Budget Rent A Car
reviews and complaints

A minivan seats 7. An Impala seats 6.
An SUV seats 5.

Where's the problem?

I had a similar experience when renting from Budget in Austin, Texas for a trip planned 3 months in advance to attend the law school graduation of my son. I was taking his 3 grandparents, his mother, and myself, for a total of 5 adults. When the time came to pick up my "JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 2WD or similar", there was no suitable vehicle available, and they tried to offer a Chevy Impala in its place. After informing them this was totally unacceptable, and after making repeated phone calls to their customer service department (with no solution), I left the facility. I made more phone calls from home, and after a while Budget customer service called me to inform me that my vehicle would be arriving at my pickup location within 45 minutes. Calls to the facility informed me that the vehicle that was being sent was a lesser class than what I was being charged for.
The good folks at Discover informed me that since I agreed to rent this lesser vehicle, I should have to pay the rate. Apparently they have never reserved a rental car and received a lesser one than agreed and for the same rate. Budget refused to negotiate the rate, informing me that they would only negotiate after the rental period was completed. They issued a credit for 68.20, and I offered to pay $200.00. They refused my offer, and upon disputing the charges with Discover, I lost that appeal.
People can call it what they wish, but I consider it to be fraud when you have an agreement to provide a certain vehicle for a negotiated rate, and then you substitute a lesser vehicle in its place when time to provide the service.
I do not see how they get away with such business practices!

I rented a 24' Budget moving truck at 2:00 p.m. from AAA Truck Rental on Emporia St., Englewood. Customer service was terrible - no significant orientation to the truck or the car carrier. Drove away and 10 minutes later found that it had no air conditioning for my four day trip across country. I called back immediately by 2:30 and THEY WERE CLOSED ALREADY WITH NO ANSWERING SERVICE!
The next morning I found a place to fix the air conditioner making me four hours behind schedule and full of frustration.
Then three days later I had a flat tire on I-70 in PA. To make a long story short, we were ON HOLD for OVER AN HOUR with Budget's "customer service. We sat on the highway from 5:00 p.m. until help finally arrived at 10:30 p.m.! We finally were on our way at 11:30 p.m. - SIX AND A HALF HOURS LATER!
Budget's customer service is worse than none.

On January 8th 2010 my wife Jessica and I called Budget Corp and reserved a 16 foot gas moving truck. Budget told us to be at the 492 Windsor Park Drive Dayton, OH 45459 location by 9AM on January 9th 2010 or they’d charge us a $50 reservation fee. On January 9th we arrived at the 492 Windsor Park Drive location at 9AM and waited 30 minutes with other patrons for the location to open. Once the location opened they said that they did not have the 16 foot truck which we had reserved because Budget Corporate did not send the truck to their location and the only option they had was a 24 foot diesel truck. We really did not want to drive such a large vehicle especially since they are hard to drive and cost a lot more on fuel but it was the only option they gave us. By the time we left the 492 Windsor Park Dr. location, it was after 11AM and we did not get to our loading destination until 12AM after navigating the massive 24 foot truck. All these delays cost us valuable time on the 4 hour loading process and we did not make it to our Columbus destination until dark.
When we arrived out front of the gas stations next to Budget Rental on Morse Road in Columbus at 1:45PM, the gas stations did not sell diesel fuel or where to get it close by. So my wife and I drove around trying to find diesel fuel and finally called Budget on Morris Road at 2:03PM and did not get an answer. When they finally called back, we got directions to the nearest station that sold diesel, and I spent almost 20 minutes in 8 degree weather making sure that the fuel tank on the rental truck was completely full up to the neck of the fuel tank. Once fueled we drove back to Budget on Morse Road and called Budget again. They told us to leave the keys in the drop box. So, we left the 24 foot truck out front with 2 other smaller 16 foot Budget trucks with a copy of our Budget rental agreement and a copy of my fuel receipt for $65.09.
On January 11th 2010 Budget on Morse Road called at 9AM saying that we needed to fill up the truck or be charged $30 filling fee plus the cost of fuel after I had spent 20 minutes in the freezing cold topping off the tank. My wife and I drove down to the Morse Road rental office to see what the issue was and to resolve it. When we got to Budget on Morse, they gave us the keys to the truck and I also took the male employee out to the truck with me to confirm that I had filled the truck up. I opened the tank for the Budget employee and he confirmed that it was completely full. When I went to get into the truck, I could not because Budget had gotten the trucks mixed up and given my wife the wrong keys to the 24 foot diesel truck that was parked right behind our 24 foot rental. I also checked the full tank on the 24 foot truck behind me and yes it was not filled with fuel. Budget had once again made another mistake at our cost and the lady at the counter did not even apologize, gave my wife attitude, and rolled her eyes at us. We still have not received a close out receipt from Budget showing what the charged us which is against the law and they did not even call to verify the $150 charge before running it.
In conclusion, first, Budget did not have the correct truck that we reserved which cost us over 2 hours waiting at the 492 Windsor Park Dr. location, over an hour with slower driving/navigating of a huge truck and not having diesel fuel station near the Morse Road drop off. Second, diesel fuel cost 35 to 40 cents more per gallon than gasoline and becomes especially expensive when paying over $65 to refuel the rental truck. Third, Budget on Morse Road called us at 9AM to tell us that we needed to refuel our rental truck when Budget had gotten two 24 foot trucks confused even after I left a copy of my rental agreement in the truck. Fourth and final, Budget on Morse Road did not confirm the charge amount before running it and still has not given us a copy of what they charged us for.

My daughter needed to move. Her Dad and I told her if she would call and rent a truck we would pick truck up and move her, since she was busy with her final exams. She was never going to drive the truck. The only reason she was the one to call and rent the truck was because, and I'm sorry to say, her Dad and I did not have the money to rent it. She advised the company that she would not be driving the truck, that her Dad would be, and also that her Dad would be the one picking up the truck, she never went near the truck. She was told on the phone that the cost would be $125 plus tax. When her Dad and I picked up the truck they had charged an additional driver fee, and a youthful driver fee which was an extra $51.00. By this time the gentleman we spoke to at Lamms Auto Sales, which is the place we picked the truck up from, had left. So my daughter called customer service at Budget Rental and was told by a lady named Sharon that these charges would be removed. So her Dad and I took the truck did the moving, filled the tank back up with gas and returned it. However when my daughter called this time she was advised that they were not going to remove the additional charges, and she would be responisble for the entire balance. Well needless to say she was very upset. This is a girl that has put herself through 6 years of college and through student loans has done this all on her on. She has worked very hard to get where she is, and this company has basically taken advantage of a young college girl that has tried to do everything on her on. I have tried several times to talk to customer service on her behalf only to be told there is nothing they can do. On top of that, they will not let you speak to anyone higher than a floor supervisor. When I asked to speak to someone other than the floor supervisor I was told that was not allowed. So I guess upper management at Budget Truck Rentals do not care about their customers or how they are treated, nor do they care about the shady people that represent them, such as Lamms Suto Sales in Lillington, NC where we picked up the truck. I would not recommend this company to anyone, nor will I ever use this company again.

AVOID Budget Truck Rental LIKE THE PLAGUE THAT THEY ARE!

I reserved a 24’ moving truck and car carrier online for a move from Maryland to Florida . The equipment was to be picked up from Pasadena Citgo on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena at 8 am 5/25. I began calling the Pasadena Citgo to re-confirm at 10am on 5/24. The number provided with the confirmation just rang, then diverted to the recording suggesting to call back or contact national reservations. I called throughout the day with no answer. At 4:30 pm with the same response, I called the national reservations number and gave them the information and they provided me with an “alternate phone number” for the location. Upon calling the newly provided number, the telephone was answered with “The President’s not in, call back later”, laughter and hang up. I called back to confirm that the number was for Citgo and the same “gentleman” informed me that yes, it was a gas station, but that he “didn’t know nothin’ about it, he ain’t in charge of trucks, just gas” and I had to call back after 10 or 11 the next morning. I told him that I was to pick up the truck and car carrier at 8 am- 2 hours before the person that supposedly handled Budget trucks may or may not be in. I asked him if there was a 24’ truck and car carrier there and he said “No, but we got 2 15’ trucks, maybe they’ll give it to you for the same price WHEN YOU CALL BACK TOMORROW AFTER 11 LIKE I TOLD YOU!” and hung up.

I called national customer service back and told them what happened and the lady said that she couldn’t do anything, a “regional inventory specialist” would call me back by 9pm that night and that she would change the rate code to reflect the original 20% off discount from the USPS change of address packet since apparently, the last “coupon” that is clicked on the website over rides a manually entered code.

I finally received a call from a “Robert”, who was allegedly the regional inventory specialist at 7 am on 5/25, an hour before I was supposed to pick up the equipment and begin my move! In a very degrading manner, this obnoxious idiot then informs me that the only place both items are available are over an hour away, each way! I asked him if he had checked the Budget in Glen Burnie and he reiterated slowly and demeaningly “I told you that the location that I just gave you is the ONLY location that has your equipment”. Budget had me over a barrel at this point, so I had no real choice but to waste 2 hours traveling to get equipment that was not properly assigned to my location.

The new pickup point was “Windsor Express” in Windsor Mill, Maryland. The contact number that “Robert” gave me was incorrect and I was unable to confirm with them. I was online trying to get a good street number for them and find out where they were on Windsor Mill (there is both “road” and “boulevard”). An agent from “Windsor Express” called me at 9 am and demanded that I pick up the truck within 15 minutes since they had no room for it. I told him that I was over an hour away and was trying to get directions after I had him confirm the street address to put in mapquest. He called me every 15 minutes while I was driving there! This location is in the ghetto! The actual facility was a check cashing place with bullet proof glass and (illegal) slot machines! I was VERY uncomfortable! When I went in, the man behind the glass took my credit card and driver’s license, then disappeared for over an hour with my IDs! I was trying not to cause a “scene” but after an hour of standing around and trying to stay out of the way, I was very nervous and upset. I asked the other guy where the guy disappeared to with my ID and he told me “around back”. I went outside and there was only 1 Budget truck on the lot, or to be seen at all. The condition was deplorable! The treads were coming through on 3 tires that I could see in the back, the front tires were bald and the retread on one was already puckered and falling off! The back metal bumper was smashed, bent and rusted- the damage on the driver’s side was so bad, that it blocked the lower part of the loading door. I went in and told “the other guy” that I needed to talk to the guy with my IDs and that the truck was unacceptable as I thought that the guy with my IDs was hooking the car carrier up to the dilapidated mess and I wanted to catch him before he did. No worry there though, since THEY DIDN”T HAVE A CAR CARRIER and he was on the phone trying to locate one- in Washington, DC! His plan was for me to take the truck from there since they didn’t have room for it, then drive another hour or two away to pick up the car carrier in Washington DC or Virginia! This after being told by “Robert” earlier that morning that I had to drive an hour away since that was the only location with BOTH pieces of equipment.

I got on the phone with customer service and updated them on what was happening and “Aileen” in customer service apologized profusely and said she was crediting an additional 5% off for the “inconvenience” and that the “RIS” would be notified immediately (since they were not answering their phone when she tried to transfer me) and they would contact me with where to pick up the reserved equipment. No “supervisor” was available (at 11am est!?) and a “level 2” would call me back within the hour to discuss with me what had happened. I asked her for the number of either “Robert” or a competent inventory person and she said that she couldn’t give that out, that I had to wait to hear back after they located the equipment, which “could be several hours”! I asked her to check the location in Glen Burnie, Maryland as they were larger and only 15 minutes from my house and she allegedly put that through to the “Inventory Supervisor”. I tracked down my license and credit card and left, only after I had to threaten to call the police if he didn’t return them to me!

I still had not heard back from ANYONE at Budget and stopped by the location in Glen Burnie that I had earlier referenced. Out front were 2 car carriers and several 24’ trucks in the back! I stopped and asked if they were available for rent and was told yes! I showed them my reservation and told them what had happened up to this point and they told me to call the reservation number and have them reassign the reservation to that location. I called back customer service and spoke with “Janie” who needed the whole story from the beginning. She eventually transferred the reservation after telling me “Budget guarantees rates, not equipment availability” which has to be one of the most asinine comments ever- how can you guarantee a rate for a product that you don’t have? This comment as well as the feeling that I was making her go out of her way while I’m doing several peoples jobs for them sent me back over the edge. I requested to speak with a supervisor and was once again told that no supervisor was available and that it was already noted that I was “in que” to speak with “level 2” and she further informed me that there was no way that I should expect to hear back from a level 2 within an hour (which had already passed!) and that it is generally 24-48 hours and there was no way to escalate a response- they would call me back when they got to me!

The agents at the Glen Burnie location were great considering the total failure on behalf of anyone that I had dealt with at Budget up to that point. They offered apologies for Budget and handled themselves professionally, even as I was screaming at “Janie” at this point and were able to accommodate my confirmed reservation with Budget, in spite of the fact that according to Budget's inventory people there were no vehicles available, especially frustrating since this location was a) less inconvenient than Windsor Mill; b) a location that I suggested that your staff check and c) actually had the equipment that I reserved.

After the transfer, and after doing the rental paperwork in a state of complete and utter disbelief at the ineptitude of "Customer Service" employees, they began to hookup a car dolly to a truck. When I told them and showed them from my confirmed, printed reservation that it was supposed to be a car carrier, NOT a dolly, we had to start all over. They showed me on the computer that the system was showing a 2 wheeled car dolly now. Apparently changed by an inventory manager since a DOLLY was available in DC, NOT a Carrier! This is especially annoying to me since the car being towed is my pride and joy and exceptionally well taken care of and I would NEVER consider dragging her with a tow dolly which is why I reserved the full car carrier. They would have sent me all the way to Washington, D.C for the wrong equipment AGAIN!

Over an hour elapsed for this reassignment and hooking up the carrier to the truck after the dolly was removed and customers were returning other trucks. It was now almost 2 pm when I was supposed to pick up my equipment at 8 am- ie, an entire day was now wasted since no one at Budget could pull their heads out of their ### long enough to actually provide any manner of “customer service”! When the new rental agreement was printed, there was still no change to the rate and it was actually HIGHER than the reserved price with the wrong discount applied. I was told that they couldn’t alter it that I had to take it up with customer service “Level 2”, who was allegedly supposed to be calling me back any minute now since it had been well over the hour that Aileen said they would call me back. The destination location was not open on the day it was to be returned and I was told that there is an additional $10 fee for dropping it off if they are not open that was never mentioned previously either. I called back customer service and spoke to “Frank” about the changes, charges and non call from “level 2”. His “solution” was that Budget would have been just as happy to cancel my reservation and leave me high and dry without any way to move, AFTER CHARGING A CANCELLATION FEE as to actually help me or do what they were contracted to do. I was also told by both Frank and the counter people that any discounts not in the original reservation had to be put in by a supervisor and that I should take the truck and they will have the issue resolved by the time that it is returned and they will issue a credit back to the charge.

So after wasting a day of moving, everything seemed “OK”… until I got the truck and carrier on the road. While loading my car I noticed that there seemed to be an “impromptu” repair to the beaver tail section of the car carrier- the right side brace was improperly tack welded on with unequal length parts, the bolt was spinning and the opposite side was bent so badly that I had to use a sledge hammer to secure the pin into the hole! The truck itself was filthy on the inside and reeked of cigarettes, butt and feet- I was at this point desperate and put behind the 8 ball by them, but I would address that with the supervisor when they called as well. Once on the road, the truck got even worse! I was aware of the body damage that was marked in the front of the truck and sides and I was reasonably “OK” with it considering the circumstances. Apparently when whoever hit whatever to damage the headlight and fender, they also knocked the passenger side mirror loose so it rattled and spun LOUDLY and CONSTANTLY. Here is some more of this “gem” of a truck; the remaining rubber trim around the windshield blew loose before I hit Virginia, making a slapping noise in the wind, if I exceeded 55 mph (in circumstances like merging traffic) the passenger side windshield would flutter at the top corner! Seriously- the windshield in this truck was not secured or glued! I’m sure that this was aggravated by me having the driver’s side window down the entire drive to keep from vomiting from the smell. The fuel gauge did not work correctly and would just swing wildly below half a tank and no matter how much fuel I put in, it never registered to “F”. The alignment was off and it had a constant pull as well as grinding feel when making low speed turns. This is in addition to non self canceling turn signals and lights front and rear, inside and out that flickered every time the turn signal was manually turned off. I do not feel that this truck was roadworthy and should not have been sent on a long distance move.

But the car carrier was even worse! Late at night, just outside Savannah Georgia, I checked the jiggling and spinning passenger side mirror- the matchbook shim that I improvised had fallen out and there were sparks coming from the back! I was in a state of panic and pulled off as soon as I could. The car carrier had blown the right rear tire! I called Budget roadside assistance number and was once again given the long wait and poor customer service. Before anyone answered the call, I was already at a motel off of the exit that I was able to limp to at 20mph on the interstate. When they finally answered, I was told that they needed the equipment ID # and they couldn’t do anything via the rental agreement! Over 28 minutes on hold for emergency roadside assistance only to be told that I needed to go find a number “somewhere on the chassis” that was an equipment ID#. I DID manage to see that this particular piece of equipment was first registered by Ryder in 1991 and apparently had not seen proper service since. When I called back, I was once again left holding for almost a half hour. When I gave them the information that they needed she said that someone would call me back when they located a mechanic to respond and could locate me and that it would probably be several hours! It was already after 11 and I checked into the motel where the truck was stranded. I received a call around midnight from the mechanic that the wheel and tire was replaced and Todd the tow truck/ mechanic even helped me remove the rubber streaks left on my car from the blown out tire. He was of course, NOT an employee of Budget! An hour later (1:12am) I got a call from roadside assistance to tell me that their equipment had been repaired.

Upon miraculously arriving unharmed in Florida the following afternoon, the chains on the carrier would not release! I did everything I was told upon pickup and the tension chains would NOT reverse ratchet. I even resorted to the sketchy instructions in the pamphlet that I was given. After 2 hours under the car in the hot Florida sun and moving the vehicle repeatedly I was able to get enough slack to loosen the chains and release my car. The non functioning reverse was noted upon return as well as the half-assed “repair” to the beaver tail/ ramp and I was told that it should not have gone out in that condition. Then we got to the truck- when he checked the mileage he said that the tank was not reading full and I began enumerating the MANY problems with the vehicle, he opened the fuel tank and fuel was literally at the top of the cap. His response to the defects was simply “we’ll have to have somebody look at it” and I was told that it was only a 2004, but it was probably about to go to auction. Seriously? It seems to have come from a salvage auction!

At this point I STILL had not heard from anyone at Budget in regards to ANY of my numerous complaints and difficulties with this transaction. When I asked him about the final charge he informed me that the charge was put through when I rented it and that the receipt that he gave me would only show a zero balance due, NOT any credits back from Budget. I had to check my credit card statement for any credits. Sure enough, when he printed my return receipt, it basically said that the truck and carrier were returned and closeout reference # which he told me to give to the customer service person that I was speaking to and once again requesting a supervisor, that not shockingly by now, was not available. Apparently they don’t have any supervisors or “Level 2” as I STILL to this day have not received 1 return call from anyone at Budget!

Also- the length of the truck has little to do with how much it actually contains! Budget has the least amount of interior cubic foot space among the moving truck rental companies!

I also sent a written complaint in writing (snail mail) and on their website (feedback). Their response was to email me a coupon code for 15% off my next rental! The email was sketchy looking too- the sender was ABG and the subject was the name of the attachment that ended up being a generic "sorry you're not happy- please try again later" in XL spreadsheet extension!

AVOID Budget Truck Rental LIKE THE PLAGUE THAT THEY ARE!

We spent all day yesterday on the phone with the inventory manager of budget at the national help desk. He finally found me a truck at a nearby place in Union City, Georgia and put me on hold while he says he called to verify that it was there. We got there this morning and they had NO trucks at all. Here we are with movers at our home and no promised truck. I wanted to sit there and cry after all of this fiasco. Now we have to scramble for any truck we can find. Never use budget they can't be trusted!

MOST AWFUL TRUCK RENTAL COMPANY EVER. DO NOT USE! Online reservations are TOTALLY unreliable. I should be moving today, but I have to go get my truck an extra 50 miles away b/c they didn't have one at my location. I went to go pick it up and... THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT! SO here I am- a day late and can't even get my truck until 9 am from some "on-call" towing service that apparently contracts with budget. All anyone has done is lie to me so far. I WILL NEVER, EVER recommend this company to ANYONE!

should i file a small claims lawsuit against budget truck rental in Oklahoma? Budget truck rental charged my card for 50.00 even though i cancelled 5 days before and was told my card wouldn't be charged. I know 50 bucks isn't much, but it is fraudulent and if they do this on many of their customers they are making a fortune and not even renting the trucks. In my case the truck wasn't available so i verbally told them to cancel it and i will find a truck elsewhere, they cancelled it but then charged my card two weeks later. I called their customer service and spoke to a foreign man who said he was in tulsa oklahoma and was told he would refund my credit card in 7 to 14 days, but that was over a month ago, so they just fraudulently charged my card and they got away with it. can i sue them in small claims court and get more than the 50 bucks back? i get free legal services because i work at a lawfirm, but its a lot of trouble if i only the 50 bucks back.

Budget truck rental charged my card for 50.00 even though i cancelled 5 days before and was told my card wouldn't be charged. I know 50 bucks isn't much, but it is fraudulent and if they do this on many of their customers they are making a fortune and not even renting the trucks. In my case the truck wasn't available so i verbally told them to cancel it and i will find a truck elsewhere, they cancelled it but then charged my card two weeks later. I called their customer service and spoke to a foreign man who said he was in tulsa oklahoma and was told he would refund my credit card in 7 to 14 days, but that was over a month ago, so they just fraudulently charged my card and they got away with it. can i sue them in small claims court and get more than the 50 bucks back? i get free legal services because i work at a lawfirm, but its a lot of trouble if i only the 50 bucks back.

Budget truck rental needs some training in customer service...all they do is hang up...TERRIBLE! Never would use them again! I was told to use PEnske.

How do we know this person from the complaint above is just pulling off a scam themselves in getting somthing for nothing? This person already got there fuel charge refunded and now they want the whole car rental to be refunded. What proof do we have that experiences are as bad as whats said and that they are possibly being blown out of proportion just to get a free car rental? For all we know this may not possibly be fair for those that have to pay for there car rental. Give me a break!

I and my husband had a bad experience with Budget Rental Car. We had rented the car for 4 days. When we reached the San Diego Budget Rental, the sales person told us about charges for insurance. When we said our AAA will cover them then he said but there are something AAA wont cover etc. etc. and that we would be stuck with no car if there is an accident and will forfeit all our money. They have come up all possible loopholes and so many choices that the customers gets frustated and take their recommendation. They also charged for more than half of gas tank by tricking us onto it. Result $300 for 4 nights rental!
Vandana

I have had a similar experience with budget. There were many discrepancies with the final bill. When talking to their alleged "customer care" I was informed that there wouldn't be any help . I was very disappointed and wound up paying 250 dollars more than originally agreeded upon. I would recommend not to rent from Budget

WRITE TO THE BETTER BUSINESS AARP &THE ATTORNEY GENRAL OFFICE I GOT RIPPED OFF AT WILKES -BARRE SCRANTON AIRPORT L AST WEEK WHEN ON THE INTERNET IT WAS 158.00 BEFORE I RENTED AND AFTER I RENTED THEY CHARGED ME 276.00 BECAUSE I FORGOT MY GLASSES AND THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A SENIOR CITIZEN CONTRACT [protected] TRUST ME THEY WILL PAY 100 TIMES THE PRICE THEY CHARGED ME

Ummm, you guys sound like losers. Why are you calling at midnight anyway?

A manager will only be in anywhere from 9 - 4 weekdays, or anyone worth talking to anyway.

And about your 30 minutes of waiting...I'm sure you don't b&m this much when you wait 3 hours in line at Disneyland for a ride that lasts less than a minute.

And just so you know, most companies won't do pre-payment from over the internet. You only book online. That's something the websites do to get your info.

And most places have a km/mi limit because you would take that car from Canada to Mexico at that price. However, you can usually convince them to put a one-time fee on your bill for going out of area, which is a lot less than what you should be paying for putting 1000+ km on a car that you would only have for a week.

As for the cash incident, contact corporate. They will force the local office to investigate. Please contact me if you need any help with that.

I totally sympathize and agree with you.

I was very badly treated by Budget twice. Never again. Particularly that location at the Toronto airport. The attendants there are pathetic, have a lousy attitude, lazy, inconsiderate, slow like molasses. It took them 30 minutes just to process paper work for a car that I already booked and paid for online.

And when you book on-line, it does not tell you that you are limited to 200 kg per day...you get this surprise only after you have singed up and paid, and once they have your credit card, they play God with you and you are under their mercy.

Also, I tried on the toll-free number of Budget, and I waited for 30 minutes at 12 midnight and no one came on the line to help. At 12 midnight? Surely they are not that busy ! They are sleeping !

I will never ever use Budget again. They are the worst I have ever experienced in car rental.

Budget is the absolute worst. That one by the airport is particularly nasty. Be careful of Budget.

I was estimated one price and charged another based on a mistake a employee or company has made. When I received the bmw and accepted the price was 318 dollars, I accepted that rate not a rate of 168 dollars a day. If there was to be a rate increase I should have been notified at the time of accepting the vehicle not afterward. I have my E receipt were it states returned and the price of 318.73..Once I called and complained about it they changed the receipt in their system. ... rip off I need a attorney

I rented a car from budget in Sterling, VA for 3 days. I decided to return the car in 2 days. So, I filled up the tank the same way I got it and return the car. After the inspection, the guy who check me out tells me that the gas tank is not full. I looked at the fuel gauge and it was on full. I told him that it is on full and he told me that no it is not. I showed to him that it is on the full and he keep saying that is not. He was trying to fool me so he can get more money out of me. At the end after a lot of yelling and screaming he agreed not to charge me. This was such a unprofessional customer service that I have ever seen. He was very rude and I had to raise my voice on him. Several times I felt like he is going to attack me. Be very careful when you go to that location. They are bunch of crooks. It is located in the Sears auto center in Sterling, VA. I will never go there again.

I booked a PACKAGE through Alaska Airlines for airfare choosing car rental from Budget in the package(PKG Conf #XL7500CB). We were traveling with friends, only carry-on luggage. We decided that a Compact Car was adequate for our needs. When we got to Kona HI the "nice" counterperson insisted 4 adults + carryon bags would not fit in a Nissan Versa Htchbk. Aft much debate & a growing line we tried to go up a class and were told all they had avail was SUV or Lux Lincoln which he'd give to us at price of SUV as our friend was ret'd military. Aft much back & forth to car/building & disagreeable discussion we ended up paying "only" an EXTRA $45/day + taxes (totaling $509.55 OVER what we prepaid in flight/car pkg!). The guy knew we weren't happy yet did nothing to suggest alternative, reminding us it was the wk before the IRON MAN TRIATHALON so nothing more avail (altho there were many cars on the lot) and told us we should have ordered a bigger car with the pkg. Trust me the Versa would have been fine for us but he wouldn't give it to us. We signed the agreement to get out of there & let others get their cars but we were definitely coerced into not only a bigger car, but a LUXURY vehicle. I feel they were trying to take advantage of the special event to rip us off. I want Alaska Air to know that with this type of business dealings, they should consider whether it's wise to partner with Budget. I WON'T be purchasing packages any more thru the airline as it seems to have burned us in this circumstance!

I have been standing inline in Philly for 45 minutes - 1 slow clerk - what kind of outfit are you running

I work for a car rental company and one thing i have noticed is customers NEVER seem to read the terms and conditions on the rental contract or NEVER read posted signs telling them where to return there car and the hours of bussiness operations there of. Yet they turn around and say they are where not aware of this or that charge on there bill. Another thing I notice is many customers decline the coverage and NEVER inspect there vehicles and yet they have the nerve to dispute the damage we find on there vehicle. The overall ATTITUDE I get from customers is "I want my rental car to cost me next to nothing and I'm not responsible if its damaged". How can a rental car company stay in bussiness with THIS going on? You hear customers say they will just go to another company if you charge them for damage THEY might have done just because they failed to look the car over before leaving. This is just SO petty. I feel sorry for the next rental car company that offers to take there bussiness.

I rented from Budget in St. John's Newfoundland. They ripped me off for $400.00 . I wanted to give my Credit card a break and decided to pay some of the amount with my debit card. I put $400.00 down on it. When I checked my Mastercard statement on line, I was taken back by the fact that they had taken the full amount of the bill plus they still had my $400.00. It has been a week now and I still don't have it back. If there are any Brother Masons and Shryners out there please be aware of this Compnay. They do not run a fare and honest business. I for one will never rent from them again. If you have any questions about this statement please e-mail me.

Budget is a ripoff. I rented a car at Norfolk Airport. My plans then changed and I wanted to return it at Raleigh Durham 120 miles away. I was told there was a $640. drop off fee to Raleigh Durham. I have never paid more than $50. to drop off at a different location. DON'T RENT FROM BUDGET.

I rented a car from Budget Car Rental for 2 days and returned the car with a full tank of gas. However, a week later I recieved a bill for $70.44 for refueling cost but the car listed on this invoice was completely different from the car I rented (listed was a black ford mustang and I had a white chevy cobalt!) They will only reverse the charges if I come up with a printed receipt for the gas~ even though I have my American Express Bill for a Exxon Mobil gas charge the day I returned the car! I think this is a scam Budget is making alot of money on. Budget should be sued!

We rented a car at the budget toronto airport from16th of March till 18th of March. And the day we picked up our car, there's a women and she wanted us to pay for cash for one day coverage and one day baby car seat. but, it was 2days rented..but, we were too tired and just paid it for cash. It was around 35$ and she gave me a paper with a signature..not a real receipt. But, we were too tired and thought we can pay it later when we pick it off. But, when we came back there's another guy at the buget in toronto airport.

He was the manager and keep saying that they don't take cash at the front desk. But, obviously she did. And we had to pay 2days coverage and 2days car seat and gas. with all the taxes , we paid 144 dollar. We double paid for one night coverage and one night car seat! We had to wait there with a baby over 30mins and tried to explain that we paid cash and showed them the paper that she gave me.

But, they're not trying to contact her..saying it 's too early to call her..blah blah..so, we had to pay it cuz we had to leave in 30mins to take an airplane..I really want them to check fast with the women that night around 1 :00am and give my money back. They're keep saying that it's not the policy to take cash there but, she did. I'm so angry for budget Toronto airport one..and thinking about suing them..all the inconvenience that they caused and stresses..they should make it organize better for what they're doing! How can an employer doesn't know what the employees going? That's ridiculous..And I'm not going to use budge ever again! They should call me back after they check with that women! They got my phone number but, didn't call me back yet!

I had a similar experience with EuropeCar plus they were VERY rude to me? Didn't I read the conditions, etc.? Maybe, it is ignorant, but what I read was the line that said "Amount due at pickup." That amount was 152 dollars NOT the 492 I had to pay.

Someone should do something about this Irish scam. My brother had the same problem with Avis. He had rented his car with frequent user miles and then had to come up with an extra 400 at the airport - you can bet that hurt his trip.