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Budget Rent A Car
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4.2 1852 Reviews

Budget Rent A Car Complaints Summary

63 Resolved
379 Unresolved
Our verdict: With Budget Rent A Car's very poor resolution rate, careful consideration is needed. Research their service comprehensively, and read up on how they handle customer disputes. If you face issues, be prepared for potential challenges in obtaining resolutions and explore other service providers as backups.
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Budget Rent A Car reviews & complaints 444

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11:51 am EST
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Budget Rent A Car over charged

When my husband and I flew out to vancouver to be married a year ago, I had planned everything in advance to make sure we could cover costs.
Our budget price quote was just under 500 for a five day rental. I believe 460 was the quote. I was perfectly happy with that amount, and naturally, I expected perhaps another 50 for some odd airport tax or whatever other little surprises there might be.
I'd heard there were some complaints about their 'pay in advance and drive back on an empty tank' deal, so I avoided that, and promised myself i'd return the tank brimming with gas. Crisis averted, right? Wrong.
So, we return the car, he marks down the gas gauge as a full quarter tank above where it was when I picked it up, and I see that he marks it down as such (I am sitting in the drivers seat until I see this information has been marked down). We walk twenty feet over and enter the agent office, and appartently another reality.
In this reality we are billed for returning the tank empty, then for extra insurance because they said we didn't pre-pick our insurance, and then a series of other charges that even the manager couldn't find a reason for, but refused to remove.
We paid 970 dollars for the rental.
I cried openly in public for the first time in my life, outside of a funeral.
We had to use all our wedding present money to transfer funds onto our visa to pay for a rental that was supposed to cost us shy of 500. I called budget for three months at least twice a week.
They told me that the budget at the airport was independent and they couldn't help us in anyway.
The budget I delt with at the vancouver airport refused to go over my bill, explain charges, and on one occasion I was told in not uncertain terms to never call back. Once I was told "too bad!" and she laughed and hung up.
I can't say enough terrible things about them. Never use them.

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oscar aguayo
the colony, US
Jun 15, 2010 1:16 pm EDT

conf. #san juan, p.r. oo9370318, pr on priceline total amuont due $150.oo after 3 days 19 hrs. $209.00. and thier service was the worsed ihave evre had. iwill not rent from bu [censor] again.

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12:44 pm EST
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Budget Rent A Car pre pay online services

I reserved a car online and went with the pre pay option to save money. ONLINE it states that if you need to cancel for any reason it's not a problem. Budget will charge you $10-50 cancelation fee depending on the circumstances and refund your money as soon as possible. I canceled and was told that it would take 7 days to refund money. I asked why so long for an electronic transfer? It's just money they took out that they will resubmit to my account. I'm still waiting on my refund. When I spoke with a rep today she told me it may take up to 10-15 days because the processing is behind because of the holidays. DO NOT pre reserve your vehicle online with a credit or debit card. They will charge you and you won't know when you will get your money back. Place a reservation for the car WITHOUT prepaying it.

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Protectagainstlies
Littleton, US
Jul 26, 2011 5:47 pm EDT
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I rented a car from Budget Rental Car San Diego Airport location in June 2017. After waiting in line 2 hours and 45 minutes, the agent told me to sign my the contract quickly (for my reserved car) due to the number of people in line. After signing, I had to wait an additional 40 minutes because no cars were available. I have since received my credit card statement and there was a charge for "Traveler's Advantage Annual Membership for $139.99." I called to inquire and they said it was part of my Budget Rental Car contract. Nothing was disclosed to me from the Budget Agent. I have filed a dispute with my credit card company, filed a complaint with Traveler's Advantage and with Budget Rental Car. I will never rent from Budget Rental Car again and I encourage everyone else to avoid them as well.

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barbara fernandez
,
Sep 05, 2007 12:00 am EDT

Orbitz booked my flight with car at budget on my walmart visa. They charged my card and when i went to pick up the car budget said they wanted another 100.00 on a different credit card. They would not accept the card i had already booked with the airlines. I had to go to another car company. Budget finally agreed to charge back 89.00 since i didn't get the car. Problem was that now i did not have the money to rent another company since i used the money on that card. I spent from 10am until 5 pm in the office of the other company until someone could go put a money pac on that card. Orbitz said that it would take at least 2 months to credit my card. This put me in an intolerable situation since i was attending the funeral of my best friend of 50 years. No-one seemed to care at all that I was stuck in phila. all day. I feel that orbitz should compensate me in some way as this is no way to do business. The people at budget were very uncaring!

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Helicone
, US
Mar 24, 2011 6:51 pm EDT

Picked up a Hyundai Electra with paint on the passenger seat and passenger door. I thought, “Ok, this is not how I would want my cars going out, but maybe they are busy because it is Christmas and all”. I thought it was SO obviously all over the place that there was no doubt they knew about it. I am not much of a complainer, and it didn’t affect my ability to drive the car, and it was otherwise clean, so I left, did my visiting with my family and friends and went to turn it in a week later.

I told the guy who received my car that I was surprised it went out that way. I was not in any way ugly about it, and I was not looking for a refund or any kind of special treatment. The man said it wouldn’t have gone out that way so I must have done it. My jaw dropped! I told him it was like that when I picked it up and he said he doubted it since it changes hands so many times during the process of “cleaning”. I said, never mind I’ll tell them inside. I went inside and explained the paint, the girl gave me a look, and called the manager.

The manager came out, I explained what happened, she rolled her eyes and said, “There’s nothing I can do, but I will look at it”. I followed her out to the car she looked at it and said, “Mm, nope, it wouldn’t have gone out of here like that, no way”, and walked off. I said, “God is my witness, it did go out like that”. She just said, “Nope, you will be charged for this”. I was incredulous. What could I possibly do now? I am the one that didn’t complain, so it is my fault? I know now I should have complained.

Now I know how an innocent person in jail feels like sort of. I cried all the way home. But then my sister said, they probably just recycle the car. If you complain, fine they get you another car, but if you don’t, you get stuck with a bill. Hmmmm. There is no way, if it “passes through so many hands”, that they didn’t know about it. It got me to wondering how many people would just pay the bill and go on with life. Ok, I know, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but I am innocent, I did not do this. How could so many people there NOT know about it? So beware of the Budget Rental at the Hobby Airport, Houston, location.

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SuperTeacher
Flatwoods, US
Jan 08, 2012 3:42 pm EST
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We (my wife and I) made four rentals on June 11, 2017. We called Budget's 800 number and confirmed the rates without any problems. Part of the confusion to come may have been that we have always used Travelocity for our rental car bookings and did so this time as well. The reservations were to be for four separate trips of around 5 days each from January 2017 until the end of April 2017.
On January 2, 2017 we received emails (2) stating that the original reservations were a computer error and that Budget Las Vegas would not honor them. When we called the person who wrote the emails she steadfastly refused to come to the phone. So we filed complaints with both Travelocity and Budget customer service and neither could tell us anything helpful. Apparently the Budget Car Rental business in Las Vegas is independently owned and has no reason to abide by Budget's rules or regulations. Nor do they seem to honor either their reservations or display even a minimal amount of common courtesy.
Well, the complaints must have gotten back to Budget Las Vegas because Ms. D. T-------- (who claimed to be the general manager) called us the next day. She said that customers like us (those who seek a bargain apparently) were not welcome at Budget Car Rental. In fact, she clearly stated that Budget would not rent to us at all since they are independently owned. She had gone into our reservations and raised them approximately $1000 total. She concluded with this beauty, "if we came to claim the reservations that Budget would not honor them and would charge us $75 per rental cancellation fee." She suggested that we cancel the reservations willingly.
So there you have it. Blame your own incompetency on the computer (error) and take no responsibility for reservations that were made and confirmed approximately seven months ago. Way to go Budget. Be proud. You have cheated us. Good luck trying to do it again.

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Brenda Schrader
Albuquerque, US
Sep 16, 2009 4:52 pm EDT

I am in Burbank, sitting on the floor, there are no chairs, waiting for my husband to get our car that we made a reservation for... We were the eighth person in line and we have been here for an hour and 10 minutes and the 6th person is being waited on. There is only one person waiting on people and it is slow, slow, slow. Others, National, Avis, etc. get to their customers quickly and effitienty. We travel a lot in the US and have never had such SLOW service...at this rate it may be another hour before we get to talk with the agent... Try finding their customer service...I called to complain and the national number had not customer service...go figure...

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9:04 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car deceptive contract

Reserved a car on Budget.com for a week in Seattle. Arrived at the airport, presented our reservation, declined the insurance, and signed the forms. Did not read the contract, BIG mistake! We were upgraded to a more expensive car without our knowledge. Reading the contract afterwards, it is not obvious that the car was upgraded. But it was, and we ended up paying $276 more than expected. Always read your contract and compare it to your reservation. They said absolutely NOTHING verbally about the upgrade.

Also, their customer service is worse than useless if you try to resolve this sort of thing.
No more Budget for us, bunch of crooks.

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ell eff
Indianapolis, US
Dec 12, 2014 11:18 am EST

you are so right! I rented a car at Boston Logan Airport. Waited in a long line at the rental counter for my prepaid car. ELONZO, the care rental rep. was distracted by the hectic atmosphere. I requested coverage for damage to the rental car. ELONZO me I was purchasing Coverage for damage to the car...when in reality he had me sign for supplemental insurance...which I don't need because I have it with my insurance company. He repeated back to me after I secured my question about ..."so the car is covered for any and all damages?" His repsonse.." yes..in this town, people are crazy drivers...its not worth taking a chance" I trusted that where the illiterate employee had me sign was what I "thought" I was paying for. ELONZO was not paying attention...doesn't know the rental contract very well and was deceptive as an EMPLOYEE OF BUDGET. I am now saddled with a claim of almost $900 from BUDGET because of me trusting one of their illiterate employees. I WILL NEVER RENT FROM THEM AGAIN. Always read what you are signing...even if they are telling you ...no need to read ...I will explain it to you. STUPID!

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Legalease
Fredericton, CA
Nov 08, 2009 10:50 am EST

When signing a rental contract from any business, all pertinent information is on that contract, available for all customer to read before signing and agreeing to the contract.

If there are any questions regarding the information and charges shown on the contract, it is the customer's responsiblity to ask questions and have the contract changed if the customer does not agree with the information provided.

Always remember! You are signing a legally binding contract and it is the customer's responsibility for reading and understanding that contract BEFORE signing it.

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1:20 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car fraudulent charges

At the time of returning a rental car for a week=end use having driven it only a total of 139 miles, we were charged for a full tank of gas. We returned this vehicle with a full tank as per their contract. We complained and they say they have investigated and supposedly are giving a credit for 1/3 of the additional charge. Also that we should be understanding of their plight, although I can't understand what plight that might be unless they are in financial staits because of shoddy operation. We are willing to pay the original exhorbitant car rental charge for the weekend in question. but resent their usurious overcharge..This sounds like the attempt of a National company to make the consumer pay for its management failures.

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3:29 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car rent a car scam in dublin ireland

Budget has defrauded a few of us in Dublin, I rented a VW Golf in April 2009, it had a defective clutch (?), it stalled 3 times in 10 minutes, I returned the vehicle immediately, with a total of 5 km. Requested a replacement, Budget would not give me one, they blamed me for causing the damage(!), they still charged me 50.00 Euro for a day(!), than SEVEN weeks later they charge my credit card for 1, 300.00Euro for replacing the clutch, 160 E for towing, 88 E for loss of use(?) while they rented the damn car to some other people ! An another lady in May got scammed too for the same amount after 9 km !She was charged also for a burned out clutch! What a scam!
So I had the car key in my possession for 15 minutes, and Budget charged my card for $ 1, 825.00, if you rent a good car they get $ 50.00/day, it is so much more profitable for them to steal from you, using your credit card, so I am fighting them trough the local court.

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9:02 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car over-charge on quoted rate and additional charges

Upon pick-up of confirmed, quoted, reserved vehicle, Budget decided to apply additional taxes on top of the taxes already quoted, which bumped their weekly outrageous fee by an extra $36.00. Because their pick-up location (and most of the other car rental facilities at Denver Airport), is in an area too far from the airport for a customer to give their business elsewhere (you are shuttled to the car rental facility), a person is forced to accept their add-on, rip-off fees. There is no other alternative. You are at their mercy. The non-smoking vehicle had obviously been smoked in, with cigarette burns and stench. The front window had a large, round chip right under the front mirror that I got to look at for one week. Upon receipt of my charge on my credit card yesterday, they also decided to charge me $15.00 in toll fees originating in New York one week after I returned the vehicle. I never used a toll road, and I've never been to New York. NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET. I am also going to report them to the Better Business Bureau and all agencies in Colorado.

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Jaxon Smith
, SG
May 05, 2014 12:23 am EDT
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This is
very much great and hope fully nice blog. Every body can easily found her
need able information. I am visit first time but I fond many use full
article. I will back again when get time.

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6:09 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car insurance

After bidding on a car through Priceline, I went to Fort Lauderdale airport to pick up the rental. The agent asked if I needed to ugrade the full size car I'd pre-purchased and I told her "No". She then asked if I wanted to add insurance. I again declined. I told her everything was pre-paid and I was just there to get the car.

She then printed my form, circled a bunch of items and asked me to initial. I didn't think I needed to double check that she would try to sneak in the insurance at $26.99 per day!

I just checked my statement and noticed I'd been billed by Priceline and Budget.

My warning...READ EVERYTHING those con artists ask you to sign. This must be one of their scams - pulling a bait and switch on airport customers because they know we are rushing.

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Ranmar1
Tryon, US
Jun 03, 2016 8:34 am EDT

Reserved and prepaid for car and Mexico Insurance.
They won't accept the insurance or credit card insurance coverage.
They would only rent if you purchased their insurance. prepaid was $57.00 Theirs $ 312.00
I was the 6th person in line and listened to the other five people try everything possible.
The end result was pay their price or leave. After waiting 2 1/2hrs we left and walked 3 blocks to thrifty
They were aware of Budgets Rip Off Policy and rented us a equal car for the price of our original contract with Budget.
Budget will never get my BUSINESS

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A E SMITH
Warwick, US
Jan 04, 2012 12:50 am EST
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STRONGLY AGREE ! The same thing happened to me after renting a car at Ft Lauderdale Airport.. I rented a car in Nov. 2011 and when I returned home my VISA statement had a charge of $198.00 from Budget. I called their 800 number to find out what the charge was for. I was told the charge was for insurance that I had signed for. When I reserved the vehicle on line I declined ALL the options.
Their response was basically, " too bad, you signed for it at the airport ". Since I declined the insurance when I rented the car, they had no business offering it to me again. How many other people have been screwed by Budget at Fort Lauderdale Airport ?

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miscellaneous
Kula, US
Oct 22, 2009 9:21 pm EDT

I agree, read everything! I'll never use Budget again.

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10:43 am EDT
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Budget Rent A Car abusive counter person

Arrived from Canada last night. Went to counter in Budget in Lihue, Kauai. We were met by Miss Cho. Miss Cho intimidated, yelled, was defensive when asked a quiet question, politely, insisted on giving us insurance for both husband and wife when husband only driving, would not take wife's credit card for the transaction and only husband driving, only had one credit card with us in interest of security, yelled and was extremely rude, demanding licenses to be removed from wallets and placed correctly before her, had such a thick accent we could only understand 1/8 of what she said but the body language, tone, and manner were very explicit. She thought we were a couple of country hicks not worth 2 cents and could be sold a $1200. deal when I had a confirmed reservation with a base price of $444.48. We just wanted a small car and insurance for one. When in Maui 6 months ago we had a car from Budge for $1200. for 5 weeks, and it was Mustang convertible, now we have a 4 door compact for $1332.77 and I have been up all night fuming unable to contact any customer service people as it is a holiday weekend. There was no one to talk to last night in the Office at Budget locally either. We will be wasting a whole morning driving back there, not mention long distance calls on my cell, and extreme anxiety, and a really bad impression of Kauai as she was the first person we met.

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ihatebudgetrentacar
Oakland, US
Apr 19, 2011 7:18 am EDT

so sorry that happened---I have been emailing them about horrible treatment at the Santo Domingo airport in Dec. 2010 and still no resolution. their behavior endangered my life, cost me extra money as I missed my plane, and had to stay at an overpriced lousy Quality Inn by the airport--I was mugged as we went for food around the airport and luckily my fiancée talked sense into the guys. But the hotel chalked it up to a misunderstanding. Budget is horrible and they still havent reimbursed me for the missed flight change, 100.00 The crappy hotel we had to stay in (182.000)and the gas that they say we owed them. What a mess. Super unresponsive and I really feel that they don't care--because they are sooo big-----I will take this to the top--I am that pissed. Better luck in your travels!

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11:26 am EDT
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Budget Rent A Car breakdown/customer service

Truck broke down... They towed my dog in the broken down truck for 2 and a half hours through the desert with no air conditioning or water... Totally illegal... Made me lose a lease, now paying 125.00 more a month for a house... Couldn't register my son for school, etc etc. They said they would discuss settlement when closed out... Called cutomer service in tulsa oklahoma and spoke to the end all in customer service, nan. They offered 25%... Not acceptable... They cost me 1400.00 for the lease alone... Nan said she had no one above her to discuss further and she did not know a corporate numer. I was calm, but she said that was that and hung up on me. Called back, talked to nina, asked for nans supervisor... No one else... Nan is the top dog. I insisted I talk to someone besides nan... Nina said that was their final offer and the other level 2 agents were busy and they will call me back in 24 hours... Not acceptable... Again I insisted that the offer was not acceptable and nina also hung up on me... This is budgets customer service department... Its their way or nothing and when they are done with you they hang up on you... Keep in mind... I was not screaming or going crazy... Just wanting to be heard out... Ridiculous... When we were broken down we met several people and they said always use penske... I will.

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Frances Benes
Richmond, US
Oct 15, 2009 6:04 pm EDT

Your service was very unsatisfactory. Myself, my grandson and great grandaughter were stranded for four hours on a busy Interstate Highway between Fort Worth, Texas and Hillsboro, Texas. 28 miles out of the way. Budget office told us there would be 2 men and a new truck waiting for us there wasn't. Budget office than told us it would be the next day that we would receive our new truck. We was told to go to the best western and they would have us a room, budget office did nothing of the sort to help us. We were than told we could sleep in the truck. We had a 4 year old great grand daughter with us so we had to rent a room ourselves. We were 24 hours without a truck and budget only wants to reinburse us 25% not including the money we were out for food and a hotel. I hope your company doesnt treat everyone who rents a truck the way we were treated. YOUR COMPANY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ARE VERY UNPROFESSIONAL.

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Herry Potter
Kahoka, US
Sep 09, 2009 1:11 pm EDT

You are a disgusting sorry person that needs some serious help. You pay few hundred dollars to rent a little van and then when it broke down, you want something big and free. If you were in rush so much, you should have hired professional moving help.

You are a loser. At least they towed you right away. You are not supposed to ride in that broken van. If I was that tow truck driver, I would live you in the desert. He was nice to you to let you ride in that van. People like you are taking advantage of bad situation. Guess what, I hope you never rent anything from Budget again. As you can guess, they don't need your 150 dollars. Also get a better story; no one would lose a lease or son’s schools registration for just been late for few hours or even few days. You should have planed ahead of time. What a sorry story. Stop blaming people for your own fault. I think you are plain trash, low ends person. Get a life and education.

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10:36 am EDT
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Budget Rent A Car Misrepresentation of Services

I worked with your company Budget rental to rent a car to drive to Florida and back for a Medical Emergency for a family member.

They gave me a confirmation number, they guarenteed me a car rental.
Never in any of the process in which I had spoke to the online personel as well as the service people at the location no less than 15 to 20 times getting all this arranged.

The day I was supposed to leave, I drove a hour to get there, they said I wouldn't need to have a $400-$500 hold on my account only $200.00, then said "let me go see what we have, when he came back he ran my check card, he then informed me I didn't "pass your credit check" and they refused to rent me a car.

Never in the entire process days earlier was this ever mentioned, EVER! They had my card #, they had all my information.

I would like for your company to explain to me how you can do this to the public, if you guarentee a vehicle, give them a confirmation # how could they have done this" at the complete and total injustice of what your company has done!

Trina L Harnden
[protected]

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anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Sep 10, 2009 4:03 pm EDT
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This situation is very unfortunate, but obviously you don't rent cars very often. If you did, you would know that you do need to have a deposit amount available on top of the cost of rental. No one is going to give you a car without a deposit and you really should expect that. The amount can go up to $1000! So just be prepared.

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10:29 am EDT
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Budget Rent A Car price gouging

Hidden fees
Recently I rented a car from budget (Thru priceline) from the indianapolis airport location. Upon arrival, they allegedly didn't have the midsize I had reserved or a fullsize upgrade, so they stuck me in this hideous little economy. They took a little bit off of the price after letting them know I was pissed off about the reserved car not being available. $169.00 for 4 days before fees and taxes. After insurance, fees, taxes on the fees, taxes on the insurance, fees for the additional taxes, and oh yeah, airport fees, county, state and local taxes, that little pos cost me $467.28 - for 4 days.
Won't happen again. Bad when it's cheaper to take a cab.

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robbb
, US
Aug 28, 2009 3:22 pm EDT

Just rented a Chevy Cobalt (the upgrade from the economy car for an extra $4.00) in Las Vegas. I asked for economy with the most basic insurance they require since I have insurance. I was in a hurry and didn't really read over the paper work - huge mistake. The gal helping circles $114.84 and tells me thats my total. I figure its a little high for a $36 car for two days but with all the fees these days it's probably right, So I take the care. Yeah, the $114.84 was what she was charging me for insurance per day. Boy was I surprised when I returned and they charged me $348.00 for two days in an tiny car. We'll fight this one out.

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6:28 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car overbooking

I made a reservation with my local Budget through Orbits. I called the morning of the pick up and they told me they didn't have ANY cars available. There was no help from the person at that location so I called corporate. They seemed shocked but could offer no help at all. They did try to get me to take a smaller car, farther from my home with an additional 50% higher rate. I told them I would pay no more than what was quoted me. They agreed to the price but could not guarantee that the car would be available for up to 7 hours after my original pick up time.

I went back nearly 2 hours after being told no availability and talking with corperate headquarters to make another reservation through Orbitz and a 3rd reservation through Budget online. Both reservations were accepted and confirmation numbers were issued. So it was NO ACCIDENT that they had no cars. They made no effort to keep what happened to me from happening to others at the same time.

Just a really poor business ethic that makes me really sick to my stomache.

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Budget Rent A Car scam and cheating

I recently rented a car on-line through Budget car rental and declined all insurance coverage because it was included on our credit card. When we arrived in Cancun we were shuttled to the Budget Airport office where we were told by the Manager that we had to pay an additional $10.us per day for liability insurance because it was mandatory in Mexico. I argued with him stating that it was not on my confirmation and he said we could not have the car unless we signed for the insurance. It was dark outside and we were in the middle of nowhere so we signed for the insurance knowing we could complain once we returned home. Well we did complain and the bottom line was that Budget said we signed the agreement so therefore we accepted the terms of the contract.

My brother arrived the same day in the morning to pick up his car and they did the exact same thing to him.

My suggestion is not to rent from Budget at the Cancun airport but if you do and this happens make sure you make a note on the agreement that you are signing for the insurance only because they said it was mandatory and you have no choice if you want the car.

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by any other name.upset
Miami, US
Jul 22, 2010 9:55 pm EDT

The newst scam. I supposedly went through a tool worth .75 cents in DC and I did not payed, in April, today August I got that bill home (in Miami) but for 25.75 dollars. I f they knew I did something wrong why didn't they send the bill to me in April, when I could have payed .75, 10 with a bit of delay, but now when is so much more. Is it simply ridiculous. I refuse to pay anything over .75 cents. What shameless crooks are these people.

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Budget Rent A Car lied, overcharged

Budget kept me waiting a half-hour though I had a reservation, while Budget helped people without a reservation. Clerk said, "sign for this amount", but later put in a higher amount (triple), in retaliation, becuaus I complained to her that she and her partner should have had two lines, one for people with reservations and one for people without, or should give priority to those with reservations. Budget Car Rental in Nashville are crooks. Company replied saying they would not refund my money, offered me a coupon on my next rental. I said, I won't be renting from Budget again.

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L.B
Bloomington, US
Jun 24, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

Budget Car rental are cheats and have the worst customer support I have ever seen.

No wonder the company did not survive by itself and was taken over by Avis.

I booked a oneway rental from Ohare on 7th June, the booking was done through expedia where I had declined the insurance. Also when I picked up the rental car I was told to sign in places to decline the insurance. The cheat/lady at the counter repeatedly told me that I was declining the insurance and that I would not be covered, which I agreed to as I have my own car insurance.

To my surprise, I was charged insurance and when I contacted them they said that I signed for it. I agree I should have read what I sign for, but these cheats keep you engrossed in words while you sign for something other than they are telling.

After contacting customer support, drop off location (as it was oneway) and even the Ohare area manager, all are covering up their location staff by saying "You have signed it"

I beleive that the insurance coverage is a major source of income for their goal and that is why they all team up to protect this misleading practice resulting in this fraud.

I will be taking up this matter with BBB, but I suggest all those who rent, to read what you are signing for very carfully to avoid paying extra.

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whistleblower
Windsor, CA
Apr 16, 2009 2:11 am EDT
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You mention that the clerk changed the amount to triple of what you signed for. When you signed, did you get a copy of that? Once signing, you should demand a copy of that as proof of the amount you originally signed for.

It is amazing how these auto rental places don't give a darn about their reputation. All of these places are known to screw people. That is why I won't deal wit any of them.

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7:09 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car fraudulence

On January 16, 2009, my husband and I rented a Budget 24 foot box truck from Taylor Rental in Port Jefferson Station, NY to move his great aunt into a group home. When we went to fill out the papers, my husband inquired about the additional insurance. The rep noticed that we were paying with our American Express card, and told us that we were covered by Amex as the primary, and our regular auto insurance as a secondary. He also told us that we had to opt out of the insurance otherwise Amex would not cover any damages.

We knew that we would not be finished with the truck until after store hours, so the rep told us to just put the keys in the drop box and the truck would be checked back into the system in the morning. A different rep walked us around the vehicle..only major thing noted was graffiti on the sides.

We took care of moving his aunt and returned the truck after hours, locked everything up and put the keys int the drop box as we were instructed . The next morning, we received a phone call from the store, asking us to come down and fill out an accident report for the damage done to the roof. We went down to see this for ourselves and sure enough there was a hole in the roof approximately 7 inches wide.

We told the rep that we didn't do this, it must have happened overnight, and he said that he had absolutely no stake in this (of course he did, he gets a commission from Budget!) and that he would just fill out an accident report that said "customer denies damage". He said sometimes Budget decides to pursue these things and sometimes they don't. We'd know in a few weeks if they were to pursue this or not. So we left...

About a month later, we received a letter from Budget with a $4, 700 bill! The pictures of the damage are not like anything we saw, they were 10 times worse. The estimate was done in Florida, which is very sketchy because this truck was rented in NY.

We found out that they gave us COMPLETEY INCORRECT information...we were virutally driving around WITH NO INSURANCE! Can you imagine if we had hit a pedestrian? We'd be living out on the street! Basically the whole thing about Amex will cover you was false- when we inquired about this, they do not cover commerical vehichles. Neither did our personal auto insurance because it was a commerical vehicle.

To top it all of, even if we had taken the additional insurance, there is a clause that states it doesn't cover roof damages. So we would have been screwed anyway. When we inquired about this with Budget, the answer we got was "it is up to the renter to know what is covered and what isn't".

Sorry I left my crystal ball home... how were we supposed to know that we were given incorrect information? You trust that the vendor is giving you legit info... lesson learned!

We now have a lawyer involved and are in the process of contacting the State Attorney General. Our personal auto insurance rep said that this is a common scam to get rid of old trucks and replace with new ones at the consumer's expenese.

If anyone is interested in filing a class action suit, please contact me ASAP. I have spent the last hour browsing this website and am horrified at some of the postings about them...this cannot continue!

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JLZottoli
Putnam Valley, US
Apr 27, 2009 1:03 pm EDT

Please contact us about a class action suit: jlzottoli@aol.com

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darkeros
, US
Apr 02, 2009 3:31 pm EDT

Forget the lawyer. Take them to small claims court and serve the whole office with a summons to court where you rented the truck. Did you take a picture of the small hole? Any time you have damage take a picture with a disposable camera. Also remember ALL rental agents are crooks and they look for any reason to tack on additional fee's or charges. hope you can work this out. Good luck

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Budget Rent A Car fyi about some rental car company

Recently I had bad experience with Budget rental car in Anchorage, Alaska. At first I didn’t know why they charged $100 dollar to my credit card, so I call them up and ask them what they are for. Budget rental car explain to me it was cleaning fee for smoking in rental car. I told them I wasn’t smoking in the rental car, but their responds was they found evident of cigarette ashes and smells, so I ask them what happens if car smell smoke even though I didn’t smoke inside of car and reply was they will still charge $100 dollar. I am wondering what happens if non smoker get $100 cleaning fee because car smell cigarette? I write this because people who renting car from Anchorage Alaska Budget at airport should aware of this. I am not the only one who had bad experience with Budget rental car in Anchorage Alaska airport location but different issue.

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Steve Pfaffe
St. Paul, US
Aug 27, 2013 11:58 am EDT
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This doesn't surprise me! This same rental location gave my RESERVED car away when my plane was late and I wasn't able to pick up my car within an our of my anticipated arrival time. They do not warn you about this when you make the reservation. They were unprofessional, and snotty, when I expressed shock that they gave the car away. Worst experience that I have ever had with a business at any time in my life. Budget as a whole supported this policy at this location when I complained! Boycott Budget!

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9:24 am EST
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Budget Rent A Car unauthorized billing

On September 2, 2008 my daughter and I rented a Budget Rental Truck. We paid for two drivers, and a 'zero liability' insurance, should any damage occur to the truck. From the truck rental lot, my daughter, who was driving the truck followed me to the Nashville Airport to return a rental car that I was driving. Damage occured to the overhead of the truck during this trip to the airport. We immediately returned the truck to Budget Truck Rental. No replacement truck was provided, nor were we reimbursed for the truck rental costs.

Subsequently, we received a bill in the amount of $4, 410.45. This bill included charges for use of the truck for 7 days and two different lists of parts. We had already paid for 3 days use of the truck, which does not appear to have been taken into consideration. This bill is outrageous, in view of the fact that the agent who rented us the truck said the insurance would cover any damage to the truck. On returning the truck, he said that the over-head damage was not included in the insurance.

I would very much like to know if there is a class action suit against Budget Rental trucks for situations like this. If there is, then I would like to join in that class action suit.

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Peter Eng
Eme, US
Jun 18, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

I have the same problem right now. I thought that I had bought full insurance and now they are trying to charge me for overhead damage (despite the fact that I had reserved a smaller truck way in advance). The bill they are presenting me with is over $3000. Can you tell me what happened in your case?

Thanks

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JLZottoli
Putnam Valley, US
Apr 27, 2009 12:59 pm EDT

My husband and I are in a similar situation. The signs in the store showed pictures of overhead damage with text that encouraged us to get the insurance -- We feel it was misleading. If a class action suit is being started please email us at: jlzottoli@aol.com

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missg
Stony Brook, US
Apr 08, 2009 8:41 pm EDT

I want to start a class action suit. Please email me if you are interested: missg907@hotmail.com

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4:07 pm EST
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Budget Rent A Car fraudulent company

These guys are the worst. Book it online with a confirmed rate? What a joke, Just wait until they overbill you when you drop it off with a bunch of hidden fees. And then after waiting for a 1/2 hour and spending another 30 minutes trying to resolve they issue, they bill you for an extra hour.

Try to clear it up when you drop-off and before they bill you? Forget about it. Here is what you get... "We are an independent agent; you will need to clear up the overbilling with the corporate office." But good luck trying to get anything done with corporate office. After being on hold for an hour, they simply state that you agreed to the charges and there is nothing they can do.

If anyone raises a class action suit against them for such fraudulent practices, by all means, count me in!

NEVER NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET!

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Budget Rent A Car fraudulent charge on credit card

While driving a Budget Rental Car we received a citation for not cramping our wheels (a parking violation). This was on 10/16 and payment was due within 30 days. We paid the $47 ticket on11/06.
On 11/25 Budget charged our bank account $119. I called to see what the charge was. Their Customer Serive said it was for an unpaid parking violation. I was told to contact their citations department to rectify the situation. No one has answered their phones for the 2 weeks that I've been trying to reach them. I've left several messages. I faxed proof of payment to their dept. I emailed proof of payment to them. The City of San Diego emailed proof of payment to them. NO RESPONSE from Budget!
BE VERY WARY OF RENTING FROM THEM as they keep a copy of your debit/credit card on file and evidently charge to it as they please.
I must note that their Customer Service Dept. was friendly, but unable to help me.

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Jeff050
St. Louis, US
Jul 20, 2010 8:49 am EDT

I had a similar problem, 3 times I faxed them a copy of my receipt showing I had paid the ticket. Finally out of the blue months later i get a letter from them saying they would refund the charge. I tried calling them multiple times before this and could never get anyone on the phone or to return my call. It's ridiculous, it shouldn't take months to correct a simple fixable problem and their is no excuse for not being able to get anyone on the phone or return a message.

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Anis
Arlington, US
Mar 02, 2009 9:50 am EST

Hi iatoga
Were you able to finally get a hold of them? I am in the same situation as yourself and wasn't able to get a hold of them.

Thanks

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7:25 pm EDT
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Budget Rent A Car - bad customer service after accident

I had the worst experience every. Below is the email I sent to Budget explaining what they did. A Letter to Budget Car Rental: I want you to know that this was the worse car rental experience I have ever had. Even though my being upset will not make a dent in your company (As I was told by LXXXXX HXXX, a call center supervisor) I want you to understand...

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Budget Rent A Car Customer Reviews Overview

Budget Rent a Car offers a variety of rental services for customers seeking transportation solutions. Their fleet includes a range of vehicles from compact cars to larger SUVs and vans, catering to different needs and preferences. Customers can rent cars for varying durations, from short-term to longer-term leases. Additional options such as insurance coverage, GPS navigation, and child safety seats are available to enhance the rental experience. Budget operates at numerous locations worldwide, providing accessibility for travelers seeking vehicle rentals both domestically and internationally.

Budget Rent A Car In-depth Review

Pricing and Value for Money: Budget Rent A Car offers competitive prices and excellent value for money. Their rates are affordable and often lower than other car rental companies. They also provide various discounts and promotions, making it even more cost-effective to rent a car from them.

Vehicle Selection and Availability: Budget Rent A Car has a wide range of vehicles to choose from, catering to different needs and preferences. Whether you need a compact car for a solo trip or a spacious SUV for a family vacation, they have options available. The availability of vehicles is generally good, ensuring that you can find a suitable car for your desired dates.

Customer Service and Support: The customer service and support provided by Budget Rent A Car are commendable. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always ready to assist you with any queries or concerns. They strive to provide excellent customer service and ensure that your rental experience is smooth and hassle-free.

Booking Process and Ease of Use: The booking process with Budget Rent A Car is straightforward and user-friendly. Their website, www.budgetinternational.com, is easy to navigate, allowing you to quickly search for available cars, compare prices, and make a reservation. The entire process is efficient and can be completed in just a few simple steps.

Rental Policies and Terms: Budget Rent A Car has transparent rental policies and terms. They clearly outline their terms and conditions, including insurance coverage, fuel policies, and mileage limits. This transparency helps you understand what to expect and avoid any surprises during your rental period.

Vehicle Condition and Cleanliness: The vehicles provided by Budget Rent A Car are generally in good condition and well-maintained. They undergo regular inspections and maintenance to ensure that they are safe and reliable. Additionally, the cars are cleaned thoroughly before each rental, ensuring a clean and comfortable driving experience.

Additional Services and Features: Budget Rent A Car offers various additional services and features to enhance your rental experience. These may include GPS navigation systems, child seats, and roadside assistance. These additional services can be added to your reservation for a convenient and customized rental experience.

Locations and Accessibility: Budget Rent A Car has numerous locations worldwide, making it convenient to rent a car wherever you are. Their rental locations are strategically placed, including airports, city centers, and popular tourist destinations. This accessibility ensures that you can easily pick up and drop off your rental car without any inconvenience.

Overall Experience and Satisfaction: Overall, renting a car from Budget Rent A Car is a satisfying experience. Their competitive prices, wide vehicle selection, excellent customer service, and user-friendly booking process contribute to a positive rental experience. The vehicles are well-maintained, and the additional services provided further enhance the overall satisfaction.

User Reviews and Ratings: Budget Rent A Car has received positive reviews and ratings from users. Customers appreciate their affordable prices, reliable vehicles, and helpful customer service. These reviews and ratings reflect the overall satisfaction of users who have rented cars from Budget Rent A Car.

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