Budget Rent A Car
Reviews and Complaints

We made a reservation for budget car rental in Dallas at Loves Field airport months ago, reservation #466****OUSO for a Kia soul or similar.

We have rented from Budget in the past and had minimal issues, however, yesterday, when my flight landed, I stood in line for an hour and 45 minutes before I was helped and another 15 to wait for a car to be available when my reminders for my reservation, said that you stop by the desk and pick up The key.

The customer service representative was working by herself next to the Avis desk, representative, working by himself with lines of people, waiting for the rental car in the airport, and at the Budget rental location, and there was no apology. Just the excuse that they didnt have enough people to clean the cars. I ended up with a Toyota Camary and the worker just said no one is getting the car that they reserved!

This is inexcusable and was quite upsetting, because the stress being behind schedule in Dallas and having to be somewhere when we planned early and we had a reservation and then they told me at the lot that they didnt have enough rental cars is very upsetting; especially when no one even cared About the inconvenience to hundreds of people.

If your rental car company doesnt have enough rental cars for customers, not only have you lost us as a customer, but youre going to lose many more and I wanted to email to let you know of our dissatisfaction and how upset we are with the lack of customer service; lack of cars and lack of respect

I have rented from Budget for a 3 month period for the last 20 summers.

While driving my husband backed into a concrete barrier because the car's warning signal did not notify him he was close. The damage was $1200 to a bumper.

We received a notification that Budget went to our insurance company with a request. We told Budget we would pay it out of our own pocket. Weeks later, we directly received an invoice from Sedgwick, Budget's insurance arm, and not sent to Safeco for $5,200 for damages and time lost for not being able to rent out this car. There are several reasons why this was unethical and wrong but they are demanding this money and it is not illegal.

I called a Budget customer service rep and he told me that Budget could care less that I am a good customer and don't care at all about customers.

Even though he agreed this was wrong he stated that Budget does not care about me and that he was not able to do anything about it. My husband says we should just ask our insurance company to pay it but I'm not happy about that.

When I returned the car at MIA there was huge line of cars waiting for the Budget return. There was not enough Budget staff to process the returns and it was extremely chaotic situation.

I was told by your employee just to leave the contract on the dash board and that the car is officially returned. He did not provide me with any receipt even when I asked. He said All is good, dont worry, you can go. That was at 5:10 pm.

Exactly at that time my rental contract ended and my credit card on file should have been removed by Budget from The Highway Toll Authority for any charges incurred after that time. Not only were we charged $17.28 for fuel (we filled the car right next to the airport), we were also charged for two tolls we did not go through. The fact that Budget allowed my credit card to be charged by The Highway Toll Authority for charges incurred after the rental contract ended is their fault and they should work on the resolution of this. Even after I contacted The Highway Toll Authority (as Budget suggested) since they did not give me receipt when I returned the car, I cannot prove that the car was not driven by me through the two tolls.

This is a scam.

Budget is willfully and knowingly giving all customers over charges in small amounts, $17.00 here, $8.00 there) in the hopes people won't call them out on these little charges. Beware of this car rental company.

Lack of care and concern for their customers. They gave me detective trailer and left me stranded in a busy intersection.

They routed me to the location of which I rented the vehicle even though I was in another state. Their roadside assistance gave me the run around for at least 40 min and refused to help me. I had to call back to try and get help.

Then Budget gave wrong address for the broken trailer to be returned and I had to wait 89 more min for them to get a location. I kept calling until I got them to send someone, another 40 min, while they sorted out the drop off location with Budget.

II was going on vacation, so I booked a rental on Priceline. That was easy.

So to be safe, I called Budget and asked if I was all set and if I could use my debit card. In which the woman told me, yes, that they may run a credit report. So then I also went on and purchased the insurance for $78. So I live about an hour or so from the airport where I was picking up my rental.

I was told after i got there that I had to go to Boston to get a car because I had a debit card. And that is another 2 1/2 hours away. So now I'm out of $78 and my vacation as well as gas I paid for someone to drive me to pick up my renal that Inow don't have. And not to mention when I told the gentleman behind the counter that the lady on the phone said I was all set.

He stated "YA, SOMETIMES THEY GET CONFUSED". Well, then maybe they should have some retraining.

I'm so upset that I've now lost my vacation and took a week off from work and this is what happens. With them taking NO responsibility for their unknowledgeable customer service representatives.

We have rented for 3 months every summer since 2003. This summer, 2023, we rented and had backed into a small concrete barrier causing $1230 of damage.

The warning back up light failed to warn us.

We received a letter (see below) which was sent to our insurance company and we decided to pay it. However, following that letter we received a direct letter not sent to our insurance company for $5,000+ from Sedgwick who is the insurance company for Budget for the damages and the cost of not being able to rent the car. We called Budget saying will pay the 1st letter but not the second.

I spoke to 3 different reps and the final one said, "listen" it doesnt matter who you are or who you speak with, Budget doesn't care about you.

We don't know what to do from here but my husband says just send it to our insurance company because they Budget and Sedgwick legally have the right to do this even if it is unethica! !

To start out the truck was not clean inside and two days into the trip we had to have the place we stayed at jump start the truck because the battery was dead. So, Sunday comes around about to leave and the key fab won't even unlock the doors.

So, we used the key to get into the truck and no power what so ever, completely dead. Call Budget and waited 30 minutes to talk to someone. Told her what happened and she said would you like a tow truck to come jump you. I said this has happened two times I would like a different truck please because I don't want to get standard somewhere.

She goes I understand. So, she said I will set up a new rental and a tow truck to come get it. So, I asked if you guys would bring me a car. She goes no you will have to ride with the tow truck driver or take a uber to Jacksonville airport.

Which I think is a bunch of crap. I shouldn't have to ride with anyone, It should be delivered to me. Wasn't my doing the truck died. So, this whole ordeal took 4 to 5 hours from start to end with phone call to waiting for the tow truck which change 2 times on me and going to the airport and drive back to the place where we stayed at.

Ruined our whole day. Glad I wasn't standard on the side of the road waiting who knows what would have happened.