to take pictures and leave. 3 weeks after returning I receive a cryptic text that we have a claim against us. I found out I was charged almost $5300 for the damages that came with my rental. They did not even wait for my proof to be sent in. The charge has since been reversed but not one person from Budget has apologized for what happened. If we did not have those pictures we would have been out $5300. The customer service representatives have been rude and combative. All I asked for was an apology. The only thing I got was "I empathize with you." Stay away from Budget and Avis. And ALWAYS take pictures!

My experience in Louisville KY was terrible. The rental made an odd noise and when I got to my destination, a piece of the tire was missing! It was about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. How they did not catch that before re-renting is beyond me. And then, Budget Road Side Assistance was the worst. I could not drive the car, no spare was in the vehicle, a tow truck took away my rental and left me. Budget sent me a credit for Uber, which I have never used an Uber. They wanted $600 to send a replacement car to my location that was less than 10 miles from the location I rented. And I have not received a refund since 4 days out. So, other than the tire not blowing out and me getting killed, what else could have gone wrong, did go wrong. So, never again with Budget.

I rented a car from Budget to be picked up at Phoenix Airport. I prepaid $87.12 which was supposed to be all the cost for that rent. When I went to pick it up it turned out the cost was $159.00 and they did not want to even listen to me that I prepaid. They charged me again and were very rude at the counter. I will never rent a car from Budget again! They overcharge you and don't even give you an explanation why.

I made a reservation for a SUV for a trip. The process was smooth. On the day return the vehicle, Budget found the windshield was crack. I was completely stunned because I didn’t encounter any collide or hit anything. I strongly believe the windshield already damaged when I pick it up. I was part of my fault that I didn’t check the vehicle thoroughly when I pick it up. I was assumed the car is in perfect condition. Furthermore, the car was ran out the windshield washer. It is also due for maint but was not done. I just want to let others know my incident when they rent from Budget.