Complain about a product or service

Budget Rent-A-Car

Linda of Corona Del Mar, CA February 22, 2009

I, a single woman, picked up the car on a Saturday, returned it on Monday, after having done nothing but visit my 2 elderly aunts in the Bay Area. 2 weeks later a letter just came from Budget claiming I had returned the car with the interior in a very soiled condition and they would have to charge me to clean it. What rot! What a scam, as there is no way 1) I can prove the contrary nor 2) can they prove the truth of their fabrication, so it seems they win. Why did it take them so long to decide the car returned by me was so dirty? Seems like several other people must have rented it during that time.

Monica of Wichia, KS February 16, 2009

I rented a car for the Wichita KS airport to be returned to the Denver Airport. I was given a rate of 109 pluss 9 for an extra driver. The agent then questioned the age of the other driver.then said there might be an extra charge for under 25 drive. I asked what that cost would be and the agent got on the phone to tried to ask someone what it would be. He could not get anyone to answer the phone so he said to forget any charge for an under age driver. I got the paper work for the car and it showed there were no defects in the car.

When I checked the car I found several areas of chipped paint. I went back in to report this and was told it was a corporate car and most of them had damage on it but the agent added the defects to the agreement. When we started the car the fuel gauge arrow was on the under side of full. The car was returned to the Denver airport having filled the car in Parker with more gas that the car started with. the receipt that was given when the car was returned was for 127. My credit car was charged 169. I called the company to question the charge and was told that I had to contact the local company since it was not a corporate owned company. I called the local budget and was told that the would refund the amount charged for the under 25 drive. I have not recieved any refund and was not told the added 17 was for. I emailed Budget and have not heard from them this was 2 weeks ago

Charged 42 above the reciept

Peter of Essex Jct, VT February 14, 2009

I rented a Ford Edge at the counter of the Budget Rent a Car office in South Burlington, Vt. on 12/19/09. I was quoted around 650 at the counter - outrageous as on-line I later found it quoted for around 380. But, my car had broken down and I had to drive to NYC that night, so I didn't have much choice. I told the woman at the counter that I would be returning on 12/22/09 after 9:00 PM. She said that they would not be open at that time, but that it was fine - all I had to do was write down the date and time of the return on the contract and place the key and contract in a drop box outside their office door. I did exactly that.

Now, unfortunately, I don't have a copy of that contract. When I checked my credit card bill, I found that they had over-charged me by around 400. I couldn't imagine what the problem was. I went into their office in person on 1/19/09 and asked them to explain why I was charged more than what I was quoted. The same woman who rented the car to me was there and she pulled up a record that claimed that I was 4 days late returning the car. That is totally false.

I had a co-worker with me and she can testify that we returned the car between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM on 12/22/09. The woman appeared to believe me when I explained that I had returned the car as agreed to on 12/22/09 and she proceeded to fill out some paperwork that she said would be forwarded to another office for processing of a credit in the amount of the over-charge to my credit card. She said the credit could take up to 15 days to go through. Today, 2/14/09, I called my credit card company and found that no credit had been posted by Budget Rent a Car.

I immediately went into the office again and the same woman was there. She said that she would try putting a request for a credit again, but said she couldn't tell me what the amount would be. She said that I should call them on 2/16/09 to find out what they would be able to do because she needed to obtain a copy of the original contract and she needed to confer with a supervisor in the meantime. I asked her if she could check the GPS records which would should show that the car was in their parking lot on the evening of 12/22/09, but she expressed uncertainty as to whether that was possible.

She then seemed to indicate that their office wasn't even open until 12/26/09 to which I asked how they could hold their not being in the office on 12/23/09 against me? She had no answer. I am extremely frustrated, as I agreed to an outrageous amount to begin with and then I was falsely charged about 400 for being late when I was not late. I will now have to wait and see what they say on 2/16/09 when I call them.

Levi of El Paso, TX February 13, 2009

A few months back my wife rented a car from Budget rental, and as always we checked our personal car insurance package (with USAA) and contacted them to see that the car was covered,w which it was. We also checked with our credit card company to see if we had CDW/LDW coverage, and we did. so we declined the extra coverage from Budget. Unfortunately my wife was involved in an accident with the car. No personal injury, just body damage to the rental car ( a deer ran into the car). We did the paperwork/police report and all for the car and took photos and all.

After a few months we heard back that the car (a 2008 Toyota Camry, valued at about 25,000) had about 4000 worth of damage which our insurance was going to cover. However this is where it gets concerning, Budget decided to not take the money to fix the car and sold the car for about 10,000. Now my understanding is they did not total the car because the damages was not more than 50% the value of the car. Now they are billing us for the remaining amount on the car. We had CDW/LDW with our credit car, but per them they would cover just damages too, since the car should not have been totaled, and thus sold. We are been harrassed by the handler of this for Budget, and are trying to seek counsel to see what is our next step. we feel we did all the right things as a consumer, yet Budget sold the car.

Per our insurance and credit card company they are saying Budget is in the wrong and should not have sold it. We are just confused frustrated and upset. We really want to know are they in the right to do something like this, because if we had taken their CDW/LDW would they had done the same thing and their insurer declined to help the same as the credit card company is doing. We are just upset and want to insure this does not happen to another consumer, and that consumers are aware of this.

We are being harrassed daily to pay the remaining 10,000 by the handler for Budget, and threatened with collections. We just feel we did everything as an informed consumer, but are being swindled by the rental car company, who appear to have sold the car to try to make money as oppose to just fixing the car.

Terry And Diana Keener of Westminster, CO February 7, 2009

We rented a Chevy Impala from Budget at Indianapolis Airport on December 25th, 2008. We made the reservation online earlier in the month of December. The arrangements were we were to pick up the car in Indianapolis and were to drop off in Dayton Ohio on the 26th before 4:00pm. We were charged 125.00 for the above transaction. It was a one way drop off for one day.

We stayed in Miamisburg Ohio with our daughter. When we left to drop off the car on the 26th, we discovered a flat tire. We pumped the tire up but the tire would not hold because of a slow leak. After numerous phone calls to Budget we finally were transferred to the Miamisburg location. The woman we talked with said they would contact the Emergency Roadside Assistance and they would pick up the car. We told her we were instructed to drop off the car at the Dayton Ohio location. She replied their location would be fine. They would take care of seeing the vehicle was returned and settle our contract. We were to leave the keys in the gas tank cap and the contract in the glove box which we did.

We were unable to refill the gas tank as instructed per the contract. We also could not return the car to the Dayton location as instructed per our contract. The Emergency Roadside Service did pick up the vehicle. No one seems to know what became of the vehicle next. Miamisburg location is the key to the problem.

I, Diana, waited two weeks for the payment to show up on our debit account to no avail. I started calling the 800 customer service number in mid January 2009. My first phone that I marked down was on January 17th. I have made subsequent phone calls to the 800 customer service number, then to Indianapolis airport, too numerous to count. The reply has been that the individuals mentioned above (and many others) would look into the situation and call me back. Each time they did not. We are in their computer listed as an open account.

All we want to do is resolve this problem and pay our bill (125.00). We left all copies of our contract in the vehicle as instructed. We therefore do not have any documentation.

Hank Van Den Ham of Mansfield, OH January 31, 2009

When renting the car I was told that I wouild be charged 1.90 per gallon of gas. When i brought the car back I was charged 25.87 for the full a full tank of gas. I HAD JUST FILLED THE TANK BEFORE RETURNING THE CAR. The contract i signed said amount due 28.87 I WAS LIED TO BY THE FEMALE THAT HELPED ME.

Malik of Edinboro, PA January 19, 2009

I rented out a mini van to pick up my family from air port. The mini van they gave me was dodge van Very very uncomfortable. I wish they can make dodge vans like dodge carvan etc. It does not have good road grip at all. I returned the van and when I check my credit card charges next day, their was 50.00 charge extra just for nothing. I called the manage and he told me that he does not know why they are their and he told me it will be refunded.

Its been a week I did not see that refund back on my card yet. My profession is related to audit companies and my question is if they are doing this with many cutomers they will be soon in big trouble. I will give them a little time to refund my money. But I will never do business with budget at all.

James M. Kinne of Endwell, NY January 15, 2009

I need to make a correction. Health Savers did state that Budget would give them my credit card number. This is how it works: HealthSavers sends Budget a bill for my membership fee of 94.99. Budget pays it and then uses my credit card number, which I gave to them, to get their money back. That way they get past their own privacy policy and break no laws. Pretty fancy, hey? Budget gets to pretend they are a billing agency for other companies.

James M. Kinne of Endwell, NY January 14, 2009

In late June 2008, I rented a Budget car at the airport in Asheville NC. I was a satisfied customer. In October 2008, I received a check for 10 from Budget Car Rental, along with a letter saying this check was their way of thanking me for choosing them and urging me to use Budget again.

I thought it was a rebate or discount of some kind. I cashed the check. In January 2009, HealthSavers sent me a membership card, ready for use, for discounts on health related goods and services, including prescription drugs. I never applied for this membership.

It took a careful reading of the fine print on the BACK of their letter to learn that after a 30-day free trial, they would charge my credit card for the next six months of membership to the tune of 94.99 OR for the then current membership fee. I called the number on the card and asked to cancel this membership that I did not apply for. I was told that when I cashed the 10 check from Budget six months ago, I had agreed to sign up with HealthSavers!

I asked the person if HealthSavers already had my credit card number. She said no, but Budget did. And if I did not cancel the 30-day free trial, they'd notify Budget Car Rental and Budget would give HealthSavers my credit card number. I am outraged that this transfer of my private information would take place without my knowlege or permission.

If I had thrown away that HealthSavers card, thinking it was junk mail, and did not call immediately to ask what the hell it was, I'd be shocked by my next credit card bill and have to spend days on the phone trying to find out who charged me 94.99. I found out on the Internet that Budget is also running this scam with rebate checks that sign you up with an outfit called Elite Excursions. If this practice is not illegal, it is at least a violation of Budget's own privacy policies. Can something be done about this?

I am 64 years old. I can't read fine print even with my glasses. The most damaging thing is that I feel duped and stupid and worried about my competence. The economic damage is that I'll have to buy a monster magnifying glass and trust NO ONE ever again.

Cristina of San Diego, CA January 13, 2009

I was supposed to have received 3000 delta skymiles from Budget Rent-a-car because I rented a car for 2 days during the last week of August. At this time, I only received 100 sky miles. I have been told by Budget countless times that it takes up to 90 days in order for the miles to post.

However, the 90 day time frame has passed and I still have not seen a credit of 2900 miles on my account. It is now January 13th (PAST 90 days!!!!). Budget has not been responsive to my emails about the status of my 2900 miles. I've been given the runaround constantly by them and I will NEVER use them for my car rental needs. I will also discourage anyone else from using them.

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