Anonymous
map-marker Washington, District Of Columbia

Budget Rental Fails on Every Count

I rented a moving truck from Budget Rental in Independence, Missouri because of the very reasonable rates. I should have just gone with a more reputable company. The truck was involved in an accident for which the other party was at fault. Budget took a very long time to process the claim, and I even had a representative tell me that I still had the truck when it had been towed in for repairs! They were going to charge me daily late fees for a vehicle I wasn't driving. They finally backed off when it was made clear that we were talking about a MOVING truck. Apparently they couldn't look up my name and access my information. Couldn't or weren't willing to. The manager was impossible to get a hold of. The store kept very inconvenient hours, closing at noon on Saturday. Next time I'll pay a bit more to have peace of mind, which Budget clearly isn't capable of providing.
View full review
Mary D Ppi
map-marker Baltimore, Maryland

Refuel Scam, After return charges on credit card

I want to share my Budget Fuel Scam story – and post as many places as I can on the web. I rented a car in Orlando and pre-paid.

We had to wait 45 mins in line, with only one CSR processing waiting patrons. We would have moved to another line, but we pre-paid for our car. When we got our paperwork completed, and went to pick up our car – there was no car. Had to get back in line, and they had to "upgrade" us to the largest, premium, ugly car for just 2 people.

We drove to Disney World and to Lakeland, but had double the gas use due to the larger car. Still, we used a 1/2 tank, which we filled up for $37. We returned the car full to the Orlando airport. The Budget attendant took our gas receipt, acknowledged the car was full on gas, and told us we were paid in full, and could go.

Today, I get a bill for $133.47 in the mail, stating that the car was not full. I called the Customer Service Department and was treated horribly, and told to submit my ORIGINAL receipt, which the Budget attendant took! I spoke with a supervisor who was even less caring. I finally reached "Katy" in the Budget Accounting department who offered for me to fax a copy of my on-line Capital One Bank statement for the transaction, and she would process.

I have rented from Budget for years, but NEVER, EVER again. I was told this might have happened in error because when the car goes from the return area to the fueling area, the "fueling people" make the decision on if the car is refueled or not. Really, seriously – where is the consumer's rights, protection and ability to respond to this? Also, if I returned the car with no dents, but the Budget car washer finds a major dent, or cracked wind shield when the are washing it, and I am to be charged?

The idea of adding charges AFTER the car is returned, and someone needs to expose Avis and Budget for this practice. It is my mission now, so others do not have to go through what I went through today.

View full review
4 comments
Guest

Same thing happened to me at Orlando international airport. they charged me $45. I only drove 120 miles

Guest

This happened to me too, but in fort myers! Its awful.

I returned the car in better condition than I received it. Gas tank was full!

And I get charged an additional $100. So upsetting

Guest

Budget had me paid full tank of gas where there were still half in the tank when I returned the car. They did not explain me this when I agreed to take the prepaid option.

Guest

Enterprise is no better. they charge alot for fuel/cracked windshield/dents everything.

i used to be an employee there we only put fuel in the cars if there not on *** if there alittle on F we'll just clean and send them back out.. but you do have the "trustworthy employees" who take the cars to the store/peel outs/races and stuff.. or they might have used your vehicle to shuttle other employees in from the yard to the airport before sending it back out.. and the guy at the gas pump probably only was able to fit a gallon or less into it..

t=Thats how they get you.. so you just paid $130.00 for not even a half gallon of gas...

View more comments (3)
supaconducta
map-marker Violet, Louisiana

Left me stranded at airport

I rented a car and paid for it online through budget.com. When my flight arrives I go to the counter and Budget won't rent the car which I had all ready paid for because of my credit. They then tell me my card will be refunded in 4 days. Which didn't help me out a whole bunch since I needed to pay another company whilst they held my money captive. Anyway, 2 weeks later and still no credit. I called the corporate helpline and I was told I needed to cancel the reservation, and I would be given a $50 fee for cancellation. Thanks, Budget. I always thought budget was excellent since I deal with them so much on a corporate level and usually travel on the companies expense. I know who I'm not going to recommend to do business with anymore as a transportation coordinator for the film industry since I was treated so horribly on a personal level. Budget acts very nicely when your renting 50 cars at a time, but trample me on 1 and I'll never return. Dollar Car Rental was more accommodating, gave me a SUV for 100 less then I paid Budget, and gave me unlimited mileage.
View full review
Anonymous
map-marker Salem, Oregon

Budget applied fuel surcharge even though I filled car before return.

I have been a Budget Fastbreak member for 8 years. I recently rented a car for business at Budget Utah in SLC APO.

Upon returning the car I filled it up at a gas station very near the airport. It was less than 5 minutes from the station to the car return and I passed no other gas stations on the way.

A week later I get a bill from Budget for $25.06 as a fuel surcharge. They claimed the car took 2 gallons of fuel that evening when they did a fuel audit.

They admitted there is no way to avoid this as some fuel is burned driving to the drop off and gas pumps do not top off the tank.

Complaints to Budget Utah and Budget HQ only got me a reduction, but no refund. I will never rent from Budget again.

View full review
1 comment
Guest

Budget SCAMMERS....I returned a car to Ft Lauderdale airport with an over full fuel tank. My $50 car was marked fuel tank FULL.

I then got a bill for $118.!

Why? Budget's explanation after 4 phone calls was that a fuel audit showed they should charge me. I emailed them the fuel receipt.

They said it was no good as I had filled up the night before and returned the car at 7:00am in the morning. They said you have to fill up the same day. I asked why would that matter? They said I could have driven around the night before!

The fuel gage clearly showed a full tank and was noted by the check in employee, Anna.

Budget is scamming me and thousands of others. Nowhere on the rental agreement nor on their posted signs is there any reference to them NOT allowing you to fill up the night before.

I am a boat Captain, frequent renter of cars and a Fastbreak customer.

I will make sure everyone is warned about this scam and will report to trouble shooters media and all my contacts.

They are mistaken that the $68.

they want to steal from me is worth the bad publicity and blatant scam expose they will experience if they do not do the right thing.

Glen S Zve
map-marker Toronto, Ontario

Refusal to honour website price quotes

Budget Rental car and Tiger Car Rentals have entered into some sort of business arrangement whereby you can book the rental of a vehicle through Tiger Car Rentals and then pick the vehicle up at a local Budget office. The Budget Car Rental logo is featured prominently on the Tiger Car Rental website. I attempted to rent a vehicle through Tiger Car Rentals only to find that Budget would not honour the terms and conditions as set out in the Tiger Car rental advertising. Tiger Car Rental is claiming that they have no hidden fees and that all of the vehicles they rent come with unlimited mileage. Obviously these claims make renting a vehicle through Tiger very attractive. The claim is blatantly false in many circumstances and specifically in my particular case. When renting a vehicle through the Tiger Car Rental website at some point you are offered a number of vehicles to choose from. As with almost any car rental company they range from small subcompact to luxury type vehicles. Despite claims that all the vehicles come with unlimited mileage, many do not. In my particular instance I was attempting to rent a large van for a trip of approximately 4,000 kms. Obviously a guarantee of unlimited mileage was very appealing. I went through the booking procedures on the Tiger Car Rental website. I was offered a Dodge Grand Caravan and again the promise of "unlimited mileage" and no hidden fees. I subsequently attended the local Budget offices to inquire about how many Dodge Caravans they had in stock, how much advance booking they required and to confirm that the price quoted on the Tiger website was indeed correct. It was at that time that Budget informed me that they would not honour the claims provided and that I would in fact be charged for mileage after a certain number had been reached. I had the rental information printed out and showed the staff member at the Budget office. While he agreed that the information clearly showed that I was being offered unlimited mileage, he was adamant that he could not provide this. He eventually agreed that the claims being made were very misleading but that he could do nothing about it and provided me with a pamphlet to contact the Budget Car Rental head office. I subsequently e-mailed the Budget Head office. My initial inquires were met with the same refusal to honour Tiger's claim of unlimited mileage. After numerous e-mails complaining about the false claims it appears that Budget began to agree with some of my concerns and there final e-mail did seem to cautiously suggest a possibility that I may in fact be able to rent a the vehicle in question with unlimited mileage. With this in mind, I returned to the local Budget Car Rental offices to confirm the information I had received thus far and that I would be able to rent a Dodge Grand Caravan with unlimited mileage. Again, I was informed that the local office could not provide me unlimited mileage. With the documentation provided it seems clear to me that there is definite deception occurring. On two occasions Tiger Car Rental was contacted through their website. They refused to respond. Budget appears to blame Tiger Car Rental for the misinformation, however refuses to contact them about their claims and the use of their logo. As of this writing I again went through the Tiger Car Rental website and made a request for another vehicle rental, looking for unlimited mileage. The same false claims are being made today. Nothing has changed. The trip I had planned has already taken place. Obviously we chose not to rent a vehicle from either company and made other arrangements. I have not suffered any financial loss. Other potential customers may not be so lucky. If I had not checked with my local Budget office prior to my departure, I would have shown up at their office, accompanied by my family, ready to embark on a trip only to be told that my agreement was being breached and I would be expected to have to pay several hundred dollars more than what was agreed upon. I am contacting you to inform you of the practice. It appears to be blatant fraudulent advertising. The fact that Tiger Car Rental refuses to even acknowledge the e-mails sent to them in this regard leads me to believe they are aware of the situation.
View full review
Anonymous
map-marker Bainbridge Island, Washington

Budget Las Vegas Airport location

First off I had booked a reservation on Hotwire # 3935****US6 which showed a rate of $5.33 a day for a mini van. I did of course find that rate incredibly cheap so I had called Budgets customer service line @ 800-527-**** and spoke w/Liella P. days before we left for our trip and she put me on hold to confirm with her supervisor that I wouldn't be charged a higher rate upon check in which she said I wouldn't. If that wasn't enough I then printed the same rate directly off your website showing that same exact rate. Since we were having a bachelorette party that evening and planning on driving everyone down to Freemont that totally ruined our plans as when we checked in at the desk I spoke w/Brian Murphy your station mngr. and he proceeded to tell me that it was a system error and they don't have to honor the rate I had in writing. He offered to charge me a rate for half the regular rate which still was about $45 a day. Quite a big difference from what I had on my confirmed reservations. There were three of us total that had booked separate reservations getting us this same rate. I advised Brian the station mngr. that I wasn't going to pay that higher rate since I had a print out from your website and I also had my booked confirmed rate that he wasn't going to honor. He advised me that he would provide us a shuttle back to our hotel since we had others there that were coming from the airport to meet us so we could transport them back also. About 5 minutes later he proceeded to come out to us and advise us that he was no longer going to provide us with a shuttle to our hotel since we were no longer a customer of Budget. I have been in the customer service industry for more that 25 years and I must say this is the worst I have EVER been treated. I called and spoke w/Jennifer Pack who I was told was a manager at the customer service department and she just kept talking over me and telling me this would never stand up in a court of law and that the rate given was lower than the industry standards. I don't know why she was even talking about the court system unless she felt that I might pursue legal action. If she didn't think I had anything to stand on why would she presume that?
View full review
Anonymous
map-marker Roseville, California

Bad customer service

Went to rent a car at budget car rental on Fulton ave, ca., on tues. Jan.31. The lady at the front desk helping me was rude. Cheked my credit without asking me or letting me know we check your credit if you don't have a major credit card. Declined me and didn't ask me if I had a major credit card. Went to enterprise the next day. Got approved, plus car rental was $29 a day instead of $30 a day, and they had amazing customer service. Everything was fast and easy at enterprise. Currently enjoying renting a new dodge charger for 5days.
View full review
madlildynamite
map-marker Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I reserved a car for one price and ended up having to pay $350 more!

We reserved a car for pickup to go on vacation. We got there...the lady printed out a paper with a total exceeding $500 and we let her know that that was not right. She said ok, printed out a new peice with no Total on it. We had to sign and leave. When we returned, we had the car totally wiped down and vacuumed out, Filled with gas, and returned to them early! Then a week later I find out that they charged me a $250 charge for i have no clue what. I called them, talked to a manager who said he would get back to me with some kind of reason why. I never recieved a call back. I have never been so displeased over vacation in my life. I will NEVER use Budget rent-a-car service again!
View full review
1 comment
Wardie W

I had pretty much the same thing happen to me, so let anyone be forewarned that Budget cannot be trusted or recommended. Stay Away from Budget/Avis.

Wardie W
map-marker Sydney, New South Wales

Budget Rent a Car- never again

Updated by user Jan 05, 2012

The insurance company Budget uses (in my case at least) is HSR (Health Special Risks, Inc) in Texas and they rejected my claim. What did I expect?

Anything to do with Budget Car Rentals is suspect in my opinion. STAY AWAY from Budget/Avis and don\'t waste your money on their worthless insurance.

Updated by user Nov 27, 2011

I have received an insurance claim form from the insurer used by Budget (HSR) and a cover letter from Budget asking that I fill out the claim and mail it to HSR.

I have done this, and made a claim for the camera and GPS which were stolen from the car.

I will update this review when I hear back form HSR with a determination, which I hope comes in the form of a check for the stolen items.

If that be the case my dissatisfaction with Budget will be diminished, but they still have some explaining to do about the large discrepancy between the quote and the final charge. I will update this review when I have further news.

Original review Oct 26, 2011
I have 2 complaints against this company. 1) I was quoted $1741 for a rental in the USA which I booked from Australia. My final bill was $2168, so that's around $400 of extras they forgot to mention in the quotation. 2) The GPS was stolen from the car, and while I was reassured that insurance would cover the loss by the agent in the car return centre, I foolishly fell for his line and caught my onward flight. What I didn't dispute, and I should have, was the amount charged to my card for the lost GPS- $450.00. The same GPS sells NEW in the US for $250, and they charged me $450 for a very USED one. Insurance, what's that? I bought every insurance option offered, and to date no refund has been forthcoming for the $450 charged to my credit card. Budget puts on a good front, but don't be deceived, because their end game is vicious and devious. Forewarned is forearmed- if you rent from Budget DO NOT take a GPS, buy one at the nearest Walmart. Budget used to mean, well, budget. Now it means nothing but bloated to me.
View full review
1 comment
Guest

I had left my GPS in the truck when I returned it... sadly I realized this on my way home...

I called Budget to let them know that my GPS was in the truck and NOT STOLEN... They claimed it was not there, and that because I did not buy the personal item insurance it was tough luck. Literally 100% know that my GPS was in there when I left it with Budget... they stole from me and should be ashamed of themselves.

If I had purchased their item insurance I GUARANTEE THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND IT! I called Budget and got nowehere... sad for them.. I used them regularly....

always bought the full coverage for accidents, but never worried about in car robbery in the states... I had no clue the only robbery that would occur would be from them!

FILTH COMPANY NEVER USE THEM.

Ebo
map-marker Kansas City, Kansas

Budget cancun Do Not Rent!

I rented a upgraded car through orbitz for about $150 dollars which I would pay when I got there. Upon arriving at the desk I was looking at the car I reserved and was thinking of upgrading to a better vehicle. The bus takes us to the rental office and as we pull in I see a run down building and 2 or 3 cars that looked like they were from the 90's. I entered and was basically told I would have to put down $750 on my credit card that would not be charged. Then he tells me the insurance I had already acquired through orbits was insufficient and I would have to pay a minimum of $12 a day in order to get the car. I am arguing and pissed off but say to myself "let's get the car and go enjoy our vacation". I walk out to find the nice Nissan I had rented was a POS 1994 or that is what it looked like to me. I stated this is not the car I had rented. They stated you can take this or this other POS across the lot. In short Do Not rent from them. F them. When I called into complain they were rude and basically justifying everything that occurred. I still don't understand how you pay for an upgraded car and get the same one you would have received anyway. BS.
View full review
Loss:
$250
Dontaye Hpm
map-marker Lexington, Kentucky

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET!!!!

WITH A NAME LIKE "BUDGET" IT REALLY DRAWS YOU IN.......FOR THE BIG SCAM THAT IS! 32% TAX THAT THEY DONT TELL YOU ABOUT....PLUS THEY SAY THEY ARE ADDING A $200 DEPOSIT TO CARD THAT WILL BE REFUNDED....BUT NEVER IS.....THEY MAKE UP ALL THESE BOGUS CHARGES AND YOU DONT SEE THE BILL UNTIL YOUR CARD IS CHARGED!!!! RENTERS BEWARE!!!! GO WITH ALAMO!!! NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM. CHECK THE FINE PRINT. I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY AGAIN....LET MY LOSS BE YOUR GAIN.....IT COST ME $322.00 FOR A TWO DAY CAR RENTAL AND THAT WAS FOR THE ECONOMY CAR!!!! WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND....BUSINESSES WHO CHEAT THEIR CUSTOMERS DONT STAY IN BUSINESS LONG....SO LONG BUDGET!!!! IT WONT BE LONG NOW!!!
View full review
Loss:
$200
Anonymous
map-marker Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Budget overcharged me

I am a US Govt traveler. Budget at Seatac Washington state asked if I would accept an upgraded car (2011 Mustang) for the compact price, as they were low on compacts and had a "glut" of Mustangs. Naturally I said yes. My bust was that I didn't check the price they gave me against what I was allowed by the Govt. Travel flagged my claim as an overcharge. I called Budget to complain and all they would refund of the $209 overcharge wsa $75. I will not rent from Budget again, neither will anyone in my office. I also have to pay the govt the difference. PS. The mustang was a terrible car to drive. The road noise that came right up into the cabin was so bad I had to wear hearing protection.
View full review
2 comments
Guest

Gotta go with SO SAD on this one (Shudder) as a gvt travler you are supposed to know your limits. Suck it up and stop giving gvt workers a bad image. :cry

Guest

Just another whiny government official. Budget offered you an upgrade at no cost.

It is not their job to know that your employer would not cover the difference. That is your job to know. I also find your complaint bogus that the Mustang was so loud you had to wear hearing protection.

Just like a government to lie. Nothing knew about that.

View more comments (1)
Crissandra J
map-marker Seattle, Washington

Fraudulent hold on my debit card

I rented a car on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 from the airport location, which is independently owned and operated. I called the location first and explained that I only had a debit card and the manager stated that would be ok. At that time Manager took my debit card ( despite the written sign stating that they do not accept debit cards. The estimated charges were going to be about $215.00. He placed a hold on my account of $200.00. I called back on Thursday to request an extension and a better rate comparable to the one posted on website. Sherry said I would need to bring the car back and close that rental out and re-rent the vehicle to get the new rate. I brought the vehicle back on 07-14-2011. She closed the rental out and opened the new one at the better rate. She took my debit card and without disclosing the amount placed a $500.00 hold on my debit card for estimated charges of $61.50. I received a text message from my bank indicating that my account had been over drawn by $167.21. I then asked her if she had just held $500.00 on my card. She said yes that was their policy. I explained that earlier in the week Budget had only held $200.00. She again stated this was their policy. I asked to see the policy, because nowhere on the contract I signed did it state this policy or was it indicated anywhere that they had held any amount on my card. She brought out a book and stated that these were also listed on the website. I read the policy and it states that "generally we require a debit card authorization hold of estimated charges plus $200..." I pointed this out to her and she said it was for credit cards. I showed her the words "Debit Card Hold Rules". She then claimed that they do not accept debit cards. I told her she just accepted mine. And that she couldn't say they do not take them and then accept them and charge whatever they want. I asked to speak to the manager. He came out and I questioned why they had only held $200.00 earlier in the week (which was still being held on my card at this time as well. He replied with" I don't know you from Adam. We are basically giving you a $20,000.00 car for $ 500.00. You could just *** in the car. I would hunt you down." I said "so now you are calling me a thief?" They refused to release the hold. I called the corporate office, who stated that because they were independently owned they were not able to do anything. They had requested several pieced of information from my rental contract that was not filled in my Sherry. I called my bank who was unable to release the funds even though the charges were disputed. I never gave them authorization to hold $500.00. They never requested authorization to hold this amount. I called the Budget office again and asked to speak to the owner, who conveniently had just left for the day. I find this suspect as I was sitting in the parking lot this entire time and had not seen anyone leave. I returned the vehicle on Saturday 07-16-2011, a few hours early. On Monday morning the $500.00 hold was still on my account. I spoke to my bank and they had not received the release from Budget. The written policy states" Upon returning the vehicle, we will process a released of the unused portion of the debit hold..." I called budget and spoke once again with Sherry who states they funds had been released and it was my bank that was holding things up. I informed her that I had just spoken to my bank and they have not even received the release. She said it was sent. I asked for the name of the person who sent it. She refused to give that to me. As of the time of this complaint the hold is still on my account. This company was unethical, unprofessional, and deceptive.
View full review
2 comments
Guest

P.S. Ask a lawyer if you have a case for a lawsuit.

Guest

You didn't say what Airport.

View more comments (1)
AnnaCherie D
map-marker Monroe, Louisiana

Rent A Faulty Car

On July 11, 2011 I made an online reservation to rent a car from Budget Rent A Car. My reservation was for 6 o'clock. I got to Budget at 6 o'clock and my car was not available. The girl working at the front counter told me they did not have my reservation on file yet and sometimes it takes 30 minutes to an hour after the scheduled reservation time for reservation to come through their system. I then waited 30 minutes after my 6 o'clock reservation before I asked if they could check to see if my reservation had come into their system yet. It still had not. At this point I asked if I could cancel my reservation and just rent a car without one. The woman told me they were currently out of cars and were only offering SUV's so unless I wanted to pay for an SUV it would be best to wait for my reservation to come through. To make a long story short my reservation was made for 6 and I was not in a car until 8. That was 2 hours after my car was supposed to be ready. Come to find out the reason why it took 2 hours to get this rental car was not because my reservation had not come into their system but they did not want me to have an SUV for the car price. So they were waiting for someone to return a car before they would rent me a vehicle. Instead of telling me this they lied to me. So I finally get in my rental and on my way. Once I got my rental car to my hotel I noticed that the headlights were not working. I did not think much about it at the time I just assumed that the headlights were not turning on because it was still day light. The next day I drove to Texas during the day light and once I got there I just parked the car at my hotel and did not drive it at night. The next night though I did need to drive my car at night and the headlights still did not come on. The parking lights and the bright lights worked but the dim lights did not. I called the emergency roadside assistance number because the Monroe Louisiana office where I rented the car was closed. I was then informed that corporate could not help me out or send me a new car because the Budget in Monroe Louisiana was not a car of the corporation which left me stranded in downtown Austin Texas without a ride. So I was forced to take a taxi to my hotel. The next day was my day to return home and have the car returned. When I got to the Budget in Monroe I let them know the headlights did not work and I was stranded in Texas and corporate told me it should not be a problem for them to refund me one days off my bill because they were not able to send me a working car out. I was then told that they were not going to refund me any money because I did not call them to inform them the head lights were not working. To which I responded with you were closed when I needed a new car and I was bringing the car back today so what was the point in calling? They told me that it was not their fault the headlights did not work in the car they check all the cars before they rent them out. I know they did not check the car before they rented it to me because it had just come in. Four other people then came to the counter to put in their opinion on why I should not get one day refunded back to me. This one man who worked there asked me if the air went out in a home I rented would I expect money off my rent just because it went out. To which I responded YES too. Needless to say all I got refunded from my $335 bill was $10.99. So I filled a corporate complaint and when I was filling the corporate complaint they also assured me they did not understand what the problem was with refunding me one day off my bill which was all I was asking for. I am waiting now to hear from someone that working in higher management in the Budget Corporation.
View full review
pissedoffinnewjersey
map-marker Garfield, New Jersey

BUDGET ISRAEL SUCKS

We rented a car from BUDGET in Israel, returned the car in perfect condition and were billed months later for over $715 in body work, paint repair, loss of rental days, handling fee, and an assessor's report for what they documented in writing (no photos) as "light scratches on back bumper + a scratch at the low part of the front bumper." I disputed the bill, and had a number of emails back and forth with Budget. Ultimately, I got stuck with the bill. Visa, which I used to pay the original rental fee, covers damage for most places except Ireland, Jamaica, and Israel.
View full review
2 comments
Guest

The same exact thing happened to us in November 2009. They charged me for a bump we never made.

Cost?

585.00.

I just came back from Israel, used Eldan, they are the best.

NEVER USE BUDGET, NEVER

Guest

The same exact thing happened to us in November 2009. They charged me for a bump we never made.

Cost?

585.00.

I just came back from Israel, used Eldan, they are the best.

NEVER USE BUDGET, NEVER

View more comments (1)
  • 1
  • ...
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57