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 March 1, 2022
We are traveling to Alaska with our family. Rented a car. Got an email in January saying we had cancelled the reservation. Lie. I called 4 times. The representatives were rude and unhelpful. Could not book another car because supposedly they were all booked. A month later we received an email saying they cancelled because the rates were wrong. Scam. Totally.
Reviewed Feb. 26, 2022
We rented car in Calgary on Jan 20. Our flight was delayed by almost 2 hours from Toronto. We met Victorino, who was very courteous and professionally helpful in helping us provide the car that we needed. As much it was great to interact with Victorino who helped quickly reserve us a car without much time, his friendly approach and a nice gesture was welcoming to guide towards car.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2022
The wait time was two hours. They need an efficiency expert to run this office. There were 3 men working and it so long before we got our car that we will never use them again. When everything was done and paid for there is no excuse for such inefficiency.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2022
In Aug 2021 I rented a car from SFO airport and few days later I dropped it off at the same location. The lady who received the car said that I will receive an email about the final bill. Few days later I got an email saying that the car was never returned and they are looking into it as a lost case. I tried to reach out customer service but there was a long wait and I left my number to be called back, which never happened. I opened a case too with the details for which I got a response next day asking for the details - where was it rented from, where was it returned, time etc, in spite of having the reservation number in the email. Few days later I received an mail thru USPS saying the same - car was not returned.
I called them back again and finally got connected with some live person on the other side who said that the car I returned is out - means it has been rented to the other client. He further added that the rep might have forgot to update the system and asked to allow couple of days. Few days later I got the email that everything is fine without any apology. It was a shocker to me when I received the email. But I let it go hoping it is one off case due to human error. All's well that ends well.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2022
Please beware of this company because they practice bait and switch tactics when it comes to reservations placed via Expedia site because in my case they did not honor the reservation that I made via Expedia and cancel my reservation without my knowledge and charged me $50 dollars for them cancelling my reservation. They then charged me a higher rate without my knowledge that tripled my original amount made via my Expedia reservation. Buyer Beware!!!! Bad ethical business practices and I would never do any business with this company and I have already told my family and friends to stay away from them.
Reviewed Feb. 22, 2022
Simon at the Budget Car Rental location on Broadway in downtown Denver scammed me out of $1216 in fees!! I called Budget support to report the issue, and they refused to help. Be careful renting from budget!
Reviewed Feb. 22, 2022
We reserved a one-way Elite SUV from Budget.Com to pick up from O’Hare because our flight was cancelled to Florida due to blizzard conditions and we needed to get there. Long story short the car (a Dodge Journey - not an Elite SUV) had 4 bald tires, non functional windshield wipers and a pull to the right. My husband, myself and our two young children were put out in a blizzard in a car that was not safe. We were not able to exchange it until we literally demanded a different car at the Atlanta airport, at which point we were rented a Kia Soul (certainly not an Elite SUV). Customer Service has been an absolute nightmare and we have not been able to get a refund. I have been disconnected and given conflicting information, and will have to resort to stopping payment from my credit card. I will never rent from Budget again. Ever.
Reviewed Feb. 18, 2022
I made a rental car reservation for 7 days with Priceline, it was $370. Had to extend it 3 days with Budget because my flight was canceled. When I returned the car, Aziza at Budget Rent A Car in Flint Michigan she said they had to charge me $332 and that they did not get the payment from Priceline. She lied. They got the $370 from Priceline and they charged me an additional $332 for the additional 3 days. Not only that, they changed the daily rate from the Priceline rate so I got stuck paying a higher rate thru them.
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2022
I rented a car at the Fort Lauderdale Airport location, the woman at the counter by the name of Sheila was wonderful!! She was so kind, accommodating, & patient. I received the car clean both inside & out, with a great deal through Priceline for 4 days! Join the FASTBREAK program to beat the line people, lol!
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2022
We rented a car through expedia.com at the Las Vegas Airport for $357.00 for 5 days, when we wanted to pick it up they forced a $109 insurance on us that we did not need since it's covered by our State Farm policy and told us it's the law. Nobody came with us to inspect the car, and when we returned it their employee went straight for 2 little dings on the fender, telling us we damaged the car, but that's not all, the final bill had unexplained and unexpected extra charges that made my bill $562 instead of $357 for a 5 day small car rental. But I am not alone, they do this shady business with many people as I found out later by googling reviews, BE AWARE, RENT FROM SOMEONE ELSE!
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2022
I rented a car from Budget Saint Thomas from 1/20/22 through 1/23/22. When I went to pick up the car, there was a long line. I waited for around an hour before I finally got my rental car. I was told to walk over to a certain parking lot, given the parking space number where the car was parked, and handed a key. When I got to the car, there was no one present from Budget to go over the current damages to the car with me.
When I returned the car, there was an attendant. I was concerned because the car had some damages when I picked it up, and I wanted to make sure that Budget would not try and pin any damages on me. I asked him if he needed to go over the car with me for damages, and if there was anything he could sign saying that the car was not damaged during my rental. He replied, “No, everything is fine.” I handed him the key, and went on my way.
I was quite surprised when two days later, on Tuesday, 1/25/22, Kristy ** of Budget rental texted me asking me about the damages to the car. I immediately called her and told her that the damages were already there when I picked up the car, and that I had five friends who were with me in the car who would attest to this. I told Kristy about the conversation I had with her attendant saying that “everything was fine”. She told me that in St. Thomas, things did not work the same way as they do in the U.S.A. There is no rental car inspection at pickup or drop-off.
At that point, I asked her how she could prove that I damaged the car? She said that she took a video on 1/20/22 prior to my rental and on 1/23/22 after I dropped the car off. I asked her to send me the video. She sent me videos from 1/16/22 and 1/23/22. I asked her for the video taken on 1/20/22, prior to my rental. She said, “Oh, I accidentally sent you the wrong video.” She then said that she would send me the video from 1/20/22 the next day. On the following day, 1/26/22, she told me via text that she was waiting on an estimate for the damages. I texted her that I wanted the video from 1/20/22.
She told me via text that she only had video from 1/16/22. From there, she kept accusing me via text of damaging the car. I then received an estimate from her for the damage, and she let me know not to worry: between my auto insurance and my credit card insurance, the bill I owed would be “fully covered”. I am sure that she is used to people just giving in and filing an insurance claim, or paying the damages.
Kristy ** started our initial text conversation by trying to pin all of the car damages on me. Once she sent me the videos from 1/16/22 and 1/23/22, she then went down to accusing me of one damage that is very low on the front passenger side of the car. The one damage she is tried to pin on me was not present on 1/16/22, but was present in the video on 1/23/22. I told her that she needed to send me a video from 1/20/22 prior to me renting the car to prove that it was not there prior to the rental. The damages she accused me of could have been committed between 1/16/22 and 1/20/22. Additionally, because I was not present for the video on 1/23/22, it is possible that someone else damaged the car after I turned in the rental, and then the video was taken. The attendant did not go over the car with me present, so it is also possible that the damage was committed after I turned in the car.
I reached out to Budget corporate. They got Kristy **’s side of the story, and then told me they wouldn’t help me me or even get my side of the story. I ended up in debt collection, which was a huge hassle. I disputed it, provided the facts, and the debt collector dropped the collection. Beware of Budget. They will try to scam you and strong-arm you into giving them money you don’t owe.
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2022
Do not rent a car from Budget! I reserved one that I just made yesterday less than 24 hours and even though it's 6 days till I pick up the car. Even though it's 6 days till I pick up the car. They will refund me everything but $50 that they get to keep. My grandma passed away and I decided to fly instead of driving 9 1/2 hours. I let the customer service rep know this. They said they could keep it until I travel again. I told them I wasn't on planning on going anywhere soon. They said they could cancel it for me and deduct the $50! AWFUL!!!!
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2022
I prepaid for my car rental and expected to go in, get my car, and everything would be fine. When I got to my hotel, I found out that my credit card was charged for extras I did not want or ask for. It took (4) calls to customer's service and opening a case to finally get resolution. I must say that their customer service people tried to help and did their best to find me resolution. Where I had the biggest issue was with the desk representative when I went to return the car. Freddie was not helpful at all, didn't want to hear about my issue, and would not even take my Case #. It was the rudest person I have ever dealt with with any company. I did finally get resolution when I made a final call to customer service and told them of how I was treated at the rental counter. Needless to say, I will never rent from Budget again. Countless time and anxiety spent trying to resolve what should have been an easy solution.
Reviewed Feb. 3, 2022
I reserved a car for a week for my son's upcoming wedding in Alaska. This week I got an email saying my reservation had cancelled. I phoned customer care to re-confirm my reservation and was told that my rate would not be honored. They offered a new reservation ($1000 more). So once they booked up, and price increased, they cancelled and left me high and dry. Wow!
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2022
ZERO STARS: Customers beware of added cost for your rental!!! Writing about my experience to help others…I rented a car from Budget car rental with a pick-up and drop off at Fort Myers International airport 1/18/22-1/25/22. I booked the rental through Southwest.com with the expectation of paying around $220.57, according to the estimated cost from the booking. What I paid in total was basically double that, $482.64!!!! I thought that possibly it was a safety deposit and that I would get some money back. I waited a few days and when no money was returned to my account, I called customer services. I was told that I pre-paid for gas, which I totally understand and have no problem with. However, what I did not realize is that I also paid $26.99/“PER DAY” (x7 days = $188.93 extra) for some kind of damage waiver that I apparently agreed to at the time of pick up.
Well, when I picked up the vehicle I had literally been traveling all day, this included layovers and going through three different airports, so I was exhausted. Not to mention that at pick up the customer service provider helping me wore a facial mask, I was wearing a facial mask, and we had a plastic wall between us, making it a little difficult to fully understand what exactly is being said. So, had I realized I was going to be charged an additional 26.99 “A DAY” for 7 days I would have kindly declined that offer. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES THEY TRY TO “SELL” YOU AT PICKUP! This was a huge lesson learned for me. Hope it helps someone else from being scammed out of additional money! Never again will I rent from this company, and I will voice and write a review EVERYWHERE to help spread the word to others!
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2022
If I could give Budget Rent A Car zero stars, I would. I rented a car from them recently for an eight-day trip. When I arrived at the pick-up location at the designated time, it was closed. I had to change the pick-up location to an inconvenient one, and the return location was changed to that inconvenient one as well. I called twice during my trip about changing the return location back to the original, as it was more convenient. I was told that would be fine but would entail a small reservation modification fee. After I returned the car, I saw a $413 charge on my credit card (in addition to the full cost for the rental, which I had prepaid). I spoke with Budget customer service, which "informed" me that returning the vehicle to the original location instead of the inconvenient one constituted a one-way rental. That is patently false. This company cares not a whit about its customers.

Reviewed Jan. 14, 2022
NO customer service, rude agents that hang up on you, no way to speak to a supervisor. Bait and switch tactics on their website. Not given the type of car stated on their contract, ie, clean. I was given a filthy car with a broken left mirror and such bad stains on the windows that I had to cancel my road trip. I could have lived with the dirty interior and the compact car but the windows were so hard to see out of I could not risk driving long distance with my children. Budget would not replace the car without me having to go back to the airport to pick up another one and it was just too late in the game for me to do this. What a yucky, scummy company. GROSS.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2022
I reserved a vehicle on 12/30/2021 for pickup on 1/4/2022 from Atlanta airport for one day for $178.17. When I went to pick it up attendant wanted to charge $265.99. When I showed her the reservation she dropped it down to $178.17 on my CC. However, when I returned the vehicle at Tallahassee airport per contract they charged $200.85 on my CC. When I complained, the women at the returned desk told me to call Budget at Atlanta airport since they are independently owned. I called them a few times to complain but no answer from the manager's desk. I will never rent from Budget.
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2022
I hate to leave bad reviews. I understand that customer service is a difficult and thankless job. That said my experience with Budget rental was so terrible that I am trying to tell as many people as possible. Our initial experience was very positive. We got our car in a friendly and efficient manner, it was clean, well maintained and full of fuel. We went from the airport to the beach and that’s where the troubles began. I lost the keys. That’s my fault, I accept that and take responsibility. We contacted roadside services. They walked me through the process and assured me a wrecker would arrive within an hour to take us to the airport and we would have another car waiting.
After an hour the wrecker hadn’t arrived. It was a holiday and I understand that wrecker services can be busy during these times. After another 15 minutes we called the wrecker service. The owner informed me he had not received an assignment from Budget nor did he work in the area we were stranded in. I called back roadside services. They then transferred me through 4 departments before I ended up talking to the same department I was originally transferred from. I was frustrated but tried to remain understanding. My wife and I were cold and wet. Luckily we were near a local fire station and the firefighters broke into the car for us so we could change clothes.
Finally after being placed on hold repeatedly and asked to wait for a callback twice; a wrecker was again dispatched. I called him immediately to verify. He was friendly, helpful, and understanding (he was also an independent contractor and not a Budget employee). When he arrived, after a four hour wait since the very first call, he told us Budget had not emailed him with payment verification and while he wanted to help he had to be paid. So I called roadside services yet again to see to it that they would pay their contractors. This isn’t my responsibility, it is Budget’s. While I was on this call I verified that there would be a car for us when we returned (because everything else had gone so smoothly) and was assured there would be.
Our driver took us and the disabled car back to the airport. Most folks would expect a ride in a wrecker to be unpleasant but this was the absolute best part of the entire ordeal. After arriving at the airport and dropping the disabled vehicle we went back to pick up the new car and were informed the location had no vehicles available. After another call to roadside assistance and a discussion with management we finally got the vehicle. This process took nearly 6 hours and required a total of 22 phone calls from start to finish. After leaving the airport and driving halfway to our hotel the vehicle’s oil light came on. After checking the oil I discovered the oil level to be so low there was no oil touching the dipstick. I added oil myself because I knew trying to get help from Budget would be another catastrophe.
After a fantastic time on vacation we returned the car to Budget at the airport. Went to check our bags and discovered my wife’s wallet had been left under the seat of the rental. I rushed back to the rental department to ask them to check the car. It had been no more than half an hour between our drop off and return. After nearly an hour’s wait for them to “look for the car” they informed me they were unsure of the car’s location but that it was likely moved offsite and they were unable to help. Through the entire process start to finish they huffed and rolled their eyes. They made it clear that they were in no way interested in helping through their actions and attitude.
The manager gave me the number for their loss department who I am now attempting to contact. At this point I have been on hold a full two hours and expect no assistance. Do yourself a favor and rent from anywhere but the Budget/Avis group. Everyone in customer service has bad days but this was obviously an issue with overall company procedures and processes top to bottom.
Reviewed Jan. 2, 2022
I WILL NEVER RENT BUDGET AGAIN. 1st I waited in the quick checkout line at Charlotte Airport (because the directional signs pointed me there for Budget Rental) for 30 minutes only to be redirected without being assisted at all. 2nd, the initial vehicle provided smelt strongly like cigarette smoke, I immediately requested an alternate vehicle. The 2nd vehicle provided had a slight odor upon receipt, however once we began our travel and turned on the climate system; the vehicle had a ridiculous odor of **. The presence was so strong that it caused headaches and nausea.
We were unable to use the vehicle on Christmas day and immediately requested an exchange on Dec 26. I was assured by the customer service representative that the Columbia Metropolitan Airport location had "plenty" of vehicles for me to exchange. Upon arrival to the airport that was discovered to be false and the location had no SUVs to accommodate us. We were given a minivan instead that had multiple areas of internal damage. I was extremely disappointed in my rental and even more disappointed in the customer service that was provided to me from Budget employees.
Reviewed Dec. 28, 2021
I selected a car to rent scrolling down after selecting So West Airlines flight plan. The car selected compact was advertised for $57.99. The rental company charged $127.79 per day. Included in the cost Veh license recoup fee $2.80, Concession recovery fee $17.81, CA sales tax 13.80 Facility charge $10.00, CA tourism fee $5.51. Advertising a special price then doubling the cost is clearly Deceptive.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2021
Here is a brief summary of our experience with Budget:
2. They did not have our car ready so we were moved to another worse vehicle without any apology.
3. We asked for 2 child seats, one of which was soiled in pee and stank insanely (causing our 2 year old to throw up).
4. The car we received was overdue for maintenance (by a lot) and had a warning beep due to this.
5. The car was vandalized (not Budget's fault), but having Budget replace the vandalized car took several days (due to the rental having exceeded 30 days, which apparently causes some breakdown in the Budget system... it has to be renewed which they forgot to do).
6. Calling the Budget customer care at any point puts you on a 1-2 hour hold time. They do not offer online chat, email support or any such modern thing. You need to say that you're about to place a new rental to get a phone wait time < 30 minutes. They will completely ignore their existing rental customers.
7. They overcharged our card with 20% and they have still not returned the refund - it's been 4 weeks. Having trying to contact their useless phone support is painful (see 6) and they still are trying to fight the overcharge. We'll see how that is resolved.
Regardless of the overcharge, the entire Budget experience is enormously terrible and it's not cheaper than the alternatives (we rented the last stretch of our trip with Hertz which felt amazing in comparison at the same fee).
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2021
My name is Kevin ** and my phone number is **. I am writing to file an official complaint about one of your employees at Miami International Airport. His name is Ivan. I arrived at around 8:30 p.m. from Chicago on December 19. The car was dropped off on December 24th at around 4:00 p.m. The issue has to do with the $59.95 I paid for the use of the Sun Pass transponder. I was having a difficult time deciding what I should do. I was told I had to decide at that time whether I wanted it or not. No changes would be allowed after the fact. I am about to tell you exactly what Ivan said to me as I was pondering what to do. I remember vividly what he told me and it was deceiving at the least or even downright dishonest.
1. Ivan told me that there was no way to exit the airport without paying a toll. When I repeated what he said as a question he confirmed again what he just told me. I talked to someone who works at the airport and they informed me that wasn't true.
2. Ivan told me that if I didn't elect to pay for Sun Pass, I would be charged a $6 administrative fee every time I went through a toll. When I repeated what he said as a question he confirmed again what he just told me. That was not true because when I called 1-800-527-7000 to file a complaint I asked the agent about that and he said it was $6 per day and not per toll.
3. Ivan said that there was no way to get to Key Largo without having to pass through 6 or 7 tolls. When I repeated what he said as a question he confirmed again what he just told me. That was also incorrect.
The only reason I decided to purchase the Sun Pass transponder was based on the information that Ivan gave me. I immediately called 1-800-527-7000 after dropping off the car and filed an official complaint. I then went to the booth on the second floor to get a print out of my charges. That is when I noticed the gas charges. I dropped the car off with a full tank of gas. The lady told me I would have to go to the 4th floor to get the charge corrected.
By luck, as I waited in line, the next available agent to help me was IVAN. I THINK THEY CALL THAT KARMA. As you can imagine, I let him know exactly how I felt by being lied to. Could I have done it in a less confrontational manner? Yes, but I was taken advantage by Ivan and was not happy. It is very alarming that he is your company's representative. I hope this is not standard business to take advantage of your customers? I will be sharing my concerns with Costco Travel since I signed up through them.
Budget does not pay commission on rental charges other than reserved 'time and mileage' charges, including, but not limited to, all optional charges incurred beyond the reserved base rates, Garmin GPS System, additional driver fees, Loss Damage Waiver, Personal Accident and Effects Insurance, Emergency Sickness Plan, and Supplemental Liability Insurance, ski racks, child safety seats, fuel recovery service fees, airport concession recovery fees, other surcharges and taxes, or any other fee or charge besides the base rate. When I asked Ivan if he makes more when a customer chooses optional products and services, he said no. I am requesting a refund on the $59.95 I paid for the optional services related to Sun Pass. I sincerely hope that there will be consequences for Ivan.
Kevin
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2021
Budget Rental offers no designated walk up line for paid, online reservations. However, you can immediately sign up for Fastbreak and get a rental then and there. How stupid!!! I waited in line with 70+ people in front of me to get my PAID rental for almost 3 hrs!! Worst ever!!!
Reviewed Dec. 26, 2021
Why bother planning your trip ahead, PRE PAYING your car rental 2 months ahead of time? Don’t, Budget will take your money and NOT have your car. Oh and I checked in on their website, so is not like they thought I wouldn’t show up. No, they overbooked and had no cars when I went to pick it up. They told me they only had a full size car, when I prepaid for a category above it (note the manager actually lied to me and told me it was a category above, BUT IT'S NOT). Then the employees from the store told me "there’s nothing we can do, you have to take this car and try to exchange in another location". So Budget transferred THEIR problems to me. I would have to check with other locations IF they have my car and drive there to exchange it.
And well I tried calling the other locations and no success, their reservations central checked and it didn’t look like they had the car as well so I would have to go there the next day (well they suggested I go to the location to check - but no guarantee). I have a newborn, so basically NO TIME to lose, I’m breastfeeding which means the time I’m away she’s not able to eat. It’s so BEYOND horrible experience, NO one could help me, Customer Service wasn’t working. I lost a day rental on the car, on the house, insurances I paid for the car… that totals $485. THAT’s NOT little money. Ruined my Christmas. I went to the airport to exchange the car, and yes they had a car on the same category but an OLD car. Jesus Budget what a TERRIBLE customer experience.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2021
Made a reservation on line, paid for the extra insurance as well as one additional driver. On the way to pick up the rental, received a phone call that they did not have a vehicle for me. Contacted customer service, was told about an alternate location that had a vehicle if I could pick it up there instead, drive across town to be told they also did not have a vehicle for me. Once again, called customer service. Manager on duty extremely rude, when I inquired about speaking with his boss, I was told no! I was told at no site was there a vehicle available for me, I inquired as to why the reservation was allowed to be made and the funds immediately taken from my bank account if in fact there were no vehicles available. This man proceeded to tell me that a reservation is no guarantee of a vehicle. In order to get my money refunded it can take up to 10 business days. They were HORRIBLE in every aspect of the word and should not be allowed to do business in this manner.
Reviewed Dec. 14, 2021
Take your time to read. We are not from the US and this company was not able to help at all after our accident- would rather let their customers freeze to death. We rented a vehicle yesterday, Sunday, December 12th at 10:30am from Budget Chicago downtown. We were on our way to Forest City, we hit a deer 5 minutes away from Cedar Falls around 7pm. We called Budget roadside assistance right away to get some help and a representative said that she will send some help on the way and a towing company will be there to tow the vehicle from where the accident happened.
About 30 minutes later (8:30pm) we called budget again to follow up to see where the help was as it was getting cold outside. A different representative answered and mentioned no help nor towing company was set up- basically, the first representative that spoke to us left us hanging and did not care what would have happened to us- first representative mentioned that she will send us a text message which we did not receive and still has not received.
After several calls we have made that night and 3 hours has passed still no one was there to help. They told us that they cannot find us a ride as taxi’s are closed and no Uber available. They mentioned that if we do find a ride, we could leave our belongings inside the vehicle and a tow company will tow it and let us know where they will take it— we requested them to bring it to Waterloo airport, IOWA so we can easily grab our stuff in the morning as that is the nearest place we could go and because they said they will have a replacement vehicle for us as at that location. We ended up having to call the local police to get picked up— the police were not happy how we were there for 3 hours and this company could not do anything. The police brought us to the nearest hotel so we don’t freeze to death outside.
We received a call from the towing company when we got to our hotel and they mentioned that they were called about 20 minutes ago when we have been sitting outside for 3 hours and was told by budget that towing company was called and were on their way at the very beginning. They also mentioned that the vehicle will be located at Cedar Rapids, which is an hour away from us. They mentioned that we can call Budget to tell them AGAIN to bring the vehicle to Waterloo IOWA airport as they cannot do anything unless budget tells them what to do— and as we mentioned early that night we wanted it at that place. We called budget and was on hold for almost an hour and by the time they picked up the phone and for them to call the towing company, the vehicle was already at Cedar Rapids. Budget then said that they will re route the vehicle to where we asked so we can pick up our belongings the next morning and the towing company will call us about it.
Early morning on Monday, December 13th no calls from the towing company. About 8:30am, we called the towing company and asked where the vehicle is. They mentioned that it is still at Cedar Rapids and that no one from budget told them they have to re route it. At 9:30am, we went to budget at Waterloo airport, IOWA and the front desk said that they do not have a vehicle for us for today and that they cannot give us a ride anywhere. We then started calling road assistance as directed by the lady at the front desk of the Budget at the airport and road assistance kept transferring us to budget customer service and budget customer service kept transferring us to roadside assistance. At this point we are very disappointed more than we already were.
Now, it is almost 11:30 and we’re are still stuck at the Waterloo airport, IOWA trying to find a ride to get the Cedar Rapids to get our belongings. As per the budget they could not give us a ride as we “abandoned” the vehicle even though they told us to last night so we don’t freeze outside. The representative on the phone hung up as per her she cannot do anything.
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2021
I called to rent a car and mentioned I was active duty but 23. They said I could not rent because I was not 25 so my mom did it. They charged MY card 930 before I even got the car and had no problem charging it to my card even though they made the reservation under my mother's name. After the phone call we called back to ask about a security deposit because they didn’t mention one. They said one of $250 had to be made but didn’t specify a card. When we arrived at the Budget after our flight with my 2 month old baby, they refused to accept the security deposit because the card wasn’t in my mom's name. I reminded them that the card they ALREADY charged for $930 was under my name and they didn’t care. We then found out active duty can rent a car before they’re 25. I tried to switch the name on the reservation and they said I had to call their supervisor to change the reservation name.
I called and after being on hold for 16 minutes they told me me I had to cancel this reservation and buy another rental for $930 and I would be refunded in 5 days. I told them I didn’t have another $930 to just give them. They said there was nothing they could do for us. Budget left a women, a active duty soldier and an infant to find a last minute ride in the middle of a pandemic because they refused to change the name of the reservation or accept a credit card under the same name they took the 930 from. They don’t care about the troops, infants, or the general public. They are ridden by greed and the service people in person and on the phone especially the Portland international jetport service people are lazy and refuse to help in any way. They won’t even call their own supervisor. All they say is, "Sorry. I can’t do that." Thanks budget for supporting your people. I’ll be sure to inform my fellow troops not to rent from you.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2021
I returned the car on time, but the employee didn't scan the barcode and give me the return slip, turn out the system showed I returned the car late. Call the customer service kinda said it's all my fault that I didn't get the return slip. I mean I already ask their employee to check the car with me, what else I can do if he didn't give the return slip? Next time, Please make sure you get the return slip before you leave the car!
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2021
Rented from Budget, had an accident, tried for days to tell them about it and where to find their car. Shuffled from phone to phone. Emailed, faxed and verbally filled out accident report. Accused of not returning car. Told I could never rent from them again. Talked or wrote to rental agent at airport to corporate offices. After three months they finally called for report on accident. Sent police report. Never heard from them again. Rent from them but pray you never have an accident.
Reviewed Dec. 4, 2021
We rented a car in Sacramento, CA on 10/29. As soon as we entered the freeway, warning light began cycling: Engine oil service due, Forward driving aids temporarily disabled, Front sensor blocked, see owners manual. There was no manual in the vehicle. Also, the car had not been sanitized as there were fingerprints covering the display, and the driver's seat belt wreaked of old perfume or cologne. Upon return, Budget counter person said I'd need to contact corporate, which I did, and provided pics as well. I've heard nothing! Plus, they charged my c.c. for $14! We filled the tank before returning it, so know it was full!
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2021
I will never rent a car from Budget again. I rented a Toyota in Florida a couple of weeks ago, it was a worn out Camry with out of state Texas license plates with over 61k miles on it. When the employee brought the keys to the clerk at the counter he said something about the battery but gave me the car anyway. The next morning of my One day in Florida the car wouldn't start. It took about 20 minutes to get through to Roadside assistance and almost 1 1/2 hours until someone showed up to jump the car. After I got the car started I had to drive back to the airport and stand in line to get another car.
The total time taken out of my ONE Day trip to Florida was about 3 hours. To add Insult to Injury I received an email from Budget saying they were charging my credit card $218 for the roadside assistance. There was no damage to the car, just a defective battery and was no fault of mine. The kind and understanding clerk did credit my overall bill but there is no quality control and Budget is renting out Defective cars that will break down leaving the customer stranded. After the car breaks down they pass any expenses on to the customer instead of being held accountable for giving out defective cars.
Reviewed Dec. 1, 2021
Don't rent from Budget no matter what. I received a bill for $638.00 for so called damage that I never did to the vehicle. These guys are a scam and the Jeep I rented was filthy dirty and rusty. This happened on Kauai in November. I am a pilot and frequently rent cars. I am contacting everyone I know and also AOPA to tell them about my experience.
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2021
As a member of AARP, I have often rented from Budget in the past. Never again. I recently rented an older model KIA out of MCO for two weeks. The vehicle was not washed. It failed to start about one week into the rental. The wait times to contact an agent to report the problem were nearly an hour. Eventually someone responded with booking a service provider to come jump the car. The wait time for service was even longer. I finally made my own arrangements for a jump, cancelling both with Budget and the provider. Even so Budget still charged my credit card for over $100 for the service! They did reverse the charges, but the dreadful experience both with the quality of vehicle rented and the poor customer service has ruled out ever renting from Budget again.
Reviewed Nov. 29, 2021
This is the 2nd time this car rental company CHARGED ME FOR GASOLINE USED WHEN I RETURNED THE CAR FULL TANK. I was told when I rented the car to either return it empty or full tank so as not to be charged extra. I accepted the offer to buy the gas from them BUT I MADE SURE THAT I RETURNED IT FULL TANK. The first time it happened last July 2021, I was charged for 5 gallons. I called to complain and I was refunded the price difference between the prevailing market price and their price. Now, it happened again. I rented a car for 4 days in Maui and returned it 11/28/2021. I will not let this pass and complain to all the necessary agencies including COSTCO and this CAR RENTAL COMPANY. DON'T GET DECEIVED BY BUDGET RENT A CAR.
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2021
I recently rented a vehicle from Budget. It was a local rental for three days. I filled the tank up about 3 miles from the drop-off location. Later that day I received an invoice from Budget, and the bill included a $100 refueling bill. Then I called their customer service, was on hold for almost 30 min, and I still have not been refunded my money. I even provided a receipt for the refueling at a gas station right outside of the drop-off place. Make sure you take a picture of the gas gauge when you return your vehicle. It is insane that I am being ripped off by a supposed reputable company like this. Honestly save yourself the headache and rent from someone else. This is just not worth the hassle.
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2021
On 08/10/2021 I booked a car with Budget company (rental station - Split Airport, Croatia) from 08/29/2021 19-30 to 09/11/2021 19-30 for 13 days for 579 EUR. I arrived at the rental station at 20-00 on August 29, 2021. Despite the fact that I previously inquired by phone with the company about the amount of the safe deposit, and they said 579 euros, the employee of the rental station demanded 1200 euros. I agreed. After three unsuccessful attempts to pre-authorize the entire amount on my card, the employee said that the PIN is incorrect and my card is blocked. As a VIP client of my bank with 24/7 support around the world, I contacted my personal manager by phone. The manager assured me that my card had not been blocked. Moreover, from the third party there was not a single attempt at any request for any amount whatsoever.
Already at home, I found out that error 204, which is contained on my receipts, is "Refusal to enter the amount of the original transaction", that is, the employee just cheated with the card reader. The employee suggested that I buy insurance policy, then there will be no safe deposit, the amount will be less, and the payment can go through. Since I could not stay on the street at night in a foreign country, especially since my whole vacation plan was connected with the use of a car, I had to agree. The employee has withdrawn 1030 EUR. And, such a miracle, the “blocked” card with the “wrong” PIN code worked. When I expressed my doubts about his honesty, he again allegedly tried to spend the same amount, but again error 204 came out.
By his illegal fraudulent actions, the employee imposed an unnecessary service on me and forced me to pay 450 EUR more for the car rental than I should have. For 11 years of using car rental services when traveling from Turkey to the USA, I have never come across anything like this. Moreover, it was the first time in my life that they lied so brazenly and shamelessly in my eyes. The subsequent two-month correspondence with Budget led to nothing.
Reviewed Nov. 19, 2021
When renting a car, I was asked if I wanted tolls to be pre-covered. Thought good idea. But what they don't tell you is that it's 25 dollars a day. You'd have to drive circles in a toll both to 25 dollars a day.
Reviewed Nov. 17, 2021
Unfortunately the mystery car that my wife and I prepaid for 3 months prior to our arrival to Hawaii had issues with the sun roof top. When we picked up our vehicle and began to drive to our hotel (Moana Surfrider) the sun roof started to fall apart. The side windows came undone and almost caused an accident on the freeway. This car was not only a hazard to us but others on the road. The sun roof would not retract to a complete close causing for it to open on its own while driving at speeds of 35 MPH. We only drove the vehicle 134 miles due to this unsafe issue. My wife and I missed on many scheduled trips.
I called customer service to address this concern but after many attempts and several hours of being on hold, we gave up. Needless to say WE WILL NEVER RENT another vehicle from Budget again!!. A total of $510 was prepaid to only drive around Waikiki to and from the airport. We will be contacting customer service once again to get a resolution. Additionally, a few days after I submitted my review. I received an email from Budget (Kami A.) apologizing for the incident and that I would receive a partial refund....It's been over 3 months and nothing. I have called and have sent several emails, no response! I been completely ghosted. ****READ BELOW****
"Dear Xavier,
Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate that you took time to let us know about the disappointing condition in the Budget vehicle you rented at HONOLULU AIRPORT. I want to extend my apologies for the condition of the vehicle as this is not our service standard.
I will forward your comments to my service department and review the maintenance procedures with the team to ensure this does not happen again.
I have also submitted a request to our billing department and will have them credit you $125.63USD for the inconvenience we had placed you through. Please allow 7-10 business days before you see the credit on the original card used to prepay the rental.
We hope you give us another chance to provide your rental vehicle at Budget so we may exceed your expectations and earn your trust again.
Sincerely,Kaimi A.
Budget, Operations Support"
Reviewed Nov. 17, 2021
Do not rent with this company. It is a real scam, even if I contacted to tell you that there were problems to leave LAX airport on time, they never explained to me that this would have a charge of almost $ 80.00 and apart from leaving the car on time and with the tank full and they say it was three gallons short. In total they are cheating me with an additional $ 100.00 that of course they charged for the guarantee.
Reviewed Nov. 16, 2021
This company is a scam. I paid upfront, returned the vehicle early. Never received my refund for the early return. A pre authorization charge of $250 has still not been refunded either and is pending on my debit card 60 days later. Don’t rent from this company.
Reviewed Nov. 16, 2021
Spent 2 days of my vacation trying to get a tire replaced. One hour just to get a hold of them, then another hour waiting for a service that was supposed to arrive "within 40 minutes". Caught the company blatantly lying many times and had many operators hanging up on my face (happily recorded the conversations). Oper Then they tried to charge me over $200 for a toll (to remedy their incompetence.) This company is so poorly run. You can tell they don't give a crap about their customer as every public-facing web channel hasn't been updated for many months/years. Companies like this should face governmental consequences.
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2021
I would avoid Budget (in Spain at least). I was overcharged at the Palma office and when I submitted an explanation to Budget, I was ignored. Their social media person responded to a Google review I posted (check it out) but then ignored me. I sense that the social media team is just a scam where they pretend like they will look into the matter to try to disarm negative reviews. Really disgusting how Budget Spain preys on tourists. Avoid!
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2021
Stay away from this company. Went to PR to see family members after the loss of my uncle. Budget overcharged me. When I called them they can't even explain why they are overcharging me and refuse to reimburse. Stay away from using this company.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2021
This happened at Tucson airport, and I can't verify if it's true for all counter persons, but mine said I'd pay less per gallon upon return. She never said it only applies if you use the entire tank!! Budget will not refund any money for gas you do not use. I used a quarter of the tank and ended up losing $37 by using the pre-pay option.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2021
'Budget' in every way. Having used Budget for years in the USA and Europe my family and I had a shocking experience this August in the UK - with huge wait times, poor service, child's car seat which wouldn't fit properly (and was unsafe), tyres which deflated after a week's driving and then slow, uncaring customer service by email. Budget responded by giving us half the cost of the child's car seat hire back, which felt derisory. I understand COVID affects service to a degree, but Budget's job is to provide good cars, good car seats and good service - Budget simply did not do its job here. We won't be using Budget (or Avis) again and cannot recommend their service and product.
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2021
This is my response to this company's lack of responsibility. They are trying to file false claims against me months after my rental.
This letter will provide ample detail regarding the claims you have against me regarding my rental back in September of 2021. Upon arrival at the Budget rental office at Sky Harbor airport, I had already prepaid for my rental. I sat there for four hours waiting for them to find the car that was originally promised. Being that I was on vacation I finally said please just get me into something of equal value. I literally rented this vehicle from September 9th through the 12th. I called the minute I realized the seatbelt didn't work and the side airbag was blown. I was constantly transferred and never talked to a real live person until a few days after I got home from my vacation. The person I finally spoke with said they would note this in the record. Upon rental return I also showed the man directing traffic for parking and he said he would note it. That obviously did not happen.
Per the rental agreement, both parties must notify the other of any possible claim they may have within thirty days, it has been 52 days since the rental was returned. Upon rental return I also showed the man directing traffic for parking and he said he would note it. That obviously did not happen. You provided photos that are date stamped 10-4-2021, 22 days after the rental return. You also have a few blurry pictures that have no date stamp; the dash photo is so blurry you cannot read the miles. There is no way you can compare the two pictures to fully know how many more miles were put on after I returned it, whether that be an employee or another rental agreement.
I would also like to state that if a side seat airbag has been blown, why did the no other airbag go off, and why is there no visible damage to the exterior of the car, including but not limited the windshield, front quarter panel, front and back passenger doors, as well as bumper and hood damage. There were also no warning lights on the dash. If there were, I would have gone right back to the rental counter. As far as I am concerned you should be held responsible for renting out a vehicle that by law was unsafe. Below is some insight of airbag deployment in case you are not aware...
The airbags are made to inflate in the case of a crash, but how severe of a crash does it take to deploy the airbags? This is a common question but doesn’t quite capture the complexity involved in the safety systems found in modern vehicles. There are several factors that contribute to the airbags inflating:
• Direction: The airbags found in the vehicle are designed to assist the occupants in a front impact. If the truck is rear-ended or rolled over, the airbags will not go off. A side impact will set off the optional side airbags if the force is strong enough.• Speed: Low-speed crashes may not set off the airbags.
• Angle: If the angle of the vehicle is not straight-on then it will influence which airbags ultimately go off. If the impact happens at the front driver side corner, then the passenger side airbags and possibly the passenger front airbag will not inflate.
• Force from impact: A crash is not just about the speed of the vehicle, the amount of force the object the vehicle hits and absorbs is also a large factor. A hypothetical “immovable object” will make the vehicle experience all the force from the crash all at once, so the airbags are very likely to go off if the vehicle impacts a wall or other hard, sturdy object. On the opposite end of that spectrum, hitting something that will make the vehicle slow gradually will not set off the airbags. For instance, if the vehicle loses control and rolls onto a soft shoulder it may be stopped by mud or gravel.
The pictures provided are not what the vehicle looked like when I picked up and returned it, not to mention these are taken almost a whole month later. I would also like to state that I have yet to meet someone that gets under vehicles to inspect them, this is unheard of. It was just a tear down the side of the passenger seat. I have attached a picture of what the seat looked like. I am not in any way responsible for this bill, and have plenty of proof to show, between multiple eyewitnesses that will prove it as well. Budget knows that I am not responsible for this claim.
After careful consideration of the details I’ve provided, if this claim is not closed based on your false statements, I am requesting the following documentation on your end to counter my proof that I’m not at fault for damages;
1. Photos of the vehicle prior to pick up (same day) and after return (same day, not months later).2. Mileage logs of the vehicle leading up to my rental and after the return.
3. Detailed logs from the attendant on duty when the vehicle was returned (same day records).
I have also submitted a claim to the attorney general regarding these false accusations against me (**). I would appreciate quick resolution in this matter.
Regards,Jessica
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2021
I shared my displeasure and how complicated it was to rent with Budget and as I walked away after finishing my rental process this employee named Peter decided he would say “** off man”, I let him know customer service would be contacted and asked him his name and was told “can’t you read?”. The conversation went on as I told him, "You know this isn’t the way you should treat customers" and he covered his mouth and got wide eyed as to say “oh no I’m in trouble now". sarcastically. My wife and I walked away and contacted customer service and waited for a call back. Apparently Budget thought 50 dollars should shut us up but I’m sorry half of what we paid should be refunded and this man should be fired at the very least. I will be contacting local media and be posting this experience on EVERY social media platform.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2021
The worst experience we've ever had. We have a service animal and the company charged us $250 because they found animal hair in the car. They allow service animals so I don't understand what the issue was. The customer service people I spoke to were extremely rude and condescending. Would not recommend ever.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2021
Rented Jeep in Kauai for one day. Jeep wasn’t in best condition. I received two months after rental a charge on my credit card for $342.09. After receiving letter. Spoke to customer service. They sent me blurry photo with a circle “supposedly” showing a chip windshield. Budget said I did this and that they would settle for $100. Tried to explain that I checked vehicle and didn’t see any damage. Plus how do you miss a chipped windshield? I will not rent with budget again. Plus will dispute with American Express.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2021
Customer service was very poor with Budget on my last rental. The rear view camera was not working, but wasn't noticed until I used reverse off site. Informed Budget of this, but was still charged after explaining to customer service.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2021
They need an efficiency expert in the worst way. I will never rent with Budget again. First I waited in a super long line to check in. That line was over 50 minutes. Usually you get your car and keys in this first line but all I got was a slip of paper and instructions to go wait in a second line. That line was around 40 minutes and I did get a car but then there was a third line to get out of the garage. In all, renting the car took half as long as flying from New York. NO JOKE. If you value your time, pay a few more dollars each day. I will never give them another opportunity to waste my time with their incredible inefficiency again.
Reviewed Oct. 20, 2021
I rented a car in Florida. From Oct 13 to 18th. I returned the car very early in the morning. I took a photo of miles and that the gas tank was Full. Looked at my statement and was charged $132 and change for Gas, Toll Charges and misc fees. 1 the gas was full. I never went through any tolls. None, Zero. Was charged over $59 for toll charges. Was told that they couldn't tell if I went through any toll roads so they have to charge me. Are you Kidding?! I even told the lady at the counter when I picked up the car, where I would be. I will Never Ever used Budget again. This is very upsetting considering I already paid for the rental car upfront and then be charged for additional fees.
Reviewed Oct. 19, 2021
I rented a car and told them I would not need any toll services as I was staying local. After returning home I received charges for tolls for NY bridges. I was never even near NY. I contacted Budget who informed me that they can’t help because toll issues belong with eToll (even though Budget engaged them on my behalf after I declined the service). I contacted eToll who said I needed to provide proof it wasn’t me. Even after providing proof to eToll that there is no way I could have traveled to those toll plazas given the low number of total miles I traveled (as documented on the Budget receipt), they still say I might have generated those tolls and are denying the reversal of charges. If I could give Budget a zero rating I would - that would at least accurately reflect the service I’ve received. EToll deserves a negative rating.
Reviewed Oct. 19, 2021
I have spoken to at least a dozen of your customer support reps tonight. As you notice the rental dates, on the 16th of October we started having a alert warning on the dash. I called this evening, spoke to at least a dozen of the most incompetent people I have ever known of, wasted over an hour and a half of my life to be hung up on by way over half of them.
I have ONLY asked for a confirmation email or so that if what they are telling me is true. The ONLY reason that I am with Budget is because Enterprise didn't have an available rental within 60 miles of my location. I am going to the location that I leased the car from. I expect to talk to a similar group of village idiots similar to the budget employees I wasted my time with tonight. I will be returning the car and EXPECT budget to pay the rental time left for an Enterprise car for me. Plus give me a full refund for my inconvenience.
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2021
Rented Jeep Wrangler in Denver. It was dirty, smelled so bad, cracked windshield, shifted poorly, a low tire, & braked poorly. We responded to customer service by email & they have not responded. We will not use Budget again.
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2021
I am being billed for 5 extra days, late fees, fuel charges and misc. charges. My $237 bill has turned into over $1,100. I cannot get this resolved no matter how many times I call. It's always "escalated" to someone who is supposed to call me, but never does. When bringing the car back, there was no one there. I left the car and then received a nasty letter 2 weeks later that accused me of embezzlement! I am unable to get any "supervisor" to call back. All I get is a person answering the phone that says I have to prove I brought the car back. They have a document on their website that someone filled in at some point that is not even matching anything except the car type! They say to provide a copy of a boarding pass for the airline to prove I brought the car back. Really?
I have receipts showing I rented a car for my next trip, 6 hours, before they say I brought the first car back! That makes no sense at all, but no one seems to question why I would rent a car 6 hours before I returned the first one they said I still had! Unable to get a callback, EVER! Only people that can't solve the problem or make a decision. I have since started using Alamo and so far, no issues with them.
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2021
The clerk put my name on someone else's rental and I have been fighting Budget for 5 months now. They have even sent the bill to collections for a car I DID NOT RENT. Their customer service does not return my calls.
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2021
Rotten customer service people, very rude. The company needs to review and put a hold of $500 when using debit card, then they are selling insurance. Nothing is smooth. Very bad experience. Renting at Hertz was much better and faster. Never going back to Budget again.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2021
By far the worst rental company I have ever had to deal with. Management and customer service are horrendous. We had booked a "luxury car" for $355 total. We get to Budget and they bumped us down two grades, yet somehow we were charged more. After asking us twice and confirming which insurance company we would be using, they still charged us over $150 for insurance because they marked we accepted. We ended up calling customer service and they directed us to go to the budget rental desk when dropping off the car to get the charges dropped. Rod (manager) was no help and extremely rude. Did not offer to adjust for their errors. Tell us how we go from $355 to a final price of $650?! I beg you stay clear of budget rentals.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2021
The Budget rental car located at SW Washington Street in Portland Oregon neglected to close out my contract after the car had been returned. They charged me daily rental fees from August 2nd to October 4th 2021. The Virginia Beach and Tulsa offices then took 4,800.00 dollars out of my checking on October 4th. I had to deactivate my debit card and start a fraud claim with my bank. In the meantime various bills are unpaid and my checking account remains overdrawn. I started dealing with Budget on August 4th 2021 after I became ill with COVID symptoms on the way home from my trip. I could not reach anyone at the local or National offices for 36 hours. Finally I got a man who told me not to touch the car and promised I would get a e mail with instructions within 48 hours. I never heard back. Budget apparently has no employees. Chat was unavailable. Phone contact unavailable. I sent an e mail. My e mail was unanswered.
The vehicle sat in front of my house for several days. Finally a tow truck showed up without notice. A man pounding on my door and all the while I’m so ill. Fast forward to this Friday. I called Budget at the suggestion of the Wells Fargo fraud department. A man who did not speak English managed to get out the info that I had to pay for “the man who got the car”. Then he purposely hung up on me. I am waiting for Wells Fargo to deal with Budget and have complained to the Better Business Bureau. Budget can damage your finances and credit rating due to incompetence and poor business practices. I was told by one employee that the other had purposely not transferred me to customer service because it would have negatively impacted that employee’s bonus. Use Budget (which is also Avis) at your own risk.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2021
Made reservation to travel to New York, took uber to the airport to pick my car after calling to confirm the reservation. Got to the airport around 8pm only to be told no car and no hope of getting any. Waited all night and had to take another uber home after much exhaustion and frustration. Called customer service and was told to present the receipts for the uber which was about $80 total. I received an email back saying they can only compensate me $50, not even the full amount spent on uber let alone the opportunities lost for not making my trip. This is fraud and this company should made to pay or business license suspended. Definitely will have my attorney look into this ** of a company and their dishonest business practice of making customers book reservation when they do not have cars available. Will never use or recommend them to anyone ever again!
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2021
$50 No-Show fee charged to my credit card for a reservation I cancelled after 30 minutes but because it wasn't 24 hours prior, I'm still being charged? What's the point of "free-cancellations up to time of pick up" if you will still be charged that no-show fee if you're not cancelling24 hours beforehand? Makes no sense especially if you're reserving the same day you plan to pick up. You guys are crooks and I'll never do business with you again. You don't even deserve a 1 star from me.
Reviewed Sept. 28, 2021
Car? It drives. Return process? I don't have the car still, so it worked. Price? Could be fair - except for charges added without consent. We were rushed through the check-in process and said no to any add-ons, however in hindsight when we were asked to confirm "so you're just getting the basic rental?" that actually meant "so you're buying add-on basic insurance?". We signed believing there was no possible miscommunication, but upon seeing the receipt about an hour later we called customer support to confirm if there was an upcharge. Customer support confirmed to us that there was NO upcharge on our account and that if we were to run into charges in the future, we could cancel as we had not "used" the insurance.
After returning the car and seeing the charges show up on the card later, our fears were confirmed - an upcharge was applied. Customer service was not forgiving this time, instead relying on the fact that we signed for an upcharge (without consent) and ignoring our prior conversation. If you see Budget show up at a good price on tools like Expedia, beware - you're paying less but Budget is not here to help you save money, their policies are adversarial and they are only interested in squeezing what they can from you. Having used Enterprise, Hertz, and other better services without any problems, I would recommend against Budget as the $20-$50 is SO WORTH IT for the better customer service.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2021
Budget gave the best initial price, but after either a general clerical mistake or flat-out dishonesty, my rental ended up being higher than quotes would have been from other companies. In addition, they will not give me a copy of my rental agreement. My idiotic mistake for discarding it before my deposit was returned.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2021
Despite having a prepaid reservation at ABQ Airport, they were out of cars and were rude and flippant. This was after waiting in line for 30 min. Even the shuttle driver said this was common and advised to always use Enterprise. It left me stranded and needing to stay in a hotel for the night.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2021
This is the second car rental at with Budget in Indiana International Airport in the last month. The lines are incredibly long, at least 1 hour to get your car both times, unacceptable. There were 12 employee booths for employees to work only 5 this time and 2 the previous time we rented. The car we rented was great, a Jeep however it was not cleaned when we got it, and there was a horrible smell inside the car, that was down right gross. But we couldn't return it, because we were an hour away from the airport and had to get to our destination at Indiana University for parents' weekend. The license plate was Ohio, **. I suggest the CEO of Budget check out the car, and tell us what he thinks of the smell and if he could drive that car around for 3 days. If he can then sorry for bothering you but if not, have him send me back my money for the crappy rental we got from your company that was unacceptable.
If the CEO is busy, have some one in management go check out that Jeep Wrangler. Please don't sent me a ** email back that says, "Thank you for your response and your information," and I never hear from you again, put your money where your mouth is. Check out the car, drive it around for 20 minutes and then tell me what you think of that smell. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when the valet guy had body odor and drove the car and they couldn't get the smell out of the car.
Alex MNew Jersey
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2021
I rented a car from this location for a 3 day trip to Denver with my wife. We get our vehicle and upon seeing it, it had a cracked front windshield and plenty of body damage (scratches, dings, dents). The agent replaced our vehicle with a Ford Expedition. Truck was good, but did have rear driver side fender/bumper damage which was duct taped. No issues with the car until it was time to check the car back in. We arrived an hour earlier than drop-off time and parked the car in the rental return line. Took down all necessary info, took a photo of the dash indicating a full tank and the mileage. Photo is time stamped showing time and date I dropped off the car. I asked if anything else needed and the lady stated to leave the keys on the dash. BIG MISTAKE!! Should have asked for a return receipt as we are now over 96 hours since drop-off and it still shows that I have the rental!
Tried calling the actual location and keep getting routed to corporate customer service. I requested customer service to close out rental and still no action. Still waiting for a resolution soon. I am an avid business/leisure traveler who has extensive car rental experience, but I have never experienced this before. All of my rental drop-offs have been closed out within 12 hours of returning. Needless to say, I am very disappointed at how this Budget location is handling this situation and not taking care of a Fastbreak customer. I will not be doing business with this location again.
Reviewed Sept. 14, 2021
Had to change flight...called Budget and spent 3 hours on the phone to move the car rental reservation up...worst customer service ever...then Travelocity forgot to send in the voucher for the car rental and budget charged us again for the rental... Here it is three weeks later and I still don't have the second charge refunded back to my credit card... The customer service reps are rude, you spend hours on the phone and they just give you the run around... We will never rent a car from them again...

Reviewed Sept. 13, 2021
Last night I reserved a car and the reservation was confirmed. I arrived to pick up the car and they didn't have. They said I could upgrade to another vehicle that was $60 a day more. The representative was rude and unprofessional. I called customer service they offered me another car for only $35 more and I had to get to another location. I will never use Budget again. I found a car down the street for about the same price as my original reservation.
Reviewed Sept. 9, 2021
Bad experience. I advise don’t pay for your rental beforehand. I don’t see how you are penalized for paying ahead of time to try and secure a reduced rate. I had to change plans due to covid and the company refused to issue a full refund. Horrible business ethics. The people do not care, only concerned about taking your money. Once they get they get the money good luck getting it back. Safe to say I’ll never use Budget again.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2021
We rented a car from Baltimore-Washington Airport and they charged $250 for a rental from Friday evening to Sunday morning. Though to be fair, when I looked for a car, they were the cheapest company! First, picking up the car was confusing. We took the shuttle bus from the airport terminal to the rental car parking garage. We went to the Budget counter, and it was closed, with a sign telling us to go to the Avis counter. So we went to the Avis counter and saw a sign that said people with reservations can go to the outside kiosk. Since we already had a reservation, we went outside. But no one was there. Another customer was just as confused about what to do and she had been waiting a few minutes.
Normally, they have a big LED sign with customer names and the parking spot for the cars. The sign was on the fritz and mostly broken, so they taped a printout of customer names and cars... but it only showed rentals up to 12:00 noon, and it was now 5:00 pm! After about 10 minutes of waiting, an attendant showed up, he helped us, and gave us our car. Though he seemed almost confused that we (and the other customer) were Budget Rapid Rewards members with reservations and not Avis customers.
We got a VW Jetta which is in the class of car we reserved. But we've never driven a car like that before so we didn't know how to turn on the headlights or the parking brake. There was no owners manual in the car, so that didn't help. We started driving through the parking garage with the headlights off and then we were able to flag down an attendant to ask him for help. It would have been nice if someone showed us the car's controls before we started driving.
We returned the car Sunday morning, 2 hours earlier than planned. When we got to the car rental parking garage, the entrance for Budget was closed and it also said to go to the Avis entrance. So we drove around, parked, and an attendant checked us out. He then said we had to go to the inside counter to close out the contract. We did that and the lady at the counter said the contract was already closed when the previous guy helped us! She gave us our receipt (which they also e-mailed to me) and then got on the radio with someone to tell the guy outside not to tell customers that they need to go to the counter close out their contract. We didn't actually need to use the car all weekend- we drove out to the rental house on Friday and back to the airport on Sunday.
When I later got the receipt, it showed that we used 0.9 gallons- yes, less than ONE gallon. Yet they somehow charged us an additional $16.61 in fees, including $5.069 per gallon for gas!! If I had known they charged that much for gas, I would have filled up the the 0.9 gallons myself! And we returned the car 2 hours earlier than planned, so shouldn't they subtract the fees? So no, I'm not happy with my experience renting from Budget... or is it actually Avis?
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2021
I have rented from Budget for years and until recently they were one of the best car rental agencies. Lately, their policies have changed to rip the consumer off. In March of 2021 we rented at Richmond Airport - we prepaid. When we got there they told us they were running late as they were short staffed. We waited as instructed in the lobby and after 1 hour we were instructed that the car was ready and to go to the garage - when we got there there were 40 people in line at the kiosk and we had to wait another hour in line. Once we got to the kiosk attendant they told us that they were running behind and we needed to wait for the car to be cleaned. We waited another half hour and when we got to the car it was 2 car downgrade.
At this point we were steaming but were already running late for an appointment 2 hours away. We left and called customer service on the way, which took 1.5 hours to get someone on their customer service line who was unapologetic and said we should have addressed the issue with the Richmond airport folks - these people think because they are being forced to work that everyone else should be doing the same and not enjoying their vacation or have all the time in the world to fix their company's problems. Well we don't. This used to be a seamless process and I am thinking that the management has forced their workers into scamming the customer to pull as much money as they can from the consumer. I understand that the pandemic has caused these companies to make drastic changes and they are struggling - but it is not our fault and they should not be biting the hand that feeds them.
The customer service person said they could only offer a free car upgrade on our next rental - the audacity - you downgrade me 2 cars and you offer to fix the problem by offering a car upgrade if I rent from you again. The second recent time I rented from Budget was 3 weeks ago - August - was going to drop my daughter off at college in VA. Since I had a free upgrade - I rented a Ford Explorer (or similar) and with the upgrade I opted to go with the Ford Expedition (or similar) as I needed the room to carry all of her stuff - When I got there they tried to give me a Kia Sportage - 4 car levels down. The balls on these people. I cancelled the reservation then and there.
I then called customer service - waited another hour on hold - and explained the situation - they wanted to withhold 250.00 of the reservation fee and I explained to them that I was going to take them to small claims if they did as this was a scam and they agreed to give all of the reservation money back - they said it would be processed in 5 days - still waiting - I called back on day 5 and they gave an excuse that the person didn't process correctly and that they would then expedite and would take 2 days - it is now day 3 and no money - I am calling them back today and threaten small claims again and I am calling the local TV station consumer line and putting these jerks on the news. We'll see if they decide to do what they say they will do.
Reviewed Aug. 25, 2021
I booked a rental a month in advance and prepaid. When we arrived to pick up the car, we were sent to another location to pick up the rental. At the 2nd location, the rate more than doubled but we were not informed of this by staff; the rate was on the rental agreement. We took the car because we are already late. The car was dirty inside and out and staff did not even walk around the car with us but gave us the fob and told us to hit the button on the key fob to see which one it was.
We returned the car a day early - no money refunded for this. Instead, I have been charged over the amount it was supposed to be. We cleaned the car, filled the tank up, etc. I called and was told that they can’t do anything, I have to wait and see if the charges will “drop off” my account. So far a 3 day rental has cost me an additional $600 with no explanation of why. I did not authorize these charges which are still coming in 4 days after returning the car in better condition than he received it.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2021
Lying scam company. This was my first (and last) rental ever with Budget. After pre paying for my reservation through Costco, I paid an additional $227 for their useless insurance. I didn't even use 1 first day of the rental due to flight delays. I called the customer service and let them know. They didn't extended the reservation (as I wanted) but they said not to worry and I wouldn't be charged extra. Then, I returned the car with a full tank and in the same condition it was rented. After I turned my car in I get a text that my total due was $227. Okay, fine.
Once I returned home I was charged an additional $250 that I did not authorize. Also, I never got a receipt to show what that fraudulent charge was even for. When I called the customer service to discuss it there were no notes on the account and the guy I talked to was very rude. I will NEVER EVER use Budget rent a car ever again. I'm so frustrated that I got a car through Budget. I will tell everyone I know how bad this experience was and that they should avoid Budget no matter what. I WANT MY $250 BACK SCAM ARTISTS!!
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2021
Book a car for 9am several weeks in advance. Get to kiosk at 9 and no car. Offered smaller car that wouldn't work. Now waiting an hour for them to courier a car from town. And the whole time she made it seem like I was putting her out. I prebooked so I wouldn’t have to do this.
Reviewed Aug. 19, 2021
Customer service sucks, being transferred back and forth to incorrect dept, I was placed on hold for 50 minutes when I was "dropped call" from a landline, simply for trying to get credit for a rental. I had to call roadside service to exchange for a malfunctioning rental car. I will take a life supply of bus passes before doing business with Budget Rent A Car again.

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2021
The guy who was guiding me in parking lot to park my car to whatever location he wanted me to park, was moving his hands fast and impatiently with no clear directions. When I tried to keep up with the speed, he started yelling at me to slow down and threatened with a 1000 dollar fine. Staff needs more training in how to provide parking instructions to the customers who are returning the car and behave politely. He was completely disrespectful, rude and mean.
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2021
On my vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada, I booked a Budget rental car thru my 3rd party booking site for $225 for 5 days. To offset the outrageous cost of the collision damage insurance charged by rental companies, I accepted the insurance offered by my site (only $45 for the entire 5 days!). When I got to the Budget rental counter near McCarran Airport, they refused to accept the policy. The agent claimed they were not familiar with that company, and could not accept it. Since I needed a car, I had to accept Budget's collision damage waiver for $25/day. And, she kept asking for my personal policy number, as if I would actually give it to her.
Later, when I called my 3rd party insurer, they informed my that Budget was lying: there was no requirement I use Budget's insurance, and that their (Generali Insurance) was more than enough coverage to qualify to rent the car. When I called Budget, they refused to honor the Generali insurance, even though they said there was nothing inadequate about the policy. They stated that they were not responsible for their agent's misinformation, and that I should have demanded a refund before I drove off the lot. Budget refused to refund my money ($116.16), even though they committed this fraud. I do not recommend anyone use them to rent a car.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2021
Budget rental car is horrible and we had the worst experience. First it took them an hour to get us the car that had been reserved for three months. At high speeds the car would shake and we were on our way for a family trip. I spent days on the phone with customer service and they were unable to find us a rental car to exchange our vehicle. On the freeway the car was shaking severely. They found us a rental car exchange in Cleveland Ohio at 11:00 at night. 250 miles from when we first called it in. When we got there we exchanged to unsafe vehicle for another. After we were charged for gas when both rental cars were filled up. Then we were charged for a cleaning fee on the unsafe first rental. Due to our safety and the issue of being in an unknown town we were not made aware that we should find a vacuum at 11:00 at night. Budget rental car just wants to charge you for as much as they can without a care for their customers.
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2021
I prepaid my rental two months before I took the car, when I got to Budget, there were more than 100 people waiting for picking up their cars, after 1.5 hours waiting finally I got my turn. I told the check-out person that I have already prepaid the rental and I didn't need any other services. And I returned the car with full tank of gas. When I returned home, I found that Budget added the supplemental insurance and fuel services and charged me 200 dollars. So disappointed!
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2021
We waited hours in a miserable line with hundreds of people, staffed by one lone customer service rep. It took us longer to wait in line at Budget to pick up the car we paid for in advance than it took us to fly to Salt Lake City airport. Many did not even get the car they had reserved after waiting for ours. The airport staff told us this has been going on for months, so Budget knows about it and simply doesn't care to fix it. The customer service reps, both in person and on the phone, also claim they cannot look up the Fastbreak account despite it being used for many years. Spare yourself this misery - it was awful.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021
Rented car 2 weeks in advance. Waited in line 2 hours. Finally got to window and car was not available. Automatically upgraded and charged us without our consent. Forced us to sign papers. When we realized what they had done, we immediately cancelled the car. Never took possession and waited over 10 days for a refund. Which wasn’t the full price of the car.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021
RUN - don't walk - away from Budget. They charged me $558 extra because they *claim* I returned the car late 3 hrs late, when I actually brought it back 1 hour early. When I returned the car to Hyannis (agreed upon drop off location), at 9am (1 hr before 10am agreed upon return time) no one was at the Budget desk, and I was directed to drop the keys with someone at Avis instead, which I did. Also, car REEKED of smoke. I tried calling the Logan location over and over, and the corporate number, and was on hold each time for over an hour.
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021
I rented a car from Budget six month in advance. I choose mystery car that are similar to Nissan rough. When it was time to pick the car up it was convertible. There was not any space in the trunk to feed 2 suitcases. I did not had chance but I had to pay extra for an update. I got Jeep Wrangler instead. The second we got in a car we all noticed it was extremely dirty. The crumbs and sand were all over the car and the car smelled like weed. Next day my friend, 2 teens and I went road which was going through the mountains and had a lot of turns. About half way the car including the breaks started to make such a scary squeaky noises that I started to get nervous that either we will never make to the end or the break will fail and all of us are going to die.
The next day we had no choice like go to budget office that was next to our hotel. The lady at the office said she cannot do anything about and we need to drive back to airport which is 1,5 away from the hotel to change the car. I spend half of my vacation day to go back and force to airport to budget facility and again arguing with the staff there to exchange a car. The exchange car was much better, no noise and a little bit cleaner than the prior one. This is was my first and the last car that I was renting from budget. I rather to pay a little bit more but to get a safe and clean car and enjoy my vacation.
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2021
We rented our car in Tacoma Washington. The procedure was pretty much seamless and the car was clean and ready as promised. Five days into the rental period the car's battery failed. We called Budget and they sent someone to jump the car's battery. This was in Bandon Oregon a small coastal town with limited services. We had two further dead battery issues before I could get the car to the local Chrysler Dealer in Coos Bay about twenty minutes from our hotel. I spent close to six hours while the dealer diagnosed the check engine light and replaced the dead battery. The repairs were done on warranty from Chrysler thank goodness and we continued on our way with no further problem. A week after returning from our trip and returning the rental car we received a bill of $218.00 for the battery jumps. Lesson learned, carry and use your own roadside emergency service. Do not depend on the rental company.
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2021
You may think you have prepaid for your rental. Think again. I had a 9:30 reservation and drove the car out of the Budget garage at 10:00AM. I returned it at 11:00AM. For that extra hour I was charged a full day rental fee, $83.00. Beware, this business is a scam.
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2021
In no way should anyone use this company...ever. Renting a truck (moving) the check engine light is on and the air conditioner doesn't work. They send a guy out to fix it...it didn't get fixed. The air turns on and off periodically and the check engine light turned back on as soon as I turned the vehicle back on. All that means is that there pressed the reset button on the light to cover themselves until they walked away. I am driving across the country through the hot desert (AZ, NV, NM, TX) and the air doesn't work and the engine could explode. Great.
I was also in need of a trailer to drive my vehicle across the country and that was already damaged on the fender. Was in a time crunch so they stated they can replace it at another Budget somewhere on my path across country. Too late! 4 hours into driving and I am in AZ and the tire blows out because the bent fender is dragging against the tire. I call and it takes an hour to reach someone just for them to tell me to detach the trailer and drive to the nearest hotel because it would not be solved until the next day.
I am at the hotel now for 3 days and no closer for them to find me a trailer. Every time I call I am on hold for 40 minutes or more just for them to transfer me to another person to put me on hold again. I had to cancel all my hotels I was going to be staying at throughout the road trip and for many of them I cannot get my money back. No one is reimbursing me for the truck, trailer, or hotel(s). I have been repeatedly hung up on by customer service (not yelling or being irate). At this point Budget can kiss my ** and this POS company should have caved with the pandemic. All these mom and pop shops went under and they provided great service, but this, this garbage company stayed afloat? Under NO circumstances should ANYONE use this company.
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2021
Missed my flight, needed to change dates for rental car. YOU CANNOT REACH A HUMAN on the phone. I tried PRICELINE - they said to call the car rental location (Norfolk Int'l Airport). When I got them they sent me back to PRICELINE - who sent me back to Norfolk, etc. Never did get it resolved.... PRICELINE gives you a good rate - but Lord help you if things go wrong!
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2021
I rented a car through Budget in Miami on a Thursday. The line was long and it took about 45 minutes to get the car. When I received the car it had low tire pressure and no gas. They fix this issue and I went on my way. The day I was supposed to return the car it stopped working. I believe there was an electrical issue because the lights and windshield wipers went haywire flickering and moving on their own.
I called roadside assistance and sat on the phone with her for 25 minutes. They called me back an hour later saying they lost my information and asking me what happened again and where I was. I get to the airport and the manager named Joseph was no help. He just kept saying "that's tough". I left and took my flight and called customer service where they informed me the car was still not checked in and said they would be keeping my deposit. No refund for being left stranded by the car for 6 hours. I called roadside assistance and they hung up on me twice. The third time they finally said that the car was at the service area of the airport. Everyone acted like it was too hard to just go and check. I never got my deposit back. Worst service ever. Don't do it.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2021
• The Car was filthy. Littered with water bottles, food wrappers and bags of food.
• The gas tank was only ¾ full, NOT 100% full as shown on the contract agreement.
Later the same day I called Budget’s Customer Service and was kept on hold for 25 minutes to get to the initial customer service representative who said they could not help me, then transferred me to another number where I was on hold for another 10 minutes before speaking with Luis who offered me four options:1. I could exchange the vehicle at Asheville Airport (unacceptable since it would have been a two-hour round-trip drive).
2. A $50 voucher toward my next rental (unacceptable since I would not be renting another car within the year).
3. A voucher for (2) days off my next rental with a time limit of one year ((unacceptable since I would not be renting another car within the year).
4. On my return date I could go into the airport and return the car keys at the Budget counter where the agent would credit my charge card for $ 50.00 & tax plus $11.21 for the gas that I put into the car upon leaving the airport, - a total of $67.64.
This is the option I chose & on 7/23/2021 when I returned the car, I provided the agent with my case number to expedite the process but she was unable to use my case number. I then took the extra time to explain my experience with the car after which she issued me a credit receipt for $67.64. On July 25, 2021. I received a credit of $50 on my charge card but have yet to receive the additional $17.64.
Reviewed July 29, 2021
Made a reservation. In March for July. Was told could use bank card. When flew into Illinois. Was told could not use. Was stuck in Illinois. Girlfriend had to drive from Florida to Illinois to get me and kids. Reason for the trip.
Reviewed July 28, 2021
Buyer Beware! I will NEVER rent from this company EVER again. As in other reviews I read, unfortunately AFTER I rented from them, all they do is diplomatically repeat themselves over and over, saying the same thing and directing you to their agreements. They do not provide any response to other questions or their lack of transparency. I called Roadside Assistance for a dead battery. That is what I thought I should do. NEVER did they say there would be a charge. I didn't cause the dead battery. I did not leave the lights on, I did not leave any doors open. They rented me a faulty car.
The only response from them is repeatedly referring to their rental agreement. What they fail to respond to is the fact that when I rented the car I was NEVER offered Roadside Assistance protection. They also fail to respond to my inquiry as to why Roadside Assistance customer service reps do not provide at least some transparency in that you "may" (per their rental agreement) be charged extra fees for using their services. I could have bought a $20 pair of jumper cables and gotten a jump start. This company lacks ethics and transparency. Do yourself a favor and rent from another company.
I was a Rapid Rewards member and I will never rent from them EVER again. This is partly because of what happened but mainly because why would I give a company my business when they can't even fully & completely respond to a customer's inquiries. I've asked for a supervisor or manager to respond to my questioning that I was never offered Roadside Assistance protection and that their Roadside Assistance CSRs are not transparent about informing customers that their services "may" (as they state in their rental agreements) incur additional charges. They do not care about customer service or improving it at all.
Reviewed July 28, 2021
My ordeal with Budget car rental was the absolute worst when it comes to customer service and ultimately serving the customer. Budget should be ashamed. I am still walking through this nightmare as I am leaving this review. I rented a car out of Orlando Airport of which I prepaid for it (July 26). I stood in the line for two hours. Please note as well that I am traveling with 6 children (two of which is 5 month old twins). On my way to the resort, a signal on the dashboard said that the tire pressure was low. Now whoever serviced this car prior to me picking it up should have seen this and ensure that all was well because it was more than just low air. I went to the gas station and filled it up with air to the correct psi which removed the signal from off the dashboard. Half an hour into the journey the signal came back on and the tire started to feel wobbly.
Eventually, I got to the resort and called customer service about it. After waiting 45 minutes to connect, I was told that I need to call roadside service. At this time it was very late in the evening and I decided to call the next morning. I called customer service (on hold for one hour and 30 minutes) and then roadside service (after being on hold for a seriously long time) who told me that they would pick up the car. I requested that a car be brought to me for all the inconveniences. I received a text that the ETA of the roadside service would be 90 minutes. It was now around 2 pm. Fast forward, the car wasn't picked up until 7pm after being told 3 separate time that the tow truck was 45 minutes away. In between those time I kept calling to get the ETA. Each time I was on hold for 1 hour.
I finally got a rep in one of those times who wanted me to check to see if the car had a spare tire, tools, etc. I kept asking why do I need to check that if a truck is coming. I am the customer. Through out all this, it was pouring like a monsoon. He kept insisting that I should go outside and check for a spare. I did and could not locate any. He wanted me to check under the car so he can better inform the company. I was irate. I asked him what is going to happen now if the car is taken. I told him I need a replacement vehicle since I prepaid for a 10 day rental. He told me that he would order me a ride share to take.me to the airport to collect one. I was against going back to the airport and inquired why a car is not brought to me since I was the one that was inconvenienced. I had small children and it was ludicrous for Budget to demand I go back to the airport to stand back in the line for God knows how long.
He told me that he would work on the replacement car. I received text that a replacement car was secured for me. The same gentleman called me back to inquire if the tow truck came and I told him no. I asked again about the replacement, he repeated that a ride share would take me to the airport but the request could not be put through unless the first rental car was near its pickup. Three hours passed and I called roadside to find out where the driver was. Another agent was surprised that the truck was not here and checked into it only to be told another 45 minutes. About 35 minutes later, the driver called me to tell me he was 40 minutes away. That 40 minutes turned into an hour and a half. The car was eventually picked up at 7pm only to see that there was no replacement vehicle.
I inquired from the truck driver who told me that a two way order should have been put through in where I can have a vehicle brought to me. What he saw was that a ride share would be called for 7 people to go back to the airport. This is absolute foolishness. Why would I transport children back to the airport with no guaranteed time of how long I would stand in a line. At this point, I am extremely angry with Budget and the blatant insensitivity for the inconveniences and waste of two days without a car of which I PREPAID for. I went back on the phone at 7:15 for more call wait times totaling 4 hours. In between I spoke to a Budget roadside rep who listened and I thought it was the end of this nightmare. She said she would put the request in for the car to be brought to me and she would call me back to let me know whether the car would be dropped off late in the night or early morning.
At this time now it is about 10:30 pm. I am so frustrated. I received a text that roadside is working on my situation and eventually one came through that the car would be brought to me with am ETA of 90 minutes. This means the car would arrive at MIDNIGHT (JULY 28). Once again, please consider that I cannot go anywhere with my kids since Monday evening and yet I paid for a rental car. Midnight came and I saw no message or phone call or tow truck. I am extremely sleepy but got on the phone with the tow truck company who told me that Budget refused to release the car at the airport. Made more calls and spoke to a supervisor (1:00 am) who told me I would pay fees for the car coming to me but could not disclose the fees. Yet, wanted me to agree without knowledge of cost.
I repeated that I am in a place with children and why would I leave to get the car. I was proceeded to be feed with policies and very diplomatic, company response instead of a viable solution for me as the customer. I them I am NOT agreeing to pay extra for something that is not my fault. I asked for a refund and cancellation of my reservations and was told that I needed to do that at the ticket counter in airport. I am not been able to speak to a budget customer service rep on the phone minus one time in the beginning. Eventually I was forced (I say this because budget screwed me over) to accept the option of being transport to the airport in the morning but I have to call back.
It is now 2am in the morning and I have to get up early to beat the long line in the airport for something that WAS NOT MY FAULT. The saga continues and where does this leave me: a wasted TWO DAYS without a car, 6-7 hours of waiting on hold, NO recreation on my vacation, loss of sleep, and wishing that I never rented from Budget. Budget stole half of my vacation and it is a disgrace!!!!
Reviewed July 27, 2021
Got a rental for 7/24-7/31. 1st your rental office at OKC was not open when our flight arrived 11:45pm on 7/23. So I rented from an off airport location. When I get there the system was down, had to wait 25-30 minutes for them to do it remotely and fax information over to us for the rental that was prepaid and supposed to be quick pick up. They also then informed me that even though we are off airport property because we are so close and from out of state we must pay the airport taxes +$100 more. Now our plans changed and we wanted to turn the car in early and expected that we would not be charged for the days we aren't using it. Called in to change the reservations and was told that since we prepaid there would be no refund for returning early.
Reviewed July 26, 2021
Budget rented is a car with known issues and then left us stranded for an entire day in a parking lot with no food, no water, no restrooms and elderly travelers. After waiting from 9am until 430pm for help, with no answer from Budget Emergency Roadside Assistance, we had our personal insurance tow the vehicle back to the airport. We missed the entire event we flew into town for. Thank God for USAA and coverage on vehicles we did not own or we would still be sitting in the parking lot. No refund, no compensation, no communication. They simply don't answer.
Reviewed July 25, 2021
I had reserved and paid for a car rental online. When my husband and I arrived at Tampa airport, the sign at the beginning of the service line stated a wish for only one person in the party to stand in line. Since my husband would be the primary driver, he went through the line. Unfortunately, the area was noisy and my husband doesn't hear perfectly. He explained happily after we were in the care that we received a free upgrade because we are AARP members. Unfortunately, this was incorrect. We were charged for an upgrade we did not need.
My husband was asked for a credit card, and he had the understanding it was to credit us for AARP membership discounts. Very incorrect!!! We were charged another almost $500 because he misheard and was given your insurance coverage as well as the upgrade charge. This was confusing to my husband since he showed the clerk our personal insurance card and explained that we did not need additional coverage. Our $500 car rental became an almost $1000 car rental. We feel cheated and manipulated. In addition, the car was dirty when we received it. The driver seat was stained and dirty, the interior of the windshield was streaked and dirty, and the side windows were smudged.
After contacting customer service by phone, the gentleman calmly pointed out that my husband signed a contract that had the upgrade and insurance charge on it. To encourage an upgrade and insurance coverage in person with customers who are tired after a flight and anxious to see loved ones after the rental has been chosen, bought, and paid for is wrong. To double the cost of our rental was wrong. Although the drop off was fast, the man directing us didn't even look at my husband's face. My husband commented that he left the keys in the car, and the staff member just grunted. We have chosen not to use Avis/Budget in the future and will make a point to share our negative experience with our friends and family members.
Reviewed July 22, 2021
I have rented from Budget for years, personal and business. Recently had an emergency and have to fly home from a work trip, returned to different airport. They charged me $2,780 on a $400 rental! I tried to call the 800 number and local counter number, as instructed, and never got through in 2 days and 14 days after. Worst customer experience I have had and we will be closing all our memberships. They have not worked with me even after I mentioned how I could not get through on their support lines in time, prior to flying home. I use this as example of how not to handle my clients to my staff.
Reviewed July 22, 2021
From the moment I got off plane to leaving the building. No good. The bus had issues with running. Took 30 min to pick people up after getting off plane. Budget only accepts credit and that's not said at beginning. Had to find out 2 hours later that they don't accept cash or debit. It's not the workers. It's the process of the business. Everyone don't just use credit.
Reviewed July 21, 2021
Turned in my car to the Denver Airport and the gentleman, Karar, checked out the vehicle and told us to leave the trash in the car and that it was good. A month later I received an additional charge for $450, no email, no receipt of the work just a charge to my card. Once I was able to get ahold of Budget, they then send me the damage report claiming that there was excessive sand and dirt in the car.
The pictures they provided are of the floormats, not the carpet. No mud, no excessive sand or dirt just normal debris from a 11 day road trip. There are two additional pictures, one of the dashboard again, no damage only dust, and a picture of 4 unused wipes and a straw wrapper on the floormate in the back seat as well. This is apparently $450 dollars worth of cleaning? $450 dollars to vacuum? Again, there was no mud, no excessive sand, no gum or sticky food particles that needed additional cleaning. Nothing that a simple house vacuum couldn't have removed. More easily, all they had to do was turn the floormat over and shake it. I will definitely never be renting using Budget again. The one time I didn't use Enterprise.
Reviewed July 21, 2021
I returned the car on time and still got charged for an extra day. I called to complain and was told that they corrected the problem. One week later they still had not returned my full refund. I called again and told wait was 30 min. and I was on hold for over an hour. Finally I chose to get called back. When they called back they said that the refund was never processed so they did that. They said by Monday I will get my money back. Another week later, I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE FULL REFUND FROM MY DEPOSIT!
Reviewed July 20, 2021
I had problem with my bill. Then I call customer service, then I wait 3 hours, finally some answer me. After the guy get my all informations, he hang off the phone. Then I have to call and wait other 3 hours. The guy just answer my phone, told me wait. Then he hang off phone again. I just waste 6 hours to wait a customer service? If you want to choose this company, think, think and think. If you have any problems, no customer service!!!
Reviewed July 20, 2021
This is the first time renting through Budget Rentals. I got a great price combined with my airlines ticket but that is where the positive part of the experience ends! I was traveling with my elderly aunt (68) and mom (73), we were to rent an economy size car in LA at the airport. We were exhausted when we arrived due to delayed flights totaling 6 hours, so we were wanting to get the car quickly and drive the additional 50 minutes to our hotel. Well that is not how it came about…. We waited 1 hour outside of the airport for the shuttle to take us the the rental office and then we waited another hour to finally get to the desk! Then I was told that the only vehicle they had was a Jeep Wrangler and that I needed car insurance (which I didn’t). It was now 4:00am and I just wanted to leave!
We got to the jeep and it was only a 2 door! Remember I am traveling with two older ladies who now have to crawl and climb into a 2-door Jeep! We take off and then while driving we have another problem-Down the interstate the soft top begins to come off the Jeep! My mom has to hold onto the top while I am driving so it doesn’t blow off! I have to make a stop on the side of the road to reattach it, but she has to hold onto it for the whole 50 minute drive. After a few hours of sleep I call Budget to complain! They refund the insurance charge but have no other vehicle to trade with me. We have to drive this way for the next three days! I will not be renting from them again!
Reviewed July 20, 2021
I am a 25-year Army combat veteran who throughout my career have traveled the world and rented thousands of cars from various rental car companies. By far this has been the worst experience. Reservations were made through USAA (Military Bank) for a total of $576.31, which included supplemental insurance coverage (mandatory). I created a fast break account to rapidly obtain the car as I had an event later that evening but clearly, there was nothing fast about getting the car. Upon checking-in at the rental car location (Las Americas Intl Airport in the Dominican Republic) I was told that additional insurance was required to rent the vehicle ($1,600 US) which would of made my total $2,176.31. After almost 30 minutes of holding up the line and arguing with the representative they finally agreed to let me rent the car for $897.27 with a $1,500 extra hold on my credit card.
Upon departing the terminal and getting the rental the disappointment and frustration continued when they gave me a dirty (inside and out) car. The interior seats were all stained and dirty and the car, which they claim was a 2020 car, had a radio from the 1990's with a remote control to it. At this point my family and I were extremely frustrated and late to our event therefore we just accepted the car. Again this has by far been the worst rental car experience for my family and me. I will reach out to USAA and ensure they relook this company as a preferred vendor to our military community if this is the level of customer service being provided. I have included pictures of the car and all receipts of this experience and will email corporate management.
V/R1SG (ret) Antonio **
Reviewed July 19, 2021
We made an online reservation for our rental through Budget, we arrived at the airport in Orlando and they did not have the vehicle we reserved. We took the next thing available because what other choice did we have? We rented the vehicle from Jun 24th through Jun 30th. In our email we were told to return the vehicle by 6am on June 30th and park the vehicle in Terminal A. I took the keys inside to the rental Returns front desk and handed the keys to the budget employee. Well a few days went by and apparently he didn't check the vehicle in properly. So I started receiving automated calls saying I needed to extend my rental.
Well as soon as I started receiving these calls I attempted to call budget customer service numerous times to get this resolved, which was the biggest waste of time because I waited on hold every time for over 2 hours and then once I finally got through to somebody, they couldn't do anything for me. I requested to be contacted by their Supervisor, which after 3 days he contacted me and said my account was under review. Next thing I know I get a statement from my credit card company saying Budget charged you $2800. As soon as I seen this I attempted to call in again, waited 2 hours before somebody answered, the customer service rep did absolutely nothing for me so I asked to talk to a supervisor again and she said he would call back in about 2 hours, I NEVER received a call back.
Next thing you know I get my receipt in my email and they charged me for 15 additional days, charged me late fees, and charged me for "parking in the wrong spot." They charged my credit card over $3000 and said they could not do anything to make it right and I was responsible for the amount. By far the worst company and customer service I have EVER dealt with. They are a bunch of scam artists and I would advise NOBODY to rent a vehicle through them.
Reviewed July 18, 2021
Customer service means nothing to their manager Joseph at the FLL location. He rudely explain he had no options for me and my mother, after they sold insurance to my mother and we tried to remove it the next day. We went in with the car, and he couldn't help us secure a car or the price or nothing. After denying we speak to his supervisor "as he was the highest manager there" he denied providing his manager's name or email address, he denied providing us with even a pen, and when he became completely irritated after being asked to bring any other manager he even called me a **. I am not sure what training or assessment is done to train or select managers at this location, but based on other reviews and my own experience, we will never be renting from Budget again.
Reviewed July 16, 2021
When we arrived in Miami to pick up our car, the line was so long that we waited for 2 hours to pick up our car. With 2 young kids who had been traveling since the wee hours of the morning, we were not happy to see only 2 people at the desk when there were clearly hundreds of folks waiting to get their cars. The process was harried and rushed, as they were clearly trying to move as many people through as quickly as possible. We declined any additional insurance and all the add-ons, signed our contract quickly and tried to get on the road (after already having our flight delayed over a day and waiting in a 2 hour car line). Same song and dance when we arrived back at the airport to return the car- a ridiculously long line and one person working the desk- we nearly missed our flight because the process took so long.
When we arrived home and looked at our bill, we realized that everything we had declined- they had added to our contract- more than doubling our rental cost. When we called and complained strongly to the customer service, they basically said "too bad, you signed the contract and therefore accepted the charges." My husband was adamant that we had declined all the extra coverage and that the charges should be reversed, but "the best they could do was a partial refund." Either the agent clicked the wrong button in his haste, or it we were deliberately taken advantage of- either way, the entire process from beginning to end was awful. We will never rent with this company again. Word of advice- even if you're in a huge hurry and have been waiting in line for an outrageously long time, take the time to read your contract line by line because they WILL scam you with extra charges you didn't want, and then refuse to fix their mistake.
Reviewed July 15, 2021
My sister made a reservation for a car days ago. My family and I started traveling from 5:30am. It is currently 2am the next day and we have been told that they overbooked the cars and that there's none available. Now we have to pay for an Uber to and from the airport because we did the right thing and made a reservation in advance. NEVER again!!!!
Reviewed July 14, 2021
We had a car reserved in Orlando Florida. We waited in line for 3 hours, from 12:30 am to 3:30 am. Customer service at the desk was extremely limited, sometimes no one was even at the desk. At 3:30 am, it was announced by Budget that they had no more available cars - even for those who reserved cars beforehand as we had. We were up all night. If Budget had relayed that information earlier, we could have taken an Uber to our hotel. We were in Florida for USA Cycling Junior National Road Championships with two teenage boys - not a good way to rest up before a national level competition.
When we tried to address Budget through their customer service about what had happened and a request for some compensation in the form of a voucher or reimbursement for the taxi we took at 3:30 am to the hotel, we were given the run around and rerouted to different sources. Our calls were never returned. We were unable to complete the forms in Budget's system due to glitches on their part. Very disappointing. Will never use Budget again.
Reviewed July 13, 2021
This is for the Budget rental at St. Louis Airport. You have to really watch them. I declined all the upgrades they ask you and signed away. Returned the car and had another $460 in charges. This doubled my rental cost. They put me down for every type of insurance they have. Make sure you spend the time to read the entire contract before signing. Needless to say I'll never rent from them again. Lesson learned.
Reviewed July 13, 2021
I rented a car from Budget. I received a car with a small dent to the passenger side door. Now I am receiving a bill from them that's 4 times what it would cost to fix, for damage that was already there before I used this vehicle. And when you call them, they go straight to voice-mails. No explanation or photos of damage was sent to me. The place is too busy and overbooked. They don't even personally give you the vehicle, they park 30+ cars in a busy lot and you have to look for the license plate number. They obviously don't inspect the cars between each use.
Reviewed July 13, 2021
My wife and I went online to rent a car from the Budget Rental Car Louisville location on Plantside drive. We had not even received our confirmation and our $800 was out of our account. Upon receiving our confirmation I took my wife’s car to the mechanic and drove to budget to pick up the car she would now be needing to take my son to football practice everyday at 6:30 am and upon arriving and entering the building we are told they don’t have and won’t have a car for us. We told them there must be a mistake as we have been charged already and have the confirmation of our reservation. We used our debit card to pay for the rental and it has a $800 daily limit so after realizing they weren’t going to give us a car regardless of the fact we had a reservation we told them we would need the money put back in our account so we could go rent somewhere else and they told us it would be 2-5 days before it would be credited to our account.
Furious to hear this I asked to speak to a supervisor because after all they had no problem taking money out of our account instantly and not even having a car for us I would’ve hoped they could put our monies back but no they wouldn’t. Think about that for a second. They didn’t even have a car for us but took our money and when we came in to pick up the car they didn’t even have they can’t put our money back on our card! Seriously that would be criminal under any other circumstance.
The supervisor finally got on the phone and was one of the most rude people I’ve ever had to deal with. He said his name was Lucas and he was over reservations and as I described the events he cut me off and corrected me and would not let me speak at all. I asked to speak to his supervisor and he repeated over and over that he was the floor supervisor which tells me there is definitely someone over him but he refused to let me speak with them . He also said he didn’t have a extension and would give me nothing other than his name was Lucas over reservations. So we needed to rent the car because my wife’s car had to go into the shop and the only way she could get our kids to their sports was a rental and now they would not put the monies back on our account for 2-5 days leaving us without a vehicle.
After realizing we had been duped we called our bank to see if there was anything we could do and explained the events and as we were telling them what Budget rental Cars had done they proceeded to tell us that this has happened several times lately and there are numerous other people in the same situation and none of them have received their Monies back yet. I mean the bank knew of others that this had just happened too??? Seriously?? They told us we would just have to see if they gave us back our monies and go from there.
After calling the bank my wife checked her emails and found a cancellation confirmation stating that our monies would be refunded within 10 business days?!?! WOW SO IT WENT FROM 2-5 business days to 10 business to refund monies to us for something they didn’t have in the first place and should’ve never charged for and they’ve done it to several other people in the past 5 days we know of. I hope to get our monies refunded and I would seriously discourage anyone trying to rent a car from Budget Rental as my experience has left me in awe! If I did this to someone it would be criminal. How does this business get such a pass.
Reviewed July 12, 2021
The good: The car was great. Pick up was relatively easy, and drop off was very easy. The bad: The desk agent tried to upsell me by saying that compact cars are not good "road cars." He phrased it in such a way that made me think they had no more compact cars available. After clarifying that they were available, I avoided the extra charge (which would have been about $120) and got what I chose beforehand, which happened to do just fine on the road. Incidentally, I heard the clerk next to the person I was talking with tell another customer that his selected car wouldn't be good for driving in the mountains.
Then, about two weeks after dropping off the car, I received a letter in the mail (it got to me despite the incorrect address) saying that they were going to charge me $450 for "Excessive dirt" in the interior. I know the car wasn't spotless after having it for a week, but I also know I didn't leave it with anything that a vacuum wouldn't take care of. There were no details in the letter, but there was a customer service number.
After calling them, they sent me a "damage report," which was NOT included in the letter informing me of an additional charge but which does exist. There were two photos of the interior floors for the passenger and driver sides that show dirt, but again, nothing that would seem to require anything more than a vacuum. There was no indication on the report of what remedy the car supposedly needed that would cost $450. I called the customer service line and got the charge removed, thankfully. I wouldn't recommend Budget based on this experience, but if you choose it, it's probably a good idea to vacuum it before dropping it off, which shouldn't be necessary.
Reviewed July 11, 2021
I went to the Budget rental car in the Orlando airport because my job had a thing with them where I could get 20% off. However, it definitely was not worth it as they were very slow - it took them over an hour to get us through there. Also, part of they had a decent amount of people working the terminals, but, I think the part of the issue was they were constantly trying to upsell people and it was just very slow with a very long line. In the future, I definitely would not use Budget. Whenever it takes longer to get the rental car than the flight was, that is a very bad sign.
Reviewed July 7, 2021
BEWARE - SCAM ALERT, DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET RENTAL CAR. I was recently charged a fraudulent $450 cleaning charge for Ford Ranger I rented for one night in Albuquerque NM. I left the vehicle clean and full of fuel but was charged to clean cigarette ash and smoke odor. I don't smoke, there was no smoke odor nor were there ashes on the floor when I returned the vehicle. Scamming your customers from their hard-earned money is not a good business plan and will not garner brand loyalty. This was the first and last time I will be doing business with Budget.
Reviewed July 6, 2021
I would like to say that I was pleased with the helpful staff at pickup and that my car was ready, clean and almost brand new. I was disappointed that I paid in advance to lock in a lower rate, but found they added a $54 fee anyhow when I picked it up! Prices are already expensive this year. They really should be upfront with pricing and not sneak in an extra charge.
Reviewed July 6, 2021
I will be filing a complaint on all platforms. Budget location on 306 N Rosalind Ave Downtown Orlando, FL. Budget has so many money hungry stipulations, they were looking got ways to make extra money by any means necessary. I noticed I was charged $90.00 in airport fees. However this is not an airport location. The Spanish worker at the front desk seemed agitated that I realized I was charged. She then removed the fees and said I smell smoke. However, the car was detailed prior to returning and I do not smoke. I objected and she then charged my card for 450.00. She advised me that she smelled smoke and shrugged her shoulders. She stated that she could take off airport fees which would changed my amount due. However, my card was still charged airport fees on top of smoking fees. I will be disputing with my bank, since No one at budget is attempting to resolve the matter.
Reviewed July 4, 2021
I rented a full size SUV from Budget. I received a Mitsubishi Outlander that had significant dents, dings, scratches and funky smell. That is the best part of this review. The counter person tried to sell me the insurance and I declined. He tried to sell me the fuel option and I declined. He said that I would have to fill up within 5 miles of the airport. I told him I understood and declined a second time. This is not a true statement but I chose not to argue as there were hundreds of people waiting in line behind me.
I returned the car with a full tank of gas. The attendant at check-in verified the full tank and the condition of the car. All was good so we headed home. A few weeks later I found an extra $300 on my credit card. I tried repeatedly to reach out to Budget. They repeatedly respond that I need to provide my invoice showing that I didn't accept the insurance or gas plan. I left all that in the car when the attendant checked me in saying all was good. Do not ever use or trust Budget or Avis! This company engages in fraud and their management supports this practice!
Reviewed July 4, 2021
Had pictures of car after. Tried to scam me. Beware! Nothing was wrong with car. They tried to scam and take money out of my account. Always take after pictures for proof. Look at Better Business Bureau.
Reviewed July 3, 2021
Please avoid Budget car rental, for the sake of personal respect and freedom. Budget is a bureaucratic, unsympathetic corporation, where you do not count as an individual person, but another number. I have never left a bad review in my life, but I feel I have no other choice in this situation. The particular Budget location I dealt with in Bloomington, Indiana and especially the corporate system have been a huge nightmare to deal with.
We arrived to return our car as soon as the location opened to find a huge line, probably because they open so late (10am!). We asked if we could drop our keys at the counter, which an employee said was fine. When we got the bill, we found we had been charged an extra day because they checked us in after the line died down but did not make note that we had returned the car on time. I have made numerous phone calls and written numerous emails, but Budget will not return my hard-earned money for the extra day for which I was wrongly charged. The best they say they can offer is half off that day, which is absolutely unacceptable, considering this is not my fault, but the fault of this Budget location’s negligence and inaptitude.
Budget’s corporate system is terribly unsympathetic. Canned email after canned email, rejection after rejection, and robotic false promises that they looked into my case confirmed that I and my fellow customers mean nothing to them. Though the Bloomington location said they would try to help, they were nearly impossible to reach on the phone and never returned my last call. All of this time, I have tried to remain calm and respect the employees, but apparently you need to kick and scream to succeed in this world, as I was unsuccessful. I had to go to the Bloomington location in person to get a straight answer, and though there was “nothing they could do”, they did confirm that this situation has occurred several times. I think the Bloomington location may have their hands tied behind their backs, but in that case, corporate needs to step it up and respect us as real people.
I have lost faith in Budget, absolutely, but also in the systems that allow abuse like this to happen. I feel helpless, and all I can do is warn others to not let this happen to them - to avoid companies like Budget that herd us like livestock ever further and deeper into the rings of a corporate inferno, and further away from how a cooperative society should function. I will be looking for a company that respects me in the future.
Reviewed June 29, 2021
SCAMMERS. COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF. All of my emails are going unanswered and this is not acceptable. I did not leave a signature on anything. The man at the desk told me all of these things were required and not optional. He also told me not to sign and put a line through the agreement. After he asked me to do that he then informed me that the hold for 250 would not be part of what I was looking at after he told me it was before asking me to put a line through it. That amount was 800 which I argued about for another 20 mins on top of the two hours I waited in line for my rental. This is a scamming company because now I have no idea why even more money was added on top of the money I never agreed to.
I Will NEVER EVER use this company again. I do not want your future credit. I want a refund on the scammed amout I was charged by your corrupt company taking advantage of people at the airport. There is no reason why my 569.19 rental came out to 1012. The car was returned on time and in perfect condition. I was told I would be charged the insurance and gas without an option. I was also told I was being upgraded to an suv which I wasn’t. It was a small dirty crossover that was not clean or sanitized because the car I requested was given away. Because of a convention in town you do not have the right to rip off customers that have nothing to do with it. My rental was booked weeks in advance. I will be leaving a review on every website I can. My bank is already involved.
Reviewed June 29, 2021
I called Budget customer service number to rent a vehicle. I picked the car up on Monday. The same day I called the man on the phone said I could smoke in the car. I asked for an economy car they put me in a big car I had the car for 6 hours and they charged me 115 dollars. I couldnt believe it. This company is a ripoff. Budget my ** car. Renter beware.
Reviewed June 28, 2021
On December 24, 2020, I rented a 2020 Chevy Camaro from the Budget location at the John Wayne airport. I picked up the vehicle at 4:50 pm and at that time the odometer had a mileage reading of 20,828. I had this rental car for a total of 6 days. I returned the 2020 Chevy Camaro to the same Budget location on December 29 at 6:54 a.m. At my return and vehicle check in the odometer had a mileage reading of 21,296 (see attached copy of my receipt from Budget). Upon my return the vehicle was inspected for damage and none was found. I was immediately issued my full deposit back in the amount of $250.00.
Starting on or around May 2021 I received a letter from Viking Services stating that they were a collection agency working on behalf of Budget. Upon review of the letter that was sent to me it stated there was damage done to the 2020 Chevy Camaro I rented in December 2020. I initially thought it was scam since not only did I receive my full deposit back from Budget, but I was not, nor have I ever been contacted by Budget regarding any damage. A month later, I received another letter from Viking. I immediately sent them a certified letter asking for all documentation pertaining to the damage done to the 2020 Chevy Camaro I rented. Within 2 weeks Viking had sent me, all the documentation pertaining to the damage, and I was shocked. Based on the documents I received I believe Budget car rental is involved in insurance fraud on the highest level.
My receipt from Budget shows that I returned the vehicle on December 29, 2020 at 6:54 a.m. However, the vehicle inspection report issued by Budget states that the vehicle was inspected at 6:43 a.m. How could the vehicle be inspected PRIOR to it being returned? Also, my rental return receipt shows that the mileage upon returning the vehicle was 21,296. However, on the vehicle inspection report it states that the vehicles mileage was 21,295. How was there less mileage on the vehicle when they prepared the damage inspection report after the vehicle was returned? Did they turn back the odometer?
Additionally, Viking Services supplied me with the receipt and labor report from the damage repair that was completed on the vehicle. On the repair receipt prepared by the Avis Budget Group it states that they received the damaged vehicle on March 5 2021. If the vehicle was damaged why did Budget wait 4 months to repair the vehicle? Even more shocking was the mileage of the time the vehicle was repaired, per the Avis Budget Group repair receipt the mileage at the time of inspection and repair was 23,710, which is 2,414 miles more than when I returned it. If the vehicle was damaged, and unable to be rented how did 2,414 miles get on the vehicle? Additionally, the repair color listed on the receipt states the exterior color of the car was Starlight Blue and lists the paint code as such. The car that I rented was grey, so why am I being charged for a car that is not the same vehicle I rented?
To summarize, after reviewing the documents sent to me by Viking services, I believe that Budgets claim that I damaged the vehicle is fraudulent, and that they are engaging in insurance fraud. The vehicle inspection report detailing the damage prepared by Budget is false. The return time and mileage don’t match the receipt I received from Budget on December 29, 2020 at the time of my vehicle was checked in and returned. Additionally, the vehicle repair receipt prepared by Budget lists the vehicle with an additional 2,414 miles on it, and describes the vehicle and the paint used to repair it as Starlight Blue, which is not the same color of the vehicle I rented. I have escalated this issue and would warn against anyone renting from Budget and am waiting for a response. If you have to rent a car from Budget, please do the following:
• Take pictures and or video when you pick your vehicle up.• Take pictures and or video of the odometer when you pick the vehicle up.
• When returning the vehicle, take a video of the complete car.
• When returning the vehicle, take a picture of the odometer.
• If you are dropping the vehicle up after hours, take a video and or picture of the time, or video the car and include your watch to show the time.
• MOST IMPORTANT: Check the final charge on your credit card. Inspect for hidden charges, such as: fuel service, toll fees, extension fees, and cleaning fees.
Reviewed June 26, 2021
Picked up car from Budget at Raliegh NC airport. It had some paint chips and paint was peeling off front spoiler on car. Office informed and they called drop off point and explained situation, who acknowledged they were told on the return of the car which was in a different location. We did take pictures while the car was sitting in a marked parking spot on their lot. They are not accepting our pictures. They want $1800 dollars for a $300 fix which was their fault. Also the tire were worn below tread safety indicator.
Reviewed June 24, 2021
I had a car for rent for two weeks from Budget at Logan Airport in Boston from June 5 to June 20. The person who took care of me to make the rental was super nasty. They charged me almost 120 dollars for a toll payment system that I never had to use. But the worst thing is that one day the car discharged the battery while in a parking lot, I requested service to charge (jump start) the car. I had to call three times and each time I had to wait about an hour to be attended. In each call I was told that they would come to charge the battery in five to twenty minutes and it took four and a half hours.
The last two calls were with a person named Nora ** whom I almost had to cry for her to send help because I was in a dangerous, lonely parking lot with my family and two children for more than four hours and it was already 11:00 at night and the Mall had already closed three hours ago (Nora is an Emergency Road Assistant Coordinator). And the worst part is that I just received a letter that in addition to the 1600.00 I paid, I have to pay an additional $218.00 for sending a person to jump the battery.
Reviewed June 23, 2021
On the 17 of June, myself and two sisters traveled from San Angelo, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri by American Airlines (that was our first mistake). American Airlines changed our flight causing us to arrive late in St. Louis. My sister immediately phoned Budget to let them know we would be arriving late. She was assured, not by one person but by multiple employees that someone would be there until midnight and for us not to worry.
Upon arrival we proceeded to the Budget pickup outside the terminal. There were six (six) people waiting for the Budget courtesy transportation to pick them up and take them to their rental cars. My sister phoned Budget, received someone in Oklahoma City and was promptly told the St. Louis office was closed. It’s nearing midnight, we still have an hour-and-half drive to our destination and not car.
One sister waved down an Enterprise courtesy van, we were told they had cars available and he would be glad to take us to their location. Had it not been for Enterprise we were being left on our own by Budget with no apology, consideration for our safety, or well-being. Because of Budget, we did not have a reservation with Enterprise so the cost was more than had we reserved a car (which in the future we will be using Enterprise). When ask if they were going to compensate any of the cost, you can guess that answer. Do not trust Budget to make your travel a stress-free experience.
Updated review: June 27, 2021
I was originally charged $99 for fuel upon return of vehicle. After calling and with a waiting time average of 60 minutes I would not have the time and would try later that day and then the next and so on until I had the 2 hrs that it took to speak to 3 people regarding my complaint. It was resolved a week later. I was credited $99. But I still give only 2 stars because of the length of time it takes to speak to a customer service agent regarding a problem. Thankfully it was not an emergency.
Original Review: June 23, 2021
Prepaid for a standard rental. Was given a luxury SUV but was charged additional $92.93 for 5 gallons gasoline upon return of rental with 3/4 gallons instead of full tank. Miles driven were 142. Car rental was used to drive from Detroit airport to Toledo airport. I called customer service and was told that was what I signed in the rental agreement, that they would charge me for a full tank if I did not fill up before return and could not credit me at all.
Reviewed June 18, 2021
Hi, I recently booked a car in SFO for 5 days. Prior to my trip, I read about the fastbreak program and signed up for it because SFO is notorious for long lines. When I arrived at about 8.30 PM, I saw about 15 people in the regular line. There were directions for fastbreak customers which told me to go to a lower floor. I dragged my luggage (multiple bags) to look for the fastbreak counter, only to finally find that it was closed. There were directions urging us to go to AVIS counter instead. I dragged my bags to the AVIS counter which was also closed. I then went back to the upper floor to the regular counter. Now there were 5 more people in the line! When my turn came at the counter, I asked why there is no fastbreak service. The service representative said there are "staffing issues".
I asked why the signs that direct customers to go to a lower floor were not "covered up", because it would save unnecessary hassle to customers. She did not have any answer. The lady was polite, but not efficient. She took more than half hour struggling with the computer. Finally, she called in a supervisor who was able to get me going! Overall, signing up for Fastbreak proved to be more of a hassle, than a help. I will likely not rent from Budget again..
Reviewed June 16, 2021
In April 2021, The Budget Rent-a-car location in Phoenix Airport took a liberty to charge our credit card for $3,700 for a rental car that’s been prepaid in full through booking website. We returned the car in perfect condition, but we did decide to purchase full tank of gas from them so we don’t have to worry about fueling it before returning since we were going to Sedona. I guess they decided a full tank of gas post pandemic worth $3,700. This is definitely a fraudulent criminal activity they have done and just hope people don’t pay attention. I wish we have a more legal way to sue them.
Reviewed June 15, 2021
I had a mid size car rented, they tried to get me to upgrade twice and I told them NO, then I was charged for roadside asst. and insurance that I told them NO I do not want it and they charged me any. DEFINITELY WILL NOT RENT FROM BUDGET EVER AGAIN!
Reviewed June 12, 2021
I made a reservation with budget. This was for a week. My flight got cancelled so I had to pick up the car the next day. They said to do that now I have to pay double the price of 1500. My initial cost was 740. I was willing to pay for the day that I missed but they dont want to honor the price. I spent 3 hours with different representatives in Mexico City. Highway robbery. With this type of customer service all these rental companies will eventually go bankrupt. I will never rent again ( unless I absolutely need it ) and use Lyft or Uber instead.
Reviewed June 12, 2021
Had a CONFIRMED RESERVATION for an SUV - arrived to pick it up and there were none - despite confirming the reservation 1 hour prior!!! On hold 45 minutes waiting for customer service, finally just gave up and hung up. I would give them negative stars if I could.
Reviewed June 10, 2021
I went to Budget Rentals for a car being rented in Florida 5 Months (Nov) from now (6/21). On the website after I completed my rental form, it asked if I wanted to save a few bucks ($25 I think) and ended up paying the rental in full. If I remember correctly It was a 25 dollar difference. So, Here's the rub, I needed to cancel the car 3 days after the reservation was made and went to cancel it on the website. It informed me a $50 dollar cancellation fee would be deducted from my refund I found out. I checked in my paperwork and sure enough in the fine print there it is.
Maybe its just me but, If you knew it would they would steal $50 for a processing fee out of your pocket after you did all the work on the computer, would you rent from them? Ever?? So, my advise is to check the fine print and ask questions. I pleaded my case and nothing, it's policy I was told, so I guess that makes it right. Fees from all the rental car companies need to be itemized for verification from the consumer and the Government.
Reviewed June 4, 2021
Granted they did not flat out lie to me, but this was the most misleading experience I have ever had. My charges totaled about 450 USD for a 4 day rental. Upon getting there, the rep took my ID and had me sign a bunch of papers and I agreed to return the car back on Friday early afternoon. On Friday, I returned the car at 2PM. One week later I received charges on my card for 820 USD. When I called customer service to understand what the issue was, they informed me that I had "lied" about my age (I was 24) and apparently they charge an "underage fee" of about 150-200 USD. Despite having my age from my ID, no one informed me of this fee at all at checkout, even though I was traveling with my 70 year old father!
The rep also informed me that I was "late" on my return as all cars are supposed to be returned at 12 PM on the DOT. It doesn't matter that I told the cust. rep who serviced me in the beginning about returning at 2PM, or that I had returned plenty of cars from budget after 12 PM in the past. To the cust. rep on the phone, he continued to repeat that I was "late" and that nothing could be done. When I asked whether there was anything he could do to help me with these unexpected charges, he continued to repeat that I "lied" about my age and that I was "late" and that the "only thing he would help me with was getting me receipt" (which I conveniently never received in the first place, I wonder why?).
Reviewed May 28, 2021
Billed for $566.88 for existing damage to the spare tire! We had pre-arranged to rent a minivan from the Budget location at Denver International Airport. The desk agent does not provide keys to their vehicles, they are all unlocked with keys on the dash or console. First van assigned to us had a cracked windshield and multiple dents, none of which were noted in the rental papers. I did a "walk-around" of the second van. It *seemed* OK. The inside was filthy (ketchup stains, residual sticky muck at the base of the console...etc.), in spite of Budget's claim of special cleaning due to COVID safety concerns.
Drove 400 uneventful miles to our destination in southwest part of state and parked van at our daughter's house for the duration. Unlike Budget, we always locked the doors. Upon beginning to load the van for the return trip, I happened to notice that the lower corner of a flush trim panel was loose. I could not easily just tap it back into place, so I pulled it open a bit to look for the "catch points". Imagine my surprise when I discovered the panel was very effectively concealing a compact spare. Imagine my anger when I saw that the spare that Budget had sent us out on the road with was "shredded" and totally worthless. We crossed our fingers that we would not get a flat on the return trip, since Budget had left us unprotected. I swore that I would make sure Budget did not ignore the issue and send the next customer out with the ruined spare we had received.
When I got back to the Budget office to return, I opened the back and showed the check-in guy the spare. He didn't see a problem at all. "So? There is a spare tire. So what?" I had to really force him to look at it to see that it was unusable, and explained that it was a pre-existing hidden problem. He called over another guy to look and they nodded. I figured that I had done my good deed to ensure the next driver would be protected. Budget proceeded to bill me $566.88 for the pre-ruined tire they had sent us out with! ($566.88 for a compact spare?!) Well, I assumed that was what they billed me for... There were no details, no documentation, just a notation of "tire damage". The notice was from Budget's mythical "Nora **", who apparently is not a real person at all, just a name they use in these letters.
Well, needless to say that when I had originally picked up the van, I never checked the tire that I did not even know was hidden away. Nor did I check under the hood for damage, crawl under the van to look for scratches, nor ensure that the catalytic converter (apparently these have become targets of theft nationwide!) had not been removed. They have refused to budge on their fraudulent claim that I damaged the tire. (How? Since I never got a flat that would have then called for use of the spare, and the spare never left its cute little hiding spot?)
Unfortunately, car rental companies have almost no regulatory oversight, and if you do an even cursory search on the internet you will see many dozens of complaints about Budget's dishonesty. For those who leave glowing reviews about their happy vacations with Budget rentals, all I can say is "lucky you", don't press your luck and risk it again! Screwed over for concealed damage? Well, apparently the car-rental consumer needs to take along a mechanic to do a *real* assessment of a vehicle, as if they are buying a used car! Otherwise crooked companies like Budget will empty your bank account!
Reviewed May 25, 2021
I traveled from NY to Las Vegas for a calm relaxing vacation with my spouse! Little did I know renting from Budget would make things worse. I was charged extra fees upon arriving when my husband was the primary driver. I made a error when booking the reservation and told the representative at the airport I would be staying in Vegas for 5 days. The rep told me everything was great and welcome. Not once did he mentioned the reservation was for one day! I got a call from budget security 3!!!! days later telling me I would owe a late charge if I didn’t pay them 473 dollars! I paid them that day to not cause any inconvenience with my billing or contract. 2 business days later I’m being overcharged! Now I have to contact my bank and regulate things! Budget should be ashamed of themself! The service is horrible! Called customer service and was on hold for 45 mins with no answer! I would give 0 stars. Don’t do it.
Reviewed May 24, 2021
NEVER rent from this company. I was charged a "pet hair" cleaning fee. I was on vacation and NEVER had a pet in my car or even a human in the back seat for that matter. WAS NO ANIMAL IN MY CAR. After doing research, I have compiled several reviews of customers with Budget rental claiming this "charge" with no animal in the car. This is fraud. FRAUD.
Reviewed May 21, 2021
The car I was rented had bald tires which caused me to get a flat. It inconvenienced me on my vacation. I spent hours dealing with this situation, then I was given a car with way too much deodorizer. It smelled so strong it gave me a headache and made me want to vomit. After all this, I was offered a coupon as a resolution?!!! That is not satisfactory. Mine and my sister's lives were put in jeopardy because this car was not maintained. My vacation was also disrupted. I want a better resolution than this. Also, I was given a copy of somebody else's rental agreement from the second location.
Reviewed May 15, 2021
Budget is the only local office near my mother, so when we visit her, we always rent from them. Their office is clean and the staff are nice. But if one person is in line in front of you, that means a 20 minute wait to get your car. Also, we had a very bad experience when, 3 hours before we were supposed to take the car back at 10 am, the key fob would not open the car. Although the office was walking distance away, they insisted we call their service people, which we did -- not realizing that they would send out a subcontractor who was just going to break into the car and not take liability for damaging anything!
Since that contractor could not get the car started, we then had to make many calls, waste hours on hold, and finally at 11 pm a towing company arrived to take the car away. They wanted one of us to ride an hour north to their depot near the airport to pick up another car that we could then turn in. The local office "forgave" the late return but they still sent us a bill for $100 for service.
Reviewed May 14, 2021
Couple of weeks ago we rented SUV that had marijuana smell in the vehicle. We reported to the clerk but didn’t really care and said not to worry as they only look for major damages so we took the car think smell would go away. Upon returning vehicle we again told the clerk the car still had a smell in the vehicle and was told they got this complaint 120 times prior to us reporting. 2 weeks later we were charged $450 for the smoke smell even though we’re NON-SMOKERS. We’re disputing the charge but seems like a racket they are running to get extra $450 out of their customers. Just beware. Any small damages or smells be sure to refuse taking vehicle since reporting it is not enough.
Reviewed May 13, 2021
Budget canceled my reservation last minute on me! I had a trip planned about 5 weeks in advance.. booked in early April. They call me now and cancel on May 13th, 2021 for my rental pickup on May 15, 2021. Less than 48 hours notice! This SCREWED MY TRIP SO BAD. Now I have to pay 3x more money to book last minute elsewhere. Budget is such a pile of garbage. Go with Enterprise.. Avis/Budget are horrible.
Reviewed May 13, 2021
Waited in line for 3 hours to be told they’re out of cars. People literally started fighting and yelling in the building, which is impressive that Budget’s completely incompetent and archaic processes invoked anger in KAUAI! Absolutely unacceptable, the situation could not have been handled worse. Awful experience and a wasted day. The only silver lining is that we’re NOT giving Budget a penny of our money. Which would probably be helpful to fund operational computers for your employees. I completely understand the effects of COVID, however the concept of customer experience and inventory planning is not new.
Reviewed May 12, 2021
My husband & I rented an SUV from Budget Rent-A-Car. Our rental was not ready for us upon arrival even though I reserved a vehicle for 10:30 am and it was well after noon by this point. We were told it was "being thoroughly cleaned". It was absolutely not clean and smelled mildly of cigarette smoke, but we were ready to start our vacation and chose to deal with it although we are not smokers ourselves. Otherwise the vehicle was fine and we did not have any issues. Fast forward to our return.. we returned the car at about 4am utilizing the key drop off. We filled up the tank immediately before returning the car. (The gas station is literally 30 seconds from the airport). We come home and notice that we were charged an additional $165 from Budget. I immediately called and spent well over two hours on the phone, speaking to four separate representatives to try and fix the situation.
I was told that we returned the vehicle on empty and the charges were for the fuel. I knew for an absolute fact that was not true but was informed they go by the report from the attendants at each location. Fortunately, I remembered that I had taken a photo of the fuel gauge on my iphone, which clearly showed the location, the time, and proved that the vehicle was returned with full tank of gas. Astonishingly, after revealing that I had the photo, I was placed on hold and then told they "researched it" and the charges would be refunded to my card. Total scam! I will take my business elsewhere going forward as this was blatant dishonesty from the company and I should not have to spend two hours trying to defend myself.
Reviewed May 11, 2021
I rented a car from Budget Rent A Car (Sky Harbor Phoenix Arizona) April 23rd to April 26th. The customer service was horrible. The counter attendant was rude and continued to badger me to sign up for additional services even though I kept saying NO. When I went to retrieve the car it was not parked in the correct spot and it was dirty. When I went to leave the lot the poor Exit attendant had to spend extra time correcting paperwork. I returned the car early on April 26th with a full tank. I received a letter on May 10th that Budget was going to charge me $450 to clean the car because of a "Smoke Sell". I DO NOT SMOKE, MY BROTHER DOES NOT SMOKE AND MY SISTER IN LAW DOES NOT SMOKE. This is clearly a false charge without a clear path to dispute and resolve. My advice to folks who are looking at Rental Car companies is to steer clear of Budget. In my opinion they are not a reputable Car Rental company.
Reviewed May 11, 2021
I reserved a car through Costco for two (April 21 - April 23 by 9 am) days with Budget Rental for $280. The rental was from Memphis returning to Nashville. I was worried I might not get the car back before the exact time and the 30 minute return window they allow or they charge outlandish fees so I called Memphis and added an extra day now till (April 24 by 9 am) for $158. So total car rental for 3 days should have been $438 or so, it was returned full of gas. It had plenty of dings all over it of which I took pictures of before I left the lot. They charged the necessary holding fees on my card accordingly.
When I returned the car to Nashville (April 23 about 3 pm) the ticket I was given when the car was checked out was for $650. So I immediately went to the counter about the discrepancy and was told that I was given someone else’s car ticket, the ticket I was given was for an 8 day rental. Upon closer look at the ticket he was correct. He said “Not to worry, Memphis had to close out the car because they rented it and they are a Franchise”. Don’t worry you will be charged what they quoted was what I was told. On May 7 my credit card was charged $616. I contacted both Memphis and Nashville and both pointed the finger at the other saying the other location had to close the ticket out and they couldn’t see it to tell me what the overage charges were for. During one of these calls I was told they are not a franchise but a private company so where that guy that told me that information got that I have no clue.
After being bounced several times between Memphis and Nashville I submitted a request with Budget's online customer service department and have not heard anything yet. Since this seems impossible to resolve (and even less likely after reviewing all these complaints) I filed a dispute with my credit card company for a $178 overage charge. After reading about so many shams by this company I’m actually feeling lucky it was for only $178. Rent somewhere else. Go to a reputable company. This one is definitely not. I intend to let Costco know that Budget is an unethical company with terrible customer service. I also plan to file a complaint with the BBB.
Reviewed May 7, 2021
Left us stranded in broken down car for 20+ hours; made us drive 2 hours with transmission going out in sleet/snow to finally get a replacement car. Was charged $320 in extra fees for their broken car.
Reviewed May 7, 2021
Rented a suv for a road trip. Got 500 miles into trip and lost power brakes and engine light came on. Called road side service. They said 6 hours before they can help and we would be charged for towing. Tow truck driver and budget customer service telling us 3 different locations of where a tow truck is located. A car rental place 45 miles from us was open when we made the initial call but they have to bring a car from 90 miles away. Now the that rental place is closing and the tow truck driver still doesn’t have the rental car to come and pick us up. Here we sit broke down side of highway for who knows how long more to go because of a poor business company and no customer service.
Reviewed May 6, 2021
While searching for a rental car for an upcoming trip to TX Budget was one of the companies I looked at. The next day when I viewed my credit card statement there was a $1.50 charge from Budget on my account, I had not rented from them. When I called Budget to inquire the customer service associate was rude and hung up on me before my issue was resolved. I know she hung up because I had just given her my phone #. If it was an actual disconnect she could have called me back. I have used Budget in the past but will NEVER rent from Budget or Avis again. I wrote to Budget Customer Service, they basically said, "Not our usual level of service."
Reviewed May 4, 2021
1st issue was getting a vehicle with broken dash screen and smelled like alcohol and cigs. I immediately asked for a different vehicle and received one. I had a great time, loved the car. Issues came afterwards. I was told that I did not need to sign anything and to just leave the keys in the car. Now I am getting $221 fees for returning vehicle late and for gas. I returned the vehicle 30 minutes before the drop off time, and with a full tank of gas. I am now fighting with Budget on these fees and they are asking me to prove that I returned the vehicle, not sure how they expect me to do this. There has to be cameras at this location to prove that I returned it. RIP off and they have no customer service skills. 100% not fair.
Reviewed May 3, 2021
We picked up our car on March 8, 2021 from Reagan International Airport around 10:00pm. We drove it to our hotel in Alexandria, Virginia and parked it in the hotel parking garage. Around 10:00am the next morning, we went to drive the car and it would not start. The instrument panel indicator said that the key was damaged. We contacted Roadside Assistance and the person that assisted us could only take the information and then it had to be referred to a Performance Manager, who arranged for a replacement car. We were told that we could not get the replacement car until the tow truck had picked up the disabled car.
Budget arranged for a tow truck to pick up the car and for a replacement car to be given to us. The tow truck company was supposed to be there in 90 minutes (12:30pm) and when he didn't get there, we contacted him and he informed us that he was at least an hour away. He wasn't even near our location. (Incidentally, he didn't even get to our location until after 6:00pm.) When we contacted Roadside Assistance again, they finally arranged for an Uber but neither the Uber driver (who couldn't speak English) nor us knew where we were supposed to go so the Uber got cancelled.
In the meantime, we finally got a rep who gave us the location of the replacement vehicle in the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA and we were able to get a ride there from our daughter. We lost a whole day of our vacation just waiting around the hotel. When we picked up the replacement vehicle, we asked about an adjustment to our rental for the lost day, and he told us that he couldn't do anything about that but advised us to request it when we returned the replacement vehicle. When we got the receipt, there was no adjustment for the lost day's use. Needless to say, we were very disappointed that we ended up losing a full day of our vacation plans due to this unexpected disruption.
Three weeks later, (March 29) we received a call from Steve with Sedgwick (phone 844-859-7291) representing Budget to discuss claim #**. We returned the call thinking that we were getting an adjustment for the lost day due to the inoperable car. To our surprise, they wanted to discuss damages to the car! Apparently, when the tow truck driver towed the car from the hotel parking garage, he caused extensive damages totaling $1900 to the right side of the car.
We referred this to our insurance agent who has advised that once the car becomes disabled it is Budget's responsibility. Our agent said that their insurance adjustor will pursue this matter vigorously with Budget. Today, we were informed by our insurance company that they had decided to close out this claim because they could not get any cooperation from the Budget, the towing company nor the hotel manager at the Hampton Inn (which would not release camera footage of their garage.)
Because of this, we have decided never to use Budget Car Rental again and we have also contacted our United States Senator, Amy Klobuchar, to alert her to the shoddy business practices of Budget that appears consistently in the complaints registered on this consumer affairs website.
Reviewed May 3, 2021
I rented from Budget in Columbus Ohio the 14 through 18 April this year. When I drop the car off no one was there to check me out and I have to check in my credit card statement. The next day I was charged 15.99 Gas charge and was told I drop the car off five hours late. I drop the car off at 12:50 and was on a plane at 1:43 PM so there’s no way I was close to dropping it off late. After complaining I would call the charge would be wiped off to which they weren’t and I had to call back again to which I told the customer service person, "I would send you my flight information in my gas charge which was one exit from the airport." They assured me they would take care of it and did not.
I feel like they purposely upcharge me for gas in an extra day because no one was there to do their job. I also feel like it was extorting money because their company has suffered through the pandemic and I wonder how many other people which food drop in their cars all got hit with these unnecessary charges. So my advice is to not rent from budget because they don’t know how to treat a customer and if you do make sure someone is there to check you out before you leave your vehicle.
Reviewed May 2, 2021
Low rate and good dependable vehicle. The the tendency of friendly. They help you to get the type of vehicle that you want. It don't give you no hassle and make you feel very important. I would recommend my friend to Budget.
Reviewed May 1, 2021
The woman who checked me in was very thorough and personable. She made sure I was getting the best value and we chatted for a while about life in the Northland. The car was clean and safe, and drop-off after-hours was an easy process.
Reviewed April 30, 2021
Good value for the price, service was so-so, but then 2 weeks later was excellent. It's a rough time for everyone, so they were a lot better than I expected.
Reviewed April 28, 2021
I rented an economy vehicle online. When I arrived to pick up I was told all they had left was a Camaro or I had to pay more to upgrade to a different vehicle. So instead of a 4 door economy car I was forced to take a 2 door sports car. It ended up snowing and was icy so I didn't drive the car once I reached my destination. Anyhow the guy at the rental place told me they could fill the tank up on return because it was cheaper than the gas stations. I said oh ok. So the time comes to return the car and it needed a tiny bit of gas, I filled it up and returned it. I told the lady that checked the car that the tank was full. Then I went inside and told the person at the counter that the tank was full. I get to my connecting flight and I get an email that my card was charged $78 for gas.
So, not only was the gas not cheaper but there was also a hefty fee tacked onto it. I called and emailed them and got no reply. Started a dispute and not long after I was credited half of the amount from Budget. So I changed the dispute amount to the remaining half, today I got a letter that my dispute was resolved in Budget's favor. I also got an email from some big wig stating that they don't guarantee if we will get a RWD or FWD. Um, regardless of which it is, a 2 door sports car is not an economy car. Didn't offer a credit for the remaining fee either. Not customer friendly.
Reviewed April 27, 2021
You definitely have to watch your receipts with these people. I rented a VW Jetta from them April 23 at 8:30 A.M. through April 25 at 6:30 A.M. My flight back home was was at 8:45A.M. I returned their vehicle to them at 6:51 A.M.. There was an older man in the parking garage directing cars and telling us where to park. I had my daughter complete the envelope with the time in, mileage, and fuel. I was going to leave the keys in the car but the man said to leave the envelope and just drop the keys in the box. Fine, he works there, I figure he knows best. I continue on and catch my flight back home. It is a 1 hour time difference from there. Imagine my surprise when I get home and receive an email and I'm being accused of returning my vehicle at 12:34 pm. I had been home for an hour already. Kate, their worker, checked in the car and charged me for an extra day!
I called to dispute and it doesn't matter that I'm already back in Virginia at the time claim I returned the car, they have me through hoops by requesting my boarding pass. Well electronic boarding passes disappear once travel has been completed so I called the airline and they sent my itinerary. I forwarded the email directly to budgetdocuments@avisbudget.com. I even forwarded a copy of my son's boarding pass, he saved his on his phone, because we were on the same flight. I have gas receipts as well as my receipt from the airport here with the time I picked up my car. I've not heard anything yet which is very disappointing. They have overcharged me $103.98 for no reason. I really hope that this error is worth losing a customer because I am really considering contacting the Illinois Attorney General's office and file a deceptive practices complaint.
Reviewed April 20, 2021
This was the worst buying experience in my life. I went to the Budget site to rent a car. I rented one and made the mistake of prepaying. I immediately went to Expedia and found that I could save $50. I went back to Budget and cancelled. They wanted to charge me a $50 cancellation fee for having the reservation for 5 minutes. I called my bank and told them that I wasn't going to pay a cancellation fee. They were able to reverse the entire prepaid rental of about 450. Then I went to LAX and took a Budget car that I reserved through Expedia. I returned it 8 days later.
Then I get a letter in the mail saying that I returned the car in poor condition in that it smelled like smoke and that they were going to change my credit card a cleaning fee of $450. I DON'T SMOKE. NO ONE THAT WAS IN THAT CAR WAS A SMOKER. So now I had to go back to my bank and contest the "cleaning fee". Never will I rent a Budget or Avis car again in my life (they are affiliated). Terrible ordeal, horrible company.
Reviewed April 16, 2021
AWFUL experience all the way around, almost ruined our vacation by wasting over 3 hours total dealing with this rental car company. I reserved and prepaid for a car 3 weeks in advance. We got to the rental car terminal, waited over 30 minutes in line and when we finally got up to the counter we were informed that they had no more cars available for the night. We were told to take a taxi to our hotel and that if we came back in the morning they would have cars and reimburse us for the taxis.
Tried calling in the morning before we left the hotel to confirm they had cars available and got hung up on by the operating system twice before using a different extension to finally reach someone. Got to the rental car terminal in the morning and spoke with the representative. They took down our Lyft totals and I asked to speak to the manager regarding a discount for the inconvenience of having to come all the way back in the morning for a car when I had prepaid for one. They said my account was currently open and that when I returned the car I should speak to the manager then once our account was closed and we could discuss a discount then.
Six hours before we were supposed to return our rental car we were notified that our scheduled tour for the following day had been cancelled due to COVID. Therefore we were going to need to keep our rental car for one additional day. I called the terminal to discuss extending our rental and I was put on hold for 30 minutes while I was transferred to the “Specialty department”.
I was still on hold when I called the terminal again and complained that no one was helping me. Got my rental extended for one additional day. I brought it back the next day 5 hours before it was due. Requested to speak with the manager and then waited an additional 30 minutes just to speak to the manager. He told me that he had credited my account for the Lyft credits and given me a small discount. I told him that I had 3 hours of my vacation time wasted dealing with this company by waiting in line, being on hold, getting to and from the rental car terminal twice and that this discount was simply not good enough since I had prepaid for the car and they didn't notify me that they were out of cars.
He told me that I needed to call the operations manager, Laura on Wednesday when she returned from vacation to discuss a further discount because he had given me the maximum discount he was authorized to give. I called Laura on Wednesday and left a message. Did not receive a call back. Called again on Friday and left another message. It has been over a week and no one has returned my call or attempted to contact me.
Reviewed April 14, 2021
The agency at the Seattle 4th Ave location failed to answer my many calls to extend my one month rental as their website wouldn’t allow an extension. They failed to contact me until almost 2 weeks past its due date. I finally got a call on 4/13 at 1pm to return the car at that moment or she would report the car stolen. Apparently I was unclear of the terms of the agreement and I found no evidence of the repercussions on my contract. She insisted I return car to Tacoma location by 5p. I got there at 3:18p and they were closed. I called Budget again and they recommended I return to the SeaTac location where they wouldn’t take the car due to fees adding up to twice what I paid and said I need to return to original location which was closed by then.
Meanwhile this other female agent texted me several threatening messages that she was going to report the car stolen if I didn’t return that night. I explained the situation and she told me what I said was not true and I was not going to allow her to waste anymore of my time —that I would return car to original location first thing in the morning. She texted back and said she was going to follow thru with the stolen car report. I ended up reporting her to a supervisor who said they’d deal with her, meanwhile all the other agents said I had nothing to worry about. Meanwhile this other agent continued with the threatening texts after I asked her to stop. I was so stressed out, I didn’t sleep. The car was great so one star for that, but I’ve never been treated so horribly by any agent in my life. I am going to forward all the threatening texts to her supervisor today and plan to do anything in my power to see that she is fired.
Reviewed April 12, 2021
By far the worst rental car experience I’ve ever had! Customer Service completely out the window! 1st vehicle Jeep 9:30pm dive about 30 minutes when the jeep begins SHAKING uncontrollably almost causing an accident on i95 with my 2 young kids and wife scared for their lives. Drive 30 minutes back to WPB. Exchange jeep for Ford SUV. Next day Ford will not start, go to Home Depot. Buy jumper cables and proceed to have to jump the car EVERY time to start it. Every light on the dash is on: brake, ABS, traction control, etc...
On hold for literally hours trying to resolve the issue to no avail. Flight is cancelled due to inclement weather, I call to extend for a day and a half. They proceed to try and charge me $530 to extend after telling multiple agents what we’ve been dealing with and continue to deal with; having to jump start the car every time we turn the car off. Meanwhile the cost for my initial rental was $404 for a week!! Now they’re attempting to take advantage of an already unsatisfied customer for $530 for 1.5 days. I mean what kind of organization is this? Talk about sucking the fun and energy out of a family vacation. They’re Absolute CROOKS and SCUM! I will NEVER book another rental car through Budget/Avis group ever again and I’d advise you to also stay clear of them for your future car rental needs.
Reviewed April 12, 2021
I reserved a rental car went to pick it up and they didn't have any cars! I asked for another location and was sent to airport and was denied a car because I didn't have a credit card.. Although the site reads no credit card needed. They kept my money and I was stranded at an airport 500 miles from home. They robbed me. They stole my money and left me stranded!!!!
Reviewed April 5, 2021
Don’t ever trust fast break, was in line for 49 minutes because the desk wasn’t open, Budget is useless!!! No explanations just a lame excuse. They they are short staffed and no discounts. Never rent from them.
Reviewed March 26, 2021
NEVER rent from this company. I was charged a "pet hair" cleaning fee. I was on vacation and NEVER had a pet in my car or even a human in the back seat for that matter. My husband and I put our luggage in the trunk and that's it. I have disputed this and they have provided "after pictures." I would love to see the before pictures because there WAS NO ANIMAL IN MY CAR. After doing research, I have compiled several reviews of customers with Budget rental claiming this "charge" with no animal in the car. This is fraud. Pay more for a better quality car rental.
Reviewed March 23, 2021
I booked a car with BUDGET. I went to a location to pick it up and the car was unavailable. I was left in the middle of nowhere without help. I called the customer service - no help as well. I truly don’t recommend to rent a car with BUDGET!!!!
Reviewed March 23, 2021
This business charged me an extra $1,300 for returning a car early, refused to return my phone calls, and claims that counts as "pro-rating" my $1,500 rental rate for the number of days used. I rented a car from Budget for a month in late Dec when I was not sure of my return date. The women at the counter told me I must return the car within 28 days as per state law. I asked if I returned it earlier if I would receive a refund for days not used. She said of course, at return, they would refund me for the days I returned the car early, and "pro-rate" my rental rate.
After refusing to send me a receipt for a week, and 5 - 10 phone calls, I eventually got one with an additional $1,373 charge with no explanation (total $2,873). I called and they said it was "for returning the car early", when I protested they said they would speak to a manager and get back to me. I called daily after that and left numerous messages.
I have also no filed a complaint with the BBB and have been sent generic language stating that the rate was based on 28 days and by returning after 25 they were able to charge me a "pro-rated" rate. The term pro-rate definitionally means to assess pro-rata or allocate pro-rata. I can't understand how, by the exact definition, allocating pro-rata could mean INCREASING the rate by $1,373. Pro-rating, or allocating the initial charge over the term would have resulted in LESS money.
Consumers need to be aware that this business has sales representatives that lie to you and when they say "pro-rate" the charge they actually mean increase it by double. This is predatory behavior and should be illegal. I am continuing to push this through the BBB and an seeking all avenues available to help change this practice so other consumers are not treated this way.
Reviewed March 22, 2021
Bad news! Budget Cheaters!!! I rented a car in October 2020 (3250 S Ocean Dr, Hollywood, FL 33019), traveled, returned it back, everything is as usual, nothing boded trouble. Three months later, I received a call from the ** (Budget claims service) with accusations that I returned the car with a broken headlight and a dented hood!!!, and charges are based on a photos taken five days!!! after the car was returned and the odometer readings differ 13 miles!!! from what is indicated on the return receipt!!! I have no idea what happened with car after I returned it!!! I returned it in same condition as I took it!!! Never use Budget!!!
Reviewed March 22, 2021
Rental agreement # **. I rented a van March 14th-March 20th and received horrible service and inconvenience after inconvenience up until the middle of my trip. The day of my rental I was called while on my way to pick the car up only to be told that there were no 12 passengers available and they would call me in a hour to see if one was available. A hour passed with no call I attempted to call the location only to be directed to the sales department which couldn’t give me any information. I finally received a call back around 11:30 am, 30 minutes before close and was asked if I was coming to get the rental. I advised that I was waiting on the call to confirm something was available then made it to the location 15 minutes before close.
Once there no one did a walk through on the rental with me and I was then late and in a rush so I didn’t think to do as well. Once my family and I start to pack luggage in the van we discovered that the left door was jammed shut and would not open, this made it very difficult to pack luggage for 11 people. Once we got to Orlando that Tuesday we discovered the left driver side brake light was out. We couldn’t get this fixed due to that door not opening. I was on the phone for HOURS trying to see what I needed to do in order to get this fixed to avoid getting pulled over or a traffic ticket.
After being transferred around and on hold I finally spoke with a Gloria ** in emergency roadside assistance who told me to go to the Orlando airport and exchange the vehicle which was an hour away. She told me to ask for a Robert ** once there, but was then told while there that he hadn’t worked there in years. I was finally able to exchange the van, but this took up so much time out of my vacation, and due to no fault of mine. I spent half the day getting this arranged and my kids missed out on time at the amusement park on tickets that weren’t cheap might I add.
Fast forward to today March 22, 2021, I was told to call customer service to discuss charges and unsatisfactory with the service. I called and spoke to a Bernice case# **, she gave me charges of the vehicle and I began to advised her of the troubles I had while renting with you all and why I was not paying the added gas charge the airport assessed when I already had spent 4 hours out of my time traveling to and from there, because you all initially gave me a vehicle that was not up to part. While on the call with her the line goes silent, I don’t hear a reply or anything. I wait to see if I’ll get a response and there’s nothing so I hang up.
I try calling customer service back and the line is busy each time I try. You would think that the representative would have called back since the call dropped somehow on her end, but no. This is very unacceptable and I’m very disappointed in the service and treatment I’ve received from you all. I will be sending this in to the Better Business Bureau and making a review on this as well. Since I can’t get through to you all or I’m hung up on once I do, I expect to be given a call or emailed regarding how you all are going to make this right. Even with the errors and inconveniences better customer service would have went a long way.
Reviewed March 22, 2021
Worst billing and service ever. Paid $797.27 for a 5 day rental, charged late fee - wasn’t cost me $60. Extension fee $10. Starting price was $79. Then when I extended they charged me $104 each additional day. Customer service will lie to you and tell you they informed you about the extension charge. I picked up the car on a Sunday at 11:14 am and returned the car on Friday at 11:14. So how am I late? DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET!!!! WORST EVER.
Reviewed March 17, 2021
I was forced to return home from a trip early due to a massive snow storm and returned my rental car two days early. Budget could've cared less and charged me for the full week. I contacted their customer service and was given reason after reason for their refusal to issue any kind of credit with the last one being that "it stated in the pre-paid agreement that you would be charged the full amount no matter what." Terrible service and from a company that only cares about profits and not their customers. I will never use them again.
Reviewed March 15, 2021
Hi. I was shocked to find, even though your website says open 24 hours in Fort Lauderdale airport that in fact is not true. I am a long time Fast break client HY224H. We landed in Ft Lauderdale and went to Budget to get our car. When we got there we were told Budget was closed and had to go downstairs to Avis. Being a fastbreak member I am used to going out to the garage to the fast break booth picking up my reservation and getting my car.
Instead I had to stand online for 30 minutes just to get to a person who now had to input all my information. Of course they didn’t have the Mazda CX-5 or similar that I had reserved and paid in advance for, guaranteeing you a reservation paid in advance. Instead I got an oversized Nissan Pathfinder which I neither wanted nor enjoy driving. I am attaching a video of I’m guessing an error message that I have no idea of what it means. This has been a totally regrettable experience on my part. From now on instead of Budget being my go to car rental company I will use other rental car companies. I will be posting this on other social media sites as well. I can’t tell you how angry I am with the service received Sunday 3/14 I received.
Craig
Reviewed March 6, 2021
I should have known this would be terrible when they failed to retrieve me and another customer waiting for their shuttle at the airport! Thankfully the Enterprise shuttle took us close to their building. They claimed they had no more reservations for the night, and proceeded to magically find our reservations. Maybe there was a language barrier, but I asked for the "gas insurance" he agreed, and I was on my way... Upon return, I had an extra 200 dollars charged to my rental. TERRIBLE COMPANY. NOT WORTH THE CHEAP PRICE... BC IT WILL BE MORE!
Reviewed March 5, 2021
I had made a reservation for a Vehicle on Monday for a Friday pickup. I had called Budget customer care service on Thursday to confirm if they would have a vehicle for me. They assured me that I would get a vehicle. I got a voicemail later in the evening while I was at work letting me know that they don't have a vehicle for me. This is not even the first time this is happening. This is the second consecutive week and has happened to me a few times in the last months as well.
If you guys don't have a vehicle, then why do you let people make reservations? You could have at least let me know on Thursday when I called to confirm the vehicle. Why would you assure me that I would get a vehicle and then back out at the last possible minute when you know that I can't get a vehicle from elsewhere at the last minute? I said that I was ok to pick up a vehicle from 50 miles around my area and they said that they don't have a vehicle anywhere. After wasting 1.5 hours with Customer care from Budget, I have finally given up.
Reviewed March 3, 2021
Reserved a suv that was a Ford Edge. Got to rental counter at 3:30pm in Miami, only 3 workers at counter waited in line for 1 1/2 hours. Got to counter, could not understand the worker, he asked if there were tolls. I said yes but I did not want the optional SunPass I would rather pay as we go because there were only 2 tolls to go through. The contract was printed out on the oldest printer on the planet, when I got my copy I cannot even read it (old school printer that you have to rip the perforations off the sides).. Anyway finally get to the car, it is not a ford edge but a Mitsubishi Outlander, much smaller than a ford edge, hardly fit our two boys in the back, let alone our suitcases.. There was no attendant in the ramp to talk to, we waited for 15 minutes and no one came.
We look over the car and the side passenger mirror has a crack all the way through the middle of it. Worse part of it all is it reeked of ** and cigarette smoke. The whole week it smelled so bad. I called the Budget customer service to tell them so I don't get charged for it. And they never offered to switch vehicles for me or offer any money off of bill..
At end of week we turn it in and I get a emailed receipt and I have been charged for the optional toll package which was $69.99.. I called the customer service and he said he was not going to refund my money because I signed the contract (that I could not read)... Finally, after arguing with him for 25 minutes he supposedly took most of the charge off, however I have not gotten a updated receipt... This is not the first time that Budget had ripped us off, they offered meant year to upgrade for free a bigger vehicle and so we said yes.. Checked receipt and we were leaving the airport and they charged us full price for the upgrade, so we had to rurn around and go back into the airport to complain..
Reviewed Feb. 25, 2021
They are a horrible company. Initially they did not have the vehicle we reserved and had to go to a different company at the airport to locate one for us. We pre-paid through Priceline and reminded the person at the counter of this information. So after being on a flight all day and waiting for them to locate the vehicle, we were tired and anxious to leave. We signed their "contract" and were told the extra charge on the "contract" was a hold they put on everyone's card, but apparently it was for the extra insurance we declined. We were told the extra charge would be taken off when we returned the vehicle, but it was not. When I called the 1-800 number to dispute the charge, I was told the extra $300 plus dollars was for the insurance, which I told the representative we declined. She told me it was my word against theirs, and they were not going to do anything about it.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2021
DO NOT. I REPEAT, DO NOT COME TO THIS OUTPOST. Shady as hell. The representative tried to charge my husband as a second driver; he had no cars on the premise (not sure how this is even possible given it’s a CAR rental place); the car we eventually got reeked of cigarette smoke that he tried to disguise by blasting on the AC and putting in a disgusting air freshener. GO TO ANY OTHER LOCATION, there is an Enterprise in nearby Lyndhurst. Avoid this place like the plague.
Reviewed Feb. 18, 2021
I have never had such bad service in my life. I would never ever rent from Budget again! There was no explanation on charges on credit card holds when I booked and then surprised me with a crazy hold on my card. When I tried to ask for explanation or to fix this l, they were very rude and kept referring me to some stupid fine print on their site. I will never ever rent from Budget ever again.
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2021
Went to reserve a car and it suggests that the customer "pay now." If you do, you void all rights to turn the car in early if your rental is less than $150. Whatever savings the customer gets for paying in advance seems to come from these poor devils who turned their car in early or tried unsuccessfully to cancel. I don't like policies like this. Each rental company has their own little scheme going. This companies policy makes me want to reserve 1 day at a time and reserve day-of since there's no refund with cancellation. Customer beware!
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2021
I rented a car for 24 hours in Honolulu. I knew I had to return the car before 10:24 am. When I arrived at returns there was a line of 5 renters returning. The process took at least 10 minutes before my turn. I was not given a timestamp of return. I assumed I made the timeline or right at it. My credit card had an additional 92 dollars for late fees. This is crap. I will never use a car rental again. Use Turo instead.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2021
Ordered and paid for a 4wd vehicle. When we showed up, the salesperson was rude. Told us our phone didn’t work (untrue and she could not validate the number she called or if called correctly) and told us she had tried to call us that morning to cancel our reservation! She then gave us a non 4wd vehicle with at least 4 other 4wd vehicles on the lot. When the confirmation email was shown her she said, and I quote “we don’t have those.” Attempts at calling Budget to speak to a supervisor were in vain. NEVER USE THIS COMPANY.
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2021
We landed Christmas day 2020 just two months ago and rented a car from Budget student line for 2 hours finally got our car. We returned it five days later. They charged us $90 because we were told to bring it back empty. We were never told how much it was going to cost that they just about tripled the gas price. I then two weeks later received an email stating we were being charged $300 for a broken windshield a roadside assistance charge. We never got roadside assistance. We never broke the windshield. Nothing was even wrong with the windshield but we still got charged and they would not take the fee off of my credit card.
I talked to several people. I wanted to see the video of when we pulled in. They should have had a video. We return the car and the guy gave us a thumbs up and we went on to catch our flight out of Denver Colorado. We have called several times but they don't care. They said, "Sorry the charges are liable and you have to pay it. You just should have bought the coverage" which we didn't because we knew we weren't going to be in the car that much. They had no proof except for a receipt that showed we got a new windshield. I told them they needed to check with their employees because we did not break the windshield. They still would not listen to what we said. I still got charged no matter what. They were not going to give us our money back. The charge was valid period. End of story.
I will never rent a car with budget again ever and I do rent cars quite often. I have never ever been accused of doing something like this before. They would not even give me the benefit of the doubt. They would not even show me photos or a video of me pulling in to show we had a windshield. It was 13 below while we were in Colorado. We drove all the way from Granby which was two and a half to three hours. We could have never done that without a windshield. I cannot believe they would not even listen to our story. They did not care. It just makes me sick. $300 is a lot of money to me. I really would think twice before I rent from this company if I were you. After reading all these other horrible things I wish I would have done so before. They will never get my business again. Sincerely Brandon **
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2021
So my boyfriend and I were in Seattle for a couple days and we decided to rent a car to explore the city a little more and also drive to the airport and save some money on Uber (a ride from our hotel would cost us around $50). And so we rented a car from Budget for ONE day and whenever we were not driving it, it was in a secure parking lot provided by our hotel. So literally nothing could’ve happened. We dropped the car at the airport, everything is was fine until it wasn’t when a couple weeks later I got a ‘happy’ letter saying that the vehicle was damaged and we are now obliged to pay Budget $450 (x10 daily car rent). The letter didn’t even explain what the damage was and contacting them didn’t help either since we didn’t have any proof that the vehicle was just fine when we dropped it off. Long story short, this is a SCUMMY company and they’re gonna try getting as much money as possible from you for the things you didn’t even do.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2021
Budget is charging me $450 to clean smoke from car. I have NEVER smoked a day in my life. Mileage and return date from my receipt are different than their inspection report yet they still say I was the last person in the car. The mileage clearly shows that the car was moved and almost 24 hours had passed since I dropped it off. They just keep repeating that it is a valid charge. We gave them a second chance after they tried to charge us for gas after we returned it full. Absolute bold-faced liars and cheats!
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2021
I dont recommend rent on this company, Worst customer service, cars stink marijuana, they make hidden charges after you return, Avis, Payless, Budget same owner same problems. No te recomiendo rentes tu carro en esta compañia, horrible servicio al cliente, carros huelen a marijuana o peor, te hacen Cargos extras al regresar tu carro, no rentes aqui, son 3 compañias mismo dueño, Avis, Payless, Budget.
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2021
Bugdet car rental overcharged me for gas although I brought back the car with a full tank! Plus they never sent me my receipt in regards my rental. It was the Budget car rental in Canada, Vancouver airport. This inadmissible.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2021
Budget Rental Car, Phoenix Airport: Scammers. I arrived at the Phoenix Airport 1/21/21 to pick up a car at Budget Car Rental. I had purchased an American Airlines vacation that included air, lodging and the rental car. “TJ” at the counter was very friendly and chatted us up. When he asked about additional insurance, I CLEARLY DECLINED just as I have EVERY TIME I HAVE EVER RENTED A CAR. TJ, responded, “Ok, then, just the basics.” TJ continued chatting and then asked me to insert my credit card for the $211.99 charge. I reminded him that my car was prepaid through American Airlines. TJ appeared confused and said, “Well sometimes those vouchers just pay for part of the rental. I’ve seen that before.”
I asked several more times about the voucher and offered to pull it up on my phone, but he continued to feign confusion and helplessness. Trusting TJ’s explanation, I planned to call my travel agent to inquire. TJ pointed to the credit card device and said, “Press to accept the contract and then decline to turn down the insurance.” When I got into the rental car, I took the bill out for the call to my travel agent and immediately noticed that TJ had charged me $30.99 per day for INSURANCE THAT I CLEARLY REFUSED! When he said, “Press to accept the contract,” I was, I now realize, accepting the $30.99 in insurance. I immediately called the number on the receipt and spoke to a gentleman for some time. He offered to transfer me to a department that could “take care of the refund.”
After pushing buttons and holding several different times I was told the only way to request a refund was to drive back to the airport and renegotiate the contract. I had flown into Phoenix for a three-day vacation and was by now nearly and hour from the airport. I’m guess this is the inconvenience Budget is hoping for. The fact that I was scammed and defrauded at the airport and then Budget refused to address the issue confirmed for me that this type of shady behavior is condoned by the company. My next step was to file a complaint with my credit card company.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2021
Rented a car in St. Thomas, in US Virgin Islands for vacation in St. John via car ferry. First sign of trouble was when the low tire light was on when I got into car, went back into Airport terminal to rental counter. Agent at desk sternly told me sensors are bad in all the cars don't worry about it. Really! Ok. Here's where it gets worse!!
On second night of trip went out to car and saw a bug running. Started looking around saw many bugs that turned out to be COCKROACHES!! That soon as it got dark they took over. Killed what I could catch. I went back in the house grossed out and started to call any and all customer Service numbers to no avail. Retried in the morning to only be told that I have to deal directly with place I rented car which I told them was getting me nowhere. Their response was that rental wasn't in continental U.S. and in St. Thomas Budget car rental is privately owned so can't do a thing. Really! Sign on contract, above counter, on keys etc. all read BUDGET CAR RENTAL! Called airport repeatedly and other budget in St. Thomas left messages etc.
Meanwhile roaches are roaming freely in the car once the sun goes down. Had to put anything I brought in car inside hefty garbage bags covered seats, sprayed bug spray, showered and washed clothes any time after entering car. Nighttime was pure hell and avoided driving once sun went down. These were full adult and baby roaches that were also found on outside of those garbage bags. I finally got a call back 2 days later from rep at airport telling me I need to take ferry back to St. Thomas and drive to airport and return car because she had absolutely no one to bring car to me. I offered to meet person at ferry dock In St. John and was told NO!
I couldn't believe that they wanted me to spend money for another round trip ferry ride and basically a full day of vacation to return THEIR ROACH INFESTED CAR! Where's the customer service?? Said unacceptable. With that she referred me back to another location on St. Thomas which I had spoken too already numerous time. I called again no answer, left messages no return call, nothing from anyone! Basically too sad too bad! So big part of my vacation was spent killing cockroaches taking vacation pictures that included cockroaches in the car, for proof, continuously putting everything in garbage bags continuously washing clothes continuously showering continuously freaking out especially driving at night and fearful of bringing them to this beautiful place I stayed or worse bringing them home.
Cockroaches are my biggest phobia. I cannot believe there was no help given by anyone to resolve this matter on a vacation that was supposed to be full of beauty. Horrible customer service horrible excuses of why they couldn't help and on top of it had to put air in that tire a couple times because the sensor was right and working the tire had a slow leak. Wasn't bad sensors I was dealing with. It was TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE all around and they want me to pay for this???
Filed a formal complaint was told it was being reviewed and they would contact me. Never did but I saw $80 credited to my account. Call to find out why only $80 was credited could get no answers about that either because guy said it was settled and no info that he is able to see. SETTLED!! How much more do they want to insult me. I never heard from ANYONE about this being agreed too or settled. I will never rent from budget and please don't do it either especially if you are not in the Continental U.S. because you will be told, "Sorry we can't help you." even though our name is all over the rental.
Reviewed Jan. 28, 2021
When I picked up the rental car I took pictures of the outside but did not realize I had to take pictures of the insides as well. I returned the Budget rental car after my deployment to help the Hurricane Delta victims. Budget had an alternate location to drop off the car as I had an early flight. No clear direction. Hard finding the location. I had to call Budget to find out where to go. Budget then charged my government travel card with $479 stating they "discovered DIRT in the Spills - Stains - Liquids of the car." I called to dispute the charge because first of all I had no liquids in the car. I drove the car from the hotel to the deployment location. The car stayed parked until I left early that morning to head back to the hotel in Houston. I ate in the hotel. Had no "liquids or DIRT" in the car.
I called budget about it. The first call they said a supervisor would call me in 24 hours. Never got a call. I called a second time, was put me on hold for a supervisor in 2 minutes the call was disconnected. I called a third time and the representative told me she could not find me in the system. I called back again the 4th time and they told me, "This is what I can do for you, I can take off 25%." I said, "That is not an option as I did not spill that."
I asked for the number for their headquarters. I was told to look it up on the internet. When I stated that making a deal was not an option, the representative said goodbye. I said to him, "That is so rude of you to hang up on your customer!?" I reminded him that he said I could talk to a supervisor and I asked to talk to a supervisor. He said a supervisor will call me back in 4 hours. Four hours has come and gone and no supervisor called me. I will NEVER use BUDGET AGAIN. I will ask and insist that the government use a different rental company for my travel. I want Budget to remove this charge off my credit card.
Reviewed Jan. 24, 2021
Absolutely the worst experience EVER! Budget in Maui airport rented me a Jeep Wrangler. On the second day with the rental, the vehicle left me stranded as it would not start. I called budget to inform them and they sent roadside assistance. When they arrived they said the battery was bad and had to be replaced. They explained that budget would not allow them to replace the battery, only jumpstart it. So I drove it to my condo only to have it start the next day. When I called budget to tell them I need a new vehicle they said I had to drive it back to the original rental place even though there was a budget 5 minutes from my place.
They rushed to pick up the vehicle and bring me a new one. Instead I waited for roadside assistance for 2 hours, the had to drive an hour to exchange the vehicle. Now come to find out they are charging me $200 for the roadside assistance even though they rented me a faulty vehicle, in addition they were aware I had my own roadside assistance through my insurance but didn’t use it. Budget refuses to take any responsibility. I didn’t get any price deduction for my trouble or time and now they have charged me for their mistakes. They crooks and can’t be trusted. DO NOT USE BUDGET!!!!
Reviewed Jan. 21, 2021
Paid for car, prepay. Placed rental in my gf name because she needed the rental and I had a good alumni rate. We get there and it was all bad. The rental was placed with my card, but the rental agreement was in her name. I paid for it with my debit credit card. Okay. I always keep credit cards on me so I provided my credit card once there. The lady says to me \, "No!" She needs a credit card from the driver. "Well, I am the second driver and it is prepaid with my card, can't I provide the credit card." "No!" Well, my gf forgot her cards at home. "No! You need to call 1-800 to transfer the rental into your name or cancel." My gf decided to drive her own car out of frustration for her 1 day trip. Canceling the car means no refund. A terrible policy, never renting from Budget again. Bad customer service as well. All her answers were "NO! Call 1-800."
Reviewed Jan. 20, 2021
I rented a standard SUV and signed up for an extra driver prior to my rental and PREPAID the full amount. When I arrived for pickup, the Budget representative said he did not have a standard SUV and was giving me a free upgrade to the next level up SUV. He also had my daughter show her ID as 2nd driver and had me sign the rental agreement. As I was not changing anything on the rental, I did not review the contract in detail but just initialed where the rep said to and left (I did not notice at the time that he had added a 2nd driver again even though it was already in my original confirmation).
When I received my credit card statement after the rental I had an additional charge of approx $170 from Budget. I contacted the Budget rep who said that since it was more than 2 weeks since my rental that I needed to contact the 1-800 number. I did so and the 800 # said the charges included an upgrade charge and extra driver charge. He credited the upgrade charge but said he could NOT change the other charge as it was on the contract I signed at checkout. I asked to talk to his supervisor and was cut-off, told no, and basically told I had to talk to the local budget agent and hung up on me. I contacted the local rep who pulled my contract...I showed him my original email receipt WITH THE EXTRA DRIVER charge and he realized he had charged me twice IN ERROR.
He gave me a copy of the contract and said to get the budget email address if I couldn't get through to a supervisor and they should be able to credit the $86.54 remaining charge as this was a cut-and-dry case. I did as he said and after MANY emails back and forth, sending my original email confirmation showing the extra driver already charged, and request for a higher up review. I was told there was nothing they would do and no one would be contacting me. I asked them to contact the local rep as he said they could call him direct to verify the over charge...and still customer service would do nothing and would not contact their OWN local Budget rep to verify. And so I warn you to BEWARE to review your contract at checkout....Beware the excess charges they may apply... Once they have your credit card, you are at their mercy....of which they seem to have none.
Reviewed Jan. 15, 2021
Whatever you do, steer clear of this company. I paid $400 on the date I made my rental reservation. Upon picking up my vehicle, they tried to charge me AGAIN, claiming I had never paid for my rental even though I showed them my receipt and email confirmation. Then, the day after I returned my rental I had a charge of $208 appear on my account for this same rental. I have called and tried to talk with someone and they have been very rude and told me I just needed to get over it. They will not respond to my emails either. I will NEVER go through this company again and I HIGHLY suggest that no one else ever rents from here either.
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2021
I rent a car from Budget thru Expedia from Dec 28- Jan 4,2021 the Expedia was $172 for the 7 days. When I checked in I emphasize to the budget agent that I do not want to sign up their insurance because I use AMX which has travel auto insurance and I have California private insurance which covers. The budget agent said ok then sign here here here there places.
When I returned the car after 7 days the check in agents she said, "I need your credit card. We did not charge it yet." I did not doubt her and give her my AMX then she charged 11k pesos (668 UA dollars). I question her. She said, "For your insurance. You signed up for the most expensive insurance package." Due to the plane to catch and language I decided to deal this I purposely dishonest business transactions when I get back. Anyone can help? Or any number I should report to? People be careful when you use Cabo budget. I recalled when I checked in on Dec 28 there was a another American complained about his final bill. So this is not I am not being careful but the agent was trained to step by step traps tourist.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2020
In all honesty I wish I can give 0 stars. Please if you’re looking to buy from them. I beg you to read this story and reconsider. I don’t know where to begin with this sleazy and despicable company Budget. To begin, upon my arrival to Los Angeles airport, I booked my car and once given to me no one checked my car to record any damages before leaving the lot. I asked a representative to do it, and they had me waiting for 35 minutes before I actually had to get going because I was on a time constraint. Before I left I took pictures of things that I thought could be problematic on the car before I left the lot because I saw a customer doing the same thing who said they have tried to charge him for “damage” he did not do. I followed along and did the same.
Once I left the lot I realized the car’s brakes were absolutely awful. I did not feel safe. I called and reported it and of course the worst customer service representative possible. I asked to drop off the car at a different location to get rid of the car and return it early. They wanted to charge me a fee for dropping it off at a different location and early. I had to argue for me to not get the fee because of the early return and the bad breaks. I later found out that they were supposed to send someone to pick up the vehicle. Granted after much frustration and back and forth they refunded it. I left Los Angeles to New York without being with a car for my whole trip. Whatever it’s done with right? Nope.
Four months later I get a charge on my card from them for 479.00 without warning. Thinking it was fraud I reported it to my credit card company. They told me their investigation concluded that it was valid, and I could not understand how. I call the company and hours later after being hung up by people who “didn’t understand me,” going through the answering machine a million times and not getting anyone, being told they couldn’t help me without a rental agreement to give them. I finally got in touch with someone who researched with my card they had on file. That person finally informed me that they are charging me for damage on the vehicle. They did not send me an email, no warning, no nothing. Upon request they sent me pictures of the “damage”which I uploaded for you guys to see.
They charged me for something I reported before with pictures to prove and DUST!!! They called the dust on the dashboard that accumulated for four months dirt! They also charged me for something that was on the seat before I left the lot, that I took pictures of and reported. Not only did they charge me FOUR months after I left the state and the car but they did that with no warning. Apparently a couple of days before I was charged the car was returned to the original location and that is the place that charged me for damage. FOUR MONTHS later. I argued that when I dropped off the car and had it inspected along with all of the other issues why wasn’t I charged four months ago, the day I returned it. But four months later, in the middle of a pandemic, people losing their jobs, you guys charge me 479 dollars for dust and something in the car previous to when I left the lot to clean the car. Unbelievable.
They told me they would refund the money and it will post to my account in 3-5 business days and that they sent me an emailed receipt. It’s been three weeks and there is no refund and no receipt and absolutely the worst car service I have ever and probably will ever experience. Spend the few extra dollars and go to a reliable business. These people are extremely sleazy, indifferent with their corruption, and an absolute horrendous company.
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2020
Companies are known by employees who represent them and this is one of the worst out there. I had booked a car a week in advance prepaid for it arriving Houston 2 days before Christmas, arrived with my family. Grabbed the luggage. Went to the shuttle 9:35 PM waiting to go get the car with family. Watching most of major companies coming and picking up their customers. After waiting for 20 minutes and NO one from Budget I went inside where I saw counters for companies, Ahh a sign at Budget counter, "We are closed. If you need assistance go to Avis counter," so I go to Avis counter, Ahh another sign, "We closed 10 PM." but wait it's not even 10 YET.
I called the local rental office which already had calls forwarded to 24/7 customer service which was not helpful at all. The lady on the phone tells me she can't get a hold of anyone. Maybe they are closed and they close at 10PM. I told her, "Miss there is still 10 minutes to 10PM. How could they close before time? Didn't they know they had a reservation?" "Ohh sorry SIR. I am not sure I can't help you.." "Oh so what am I suppose to do now since you guys left me and my family stranded at the airport?" "I CAN TRY TO GET YOU A REFUND."
I was not the only one. There was another family going through the same who had booking with them. I ended up taking a shuttle to National car rental where I was able to rent a car but had to pay almost DOUBLE of what I had booked a car for since it was last minute and I was left with no other choice. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AS YOU MIGHT BE NEXT WAFOR THE SHUTTLE TO SHOW UP!!!!
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2020
Is so sad about the experience renting with this company. Dirty car and the tanks it wasn’t full, Also when we arrive they try to oversell other car we didn’t require. Just more money and not the best customer service.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2020
I was quoted $77.45 for 2 days. Rented 12/9 to 12/12. Called on the 11th asked to extend 1 more day. Was quoted $47.00. While I had this vehicle I went to a bonfire. Well when I returned the vehicle that Saturday. I was informed I was being charged an extra $250.00 for cleaning. OMG I vacuumed that vehicle not 30 minutes before return. Was told ashes were on outside window ledge. Give me a break. People drive vehicles all over the place and you mean to tell me they have stupid rules but AREN'T IN THE CONTRACT. My ending total was $329.00 when over and done. Today received email from Budget saying they were refunding $228.00. We'll see.....
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2020
To extend a rental, I asked for a price to extend 4 days. I was told ~$90 extra to the 4th. I agreed to it. Then I realized that was a 3 day extension, but it was too late to change. I was told I could return it at the original time to effectively cancel. I kept it anyway. Then on the last day I called to extend 4 more days and was told my total would ~314. I agreed to it. But I asked for a confirmation email and was told one would be sent to me. It never arrived. I finally called about it and was guided to finding information online and found out it was ~$314 extra! I would not have accepted that. I would have returned the car that day without any extension! I was told I could bring the car in first thing in the morning and talk to the person there about it. I brought the car in shortly after they were open, but nothing could be done about the unwanted day(s). They stole over two hundred and twenty dollars.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2020
CONGRATS BUDGET, YOU HAVE LOST ME AS A CUSTOMER FOREVER OVER YOUR GREED. I reserved and pre-paid for a SUV in Portland OR for December 2-4. We were flying into town to do a video shoot. Mid-flight I got an email announcing the shoot had to be cancelled due to COVID. Discouraged but understanding, we re-booked our flights to leave at 6:45am on the 3rd and had the car at Budget's return at 4:30am the next day. This resulted in our 2 day rental becoming less than 24 hours.
I called Budget to change the rental from a 2 day to a one day. I was told there will be NO REFUND FOR THE EARLY RETURN OF 1 DAY evidently because I was stupid enough to pre-pay my rental at the time of reservation. Amazing Logic! I've been a Budget "Rapid-Rez" member for about 20 years. Let this be a warning to anyone renting. If you book a car for a week, and pre-pay the reservation to get a modest discount, and return the next day due to any reason, Budget REFUSES TO REFUND ANY PORTION OF THE PRE-PAID RENTAL. So now I just paid $235 to rent a Hyundai SUV for less than 24 hours. Thanks Budget! All my future business will go to the competition.
Reviewed Dec. 2, 2020
I rented a truck in Rochester, NY at the airport and when I got it it stunk of pot and cigarettes. On time constraints I returned the next day and again was given a truck that smelled like pot and cigarettes. The next morning I went to start and return but it would not start. Customer service called a truck believing it needed a jump but driver said it was a bad starter. He later towed it back to airport and I got a ride to get my 3rd vehicle which was the only one with a cleaned by slip in it. When I returned it later getting the bill Budget charged me for the failed jump start. They said I did not buy their roadside service so They said it was my responsibility. So, I was given 2 vehicle that clearly had not been checked, one had a bad starter and had I lost hours of my time they felt I should be charged $216! Insult to injury is how horrible my experience was with Budget. Stand behind your "policy" you don't your customer service..
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2020
Will not be renting from Budget/AVIS anytime in the future due to their hidden fees. I took a short weekend trip to Chicago with my mother for my grandmother's 90th birthday. We had our rental for 3 days and put maybe 50 miles on the vehicle. I had placed my reservation via Costco Travel and had no issues. On 10/30/2020, I picked up a Chevy Equinox from Chicago O'Hare. Got my mother and luggage into the vehicle and noticed an error alert and the tire pressure symbol was lit. I left my mother with our luggage and the vehicle to see if I could find someone to make sure everything was okay. Not one person was located outside (it's a pandemic so I'm sure staffing is short) so I went back inside and spoke with the person at the FastBreak rental desk. She changed my rental to a GMC Terrain and we were on our way. If this was the end then I'd give a decent review.
The time of our rental was fine. We drove less than 50 miles (my grandmother lives not far from O'Hare) and except for a trip to the grocery store the vehicle was parked in the driveway. It was less than $7.00 to refill the tank before dropping it off on 11/02/2020. I just received a letter informing me that during return inspection (this letter was dated 8 days post return) that Dirt was located and I would be billed a $250.00 cleaning fee. I have called to dispute but we all know that goes nowhere. I have rented from multiple agencies in the past and have never been billed a cleaning fee (even a rental in Florida with sand involved) so not sure what invisible dirt they located but hopefully they can show me the pictures that were supposedly taken to prove the dirt.
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
