Budget Car Rental Reviews
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About Budget Car Rental
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Budget Rent a Car provides car rentals at more than 3,000 locations worldwide. The company supplies a variety of vehicles, including economy cars, SUVs and vans. Budget offers flexible rental options, making it accessible for budget-conscious customers.
- Clean and well-maintained vehicles
- Affordable pricing options
- Poor communication from staff
- Long wait times during peak hours
Budget Car Rental Reviews
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Reviewed July 14, 2023
I made a Car Rental Reservation on Palm Beach International Airport, 3 Months before my Trip, I called two weeks before to confirm my reservation and the Car, the agent told me that my car was confirmed. I called the day before my Trip and the same Day of my Trip at morning to confirm my Car and reservation, both times the agents again told me that everything was ok and confirm to me the reservation. Well guess what, when I arrive to the Counter on the Location to pick up my Car, they told me that they DO NOT HAVE ANY CAR CLASS C AT THAT MOMENT AND THEY DO NOT IF THEY WOULD HAVE ANY THE NEXT DAY, they give to me options with smaller cars, but not any similar, the Car that I pre Reserved was a Chevy Tahoe or some similar the Company Website an ads said, well the result none of the Budget Location even on the near Counties to my HAVE any similar car.
I got all the paperwork of my reservation and I even register all my info, License, card on the Budget reservation Lot for Days before my Trip. Very bad experience to.me and my Family, frustration and deception in a Big Capitalist Country like this America, and Companies like this Play games with the Customers. Piece of crap Company to my that's my Conclusion and my Opinion about Budget. I will ever, ever will try again with them and I won't recommend Budget to nobody else, I will continue writing the worse reviews about Budget. I went to other Rental Car Company and I spend my money with them. Be careful with Budget ads and promotion. They are tricky and false.
Reviewed July 11, 2023
I had a pre-paid rental agreement with a travel package I purchased through my Costco membership. When we checked in, they tried to make us buy their insurance, which we declined because I have rental insurance. He seemed super irritated that we wouldn't purchase theirs and tried to scare us by saying "If something happened to the vehicle, they didn't deal with outside insurance companies." We didn't fall for it. We returned the vehicle on time and with a full tank of gas to avoid having to deal with their billing system.
Needless to say, I was surprised to see a charge of $47.74 a few days later. I called them up to see what the charge was for, and he told me it was a "refueling charge." Asked him how they came up with that number since I brought the car back with a full tank. He put me on hold and eventually ended up disconnecting me. I called back and reached another representative who says they will reimburse the charge. I still think this is super shady and I won't be renting from them again.
Reviewed July 11, 2023
Do not rent from Budget especially from HNL Airport June, 2 2023, I rented a car, when booked I was given a price $79.18 per day total. No extras, I get to Airport. Agent upgrades me to a jeep, he says free upgrade, When I return car on time may I add, The return agent just puts any amount down On rental return receipt, like charging me extra gallon fuel. In which I returned Full. So the agents must not tell the truth. Charging for extras and upgrades. I just wanted compact car. I will admit other Budget locations are not all like this, Honolulu location can get away with this type of stunt. Probably because mostly tourists and travel back to Mainland unaware of all the extra charges. FYI Always double check receipt and make sure Always save the original booking with your daily Rental amount, Because your final receipt could be twice the amount. This act is too bad,
Reviewed July 11, 2023
Budget Renters Beware, if you rent from Budget don't be surprised if they rent you a dangerous and unsafe car. The car I rented from a St Louis, MO location was just that. I always rent cars for long road trips. I always expect a safe car one that is well-maintained, which has always been the case. I stupidly assumed Budget maintained their cars too. I was given a piece of junk that was dirty and unknown to me at the time and had bald tires. It had over 61,000 miles on it, which concerned me since I was going over 4000 miles with it myself, which they knew when I rented it. But I blindly got in it and I said to myself, it's ok, they checked out the car, it's dirty, I can deal with that. I was excited to get started on my trip.
Well, 3 days into the trip, having driven about 1000 miles already, I decided to look at the tires, you know to make sure all was well (which I should have done in the first place, but going on my assumption that, they wouldn't rent unsafe cars) I didn't. To my horror all four tires were bald, I was out in the middle of nowhere, USA, and had to travel to a location that was open on a Saturday later than 12:00 PM since I couldn't get to any location before they closed besides an airport location. Calling customer service is a nightmare, runaround. So we drove over 300 miles to exchange the car. Thankfully that location had a car for exchange.
When I returned the car back to St Louis and told the attendant who rented me the car, how unhappy I was and asked how could they put me and my passenger in such danger. He gave me a blank look and handed me my paperwork. I was given a small discount, and I was dismissed. I have since contacted Customer Service via email for an additional discount because I believe I am due an additional discount. The response there was they pretty much told me, too bad, by a cut-and-paste answer. So please, if you use Budget Rental, BEWARE of the unsafe cars they rent. I will never use them again, and from now on, I will always check everything out for myself before I leave the lot.

Reviewed July 10, 2023
Family flew into Denver Airport on Saturday July 1, needed to rent 2 large vehicles for our family. Flight took us 2.5 hours to get to Denver, stood in line and waited for vehicle for another 2.5 hours. Holiday weekend, 16 possible windows to check in customers, only 4-7 windows open the entire time we stood in line. They told customers they overbooked rentals and that it is a long wait every weekend. If the company knew this would be a big holiday travel weekend, pay your staff well enough to come to work and keep your customers moving and happy. Very dissatisfied with this rental company. Then there were issues with the rental on top of the wait. The only saving grace was to return the vehicle, it was fast, drop and jump on the shuttle bus back to the terminals. Probably will not rent nor recommend Budget again.
Reviewed July 10, 2023
I should have read the other reviews here. We were quoted $150 and reserved the car on that basis. The desk person said it will be so much easier if you get the insurance and it’s only €8 per day more. We got the insurance even though we have coverage through our credit card. After dropping the car off, we got a receipt showing they charged us €80 more than what was quoted. They have not provided a refund or an adequate explanation for the additional charge.
Reviewed July 5, 2023
They fail to tell or show you all the multiple fees and taxes, some of which are one and the same. I would not suggest renting from Budget. Go to any other company besides Budget and Avis. The right thing would be to make sure the consumer knows about all ridiculous double charged fees you all are collecting.
Reviewed July 1, 2023
I would urge you to never rent from this company. They will change your rate and charge exorbitant fees from what you were quoted, avoid them at all costs. I rented a car and due to unforeseen circumstances returned it 1:30 late and was charged a late fee of over $400 on an original $750 13 day rental.
Reviewed June 28, 2023
Be aware when you rent your car from Budget. The price will not be what is quoted on your rental agreement. Pick up vehicle 20 minutes early and return the vehicle on the return time and had an additional 1 hour charge for picking vehicle up 20 minutes early. You will not be informed if you pick up vehicle a few minutes early. They will add an additional 1 hour charge and it will be well over 100 dollars. Please don’t ever rent from Budget, you will be cheated out of more money than original amount given. Horrible company!!!!
Reviewed June 26, 2023
7 months after returning my 4 day prepaid rental car on July 28, 2022- I found out that I am on the do not rent list for charges adding up to 1100.00. Budget claimed that I walked into the counter and extended my rental until August 6, 2022. Not only did I not do that-but I wasn't even in the state during those dates. I flew from Detroit to Philadelphia and was in Hershey, PA for the week. I told Budget to look at the videos to see me dropping off the car and leaving and that I would provide proof that I was in another state while this rental happened. I also informed them that the employee of theirs who stole my identity also spelled my name wrong and got my address wrong. Budgets refuses to listen and has turned my case over to collections. No one is answering me and no one is returning my calls. Budget- this is a crime!!! Please, please do not ever rent from budget.
Reviewed June 24, 2023
I booked an online car on the prepaid option. The charge was to be $411 and $622, including taxes and fees. When I got the confirmation from Budget the price was almost $800. I called customer service and was told actually it would be over $900 and they couldn't go in and change it. I cancelled and they are now charging me $50 for cancelling.
Reviewed June 23, 2023
A nightmare experience. This has been a nightmare and the worst experience I have ever had with a rental car company. Since returning from my trip, Budget has billed my credit card for an additional $593.04 (so far) for insurance which I never agreed to. Since returned the car the Calgary airport earlier this week, they have been charging my card intermittently throughout the week to the point where I needed a new credit card. I have phoned them 5 times and was hung up on by senior management. Since then, I have sent numerous emails with no response. Please never spend money on this company as it is Fraud
Reviewed June 23, 2023
Absolute thrash. We rented a car from budget at Calgary in June of 2023. We were being billed $345 more than we were supposed to pay while booking. We got charged for extra mileage (which was never revealed) and for fuel, although I returned the car with a full tank. I spoke with Brittany from customer service, which was not at all helpful. They do not treat the customers right, and charge you later on unknown issues. Never do business with Budget Rent-A-Car.
Reviewed June 13, 2023
I have been in line at Detroit for 50 min. Based on people in front of me, it will be at least another hour! There are only 2 people working behind the counter! I asked via Chat if I could cancel my prepaid reservation based on the circumstances. They said no. The service is absolutely ridiculous. I will never use Budget again!
Reviewed June 13, 2023
BEWARE!! We rented a car from budget at DCA in April of 2023. June 5, I received a letter stating that there was glass damage and we were being billed $543 to replace and calibrate the windshield. I spoke twice with customer service. The first time I could not understand the agent at all as she had a very heavy accent. I called back and spoke with a different agent who looked up the issue as we were very surprised but the charge.
The agent sent a date stamped photo of a very small (maybe 1/2inch) chip in the windshield that was not noticeable to us. The car and windshield were very dirty when we picked it up and that small chip might have been there. But we do not have any proof. So learned our lesson and will carefully check every car windshield. Budget did offer $150 off of the repair charge but I contend that the small chip is typical road hazard level damage akin to a small scratch or dent which they do not catalogue. I have cancelled my next two rentals with Budget and am tearing up my fastbreak card.
Reviewed June 8, 2023
To start considering my awful experiences with their moving trucks I should have known better but Enterprise was sold out. I was in a situation and rented a car online using my debit card. When I arrived we asked to add a day and the gentleman refused my debit card saying I could only use a “MAJOR” credit card. He didn’t like the original credit card I offered. I then said, "Well I’ll pay off my Amex and we could use that." He told me it wouldn’t work but begrudgingly accepted the card once I paid the bill and handed it to him. He seemed surprised the card was useable.
We got on the road and in the middle of nowhere Wyoming the light came on for low tire pressure. I was driving and my son-in-law got on the phone, talked to roadside assistance, got told to call the reservation line, and then got told to call roadside assistance. Through all of this they offered to have me wait 3 hrs for roadside assistance, to pay out my own money for a new tire, or drive 2-3 hours to DIA, mind you it’s 9:49 at night. Well we drove another 80 miles, got air and made it to DIA. The manager there made claims that if it was him he’d give us extra days but he couldn’t because we hadn’t rented from him. Our contact was with another location. He did upgrade us to another vehicle but as we got about 30 minutes away the check engine light came on.
We drove home as it was 1:00 am. We called the next morning and they offered yet another vehicle or to just return it with no one way charge. The upshot of all this is they do NOT properly maintain ANY of their vehicles. Each of their services plays pass the buck, and in the end I paid for terrible service and regrettably potentially dangerous vehicles. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!
Reviewed June 7, 2023
I recently had a highly disappointing experience with Budget Car Rental, and I feel compelled to share my frustration. Despite having a confirmed reservation, I arrived at the Budget Car Rental location in Cleveland, OH only to find out that there was no car available for me to rent. This situation not only disrupted my plans but also resulted in significant financial loss and a missed concert opportunity.
I had flown from Atlanta, GA to Cleveland, OH, specifically for the purpose of attending a concert in Akron, OH. Renting a car from Budget Car Rental was an essential part of my trip, as I needed reliable transportation to get to the concert venue. Unfortunately, Budget Car Rental failed to uphold their end of the contract, leaving me stranded and unable to attend the concert I had been eagerly looking forward to.
To add insult to injury, I had already paid a substantial amount of money totaling $634.98 including hotel and Uber expenses. Despite this confirmed reservation, Budget Car Rental did not have a vehicle available for me when I arrived. It is absolutely unacceptable for a company to say they will provide a service and then fail to deliver on that service, especially when it causes such significant inconvenience and financial loss to the customer.
What further aggravates me is the fact that Budget Car Rental continued to advertise available cars for rent on their website. I was so stunned and wondering what to do about my abandonment that I just sat down and started watching customers come and go after being told the same story as Budget told me. It is highly deceptive and misleading to advertise a service that cannot be fulfilled. This not only wastes the customer's time but also raises serious questions about the integrity and reliability of Budget Car Rental as a company.
I understand that unexpected situations can occur in any business, but it is the responsibility of Budget Car Rental to ensure that they have the necessary resources and inventory to fulfill the reservations they accept. If a car becomes unavailable, it is their duty to promptly inform the customer and provide suitable alternatives or compensation.
In conclusion, my experience with Budget Car Rental was nothing short of a nightmare. Their failure to provide a car for my confirmed reservation resulted in financial loss, disappointment, and a missed concert opportunity. I strongly advise others to exercise caution when considering Budget Car Rental as their service provider. It is essential to choose a company that values its customers and is committed to upholding its promises and contractual obligations.
Reviewed June 6, 2023
Budget Car Rental from Los Angeles, CA (LAX Airport) are Scam artists! We rented May 18, 2023, to May 21, 2023. Put 97 miles on it. Two weeks after we returned our tiny car that we rented for a family trip, we got slapped with a $450 ‘cleaning’ fee via a form letter in the mail. They claimed the car heavily (yes they wrote heavily) smelled of smoke and there were noticeable ashes and cigarette butts in the car. We don’t smoke. The car did not smell like smoke when we picked it up either.
We asked for photos, they sent these very vague photos as evidence, laughable really. The photos could be from any car, and they are not date or time-stamped. How do we know they didn’t just take a random cigarette butt and place it there for the photo? Make sure you get someone to sign off in the vehicle before you walk away. Take before and after pictures of everything, inside and out. Lesson learned. This is fraud. No Budget employees reviewed the car when we picked it up or dropped it off.
Reviewed May 31, 2023
Discrimination against the handicapped should be their slogan. I am extremely disturbed by this company's policies. Even after making it work due to name being the same on the credit card as the person driving the car, they can't do it even though I'd be next to my boyfriend with a valid license. I feel discriminated and hurt. Budget should be ashamed of themselves.
Reviewed May 26, 2023
They booked our car and reached 15 minutes before the pickup time to compensate for the delays. There are 45 more people in front of us and only two agents available who are extremely slow. In line for 3 hours.
Reviewed May 26, 2023
Our plane got diverted to Ft Meyers on our way to Ft Lauderdale. Decided to rent a car and drive. Guy at the Ft Meyers counter was super nice and helpful. Charge was 82$ - a little steep but we decided to take it. He said “it says return at 11:00 pm but you have to pay for 25 hours so you’ll have it til this time tomorrow.” Got to Ft. Lauderdale- went to the counter to add a few more hours to our 24 hour car. The lady at the counter said that she couldn’t help us and we had to call the reservation desk. Called the 800#. That guy said he couldn’t help us because he had no documentation showing that we picked the car up in Ft Meyers. Literally 3 hours earlier. Had to go back to the desk - I told that guy the situation and said we needed to get an extension on our rental. He said “this rental is only until 11 pm-“. I explained the guy in Ft Meyers said we had it for 24 hours - he said “oh he was probably a new guy and didn’t know what he was doing.”
In order to add a few more hours it was going to be an additional 85$. We were so frustrated- we checked it in - ended up forgetting some personal items in the car. Went back 30 min later to retrieve them - no one found anything. I have no idea what the final charges will be. Do not recommend using Budget at all. It is definitely not a “budget friendly” car rental.
Reviewed May 26, 2023
On many occasions that we have rented from the Budget location at the McLaren airport. It's always been a pleasurable experience. The staff is very helpful and the manager that has helped us a few times. His name is Michael **. Is always very knowledgeable, and seems to be a real leader for the staff. Experience leaves us to come back the next time we are in Las Vegas.!
Reviewed May 24, 2023
These people can't tell the truth. A $7 toll in CA. Costs me 26 Plus dollars. They never disclosed that I didn't have an option. Called Customer Service 5 times. They hung up on me twice. They should find another name for it because it has nothing to do with service.
Reviewed May 24, 2023
They misrepresented the total price they were charging me. Then lied about the refund or amount held on my credit card. I called to speak with the customer service representative and they could care less. Ridiculous!!!! Not an ethical business. Deceitful and sneaky. Shop elsewhere!!!!
Reviewed May 23, 2023
Prepaid to save money, after I checked in they ask if I wanted all this additional stuff, not knowing much about LA I thought ok if I don’t use it I’ll get my money back. Such a ripoff!!! Will never book another rental with Budget ever again!!!
Reviewed May 23, 2023
Same experience as: "Geoffroy of London," only it was AFTER I declined insurance and signed the contract, and as I was leaving that the agent said, "I'm going to give you full insurance because it's cheaper". AFTER I signed the contract. Additionally, when I received the contract the signature is not mine. I didn't catch what was occurring at the time. This is scary for consumers. Budget Rent a Car should be audited and fined for this predatory and illegal practice. I had to have a hard conversation with customer service who clearly knew this was a common practice before they removed the charges.
Reviewed May 12, 2023
Car was reserved for noon at the Sacramento Airport. I arrived 45 minutes early. The line was huge. It took over an hour to get to the counter. Two agents were working. Four work stations were vacant. Every other rental car company was well staffed and getting customers in and out within minutes. My son arrived 30 minutes after me, picked his car up from Enterprise, and was out in less than ten minutes. I will never rent with Budget again.
Reviewed May 9, 2023
This was my first experience with Budget. When we got to the agency at 11:00 AM to pick up our car (that I had pre-registered for 4 month prior) we were asked to wait for it to come to the location. About 20 mins later the car showed up. When going over the car pre-inspection they noticed that the cars registration was expired. So we were taken back inside and asked to wait while they found us another vehicle in its place. 20 more minutes later they showed up with another vehicle, again during the pre-inspection they noticed that this car had the same problem (expired registration). The next 40 minutes were spent calling around to other budget rent a cars to find a car for us.
We were then told we needed to go to another location to pick up the car. They ended up giving us a mini-van when I paid for the other vehicle. After 3 hours, I was finally able to drive away with a car. It was just an all around miserable experience. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and I don't believe I will ever rent from them again.
Reviewed May 5, 2023
Picked up my car and it had body damage in the front and back. They were not concerned. Just told me I had to take pictures all around before I you drive off the lot. Upon returning the vehicle days later $1277 charge shows up on my card saying I still have the vehicle out. Had to call customer service to show that I had returned car on time days ago. Next few days had another "service charge" of $60 nobody could explain and it was removed when I called about it. This company is terrible and the cars and in worse shape. The car was not clean and the previous renters contract and information was still in the glove box. Do not rent from them!
Reviewed May 4, 2023
I went online to rent a car at Las Vegas. When I got to the counter to get the car, they said they didn't have the class I reserved - if I wanted a car I'd have to pay more for the larger class. Stuck at airport, needed a car. Isn't this the bait and switch scheme - offer you one thing for a price, then they charge you more once you are ready to leave??
Reviewed May 2, 2023
I rented a car through Priceline, with Payless. The counter I needed to pick up the car from was Budget/Avis/Payless. I told girl at counter my reservation # and all needed info, explained I rented and paid through Priceline! When I returned the car I found they had set up a whole new reservation and charged me! I have been fighting with them for weeks to get my money back! They are telling me to contact Priceline to get money back! First, Priceline was cheaper, 2nd this was the girl at the counter's fault for not using my reservation! They must get paid commission. Now they won’t give me my 300.00 back that they stole from me by setting up a new, unwanted and unneeded reservation. I have called and emailed Budget over 20 times and they keep telling me it’s Priceline’s fault! I sent proof of reservation and paid receipt prior to my trip. I am beyond pissed that they keep blaming Priceline when it was clearly their employee's fault.

Reviewed May 2, 2023
O Stars if possible! The agent lied. Switched and baited a $300 fee after already having to pay $83 to go 100 miles from Orlando to Tampa. The agent and I discussed at midnight how we were re routed to ORL instead of Tampa due to a failed flight from Raleigh. He did not put in the contract a one way drop off fee and when she reprinted the contract with the new drop off if threw up a $300 fee. I called corp customer service and it took me 4 people and explaining that I have a contract that did not disclose this information for them to remove it. They tried through 4 different agents to act like, "Well sorry that's just how it is." No. I have a contract and I did not and will not pay!
Reviewed May 2, 2023
When we made our reservation, we were quoted an “x” amount. When picked up the car it wasn’t only scratched and dent everywhere, but also the tank wasn’t full as they claimed. We returned it full! Now, we are being charged more than what we were initially quoted. We did add a toll fee which is why we understand it is a bit more than initially quoted, but they can’t explain why they’re charging more. After about 6 replies to their emails, finally when they have no more excuses why they’re charging more, they got back to me saying they can’t help me because the reservation is not under my name. It is under my husband’s name, but funny how they had no problem dealing with me the first 5 times. Horrible customer service, and horrible company wanting to rip people off and stealing!
Reviewed April 30, 2023
A month after renting a vehicle they claimed I drove the vehicle an additional 2000 miles and damaged it. I had the vehicle for approximately 12 hours and drove about 861 miles. I disputed & received no response. 3 months later I received a notice that they were sending me to collections. I have received no bills from them. No proof that I damaged the vehicle and no response to their inaccurate claim stating I drove the vehicle almost 3000 miles in a 12 hour period which is physically impossible. They have responded to none of my disputes with the BBB or Texas Attorney General. Now I am having to take legal action to remove this from my credit.
Reviewed April 25, 2023
When I went to pick up the car at the airport in El Salvador, they told me I has no other option than to buy insurance, because they don't work with the insurance that my credit card offer. When I went to return the car, they took advantage of the fact that I was about to lose my flight, and blame that the car had a scratch. Good thing I took a video when I went to pick up the car. It's a pain in the neck for them to solve this issue for me. Be careful, they have very fraudulent practice.
Reviewed April 25, 2023
The Worst car rental experience ever! Unprofessional and poorly managed. I had a confirmed and pre-paid rental for 3-weeks prior to my travel, however, when I showed up at the airport at 9:00 pm they didn’t have a car for me. They informed me to come back the next day at 6:30 am. Where was I supposed to go? I was stuck at the airport for 10+ hours waiting for car! Absolutely Unacceptable!
Reviewed April 24, 2023
I was charged an outrageous amount for cleaning after a rental. $450! I can see an extra fee, but I can have a car detailed three times for that. On top of this fee, there was trash and opened food in the glove box when I got it.
Reviewed April 18, 2023
I recently rented a car from Budget for a trip to Florida. When I returned the car my CC was charged double what was initially advertised. They charge a fee for everything (EX: picking the car up at an airport) and do not explain any of these fees upfront! I called customer service and was told there was nothing that could be done about it and if I wanted to escalate the complaint "it's my prerogative". HORRIBLE customer service.
Reviewed April 14, 2023
This company will steal your money and not return it through ludicrous duplicate charges. I rented a car from this company in Washington State at the very tail end of December of 2022 until the very beginning of January. This company charged me $971.37 twice after emailing me a receipt showing an outstanding balance of $0.00 and upon confirming via recorded phone lines and transcribed live chats. I have made numerous phone calls and sent numerous emails to only be told repeatedly that someone was looking into it.
When I brought this to their attention, they flat out denied double charging me and insisted that I submit banking statements or they would close my claim. Upon doing so, I was either ignored or told again that was someone was looking into it. I want everyone to know that you should do business with any other rent a car agency EXCEPT for Budget. This has been going for months, how long is it supposed to look into a matter before returning money that you’re not owed Budget?! Avoid them like the plague at all costs please!!!
Reviewed April 13, 2023
The following was shared with Budget on Apr 10, they have responded but not fully addressed. I traveled to St Louis for Easter Weekend. While Budget did everything wrong the weekend was still good but you need to know and potentially address: 1. Time to rent the car (from time I got in line at center) was 1 hour, 20 minutes - appeared to be mix of staffing and focus issue. 2. Person ultimately checking me in seemed like she was training two other employees as she worked on three different rental agreements at the same time. 3. While car functioned correctly, interior stank like it has been previously used by a cigarette and pot smoker - it was rank (but after the long delay, I was not getting back in line).
4. At check in, it was clear that my efforts On Friday to explain that my rental would extend beyond 48 hours were ignored as I was charged a late fee, higher rate... my guess was nothing was updated in my rental agreement just to get me a car and get me out 5. Also at check in I was charged for gas even though I filled the tank less than a quarter mile away on my way to drop the car and offered a copy of the receipt. 6. On a positive note - your shuttle driver last night is a new employee with a good attitude - hopefully he perseveres. As my subject says - worst rental ever in a long business career of renting cars. Some of the check in stuff feels almost fraudulent - like let's bill this and if they don't complain we get extra income. You now have a chance to try and fix this - before I share.
Reviewed April 13, 2023
I made my car reservation more than a month prior to my arrival in NOLA. This reservation included a booster seat for my son. Upon arrival, there were no booster seats. They only had a 5-point restraint seat. My son is too big for that type of seat but too little for a regular seatbelt. Going against LA state law regarding car seats/booster seats, they allowed me to leave without the proper seat for my son. My son was left riding unsafely in a car until I was able to buy him a booster seat. I later donated it to this branch, hoping another child would not be left unsafe. I have sent my complaint to the main office and branch manager citing state law. This is not the first time I have had issues with car seats at this location however, it is the worst.
Reviewed April 11, 2023
This company does everything in their power to scam more money out of you. After paying over $500 for a Toyota Camry, I was assigned a Toyota Corolla. Much smaller. The line for customer service was ridiculously long and the line for the customers who preregistered was no better. I was talked into prepaying for gas but NOT told that I would be charged for an entire tank regardless of how full the gas tank was when I brought back the car! I was also talked into paying for "tolls" in advance, which by the way would only have been $10. I was charged a weekly rate of $65 for this. A total money maker on both of these items for Budget. When I went to check in the car when I brought it back, I was told they were "too busy" to verify the condition of the car and the gas that was present. Worst customer experience ever. I will never rent from them again. They should be ashamed they are trying to trick people out of their hard earned money.
Reviewed April 6, 2023
Beware the scammers at the Phoenix Budget car rental at Sky Harbor airport. My husband and I rented a Rav4 for 4 days in March. Getting the car was a nightmare due to understaffing, but that wasn't the problem. When we returned the car there were no staff present to check it back in. None. After wandering around the facility my husband managed to find a member of the staff (cleaning crew we think), who took the keys and said we were set.
Two weeks later we received a letter saying that we had damaged the interior of the car with "Spills -- Liquids -- Stains" and would be charged $125. Since we had neither consumed food or beverages at any time during the rental I reached out to Budget and disputed the charge. I said that if they did attempt to charge us for something we'd not done I would involve American Express. They responded that they could no longer talk to me since I'd initiated a "legal process" by involving my "bank." I told them, no, I hadn't reached out to AMEX, but would IF they charged me.
Then they sent me a damage report with a close-up photo of a very dirty car seat. It was clearly a back seat from its design, but whether it was from the car we rented was impossible to determine. What I could see was that the stains and other dirt looked well dug in and had probably been there for many months. They hadn't even mentioned the holes in the upholstery -- which I think would be difficult to attain through spilling a beverage.
I again reached back to them and let them know that I still disputed the claim, explained again that we hadn't had food or liquids in the car, and hadn't used the backseat. I asked whether seeking such damage fees was their standard when the car wasn't checked back in with an agent who would have looked at the car with us present and let them know I'd be contacting the Better Business Bureau (which I did), the ombudsmen of several travel magazines, and sharing my story on social media. Within two hours I received an apology for the inconvenience and told that they will not be charging me after all. Moral of the story -- don't trust these scammers. I truly do believe that this was the result of not having a walk-around with a check-in agent and they assumed I wouldn't fight or wouldn't be able to prove a negative. We won't ever rent from Budget again, and I suggest you think twice before doing so.

Reviewed April 5, 2023
I paid for this rental before flying to the SDI airport. Trying to get the car was bad from the start. He sent me outside to wait, no car. Eventually I found out where the cars were, which was way down the left side of the airport. I got a nice car, and drove it to my hotel parking lot. It was hit there, by men who were intoxicated that backed into it in front of the hotel manager and me. What I understood from the agent was that if I didn't buy his insurance, I would PERSONALLY need to have the car repaired. When those guys hit my car, and I don't speak Spanish, I flipped. It was one thing after another on this "vacation," looking for repair shops, and I was hit by 2 more motorcyclists, once driving back to my hotel, this guy tried to pass me on the left and slammed into my car. Fortunately, I had witnesses and went to the police, who said, "no accident."
I had the repairs made for about $400.00 US, then when I dropped the car off at Budget, they smelled the new paint and told me that I would be charged for damages. That freaked me out again. I had bought my own rental insurance before I flew into the DR... and I had told them that when I got there. Fortunately, the insurance I paid for covered most of their charged damages, except for the $99.99 for the "Airport Fee," which wasn't part of the contract, which I'm trying to get back from Budget. They also charged another $5.00 on top of what I had paid, for what they claim was the exchange rate, but that was not true, as I had already paid for the rental.
They also tried to charge me over $200.00, "cleaning fee," because I had left the car "such a mess, with cigarette holes and ashes and odors" NOT TRUE. I don't smoke, and I bathe everyday, I'm an immaculate person. I was alone this whole trip. That was more than insulting and insinuating to me. I stay away from the DR now, they know that they can do anything there to Americans and get away with it, lie, cheat and steal.
Reviewed April 4, 2023
I reserved my car online. Paid for it 99+ dollars. I get there to pick it up. They try run a credit check through my bank card then denied me and demanded another card. I am a U of M employee as well and now I and my son are missing our Pistons game. Budget Rent-A-Car sucks and needs to be shut down.
Reviewed March 30, 2023
I rented a car from Budget for my LA business trip. The car's battery was bad so I called the Budget Customer Service for assistance. They sent someone to jump start the car for me and advised me to get another rental car since the battery was low. I did get another car from Budget, but Budget dared to charge me for the Emergency Roadside Assistance of $162 + $29 admin fee. It is their problem of offering me a car with low battery in the first place. DO NOT EVER RENT FROM BUDGET.
Reviewed March 29, 2023
Make sure you always reread and get copy of your contract before leaving the agent! When you state No insurance needed don’t believe or trust the agent won’t slip in accepted. Make sure you see you declined extra insurance especially because most people already have the insurance needed to cover this vehicle. Yes my mistake of being too trusting and didn’t read everything, I just signed where I was told to sign.
Car was ok nothing special! Returning car at 5:30am to San Diego airport, I was shocked by the extra over $200 charge and there was No one to help explain! I complained by email and Mr. Kazi ** responded and the charge disappeared for a day so I believed it had been taken care of. WRONG, the charge appeared the next day for over $200.00. Beware of this company and don’t trust or be fooled that the agent will listen and do your request. Read everything and especially when you are declining Loss damage waiver and Supplemental Liability Insurance! Big money maker for Budget Rental! Don’t get taken advantage of like I did! Check with and go with a different car rental company!

Reviewed March 24, 2023
Terrible service! Do not rent from Budget at Tampa International Airport. Their cars are in poor condition. My rental was for 2 days. I picked it up and drove it 42 miles before finding the two front tires were completely bald and had extensive dry rot on them. I called Roadside Assistance, who informed me not to drive the vehicle because of the danger of a blow out. They came and picked up the car, offered to take me to the airport for another one, but it was not worth it since I was leaving the next day. Upon returning home, I called Customer Service to share my disgust with the experience. They offered to refund my full expense. HOWEVER, the two days later I received a charge on my credit card for $595.95! They claim they did not have the car back in their possession, therefore would hold me accountable for every day it was not returned.
The Customer Service rep I spoke to was nasty and unprofessional. Thank God I had the contact information of the tow truck driver. I called and they confirmed they did in fact return the car to the Avis/Budget Service Center at the airport. They offered me their data log and pictures they took upon delivering it back. I called Customer Service back and told them I had proof the car had been returned. After 10 minutes on hold, the customer service rep returned to tell me my facts were correct and apologized over and over again for the error. They claim someone made a mistake on their end and did not end my rental contract upon receiving the car. What a scam!!!
Thankfully I had the proof, but if I hadn't, they would have continued to 'claim' the car was not back. They stated I would receive a full credit for the rental and not be charged anything. I HAVE YET TO SEE THE CREDIT COME THROUGH ON MY CHARGE CARD! Do yourself a favor and choose another rental agency!The car smelt like cigarette butts on top of it!
Reviewed March 24, 2023
A nightmare experience of extraordinary proportions. The first and only time I will ever darken the door of a Budget rental facility. The full story is below in all its sordid detail, but if this is all you read, burn these words into your mind: “Never, for the love of all things holy, rent a car from Budget, and may ours be the last generation to see this dreadful company on the face of the earth.”
In what would prove to be one of the worst decisions of my life, I rented a car from Budget to drive from Indiana to New York City. I rented what was supposed to be a “Kia Rio or similar” and turned out to be a Ford EcoSport, which is a piece of crap and a bucket of bolts. However, it is functional, so I begin my drive. Somewhere on the outer edges of nowhere in the heart of Pennsylvania, one of the tires goes out with a bang. I pull over. I have changed my fair share of tires, so I think this is little more than a temporary inconvenience. Except there is no spare on this vehicle. I am stuck. I call Budget. After an interminable wait time, I get through to a customer service representative who sets up a tow truck to come get the car and assures me they will provide an Uber to take me to the nearest rental facility (65 miles away, at the Pittsburgh International Airport).
However, Budget does not directly contact Uber; they instead have a third-party arrangement with Allstate. So I get phone notifications saying Allstate is trying to get me an Uber, but since I’m so far from the airport, none of the Uber drivers are picking up. So I’m stuck in a repeating loop of text messages saying Allstate is variously trying and failing to get me an Uber. I finally order a Lyft on my own, having miraculously found a driver willing to take me to the airport. I arrive at the airport, pay for the Lyft myself, and go to the Budget counter, where I (the only person in line) wait for upwards of twenty minutes for a manager to arrive, who is apparently the only person empowered to help me.
When he arrives, he tells me since it is a Sunday, the tow truck took the limping EcoSport to their own facility, and are planning to deliver it the next day. In the meantime, it is Budget’s policy not to release a replacement vehicle until the first vehicle is in their physical possession, so there is (and I quote): “Nothing I can do for you.” He tells me he will be in to work the next day at 10:00 am at which point he can call the tow company to see when they can get the car to Budget, and once they have that, then and only then, can they give me a replacement vehicle.
Instead of waiting overnight in the airport terminal, I choose to order a Hertz rental (a process which is a breeze) and am on my way. In the aftermath of this experience, Budget reimbursed me for my rental, but not for the Lyft, saying, “If you choose to rent with us in the future I can take that Uber cost and credit it to your rental.” I will leave you to decide whether I will take this offer or whether I would rather be slowly basted in Hell first.
Reviewed March 23, 2023
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET! I was charged $400 for what was supposed to be a $180 compact rental for 4 days. That means they're trying to charge $100/day! Unethical, false advertising, scammers! There's plenty of other options.
Reviewed March 21, 2023
When picking up my rental on a recent vacation, the tire was flat on the first car they gave me. I got an upgrade to a car that then had a safety failure warning appear the less than 30 hours of receiving the car which made the car unsafe to drive. The car was towed by their roadside assistance team (they were great, once the tow ticket was submitted they were there within the hour). The customer service line was not helpful, and felt like I was being spun in circles calling different toll free customer services numbers to be told they can't do anything or they couldn't help with this issue. After multiple calls one person was able to tell me they couldn't process any of my information until after the car was returned and that it wasn't noted as returned yet, although it had been towed by their services the day before.
Reviewed March 18, 2023
Despite declining insurance they charged us for it anyway. Since it is a licensed location Budget head office refuses to help us and the location refuses to answer the phone. We received the insurance bill after passing airport security so could not go back to talk to them I person.
Reviewed March 15, 2023
Rented a car in Bensalem PA, manager have anger issues, gave me a pickup truck instead of a sedan, very dirty, confronted him with a video, he got mad and retaliated by scamming me and overcharging my credit card, Expedia and Budget won’t help. I boycotted both.
Reviewed March 14, 2023
There was a snow storm in Carson NV & since there was hardly tire tread on my Budget car rental the car could NOT stop, had to rent another hotel room, pay over $115 for a cab & budget would NOT refund me for the cab or hotel.
Reviewed March 14, 2023
We rented a car in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii through Costco Travel. It was a Budget Rent-A-Car (first time using Budget). When we returned the car, it of course had sand on the carpets. I don't recall ever returning a car in Hawaii, where there wasn't sand on the carpets. I just got a letter from Budget Operations, stating that my car was excessively dirty, and I would be charged for the damages to the car. What damages (there was sand on the carpet)? I am sure, that ALL rental cars in Hawaii, have to be vacuumed. This car was no different. So they want to charge me ($250) for something they were already going to do anyway.
Reviewed March 13, 2023
I booked a car rental through using my Air miles of 6,450 in March 2022 for 9 days in Kona, Hawaii. My return flight changed and I was only going to need car for 8 days returning it a day early, which I was fine leaving reservation as was and just doing that. Then my flight leaving my home in BC Canada was cancelled by airline due to weather and I was rescheduled for next day flights and same times as was one connection in Vancouver. Although Budget has policy to hold reservation for 24 hours they refused to hold this reservation of originally 9 days that was now going to be 7 (1 day later pick up and 1 day earlier delivery). I therefore had to book another car rental on the day my flight was cancelled at an expense of almost $1400 Canadian assuming I would be refunded my air miles points from original booking.
I applied that same day to get refunded those points minus the 11% they told me would be kept per their policy and then went on my trip. Upon return and more contact with Air miles they advised me that Budget refused to refund those air miles I booked the 9 day trip with originally and therefore they were unable to refund me. I feel that Budget Rent a Car has STOLEN my air miles after not allowing me to use them for 2 days less period than what they covered and I am beyond furious.
I will never ever use Budget Rent a Car again and I will be sure to tell everyone I know what an injustice this company did to me. When I talked to them at Kona Airport about having to re-book a car for which just sat in pick up yard a day and would be returned a day early they suggested that my air miles points weren't worth much to them, however I found out after arrived home they were worth enough for them to keep them and not refund them as a reputable and ethic company would have. I paid full asking price last minute for a car rental because they wouldn't extend a policy of 24 hour grace period for pick up that they offer other customers because I booked with my air miles points and YET they refuse to refund me those points of my original and unused booking. It's unbelievable and I feel like I have paid double, plus 2 days, for a single service for which I was not treated with any value or respect at all.
Reviewed March 8, 2023
I rented a car for work out of Charleston, SC. Not only did I have to stand at the counter for nearly 30 minutes listening to an employee talk about how awful Budget is and how much she hated working there, but they did not even bring the car to me. Instead I got loaded into a van and taken to a dimly lit lot to conduct a vehicle inspection which was rather hard to see. There were issues with the car I reported later after I got to my hotel and had lighting available. On top of that I fueled the car up prior to returning it and Budget actually charged me $5.99 for 0.6 gallons of gas. That was the gas I used to get to the airport. $5.99 is not a big deal, but I think Budget is very petty.
After poor customer service and listening to an employee whine for 30 minutes I cannot believe they would hit me up for such a ridiculous charge. They need to use discernment and realize that being charge for 0.6 gallons of gas is ridiculous. In fact if you look at the needle it reflected as being full because 0,6 gallons of gas would not even budge the needle. So it would take an effort to go to the pump and actually pump in 0.6 gallons of gas. For what? For $$! They were actively seeking where they could make some additional revenue. Ridiculous! I highly recommend another company.
Reviewed Feb. 28, 2023
2/14/23 10AM got car after 30 minute wait at counter. Left the airport and a sound under the filthy car became a concern. Stopped to look under the car and noticed the tires were all 4 bald. The car had 62M miles. Not somewhat bald, but beyond safe bald. Returned to Airport. 2/14/23 1 PM got another car after another 30 minute wait at counter. The car they gave me this time had enough bird poop on it to be in a Hitchcock movie. Left and all was fine until we got to our destination. Noticed a big white circle around one of the tires. Inside the circle was a huge slash with some cording showing. Took a picture of the tire to show how unsafe it was and wondered how in the world a rental car company could possible rent a car with a tire like that. Also, the spare tire had been removed. What a joke.
2/15/23 11 AM or so. Back to airport for a safe car. Some clown named Ron was there at the return lane. I was trying to tell Ron that the tire was unsafe and he said it was a recalled tire and it was safe and he'd drive it to California. I laughed sarcastically and he got a big attitude. He said he wasn't going to deal with me. I was truly shocked. This Ron guy said he had 19 years experience and had run a multi million dollar business. I said "So what, that tire is unsafe and ready to blow". He also commented on my wife's purse and shook his head. I've never in my life had a bigger fool as a customer service representative than Ron. He's a total joke and he was rude to others in line too.
Folks... don't ever rent from this company. Ron's attitude is the Budget attitude. Instead of an apology, I get blown poop from some idiot in the Ft Myer airport garage. You can do better folks. Again...beware of the worst business I've ever seen. BTW - I went to a Budget location in North Naples on Tamiami Trail and the guy at the counter acted like he wasn't part of the company and was independent in some way. He was less than no help and only aggravated me more. I asked if he'd get a car there for me the next day to replace the one with the bad tire and he said I needed to go back to the airport (another 30 minute drive).
Reviewed Feb. 28, 2023
Rented a cargo van in Florida, ref. #**. Got a filthy van full of trash, but were willing to overlook that and headed to our destination in N.Y. The van had severe electrical problems on Pennsylvania, where we sat in a snow storm without heat for 2 1/2 hours waiting to hear if a tow truck would arrive. 3 hours and 4 phone calls later, a mechanic arrived asking "why didn't they send a tow truck?" Good question.
After well over 5 hours of phone calls explaining our situation to at least 7 "roadside assistant" people, we have up and went to a nearby hotel where we paid an absurd amount for a room and continued to attempt to find out what Budget would do to help. No answers, and endless "I'm very sorry, but we can't tell you..." calls, currently just trying to find out if we will have a vehicle by check-out time tomorrow...I've already missed a deadline in N.Y. as well as my return flight to Florida and these people could not possibly care less. Worst customer service in my life (and I ain't young). Avoid this company like the plague!!
Reviewed Feb. 27, 2023
Every time I rent a car from Budget always a billing problem either with insurance or gas to keep it short. Take a picture of gas gauge and mileage so when they hit you with gas charge you have proof you return the car full also take pictures of dents if you see them.
Reviewed Feb. 19, 2023
Budget Car Rental doesn't even deserve one star for the service I received. When I arrived at the Jacksonville, FL airport at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 8, 2023 to rent the car I had reserved at 11 a.m., there was not ONE SINGLE PERSON working behind the Budget Counter. I waited in line for 50 minutes to speak to an Avis agent. There were only three agents working that day. I then waited another 40 minutes in the parking deck for my rental car. Their customer service is abhorrent and they should be ashamed to accept hard-earned customer money for this to receive this type of treatment. It took me longer to rent this car than it did to fly from Albany, NY to Jacksonville.
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2023
I picked up a car from PHX (budget rental) lady at desk was nice. However I searched for the car thru multiple lots, no assistance until I was seen as obviously annoyed! NO ONE showed me how to operate vehicle as I mentioned at desk. No one did a walk around vehicle with me. I videotaped my walk around. Front Right side had scrapes/scratches/indentations. I had to call roadside assistance to get an In-service on how to drive vehicle. (Hybrid). I paid in advance thru USAA And was charged additional 200. Dollars / then a 250.00 hold. Car was returned early as there were flight mix ups. This was very disappointing and USAA has been contacted based on my concerns. Know before you go!!!!
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2023
I rented a card. I did 2 extension on my rent. They charge right all time when I return car. They removed all charges from my account and took extra money from there, they even charged me for gas. Tank was full. I went to place, the customer service lady was very rude. She even assume mistake on overcharge, said to call corporate. The person there explain a few things about overcharge but they haven't returned 168dollsrd, the charge for gas tank is full and start asking for information about where we put gas... they should call their store. I fill just make difficult for customer to recover Money they still... This company is tricky. They took all transactions they did on my card during rental and extension, at the very end they overcharged my card. I do not recommend them to nobody. I feel this business should disappear....One star is way too much...
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2023
Traveling from North Carolina to Philadelphia with wife, one of my daughters and 6 month old granddaughter to deal with the murder of another daughter and custody of her son. Had to pull over in rain due to bad wipers; backup camera dysfunctional, several plugs in tires, hood popped up several times while driving. Tried to exchange car and was lied to about authorization. Lost a day trying to exchange and the second car was mechanically sound but seats were extremely stained. Worst rental experience ever!
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2023
I reserved a mid-sized pick up truck described as a 4-door Toyota Tacoma. What I got was a Chevy 2-door short cab long bed 2500 truck 15 mpg that rides like a tractor riding on tracks. The Budget app describes my rental as a Chevy Silverado 4-door double cab 4WD pick up that gets 19 mpg. I got a call the night before picking up the vehicle for verification that I still wanted it. I said yes and there was no indication that I would not get the vehicle I reserved or something similar. After spending 30+ minutes at the counter I was handed keys to a vehicle totally different from the one I requested. Too late to refuse the rental because I need to get back to work.
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2023
Faro airport Budget desk. After repeatedly informing the girl at the Budget Car rental that I was already properly insured, she slipped in additional insurance charges added to my Priceline price. A car that was supposed to be $79 cost me $224. Outright fraud, taking advantage of foreigners who cannot read Portuguese. RA # **.
Reviewed Feb. 7, 2023
I booked a one-way rental car from TX to AL and SPECIFICALLY paid MORE and accepted all the additional charges to receive and rent a FULL-Sized car. (I decided to clean out my storage unit I still had and was paying for in TX, after my move here to AL). I did receive said Full-sized Rental car, which was a nice big Honda Pilot that perfectly fit ALL my stuff I had left in my storage! That same morning, I go and hit the road and would’ve easily been in AL that same night! (It’s only a 11-12 hr drive & that’s with stops) HOWEVER, as I soon realized that wasn’t happening! I barely had made it out of TX, before the car started skipping and started clutching up uncontrollably!
This happened while I’m driving on the highway where the speed- limit was 80mph minimum on 31. Alert popped up on the Dashboard saying: “Transmission Temperature TOO HOT!!!” I somehow luckily avoid getting hit by other cars speeding past me, by immediately pulling over to the closet right exit - as I could no longer fully accelerate by pushing the gas pedal. There was a gas station right by the exit I took, where I then safely parked & promptly called Budget! After waiting over 20min for the Service Dept. to answer, I learned that the Location I was stuck at- WEST Monroe, LA, that their Budget location was closed for the day and I wouldn’t be able to exchange it out for another rental car, UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING!!! Btw -It was only 3 pm on a Friday!
Also their website says they close at 4:30 pm, which is a lie! I calmly asked: “So, what are my options here??” Budget then informed me that my ONLY other option would be to wait on their Towing Truck (which could be HOURS) and get it towed all the way BACK to Shreveport, which was almost 2 hours the other way I had just came in from! Oh and here’s the kicker- BUT their Shreveport location closes in 1 1/2 hrs at 4:30 pm and I wasn’t promised that their towing truck would be able to pick me up & get me there on time, before closing! Ha, a joke I thought! Now obviously being more than upset, I asked “So, what am I supposed to do now??” The Budget employee suggests “Find the closest hotel and Uber there.” Which I ultimately had to do, as I had been given NO other options, FOR THEIR **-UP!!!
So, not only did I have to leave behind ALL of my valuable items in the car, parked at this shady gas station. I then had to pay $50 for an Uber ride and another $186 for a Hotel-room in a high Crime-ridden city, where I felt like my Life was in Danger! (I’m a 21yr old, ** single female) Stuck in the middle of West Monroe, LA. To say that I was scared for my Life would be an Understatement! I didn’t sleep much and woke up a hour before Budget's office opened and arrived 15min early. After having to explain my situation all over to the girl at the counter, she looked at me with an attitude stating “We ain’t received no mention of you needing an exchange car.”
I asked, “Are you telling me that you don’t have ANY other cars here???” She said “Yea, we only got 1 compact size not any Full-size” When I asked to see it, to see if it was big enough to fit my stuff- she declined stating, “I ain’t gon’ show you the car, unless you gon’ rent it.” With NO OTHER options avail, I was forced to comply & sign a new rental agreement! Upon signing, I then finally learned the new rental was a FORD Escape. The towing truck had by then already arrived with my old rental car in the lot! I then learned not only, was I not able to fit all my stuff, as I had to now move ALL my stuff from the old rental car into the new one.
I noticed many items were broken, such as my beautiful glass vases my deceased Grandma had given me & other sentimental items were shattered, as my items were all shifted around from the car being towed! I also had to leave behind my 2 brand new/unused barstools- which cost $99 each, as they didn’t fit into my new rental car! ON TOP of ALL these costs I had to pay, again for THEIR MISTAKE, they really had the audacity to charge me an additional $302 for their POS Ford Escape which was a HUGE GAS GUZZLER that I had to fill up 3x TIMES, for a 5-hour trip, which cost me $40 each time! They really had the audacity to charge ME for $202 for “AN ADDITIONAL DAY” - ON TOP of all these “LATE RETURN FEES” which was ENTIRELY THEIR FAULT.
I am writing and calling their HR DEPARTMENT as I’m typing this out!!! I could’ve been seriously hurt, caused an accident or worse due to them not checking their cars for maintenance or even servicing their cars before they rent them out, ESPECIALLY their One-Way Rental Cars which OBVIOUSLY have to be able to make it LONG-DISTANCE!!!!! I am DISGUSTED by this horrendous Company and will never rent from them again and suggest everybody to STAY AWAY!!!
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2023
Put our lives in danger. Took more than 5 hours and multiple calls to be 'rescued'. Customer 'service' totally incompetent, rude, put on hold for more than 15 minutes, hung up. We could have been killed. PLEASE pay more and rent from a competent company.
Reviewed Jan. 19, 2023
I went online to rent a car in Rochester, NY. I paid for the rental with my credit card about $160.00. When I got there they demanded another $250 as a "security deposit for incidentals". It had to be a credit card because they won't take a debit card at that location. They sent me to another location that will take a debit card. I went there and gave them my debit card. The girl then told me they told her not to rent a car to me because of my credit, which they apparently ran without my permission in less than 2 minutes. She then refused to refund my money and said I had to call Budget main office. I called them and they cancelled my rental and said they would get around to refunding the money I gave them for NOTHING within 10 days. I yelled at the poor girl but I didn't swear. I paid $160. to Budget to be insulted and thrown out the door. My day and plans are ruined and now I have to take antacids all day.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2023
We were traveling to Miami and got a car from a Budget. First they didn’t get us a car we wanted initially and gave us different car. Since we’ve been traveling with kids we needed car seats. They weren’t installed in the car, we had to carry them from the airport Budget location to the car and install them ourselves. The real frustration we had, happened on our last day. Our rental car got towed. We had a flight back that day. Only Budget representative could get the car from the impoundment lot. They said we couldn’t do it . We had a flight back on December 15th.
Today is January 11 and they got the car only today! We got charged 3300 dollars. We kept calling them all this time, asking to get a car from the lot. They would say that they will pick up the car, however it took them so long for unknown reasons and now we get charged this insane amount of money. Also we had some personal belongings in that car and we didn’t get them back, no matter how we asked and talked to them. I don’t know how those people work there if it took them that long to get a car from the impoundment lot. We are very frustrated with the service that was provided to us.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2023
On December 25/2022 I rent a car, a Standard SUV, from 26 to 01/03. I went pick up the car at 7:00 PM at Miami International airport. I pickup my documents on time, and I went to pick up the car, when I was to pick up the car, a grand Cherokee 2019 with more than 55718 Miles, the car announce me the tires were low, the battery low and low windshield washer fluid, I came back to the counter and they send me back to an F6 line on the parking, at that time when they call me to give me the car, they were giving me a downgrade SUV, and smaller than the one I rented, and I ask why, the person told me that that was the car I rented, I said no way. I paid for a standard SUV not an small SUV.
I came back to counter and they send me again to the parking to a different section, they were giving me a GMC Terrain, at the time I check the car we notice the car have a nail on the back passenger tire. Another one with problem, then they try to give me another car but that car also was bad so the guy told me, "I'm sorry this car is not good." So we decided to talk to the manager and they finally gave us a good car, a Santa Fe 2023, is very important this companies that try to screw you giving me a lower car and the worst putting me and my family in danger life threatening, giving us a car which did not have the condition to drive on short or long trip, is we did not check those cars and the time of pick up I don't know what will be happened to us on the road, for sure something would be happened with those cars and our life in danger. I talked to Budget. They send me a link which is not working.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2023
I reserved a car on Budget.com from Phoenix Intl Airport in October 2022. The website showed the amount of $462.23 and asked for my payment information. After submitting my credit card information, the confirmation page showed that my credit card was billed for $678.70 due to additional “fees and taxes.” There was no mention of these fees and taxes on any page prior to submitting my credit card information. Budget then charged me a $50 cancellation fee to cancel. Fortunately, my credit card company supported my dispute and refunded me the $50. I’d like to think I had missed something in the reservation process (rather than thinking that a major car rental company was trying to rip me off), but I went through the steps of reserving another car later (without submitting my credit card information) and found that there was no way I could have known of the extra fees and taxes before paying. Shame on Budget!
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2023
Hi, On 12/28/2022 I called due to a Budget car rental reservation at BDL (Bradley International Airport) in which the original price was $359.77. When I called that day to make sure the car would be ready they simply asked me which number it was my flight and as soon as they changed it in the system the price increased to $1016.66 creating a very uncomfortable situation since I asked to speak with a supervisor to obtain a viable and fair explanation but I did not get anything about it. They had the line waiting for me around of an hour or more, which in the end they told me to send an email to budgetcsesc@avisbudget.com with the screenshot of the original price.
I proceeded to send the email and they created case # 52543276 but I did not get a response in time, making it take the decision not to rent due to the large price increase that I was never able to achieve is modified, nor could I ever get an answer as to why such an increase, in this case I lost money, time, inconvenience to per Are you helping me at 1:30 am etc... It is a huge DEFICIENCY that the client comes to trust Budget and due to ERRORS BY AGENTS, SUPERVISORS AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION with the client, things like this happen, I need an answer valid and compensation in this regard.
Regards
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2022
Recently rented a car from Budget in Salt Lake City. Upon arrival, an employee at the rental desk asked for my car insurance policy which I have never had to show before and found unusual. They were not going to rent car unless I provided insurance. As always I declined the rental agency insurance. Performed inspection before leaving the lot and found no damage. There were no dents, broken parts, or malfunctioning equipment. At no time did anyone suggest or ask if I inspected the windshield for a rock chip smaller than .25 of an inch. How much time should you take looking for such minor damage and everyday wear and tear after flying 4 hours across the country?
Upon returning the car the employee circled 7 rock chips on the windshield. At no time did any of these rock chips occur during my time driving the vehicle. Additionally there were 4 other vehicles on the invoice I received for the rock chip, how coincidental. So, my rental cost me an extra $50 which consists of $20 for repair and $30 for their time and loss of use. I wonder if those other 4 on invoice also did not take rental car insurance as well? This will be my last rental from Budget.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2022
I rented a car for one day, estimated cost was $185.20. The time was 6:10 pm and I returned the car at 6:45 pm. I was charged $228.19 late charge for 2 hours. This is a rip-off and they are not even bothered to fix the problem, the worst rental car company.

Reviewed Dec. 27, 2022
We rented a vehicle from Avis/Budget in October, 2022, at the Orlando Airport. The vehicle was in our possession for a total eight day rental period. We returned the vehicle in the same pristine condition as initially rented. Nearly three months later, we are receiving a damage claim in the amount of $461 from some company named Sedgwick that apparently handles all of the Avis/Budget damage claims. We are being requested to submit payment of $461 with no photo documentation, damage detail, claim itemization, or repair estimate.
The car was returned to the very busy return center in the Orlando Airport terminal, a very chaotic scene with multiple passengers coming and going and multiple vehicle returns. We exited and examined vehicle again and Avis/Budget representative then informed us that our transaction was complete. We inquired as to inspection and clearance of vehicle, however, we were informed at that time the inspection would take place at a later time.
Given the fact that the vehicle was returned in pristine condition and he damage claim was suggestive of a small ding or scratch, none of which took place during our rental period, one might infer that the representative was noting pre-existing damage or damage that occurred following return of the vehicle to the terminal. My suspicion is the latter, but could be either case. Regardless, no information, detail, itemization, photos. Cars and passengers coming and going, vehicles coming and going, Avis/Budget reps coming and going, and inspection not taking place at that time... This is an invitation for a vehicle to be dinged or scratched and an invitation for a bogus damage claim to the previous renter.
I am a physician, I don't care about some $461, but what I do care about is the principle of the matter and the highly, highly questionable actions on the part of Avis/Budget. In all of my years of travel, I have never experienced such nefarious action on the part of any other corporation. It's almost suggestive of an intentional scam, however, my suspicion is that it is merely a result of bad practice and incompetence. In either case, I can't emphasize enough the fact that prospective renters should look at any and all other rental options.
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2022
I rented from Budget - and was in an accident. I notified the company the day after the accident. In addition to the charge for damage to the car (my insurance), I was charged for 29 additional days of "rental", while the car was sitting in a wrecking yard. This amounted to over $4,000.00. So far Budget has not answered any correspondence from my insurance company. 50 years of car rentals, and first time with Budget. Big mistake.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2022
I waiting for exorbitant amount of time the last two times I rented a car through Budget. One time was at the Fayetteville, NC airport and once was at Tampa International Airport. I waited 3 hours in Fayetteville and over 4 hours in Tampa. The wait in line at budget was long than the flights. They were not prepared to receive clients. They yelled at the people in line. They had no sense of urgency. They didn’t care what-so-ever. What is the point of having reservations then having to wait up to 4 hours in line once you arrive. In Tampa, at 4 hours, I just left the line….I only moved about 1/2 through it which meant that that line could have been an 8 hour wait. I went up to another car rental company and rented one immediately. I highly recommend to pay the extra $5 a day to get a car from another company. Budget is the worst!
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2022
Budget Rental Car rented my family and I a car for our annual family vacation. We were almost rear ended twice as the tail lights and brake lights did not work. We called Budget roadside assistance and was told "Too bad, don't drive the car" and no other rentals were available. We had to Uber and Taxi our entire vacation. Cost us $700 for the rental (only drove from airport and back using only 160 total miles). Also an additional $800 for other means of transportation for our 8 day stay. We were yelled at, honked at, swerved at.... because we had no tail lights until a nice driver told us our lights didn't work. Doesn't Budget check these safety features?
The car was junk, smelled bad and was unsafe for the road as per DOT regulations. Also, an officer approached me at the gas station and said my plates were expired (May 2022). We traveled in December. Also the taillights did not work. I told him it was a rental from Budget. He said, "That makes sense, they are terrible." We have filed a safety lawsuit against Budget Rental Car. They placed my family and I in an unsafe vehicle, and they told us "Too bad." They also are refusing to refund us for this mistake. This will cost them hundreds of thousands. Budget failed on their policy. See them in court.
Reviewed Dec. 17, 2022
We had a dead battery, probably due to a failed battery in the keyfob/remote. When we called for roadside assistance, the staff were WAY more concerned with how we were going to pay for the service than actually providing the service. Keep in mind, we had just left Death Valley Nat'l Park, an area with some extremely remote locations with no cell coverage. If this had happened a day sooner, we would probably be skeletons in the desert with our soft parts being picked clean by buzzards and you would be seeing our sad story on the nightly news. As luck would have it, we were in a small town about an hour out of DV and we could call Budget for help.
If only they could have been more helpful! Our last Budget rental, we got a "low tire pressure" warning within a few minutes after leaving the airport, resulting in a flat tire the next day while we were at a funeral home. Same story, Budget didn't want to take responsibility for their poor maintenance. Never renting from Budget ever again!
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2022
Be aware before you rent any car to review everything. I was charged 375 dollars for being late one hour so one day rental and one hour cost me 475 dollars in economy car. This is a rip off and they not even bothered to fix it. The guy telling me it is what it is.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2022
Extreme unsatisfied rental in Madrid airport charge me extra 288 dollars for (upgrade a car) when in my original agreement I pick a 4 doors car not 3, anyway agent say charge will be 185 extra and now my Amex show 288 dollars extra...never go with them again.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2022
December 1st I had a fast track rental setup with Budget. Went to the fast track board at the car park area and they did not have my contract paperwork there. The fast track booth was closed and no one there. This was right before midnight. So I had my wife wait there, with our luggage while I went to inquire why my paperwork was not where it should be. Found a huge line up to get to the counter. Found that many of those in line were also expecting fast track service. 2 hours and 30 minutes later I finally finished at the counter and then had to go to the complete other side of the airport to finally get my car. FYI - Avis was as bad. None of the other car rental company had more that 2 or 3 people in line. NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET OR AVIS.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2022
Rented a car from Budget Rent-a-Car from Dallas Fort Worth Airport on Nov 7 2022 returned it to them on Nov 11 2022. I returned it to DFW Airport rental car return (hideously difficult to find in the dark) but it was 6 am and the Budget counter was not open but had an arrow pointing to the Avis counter. I stood in line for 40 mins and finally spoke with an extremely unhelpful attendant who took the keys from me and said he would check it in when he had time. I didn't trust him. When I returned home I called Budget and asked for a written receipt of the rental car return which the extremely unhelpful budget employee finally sent to me by email stating that the check-in date was Nov 11 and the total rental cost total was about $500.
Of course 3 weeks later they send me a "your car has just been returned" text notice on my phone saying that the car had only just been checked in and that they had charged my account over $3000 for the rental - seriously, they actually took the money out of my account, no phone call, no email warning me that this was coming, just took the money. I'm currently trying to buy a commercial property and this charge completely ruined my credit status for the real estate loan application. Another hour on the phone, they admitted they made a "mistake" and said the money would go back into my account in 3-5 business days and hours later today, I'm still trying to get a written confirmation of this from them. Never Again! So glad I forced them to send me a written receipt of return.
Reviewed Nov. 22, 2022
Rented car online because of discounts, charged my card almost twice as much as quoted price because of fees. Was not shown this until after I hit pay. When I cancelled they charged me 150$. Will never use them!
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2022
I was astounded today to find out that a prepaid and confirmed rental car reservation at Budget does not mean you will be able to pick up a car. When we went to pick up the car at the assigned time and location, we were told “Sorry, we don’t have anymore cars to rent.” After explaining we had a prepaid reservation the customer service staff simply repeated she did not have any cars to rent. WE had to ask what the next steps were and she simply said, "Call customer service and ask for a refund." She didn’t even volunteer the phone number!
After a great deal of hassle getting that number the call center (sounded like it was outsourced to India-very difficult to communicate clearly) conversations went like this, “We only have cars available at the airport. Can you drive there? (By the way, this is over an hour away from our location) Then we can help you with a car.” She then informs us that the prices are different at each location and we will have to pay more! We didn’t mess this up! Why did we have to pay more for a car they didn’t have?
So, after this experience we learned… Budget Rent a Car does not maintain accurate inventory, prepaid reservations mean nothing, pricing means nothing, their customer service is terrible, and they have no concerns over ruining family travel plans or stranding people with their unreliable reservation practices. I would not recommend using Budget Rental for anything!
Reviewed Nov. 15, 2022
They charged us for insurance even though we provided our own insurance and gave us a terrible car that smelled like dirty feet. The car was way smaller than what we paid for. Customer service was rude and hung up on me.
Reviewed Nov. 14, 2022
Wait over an hour to get up to desk. Guy at desk talks to me into a free upgrade that will cost me no more than my reservation that I confirm will not up the price at all because we were on a budget. He agreed, got a better car for pretending I had a Costco membership. Come to find out I opted in for some optional insurance (I clearly remember saying, "We are at our budget. I need nothing extra because we can't afford it") that ended up costing an extra 212 dollars and bumped our base pay up on everything else to equal $424, over $250 more than I was quoted at the counter. There were a lot of pages of small print, we had been up since 5 am, I asked for transparency and confirmation and trusted the gentlemen. I contact support after we get back and I got receipt, was hung up on the first time because I asked for terms and conditions and when denied repeated them over the recorded line after I looked up online.
The 2nd time I was offered either 150 dollars in refunds but the offer only stood if I took it or I could go to management, went to management because it's the principle only to wait another almost 2 weeks and get an email ending I quote "Your experience has been forwarded to our Management Team and we are currently working on ways to make our rental process and its underlying details more evident". How do you admit to not being transparent yet refuse to satisfy the integrity of a contract. Just use a real company, I ended up paying more than if I used a 5 star. My company is doing a work trip and asked me about my experience with Budget and I told them to only use this company if they had zero other options. They went elsewhere. Thank god.
Reviewed Nov. 14, 2022
I arrived at PR the last November 4th at 7;30 pm. I picked up the car and traveled to the Airbnb, I arrived at the place around 10:25 pm. When I arrived at the place, I had A Carjacking. Two armed men took the car and everything else. I called the police; I followed all the procedures. the police officers were very helpful. I called Budget at SJU airport so many times to report the incident, but nobody picked up the phone. The police called with the same results. I called the main phone number from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am. When someone picked up the phone and I explained the situation...
I had a different reaction from all the people with that I must interact. some of them tell me I felt so sorry but If nothing that o can do we do just reservation or some others put me on hold and after a while then hung up the phone. Nothing happened. The following day same situation in the afternoon a guy finally connected me with the Law Enforcement department after 3 attempts because the calls were disconnected, I spoke with someone and reported the incident. I asked for a replacement car, but I was stocked in a place without money, transportation, or ID. This person connected me with another department, and they told me that they have no authorization for a replacement. I tried the same thing several times and still without a replacement.
Thank the Police officers that told me what to do at the airport and gave me a copy of the report and the owner of the Airbnb place who drove me to the airport the following Monday... I arrived at SJU airport. I stopped at the Budget counter, and they have no idea what they need to do. After around an hour, they took a copy of the police report. They don't have a copy of the previous report that I did by phone. I felt very frustrated. Budget car rental had been inept during this awful experience. Until now I don' heard from them. I am going to ask for my money back. Never in my life, I will be doing business with this company or AVIS, because is the same thing. They should have Zero stars as a review.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2022
I would give a negative star if I could. Booked my rental car with Budget through Costco for the Phoenix Airport pickup. When I went there to get my car the sale associate kept trying to upgrade me (great deals, etc.), but I said no thanks. When we got to our place, I looked at the invoice he put in a packet and realized that they did upgrade me and charged me an additional $160. I called that day and asked if I should return or what to do. They said to keep the car and then they would reimburse me when I returned the vehicle.
The day after I returned the vehicle I called - they said they would credit my account. I called again several days later as I was not seeing a credit, and they said the same thing - wait. The next day after that call I noticed another charge on my credit card for Budget Rental for $600 in another state. I had to cancel my credit card and dispute the charge (which is a huge hassle). Then they did a third one for the same amount for Budget Rental in Arizona. I had to dispute that charge as well and am still disputing the initial charge - which we are going on 2 weeks. I will NEVER ever go through Budget Rental again. Just be wary - check your invoice immediately before leaving the Budget desk in case they upgraded you without you knowing it. I have talked to others about this and apparently this is a thing!
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2022
We (our company) has rented from Budget for many years. Recently we have had issues but none that large until now. We "apparently" got a parking citation which (according to Budget "info") was $250.00. They said there was a camera so have picture. I have no idea but was surprised a parking violation was so high ($250.00) However, Budget bill to us was 401.25. They actually took 401.25 off our credit card before they knew the total. When I inquired they said a/ They always take more since they pay the bill late and get late fee?? What? Then they say if (and only if) they get a credit they put back on my card. 1/ I never got the fictitious picture and b/ How/Why would any company OVERCHARGE because of their incompetence of paying on time? This is just an infraction.
If I parked somewhere I should not have (I have no idea) then I should pay the fine. No problem. But stealing the extra off my card is just wrong. 5 calls and still waiting for explanation. Warning, this is just a parking ticket. I can not imagine if it was something more serious. i.e make up a dent? Make up a??? We drive millions of miles (I have my own company) world wide and will never use Budget or their affiliates again (Budget, Avis, etc.). Just not worth it.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2022
I had a car reserved with Budget and upon arriving at the location I was told they had no cars. They sent me to another location (at my own expense) where they had a car. Instead of honoring their reserved rate, they charged me a new rate 500 dollars higher. Their new car was not what I had reserved but an old minivan that had antitheft alarm go off every time you got in. And the icing was that they charged me an extra $125 for leaving coffee cups in the car.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2022
-Show all the rental cars in the lot.
-Point out the damage(s).
-State aloud “I am still at the airport”.
This is the 3rd time I have been accused of car damage and the damaged was there before even moving the vehicle. It appears to be a racket to find a renter to pay for the damage. The second I stated that I had a video showing the damage and showing that the car was still parked in the rental lot, the adjuster closed the claim. Take that video. It will save you thousands of dollars in false claims.
Reviewed Nov. 1, 2022
I rented a car from budget at Richmond Byrd Airport in Virginia on Oct. 28, 2022. I checked in received my SUV around 11:30am. I was on my way to my destination. About 15 mins into the drive on a 4 lane freeway on a bridge I slowed down to a stop for traffic to an exit and the car died. Setting there in the left lane with no hazard lights I started to panic. That was a very dangerous situation to be in. On a 4 lane freeway with no shoulder. (On a bridge) I had to call 911 and the emergency service truck can and there was nothing he could do.
He called the state trooper who had big rubber bumpers on his SUV to push me to a safe space. There was no shoulder to push me to. The emergency service driver had to completely stop all 4 lanes of traffic and push me in the middle of the freeway because there was a open space there where the tow truck could pick me up. I call budget tow service and had to wait about an 1 hour and half. I was able to get a replacement rental. At 63 years old I have rented cars from budget for a very long time. I have never had a car to brake down much less just die on me.
I wrote a letter to budget and Mr. Jordan ** a customer service agent said that I would have to pay for tow service and I didn't have LDW, they would not compensate me with anything. I did have LDW in my rental agreement which I still have the copy. Why am I being charged for a defective car they gave me? I should not be responsible towing or anything else. I was only a few mins. form the budget rental at the airport. I should be reimburse for the inconveniences and putting my life in jeopardy being in that situation. The car they gave me had 34,000 mile on it. Please help... I think I am being treated unfair. Thank You...
Reviewed Nov. 1, 2022
Budget gives us a high mileage (close to 60,000 mileages) and 4-year-old car. Then one of cold mornings, we can't start the car because of the dead battery. We must find someone to help us to jumpstart it. We have to change our travel plan because of it. Also, the towing company never shows up. We canceled the service.
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2022
Rented a vehicle from them in March from Logan International. When we arrived, the counter was closed, with no sign pointing to the Avis counter. It was just a quirk that we figured it out and went there. Had the car for a week, returned in on March 26. On October 17, MORE THAN SIX MONTHS after we returned the vehicle, we received a letter stating that there had been glass damage, and twenty days after the date of the letter (which was October 6), we would be charged on the credit card for the damage. When we received the letter, eleven days had already elapsed.
We requested evidence of the damage. We were sent a copy of the invoice for the replacement of the glass. That invoice was dated July 3. There was no information about exactly when the glass was replaced. No photographic evidence has been produced. There have been more than twenty emails back and forth, but there has been no further actual information from Budget.
We are particularly annoyed at the delay in notifying us of the damage. If they had to pull the vehicle from service, they should have notified us immediately, even if there was a delay in actually replacing the glass. We will NEVER do business with Budget (or Avis) again! And next time we rent a vehicle, we will take detailed time-stamped photos of the whole vehicle when checking it back in.
Reviewed Oct. 25, 2022
I’m in the military and I pcs’d to virginia, I rented a car because I got my car shipped to me from where I was originally at. My car came early so I dropped off the rental car early but they still charged me the full amount of money that I paid for the initial reservation. I called and asked why. They said that since I turned the car in early they changed the daily rate to match my original reservation total. So basically I got taken for roughly 6 days of rental fees. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. If you can change the rental fees on the fly for a customer unknowingly that's terrible business. I rented cars from avis, enterprise, dollar etc. Never had them do that to me. DONT use Budget ”hot garbage!”
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2022
I rented a car from Budget Rent-a-Car. I picked up the car at the Phoenix, AZ airport and paid the total contracted amount for a nine-day rental of $911.00. On the second day of my trip, I became ill and cut my trip short by four days. I also changed the drop-off location to the Tucson, AZ airport for a change of $75.00 (an expected amount). Due to the change in my flight, I called Budget to change the drop-off time to one hour later than contracted and was charged $158.00 (I was not happy about the amount but let it slide). When I received my receipt, the final payment that was charged to my credit card, totaled $1234.00. I called their customer service line to ask why my refund for the four canceled days wasn't reflected in the final bill. I was informed that Budget doesn't refund unused days.
After venting my disapproval, I was referred to a supervisor who informed me that I HAD received a refund for the unused days. He told me I received a special rate when I first contracted for the rental and that the special rate was no longer valid when I changed the number of days. Therefore, for all the days I DID have the car I had to pay the full rack rate. Caveat Emptor with Budget Rent-A-Car.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2022
The worst rental car company. Scammers!!! They charge us for a dent in the car that we did not do and the gentleman that checked the car before we left and unintentionally did not check in that spot. And if you research and Google you will see that the Budget in Tampa is doing that to a lot of people!!!
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2022
We rented a car from Budget Rental and when we returned car to airport there was nobody to receive said car. We left keys in center console and headed to our flight home. About 4 hrs later we get a call from budget asking where the keys were, we explained what we did and Manny told us he needed to look around and would get back to us. “Look around” to me means they had them and lost them. A few hours later we were charged almost $1000 for lost keys to our card. Trying to fight it with the credit card is useless as they pretty much said that they can do what they want. That being said DO NOT USE BUDGET RENTAL in Newark NJ at least. We travel often and have never ran into anything like this. Went through a lot of ** on this and with the conversation with Budget they had the attitude of, "We will do what we want." So please be careful and avoid them. You will be happy you did.
Reviewed Oct. 19, 2022
My wife and I rented a car for vacation in Canada 7/27 thru 8/4/2022, we prepaid the rental along with insurance thru Priceline, $716.84. Upon arrival in Canada, the Budget agent said he needed the card of the driver on file, we told him the rental was already paid in full, but he said since I was the driver he would need my card on file, so we gave him my card, then he asked if we wanted another driver added at no charge? So why didn't he just make my wife the driver and add me as the other driver? We turned down his offers for additional insurances because we were already covered thru our Priceline deal.
A few days after we returned the car, I was charged $334.77 for Damage Waiver Coverage and Roadside Assistance we didn't request. I have talked Priceline and Budget directly, I have given them all the supporting paperwork, Priceline and Budget have been no help at all. Budget offered a small refund, which I didn't accept because it would look like I'm just trying to get a discount and I'm not, and I feel this practice needs to be looked at!! It's like they are taking advantage of us old people! My advice is to stay away from Budget Car Rental!
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2022
Trying to steal money from you by many ways. Be careful and remember to take photos every kind of receipts, proofs. We don't want it to be complicated to take to courts but losing money also hurts. Business robber!
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2022
When I dropped my car off I accidentally left my transponder in the car and also handed my personal keys to the guy that checked the car in. When I got home I discovered it so I called and instantly made a lost and found report. I have had nothing but a runaround from that company at him. Also found out that my transponder has been in the car since I dropped it off and has incurred more than $350 worth of charges on my personal account. When I call they hang up on me or I get transferred to someone I can barely understand. I have had no help from this company and will never rent from them again. They did tell me I should go back to Chicago and actually look at the location to find my keys. I live in Florida. I can’t just go back there.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2022
I returned my rental at the San Francisco Intl Airport on time & full of gas, having it just filled up, and the fuel charge is on my credit card just before returning the car. They were backed up some 10 cars ahead of me at the return lane and I parked my rental saying I left the keys in the car as required. The rental agent said they would email me a receipt. I told the agent I had just topped off the gas tank. It shows the purchase on my Credit Card.
budgetdocuments@avisbudget.com. Upon trying to send that info to that address, I get a site error message. I don’t know why Budget has gone down in customer service, but this is out & out fraudulent incorrect billing. I am filing a dispute claim with Visa so they can bill Budget back after having reviewed my documents.
Reviewed Sept. 28, 2022
What a horror show. First they charged my card an extra $200 claiming it was a deposit, which was never explained to me at check out nor reflected on the "contract". Secondly they rented me the wrong vehicle apparently from what the contract stated. After being told it was going to be updated in their system and told by the person working there that this was the vehicle to take. Returned the vehicle and was told by the employee, "You're all set. Leave the keys in and you'll be emailed a receipt."
2 days go by. I've yet to receive a receipt in my email, so I call to see what is going on. Customer Service tell me the vehicle hasn't been returned. Boy was I shocked considering I was now back home in Rhode Island. Tells me it has to go the late check in department and a decision will be made in 5-7 days. I ask, "Well is this department going to follow up me." "No, they'll review it and send you a receipt in that time frame." Now a week or so later I see an email with my receipt. I think, "Great. They solved the problem," nope I see a charge for double the cost.
Obviously I call to find out what's going and I'm told the vehicle was checked in two days after I had returned it. I call and tell the guy that isn't possible. I was back in Rhode Island. Hey says he'll make a note of it. I then get an email a few hours later telling me there is no discrepancy in the system. I have now sent them my boarding pass and bank statements to prove where I was. All over a $144 car rent fee. Thanks Budget. I'm glad that at this point you have fraudulently charged me over $500.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2022
I had been renting cars for years with Budget. In my last 3 rentals I needed to make a pick up time change. In each instance to pick up or drop off the car 2 hrs early or late they wanted to charge me an extra $200. Even though I called and waited on hold for an hour to ask for the time extention. Budget you lost a loyal customer.
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2022
Reserve with confirmation number...when I arrive ...no car! Stranded ...call customer service no luck...it was just my luck to find a ride. Why I have to find a ride when I have a reservation to get a rental...no trust with this customer relationship... Never again!
Reviewed Sept. 23, 2022
I reserved a car 5 days before I needed it. I paid for the car and got a confirmation number. I thought I was set to go. I arrived to pick up the car and was told that I couldn't use my debit card to rent the car. The representative that I spoke with on the phone allowed me to use my debit card to pay for the car rental. I was never told I couldn't use the card to pay for the rental car. The amount of my rental was deducted from my bank account. They wouldn't give me a car. I was stranded at the airport with no way to go. I had no one to pick me up. I had to Uber that evening and the next day to get to my destination.
I was told that I had to "call this number" to get refunded the cost of the car. In my opinion, they shouldn't have ever charged my card if they don't allow you to pay for it with a debit card. I understand that there are rules surrounding certain payment methods, however, none of those rules were told to me at the time of the reservation. If it had, I wouldn't have paid for it. I am never going to use them again for rental cars. Be aware!!
Reviewed Sept. 22, 2022
I made an error in my reservation. I noticed it 2 hrs after I had made the reservation and it would cost me 70$ Online to cancel it and make a new one or a free cancellation over the phone if I made a new one at the same time but the new reservation cost me 100$ more.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2022
Went to pick up rental at Budget SFO - over 50 people in line and there was only 1 counter open. One lady was sitting in the back office, people sort of calling her out to help as everyone was so so frustrated approx 2 hrs wait time. But she was not even willing to look outside totally deaf ear pretend. Myself and few others end up paying more and going to other car rentals. One counter - budget can't figure out that how many reservations they have a particular time. Please don't make a mistake of going to budget, there are many other options.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2022
Back in November 2021, when I opted to pay in advance, the website was designed to bait you with a low price that does not include taxes, repeat that low price as a “total” when you reserve the car, then take your credit card information, then show the total with taxes in small print in the upper right portion of the page while drawing your eyes left and down the page with extra options in large print, then on that same page trick you into paying before you’re ready by labeling the button at the bottom of the page as “Continue” instead of “Pay Now” with no final confirmation of the total near that button. After I clicked the “Continue” button, expecting to go to a final confirmation of the total with taxes and no extras, I instead I got a message saying that my card was charged, and the higher total then appeared in bright orange numbers.
I didn’t even save money. That “Pay Now” price with taxes still wound up being a higher price than the pay-later reservation I had at Alamo. The website has since changed to confirm the total with taxes in both bold and orange print, then take your credit card information, then label the final button as “Reserve.” They still don’t show the total price with taxes in the car selection list like Alamo and Enterprise. But I’m done with this company.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2022
2. Supplemental Liability Insurance ($15.72/day)
3. ADR ($13/day)
However, all of those services are indicated in the receipt as optional services which I made it clear to the employee when I was renting that I do not want any optional service, and she told me that they are mandatory to pay them.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2022
I had a problem with the car when I picked it up. It had a screw in the tire and had a slow leak. The very first night I had to put air in the tire. I put air in the tire 4 times in 2 days. Called roadside assistance they were no help. Told me to go get the tire fixed and Budget would reimburse me for the fix, so I did. Try to get a hold of customer service when I got home Impossible. I will go ahead and pay for the repair myself, but I will never rent from Budget again!! Go somewhere else for better service. Thanks for nothing Budget.
Reviewed Sept. 6, 2022
Quote was 160.20 unlimited mileage. Was charged 491.00 picking up car. Kept it for 3 days. Fueled it up before returning. They did not ask for receipt and still charged for it and charged for mileage tax and fees 312.00 With a total 783.00 for 3 days. This was at the Las Vegas Airport. The employees were very unpleasant.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2022
While booking the car they showed a certain amount and changed drop off location prior to picking up the car. Now the bill has came and almost double the amount that I had to pay. Nobody informed me anything regarding this and every time each representative from customer service telling different charges on each time.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2022
About a week before Labour Day weekend in Canada (first weekend in September) I decided I would rent a car to do some touring. I went to the Budget website for the branch located in BCE Place, Toronto, and reserved. They had an option for a "Mystery Car", for which I was advised I would find out the make and model at the desk when checking in. The reservation was the cheapest of all makes and models, so, thankfully, I didn't have high expectations. Also, the reservation stipulated a daily limit of 200 km, after which I would be charged an additional $.20 per km. I was peeved at the daily limit, as I was hoping to go for some touring outside of Toronto, but I accepted the limit (and adjusted my plans).
When I arrived at the desk, I was awarded the smallest car in the fleet at that location, the Kia Rio. I told the clerk I was hoping they might try to make me happy with a better car when taking a chance on the "Mystery Car". They just laughed and said when I book late I should expect the worst car in the fleet. Customer service from Budget is in short supply. Subsequently, I have done the math and it would have been cheaper and more flexible for me to have rented a Zipcar (they limit the KM to 200, too, but they also cover the gas). I won't book at Budget again! Bad deals.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2022
We were heading on vacation in November so when a promotion came up-I took it thinking it was a good deal. It was all a lie. For Amazon Prime days they ran a promotion for 20% amazon gift card within 3 days of pay it now option. All a lie. Nobody would respond to emails/calls or chat. It says no Reps available ALWAYS so you can never get a hold of anyone. False advertising. I will never use this company again. Being lied to by a company is the worst.
Reviewed Aug. 31, 2022
I reserved a car through a email promotion for Budget Rental Car/Amazon. The promotion stated that I would receive a 30% discount and a 20% Amazon gift card if I reserved a car before July 13th. I followed the promotions instruction and reserved my car on July 12th. After I returned from my vacation and waited 72 hours, I noticed that I didn't receive my gift card. After several attempts to call customer service, I finally got in touch with a person. After reviewing my account, they stated that I did not do it properly and instead put in a corporate code that only gave 10% and no gift card. I said it was impossible that I put in a code since I don't know any such code, and I explained why would I settle for 10% when I could get 30%, plus a gift card. I asked to speak to a supervisor and I was told I would get a call back in 48 hours. The whole experience leads me to believe that this was a scam. Beware!!
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2022
I reserved a car in Boston Logan Airport. Paid like $500 in advance for a week. Then the saga had begun at the Rental Car counter. The line was very long, estimated 100 or more people waiting. After about 40 minutes, I previously sent Budget all kind of information and she typed again the reservation had online. The car had many signs of accident damage. Bumpers were loose twisted and the car had scratches everywhere. It had many large spots of bird feces on the top and sides. Inside of the car I found the previous renter's contract, many pieces on napkins, a bottle of alcoholic beverage and dirt. The gasoline level was 3/4 full. I have pictures to document all of this.
Nobody was around to give me a different vehicle. I decided to drive the vehicle and drove to the exit gate since I was late due to the wait at the counter. The person at the exit gave me a pink slip stating scratches damage. He said bring back the car 3/4 full of gas.... I was told to go back to the counter to complain but I had to go because I was already late. He was visibly upset because I was complaining.... I used the car driving through tolls twice but charged over $200. It seems that Budget is a Third World rental company renting a dirty wreck charging 100 times more to go through tolls. I will file a formal complaint ASAP to many customer forums. Obviously I also demand refunding my cost.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2022
The trouble started when the car would not respond to the key fob. It was just dead. We tried to change the battery on the key fob. Nothing. We were told to locate the auxiliary key in the key fob. We found the auxiliary key was missing and that really started our issues. This was at 2:15 PM on Saturday. Two of us were in route to one activity when the other could not get the car to respond to go shopping. We were staying in a rural and mountainous Colorado where phone service was an issue. We attempted our first call to Budget at 2:15 PM. We were dropped 5 times even though we had bars and service. We would get beeps like our call was being picked up and then our wait time/place in the queue would start over. It seemed like people were picking up calls, not talking, and then ending the calls. We would hold our place in line for up to 30-50 minutes without talking to someone when suddenly our call would end.
We tried to call the place of rental back (the airport budget office). I explained what was going on with the car and calls to Budget’s Roadside Assistance. Two people there said they could not help me. They said I had to go through Roadside Assistance. I asked if there was a way they could put me through to a direct agent so so didn’t have to wait and get dropped again. The manager said yes. He then transferred me back into the Roadside Assistance queue that we had already had issues with it even after we explained we seem to be having issues holding a call over 30 minutes to get the help we needed. He put us in the standard queue anyway.
We resorted to try to use the text version of the online roadside assistance. This was mind numbing. We received no verification that this was being effective or that our request was under review. Then we finally got in touch with someone. So we thought. The roadside assistance agent could not seem to understand that the auxiliary key was not in the fob. This was mainly because she interrupted us every time we spoke. Our AirBnB directions specifically stated not to rely on GPS. We had to tell her/explain this and then attempt to give the directions given by her he AirBnB host. This was largely because she would interrupt and not listen. We had to repeat additional phone numbers because the remote nature of our stay. She seemed annoyed with taking additional numbers down. We gave additional numbers when she stated the text/online roadside assistance had called several times and we would not answer and their calls went to straight to voice mail.
We explained that we were remote and understood that our reception would not be ideal. She then said a tow truck would be out and we could ride back into town and get a replacement vehicle. This was 4:15 PM on Saturday. The nearest Budget was 40 miles away and closed. The nearest open Budget was over two hours away at an airport. She knew our location as she had our address for the tow. She should have known this. She never asked if we were in a safe location. When we gave the additional information she inverted most of the phone numbers. When it came to my turn to give my number, I was frustrated at this point and her interruptions were a nuisance. We had been on hold for close to 3 hours at this point over the course of 8 odd attempts (seemingly picked up and then put back on hold).
I was indeed rude with Ms. Interruptive Agent. I told her she needed to actually listen and stop interrupting and maybe she could get the numbers right. I gave her my number again. I then responded rudely “Great, you understand numbers now” when she got my number right. She told me that I needed to watch my tone and not talk so rudely (not exact quote because by this time I was ticked). She said that she would put in for a car to be sent out to us and the tow then. She said she would text all three phones when the request was processed (4:15 PM). By 5:45 PM we had not received a text saying our request was processed. We called back. After a 45 minute hold that was dropped and then a 50 minute hold that was dropped. We finally got in touch with someone not in roadside assistance that said that our request was still in processing and they could not see what was going on. Still not text received.
We then around 9 PM, received a call from a agent who seemed worried and diligent. She said she had just received our request. She asked if we were in a safe location. She asked about what was going on. She seemed worried that our request had sat for so long. It appeared that the agent who I was “rude” to just left us abandoned and didn’t fully place our request. So my direct nature seemed to hurt her feelings so she must have felt secure in her decision not to process our request. That’s super dangerous. So around 9 PM, our request for assistance seemed to be moving due to this diligent agent. So it took from 2:15-9:30 PM to get our request for roadside assistance moving.
Around 10:00 PM we got a call from the tow truck driver saying he was at the Budget counter at Colorado Springs Airport saying no one was at the counter or picking up and asked us to call. We called the Budget counter. An agent did pick up. We explained what was happening. James the Agent said they had not received a request for a two-n-tow from roadside assistance. They had to look up our case. They then asked how we planned to get the care back to them since we flew out of another airport. I said that was not my problem. I rented a car to get us back to the airport we flew out of and that was my intention. James said right, we will figure it out. I explained our experience to James. They said they understood all too well. Our tow truck driver finally arrived at 1:30 AM with a car and removed the non responsive car. So 2:15 PM Saturday until 1:30 AM Sunday to get this resolved.
Our experience was less than ideal and not really worthy of even a one star. Stay away from Budget. Their prices aren’t all that good. Their roadside assistance is horrible. Additional training is very desperately needed on customer service strategies and de-escalation. They also need ways to help customers with limited reception and a way to manually put them through to an agent in these situations. This was by far not only the worst car rental experience, but probably the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my 49 years. This cost me a full day of my vacation with no apology given. They also need to make sure that the auxiliary key is part of the check in process.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2022
We rented a vehicle from BUDGET at the Lihue Airport in Kauai HI in March 2022 and had it for 6 days with NO DAMAGE! We returned the car and a young man walked around the vehicle with my husband for inspection - all fine and we were on our way. 3 months later a letter arrives from Budget (along with a company called Sedgwick) stating their vehicle was damaged while in our possession for a cost of $1600+! This was simply not true- at least not while in our possession! After spending countless hours of my personal time explaining there was no damage while we had the car, (yes I had bought insurance), and NO pictures or proof were ever sent to me, and after Viking Collection Agency became involved, the insurance company paid the claim! (Probably to make it go away). ADVICE: Take a video of your vehicle before and after use so you can hopefully avoid the Scam!!!
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2022
We booked a 12-passenger van for me and my family to go on a road trip. We booked the rental over a month in advance and received a confirmation. When we arrived to pick up the vehicle they rudely stated they didn't have it. They had no other large vehicle to rent nor would they give a discounted rate if we got two separate vehicles. I called corporate and they were just as rude. We never got our rental. Will NEVER book with them again!
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2022
I returned a rental "Toyota Tacoma" I had for the weekend from Budget at Denver International Airport and fully gassed it up with receipt just outside of airport property. A few days later got a digital receipt that said I used 9.9 gallons and they charge me $117 for the full truck. I called and sent 2 emails and it was next to impossible to get a human or correct person. My conclusion is they either have stealing gas from them at Denver facility, the person checking car in made an honest mistake or they do it on purpose. Either way, next I sent an email to their security department with all clearly supporting documents and they did not respond.
Conclusion BEWARE of your final bill before you leave the DIA airport. If you leave after and like me, discover they billed you for gas you have zero chance of getting that overcharge back. Only option is to take them to small claims court, which I would easily win, but I won't get paid for my time, only 3X damages. Absolutely joke of an operation. NEVER RENT FROM THIS COMPANY!
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2022
I attempted to rent a car while on vacation in Denver at the Budget inside of the Clarion hotel. The so called manager was disrespectful and rude. If you ask him a question it was met with hostility. He refused to answer my questions and continued to direct me to customer service who were also no help. Called three separate times and got three separate answers to the same question. I was there two hours past my pick up time only to have to catch a Uber and lose the money I put down to reserve the car.. I will never rent from Budget again. I have one star only cause this site made me but they don't deserve that.
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2022
Expecting higher than normal rates after stories heard, but we never expected the final total charges. At the airport in Moncton we were told almost $2,600., unlimited kilometers. (which is outrageous) We changed the drop-off location to our home location and given a slightly higher total. Received our e-receipt of $3929.12 for a 1 week rental. Is this even legal?!!!
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2022
Reservation made through Budget's online booking system, which indicated multiple cars available. When I arrived at the rental desk, I was told Budget was not honoring online reservations made less than 3 days in advance. Budget should not have online booking if not honoring it.
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2022
We had a prepaid reservation through Budget online. My husband has the account with Budget, so I reserved under his name, and used our business card to pay for it. The flight arrived at 2am in the morning. When we got there we provided the reservation and my husband gave them his card, but they said the number didn't match. We realized it was my card that was used and they noted the numbers match, but they can't use my card because it is not my husband's card. My name and my husband's name appear on the card. They are both linked to the same account. It has my name and under that it states my husband's name OR my name. But the lady at the counter would not have any of it.
Not only that, but we did not take their insurance, so we had to call our insurance company (yes, at 2am) to get someone to advise rental cars are covered by the insurance. The insurance agent even stated as a rule of thumb, the same coverage we have on our car would apply to a rental car. The only way we could get a car at this point was to use a different card and the original reservation was not valid... they gave me a number to call to get a refund for the pre-paid reservation.
It was after calling this number we were advised that the ATL location is an independent office, and that the person on the phone could not look up the new reservation we had to make to verify there was a new reservation. The corporate office still put forth a refund but I would say beware of any independent offices, because it's not the same. Budget at ATL did not seem to have the car class we reserved, they did not honor the rate for a substitute, we opted for a full-size car from small SUV and paid more for the new reservation. Not only will we rethink using Budget, we will do everything possible not to fly through Atlanta again.
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2022
I reserved a car rental at Catonsville location at 6610 Baltimore National Pike two weeks ago to be picked up today 08/13/2022 by noon. I got a call from Daniel ** who is an unruly, distasteful and unprofessional employee who told me that he didn't have a car that I should call the airport and see if they have a car for me. He seems not to care at all to help me out as a customer who has been renting at this location for over 10 years. I asked for his employee id which he refused. He told me that if I can get a car at the airport, I should call them myself. What a very poor customer service. Daniel shows no empathy for the disappointment.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2022
Two days after returning our car I received an e-receipt with an additional charge for $160.00 that only stated "non-package items". I phoned Budget and after 15-20 minutes of an automated phone loop, I requested a call back which I received within a few minutes. I was informed that the additional charge was due to a "late return" which I relayed was completely false as my return time was for 9 PM on a Tuesday evening and I dropped the vehicle off at 7:45 PM that evening. I referred to my original rental agreement to the agent I was speaking with indicating the 9 PM return time.
The customer representative told me that their records showed that I'd returned the car the following morning which I replied was absurd as by then I'd flown back to the east coast. I also relayed that the Budget representative at Bozeman airport in Montana paid little attention to me when I approached to inform him I was returning the car. I had also wanted to show a few photos of minor nicks upon receiving the rental car. He simply told me that as long as I left the car in the designated return area of the parking garage - with the keys in it everything was good. The customer service rep I later spoke with reviewed the situation and agreed they had made a mistake with my return time and my charges were supposedly dismissed and I am now awaiting a refund. A needless exertion of time and negative energy because the car return was not properly processed.
Reviewed Aug. 11, 2022
Well my first complaint is their reservations. What exactly is a reservation? I was coming to Oahu for the entire month of August, and rented a car with GPS and prepaid for it all. When I arrived in Honolulu, not only did they NOT have my car, the ONLY one they had available had NO GPS. For a Month!!!! Budget got my money beforehand and has explicitly shown that they just DO NOT CARE about customer satisfaction. They have not even responded to my request for a new vehicle WITH GPS! NEVER again!!! Budget is worse than Avis!!! Should have trusted the reviews and gone elsewhere! Everyone should go elsewhere. Budget lies!!! Probably part of their corporate training. Screw The Customer!!!
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2022
They have overcharged me multiple times and have been very rude with no customer service and every time I try to call I can never get in contact with anyone to fix any of the issues I've come in contact with. I tried renewing my rentals before with them over the phone and I can never get in contact. I have to go physically into the store every single time very single time and that's inconvenient because I don't have the time schedule to do it.
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2022
I'm a travel nurse. About every 3 months I rent a SUV to get to next contract. I used Budget and oh my. Each time my rental was COMPLETELY filthy, not full of gas despite that being a requirement upon return and had mechanical safety issues. They try to charge you for a gas fill up even though I'd literally filled it up around the corner, don't care that the car is filthy, and try to charge me for what I reported at pick up what was wrong. CS reps barely speak English and are not allowed to monetarily compensate for anything if you can get them to understand you.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2022
I prepaid $1,300 for a week long rental which seemed like a good deal until Budget added $140 in bogus fees after I returned my rental. The location I rented from (Portland OR airport) doesn't even have a contact phone number. How's that for service? I will never rent from Budget again now that I know all they do is bait and switch.
Reviewed July 24, 2022
Had an appointment for picking up a car at 11:00 pm at Madison airport. Flight was slightly delayed, called to the Budget agent and she promised to wait if not too long. Was at the counter at 11:10 pm, and there was already nobody. Even though the official work hours were until 11:30 pm. Had to take a taxi and come back next day for my rental car. Moreover, at the end I was not reimbursed for the first ~12 hours that I did not use the car. Am not going to spend my time on phone with Budget trying to rescue some $20, but these guys are just ridiculous little thieves.
Reviewed July 23, 2022
Please be careful renting a rental with Budget car rental. I experience the worst customer services. I book a rental for vacation and within 24 hours I cancel the reservation after doing some research I didn't need a rental at the time. So waited 10 days and notice my refund wasn't in my account, so I call them. They told me it would be another 3 to 5 days, plus they would keep $ 50.00 out of balance, now I'm pissed because not only this issue occurs but they kept 100 dollar and I didn't even get a rental. They mess up my hold vacation experience for my anniversary. I will never do business with them again.
Reviewed July 21, 2022
They never told me that they take $250 deposit whether I was using a credit card or debit card. I used to work for a rental car company and the first thing we tell customers is that if they use a debit card there is a deposit of $250. Leaving out that important information was very devastating for me because I had to scramble to find enough money to pay for my hotel. I feel like Budget lies, steals and cheats!
Reviewed July 21, 2022
Zero star. Absolutely worst rental company on the planet. If they make a mistake, they put the onerous on you to fix it, don't take responsibility and make you jump through hoops. No one at this company takes responsibility. Go anyplace else!
Reviewed July 15, 2022
I’d like some help with a transaction in the amount of $316.85 at Budget on July 14, 2022 at 2:01 PM. I believe that this transaction was the result of a scam perpetrated by Budget, relieving me of my funds for up to 10 business days, while providing no product. Apparently there were no cars available anywhere in my area. I believe that they knowingly ran a “prepayment special” at a very low rate, for vehicle rentals that they could not fulfill. They now have my funds, and presumably, thousands of others’ funds, who were suckered by this company to prepay, sight unseen, for a non-existent rental. I can only assume the worst- that they needed the cash flow- so for the next 10 business days- wallah! They have a pile of cash to do what they wish, while paying no interest in the money or providing any service or any rental vehicles, due to their “refund policy”. What a deal.
I am still without a rental after waiting since 1:30 pm today and spending almost 5 hours on the phone with HQ trying to secure a vehicle from anywhere. This was a confirmed reservation and verified 3 times. I also made the effort to call all of their local branches in attempt to find a car. I also demanded an instant refund from Budget, to be put back on my card immediately. They said it is against policy. This action by them will be reported to the attorney general for further investigation.
Reviewed July 14, 2022
Awful credit card policy. Don't get stranded at a Budget with only a debit card. Won't accept without utility bill and credit card information alone won't be accepted. Ended up walking a great distance home for nothing to walk back. Complete waste of my time. Poor business maturity here. Avoid Budget if possible.
Reviewed July 14, 2022
June 13 2022 to June 25 we rented a car from Budget in Rock Hill, SC on Anderson Rd. Purpose was to drive to Tampa, FL where I was receiving treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center. Within an hour of being in the car, I broke out in a rash all over my body. When we returned the car, we explained to the manager what happened and asked for the name of the cleaning solution used. He refused. We have called Budget Customer Service, sent an email to Budget corp. office and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Budget refuses to give me the name of the cleaning product used.
Reviewed July 2, 2022
Needed a car. Decided that it's going to be easier to book online straight from Budget site. I went in the morning and the type of the car which I was reserved was not available. The employee needed 20 min to understand that I need to rent a car. Then he checked the returned cars and he needed to upcharge me for it. Why they have the online reservations if they can't provide the cars.
Reviewed June 30, 2022
Talk about bait and switch well here you go. Reserved an intermediate SUV and got a Subcompact crossover SUV and got charged for an intermediate SUV. This is the first time renting from Budget and this is the last time. The only reason we rented from Budget was because no one else had any cars for the dates we need it for. Have been renting from Alamo and Hertz for years and have never had this happen. Not to mention you call their customer service and they know nothing about car classes. Worst rental car company!!!!
Reviewed June 29, 2022
I recently returned from a trip to Kansas. I landed in Wichita, Ks. where I had a reservation with Budget. When I received the car they noted it had some damage on the front bumper. When I went to the lot the bumper was held together with duct tape. This car was far from good enough condition to be in a rental fleet. Well needless to say, Budget, after weeks of putting me off, came back to say that I knew of the damage from the start and that the parts were on order. They also went on to say they were low on vehicles. This car was embarrassing to drive. The only reason I didn't return it right then, I had a schedule and needed to get to my destination. Needless to say, Budget's response was lame and unacceptable. I will NEVER use Budget again.
Reviewed June 28, 2022
I had a car rental from Budget original price $1,200 reserved for 5 days. When I got to the counter at Salt Lake City, UT the price had increased to $1,600. I was told by the group I rented to return the minivan because it was not the original price agreed on. Took it back within 20 minutes and I was charged $213.00 for a day's rental and insurance. Talk about a rip-off and that is after they made me wait nearly 45 minutes to get the minivan.
Reviewed June 27, 2022
Do not rent a car from Myrtle beach Budget car rental. I had called to reserve a car seat a month prior to our trip. First of all when we arrived at the airport the line was over an hour long to get our car. Mind you we had just been on a plane with our baby, who was now fussy and tired. So that alone was a nightmare. When I got to the counter I was told they had sold out of car seats a few days ago, even though I had a confirmation email confirming our reservation. This meant nothing apparently.
When asked to speak to someone else I was told they don’t have a manager or anyone else I can talk to. So now I am stuck at the airport with my baby and no car seat. I was told by the women that I can go to Walmart to BUY my own car seat. She proceeded to give me directions like she’s done this many times before. I was not given any compensation for the hassle this caused. I was given a 1 800 number after waiting for 45 mins, they offered me 50$. The car seat cost 100$.. So that was pointless. I will never rent for budget again.
Reviewed June 27, 2022
In Denver I picked up a vehicle by the airport. I was told GPS would be $21 a day. I declined. When getting a car I was told to choose any. I was annoyed because I paid for full size. If they were going to let me choose, I could have paid for economy and gotten the same vehicle. One vehicle had a broken taillight. Another a foot long crack on the windshield. Eventually I chose a 4runner which interestingly had GPS. After I left I noticed a symbol displayed on the dashboard. The 2 front tires were over inflated to 45 and 60! So much for safety, does anyone inspect cars before renting them out?
Reviewed June 25, 2022
We was called 3hrs before our reservation and they told us they didn’t have our 12 passenger van. Then they could give us 2 7 passenger suv and they would give us a price adjustment but they have yet returned my call. And I’m not happy!! Don’t tell me to do something and then them not talk to me about it. We wanted the 12 passenger van for a reason so we would have two people to switch off back and forth driving but we could do that.
Reviewed June 22, 2022
I rented a car From Budget for one day after a trip. The rate was $63.47 which is fair, with $200 held for deposit to be refunded at end of rental. First problem is the amount of time deposit is returned to your credit card. It takes about a week. They can take the funds immediately, but are lax in returning them. I can see a day or two, but a whole week? Second issue which is more problematic. They initially took out $263.47, then when I returned car they charged an additional $63.47. When I called to inquire why, they said that’s their procedure, to charge $63.47 AGAIN then refund the original $263.47. Why not just refund $200 of original charge?? That’s an additional $63.47 tied up until God knows when?? With the technology we have today, why can’t they make it that simple? That’s bad business in my opinion.
Reviewed June 22, 2022
I just rented a Budget rental car in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I rented this car for 7 weeks. I have now been told that I will NOT receive any Reward points for this rental because it is a franchise. So, really it's not a Budget rental agency! Technically they sold their name only, just to fool the customer into renting what you would think is a budget rental. That's like Mcdonald's selling DOG MEAT BURGERS instead of Beef in every other place except the US. Renter Beware.
Reviewed June 17, 2022
Customer service is horrible. They ”blocked” me out of my business discount causing my rate to double and have spent days and hours on the phone with them. Two BBB complaints and the “executive” was just a floor level customer service without any authority to assist with anything. I’m going to start billing these companies for wasting my time and when they don’t pay it it’s going to collections. I’m sick to death of banks, Comcast and many other companies poor customer service.
If they weren’t so greedy they’d be willing to solve people's problems instead of instructing their employees to lie to us, transfer us in circles and be as unhelpful as is humanly possible. Never again and I will keep calling until they give me my money back and then I’m going to file consumer complaints with local government offices.
Reviewed June 16, 2022
I prepaid for a rental and had to give a credit card at the counter in case of incidentals. I was told I would only be charged the incidentals due to prepaying. I return my car and think everything is fine. 2.5 weeks later I see both cards were charged the same amount for the same rental. I call and was told they could only find the charge to my prepay card and not the other card. They tell me to send in proof both cards were charged and they will fix it. I sent an email stating how I would like the credit card reimbursed not the debit card. 1.5 weeks later I see my debit card was reimbursed not my credit card.
I wrote an email asking why I wasn't contacted or notified of the resolution which was wrong. I called to talk to someone who couldn't answer my questions nor give me insight into what was needed and they would just send it to the proper department and I should hear back in 48hrs. I asked if they would actually reply via email, she said no, I would have to call back. I asked to speak to a manager. They couldn't do anything except transfer to my card as if the prepay was never done. BECAUSE the manager said the card at the counter overrides the prepay.
WHY did not a single person in customer service know this? Why couldn't they find the payment on the credit card when I initially called and only find the charge to my debit card? This all is very weird and fishy. I wouldn't rent from them because after this because their system is jacked up and they don't train any of their customer service agents.

Reviewed June 14, 2022
This rental was supposed to be ready for fast pick-up, all information was provided, including driver, license, insurance, contact information, etc. However at the San Francisco Airport there was no Budget attendant, no contact waiting, at best a the lower level there was an Avis Desk, with a line that took an hour wait and when we arrived we were told that we had to go upstairs for help with our rental, the line on the 2nd level was even longer. After finally completing the rental process we were directed to space F35 for our vehicle. There was no space with this designation. We found an attendant and she determined that the Toyota Prius assigned to us did not exist, plate number **, car number **. After searching the lot, and then her computer, she was able to find us another vehicle. This process took over two (2) hours.
Reviewed June 7, 2022
This was an awful experience. If zero stars were possible, the people working at this Budget would more than deserve it. My boyfriend rented a car from them that had a slow leak in the right front tire. He had something urgent to deal with work the next day, so he borrowed my car and asked me to return the rental. He tried calling this office when they opened to make sure it was ok for someone else to bring the car back. He was all set to send them a copy of my driver's license and insurance card but no one answered. He called the customer service department instead where he spoke to someone who told him “no problem” and seemed very understanding of the extenuating circumstances.
When I went to return the car, an employee checked out the car, confirmed the tire was low and observed that there was no obvious damage to it. The manager, Reggie **, came out and told me “I don’t know what you all did but it wasn’t like that when it left the lot.” He went on to tell me “I don’t know you” and that there were no circumstances under which I was allowed to drive the car. They also said they’d been taking calls since 8 am and didn’t receive any of our calls. Ultimately, they accused us of damaging the tire, sneaking an extra driver on the rental agreement, and lying about calling. After arguing about this with the manager he told me he didn’t like my attitude and he didn’t have a car for me.
I was standing outside of their shop ordering an Uber to my job in Petersburg and canceling patients for the day when he asked me to come in and agreed to give me a rental car because he was “trying to help [me] out”. Maybe the car did pick up a nail or something. Maybe there are no circumstances under which another driver can bring a rental car back. I can understand that. I can’t understand accusing someone of what amounts to destruction of property and theft before refusing them service. I highly recommend going to another Budget. Or an entirely different company. These people also own the Avis that’s attached to it.
Reviewed June 5, 2022
We reserved a large passenger van for our group of 8 while we went to Disney World and the beach. We booked it and prepaid everything ($1400) four months before our trip. We show up at the Orlando airport at 9:30pm just to be told they didn’t have any passenger vans. They said we could have a Kia Carnival (which holds 7 people, but we had 8 plus luggage). They told my husband he could go out to the lot to see if the Kia would work for us. As he walked through the lot he saw three passenger vans like what we were needing. He came back and told the worker and he ended up giving us one of those three vans. It took nearly 1.5 hours before we were able to leave (almost 11pm, with a 4 year old and 6 year old) when it should have been a quick transaction.
Reviewed June 4, 2022
I returned a car to Budget Rent A Car on 5/30/22 at 12PM. I realized at the airport that I had left my debit card in the car. I called them approximately 1PM and filed a report. Today is 6/4/22. I have not received my card back, an email or a phone call. So I went online to check on my item and it was not listed. I created another lost ticket and then called them. I was on hold 49 minutes and then was disconnected. I called back and pushed 1 for a call back and still nothing. Steer clear of Budget.
Reviewed June 2, 2022
We rented a car on 20th of April on Dallas Fort Worth airport. We stayed at the hotel in Richardson, where someone stole a catalytic converter from the car on 24th April. We got the replacement vehicle the day after and we had to go to the airport to pick it up. During handover we were told that we won't need to cover the expenses for damage, as it was a criminal activity and there was a police report created that day. But end of May comes and Budget charges my credit card with more than 1500 USD for the damage! No prior notification, no discussion , nothing. Just taking money without any discussion. Their customer support keeps on sending generic emails in responses to my questions. I believe the only option to protect my consumer rights is to go with attorney. NEVER AGAIN WITH THIS RENTAL AGENCY!!!
Reviewed June 1, 2022
Aiden, the Supervisor at the Flagstaff AZ Pulliam Airport was extremely rude and unprofessional. The people working the Budget/Avis counter had on wrinkled t-shirts and it looked like a college frat was running the counter. My family and I landed in Pulliam airport late (May 27 2022) and no one was at the Budget counter past 4pm. Luckily the Enterprise counter was open and we were able to get a car from them. I called the next day and talked to Aiden, who informed me, that the SUV I reserved (months in advance/Rental Agreement #**) was no longer available. (POLICY IS TO HOLD CAR FOR 24 HOURS!) He said it was my fault because I didn't arrive on time yesterday.
I said this is not acceptable and asked if he understood what customer service meant, and his reply was "do you understand what running a business meant?". I told him I would complain to HQ and his response was "Go for it.". He then said all he has was a mid-sized sedan, and it would take 30min to clean and prep it. I said we have to drive 70 miles back to the airport to get the 4 door sedan (and drop off the small 2 door car we got from enterprise because my 2 boys are too big for the enterprise car) and I asked him if he could prep it in advance so we could save time, and he said he would. When we arrived, we had to wait 30 min for the car, because he didn't prep it in advance. When we received the car, it was filthy, windows were covered in bugs and smudges. Needless to say I will be writing extremely poor remarks on Trip Advisor, Google, Yelp as well as writing to Consumer Affairs and the BBB and AZ Department of Tourism.
Reviewed June 1, 2022
Got in mail yesterday a 97.53 collection letter from a collection agency. Directed from Budget rental car. Never & I mean never was I notified by Budget by letter, e-mail, etc. that I owed any damage, late fee, and I even paid for the flat gas fee when I rented the vehicle. Don't know what the 98.00 fee was but I'll pay more with another company if they collection letter....crooks!
Reviewed June 1, 2022
My vehicle was rented by Karim and checked by Teddy at the Orlando airport MCO by Budget.com. Mr. KARIM made it clear to me that it was to deliver the car with a full tank. But when does Mr. TEDDY CHECKED that the tank was full (I have the photo with the date and time). Simply Mr. TEDDY and Mr. KARIM are LYING and taking advantage of the occasion for being Brazilian. NEVER again nor my family and I will use the services of BUDGET.COM. The attendants, valets have no clarity in their negotiations. Cars are not disinfected and even smell bad (**). I want my money back!!!! $92.81 that was stolen from my family.
Reviewed May 31, 2022
I started trying to rent a full sized pick up truck from the website on May 27th. Website would not let me complete the reservation, so I tried to call in. Explained to the rep that I needed a full size truck for towing. He told me they didn't rent for that and I needed to call the rent a truck division- they were in charge of the full size pickups. Called them, they said the full size PU trucks are only through the car rental. Sigh. Called the car rental back- told them what I needed again. They were able to make the reservation, but couldn't guarantee there would be a hitch. For that I needed to call the actual branch at the airport. Gave me their number. I tried to call May 28, 29, and 30th. All different times, every time, I got a message that the mail box was full and couldn't accept messages. Goodbye.
Finally, called the main number back on May 30th and made the rental- it took me 45 min. 20 of that was trying to get the guy on the other side to understand my phone number and that I needed a Full Size Pick up truck not a compact car. Again, he couldn't guarantee a hitch, and stated that I'd have to call CVG Budget directly. On May 31st (today) I drove the 40 min to the airport to go speak to a human who informed me 1. The reservation was made for the wrong date. And 2. They don't have hitches because it states on the website that you aren't allowed to tow anything. I informed her that on the website it lists under every description that it will haul "whatever you need" and again at the bottom reads "can be used for... transporting recreational equipment..." and that seems very misleading. She just looked at me blankly and said "so, do you want the reservation or not?"
NO ONE had told me this on the phone when I had stated SEVERAL TIMES that I was planning to haul a trailer and was concerned that there needed to be a hitch. Had I not gone there in person, I would have showed up on the day of my reservation and had a useless truck and a ruined weekend! I'll add that this wasn't really a fun run- it is a time sensitive move that if I don't show up, I won't have a second chance for. Budget's online info was misleading- their phone staff is not knowledgeable- and you CANNOT reach their actual branch. They USED to be better than this. Very disappointing.
Reviewed May 30, 2022
I had booked my car rental with a third party (Priceline.com) and let me tell you, I had the worst experiences ever, it was a nightmare. Yes, their pricing were cheap, but it was not worth the headache that came along with it. I landed in Long Beach airport and went to check-in, the guys there assisting seems like they were high on marijuana, one of the guy couldn’t keep his eyes open. After checking in, they handed me the keys and told me to go look for the car in their parking lot.
WOW!! It was a Chevy Trax, right off the back I wanted something more economic cars, but told me that’s all that they have which was a lie already, but I didn’t feel like arguing so I just took it anyways and drove off with it then two days later that sucker just shut off on me, it wouldn’t go forward or backward, after having to push the vehicle to secured location, I was told by customer services that they would not give me a replacement until the car been towed. I was on the phone with customer services, dispatcher and reservation. It was the WORST from 10 pm to 9 am, and having to Uber to get to my destination than having to pick up my replacement vehicle later in the evening, still haven’t receive my refund that they promise me. It’s ridiculous. I do not recommend them nor would I ever used them again ever. Save yourself the trouble and stay far, far away.
Reviewed May 28, 2022
Went to Kona Hawaii in September 22. Had a car reserved at Hertz. When we got there they would not accept the card we reserved with and we were left without a vehicle. They were very rude and unempathetic so we walked next door to Budget. Was in and out very quickly with a nice car for a good price. We rented 2 cars from Budget. In 2 weeks they accepted all our cards. Were very nice and gave us great service. We love Budget. They saved us a lot of trouble on our vacation.
Reviewed May 26, 2022
I had a reasonably good car rental experience initially. The only negative was prior to picking up the car no one would answer the phone when I called the rental location. But I thought all went well otherwise - nice car, reliable and clean. Drop off was easy. Then 6 weeks later I received a letter in the mail telling me I was being charged $450 dollars for a cleaning fee - claiming "excessive dirt and sand". There was probably some dirt from my shoes on the floor mats from my road trip from WA to CA, but I am a very tidy person and there is no way it took any more time to clean than a regular 5 min vacuum for the whole car. I don't smoke. I don't have pets. I didn't leave a spec of trash in the car. I didn't spill or eat in the car. I didn't go off-roading or hiking or anything other than a regular scenic car trip would include.
I called to complain, and customer service reduced the cleaning fee to "only" $125. I am not satisfied. They may have a good rental price, but then they will attack you with a cleaning fee after you've dropped off your car. I suspect this is their business model: advertise a low price and then overcharge with fees. I recommend avoiding Budget even if they have the lowest advertised price!!!
Reviewed May 25, 2022
Well arriving late I had to wait nearly 3 hours, with many more people behind me, to rent my car at 1:40 a.m. at the Orlando airport. Being tired and frustrated and not able to hear/understand agent speaking to me I just wanted to get going. I spent an extra $140.00 to upgrade vehicle I really didn't need. (He said an extra $20 to upgrade) I thought that was for the whole week not each day. Then for $95 I took the tank refill and after driving realized the most I can get in was $70 empty to full. I hesitated using the smaller rental but decided it can't be too bad. NEVER again. Also I'm not sure if agents get commission on extra but I was hood winked into extra $$ by good salesman.
Reviewed May 25, 2022
I booked a car using a third party (Travelocity) for an intermediate sedan. The usual dialogue at stand trying to sell upgrades, which I said no to. The operator then said have a Jeep, no mention of an increased price, but yep slugged a higher fee. This rip-off process needs to be addressed, I am a tourist and sick of the con, it is endemic in the tourism industry. Guess what I tell people back home.

Reviewed May 23, 2022
I rented a car through Auto Europe and paid $359.10 for a Budget car in Orlando, Florida. Budget proceeded to ignore the prepaid amount of $359.10 and tacked on exorbitant amounts for insurance where I ended up paying over $1000 for a one week rental of a compact car. I tried for weeks for them to at least honor the prepaid amount but they basically said since I signed the rental agreement they would not do anything.
Reviewed May 21, 2022
We rented a car to attend my sister's funeral in Oklahoma in April. On the way back -the car began to malfunction and the check engine light came on and a few other lights indicating it needed to be serviced. We called Budget and said we would be 2 hours later as we had to drive slower and keep pulling over to read what the warning lights were in the service manual. We turned the car back in and they sent the car right over to the maintenance dept. We received another $50 charge on our credit card stating we NEVER picked up the car and were a NO SHOW. After sending in all the copies of all the documents of the rental, we were told by Adrianna with Budget on 5.6.22, we would receive reimbursement of the $50 fee by May 12. Today, May 21, after several phone calls to Budget, talking to a supervisor Francisco, we were told they never charged us $50.00!!! Even though I have emails that state otherwise. We will never rent from this company again.
Reviewed May 19, 2022
I prepaid a rental car with an inclusive British Airways Holidays for a trip to Miami. After returning the car to Miami Airport with a full tank, I was consequently charged for a full tank of gas at $40.41 and also additional charges of $268.16 which they initially claimed were outside the inclusive holiday package and later claimed was part of the "hold" on my card for a deposit. After hours and hours on hold calling them, many emails to Budget and dispute with my bank, we finally did get the monies back 5 weeks later. Fortunately I had receipts and the staff at the airport said to take a photo of the full fuel tank. They never checked the condition of the car when we returned it so I took photos. After all the time and frustration dealing with this firm, I'd be hard pressed to ever use them again.
Reviewed May 17, 2022
Rented two cars from this company. Starting from the beginning Budget could not get me an email to my active email address so I could reply to my confirmation email and officially open my account. I spoke to multiple customer service representatives who all verified my email but could offer no explanation as to why I was not receiving their emails. I asked to be transferred to their technical support department only to be told by all Budget employees (in Mexico) that Budget did not have a technical support department.
My credit card was charged even though I had not received my final billing statement. I have had to dispute both vehicle charges as I have no idea what I was charged for. While I was at the Denver Airport picking up the second rental for my wife to use, I asked about the bill on the first rental and was told that I had a charge for a driver under 25 years old. There were no 25 and younger drivers in our family, unless you count my 2-year-old grandson or 6-year-old granddaughter. I was then told that that it could not be removed until I was issued and charged my final billing invoice. This made me have to file a dispute with my bank. It is no wonder that they have a rating of 12th for rental car companies.

Reviewed May 16, 2022
When I was waiting for my deposit back, a month passed by. I called and had to wait 72 minutes! Finally got someone and they said they had to fax my bank and let them know before releasing the funds. Why didn't they tell me when I rented? What if I never called? Is this why it took over 70 minutes to get someone on the line? Another scam they do...they have a toll thing on the from windshield. I googled it when I rented and I saw reviews saying it's a trick to charge consumers. If you go through a $3 toll, and use the pass... they will charge you $20 for the convenience. So I made sure I wasn't going to use it. Fortunately, I didn't go through a toll.
Looked on my bank statement for the deposit info and saw I got charged $20. I asked while I was on phone with guy, and he told me it's for the toll. I informed him I didn't even go through a toll! He told me to contact another number and dispute it. I can't believe how this company is so sneaky! Check your bank statements! Every day for at least a month! It's not worth renting here! These were not mistakes on their end...these were premeditated charges to trick the consumers. Please be aware!
Reviewed May 12, 2022
When I made a reservation with Budget, I had a daily rate of $54 for the car. It took a little longer than expected to return the car; I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me. When I returned the car they added an additional $68 late fee for returning the car 1 1/2 hours late. That's more than the daily rate I reserved the car for in the first place. This is absurd.
Reviewed May 9, 2022
I had the worst experience in my life renting a car at Budget. I called the number on budget site and checked with them if I can come at 7.00 PM instead. They told me that I can come any time before 10.30PM. As I also checked on the website and it says the office is closing at 10.30 PM. I went there at 7.00 PM and the people at the counter told me the office is closed. My whole trip was cancelled because of this. I lost a lot of money and it affected my relationships.
Reviewed May 7, 2022
Rented a vehicle a month before my trip, was sent MULTIPLE reservation reminders, “Your vehicle will be ready.” Yeah OK... Furthest lie from the truth it’s CRIMINAL!!!! I prepaid for my rental and was charged over $1100.00 and they didn’t have it at all. When I showed up 20 minutes before my reservation time I was informed they do not the vehicle. It wasn’t returned. When I called customer service, it’s a complete mind game! Keep you on hold, have to call you back, supervisors aren’t available… HOW DO THESE IDIOTS GET AWAY WITH THIS?!?! SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE, USE SOMEONE ELSE!
Reviewed May 5, 2022
I want to speak to someone in regards to your service at Fort Myers Airport, I called and Reserved an SUV for my Son to pack his dorm Room items and bring to Storage. The first time I called and booked it - I specifically said he was 19yrs old and they said there was an extra fee but it was fine - he would have NO ISSUES. The person on the other line could barely speak English - they put his name in wrong on the reservation after I spelled it out three times so I had to CANCEL it, do it again and wait for my Refund. I rebooked it with someone else - I specifically said he was 19yrs old and they said there was an extra fee but it was fine - he would have NO ISSUES. I paid the fee and booked the car. When he arrived at the airport today get his vehicle - he was greeted by a very Nasty counter rep who was unwilling to help him because he was only 19.
I got on the phone with her and she was just as rude to me! I explained that I paid extra because he was NOT 21. Well they knew that. I also called back 3 times with 3 different reps confirming there wouldn't be an issue because his reservation said 25 and they ASSURED me that it would not be an issue. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS and careless on the part of Budget and the Reps they have on the phone. I even Called the Budget at the RSW airport and they confirmed there would not be an issue!! SO now the Counter lady is Rude and my son is stranded in Florida with no car and no way to store his items from his Dorm. Needless to Say I will NEVER rent from you again, and I will plaster this all over Social media for everyone to See - I expect SOMEONE higher up to call me or this email will be posted to social Media and Better Business Bureau….
Reviewed May 2, 2022
I imagine 4 weeks has been patient enough with Budget; no response nor contact of any attempt, and I’m a member in good standing. Returned rental to XNA: tank full, cleaned inside to spotless. Pictures and receipts as proof. Budget later charged my account $23.11 with zero explanation. Emailed several times and tried to call: zero response from Budget. This borders on criminal; extra indefensible charges to my account and no response of any form? It’s not the sum I have issue: it’s the principle. Obviously until resolved we will never use Budget again. Exploring all other options to make this right. Recommend not falling for the bait and switch friends: just don’t use Budget for any future business. Very sad indeed. Thank you for your time reading this.
Reviewed April 30, 2022
Over Charged by $500... The ONLY issue we had w/ the original rental was the absence of the ski rack to carry the skis. If we had that we would have been fine. Recently I rented from Budget and was taken advantage of when the car and ski rack I had rented was not available at pick-up. On 3/12 at Budget at 7:00pm and waited in line for 20+ minutes to receive the keys to an SUV (Mazda CX5) only to discover the SUV did NOT have a Ski rack on the car as reserved. This made it impossible for us all to fit into the car and to bring in the skis with us to the Vail area.
I went back into the office where we were told the ski racks do not fit this car. (This was contrary to what I was later told by the Budget rental office out of Eagle Vail airport. FYI - They had little interest in hearing about this situation because they are “a different franchise” location). At this point during the rental process I was told I would need to move to the next level of SUV. After agreeing and saying I would need to make sure the SUV would be sufficient size to accommodate the skis I was then informed that there would also be an additional cost. I repeatedly told them that this was not acceptable.
At around 9:00 pm and knowing I had a 2 ½ hr drive in front of us to get to our location near Vail I said I would take the slightly larger car but was not agreeing to the terms of the contract. I stated this to your agent at each point of the contract. Your agent neither agreed to disagree each time I declared this but stated I would have everything I needed to address it later if I wanted to. In addition I attempted to put “Disputed” on the signature screen - (FYI the screen does not work properly). This vehicle was inferior to the requested rental as our adult daughter was forced ride in the back “jump seat” as we traveled back and forth to the mountains and back and forth to the airport.
Reviewed April 30, 2022
I am a Fast Break member and I have been a Budget customer for 35 years. On April 25, 2022, I went to pick up my reserved Budget rental car at Harry Reid International Airport. A snotty Budget service rep said that Budget or Costco had canceled my reservation. I told her that I didn't cancel it and asked her to please make a new reservation. She did so begrudgingly. When I asked her questions about the price hike of the new reservation she became openly hostile and yelled at me. The rest of the process went worse. She made me wait two hours for a car that Budget never provided; she unilaterally canceled my new reservation and she sent me to her manager. The manager refused to rent any car to me. I complained to Budget Customer Service which did nothing. After spending thousands of dollars on Budget rental cars over 35 years, I'm done. ABB. Anyone But Budget.
Reviewed April 22, 2022
A truly appalling company. I rented a car and waited almost two hours to get it because they did not implement their fastbreak system at all, had no one staffing the position, were beyond understaffed, and everyone at the location was utterly incompetent (someone told me in line to go the fastbreak station, even though no one had been there, and there was still no one there; they lied about why fastbreak wasn’t working, why my name wasn’t on the list just to pick up the car, on and on and on). It was just as bad on return, when I had to waste another entire hour dealing with their negligence.
Complaining to Budget was a complete waste of time; they sent cut and paste gibberish replies, lied to my face, wouldn’t even acknowledge that they ever even awarded the frequent flier miles they owed, and gave me “compensation” that was a complete insult, and that I told them I had no use for. The level of incompetence, recalcitrance, and indifference at every stage was matched only by their irresponsibility. It is beyond me that anyone could ever give this company a positive review. And this is not a one-off—it is endemic and absolutely definitive of what dealing with Budget is like.
Reviewed April 21, 2022
I rented a black 2021 Chevy Camaro in March from Budget. It is because I pre-paid my purchase that all this issue happened. The car they provided to me had squeaky brakes for my whole time. It wouldn’t have been that much of an issue but seeing as it was a convertible the noise what a major issue. I also pre-paid for the whole gas tank to be filled so I just returned the car on empty. When I rented the car the person didn’t apply my AAA and Costco discount, I can't remember which was granted.
Returning the car was very easy and the woman I spoke about the issues said that because of the brake being squeaky I wouldn’t be charged for the gas tank being filled which would be around 64 or 65 dollars I believe. She also said that I would be credited for the AAA or Costco discount that was around 102 I believe. The first thing I did was contact budget when I could out that the charges were not being credited to me as promised. The big issue here is that budget using a printer from like the 1980s with the pieces of paper you have to tear off on the edges. After contacting budget and being hung up on by a very angry gentleman, I contacted bank of America. The gentleman from budget was not really having the time of day for me.
Reviewed April 20, 2022
Agent-Telling you not to take the Insurance, giving you a broken down Rental Vehicle. Upon your return fabricating defects! And charging you extra for damages. I am telling everyone never to rent with Budget Rental in Jamaica or use their American Express Card. They are ripping off unsuspecting Travelers.
Reviewed April 18, 2022
Abysmal experience. I researched meticulously the option of picking up a vehicle in Dublin and dropping it off at a Budget location in Rosslare Harbour. I tried unsuccessfully to upgrade online to an automatic transmission. Only after calling customer service was I informed that the Rosslare Harbour site is "permanently closed". Budget informs me that they wouldn't have so informed me until 48 hours before my pickup. I booked a ferry trip and related hotels and car rental in Wales, all based on driving to Rosslare and dropping off the vehicle. My confirmation said that was confirmed.
One Budget customer service rep argued with me, talking over me and interrupting me, telling me the confirmation does not obligate Budget in any way to provide the vehicle for the trip. I ask, then, what was "confirmed" if Budget doesn't feel obligated to give me what I reserved. And if it's not a "contract", then how does Budget believe it can enforce $ penalty of the "Terms and Conditions" if I canceled the reservation less than 48 hours before scheduled pickup? One rep suggested I call the Rosslare Harbour facility and try to "work it out"! If it's permanently closed, how would that help! And why are they pushing that obligation onto the customer for Budget's failures!?
I have honestly never written a negative review for any company. But this rankled me so severely that I need to express to others my disbelief that Budget was so flippantly non-caring about the predicament they'd put me in. I now have to cancel multiple reservations. And I only found out about this because of my fortuitous desire to upgrade the vehicle.
Reviewed April 18, 2022
My son, a soldier in the US Army based at Camp Meade was able to make a reservation online to rent a car for the one week period he will be on post prior to deploying overseas. That sounds great, right? it was not. He was denied his car rental right there at the counter because all cars were being held for airport return flights! Well, if that was the policy, they never had to take his reservation (and payment) online! This is the complete and worse experience I've ever seen from any car rental vendor. It is absurd. Budget Rent a Car literally left a current active duty soldier and a veteran without a ride. I work for a large IT company out of the Round Rock Texas area. I travel corporate frequently and I will be sharing this story widely.
Reviewed April 11, 2022
I made a reservation in FEBRUARY, 2022 for a pick up in MAY, 2022. Budget never informed me that the city center location where I reserved my car is now closed. I found out by accident this morning while making another reservation (In April, 2022). The airport price is an additional eu 250. I need the original reservation transferred to the airport for the pick up, and the price for the original reservation needs to honored.
This was my experience today over the phone, trying to fix an issue that Budget created: I spoke to 6 people none of whom had the authority to honor the original reservation price. I was on hold for for a total of over THREE HOURS at various times. Agents who could not help disconnected the call at least twice while transferring to a manager, causing me to get back in the queue for another long hold time.
This is the WORST customer service experience I have encountered with any company, ever. Where was the notice the reservation needed to be moved because your company had closed the city center location? Why can’t I speak with someone with the authority to resolve the issue? The issue remains unresolved. Switching to a competitor will still result in a substantial cost to me as it is now closer to the pick up date and the cost of car rentals has increased since the original reservation was made.
Reviewed April 11, 2022
I recently rented a vehicle for one day, the default setting on the site, since I changed the pick up time to 11 am the return was at noon. They set the rental for 1 day but charged for two for prepaid. I was not able to get the car for an hour late due to understaffed counters and returned it by the time in the agreement. I was overcharged $200 because they said this constituted an early return. Despite the contract saying 1 day, which I was within.
Reviewed April 11, 2022
I rented a vehicle at Dallas Fort Worth airport. I used the vehicle to go home from the airport, which was less than 50 miles. I then went to Denton TX and back. About 110 miles. I then took the vehicle back. I used the vehicle for less than 250 miles. I never took a picture of mileage at pickup or return. They did not check the car immediately. I returned it but I was told to leave it at parking. When I was charged, I was charged for 508 miles. If you rent from Budget keep up with your mileage. They will con you big time.
Reviewed April 10, 2022
We had a great experience with our car rental until drop off. We got to our location a couple of minutes before our drop off time (2pm). Unfortunately our drop off time was the same time they closed. When we got there the building was locked and no one was inside. We called customer service for what we should do and she suggested we drop it off at the local airport and we would be charged over $300 in fees. I said that wasn’t fair since we were at our designated location before close. She said ok she spoke to someone and that I just needed to call customer service after drop off and we would be refunded. I asked her several times if she was sure because I didn’t want to get stuck with this fee because this was not our fault. She said yes.
We drop off the car at the other location and I proceeded to call customer service. The woman was short and rude to me and didn’t believe me. Apparently the lady I spoke to before didn’t make a note of this on my case and she said she would only refund me 30% because I have no proof. I told her no sorry that’s not good enough so I was sent to a supervisor. He proceeded to tell me someone else checked a car in at 1:44 so they had to still open.
I told him our time was at 2:00 and when we got there no one was there so we called and they had us go to the airport. He also was rude and didn’t believe us. He said he would only refund us a portion of our fees as well. I was in tears with frustration. We were out hours of our time and over $100. The way I was treated like a liar makes me sick. I can’t believe I did what I was supposed to do and then treated so poorly. I want justice. I feel completely taken advantage of, and I will continue to call until we are fully refunded.
Reviewed April 8, 2022
Where do I begin! These crooks' hidden fees are unreal! They charged me for snow tires on a vehicle when they had no other vehicles to give me! They charged me for "damage" on the vehicle when they did not do a follow-up walk around! When I asked for pictures or proof they did not provide them! I may be wrong but I know there was no damage when I dropped it off!!! Watch out for these crooks!
Reviewed April 5, 2022
Over 150 people waiting on line with their reservations in hand to get their reserved vehicles at Tampa airport on April 4 at 3:30 pm with two employees working the counter at an average of 15 minutes per customer. Furious customers in a frustrated state of affairs. Many leaving to find another rental company, which fortunately we had Hertz gold car membership and got a car. I took photos since no one could believe it. We called Budget to complain and cancel and they had the audacity to say if we cancelled, we owed them a cancellation fee. No apologies or understanding. Never again will I use Budget.
Reviewed April 5, 2022
I had a very positive experience with Budget Car Rental. I made a reservation the night before. I got a good online price and I prepaid. I used digital check in. When I arrived, the next day, I spent only about 10 minutes at the counter. The car, a Mitsubishi Outlander, was clean and ran well. The staff was professional and friendly. I would use them again.
Reviewed April 4, 2022
I rented a vehicle from Budget Akron OH one way to Detroit MI. The vehicle had crack on the windshield before I rented it and the agent noted this on the rental agreement. One month after the rental Budget charged my credit card amount of $313 and claimed that was due to cracked windshield. I called customer service and was put on hold for hours then submitted tickets online in their website. Again no reply, no luck. I got ripped off $313 dollars.

Reviewed March 21, 2022
I've been trying to contact Budget support for 3 days now. I am now 2 hours on hold and they are not rushing to answer the call. Support is NOT available on their website. Instead of changing my reservation, they added another charge...
Reviewed March 19, 2022
This was terrible. Had a 10am reservation in St. Louis. Waited 40 minutes to get a vehicle & still did not have the vehicle I reserved. Staff used excuses, & worried more about masking people than doing their job, even though local policies did not require masks, Budget did not, and the Budget website and reservation details specifically stated masks were "encouraged," not required. Meanwhile, one of their employees failed to wear her mask. Never renting from Budget again.
Reviewed March 15, 2022
I did a prepaid amount online to rent from budget went to pick up car and the cashier said they have been sold out of cars for a week. They have held my refund for 2 weeks. No explanation. I have tried.
Reviewed March 15, 2022
Don't believe me this company sucks. Call this number 844 705 6426. This is the 24 hour roadside assistance number. Ya know for when your rental car breaks down. You would expect someone to answer it when you have a problem. You would expect if no one can answer you would be put on hold till someone can. Well I have been calling for 3 hours and I get disconnected every time. NO answer, NO put on hold, No options. Just disconnected. I have also tried the national number, the location I rented from. All I get from them is CALL 844 705 6426. NEVER AGAIN. PLEASE WANT TO KNOW THIS IS FACTUAL CALL THIS NUMBER. You think this number is some scam I put on hear to have you call me. Then please go google and ask for the Budget Roadside number.

Reviewed March 14, 2022
I cancelled a prepaid reservation and received an email confirming that I would receive a refund within 3-10 business days (minus a $50 fee). Six weeks later I called as I hadn’t yet received it. I was then told that if you cancel online, you have to phone them to initiate the refund. This is contrary to their information on the email.
Reviewed March 11, 2022
Be Careful!!!! We rented a car with my wife in Los Angeles Woodland Hills and returned the car the next day at the airport. After 2 weeks we received a letter in the mail that Budget will charge us an extra $450.00 US because they have discovered animal hair in the car. Make sure the car is checked when you return it otherwise you might be hit with a charge. We never had an animal in the car and we were quite shocked to received this letter.
Reviewed March 6, 2022
WARNING READ: I cannot say for sure if all Budget branches take part in these practices but here's what I experienced at the Mesa branch on AZ ave: First time rental was a moving truck, in which upon returning the truck I was informed a fee - believe it was $25+ - would be applied if I did not "fill the tank all the way to the top." My definition of "full" is when the gas pump shuts off, which it had. To avoid the fee, I had to return to the nearest gas station and put in another $1.19. All in all not a horrific experience but annoying enough that I took my business elsewhere for years.
That is, until recently when a shortage of cars, and a short memory, brought me back. Budget charged my CC nearly $300 for damage another customer caused and that had been documented upon renting the vehicle. Upon seeing charges, I called and was told, "Oh, that sometimes happens because our repair center doesn't know which customer caused the damage." The responsibility for communicating that fact DOES NOT fall on me; it falls on Budget to make sure the correct customer is charged. After much time lost and a huge hassle with my CC company and Budget, the charge was removed, but that does nothing to remove Budget from being a sleazy company in my eyes. Maybe it's only this branch but I won't rent from any BUdget anywhere again. Sometimes you can just feel when a company cares very little for you and will do just about anything to separate customers from their money. These days, Budget is that company.
Reviewed March 5, 2022
Did the sign-up before I went, got there and the guy said I could not use my debit card. Said they run a credit check on customers, and that I should have brought a copy of my bank account all of which is not on the pre-sign-up page. Said my credit was not good...in the upper 700's but not good enough for Budget. I lost a days pay because of no car. I will be suing for the ** lies. This is the Sunny Isles location.
Reviewed March 3, 2022
Booked a rental for 11 days through Costco and was quoted $847.03. I knew I was going to get the damage waiver so I was expecting just over $1000 total. I ended up paying $1,362.11 (still haven't gotten my invoice). NO IDEA WHY. Also, they put a hold on my cc for the entire 1300 plus a $250 "deposit". Why did I have to pay a deposit and the entire rental upfront? Car was a piece of crap anyway and I am glad I got damage waiver. So upset because I had to scramble to use money on my vacation because of a $1500 hold on my cc. NEVER RENT THROUGH BUDGET!!!
Reviewed March 3, 2022
Brandon at this location is awesome. I have dealt with a few other rental companies and their employees the past few months due to some car issues. Hands down he was the most professional, accommodating and streamlined process out of all my previous interactions with other companies. I live in Robinson and moving forward will only rent thru Brandon and at this location. I recommend everyone else to save themselves the hassle or time searching by taking my advice and going here! And by the way, the car was filled with gas and perfectly clean… Which far exceeded the condition of any of my past rentals around our area or picked up at airports for during vacations.
Budget Car Rental Company Information
- Company Name:
- Budget Car Rental
- Year Founded:
- 1958
- Address:
- 6 Sylvan Way
- City:
- Parsippany
- State/Province:
- NJ
- Postal Code:
- 07054
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.budget.com
