Complain about a product or service

Budget Rent-A-Car

Gwin of Miami Springs FL (08/14/08)
I picked up a car at 5:30 am. Due to the early hour and poor lighting, I didn't realize the interior of the car was filthy - seats, carpet, and console were all badly stained. However, I can deal with that. What I'm complaining about is the fact that the car was infested with fleas! By the time I'd driven 4 hours, I'd been eaten alive.

I located a pet store where I bought flea spray for the car and myself, and a drug store where I got delousing shampoo to rid myself of fleas & their eggs once I reached my hotel that evening.

I spent my only evening in GA washing clothes and cleaning luggage to rid them of fleas ($8 washer/dryer/detergent), flea spray ($6) RID shampoo ($10) and the loss of a night on the town, not to mention the discomfort of having driven for hours being bitten.

Tracie of Columbus OH (08/06/08)
On two separate occasions Budget pulled a bait and switch with their rentals. My husband and I reserved an intermediate car (described as Pontiac G6 or equivalent) for a trip to Canada about 2 months in advance. When we arrived at the location we were told that all they had was a PT Cruiser (which I definately didn't believe was an equivalent vehicle considering MPG) Due to poor experiences with a previous PT Cruiser rental we were definately against that so we requested to downgrade which of course they had no vehicles, so he advised that he could put us in an upgrade for $12 more per day.

What I didn't realize was he went to the Avis counter to get this car (Chevy Impala) so why couldn't he ask for a downgraded car so that we could maintain our quoted price ($89 for 4 days?) instead we were charged ($145) we needed the car as we were due to leave 1st thing in the morning. My husband was upset by the principle of the matter and because we had a similar situation with Enterprise on a prior rental and they upgraded for free.

Couple this with the fact that we were pretty much forced into an upgrade and we had an Entertainment coupon for a free upgrade at home (which they refused to honor because we didn't present it at the time of rental) Explaining to them that we had no idea that it would be necessary was to no avail. I really didn't get upset until I found out when I got back from my trip that my sister had the exact same thing happen to her on a one day rental that I booked for her on budget.com only a week prior to my trip. She ended up paying an additional $25 at the last minute due to her car not being available.

While the dollar amounts are minimal in our case, the feeling of being taken advantage of does not sit well with me and it doesn't surprise me seeing the comments/complaints in this forum. I had alot of nice things to say about Budget until his past weekend. I will definately not be using their services again

Kat of Walnut Creek CA (07/23/08)
After having my car stolen, I rented a car at Okld airport, and because they gave me a faulty car, I traded it in in Walnut Creek. I kept the car over the limit, but called them every day to let them know, that the insurance check had not yet arrived. I was on the way to Budget, when I received a call from them telling me that they were on their way to pick up the car for me. I said that I was halfway there as it was only 1/2 mile from where I lived. They said I had to go back home as it was their custom to pick the car up at my place.

I turned around and went home. I had the young man who picked up the car sign for the mileage and that I had just filled the tank. When I got my bill for my credit card, they had charged me $335.00, for picking up the car, $27.00 for refueling and $147 for airport concession tax - in all $1,654. This is simply outrageous, and I guess they find ways to cheat you any way they can.

My car was stolen and I had to rent a car until I received my insurance check, as Budget told me they do not charge the insurance companies

Spencer of West Wendover NV (06/16/08)
I reserved a car through expedia.com for 7 days total $207. when I picked it up, it was no problem. everything is great.

then when I bring it back when I am done. I am charged over $650 for the rental. I go in to question it and the girl says, so? I paid over $1200 for my last car rental. and she isn't willing to budge even though I am being charged over 3 times the promised rate for a weeks use.

I was charged over $450 more than the original agreement was for.

Barbara of Hardeeville SC (06/11/08)
On May 15, I went over to pick up a van that I had rented through Priceline.Com I thought I could use a debit card but found out they only accepted major credit cards - so I had to cancel the reservation and locate a rental company that accept debit card. At the time I rented through priceline, I did not know that they took out of my account $240 - I was under the impression they were holding the card until I came to pick up the van.

Well, when I received my bank statement it showed that they were still holding by debit card in the amount of $240. I contacted the rental agency three weeks ago and they said that Priceline takes about 4-5 days to release the card - I checked my account on yesterday, which is almost a month and the amount is still outstanding on my account. I would appreciate it very much if Priceline would release the amount and return it back to my bank account.

Richard of Chicago IL (06/02/08)
I called on 5/29 in regards to renting a 24' truck. An employee (Pablo) at the 2000 South Western location in Chicago said that he had one and I could come get it. I was relieved because I had tried 3 location before that one. I showed up with my father and we walked into the office and Pablo had me complete all the paperwork in his office trailer except the damage inspection report. He informed me that all vehicles are on a full tank of gas and that they must be returned on a full tank or I will be charged for filling it up.

After completing the paperwork, he then took me outside to the lot behind the trailer and unlocked the gate where the truck was kept. This was the only truck in the lot. We walked around the vehicle and he pointed on the dents and notated it on the paper. He had me sign the damage form and handed me the keys and asked if I needed to be guided out. I said yes, because this is the first time I've driven a truck this big. I got in and was really nervous but he guided me out and after pulling off the lot, I seen that the gas tank was just a little over a 1/4 of a tank. I called Pablo from my cell phone immediately and informed him that he had me sign for a full tank but there was only a 1/4 tank in there. He said Really?...I'm sorry I don't know how that happened. Don't worry about it, just let them know when you turn it in. I was leery of the situation and I asked was he sure. He said you'll be fine...have them call me if you have any problems, I'm always here.

I hung-up then called back again because I remembered that he forgot the hand truck. He was really apologetic and instructed me to come on back. My father and I came back and Pablo met us on the side with the hand truck. I asked if he could give me any paperwork to make sure I would be cool with the gas and he said, don't worry, you'll be okay. If they give you a hard time, just call me. We packed the truck and hit the road at about 4:30am the next morning. The ride was long but we made it to Atlanta at about 7:30pm on 5/30/08. We unloaded the truck the next day but we didn't finish until after close of business at the Destination Dealer. I wanted to just drop the truck off at the location but my intuition made me want to make sure we wouldn't have any issues with the gas.

Therefore, I waited until Monday at 2:45 (Est) to drop it off. I informed the dealer of the gas situation and they shook their head and said that they'll call the Dispatching Dealer but once you sign for it you're stuck. This let me know this is not an abnormal thing that happens. He said he would call back to Chicago. When he did, they said they didn't remember anything but they would check the paperwork. The guy on the phone also said that maybe it was his brother who rented it out. However, it sounded like Pablo because I was on the line. He came back and said he remembers the hand truck but nothing about the gas.

I became furious and still am. I called Customer Service and they weren't very helpful. They said if the Dispatching Dealer denies it, there's nothing they can do. ( I was speaking with Destiny). I was really upset and I asked to speak to a manager. She said she was transferring me, however, I was on hold so long that I ran out of minutes on my phone. Too make a long story short, they still charged me more than $100 in gas plus a $25 fee and they were not motivated at all about talking to their dishonest employee about it.

The stress over this situation is unmeasurable and cost me NSF fees to cover the charges that we beyond I expected. Damaged my whole families emotional state of being of moving to Atlanta because of the immediate hardship it brought surrounding the trip and extra charges.

Gregg of Idaho Falls ID (05/14/08)
I rented a car recently from Budget at the Minneapolis, MN airport. when I returned the car I accidently left a $80 jacket on the back seat. When I got to the airport I realized I had left my jacket. I immediately called the Budget desk at the Minneapolis airport. This was 30 minutes after turning in my rental car. I told the man at the desk that I had left my coat on the back seat and would pay to have it shipped to my home. He got my rental agreement number and said he would search for the coat and call me. I never heard back.

A couple weeks later I sent an email to Budget via their web site and explained my situation. It took them a couple weeks to reply. They said they haven't found my coat and if they do they will contact me. My complaint is that a Budget employee had to find my coat when they cleaned out the car and they should have turned it in and then I could have gotten my coat back. Also, if the man I talked to at the desk was trained with any customer service savy he could have made contact with the people who checked in my rental car and found out where my coat was. I wonder if Budget really has a lost and found department or they only have a lost and never found department.

I lost a $80 jacket that I will have to replace at my own expense because of a dishonest Budget employee and a non-caring Budget employee who didn't track down my jacket when I called.

Leah of Petaluma CA (05/13/08)
My husband and I went to the Salt Lake City airport budget location to pick up our car at about 10:30 on Sunday evening - May 5, 2008. We were told that they did not have a rental and would not have one for us. We could come back the next day - which would not work for us, as we were immediately driving out of town. The attitude of the workers was horrible.

Never once did anyone apologize for the inconvenience or show any concern for our situation. It was simply a completely uncaring blase whatever attitude. The worst customer experience I have ever had. I will never again book with budget - I have been a loyal customer for many many years, and will never use them again either for business or pleasure. I have also used them for client bookings many times in the past - never again.

In the end we rented a car from Avis for an additional $100 dollars above our quoted cost from Budget.

Paul of Santa Cruz CA (03/09/08)
On June 25, 2007 we rented a car from Budget in Hilo, Hawaii. The next day, after driving approximately 60 miles, we discovered that an oil pan under the car was loose (it made a terrible noise when we drove over 35 mph into a headwind). We IMMEDIATELY contacted Budget and where Phyllis told us to drive the car back to their Hilo office, which we did, driving very slowly and carefully--less than 20 miles back to Hilo. They exchanged the car, apologized for the inconvenience, assured us we were not at fault, and asked us to fill out an incident report,? The car we returned had no damages and was in perfect condition--except for the loose oil pan.

In September of 2007 we received a claim from Budget for $4,518.27 in damages. Photos of the damage showed a different license plate than what was on the car we had rented. Their pictures show license number HGS 721, whereas the car we rented had a license number HGB 628. The date and mileage of the accident was one day and one mile after we returned the car. Budget is ignoring these facts and inconsistencies. The extent of the damage in the photos would not have gone unnoticed if they had been there when we returned it. We contacted Budget to explain our position, had our insurance company contact them, had a lawyer write a letter, had the Hawaii State Consumer Protection Office in Hilo write a letter, all to no avail.

Paul of Santa Cruz CA (03/09/08)
On June 25, 2007 we rented a car from Budget in Hilo, Hawaii. The next day, after driving approximately 60 miles, we discovered that an oil pan under the car was loose. (It made a terrible noise when we drove over 35 mph into a headwind.) We IMMEDIATELY contacted Budget, and Phyllis told us to drive the car back to their Hilo office, which we did, driving very slowly and carefully--less than 20 miles back to Hilo. They exchanged the car, apologized for the inconvenience, assured us we were not at fault, and asked us to fill out an incident report. The car we returned had no damages and was in perfect condition--except for the loose oil pan. In September of 2007, we received a claim from Budget for $4,518.27 in damages. Photos of the damage showed a different license plate than what was on the car we had rented. Their pictures show license number HGS 721, whereas the car we rented had a license number HGB 628. The date and mileage of the accident was one day and one mile after we returned the car. Budget is ignoring these facts and inconsistencies. The extent of the damage in the photos would not have gone unnoticed if they had been there when we returned it.

We contacted Budget to explain our position, had our insurance company contact them, had a lawyer write a letter, had the Hawaii State Consumer Protection Office in Hilo write a letter, all to no avail. We refuse to pay for something that we didn't do. Budget has since turned this matter over to their collection agency, United Collection Corporation, Hayward, CA. They have threatened to damage our credit rating if we do not pay. We can only surmise that one of their employees probably drove the car after we returned it (if, in fact, it is the car we returned) and damaged it by running into a curb or something. We hope the threat of exposure by ConsumerAffairs.com will convince them to drop this claim against us and stop committing this kind of fraud on others. We have heard of a couple others who have been similarly victimized by Budget's fraudulent business practices.

We have been fighting this thing since last September, and we have spent a lot of time and energy for something that is just plain wrong. And now their collection agency is threatening to report us to the three credit reporting agencies. They are about to destroy our excellent credit record because of something we didn't do. Can they legally do this? HELP!

David of Glastonbury CT (02/18/08)
I reserved full-size car almost three months in advance. Upon arrival to pick up car, no cars available. Counter agent said he expected some cars within 20 minutes but failed to tell me that he already had someone waiting over an hour. The counter agent was polite and understandably frazzled, so no complaint about him; but not having cars available and with a long-term reservation that had been confirmed before starting trip--there is NO EXCUSE. After 50 minutes of waiting for a car, I went to Hertz.

I paid a higher cost; I had a special discount rate through insurance company for Budget. The initial wait time turned in to a 1 hour marathon. I am amazed that Hertz provided us a car within 5 minutes, and we were out of the airport in less than 10 minutes after that.

Teresa of Whitmore CA (02/13/08)
Rental vehicle apparently had electrical issues as I would be driving down road & dome light would suddenly come on. Sometimes it would go back off immediately, sometimes it was on for hours. Same with seat belt alarm & light; door ajar light was on nonstop; cigarette lighter did not always work, therefore I could not recharge cell phone. 24 hour roadside assistance is a BIG JOKE (not funny!). I called this 1-800 # saturday night & sunday night. The only response I received was to return the vehicle, which was hard to do considering the airport was closed! Attendant at airport location was extremely rude, offered no help.

I was traumatized! Considering all malfunctions of rental car, one would think company would have been eager to make accommodations. No such luck!

Paul of Vancouver OTHER (01/23/08)
I rented a car on a Sunday morning for one day only. After returning the car the next day at 6:30 and dropping off the keys in the box, I gave it no other thought, until some girl from Budget called me the next day at work asking me when am I going to return the car. For two whole days had they lost the car I rented. I kept calling to see if they had found the car; the manager kept on telling no problem, we'll keep looking. Next time I rent a car, I'll come in get a confirmation on my return.

I was worried that the car was stolen or that they'd hold me responsible.

Charity of San Marcos CA (01/15/08)
I had reserved a 4x4 Expedition with a ski rack in advance for my group of 6 to drive to Whistler. There was no ski rack, therefore we didn't fit. The surprisingly unhelpful, unfriendly staff did nothing to assist, and we asked to try a minivan, which was a lower rate rental online. They charged us an additional $150, and the minivan couldn't drive in the snow. The Budget staff didn't bother to warn us about this or even offer us a map or mere driving directions out of the airport. We had to take shelter in a hotel that night where the van got stuck in the snow, and then buy cables the next day to get it out of the snow and ensure our safety. In addition to a terrible first encounter with the country of Canada, the error on Budget's part nearly ruined our trip, and cost us a tremendous about of time and delays.

Additional costs: $150 upgrade from a superior vehicle to an inferior vehicle, $80 cables, $180 hotel, 1 day's delay in travel arrangements. Total additional cost = $310.

Yvonna of Calgary OTHER (01/11/08)
I rented a car from Budget rent a car in Richmond airport, Vancouver, BC, Canada. The bill was CAD82.29 for two days, but it charged me three times of that amount. I tried to call their customer service center and was told this location is run by individuals so they cannot help me out, and the guy had a very bad attitude in the customer service center. His name is Dene Rodenhiser. Now I am outside of North America and the time difference is 16 hours with Vancouver, which means I have to wait till midnight so that I can reach them.

Rebecca of Chicago IL (11/28/07)
After renting a car at Budget, I was charged my credit card for 119.99 to receive cupons. This is riduculous since I never accepted or authorized this charge. Don't let these people take advantage of you. To be sure, do not rent a car from BUDGET.

Burden on my account. Had to come up with more money for my monthly payment. Please be careful what you use your credit card for.

Lashawn of Miami FL (11/21/07)
Budget Rent-A-Truck rented me a truck with no fuel line. Nearly four hours into my 20 hour trip, I stopped to put gas into the truck and found that I had to get on my hands and knees and go under the truck to pump the gas directly into to the fuel tank. When I called to complain and request another truck, I was told first that the damage must have happended in my care and second that all of their rental shops were getting ready to close and I could take it to a repair location (which was about an hour opposite the direction I was traveling) and wait for them to fix it. After I was told that it was okay to continue driving it, I continued to press toward my destination.

I ended up stopping every 1 1/2 hours to put in gas (filling the tank up) on a 20 hour plus trip. Because the ride was so rough, we drove slowly and I had to stay at a hotel twice (and I was planning to drive straight through). I flew in someone to help me drive from one location to the next and also to help me move my things in my new place, but because we got into town at a much later date than we planned, he had to take his flight home immediately and I had to pay for movers.

Leona of Imperial Beach CA (11/08/07)
Budget rented me a car that did not have current tags, when the car was towed they informed that they had just not received the license stickers. When the current registration was faxed through to the impound it was stated as the tags paid for that day while we waited several hours. I requested pick up with car with current tags and was refused and told when I expressed my concerns and stress of driving the above stated vehicle that, Well you made it up there.

I asked if I took it to Budget would they trade the car and was told yes, but I would be charged the cost of the car being picked up from an alternative location.

Rosina of Houston TX (11/01/07)
I made my in-terminal car rental reservation about 3 months before the actual traveling date. On that Friday night, we arrived late at the Buffalo airport. Somehow I remembered the wrong auto-rental company and went up to Budget and indicated that I did have a reservation.

The agent checked and said she could not find the reservation but she would look somewhere else, then she did not insist no reservation was find. Then I would assume she found it by other means (may be she could not find it by last name but able to find it through the list for that particular day). We were asked to initialed all over the contract, and the agent did not said a word about the terms of the contract or anything else. We checked out on Sunday evening and headed to California for an international flight on Monday.

Before our international departure, then I read the receipt and had a heart attack at the rate-- a $95.00 per day for a weekend day. The total came up to be $239 for less than 2 day for a little Toyota. If the counter agent insisted that no reservation was found then it would raised the flag and I would check with all the other in-terminal car rentals to find my reservation instead of being trapped by Budget.

I called Budget's customer service, the representative was not helpful either and her attitude was like 'haha we got you. great we have a fulsome profit'; and that was not a ridiculous pricing for careless people. With this type of attitude from the Customer service department, I conclude that the company has a policy or mission to hunt people or not in the goal of conducting honest business.

If it were half of the $95 a day, I won't feel so rip-off. A few months ago I picked up a car without reservation at the Houston Hobby airport. The rate was only around $30 per day. I promised that I would not rent a car from Budget again even it means higher price.

Thomas of Napa CA (10/08/07)
We had a reservation to rent a truck from Utica NY to Napa CA in August, 2007. The truck was larger than we needed so when we got to a relative's house in Ohio, we turned in the truck and rented a smaller truck from U-Haul. Our credit card was charged for over $2,000 in New York. When we turned it in in Ohio, we received a credit of $150 and was told that an adjustment would be computed by Budget and our credit card refunded.

After a month I called Budget customer service to ask about the credit and they told me that I would not get it. They said that I had a contract to drive to California and they had to hustle to get another truck there. They also refused to tell me how much the rental would have been if I originally contracted to go to Ohio.

Greg of Las Vegas NV (09/12/07)
We rented a car from Budget at the airport counter. We were given the keys and told to go directly to the designated space in the parking lot to get the car. We loaded up and followed the exit out of the car rental parking garage. (there was no check-point to review the cars condition.) Upon leaving the garage in sun light we noticed a small crack in the windshield (approximately 4).

We immediately called information and was connected to Budget Rent A Car. We explained that we just rented the car not more than 10 minutes ago but noticed a crack in the windshield. We were assured that at the Norfolk Airport location that any pre-existing damage would have been noted prior to renting out the vehicle.

We then received a claim from a Claims Management company on behalf of Budget wanting us to pay them $694.86 for a new windshield. We responded with a letter explaining the same information above. With it we also provided copied of our cell phone bill showing the call that was placed within minutes of renting the car. They called back indicating that Budget had rejected our response. Again I reitterated that we would not pay for pre-existing damage when we wnt to the extent to report it and were assured that the damage would have been noted prior to us renting the vehicle.

We have not been sent an escalated amount of $940.35 and threats of ridiculous interest rates and collection agency harrassment as well as credit report implications.

Lee of Pittsburg CA (09/11/07)
I rented a car for four days through Princeline.com at 25.99 a day. When I arrived at the aiport, the Budget clerk at the airport counter acknowledged that rate as being what I would charge and also told me I qualified for an additional 10% off for my AAA card.

When I dropped the car off they billed me $45 more and not the rate I was supposed to be charged. They refused to verify the correct price and I ahd to sign the bill to catch my flight.

Shanna Miller of Carrollton GA (09/05/07)
I rented a car on 8/30/07, prior to renting the car I ask the agent what would be the total cost of the rental car for with the underage fee, taxes and other fees. She told me that she woud discount half the underage fee of $115. However, when I returned the car my credit card was charged $711.00. Which included $460 for underage fee. After speaking with the agent and elling him that she gave me a total of $468.00, he told me that there was nothing he could do about it and that she gave me a half off on the daily rental.

I woud have kept that extra $243.00 and rented from enterprise and rented teh car for $230.00. I have tried to reach someone in the consumer relations department at Budget and have had no luck.

Subhash of Sunnyvale CA (08/17/07)
I had terrible experience renting with budget rental. I made two reservations on phone. First reservation I did from Buffalo airport to niagara falls and the second reservation from Niagara falls to LGA (NY). Representative suggested me this way to return first reservation and pick up another one to get weekend rate. When I went to pick up second reservation from Niagara falls. They started saying, we don't have a car and pushing me to upgrade to next level for $10 extra/day to the existing rate. After approximately discussing for 1 hour.

I requested to give me the same car on a original reservation I made. On reaching LGA while returning a car,they refused as the return location mentioned was niagara falls. I have requested Budget to provide the actual reservation details, but no response saying its franchise rental and they cannot do anything.

Jennifer of New York NY (08/14/07)
I am writing to alert you to an alarming incident I had earlier this month while renting a vehicle from Budget.

To begin, I had made an online reservation for a compact car for August 4 through 5. When I arrived at the Budget location on West 49th street in New York, we were told that we were given an SUV instead of the requested compact. When I told the agent that I didnt want an SUV due to increased gas usage, she told me that there were 6 other people waiting for compacts, and that I should just take it, insinuating that I would not get a car at all if I did not accept the SUV.

We were then asked to hurry out of the tight garage to make room for the other waiting guests. We were not given an opportunity to do a physical review of the SUV, check for damages, etc. After being rushed out of the garage, we were finally able to stop, and noticed that in interior of the car had not been cleaned there were crushed cookies, popcorn and pistachio nuts littered throughout the seats and floor. Additionally, the left headlight was not working luckily we were not planning to do any night driving, but as we were rushed through our review of the vehicle and did not have a chance to go over it with a Budget representative, we were not aware of this flaw until we drove through a tunnel.

Aesthetically, the interior of the vehicle was a mess, but that was not the worst part: while searching for more leftover garbage and trash to throw out, we found a 4 switchblade knife underneath the front passenger seat. I can only imagine what could have happened if we had a child in the car with us! Not cleaning a car in between rental guests is lazy, but leaving a dangerous weapon in the vehicle should be criminal. We spent the next 20 minutes searching the SUV for other weapons and nefarious items.

Upon returning the vehicle to the same NYC location, the return attendant seemed bemused that we had found a switchblade in our rental, barely hiding his grin. We then took the blade to the front desk agent who also seemed to find humor in the situation. At that point we were do thoroughly disgusted by the lack of basic customer service that we signed our bill and told the agent she could keep the knife.?

Ive rented from Budget before for other personal trips, but I highly doubt I ever will again. My employer has an existing relationship with Hertz, and I am now fully aware of why. From the very beginning, it was an awful experience, topped off with the discovery of a lethal weapon, origins unknown.

Obie of Oklahoma OK (07/20/07)
I booked an economy class car online but one week ahead. When i got there i was told that the car size i booked was not available so i was going to get a free up grade. The problem is that i ended up paying 354.99 instead of the 235.28. They told me it was some additional taxes on top of the ones that was already calculated into the fees. Please can somebody tell what kind of tax that it was that i was charged. I have been renting with this company for at least four years every july but this is it, am done with this company.

Marilyn of Henderson NV (07/18/07)
In June I made an online reservation for a car from 7/11 to 7/14. One of the options available was an infant safety seat which I requested. When I arrived, after flying from the West Coast, the only thing available was a toddler seat that was not useable for a 3 week old baby.

My concern is that the car rentals are claiming that these seats are available when that is not true. I regard this as a major safety issue and feel that the rental companies should be held accountable for their advertising. It was necessary for us to go out the next day and purchase an infant safety seat, so that we could continue our trip knowing that the baby was safe. Hopefully consumers will get the word not to trust car rental companies when they advertise car seat options.

I was charged $30 for the unusable toddler seat and then spent over $70 on an infant safety seat. If we had known that the car rental companies are unreliable we would have carried our own safety seat.

Raghuraj of Naperville IL (06/19/07)
I rented a vehicle at Budget Rent A Car, 1115 East Ogden Avenue, Naperville, IL 60563 on Saturday, May 26th 2007 at 1:06 PM for one day and was suppose to return it back the next day when they close. Before picking up the keys I asked the renting staff if it was okay for me to be 15 - 30 minutes late while returning the vehicle. The renting staff assured me that it was okay, I can drop off the keys in dropbox if they were closed and I am little late. This is because I am their regular customer and it was a long (Memorial Day) weekend anyway.

I recently received a credit card statement with charges for two days instead of one day. They claimed that I returned the car on Monday morning (May 28th) instead of Sunday May 27th at 1:05 or 1:10 PM. They have refused to refund me for the additional day's charges and are playing game with me with the closing time and return time. I initially explained to them that I was 5 or 10 minutes late at maximum and they are confusing me with their Sunday hours by saying they close at 12 noon (the local branch staffer) and at 1 PM (claimed by 1-800 customer service). In turn telling me I am lying.

I still have some future reservations with them but I am discouraged to cancel them and stop using their service.

James of Lake Forest Parl WA (04/14/07)
The Budget Rental rep first tried to fast-talk us into $23 per day(!) supplemental insurance. We passed. Then she sold us on buying the tank of gas in the car from them to start for $36.39 and returning it empty (instead of returning it full as is traditional). The hook was that they were charging $.20 less than she claimed the current price of gas on the street (a misrepresentation)--but the problem we discovered later is that there is no refund for any gas left in the tank. So, if you leave even 1 gallon of gas in the tank, that's approx. $2.80 lost, or the equivalent of 14 gallons of the difference between their claimed price and the price on the street. But the tank only holds 13. If we left 2 or 3 gallons in the tank, we would REALLY screw ourselves (albeit only a $6 or $10 loss, but nonetheless a total scam.)

We (I) obsessed about using up all the gas in order to avoid the consequences of the fast talking counter rep., and practically ran out of gas trying to return it on fumes. It would be MUCH easier, and cheaper, to just fill the car before returning it to Budget as has been the usual proceedure in the past.

Susie of Ancover MN (12/20/06)
My husband picked up a car rental and was very QUICKLY given the walk around the car. The asian owner was so happy to give us his best car on the lot. We had it for 22 days and drove it 6 times. When we returned it the woman inspected the car and then went back inside to start the return process. The man then went out and started to inspect the car came inside and said there was a dent on the front hood where the car hood meets the bumper.

It was 5:30 at night and dark, but there were parking lot lights on. This dent looked like part of the cars aerodynamic style, and it was not appareent to the visble to the eye. The only way to know it was there was to feel the car. Our arguement is that they did not offer us the same level of inspection when we took the car. If they had, that dent would have been detected before we even took the car off the lot. We are honest people and if we did anything to the car we would pay for it, but we truely believe they are trying to pin something on us so that our insurance will have to pay for it and not theirs. They were smiling the whole time we were frustrated with this whole situation. This was an individually asian owned car rental place.

we will probably get stuck paying for something that was not our fault. We believe the dent may have been noticed while they were cleaning the car and wiping it down prior to our taking it, but they could not go after the previous renters because they already passed the car when they returned it. So,rather than report it to their insurance, they would catch the next person who comes along. Dumb on our part for not feeling the car when we rented it, but like I said we are honest non-suspecting people, so we never assumed this would have taken place. Lesson: don't settle for a walk around if you are not familiar with the car point out everything as minor as it may be and have them mark it or let them tell you it is part of the cars design.

Anna of Pompano Beach FL (11/20/06)
In September 2005, I was traveling to Europe. I rented a car from Budget through the airline. When signing the rental agreement in Berlin, I asked the desk agent whether I was signing up for insurance. The rental agreement was in German and I could not make much out of it myself. The desk agent confirmed that the insurance was covered under the agreement. Moreover, she said that since I was planning to travel in the car outside of Germany the insurance was mandatory.

While I was in Poland, the car was hit on a parking lot of a local supermarket by its employee operating a forklift. The police report was filed but I did not actually receive any documentation from the police. I was told that Budget needed to contact them about it. I returned the car to Berlin and gave the rental agent information needed to retrieve the incident report from the police. I haven't heard anything from Budget afterward. This October, over a year after the incident, I received a letter from a law firm in Germany in which it was said that the police in Poland had refused cooperation and I was responsible for all the repair cost which amounted to nearly 2000 euro.

To add an insult to injury, I am also supposed to pay the costs of the lawyer who took the case. I tried to contact the lawyer but to no avail. They do not respond to e-mail and on the phone I got a person speaking German only whom I could not understand. A month after I received the first letter, another came. In this one, the lawyer curtly stated that since I did not respond to their previous correspondence I am to pay the bill by the end of November or they will contact a lawyer in the United States. I called the police in Poland and requested the report to be released to me. They were most obliging and the report is now in the mail to me. When asked, the police said that nobody ever requested the report before me. I called Budget customer service asking to whom should I file a formal complaint and heard that this is not a customer service issue. I think that when a company is disrespectful, negligent, and unprofessional it is very much a customer service problem.

Jennifer writes (1/5/01):
Actually this happened to my father. He rented A Dodge Durango from a southern California Budget Rental Car Co. (I think Marina Del Rey). While driving on the I-10 freeway (going 60 mph) the hood just flew open. Luckily my dad is a great driver; he pulled over and no one was hurt.

He called Budget, they were closed. He contacted them the next day -- they did not seem to care, nor asked if he was ok nor offered to mention the incident to Dodge (who is ultimately at fault). Instead they slapped him with an insurance charge and charged him full price. My dad is writing a letter to Dodge and Budget, that is all he has time to do. He is a senior citizen and very lucky nothing horrible happened, too bad no one seemed to care.

My dad was very shook up for several weeks and had a dizzy spell. He paid full price for the rental and did not receive any compensation.

William of Chicago writes (12/20/00):
I rented a car from Budget. During my rental period, there was a thunderstorm which caused minor flooding. I personally did not get stuck in any deep water, the car was safely parked in front of a friend's house. When I came outside the car was not in any form of deep water, but it would not start. I figured I'd wait a few hours and maybe it would start later. The car still would not start. At this time budget was contacted and informed of the situation. They took down the location information and said that a tow truck would be dispatched.

Later I went to the Budget office to fill out any paperwork necessary. At that time, the clerk gave me a report to fill out explaining what happened, which I did. He gave me a few forms to sign, designating the rental charges totalling $167.76, which i signed and he said that I would get the receipt in the mail.

Lo and behold what I received in the mail: a bill for $1,730.98, for damages to the ECU (electronic control unit) which is most likely the reason the car would not start. They also included admin. fees, towing/storage, and loss of use. They sent me pictures showing areas of damage to the car. These pictures were not taken where the car was left, which is relevent to the ding on the back. I didn't hit anything while driving the car, so this ding must have occurred while being towed or while parked. As for the ECU, I don't see how this is to be my fault at all.

Other points of interest:

• The car only had 18,000 miles. Most cars are covered under a 3yr/36000 mi warranty. Are they trying to get me to pay for something already paid for?
• Technical service bulletins for 2000 Chrysler Sebring Convertible V6-153 2.5L SOHC VIN H SFI. issues 08-14-99, "VEHICLE START AND STALL OR VEHICLE NO START"
• Other complaints from consumers about similar problems with this particular car listed on ConsumerAffairs.com.

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