I rented an auto online from Budget Rent A Car on 6/29/2015 for 11 days. I was anticipating passengers who may have difficulty entering and exiting the vehicle so I reserved and paid for a "Full Size" vehicle. Upon arrival, I was provided a Kia Optima. I have no idea what a Kia Optima is and I took the car. I went into the lot to retreive it and discovered it is not a full size car. I looked up the car on Kia's website and it clearly states its a mid sized car, which I completely agree with. I went back to the counter and explained the problem. I was told to come up with $120 more to upgrade to a "Premium". It was also explained that as far as Budget is concerned, the Kia is a full size car. It was also explained that Budget determines what is and is not a full sized car. They refused to assist me further. I called customer service and was informed I would be upgraded to the next level higher vehicle at no additional charge. I explained I do not care what kind of car, it just needs to be full size. I was transfered to a customer service rep to upgrade the vehicle. This is where it got ugly. I was spoked down to, told I got what I ordered, they determine what is and is not a full size vehicle, and was told to take it or leave it. 1500 miles away from home, at the airport, and now trying to find another car before my appointments that morning. This stinks of bait and switch. May be not legally with their legal ease, but no doubt I got screwed and more or less told to suck it up. I had to make other transportation arrangements for elderly members while on my trip.
I needed to go pickup my things i had in storage.i called budget rental at airport rd. 813-878-2451. i wanted to pickup the truck on the 4th of april 2015.i set it up got comfermation so im all set to travel from hartford ct to tampaon the 30th of mar. 2015 i get a call from a monica stateing i was given the wrong info because that location is closed sat. mind u my reservation was done 2weeks before,meaning i had to change my travel date to leave earlier because she said if i dont pickup the truck on the 3rd of april they will charge me anyway.i had no choice to accept or be charged still not knowing this was the same budjet same person i had trouble with in 2006 wen i first moved to tampa. she saids everything stays the same as a matter of fact its cheaper. i answered insurence n everything n a hauler for my car a price of $545.00... when i get there she says u cant pay with cash u hav to use a debit..i told her why didnt she tell me this when we spoke..i go out side she said check for damages i did i wrote them down n hand it to her while my son was outside trying to figure out how to put on the hauler so i can put the car on it..i had to call the guy 3 times to show us how to do it n i told him he is suppose to show us how to do this because if this unhooks from the truck we can get into n accident. he was very nasty attitude with me just because i asked him to show me how to put hauler on n how to take it off n the truck was so dirty it looked like it hadnt been used in years..ok so when i go back inside i was so frosteraed she made me go find a bank to deposit the money in my debit the trouble with hauler i signed n left,,
after i got half wat to north carolina the paper work was folded in 3 n cliprd but u can see where it said no insurence i called her n said y didnt i hav insurence she said i didnt ask for it .in what right mind would i drive thousands of miles wuth out insurence she said come back ni will giv you insurence..when i got back to ct. to return truck i was told i asked for 1 more day n thats y they wer charging me n extra $132.00 i told them thats not tru monica said back on april 10 at 3;00..i talked to a manager n explained what she made me go thru n she told him she circled the date for me in red marker i was still at budjet n asked the secratary to tell him there was no red mark on the paper work the secratary was the on that uncliped the paper work monica gave me to give to the returning agency. never did she say one of rhe cliped paerwork was mine or i would of seen the date. the truck was parked in my yard for 2 days they could of called n say ,hey your truck is suppose to be in today..so i left i gave no authority to take anything out my account i was suppose to be protected by td bank. there was only 100 in account n td paid them with out being money in there..this was not my falt ni got riped off for 132.00 she was the one that changed everything ni paid for it..i want people to know bout this monica person in 2006 she was supose to giv me a refunf for 150.00 which they never did ni didnt know how to go about it please help
This was the worst car rental experience I have every had. Check-in was horrible and took forever. The computer crashed during the process. The car had 86,000 miles on it with the brakes starting to grind in the front and squeaking when backing up. I brought the car back 27 hours earlier than expected and was charged one dollar less than the original contract. When I asked why I was still charged for the extra day I was asked to produce my contract. I didn't have it as I have never had a problem with a car rental company before in my life. The counter person said she would print the contract and then said the printer didn't work so she would have to go in the back. When she came back out she told me that the manager said she could offer me $20 in coupons for future rentals. She never produced the contract. The extra day they charged me on the rental was $37. When I told the counter person that I should just keep the car for the extra day since it was the same price she said that it was already closed but she could rent it to me again if I wanted. I should also mention that I told the woman during check out that I may be returning my car early and she never said I would still be charged the full price. When I told this to the counter person at return she said I should have read the contract. I refused the coupons they offered as I will never use budget again and I wouldn't wish this company on my worst enemy. I have never been treated so rudely and feel this is a bait and switch operation. I made my reservation online through budget.com which was the only part of this rental that went smoothly.
I rented a car for couple weeks in Prague Budget.cz in November 2014. When I was returning a car they registered two small scratches that seemed to be new one:
1) 1 x 1 mm barely noticeable scratch on the windshield, probably from the small stone, this kind of scratch just can’t cause any major repair like the windshield replacement. It’s usually fixed, if fixed at all, by filling a scratch with a filler. Such repair should not exceed $30-50
2) 1 x 8 mm scratch on the left side at the very bottom under driver’s the door, almost on the edge to the bottom of the car so barely noticeable as well. Repainting such spot can’t cost more than $30-50 either.
I have to notice that prices above are for USA. In Czech Republic they usually 2x lower. I also need to notice that car initially had more noticeable registered scratches when I rented it.
Now imagine my surprise when in four weeks upon returning a car, when I already was back to USA, I found that Budget.cz charged me $1000 (additional to the rental cost). When I called them they confirmed that was the cost of the repair of those two scratches. Complete cost as they explained by the phone. Not only no one had contacted me before this charge (they had my phone and email), but one would expect to pay only deductible when car is insured, right? And car was of course insured, and my payment included insurance portion as well. I asked them to send me electronic copies of the documents confirming such expensive repair. It took few days to get one letter issued on their corporate blank of Budget.cz saying that repair had a cost of 800 EUR. No paper from body shop, no detailing on the work done, and parts used. Nothing. Well, I sent them another letter asking for all those details. It took them 5 (!) weeks to reply again. Reply occurred after I complained multiple times to the BudgetCustomerService.com. BudgetCustomerService.com initially opened a file, but then closed it as only they learned that I have a communication with Budget.cz. Anyway, in their last reply Budget.cz acknowledged that the initial charge of $1000 was “too high”. They also sent an electronic copy of the paper from some body shop in Prague claiming that they replaced a windshield (~$450) and repaired a scratch (~$250). So Budget.cz has returned the rest $300 to my credit card.
Very nice:
- no explanation how the initial cost happened to be “too high”
- no explanation why they charge me the full amount of the repair instead of the deductible
- no explanation why they decided to change the windshield (I doubt they did change) instead of using a sealer
- no explanation how repainting of a minor scratch (I doubt they did) could cost $250; for such cost they could of repaint half a car at least in Czech Republic
Note that I received ZERO help from the . BudgetService.com worldwide either. Now both BudgetCustomerService.com and Bufget.cz do simply ignore my further questions – no reply.
Of course I disputed the charge with Visa. I should of be doing that from the very beginning. I regret that I wasted a lot of time communicating to them. Just thought that in European country I should be able to resolve such an obvious fraud attempt with their customer support. I’ve been so naïve.
On September 7, 2014. I Chris Paez rented a vehicle from Budget Car Rental located at the Ontario Airport. I was given a Chevrolet Impala but then switched out to a Black Mazda 5SPT Van. After "inspection" by a budget employee, I took the vehicle off grounds and proceeded to my destination in Las Vegas. I noticed that the tire pressure light was on. I immediately tried to contact Budget Car Rental in Ontario to notify them but no one answered the front desk phones. When I first approached the car rental, no one was there to immediately help me. Employees were in the back fooling around. As I was half way to Las Vegas, there was a blow out in my left rear driver's side tire. I pulled over and checked my surroundings. I notified roadside assistance and explained to them my situation.
They tried contacting Budget Car Rental in Ontario and had no luck either. I spoke to two different agents explaining them my situation. I told them that I declined roadside assistance on my agreement but that I had Triple AAA and if I should use it. I did not want to get charged any fees later on when my Triple AAA could have been used. They were also aware that I denied Roadside Assistance on my agreement. They notified me that I did not need to use it. They stated that this was negligence on their part for not putting air in tires, letting me take it off the lot, for them not being able to get a hold of and that it was also a safety issue taking that I was in the middle of the desert with nowhere to go.
It wasn't safe to even change the spare myself. A tow truck came an hour later to place the spare tire on my car. The rim wasn't damaged on the car nor was anything else but the tire. It was also a safety issue driving the car with the spare tire to the nearest Budget open in Las Vegas. I drove more miles that allowed for the spare tire but Budget wasn't concerned with that. I notified them of my safety too driving that far on a spare tire. I finally made it to Las Vegas Budget and was able to switch out the cars for a replacement. On November 17, 2014 - Budget sent out a letter stating that I owe them $263.44 for Service and Repair expenses. I believe this situation is being handled poorly. It was negligence on Budget's service to take care of me from the beginning of the rental. This fee should be taken away. I have contacted supervisors and no action is being done to help me with this discrepancy. Chris, Ontario, CA.
Stranded us in the wilderness for 8 hrs, cost us $130 in extra fees & remain unapologetic
We rented a car from Budget in Carmel CA.
We drove to Yosemite National Park.
The park is enormous. On our way from our lodging in one section to our next lodging in another section, we got a flat tire.
We got out and were going to attempt to change it as we were too far from anywhere that we could bring it to have it done.
We were not looking forward to it as I am blind (not the driver of course) and my wife is a petite lady who has no experience with changing tires.
But we figured we’d try and we’d eventually be better off than we were.
Well, there was no spare tire!
Someone was kind enough to help us out and pumped some air back into the tire so that we could make it to the garage in Yosemite Valley.
They did not have the size tire we needed.
We called Budget and they said the way they dealt with flat tires is to send out another car.
It took them 3 hours to make arrangements to get a car from Fresno.
That was another 5 hours away!
The folks in the garage were nice and let us stay there for a few hours.
But eventually, they had to close.
There was nowhere else to go.
There were no restaurants, hotels or anywhere else we could go to get out of the heat.
I’m not a young person and have a heart condition.
I was not only concerned for my immediate health, but also that my supply of medication for the trip might spoil, sitting in the heat for many hours.
There was nothing Budget would do for us.
Finally, we implored the lodge we were headed for to send someone to pick us up.
They contacted someone who said he would do it. But it was an hour travel each way and he would like $60 for his time, gas, etc.
Of course we were happy to do what it took to get to civilization.
I got a receipt from the fellow. I has his name, address, phone number and what the receipt is for.
It took me a while to submit it as I just didn’t want to deal with that.
I finally did and they refused to reimburse me.
Likewise, they are charging us $69 for the flat tire.
Our credit card company covers insurance on car rentals.
But they are denying the claim because it is 4 months later!
They say has to be within 60 days.
I don’t blame them.
But I do blame Budget.
All of this was because they choose not to supply a spare tire.
(they claim it saves them money. Are they kidding? For what they paid for a tow truck to bring the new car and bring back the 1st one, they could by over a dozen spare tires!
Worst of all, they don’t tell people they are driving without a spare!
I told them that just as I wouldn’t go into the mountains / forest without gas, water, food, a flashlight, etc, I certainly wouldn’t (knowingly) go without a spare tire!
I didn’t ask because I’ve never encountered this in my life!
And we have rented cars all over the world.
1. They didn’t supply a spare.
2. They didn’t inform us
3. They took 8 hours to replace the car.
4. They refuse to reimburse us for the money we had to spend on alternate transportation.
5. They are very proud of their position. Completely unapologetic.
Most companies that caused a customer so much discomfort would do something to compensate – rebate the cost of the bill (or at least a portion) ....something!
These *quality people* won’t even reimburse our additional costs.
They are extremely nasty, incompetent and a nightmare in every way.
I wish we’d seen all the terrible reviews before renting from them.
Budget car rental Orlando airport uses fraudulent practices to scam customers into selecting insurance. I had a prepaid rental car. The budget employee at the counter told me that in FL the "optional" insurance was mandatory and that if I wanted a car I had to select it. I argued that I had full coverage with my auto policy and I had insurance protection through my credit card but was told I couldn't have the car unless I agreed to insurance. He insinuated that I'd lose my prepaid amount for failing to pick up the car. Later I confirmed that it was all a lie. Insurance is optional in FL. I immediately called Budget Customer Care to be told that: I'm an adult who signed a contract and therefore they wouldn't do anything about it. Budget Customer Care went on to say that I should have talked to a manager and I should have known better. Wow. They might as well have said that their desk clerks are cheats that can't be trusted. Search the review sites. This same scam at the same location is reported many times. Stay away from Budget and Avis. They are the same company. Budget\Avis Corporate turns the other way as these scams go on. The Budget\Avis executives support dishonest business practices. Ronald L. Nelson, the Budget\Avis CEO and Thomas R. Gartland the north american president should be removed. They clearly can't lead. This is not a company I will ever use again.
Be careful and look at your receipt when you rent from Avis or Budget since they are the same company. I was charged for an insurance that only protects them if anything should happen. But at the end of my rental it was an extra $248 in their favor and they will not reimbuse me for this because they said I should have returned the car and reopend a new rental agreement, even though I didn't know about it until I took the car back. Biggest bait and switch scam being run by a major rental car provider, I wonder how many more people they have screwed over with this tactic.
The RDU triangle has one toll road. This toll road has absolutely no toll booths. If you make the mistake of using this toll road (which is the easiest way to get to the airport from most locations), you get hit with a "Convenience Fee" of $3.95 per day plus the toll to use their E-Z Pay. So one $.55 toll cost me $17.30. I called to complain and they agreed to charge me the convenience fee only for the day I used the E-Z Pay. WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE? THERE ARE NO TOLL BOOTHS. I should not have to pay for the E-Z Pay I am FORCED by the city/state/whatever to use. It isn't about the $4 freaking bucks (honestly, who cares about $4); it's about decent business practices.
Note: My brother in law made my car reservation for me; I never would have booked with this company due to a previous experience at a different location.
Bought a vehicle from budget car sales, have the contract where i purchashed the vehicle, rode in it for two weeks, then they told me to come in and sign somemore paperwork. they say i cannot leave the car lot with the vehicle, they cannot finance me. i got a forty hr a week job, stay in a house that's paid for. my grandma pay all the utilites, absolutely no bills. they had a $49.00 down and drive weekend sale. so i go over there to purchase a vehicle. they say they couldn't finance me for the $49.00 down deal. so i tell them, "i got money in my pocket". i was about to walk off the lot, they stop me and said, "we gone work something up for you". i give them $500.00 down payment, i drive off the lot with a vechile, two weeks they take it back. i ask for my down payment back. they say i need a recepit. i give them the envelope that they gave me with the contract in it, and there's no recepit, they never gave me a recepit. and told me i got to find a way home.
Rented at car for less than 24 hours and drove less than 75 miles. I returned the car after hours before they opened. I was told this was no problem. When I got the bill they charged me an extra $13. Then I wrote them they said if you drive less than 75 miles and do not give them a gas receipt they charge you a refueling charge. They never told me they would need a receipt and if you turned the car on you could see it had been refueled. I have rented from other car companys at this same airport and never had this problem. I will not be renting from Budget Rent a Car at Montgomery Alabama airport again.
Budget Rent a Car Reviews
I rented an auto online from Budget Rent A Car on 6/29/2015 for 11 days. I was anticipating passengers who may have difficulty entering and exiting the vehicle so I reserved and paid for a "Full Size" vehicle. Upon arrival, I was provided a Kia Optima. I have no idea what a Kia Optima is and I took the car. I went into the lot to retreive it and discovered it is not a full size car. I looked up the car on Kia's website and it clearly states its a mid sized car, which I completely agree with. I went back to the counter and explained the problem. I was told to come up with $120 more to upgrade to a "Premium". It was also explained that as far as Budget is concerned, the Kia is a full size car. It was also explained that Budget determines what is and is not a full sized car. They refused to assist me further. I called customer service and was informed I would be upgraded to the next level higher vehicle at no additional charge. I explained I do not care what kind of car, it just needs to be full size. I was transfered to a customer service rep to upgrade the vehicle. This is where it got ugly. I was spoked down to, told I got what I ordered, they determine what is and is not a full size vehicle, and was told to take it or leave it. 1500 miles away from home, at the airport, and now trying to find another car before my appointments that morning. This stinks of bait and switch. May be not legally with their legal ease, but no doubt I got screwed and more or less told to suck it up. I had to make other transportation arrangements for elderly members while on my trip.
During flood or disaster or high demand, Budget raised my rental agreement from $32 to $62 per day. Not Happy!
I needed to go pickup my things i had in storage.i called budget rental at airport rd. 813-878-2451. i wanted to pickup the truck on the 4th of april 2015.i set it up got comfermation so im all set to travel from hartford ct to tampaon the 30th of mar. 2015 i get a call from a monica stateing i was given the wrong info because that location is closed sat. mind u my reservation was done 2weeks before,meaning i had to change my travel date to leave earlier because she said if i dont pickup the truck on the 3rd of april they will charge me anyway.i had no choice to accept or be charged still not knowing this was the same budjet same person i had trouble with in 2006 wen i first moved to tampa. she saids everything stays the same as a matter of fact its cheaper. i answered insurence n everything n a hauler for my car a price of $545.00... when i get there she says u cant pay with cash u hav to use a debit..i told her why didnt she tell me this when we spoke..i go out side she said check for damages i did i wrote them down n hand it to her while my son was outside trying to figure out how to put on the hauler so i can put the car on it..i had to call the guy 3 times to show us how to do it n i told him he is suppose to show us how to do this because if this unhooks from the truck we can get into n accident. he was very nasty attitude with me just because i asked him to show me how to put hauler on n how to take it off n the truck was so dirty it looked like it hadnt been used in years..ok so when i go back inside i was so frosteraed she made me go find a bank to deposit the money in my debit the trouble with hauler i signed n left,,
after i got half wat to north carolina the paper work was folded in 3 n cliprd but u can see where it said no insurence i called her n said y didnt i hav insurence she said i didnt ask for it .in what right mind would i drive thousands of miles wuth out insurence she said come back ni will giv you insurence..when i got back to ct. to return truck i was told i asked for 1 more day n thats y they wer charging me n extra $132.00 i told them thats not tru monica said back on april 10 at 3;00..i talked to a manager n explained what she made me go thru n she told him she circled the date for me in red marker i was still at budjet n asked the secratary to tell him there was no red mark on the paper work the secratary was the on that uncliped the paper work monica gave me to give to the returning agency. never did she say one of rhe cliped paerwork was mine or i would of seen the date. the truck was parked in my yard for 2 days they could of called n say ,hey your truck is suppose to be in today..so i left i gave no authority to take anything out my account i was suppose to be protected by td bank. there was only 100 in account n td paid them with out being money in there..this was not my falt ni got riped off for 132.00 she was the one that changed everything ni paid for it..i want people to know bout this monica person in 2006 she was supose to giv me a refunf for 150.00 which they never did ni didnt know how to go about it please help
This was the worst car rental experience I have every had. Check-in was horrible and took forever. The computer crashed during the process. The car had 86,000 miles on it with the brakes starting to grind in the front and squeaking when backing up. I brought the car back 27 hours earlier than expected and was charged one dollar less than the original contract. When I asked why I was still charged for the extra day I was asked to produce my contract. I didn't have it as I have never had a problem with a car rental company before in my life. The counter person said she would print the contract and then said the printer didn't work so she would have to go in the back. When she came back out she told me that the manager said she could offer me $20 in coupons for future rentals. She never produced the contract. The extra day they charged me on the rental was $37. When I told the counter person that I should just keep the car for the extra day since it was the same price she said that it was already closed but she could rent it to me again if I wanted. I should also mention that I told the woman during check out that I may be returning my car early and she never said I would still be charged the full price. When I told this to the counter person at return she said I should have read the contract. I refused the coupons they offered as I will never use budget again and I wouldn't wish this company on my worst enemy. I have never been treated so rudely and feel this is a bait and switch operation. I made my reservation online through budget.com which was the only part of this rental that went smoothly.
I rented a car for couple weeks in Prague Budget.cz in November 2014. When I was returning a car they registered two small scratches that seemed to be new one:
1) 1 x 1 mm barely noticeable scratch on the windshield, probably from the small stone, this kind of scratch just can’t cause any major repair like the windshield replacement. It’s usually fixed, if fixed at all, by filling a scratch with a filler. Such repair should not exceed $30-50
2) 1 x 8 mm scratch on the left side at the very bottom under driver’s the door, almost on the edge to the bottom of the car so barely noticeable as well. Repainting such spot can’t cost more than $30-50 either.
I have to notice that prices above are for USA. In Czech Republic they usually 2x lower. I also need to notice that car initially had more noticeable registered scratches when I rented it.
Now imagine my surprise when in four weeks upon returning a car, when I already was back to USA, I found that Budget.cz charged me $1000 (additional to the rental cost). When I called them they confirmed that was the cost of the repair of those two scratches. Complete cost as they explained by the phone. Not only no one had contacted me before this charge (they had my phone and email), but one would expect to pay only deductible when car is insured, right? And car was of course insured, and my payment included insurance portion as well. I asked them to send me electronic copies of the documents confirming such expensive repair. It took few days to get one letter issued on their corporate blank of Budget.cz saying that repair had a cost of 800 EUR. No paper from body shop, no detailing on the work done, and parts used. Nothing. Well, I sent them another letter asking for all those details. It took them 5 (!) weeks to reply again. Reply occurred after I complained multiple times to the BudgetCustomerService.com. BudgetCustomerService.com initially opened a file, but then closed it as only they learned that I have a communication with Budget.cz. Anyway, in their last reply Budget.cz acknowledged that the initial charge of $1000 was “too high”. They also sent an electronic copy of the paper from some body shop in Prague claiming that they replaced a windshield (~$450) and repaired a scratch (~$250). So Budget.cz has returned the rest $300 to my credit card.
Very nice:
- no explanation how the initial cost happened to be “too high”
- no explanation why they charge me the full amount of the repair instead of the deductible
- no explanation why they decided to change the windshield (I doubt they did change) instead of using a sealer
- no explanation how repainting of a minor scratch (I doubt they did) could cost $250; for such cost they could of repaint half a car at least in Czech Republic
Note that I received ZERO help from the . BudgetService.com worldwide either. Now both BudgetCustomerService.com and Bufget.cz do simply ignore my further questions – no reply.
Of course I disputed the charge with Visa. I should of be doing that from the very beginning. I regret that I wasted a lot of time communicating to them. Just thought that in European country I should be able to resolve such an obvious fraud attempt with their customer support. I’ve been so naïve.
On September 7, 2014. I Chris Paez rented a vehicle from Budget Car Rental located at the Ontario Airport. I was given a Chevrolet Impala but then switched out to a Black Mazda 5SPT Van. After "inspection" by a budget employee, I took the vehicle off grounds and proceeded to my destination in Las Vegas. I noticed that the tire pressure light was on. I immediately tried to contact Budget Car Rental in Ontario to notify them but no one answered the front desk phones. When I first approached the car rental, no one was there to immediately help me. Employees were in the back fooling around. As I was half way to Las Vegas, there was a blow out in my left rear driver's side tire. I pulled over and checked my surroundings. I notified roadside assistance and explained to them my situation.
They tried contacting Budget Car Rental in Ontario and had no luck either. I spoke to two different agents explaining them my situation. I told them that I declined roadside assistance on my agreement but that I had Triple AAA and if I should use it. I did not want to get charged any fees later on when my Triple AAA could have been used. They were also aware that I denied Roadside Assistance on my agreement. They notified me that I did not need to use it. They stated that this was negligence on their part for not putting air in tires, letting me take it off the lot, for them not being able to get a hold of and that it was also a safety issue taking that I was in the middle of the desert with nowhere to go.
It wasn't safe to even change the spare myself. A tow truck came an hour later to place the spare tire on my car. The rim wasn't damaged on the car nor was anything else but the tire. It was also a safety issue driving the car with the spare tire to the nearest Budget open in Las Vegas. I drove more miles that allowed for the spare tire but Budget wasn't concerned with that. I notified them of my safety too driving that far on a spare tire. I finally made it to Las Vegas Budget and was able to switch out the cars for a replacement. On November 17, 2014 - Budget sent out a letter stating that I owe them $263.44 for Service and Repair expenses. I believe this situation is being handled poorly. It was negligence on Budget's service to take care of me from the beginning of the rental. This fee should be taken away. I have contacted supervisors and no action is being done to help me with this discrepancy. Chris, Ontario, CA.
Stranded us in the wilderness for 8 hrs, cost us $130 in extra fees & remain unapologetic
We rented a car from Budget in Carmel CA.
We drove to Yosemite National Park.
The park is enormous. On our way from our lodging in one section to our next lodging in another section, we got a flat tire.
We got out and were going to attempt to change it as we were too far from anywhere that we could bring it to have it done.
We were not looking forward to it as I am blind (not the driver of course) and my wife is a petite lady who has no experience with changing tires.
But we figured we’d try and we’d eventually be better off than we were.
Well, there was no spare tire!
Someone was kind enough to help us out and pumped some air back into the tire so that we could make it to the garage in Yosemite Valley.
They did not have the size tire we needed.
We called Budget and they said the way they dealt with flat tires is to send out another car.
It took them 3 hours to make arrangements to get a car from Fresno.
That was another 5 hours away!
The folks in the garage were nice and let us stay there for a few hours.
But eventually, they had to close.
There was nowhere else to go.
There were no restaurants, hotels or anywhere else we could go to get out of the heat.
I’m not a young person and have a heart condition.
I was not only concerned for my immediate health, but also that my supply of medication for the trip might spoil, sitting in the heat for many hours.
There was nothing Budget would do for us.
Finally, we implored the lodge we were headed for to send someone to pick us up.
They contacted someone who said he would do it. But it was an hour travel each way and he would like $60 for his time, gas, etc.
Of course we were happy to do what it took to get to civilization.
I got a receipt from the fellow. I has his name, address, phone number and what the receipt is for.
It took me a while to submit it as I just didn’t want to deal with that.
I finally did and they refused to reimburse me.
Likewise, they are charging us $69 for the flat tire.
Our credit card company covers insurance on car rentals.
But they are denying the claim because it is 4 months later!
They say has to be within 60 days.
I don’t blame them.
But I do blame Budget.
All of this was because they choose not to supply a spare tire.
(they claim it saves them money. Are they kidding? For what they paid for a tow truck to bring the new car and bring back the 1st one, they could by over a dozen spare tires!
Worst of all, they don’t tell people they are driving without a spare!
I told them that just as I wouldn’t go into the mountains / forest without gas, water, food, a flashlight, etc, I certainly wouldn’t (knowingly) go without a spare tire!
I didn’t ask because I’ve never encountered this in my life!
And we have rented cars all over the world.
1. They didn’t supply a spare.
2. They didn’t inform us
3. They took 8 hours to replace the car.
4. They refuse to reimburse us for the money we had to spend on alternate transportation.
5. They are very proud of their position. Completely unapologetic.
Most companies that caused a customer so much discomfort would do something to compensate – rebate the cost of the bill (or at least a portion) ....something!
These *quality people* won’t even reimburse our additional costs.
They are extremely nasty, incompetent and a nightmare in every way.
I wish we’d seen all the terrible reviews before renting from them.
Budget car rental Orlando airport uses fraudulent practices to scam customers into selecting insurance. I had a prepaid rental car. The budget employee at the counter told me that in FL the "optional" insurance was mandatory and that if I wanted a car I had to select it. I argued that I had full coverage with my auto policy and I had insurance protection through my credit card but was told I couldn't have the car unless I agreed to insurance. He insinuated that I'd lose my prepaid amount for failing to pick up the car. Later I confirmed that it was all a lie. Insurance is optional in FL. I immediately called Budget Customer Care to be told that: I'm an adult who signed a contract and therefore they wouldn't do anything about it. Budget Customer Care went on to say that I should have talked to a manager and I should have known better. Wow. They might as well have said that their desk clerks are cheats that can't be trusted. Search the review sites. This same scam at the same location is reported many times. Stay away from Budget and Avis. They are the same company. Budget\Avis Corporate turns the other way as these scams go on. The Budget\Avis executives support dishonest business practices. Ronald L. Nelson, the Budget\Avis CEO and Thomas R. Gartland the north american president should be removed. They clearly can't lead. This is not a company I will ever use again.
Be careful and look at your receipt when you rent from Avis or Budget since they are the same company. I was charged for an insurance that only protects them if anything should happen. But at the end of my rental it was an extra $248 in their favor and they will not reimbuse me for this because they said I should have returned the car and reopend a new rental agreement, even though I didn't know about it until I took the car back. Biggest bait and switch scam being run by a major rental car provider, I wonder how many more people they have screwed over with this tactic.
The RDU triangle has one toll road. This toll road has absolutely no toll booths. If you make the mistake of using this toll road (which is the easiest way to get to the airport from most locations), you get hit with a "Convenience Fee" of $3.95 per day plus the toll to use their E-Z Pay. So one $.55 toll cost me $17.30. I called to complain and they agreed to charge me the convenience fee only for the day I used the E-Z Pay. WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE? THERE ARE NO TOLL BOOTHS. I should not have to pay for the E-Z Pay I am FORCED by the city/state/whatever to use. It isn't about the $4 freaking bucks (honestly, who cares about $4); it's about decent business practices.
Note: My brother in law made my car reservation for me; I never would have booked with this company due to a previous experience at a different location.
Bought a vehicle from budget car sales, have the contract where i purchashed the vehicle, rode in it for two weeks, then they told me to come in and sign somemore paperwork. they say i cannot leave the car lot with the vehicle, they cannot finance me. i got a forty hr a week job, stay in a house that's paid for. my grandma pay all the utilites, absolutely no bills. they had a $49.00 down and drive weekend sale. so i go over there to purchase a vehicle. they say they couldn't finance me for the $49.00 down deal. so i tell them, "i got money in my pocket". i was about to walk off the lot, they stop me and said, "we gone work something up for you". i give them $500.00 down payment, i drive off the lot with a vechile, two weeks they take it back. i ask for my down payment back. they say i need a recepit. i give them the envelope that they gave me with the contract in it, and there's no recepit, they never gave me a recepit. and told me i got to find a way home.
Rented at car for less than 24 hours and drove less than 75 miles. I returned the car after hours before they opened. I was told this was no problem. When I got the bill they charged me an extra $13. Then I wrote them they said if you drive less than 75 miles and do not give them a gas receipt they charge you a refueling charge. They never told me they would need a receipt and if you turned the car on you could see it had been refueled. I have rented from other car companys at this same airport and never had this problem. I will not be renting from Budget Rent a Car at Montgomery Alabama airport again.