BudgetReviews 155

Horrible experience. I called a few days prior to moving my brother home from college and reserved a truck. Arrived to the pick up location and they said that had no reservation in the system. The location also said that they didn't have the truck that I reserved. They told me to call support. Support said that they could see the reservation in the system and transferred me seven times. I talked to seven different people, all who couldn't help and refused to transfer my reservation to another location. In the end, I never got my truck. I had to call ten different rentals in the area before picking a better priced, better customer serviced Uhaul. Never use this place. So unprofessional. Use Uhaul or Enterprise instead.

Renter beware! Rented car at Denver airport 3/6-3/8/20. Was told they had just checked in an all wheel drive vehicle I could upgrade to. Car had not been cleaned inside or washed-no problem-its snowing anyways. On April 30 (8 weeks later) I received a letter stating I would be charged $150 inside cleaning for excess sand. Nope. Called the number listed and he says well
I'm not sure that letter is from this company? I guess they need revenue due to Covid 19? I will fight them to the end but they will not get that money or another penny from me!

ZERO STARS!

If you want a smooth encounter without any issues DO NOT rent from budget. This has to be the worst company I have ever done business with. I went with the online route to save money and time and was so upset with how the process turned out. First they gladly took my payment online once I ordered my desired vehicle. The next day when I went to said location to pick up the car, the employees said they did not have that car available that I reserved and failed to try to help me. They're only response was they could give me a smaller car than what I needed. Mind you I had me and my family's bags packed in the car and was needing to leave immediately. After I refused they failed to help and send me to another location. Long story short I went to 2 more locations which did not have the vehicles ready or didn't have them at all. The last place I went to offered to give me one after it was cleaned but told me I had to cancel my reservation and reserve the vehicle through their location. Not only so they charge you to cancel the reservation but will not refund you your money.

I was furious. I spoke to four different employees through the costumer service line on 4 different occasions and they all told me I could get my refund in different days. One said 1-3 days. Then I called and they said 3-5 then they said 10 days. The last tome I called the employee said I had to call MY bank because sometimes they hold refunds!

So unprofessional it's been a month and I still have seen no refund. Save yourself the headache and go with someone else.

I rented from Budget Rental Feb 26th 2020 and never again. I was falsely accused of a smoke odor and charged $250 after I returned the car only a day later. I'm not a smoker and I have records to prove it.
There was an odor of dirty sock/milk smell when I first rented the car and sat in the drivers seat. I wasn't sure if this was the natural scent of the interior, but definitely not a smoke odor. Again, I don't smoke and I'm never around anyone who does. They need to make this right and give me a refund. They have no evidence or documentation for these false accusations and have no right to convict me.

DO NOT USE AVIS / BUDGET
DO NOT USE AVIS / BUDGET
DO NOT USE AVIS / BUDGET.
92% BAD REVIEW SCORE ON TRUSTPILOT.
If you rent cars online often as I do then you are used to booking the car then adding the full coverage insurance. I spend a lot of time shopping around to find the best deal. Budget/Avis know this and have set up their website to dishonestly trick the customer into thinking they have taken full coverage when infact they have not. It's only at the rental counter when collecting your car that they inform you of this. In Madeira last month this exact thing happened to me and I had to pay an extra 300 Euro on my rental.
On top of this my car broke down and they didn't care at all at the rental centre.
Their customer service could not care less either. They have emailed me to say they think it's all ok and they have closed the file. Disgusting. DO NOT USE AVIS/BUDGET. They are Crooks.

Renting a car from here was a mistake. It seems cheap until you add a damage waiver. I was told it was about $30 a day for the damage waiver and somehow my charge for that for 4 days was $174? Called Customer Service and asked for them to explain the charges, the guy kept telling me what I already knew which is that I had the car for 4 days... thanks, I figured that one out. When I asked to speak with someone else he was acting like I was stupid and not understanding the math. He acted like he was transferring me to his manager when I know he just put me on hold. He came back and said the manager didn't answer and that one would be giving me a call the next day, been waiting to hear back for two days. I asked what his name was and he said Frank which I highly doubted it really was. When returning the car the lady said I could be charged for some crumbs that were on the ground and handed me a vacuum, with all the fees I was charged that's the least they can do is vacuum some crap when they handed over the keys with a bunch of bird poop on the car.

I rented a truck to drive all of my belongings from Florida to Massachusetts. About half way into the first day of driving, it began to rain. It was not only raining outside, but inside of the truck too. The entire time it rained, I had water dripping down my back. This continued for six hours straight. By the time we reached Virginia and stopped for a break, the entire back of my shirt was soaked and so was half of my butt. When i called to complain about this to Budget, they offered to give me $40.00 back... When I asked the man on the phone how he would have felt if he got rained on for six hours, he stated that it did not matter and that it was my fault because I did not stop and wait for them to come fix it on my 24 hour drive that I was already making. This is the worst customer service I have seen in my whole life and I will never rent anything from them ever again in my life.

I though that I got good deal for Nissan SUV car for 2050TL

When I went to the airport to get my car in Istanbul they told me that the car is not available and I have to pay more for another modal including insurance fees that I will get back once I return the car

I paid 4,016.72TL when I returned the car they told me that they will return the money to my credit card within 10 days

It has been a month and I got nothing till now

Therefor I contacted the support and they told me that you have many fees like insurance... etc even though the insurance was included for free in the website

And there are things like SMI & SLI which are hidden fees

Anyway they told me that I will get back 767 TRY

But I got nothing till now.

So they took 4,016.72TL instead of 2050TL

I don't recommended this scummy company and I will never rent from them again

I rented a car at the Denver Airport at the end of May for one week. The car had not been cleaned and had trash still inside. There was a crack in the windshield and various scratches and dents on the exterior. I took pictures but was not able to find someone to speak to without going back inside and waiting in line, so I took the car and went on my way. When I dropped it off I was an hour and half late due to my plane flight back. When I got my charge, Budget charges another full day of rental for the car. I call and complained and they took $27 off a $60 charge. Now 3 and half months later, I noticed a $187 charge on my credit card from Budget with no explanation. I thought that someone had stolen my credit card number, so I called Budget and ask what the charge was for. To my disbelief, the man said that it was for a broken window which was already cracked when I picked the car up. I told the man that and that I had taken pictures of all the damage when I picked up the car because I could not believe how bad of shape the vehicle was in. Luckily the picture of the windshield was still on my phone. The man asks me to email it to the company and they would investigate. I will never use Budget again or Avis since they are both owned by the same holding company.

I was told when I reserved a car from them that the TOTAL charge, including everything, will be $322, but at the end they charged me $395 instead. I called the costumer service and it was ridiculous. He was trying to justify the extra$73 anyway by telling a totally wrong information including that I went through tolls, which I never did!
They don't deserve any trust. Really bad experience and they don't respect their costumer except at the reservation time. The worse rental company I've ever dealt with.

To Nora Henry and all,
*******123
*******@avisbudget.com

Rental date: 07/25/2019
Rental#: U*******
VCR#: VCR*******
Case#: *******

Why should I have to pay $253.70 (total expense for services & repairs) for your mistake in giving a rental car (VW Jetta) that has defective tires and no spare tire.
You all have not reported it to the federal agency as this is a safety issue and could cause injury to other people.
We were given a 2nd car in Orlando airport with same issue until after a 3hr ordeal they gave us a different car. I have all the pics even from the towing company.
It is not my fault and you all need void this bill in full.

Manavi Sallick
*******866

Several months ago I booked a car with Budget for our 18 day family vacation. I chose a location close to Seattle airport, but not on-site so as to save the extra airport rental fees.
My flight was scheduled to arrive at 3 pm, and the car rental agency closes at 5 pm, so I asked what would happen just in case of a flight delay. I was told that was no problem, I would just have to pick up the car the following morning when they opened, and that I should call as soon as I found out about any delay to let them know.
Well, as luck would have it, our flight was delayed. So I phoned.
I spent over an hour on the phone sitting in the airport, my stress level growing ever higher, talking with four different people and spending oodles of time on hold. Each one of them told me that since I was not going to be able to pick up the car by 5 pm, my reservation would have to be changed, and that they would charge me their current rates. Their new rates varied, depending on who I was speaking with, but they ranged from $200 to $900 MORE than the rate they had agreed to when I booked the car.
I pointed out that they had not mentioned this rate change when I asked about the possibility of a delay, and that they should not be charging me MORE for having the car for LESS time. I was not changing the return time, just picking the car up later than planned owing to circumstances beyond my control.
I ended up so disgusted with this company that I booked a car with a different company for $300 more than the $600 I was originally supposed to pay, because there is just no way I would rent from Budget ever again.

I am writing to help others avoid the overcharge scam that I encounter through Budget rental at St. Thomas. I rented a vehicle through Costco travel membership and it was through Budget. Being a "bigger" chain rental vs a small island rental, I assumed all would be good. I was wrong. I got my vehicle at the Cyril King Airport and when picking up my vehicle she asked if I wanted the Loss Damage Waiver, to which I replied "no" she then indicated since my 23 year old son was underage I would need to sign and pay $20 a day(which I did even though he is a pilot and they rent to them without age restrictions), to which I signed the small signature device. Once we arrived at our place, I was looking at our contract and noticed we were also being charged an additional $ 34.99 per day. ($244.93). I also noticed they charged us $7.50 per day ($52.50) for the "additional driver" that Costco offers for free. I called Budge and was instructed they could not fix my issue prior to returning my vehicle and to continue my rental to term and dispute it AFTER we completed the rental. HOW CONVENIENT, because now they are indicating that the charges stand because my initials are in a box "that I signed" stating I wanted the Loss Damage Waiver. I explained that they verbally tell you what you are signing before you sign the box and that all 3 of us heard her specifically indicate that was for the underage driver. I explained that on my original rental agreement, it specifically shows I declined the Loss Damage Waiver. At this time, Budget indicated that the car rental at Cyril King Airport is independently owned and they can do as they desire. I indicated I would not have rented from Budget if they couldn't stand behind all their agreements, as I have heard of independent franchises "scamming" tourists for their own gain. I am disheartened that Budget would offer their name to a franchise that operates business this way. I am no longer going to use Budget for any future travel but want to warn others to avoid this scam. Look at your contract PRIOR to leaving the desk and learn not to trust businesses to operate ethically. Lesson learned.

This service is so devious and doesn't keep it real with you. By the time you get the full picture, they've either wasted your time or $#*!ed you over. In this case I got my time wasted. Me and my brothers decided we wanted to plan a trip to 6 flags great adventures. But we didn't have a vehicle. We looked and a lot of car rental services were expensive, because I was under 25.
Until I found budget. They did boost the fee because I was under 25, but it wasn't that bad. I added insurance on it and everything. So later that day I went to go to pick the car up. I had to wait on a short line, however there were only two slow employees, so that took an hour for me to be seen. After the long wait, I talked to the lady. She asks for my Driver's license and Credit card. I was assuming she meant Debit card, because didn't pay using a credit card. Than she says if you're not flying in or out I can't take a debit card I need credit, besides you need to be 25 or older to do debit. I said Why do I need a credit card, because I'm under 25 and I'm not flying in. That's a pretty stupid policy and I was never told this. She avoids my question says the best thing you can to do is call this number and refund the reservation. I told her about the trip and was trying to figure out if there was anything she could do. She said in a nonchalant attitude, Sorry it goes against our terms. I called them up and I spoke to two customer service unrepresentative who could barely speak English, they were given me the run around, until they cancelled the reservation. Now I have to wait up to 7 business to get my money back. Thanks to them for not keeping it 100 percent with me, I have to not only break the bad news to all three of my brothers, but hope I could rescheduled the trip I reserved at 6 flags. Budget needs to communicate with their employees and customers, change their terms and services for drivers 21-24, stop hiring idiots and stuck up people and stop the under handed tatics. For this I will never attempt to use this service, anymore.

I decided to try Budget after finding a Groupon deal. I successfully reserved a vehicle and then called them to confirm the terms of the rental. My phone records all calls, which proved useful later.

The representative explicitly provided the terms for the specific location and car I booked. Upon arrival, the counter clerk was arguing with a customer regarding their rental terms. They bait and switch, as the terms changed for me too. Instead of honoring what their representative said in my recording, they refused to listen and passed me the phone to their so-called regional manager. She was unapologetic and also refused to listen to the recording. Instead, she tried to justify their bait and switch by stating they were a licensee and I spoke with "corporate." I explained that when there's a problem with your Big Mac, you don't care whether the restaurant is a franchisee or corporate; FIX THE BURGER. I was at the Courtland Ave location in Atlanta.

A straightforward rental policy should never be negotiable. If you actually want to rent a car, beware. Rent at a company that doesn't believe in budget customer service.

I rented from Budget Rent A Car twice in the past year, September in Atlanta and October in Los Angeles. In both cases the car was great, customer service was OK, and pricing was good. So based on those initial experiences I would have given them 4 or 5 stars.

If you are going to rent from Budget, I recommend enrolling in their FastBreak program. It makes it a lot faster to pick up your car.

However, in February I received a letter from Viking Billing Services, acting as an agent of Budget Rent A Car informing me that I owed them $1077. 21 for damage to the rental car.

When I contacted Viking Billing Services, I asked when the damage to the rental car was identified. They said that Budget "damage appraisal people" had identified the damage on December 2nd - over a month and a half AFTER my rental. At that point, the Viking agent said she was closing the claim.

However, this kind of hassle is not something I should have had to deal with, and if you look at http://forums.elliott.org there are many other people who have been hit with letters alleging false damage to a rental car.

Budget Rent A Car and Viking Billing Services are not doing adequate quality control before they send out letters to innocent consumers, alleging that they have damaged the rental vehicle and are liable for the damages.

I have also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau for this issue.

The process of reserving your rental car is not so bad, but picking it up is terrible.
Even having reserved the car in advance, we had to wait an hour and a half for our ticket number to be called. You could consider that I was picking up the car in a major city, but even considering that the efficiency was terrible. Then we got to the desk and were assailed with confusing questions and given little clarity when we asked questions in return. The service was poor, let's say. After we had everything set straight, we waited another half hour for them to bring our car around. I'm not sure why it took so darn long.
Returning the car is pretty simple, but you better fill up on gas somewhere else. They charge about $9.50/gallon for any missing gas. A bunch of other obscure fees were also added.
The only positive aspect of the experience is that the car they gave us ran well and was clean.