Budget Rent A Car
Reviews and Complaints

Had to book a car for my wife(emergency) trip. Booked the car but told the person on the phone that I might not need it for the whole time. Said ok just show return ticket and would be refunded because couldn't be changed in the system. Which sounded suspect to me so I called at least 3 more times to record them. Fine. Just turn the car in when you leave and you will be refunded Turned the car in 3 days early so told my wife to ask told her yes if not refunded in a few days to call. Well got charged extra. So not only did you lie to me on 3 occasions you kept my extra 3 day money and then decide to charge extra. Never again. I'll rather pay more for integrity bad enough had to spend half the day to get it because they put my wife's name in wrong main reason for calling so many times

ON March 24, 2023 I arrived at Tampa, FL counter around 9:30-10 PM. My flight from DFW had been delayed multiple times. I explained to your desk agent that I'd lost my TX driver's license, however, I'd applied for a new one. I had a paper copy of my CURRENT Driver's license AND a current passport.

Your rude agent called a colleague to the counter and they both were at a loss. I even proposed to transfer the reservation to my sister who was with me with a driver's license and matching credit card. HE REFUSED to allow the funds paid to be transferred. I've attached the cancellation and I didn't get a refund. Of course, I lost my driver's license AFTER I'd made and paid for this reservation.

Ultimately, we went to a difference car rental company and had to spend more money. We needed a car, I was attending a medical meeting.

Rented minivan from February 2nd until February 23rd. Took full insurance. Full tank and additional drivers included.

Having waited in line at desk for over 45mins to be served. The agent listed things. I stated no extras as all was included. He then told me that he would activate the toll service as this was also included. I signed the agreement on a tablet. I did not initial any extras. On return home I find I have been charged an additional $228 for tolls. This is a scam and very annoying. I tried to complain through Rentalcars.com whom I booked through but they say not their problem.

4/1/2023

They said my reservation was worthless because they didn't have any vehicles,

I made it over a month ago. Thanks for ruining the family vacation. Instead of the chevy suburban they offered a pickup truck - for 3 car seats and 3 adults? What's the point of making reservations?

Reservation # 25499759us5

We rented at the San Juan Airport from 3/17/23-3/26/23. By the second day we had to put oil in the vehicle because it indicated it was low on oil. At the time of return my son in-law left his bag, we realized a few minutes after, he returned and his jewelry had been stolen. His class ring that he's had for over 10 years, 3 gold chains, his earrings and his gold bracelets. All expensive items with sentimental value as well. We tried to make a police report but they did not arrive on time and would have missed our flight back home. This was an awful experience.

Last Monday 20,2023 I was post pay for a rental Car I was at place online for Car rental threw Expedia Booking ahead of time my appointment time. So they want $130.00 and $30.00 dollars for insurance. so when I got to desk they say they can't take my Varo card or my cash card neither. So I told them cancel it out. They Gonna charge me $50.00 dollars no reason. I will give them no star rating. I call them to address the issue they gonna say they don't have on file so somebody that office need be fired. Because my card getting charge for no damn reason their worst people just like enterprise Car rental all liers.

I reserved a car for a week months before my trip to Grand Cayman.

The morning we were to leave, our flight was canceled. I called Budget (800 number) to let them know of my new arrival. My original quote was $650. Since they had to create a new reservation they told me the new amount would be $3600! I asked to talk with someone higher and they gave me customer service number. Customer service told me that they hold a car for 24 hours but since this was not my fault that my flight was cancelled and I was only going to be about 4 hours later, so 28 hours after the original arrival, they would hold the car and update my reservation. Such relief. We arrived the next day in Grand Cayman, went to Budget and was told they did not have my reservation and had no cars. I showed them the email that my reservation was updated and they said since I didn't call Grand Cayman directly, they didn't hold it. I asked what I should do and they told me to go to the other car rentals. I tried several and there were no cars. We were staying an hour away from the airport and Grand Cayman does not have Uber. Finally a gentleman from Hertz saw me wandering around and approached me. He had a car, it was more expensive than I was going to pay originally but it wasn't $3600!

Budget has lost my business and everyone I talk to about it. Hertz to the rescue. I feel I should be reimbursed for the overage I paid and the hassle!

Rented a car from FLL airport on 3/09/23 returned the car on 3/12/23 at 4:45 am.. fight was at 7am they only checked the car in at 2:45 pm and charged me an extra day plus charged me for fuel when the car left at 14.3 gallons and I returned it 14.6. They charged me 208.49 out of my deposit. And the only extra I accepted was for the sun pass and that was $50

I have called 3 times now saying they would refund 168.00 and when I looked they charged me an extra $168 dollars... no updated and corrected receipt was sent to me. This has me very upset.

CUSTOMER REFERENCE NUMBER [protected]

RENTAL DIRTY AT PICKUP

I encountered a serious allergy emergency in the vehicle because it was not cleaned before pickup.

When I picked up the vehicle, muddy footprints were visible (on a dry day 3/16/23 in MA). Pressed for time, I took the vehicle, later discovering empty food packages in overhead compartments, as well as tire underinflation alerts.

My passenger started exhibiting allergy symptoms about 15 minutes into the rode, discovering that THE PASSENGER SEAT AND DASHBOARD WERE COVERED IN CAT HAIR. This is a very serious issue! I am seeking recognition of this egregious error and reimbursement prior to legal action.

Further, in my attempts to resolve this, Budget is asking for a "reservation number". My receipt has a "customer number" - It is attached. Budget says they cannot help me without a reservation number THAT WAS NEVER PROVIDED - SEE RECEIPT THIS IS A CATCH 22 THAT I CANNOT FULFILL SINCE IT WAS NEVER PROVIDED BY THE DEALER "Regrettably, we are unable to locate your rental agreement with the information provided. All records are kept by the Rental Agreement number; therefore, please provide the information listed below and return the form to us so that we may complete our investigation. "

Our flight from Honolulu arrived at 11:00 pm, we waited 30 minutes for a BUDGET Shuttle to pick us up. In that timeframe, at least seven National/Hertz shuttles drove by! We were so exhausted.

Arrived at the counter, only 2 customers in front of us but they took over 30 minutes. When it was finally our turn, Corey, your customer service person apologized for the wait, he was most gracious. We received our car key, an Acura MDX (Attached video). As soon as we drove off, I noticed that the steering was shaking and alignment was WAY off, the vehicle could not drive straight! (see video). We didn’t even drive through the Exit. We turned around and parked the car, and went back inside. Corey was with another customer so we had to wait another 20 minutes, this was already 12:20 AM. He apologized and gave us the Range Rover Velar and said he would upgrade us to this car at no charge for the “inconvenience”.

We exited Budget lot, BUT this time we notice the gas gauge was on EMPTY (see photo)! We drove back around to see Corey. He once again graciously apologized, gave us your contact information and said we would see a credit on our account, that we should see this in our next email. I have to say Corey is a great employee, and felt he genuinely cared…

As we were exiting for the 2nd time, the woman at the booth asked us why we were back, and I told her that the gas tank was empty and that we would need to fill it up. She told us to back up and that someone would fill it for us. Which we did. We finally left at 1:00 AM!

Today I received a bill with the upgrade charge of $18.00 PLUS gas charge of $18.00! I didn’t ask for upgrade and isn’t the car supposed to be filled with gas in the first place? Plus Corey said not to worry about putting gas in when we returned it, but I was charged for it anyway.

Your employee on the lot should have noticed the dangerous vehicle by just driving it. It definitely should not have been available to rent out to customers! Also they should make sure all vehicles have gasoline in them! Please educate your employees so this does not happen to another customer. We are so disappointed in Budget.

Budget Claims Department,

In regard to the letter forwarded to on February 27, 2023, addressing door scrapes and RF ¼.

First let me say I’m a 100% disabled veteran who rented numerous vehicles from Budget for decades and never had an issue with scratches and/or dents.

As I stated on the vehicle damage incident report the vehicle had scratches prior to checking the vehicle out. I clearly made this statement to the “Lady” at the checkout booth.

Her words/statement was “We don’t worry about small scratches” I said okay as there is no sheet to complete, and she further stated, “No don’t worry about as long as it’s smaller than the size of a quarter.”

Also, in reviewing these claims I notice there are discrepancies in the report.

The check-in slips/ready slips have an x marked on the right passenger door and right front wheel panel. However, the photo is showing a scrape on the front of the vehicle fender and a small scrape over a wheel panel, but it’s not clear where on the vehicle.

Also, one of the provided photos has written on the windshield “Passenger Door, Fender Dec 19th”. (Which is clearly contradicts the Check-in Slip markings)

Now when I returned the vehicle, the person “man” checking in the vehicle pulled out his phone and turned on the light and started looking at the vehicle as if he was on a mission.

I actually started wondering if he will receive some sort of commission by finding marks on the vehicle and placing a claim against the customer.

I never came across a person when checking in a vehicle inspection like he did, I mean he bent over and was checking every spot on the vehicle and I said to him “Wow this has never happened before and he said, “Well you never had me check you in”. Clearly, I tell he had an attitude which would make me think twice about ever renting another vehicle with Budget if I did not have history with this rental company.

So, when he saw one scratch he said where did this come from, and I said that was there when I checked out the vehicle and I do have a video of the entire car prior to checking out and showed it to him. However, he still apparently reported his finding.

I informed him of what the lady at the checkout booth said and his response was well she did not do her job, and this is why she works up there doing nothing and I work here.

It's apparent, the Budget process is not working and/or it did not work for me as it has in the past. This Budget checking worker has a problem and doesn’t represent Budgets best interest. I even requested a manager and he said there isn’t a manager on site for check-in. So, I need to go to the front and complete a form. Which was the Budget vehicle damage incident report.

Again, I’m a 100% disabled veteran who frequently rents vehicles to drive to my out-of-town appointments and never in my 25+ years have I been treated like this budget worker treated me.

I will not file this claim with my insurance, nor will I settle this claim out of pocket as these scrapes were present when I rented the vehicle, and I took the steps to report it prior to checking the vehicle out.

Thank you for your time,

Judith e Lallier
RESV NBR. [protected]-us-5
Pick up ECP 13 Mar 937pm
Drop in MSP 19 Mar by 930pm
Car NBR [protected]

The engine maintenance light was blinking within 5 miles of departing airport. I was a single lady traveling alone and was supposed to me in pensacola by that night enroute to Minnesota. Because of fear the car would break down I had to stay in Panama City... lose A DAY AND A HALF of travel trying to either get the car fixed or exchanged. I was on the phone for over two hours with THREE agents trying to get this resolved. It has been a nightmare. I finally got a different car late 14March... I need some compensation for this aggravation in the form of a discount for at least two days that I am now behind on my trip north. PLUS being on hold - transferred - disconnected - by you agents!

My luggage got locked into the vehicle and I had to pay to get it back. It was an accident that the car locked with the keys in it and the employee stated this should have never happened, yet I had to file a claim to get it all back, which it was all returned.

I do not feel like I should have had to pay for this incident; it was not my fault.

Claim #'s [protected], [protected], [protected].

rental agreement [protected] return date 2/26/2023

I filled up the vehicle gas tank with gas prior to returning the vehicle. The station is 7.7 miles from the Budget return center at JFK. The trip took exactly 20 minutes, receipt attached. During the entire rental period, I used 5.841 gallons of gas to drive 212 miles on highways. This computes to 36.3 miles/gal for the vehicle. At the distance of 7.7 miles between the fill up and car return, the MOST gas I could have used was .21 gallons of gas. However, I was charged for .8 gallons of gas upon the return. I would pass this off as an anomaly however the exact same thing happened when I returned a car in Kahului Hawaii on 2/18/2023, rental agreement [protected]. I filled the gas tank shortly before returning my vehicle and was charged for .8 gallons of gas at $7.10/gal. I did not keep the gas receipt for this rental but did so for the JFK rental due to the Kahului issue. It is impossible to return a vehicle completely full. I am fairly certain that in each of these instances the gas tanks were not topped off and the next customers were charged as if the tanks were completely full.

Hi,

I booked and paid for a vehicle back in September for my trip to Panama City Beach this week. I have been a Rapid Rez member for many years-KZ570H. When I arrived at the counter to get the vehicle, I was told by the agent that I could not get the mustang I reserved because I had a debit card. He was a bit snippy about it, and I don't remember seeing that caveat on the website. I do not have a major credit card for reasons of my own, and don't feel I should be penalized for not having one. He swiped my debit card and said it did not go through. I called my bank and they said to try it again. He did so, and the same result. The bank then determined that he was swiping the card, not using a chip reader, as my debit card has a chip. Once again, he was a bit snippy and replied that they do not have a chip reader so I could not get my car that I reserved 6 months ago and was paid for. What major company does not have a chip reader in 2023? No other companies at the airport had any rentals so I had to pay an airport taxi $120.00 to drive me to Panama City to a competitor for a car rental. Will Budget be picking up this additional cost to me since your company cannot provide a simple chip reader? Even the taxi driver had a square to do debit card transactions. She has to come back on the 28th when I leave to take me back to the airport because I have to return the car to the Panama City location. Again, will Budget be picking up this unnecessary cost to me because you cannot provide chip readers to your airport location? I was beside myself and extremely upset, wondering why I bothered to reserve and pay for a car only to have it denied at the counter. While my reservation is in the process of being refunded, that is of little comfort to me with the amount of needless stress I had to go through this morning. Not sure that I will be using Budget in the future as this was a very unpleasant experience. Thank you.

I made a reservation. Paid for it on your website with my Chime credit card! You took the money from my account! I went this morning 02/18/23 it pick the car up! I was told there! "after ya'll had already took the money" Ya'll don't take Chime! I'm supposed to be leaving for vacation tomorrow! Now I don't have a car, or the money to rent another car! Because Ya'll had already taken the money! "off my card Ya'll don't take! It's the weekend, and Monday is a Holliday! I can't get my money back for at least three days! Ya'll have ruined my vacation! This is a terrible way to do business, and treat people! I have talked to half a dozen people, and It's clear ya'll don't care!

My wife and I just took a trip to Orlando, Florida and rented a full size car for 7 days. We booked through Costco Travel for a total price of $530.38. When we went to pick up the car in Florida, the agent at the counter told us it was REQUIRED to get the basic insurance coverage and to activate the toll device. I also prepaid for a tank of gas. I was surprised when this brought the total to $1107.21. I reluctantly signed, thinking it was state law to do so, as the agent had told me.

I left the counter, but a few feet away I looked on my phone that in Florida it is NOT required to purchase the basic insurance. My own auto insurance policy did cover the rental. Nor was it mandatory to activate the toll device. We went back to the counter and spoke to the same agent. We confronted him with what he learned and he redid our agreement, but this time with both the insurance and the toll device services declined. We decided to keep our purchase of a pre-paid tank of gas. This brought the total back into the $500 range.

We returned the car yesterday. To my surprise again, I was charged $1107.21. I called budget rent-a-car with my receipt in hand and guess what! The agent had given me the receipt for the WRONG CUSTOMER (I've uploaded/attached this receipt). Has a totally different customer name on it and payment method. I was charged twice what my rental car agreement and lied to by the agent at the counter. I feel totally scammed by this company.

Costco Travel Confirmation Number: C409343029
Budget Confirmation Number: 19035946US6

I'm a FastBreak and business customer of Budget and rent their cars at least monthly. Usually service is fine but in the past month there has been a disturbing breakdown at the Raleigh-Durham Airport facility. I returned a car with a full tank of gas on January 28. Upon examining the receipt I saw an unexpected fuel service charge. I called the company and got it removed. Two weeks later I returned another rental to the same facility. There was no one checking in the cars but I indicated to one employee that I was leaving the car. He grunted unhelpfully. I never received a receipt and could not get one from the website. I called for assistance and was told it can take up to 72 hours. After 72 hours I called and the automated system twice sent me to Reservations instead of Customer Service. Finally someone transferred me and after a time I got the situation fixed. It turned out Budget Raleigh-Durham had re-rented the car I used without ever completing my rental. Both of these were unnecessary and unwelcome wastes of my time and delayed me invoicing for work by several days. I'll start using another company from Raleigh-Durham until I hear from Budget that they have fixed whatever the customer service problem is at RDU.

On September 25 2022 I rented a car from Budget at Kennedy International Airport, in December 7 I received a letter telling me of a red light violation which is a flagrant lie, I lived in New York for so many years I Know how things work when it comes to traffic violations , first of all the red light violation does not goes by plate number it goes by driver's license if you get pull over by any traffic agent or police, besides the violation has to show the intersection where the violation was committed, and more important a picture of the vehicle.