Budget Car Rental Reviews

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Budget Car Rental
★☆☆☆☆
1.3
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“They literally will take from you, take double...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by syeblues on 17/11/2023

They literally will take from you, take double deposits, not pay them back. Use them at your peril.

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“SO friendly!”

★★★★★

written by jeanetteannecchini on 30/06/2019

What incredible customer service with more than a smile - these gentlemen had me laughing and brought me out of the stress of travel with their friendly attitudes! Thank you to both the people I dealt with for brightening my day! I'll always choose Budget now! Sincerely,

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“Beware dishonest additional charges”

★☆☆☆☆

written by silviob on 16/03/2019

Beware dishonest additional charges. I was told when I picked up a car at the Bologna airport that I had to pay an extra 6-7 euros a day to rent snow chains or to rent a car with all-season tires (as per Italian law), even though I now realize that my voucher stated that chains were included for free. Very impolite and dishonest. To be avoided. I am still in the process of attempting to resolve this issue. I have rented many cars in Italy over the past year with other companies, and this is the first time I have had any problems. Never Budget again.

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“Nothing Budget about it.”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Drewh45 on 07/02/2019

The online confirmed booking was HALF the price we ended up having to pay when we arrived at the Phoenix airport rental place, and not just because of extra "airport taxes". I dont know if it was because they gave away the car we originally booked but the man we dealt with had no emotion on his face when we found out about the shocking price difference to what was promised online. He just said all the other rental companies would have the same price. NEVER USE AIRPORT CAR RENTALS EVERYONE! At least not in Phoenix AZ! Take a train/bus/cab far away from these people and rent from a local company.

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“Budget in every sense of the word. ”

★☆☆☆☆

written by francoguarasci on 19/01/2019

Initial 2 week rental was reasonable but I needed to add a driver for 3 days of my rental and was told I would be charged for the first 10 days(!) days of my rental. How is this acceptable? I was told I'd get ZERO refund for returning the car early. How is this acceptable? The price for additional drivers online is less than the rate at East Midlands Airport. Why would they misrepresent this? Phone line operator told us the wrong manned opening times for East Midlands Airport resulting in 2 wasted trips. Abysmal. Never again. Budget by name and nature.

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“Charged for rim scratches after car turned in”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 10/12/2018

I rented a Mercedes at the Munich train station. A very nice car, but when I turned it back in, and was told everything was okay, I received a letter after I returned to America that they now wanted to charge me a for a scratch on the rim for $300. I have wrote many letters and pleaded with Budget and Avis to check into this insurance situation, but no one will do it. The service attendants were very rude in Munich, and are getting away with this charge. I wrote to the American office, but they also would not help me look into the matter. Do not trust this company in Germany, and they have also lost my American business. No one helped me check the car out to cover any previous scratches. 

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“CHARGE YOU FOR DEFECTIVE CARS”

★☆☆☆☆

written by fertlone on 23/11/2018

Rented a car FROM BUDGET for 2 weeks - noticed there was a flashing light on dash. The rep. had no idea what it was. Took the car home (6 miles) and looked the warning up - had something to do with tires. Called Budget to return car but they were closed. Took car back the next morning for them to fix warning but they didn't. Returned defective car - BUT BUDGET STILL CHARGED ME FOR THE 2 WEEK RENTAL (OVER $350.00). STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE LIKE THIS!!

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“I came in to pick up my rental and was told by the...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 20/11/2018

I came in to pick up my rental and was told by the agent that their insurance was required and that my personal insurance could not be used. It being my first time renting a car and feeling overwhelmed with the paperwork, I took their word for it, although I declined other options they tried to add to my reservation including pushing me to upgrade to a larger vehicle. My cost ended up being double what I originally thought when booking through Hotwire. The agent was not very helpful with questions I had regarding the extra fees. Could not give me a straight answer to what they were for. Within the hour I spoke to a friend who told me they were inaccurate regarding insurance, which I also confirmed through my personal insurance company. When I respectfully and calmly drove back to the rental location, the agent was rude and said he would have to return the vehicle and re-rent it. This would have charged me double what I had already paid. The customer service line wasn't much help either. After they tried to blame HotWire first, which has nothing to do with the insurance option, they said they'd give me a full refund of the insurance but did not follow through, only giving me 25% back of what was paid for insurance. When I asked, again calmly, if they felt this was fair treatment, the phone agent just stayed quiet before continuing on. It seems stories are what this company is about more than respecting customers. This was my first and last time renting with Budget.

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“DO NOT RECOMMEND BUDGET ”

★☆☆☆☆

written by JOHALRK on 15/11/2018

I want to share the worst car hire experience I’ve ever had. I was travelling from Saudi Arabia to Birmingham Airport, UK, on emergency leave on Oct 14, having booked flights and car hire as soon as I heard my nephew was in ICU. Before boarding my flight that evening, I heard my young nephew had passed away. On arrival at Birmingham Airport the following morning, I approached Budget Car Hire kiosk and gave my booking number, UK driving license and passport. The clerk refused to accept the driving license as, on her system, I was not registered at the address shown on my driving license. I explained I’ve been at that address for 40 years. She asked for printed copies of utility bills which I wasn't carrying but I showed her an online Sandwell Council Tax bill paid on October 1, 2018. The Clerk refused to accept the on-line/paid invoice even though it verified the same name and address shown on my UK driving license. I spoke to several other Budget employees to verify what proof was needed to pick-up a prepaid vehicle. I then accessed the Sandwell Council website to obtain my online bill which, again, matched the name and address on my UK license but was told Budget do not accept on-line billing. I was also carrying an International driver’s license and Saudi Driving License and was able to show my on-line banking but again this was not accepted as proof. During my discussions with the desk clerks, I explained that I was on bereavement leave following the loss of a young lad but the clerk's approach was ‘everyone has issues’. I then had to make arrangements to get to the morgue and waited an additional hour. About 2 hours after landing, and while I was standing near the Budget Kiosk, the female desk clerk finally shouted at me “well, do you want the car or not?”? A few days later my brother flew in from Canada for the funeral and the same Desk Clerk offered a car as long as he had his driver’s license and a credit card. I am shocked at the lack of empathy shown to me. If I didn't have my drivers license, proof of address or payment card, I could understand why I couldn't collect the vehicle but in this case I had all the pertinent documents, albeit some were on-line. I later spoke to Budget Customer Services who confirmed on-line was acceptable, however, despite several calls and emails to Budget, I am still waiting for their response. At the very least, all Budget front desk clerks should be educated in good customer service and empathy. Thank you

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“high pressure outfit at MARSIELLES BUDGET DESK”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Winchester2000 on 09/11/2018

MAY 2018. Voucher with Auto Europe for Volvo car. Car not available but after 30 minutes came up with Alfa car which turned out to be hundreds of pounds extra.persuaded into having this car. Only extra I agreed to was taking their excess insurance. I signed a electronic pad . The agreement was in such small type it is impossible to read. Inspecting the paper work the next day I tried to contact both auto Europe and budget MRS....but no Rome answered. On return complained in detail to auto Europe....they said deal direct with Budget. I took 4 emails for Budget to respond. They rejected my complaints. With standard stock replies. They couldn't give a monkey!!!! All in all a terrible company. AVOID

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“Please make lots of photo's of the vehicle you hire !”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Jos_NL on 08/11/2018

Car rented at Budget, pick-up and return in Luton (United Kingdom) Upon retrieval on 14-9-2018 at the desk in Luton I received the necessary forms that I had to sign. After I received the keys, I asked who would walk to the car to see any damage. The answer was that the man who normally does this was doing the shopping and would be back in about an hour. But it was not a problem, I was allowed to take the car with me, there are no damages at all on me. Of course I did not want to wait 1 hour and I walked to the car and looked at it critically and took pictures, also of a tiny dent in the left rear fender. When returning to the counter, they told me that these photos were sufficient evidence to prevent me from being charged for the damage already present. Then taken the car and returned nicely (without damage) after 3 days. A few weeks later I received a registered letter in which I was held responsible for the damage that I had already noticed at the time of the pick-up (the dent) plus scratches on a light-alloy wheel. the total damage would amount to € 469.46. They had pictures of it, the scratches on the rim are barely visible, but still .... Obviously, I went into defense by emailing them the photo of the dent I had already noticed. Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the rims because in my opinion they were not damaged. After sending a number of e-mails back and forth in which they themselves admitted that their documentation was not in order, they finally admitted that I had not done the dent in the rear fender, but the scratch on the rim. They "met" me by not calculating any administrative costs but only the costs of repairing the rim of € 89, - Since it is not worth it to involve legal aid for this amount, I left it that way, but I strongly advise everyone not to rent a car at Budget / Avis! In principle, all car rental companies lure you with cheap rents on their sites but do not mention that the e.e.a. has to be added such as tax and I know what nonsense. Tenants are also all set aside to take out additional insurance when they pick up, which is often not even necessary. But if you are at the counter there, you will often be intimidated in such a way that many people take out that extra (expensive) insurance. You can better see if you can purchase a credit card with which you are insured against a certain amount (often € 500, -) against the damage that comes under your own risk. You can also take out insurance in the Netherlands to cover all "own risk" damages, which costs only € 5.50 per day (at Allianz). That is much cheaper than being confronted with this kind of rogue practices. Also, pay attention to the level of the deductible if the car is stolen, which can also be quite high! In short, as I said, basically all car rental companies are in danger, but I strongly advise you not to do business with Budget / Avis!

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“Be careful!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Powersts129 on 29/10/2018

Be careful!  I hired a car for a week while in France from their office at Charles Du Gaule airport in October 2018. As I drove off the forecourt I noticed the car's fuel gauge was showing approx 60% of fuel in the tank. As no hard copy of rent conditions were provided (their printer apparently was not working) we assumed that a full tank was not required on return of the car. After returning the car to Budget and returning home to the UK I received an invoice in the post for 128 euros for fuel (while in France I filled the tank only once, costing me approx 60 euros for a full tank). They had already taken the money from my credit card!!! Use another company!

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“The service was Pitts in Pittsburgh Airport ”

★★☆☆☆

written by TaylorPatton30 on 23/10/2018

We booked an upgraded Full Size car for collection at Pittsburgh Airport. The agent was miserable and unhelpful. She allocated a car that would not take the 4 bags promised in the specification and would only give us a car that would take our luggage if we paid an upgrade which appeared as insurance on the contract. Presumably she gained commission on that. We paid the alleged upgrade as we needed a car. I now see why Budget get such a poor rating.

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“Budget = Disaster”

★☆☆☆☆

written by mnm112 on 25/04/2018

I try to used Budget in Arab Emirates. It was disaster. First: they forgot about my booking. Second: because of their mistake they told me to pick up the car from another city - 50 km away my place. Third: they didn't rent me car - because employees couldn't make a deposit (lack of knowledge...). Forth: I lost half a day because of them. Fifth: I had to go back to my hotel by my own! And pay for it! Sixth: They didn't consider my complaint and didn't give back my advance payment for 5 months!!! The worst company I ever tried.

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“Mix up at office means no van and refused refund”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Sarahjayne1992 on 01/02/2018

After a mix up at the Sheffield branch we made 2 separate 1hr and 35minute journeys to collect the van on the 1st occasion yes was our fault as booked van in my name but wanted employee to drive van that couldn't happen we then asked the lady behind desk what we need to return later to collect van etc was told person who's card we paid with to drive van away plus id etc... I stressed to the lady we have a long journey so that is all we needed she said yes!!!! On return at 5.15 we were then asked for a holding deposit which OK I get that but had no other card to make the payment on me and with the time like it was we had no choice but to cancel our booking completely although this in some case is just a complete mix up as we wasnt fully aware of holding deposit etc however your staff at Sheffield should have been clearer and not wasted 6hours of our business day we are a very busy flooring service and lost 2 days totalling £800.00 over this and today we are told we will not get a refund however instore we where told our money will be refunded in 10 days that hasnt happened suprise suprise and basically treated like complete fools by the lovely adel at customer services in hungary! We are absolutely disgusted by this, obviously the mix up at the shop is just a mix up and legally we are more then untitled to a refund as we didn't receive the service we paid for through no fault of our own! But to be ridiculed and treated stupid and refused to be allowed to speak to a supervisor is just out right rude and un ethical! We work in a sales environment and absolutely know our rights 100% and we are definitely intitled to a full refund and would expect this matter dealt with

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“Pick up & Drop off Poor”

★★☆☆☆

written by AJH193 on 04/01/2018

First, the car was OK, new and clean but not what I ordered. Pick up at Antalya Airport Turkey was poor. Arrived Terminal 1 but Budget desk in Terminal 2 so had to go through security to get to it. Just what you need after 10 hours travelling. Drop off at Dalaman very similar. Contact number has automated response in Turkish so don't know what option to select to get through, so again had to go through security to reach the Budget desk, but......everyone had gone for lunch. In the end Avis took the car from me leaving me wondering if I will get my 300TL deposit back.

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“Extra Charges !”

★☆☆☆☆

written by agd46 on 07/11/2017

We rented a car from Budget at Almeria (Spain ) airport . Despite pressure from the agent we declined extra insurance as we have annual insurance cover . I actually said to the agent we require no extras and want to pay only for what was covered in our voucher (booking made through Auto Europe). On return of the car we were told that everything was fine and the additional charge of 89 euros would be deducted from our credit card . As we had a pre paid voucher for the rental we told them there should be no extra charges only to discover that they have included emergency assistance . It transpired that without telling me the agent had marked this extra cover on the rental agreement despite being told no extras . Unfortunately as it was late in the evening and the agreement was entirely in Spanish we failed to spot what she had done and signed the agreement. Obviously a regular practice at this Budget office and given the other reviews on this site something that is widespread with Budget rentals . Never use Budget again and although we consider ourselves frequent hire car users in future will ensure the rental document is scrutinised in every detail to ensure we don't get caught again by this sort of behaviour.

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“Hidden charges”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Andy_K on 16/10/2017

I booked a car from Budget for two weeks in August 2017, paying the full amount prior to travel. Whilst obtaining the vehicle I agreed to a further 20 euro charge for toll roads. When I arrived home my credit card had been debited for a further 95 euros. I emailed Budget four times and received no response. I then telephoned and was then put through to a call centre in Budapest who refused to repay the amount as they said I had agreed to further charges for roadside assistance which I had not. They would not refund the payment, the manager refused to speak with me and they could not explain why all my emails had been ignored. I will never book with Budget again and I am taking it up with the ombudsman.

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“If you have a long time to wait in line rent from. Budget ”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Retieb on 15/10/2017

Budget is the worst for customer service. This is the second and last time. Last time we ended up not waiting and rented from hertz. The line wait is over 45 minutes. They know how many cars are being rented yet do not have enough staff to handle. Their customers. Bad enough that you have to wait but I called customer service to ask him a question I was not rude but he hung the phone up on me because I asked him what we could do to get better service. Will never make a reservation with budget again. Still in line waiting for my car so can’t tell you about the condition. It has been an 45 minutes at this point and still not near the counter.

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“Budget car rental, Faro Airport”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 11/09/2017

We hired a small family car at Faro airport and paid £139 for the week. This included "Collision Damage Waiver" and "3rd Party" insurance. When we collected the car we were told to sign some extra forms to say we didn't want any extras. When we returned the car without a scratch a week later. When we got home we found we had been charged an extra 200 Euros for "Collision Damage Waiver" AGAIN, and things like "Roadside Assistance+" "Liability Charges" "Surcharges" and a few more smaller charges. I phoned the company who said it was correct and they then sent me an invoice. So the "extras "which I didn't ask for or need, ended up costing me more than the original booking including CDW. By contrast, earlier in the year I hired a car from another company for a week we had in France and we never had to pay a penny extra. I certainly won't be touching Budget Car Rental again.

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Asked by hoochiep on 17th February 2014 Report this content
Has anyone else fallen foul by the practise of the staff at the Budget Rental counter. I had previously purchased my car hire and the car was pre booked with all costs I required included. When reviewing the agreement I looked for the extra insurances I had requested and they were marked as not accepted what I hadn't noticed was the "non pkg" charges items which totaled 71.33 dollars which is on the left hand side of the agreement. Perhaps this was due to the employee telling me he hadn't added anything "no extra insurance" was his phrase. I wished I had recorded this conversation on my phone. Hindsight and exact science. I have subsequently been told this was for "The Emergency Roadside (RSN) service". I have no idea what this is and was not given any extra information as to what it was. Other than this the car was wonderful as so was the holiday although this does leave a sour taste in ones mouth. Has anyone else suffered as a result?

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Answers (3)
Report this content Wadw Written on: 18/02/2014
I have fallen foul of these creeps unfortunately. They charged me £200 to my credit card saying I had lost a luggage rack when there wasn't one to begin with! No warning only saw when checking credit card statement. Barclaycard would not help me trying to get cash back but I will never use them again for sure!
Report this content SexySimo Written on: 18/02/2014
I will never use Budget again after an incident I had in Italy, which cost me to almost miss my flight. The staff there are hopeless and don't know anything, and as a result I was severely over charged for Petrol costs, causing them to max out my credit card! Never, ever again!
Report this content inicholson Written on: 18/02/2014
I had a similar experience in the US - my car was upgraded (without explanation that the model offered was more expensive than the class I had prepaid) and I was overcharged because my payment of £400 GB was applied as a credit for for $400 US (the exchange rate meant they'd overcharged me around $200, plus the upgrade charges of another $400). I tried emailing Budget and seemed to be getting no where (I responded to every email they sent so they knew I wasn't giving up). At one point they offered me $12 compensation! I also contacted both my credit card providers (the pre-booking was on American Express and what I thought was a small surcharge and deposit when I picked up the car was on a Visa card). Visa were not especially helpful but Amex immediately stopped payment to Budget giving them 28 days to explain themselves. As my rental experience was in the US I also contacted the Better Business Bureau. I believe it was this that made Budget look again at their charges and acknowledge their error - they refunded the difference between my original booking and the total I had paid. If you rented in the US, I highly recommend bbb. I also recommend taking it up with your credit card provider (if you paid by credit card) - especially if you use Amex. If neither of those apply, don't just take no for an answer. I sent them 8 emails before I got a satisfactory response.
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