Budget Rent-A-Car – Lakeview

Going to this place always bums me out but unfortunately it’s the closest car rental place to my house. The guy who is always there w the beard is pretty mean and always in a sour sarcastic mood even when you’re just asking totally normal follow up questions. I’ve seen him in a good-​ish mood only once. It’s like a skit from a tv show, like the «no soup for you» guy except more subtle, passive aggressive sarcasm. A total bummer. He’s efficient, I’ll give him that but some people aren’t meant to work in customer facing jobs. If you have to go prepare yourself mentally for this and don’t get irrationally angry about it, that’s just the way he/​this place is… if you have the choice to go somewhere else would recommend it. Regarding the cars, they’re ok haven’t experienced any mechanical problems (knock on wood) but the cars sometimes aren’t that (or at all) clean.

Long story short: DON’T GO TO THIS STORE.
Here’s what happened to me: My family was coming from overseas to visit me. I decided to take them to a road trip, so they could explore a couple more cities other than Chicago. As it was a quick trip, I decided to take it to the next level and pay for a luxury car. The idea was for them to have a blast on their couple days here. I rented through Avis (this location works for both Avis and Budget) and prepaid, to make sure I’d have the car I wanted.
I have a friend who has rented at this store before and said it was ok. He also mentioned he has seen a white Cadillac there a few times, and that was probably the car I would get.
When the day came to pick up the car, I went to the store and this rude guy just said they didn’t have any luxury cars available, that it was a «busy day», and that I could choose between the only two available cars, for the same price I paid. The cars were a huge Ford truck and a minivan. Come on, both were not even close to what I reserved, to the experience I wanted to provide to my family. Then I see the white Cadillac my friend told me about, behind another car. I ask the guy «what about that white one». He replies «The only two available vehicles are the ones I showed you». That is, the luxury car is in fact there, but for some reason he didn’t want to give me that one, and didn’t provide me with any reasonable solution. I just didn’t know what to do, since the rest of the trip was booked, and driving a mini van or a huge truck made no sense.
Then a blessed customer that was there gave me the idea of transferring my reservation to another store. I didn’t know about this, neither the guy gave this option. It was almost noon, and I thought all other stores would also close at noon (Saturday), and I was with my hands tied. Fortunately, the customer tells me of some other stores that close at 3:30pm on Saturdays. The guy who was supposed to help me keeps walking from one side to the other, giving zero fucks to me. I stop him and ask him about transferring it to another store. He says it’s ok, and apparently does something on his computer, transferring my reservation to the N Clark store, I suppose. He says «you’re all set» and I believe that he actually transferred my reservation and perhaps was nice for once.
I get to the N Clark store, talk to the woman at their front desk, and find out the guy from the other store did nothing to transfer my reservation, didn’t call to check with the N Clark store, basically did nothing and just said «you’re all set». I couldn’t believe he was such an incompetent and was screwing my family trip. At this store, they didn’t have a luxury car either, but at this point I just wanted a nice car to hit the road with my family. They couldn’t transfer my reservation because it was prepaid to another store, with a debit card. I had to make a whole new reservation with my dad’s credit card, paying the price of the day, not of a reservation done weeks before. Then I had to call customer service later to get a refund on my initial reservation, which I wasn’t able to use.
The lady at N Clark store was really nice, and did her best to help me and get the best price and car she could. She saved my trip with my family, while that other guy from N Broadway store didn’t know the meaning of the word «reservation», and didn’t give a f*** to the whole situation. Seriously, he was too busy to even look at my eyes. The car I had reserved was there, but he didn’t even mentioned it. Instead, he gave me the option of two other cars that were not even similar, that made no sense for what I wanted, and left me there wondering what to do. Then when I thought he was doing something and transferring my reservation, he was faking it and leaving me with my own luck after leaving the store. Worst customer service ever.
Save yourself from a bad experience and don’t go to this store. They may screw your plans. Instead, try the N Clark store. They may be a bit more expensive, but they’ll do everything as expected and help you with any issue. In the end, I spent more money, time, and stressed my family and me. You don’t need to do the same.

I rent from this location frequently and am pretty shocked at the negative reviews! The staff is always pleasant, helpful and efficient. Vehicles are always available when I’ve reserved them, and the prices are good. Its a car rental place, not a five star restaurant, so there isn’t much more for me to comment on…

Terrible service. The guy was rude and unhelpful. If the computer says no then these guys say no. They can’t use their common sense.

Rented from the Avis at this location. Terrible selection of vehicles. I reserved a full size vehicle and they attempted to give me a lime green toy sized car. I told them that was unacceptable and was told that it would be 30 minutes before I could get a new car. And then waited as 15+ people came in and out to receive cars. Do not rent from here, unfortunately I’m stuck with this one as it is the only one in m neighborhood.

One of Customers service really asshole I ever met today I felt bad and never use the service here ever, I know you need to go home or have own problem but the way you act like never welcome and not explain well, even I talk nice this is show how root of your background are is make lost one customer and it’s that why budget is became lower rate, company better train employees very well otherwise you don’t get even one star, and that other rate you high maybe because other employees or phone service are better not this man in this location. I really felt bad about it and mad about it, that’s all I want to say, good luck

Adam needs a class in customer service. Couldn’t even get a thank you from him after I dropped off car. Seemed totally bothered after I asked one simple question. Probably the crabbiest man I’ve ever met. Get a new job if you’re that miserable at this one.

I only wish Unilocal had a minus five rating!
One of the rare positive reviewers suggests the innumerable complaints about this Budget franchise might be coming from those not knowledgeable about renting.
WRONG!
I am a VERY frequent renter and have been for decades. Budget has always been my favorite. So, when we recently moved to Chicago I was ecstatic to learn a Budget rental was within 2 blocks of our new digs. My first and NEVER AGAIN experience was my worst customer experience EVER… and I am not restricting that to just bad car rental experiences.
When I returned the rental car, the amount charged was different from what was on the original reservation. That oversight happens from time-​to-​time (with all rental car companies) and when it is pointed out a correction is made. I was stunned when the representative behind the counter would not do so… so, I asked to speak to the owner. Guess what??? I WAS speaking to the owner, Terry. Terry then went off on me with an unbelievable sarcastic and belligerent tirade before rushing out from behind the corner (which scared the crap out of me as he was so angry I felt an assault was not out of the question). I considered myself fortunate in that he simply brushed by me and walked out the door, leaving me standing there speechless. Absolutely incredible!!!
I subsequently wrote to the Budge CEO and received an immediate apology. He also refunded ½ of my rental charges and forwarded my complaint to his District Manager.
I would suggest the many others who have had suggest horrible experiences do the same. This place needs to be put out of business to protect other innocent consumers and to also protect the Budget brand. Here is the contact info:
Mr. Ronald Nelson, CEO
Budget Rent a Car Systems, Inc.
World Headquarters
No. 6 Sylvan Way
Parsipanny, NJ 7 054
Also, there is a wonderful Enterprise franchise that we are now using on a regular basis. ALL of the staff (Deena, Anna, Evan, Dee, Cory and Tim) are fun, friendly and VERY service oriented… and their rates are competitive.
Enterprise
2900 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL 60 657
773−880−5001

I’ve rented from here 3 times now as it’s walking distance from home. Rates are very reasonable, hours of operation are fair and always have cars available. Very fast check in process and usually in and out in 5 min.
The guy checking cars back in (service guy) could be nicer but don’t really have to deal with him.
Will keep coming back if rental car needed.

I told the man on the phone I needed a rental car for a funeral and I had a few questions. It’s last minute, I don’t have time to transfer money from my debit card to my credit card, can I use it, can I leave today, if the website says you have cars and you say you don’t, what does that mean, do I really have to go all the way to the airport, etc. I have never received so much attitude, he answered everything curtly and as though I was creating a problem for him. I’m already distraught. Worst customer service ever.

very rude service-​they didnt answer my questions weel-​the skinny 40years old guy was so rude! i didnt feel comfortable over there. they gave me another car which cost me 100 $ more for my trip. that guy answered me like take your key and go! they were angry! i was thinking avis is the biggest brand but i dont think so anymore. they think they are professional but they are not. talking like robotic machine– unfriendly-​interrupted me many times. i wasn’t expecting a bad service in lakeview. i wont go there again!

No problems at all. Got there when they opened on a Friday morning, did not have to wait at all. Service was prompt, curt, and the car was waiting for me, ready to go. Returning the car was just as smooth — took all of 3 minutes. Charges were accurate and Budget had the best price for a mid-​sized SUV out of all the rental places I price checked (and I checked them ALL).
Do your homework, but this place really is fair. A lot of the complaints might come from not being totally knowledgeable on renting a car. In general, it can be a pain (age restrictions, debit vs. credit, etc.), but this location was nothing but ease.

I had a great experience here. I booked on
and both my pickup and return were extremely quick.
The original car that was assigned to me was not to my liking, even though it was withing the class of car that I had reserved, and when I asked for an upgrade I was accommodated immediately and given a great car!
Great service, I will be back!

In short: they only hold a reservation for half an hour, a fact that isn’t published, and the service representative was extremely rude.
I rent fairly regularly from Avis for work, am an Avis Preferred member, and have always been happy with the service and vehicles provided up until I rented from this location.
I had a reservation for a car I planned to use to travel for a week over the holidays at 9:00 a.m. I knew that was an optimistic departure time, but booked it at that time in case I was able to wake up early. Within the boundaries of my own expectations, I didn’t make it to the rental center until 11:00 a.m. by which point I was informed my car had been given away and that nothing was available for me. In retrospect, I certainly understand that you can’t hold a car indefinitely — I haven’t put any money down. However:
1) No where in any policy that was sent to me or that I could find online specified a limited grace period. The gentleman at the counter told me it was half an hour when I asked. That is astonishingly short based on my experience (I’ve routinely picked up rentals an hour after the reservation). And ACE Rent a Car, whom I ended up having to rent from at the airport, clearly stated in their confirmation email that their policy is a 2-​hour hold.
2) The «gentleman» at the counter was as abrupt as he could be. He said no more than a dozen words to me to the effect that I was late, the car was gone, and he couldn’t help me. Even if this was an unwritten policy that I should have called to discover, he could have felt sympathetic to my predicament, but instead treated me with contempt. After leaving, I checked the Avis app on my phone to discover that there was in fact a luxury vehicle available at the location. I can understand if he couldn’t upgrade me for free, but at least try to up-​sell me instead of saying he couldn’t help me. In fact, why couldn’t he have helped me make an Avis reservation at the airport or another location? Instead, he drove my business elsewhere.
3) How hard would it be to place courtesy calls when a reservation’s grace period is going to expire? Even if it were automated (the system certainly has the reservation time and whether or not it’s been picked up already) or just for Preferred members, it seems like a relatively easy yet valuable way to prevent such negative customer experiences as I had.
Bottom line: they should have a published policy on grace periods, courtesy calls would easily avoid this kind of customer service disaster, and there’s no excuse for being rude.

Standoffish and rude monkey-​den that also rents cars. Apparently I am not the only one who has had a run in with the angry little squib that runs the place here… he was refusing to even give me his name… but I think the other reviews have it. The guy has a way with people second only to a schoolyard bully. And it seems to have infected the other employees too.
Being charged for an entire day of rental before they even opened for business was bad enough, but the rash of crap I got from the staff for asking about it is totally not necessary. The mind boggles that they expect to stay in business treating customers as they do.
There may exist a reason they all got so wound up, but I may never know how exactly. Not just the mystifying overcharges but the whole returning experience was one of fear and loathing in the car shop. Did I catch them on a bad day? How many bad days does this guy have given the other reviews?
Fair mention, there is exactly one person I’ve run in to here who is actually kind of nice. It’s too bad the rest are so damned mean spirited. Until they grow up, there’s a competing shop within a mile that will deliver a car, for free and with no bad attitude.
Do yourself a favor here, save the stress and as the gentleman so eloquently put it, call someone who cares. Someone else.

I’ve never been called an «asshole» and «a little petty bitch» so many times in 10 minutes, let alone by someone I was forking over $ 300 to. This Budget is absolutely awful. I’ve seen better customer service at jails in Thailand. The manager’s name here is Glenn and when I asked him about details on the contract, or to inspect the car I was paying for, he got pissed and said I was a petty asshole wasting his time. I asked if he always talked to people this way. «Just the annoying assholes who want to make things difficult,» he said. It was 6 o’clock, time for them to close, so I guess I was holding them up.
I had come in about 20 minutes earlier but even though I had pre-​paid, they refused to accept my debit card. A sign on the counter said they would run a credit check on anyone using a debit card, yet they still said I couldn’t use the card there. I could sprint home to get a credit card or come back the next day. I asked if they’d stay open an extra 5 minutes since I lived a mile away, and they said absolutely not. I made it back before 6 and that’s when they started talking to me like I was really screwing up their day. Unless you like being belittled and talked down to, while paying too much for a rental car, don’t go here.

This review is for Avis, and really should have been 5 stars up until the critical moment when we went to pick up the car.
I was so impressed by their rates that I booked with them months in advance and spoke with them over the phone weekly to verify my rental. I was feeling great about the whole deal, as everyone I spoke with was so friendly and helpful. I was even able to switch the rental to my boyfriend’s name, as he is the better driver.
Once he arrived to get the car, he was told that his debit card came back with a bad credit rating. Okay, sure, he doesn’t have an immaculate credit score. But I do. I’ve checked. So I ran (literally, we were in a rush) the 2 miles to the storefront with my debit card. It also came back negative. I was sure that my identity had been stolen, so I freaked out. You would think that the guy behind the counter might be like, «Hey, here are some other options. Let’s not panic, as I want to make this sale and get you out the door.» Nope, he wouldn’t even try a different computer or give me any sort of idea what to do next. So I called the corporate offices, and the kind folks there recommended I use a credit card. How completely logical, and something that the guy behind the desk might have thought of if he wasn’t so busy being a snob.
By the way, I re-​checked my credit score 2 days later. Totally perfect. So either their system was whacked out or this is a scam they use to deny debit card owners rental cars. Either way, it cost us an extra $ 65 in ‘young driver’ fees as I am under 25 years old and my boyfriend is not. Boo, hiss, back to renting with Hertz.

Almost as awful as their partner in crime Avis who sends you bills 2 years after your rental…
Went to rent a car via Hotwire. Got a great rate, was told there is a $ 200 deposit for debit card use. What they don’t tell you is that they are going to run a credit check on you without your permission which is a no no. And then be douchey to you when you ask what they are doing and why they are doing it. I rent cars all the time, I just happened to leave my credit card at home but thought no worries, I’ve plenty of cash in my account. Didn’t know I needed qualify to actually buy the car…
Sorry dude, in the middle of a refi, not happening…

I’ve never rented a car before, and I have to say this was… PERFECT experience. Exactly what I hoped for. I was already pretty disgruntled to have to rent a car in the first place as my transmission went out on my Acura and I knew it’d be in the shop for a week or more. I figured, «oh, great, these guys are gonna try and screw me» as I’ve seen it happen to many friends in the past.
An awesome place! A REALLY smooth experience from the night I reserved it online to the day I dropped it off.
They worked fast to get me my car 10 minutes before they closed for the night at 6pm (I had to hustle to get their after work), but were still very friendly and didn’t make me feel stupid about my inexperience renting a car. I spent about 5 minutes in the place. It was so easy, I almost forgot my troubles of my existing car in the repair shop.
They didn’t hassle me about insurance after I told them I will be providing my own — which I totally expected them to try and «sell» me on… and they didn’t even need me to show them my documentation which I brought with me. They just said «OK, no problem».
I filled out an online reservation, and I thought I’d get an older Hyundai Accent (compact) but I ended up with a 2010 silver Chevy Cobalt 4-​door that smelled brand new inside. In fact all their cars there looked brand new. It was also extremely clean inside and out — like it had just been detailed.
My brand new Cobalt had only 4500 miles on it. I’ve never driven a brand new car — it was pretty neat, kind of a girly car compared to my Acura TL that was in the shop, but it had nice acceleration, and rode smooth and safe — heck I think even the suspension felt stiffer/​nicer than my Acura. I was definitely not ashamed or felt ripped-​off driving this car around.
I also used an online coupon code that saved me 25% off my rental. It was extremely cheap considering I rented the car for almost 12 days — final bill was around $ 360 (not including filling up with gas) — not too bad considering they don’t hit you for mileage.
That’s right, they don’t count mileage, (I believe most car rental places do) but they only count the amount of days you need the car to be rented for. I even called them the day after I rented the car to double-​check JUST IN CASE I was mistaken, and the guy on the phone simply said, «Nope, we only charge you for the time you have the car.»
«No mileage?» I asked again.
«No mileage charges. Anything else I can help you with?» Super friendly desk guy — whoever he was.
All I had to remember to do was fill the car up with gas before returning it — which wasn’t a problem because the car got really good gas mileage in the first place. I think I filled up 1.5 times in 12 days — and I drive every day — even took a trip out to Aurora and back (that’s like 80 miles round trip).
Overall, I hope I won’t need to rent a car again anytime soon, but I would absolutely, 100% go to these guys again and recommend anyone who needs to rent a car near Lakeview to go to them, heck it’d even be worth it for people in Lincoln Park, Wicker, Humbolt, Bucktown, etc to go there as lots of other rental places seem to have a bad rep.
Great service, great staff, great prices, extremely reasonable! Would use again if needed.

When I need to rent a car I don’t want mileage or strict time limit constrictions… I want the open road, the wind in my hair… wait a second, I am balding and I am usually stuck on the Kennedy… But I still don’t want mileage or time constrictions.
This is probably heresy, but I really don’t like all the dos and don’ts that go along with using I-​GO or Zipcar. I want to go online, reserve my car, pick it up, use it, return it, and have it show up on my credit card statement. This is exactly what Budget does, nothing more nothing less, and they do it in a professional manner. If you don’t feel like walking or taking the bus to their location, they will pick you up. I also find that the rates are quite competitive with the car sharing services.
The only reason I am not giving Budget 5 stars? I wish they would stay open later… 6 pm weekdays and 1 pm weekends just isn’t late enough.
P. S. I am so excited to get a «first to review» in Chicago I think I might pee myself.