Budget Rent A Car

This is one of the worst car rental experiences ever and I travel a lot on business.
First, the cancelled my reservation because I made it West Coast time & their computer said I was East Coast. Car was OK. New, clean.
Return was unreal. The attendant didn’t know how to use check out computer, had to call over another person who couldn’t print out receipt. Same problem with West vs East Coast time, claimed I returned it late. Had to go to office and get supervisor involved. Then I found out they overcharged me $ 190 !!! for gas claiming tank was empty when I had just filled up less than 2 miles from drop off. Whole process to straighten out took 45 minutes!
Budget claimed Onstar problem. How about just looking at the gas gauge morons.
Three words of advice for prospective renters-DON’T DON’T DON’T

I’m not sure if I just happened to come in at the wrong time, but I stood in a line of about 8 – 10 people and it took nearly 50 minutes for me to actually reach the concierge desk. The staff was friendly but annoying. Even though I used Budget Prepay they still attempt to get you to add on services to increase their revenues. I’d really recommend that you take your business elsewhere to someone a bit more staffed. I’ll probably just go to enterprise next time I fly into Port Columbus International.

Never before have I been compelled to write such a detailed review until today!
Visiting Ohio for the first time from CA for a work conference. My husband booked the rental car from budget in the airport in Columbus. Although we landed at 7:30 and we were at Budget by eight we didn’t leave by nearly 10 P.m. Unfortunately we had a horrendous experience there and the customer service was nonexistent.
When we attempted to pay for the car rental with my credit card I was advised by staff member, Ganet, that that would not be possible. I advised her that I need to pay for the rental on my credit card but she said that my husband had to use his card. When I asked why I couldn’t be added to the rental she said she couldn’t make any changes. She said we would have to get a new confirmation number from her and a brand-​new rental agreement for today which is almost double the price! How can this be happening when we already have a reservation? Staff just doesn’t care.
Since it was my first time in Ohio and these people were my first experience here, I thought maybe this is how everybody acts in Ohio. That worried me.
In order to avoid paying so much we decided to look at other options. So it took two hours for us to call multiple other rental companies, walked around to the other airport companies, looked over online companies and finally spoke to a manager at budget to see if he can help us.
His name is Marc. This manager was not accommodating, he had zero customer service skills, he also never smiled with a flat affect and didn’t seem to care that we were stuck at the airport and he wouldn’t help add me to my husbands car rental agreement which is what we wanted in the first place.
I asked him if I could be added and pay with my credit card so that we can keep our low cost rental instead of doubling the price and having to get a new car rental paymentand he said that I had to show him a marriage certificate.
A marriage certificate? ???
Although that sounded odd I thought… well I know I have a marriage certificate copy in my email! Now we can keep the lower rental agreement and not have to start a new one that’s more expensive. Marc said that he needed a hardcopy and would not accept an electronic copy of this.
Basically he wanted to know that we were married before he would add me on to my husband’s rental agreements. He also said we needed toshow proof that we lived at the same address but since we just moved our IDs do not match. I asked if we can have somebody from California email me a copy of our mail from our house and he said no. He needed a hard copy. completely frustrating!
On one hour of sleep and feeling very tired and almost 2 hours into this I was getting pretty frustrated. I knew something wasn’t right and I could not figure out why nobody at budget would help us.
I asked him for the customer service phone number and he told me «they are probablynot open right now» as if to deter me from calling at 9 PM. The manager also warned me that that is their «policy» and customer service can’t change it.
Out of my frustration I called customer service and was pleasantly surprised that someone was helpful and provided me good customer service. The girl on the phone was able to add me on to my husbands account very easily with no difficulty. What’s interesting is she did not need any proof of our Marriage or proof that we live together to do this. Interesting!
Now, I already knew when the manager asked us for two different types of documents to prove were married or that we live together it was ridiculous but I was tired and I just wanted to give him what he asked for. When he wouldn’t accept an electonic copy I had to call customer service to get some help.
The customer service representative was able to modify my reservation and we were able to get a decent deal since she helped us with a discount in addition. After two hours we finally went back to the desk and got what we wanted without any help from any staff at the budget at the airport.
I work in the service industry and it is vital. The staff there was laughing and talking with each other on the side, but when helping customers they are straightfaced with no smile –no positive attitude and in fact it seems like they just enjoy telling people «no». I will never rent from them again and in fact will be calling customer service tomorrow to complain about the management and staff.
On a sidenote, when the budget staff member advised me that our rental was going to change from $ 330 to$ 640 because we had to establish a new rental agreement I thought that
Today I felt like we were being taken advantage of and making us jump through hoops that obviously are not «policy»!!! Call customer service for Budget and report this to the Better Business Bureau if you feel that you’re being taken advantage of or not receiving good service.

Deceptive – I prepaid and the clerk then added insurance to my rental when I went to pick up the car. Never asked me if I wanted to add anything. I have rented from them before and had no issues. I will not be back.

This company double charged me for a vehicle I prepaid for and tried to claim I had added «additional services». I had declined these services at the counter, but was charged regardless. When I called their customer service (took 35 minutes on hold before answering), they were extremely combative and acted like it was my fault for their mistake. I will be avoiding this company in the future for my car rentals, and I suggest you do the same.

Never rent from them! Run as fast as you can!
I rented from here recently. When picking up my car from Ashley, she asked me if I wanted any additional services or the damage waiver. I told her no. She then rushed me through signing a form without letting me read it and said everything was fine and sent me on my way.
When I go to return the car, I see I have a $ 300+ additional charge on the account. She had added the damage waiver. When I explained to Ganet what happened she called me a liar and a thief and wouldn’t take it off the account.
I then went to a supervisor on their customer service number and they took the same stance and wouldn’t take it off, no matter what I said. This brought my 10 day rental of a compact car to nearly $ 650. Talk about a serious ripoff.
I’m not the only one this has happened to. Save yourself and go to anyone else but them. It will happen to you. Don’t think it won’t. They are clearly a scamming company trying to take your money then act like it’s your fault.

Really disappointed in my experience here. This was my first time renting a car by myself and was charged supplemental coverage at cost and an upgrade at cost that were never communicated to me when I got my car. It wasn’t until the credit car charge came through that I noticed that the charge I originally signed up for was doubled. Budget claimed that there was no contract on file and momentarily later «found» the lost contract and claimed there was nothing they could do. I’m disgusted and their deceit and lack of desire to do their customers right. Steer clear.

Do not rent here.
Only one of the rental companies with huge line, poor efficiency, poor service, would never rent from
this company regardless of cost again and advise you give your business to another company.

How are they still in business!!!
We found an excellent deal online, prepaid for it. When we got to the store, we were told they would not be able to give us the car for about 3 vague reasons. So now it will be 10 days til we get our money back. The «lady» who worked there treated us and the man before us like we were stupid. The floor was covered in dirt, it needed a serious vacuuming. They screwed up our trip and were disrespectful about it. No wonder they have so many bad reviews!!!

DO NOT RENT A CAR from here (or from Avis here; they are the same company, or from another Budget Rent a Car if you can help it; I had a bad experience in Minneapolis too). I was twice promised a rate (once by phone and once at the counter) and did not get it. When I called to complain I was told too bad and have a nice day. When I rented my car, the computer was down so everything was written by hand; I understand technology issues, but the form I signed had areas left blank, which isn’t copacetic. The car was fine but I had no owner’s manual so had to waste a LOT of time figuring the various controls (come on, no owner’s manual?); when I returned the car (return aisle not clearly designated, and no gas station at airport site???) I complained about the $ 9.99/gallon charge for refill (had tried to fill close to my hotel, had issues with gas cap and of course, no manual, and no attendants, all the stations were «pay inside»). «You can talk to the manager over there, but I see he has a line of people waiting» (of course) and the counter inside had a line as well. Too bad for me, had to make my plane.
There were no other rental agencies that were open at the airport at midnight when I landed; I was a captive customer (no rent-​a-​wreck anywhere near). Taking a cab to my hotel and renting there wasn’t an option either.
Not pleased with Budget Rent-​a-​Car, not one bit. The agent on the phone BEFORE I rented was so helpful; the agent on the phone after, when I was displeased, was all rebuff.
Bleah

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET! Budget customer service will not back up the customer on a screw up from this location, and judging from the reviews here, this is fairly regular behavior.
I was booked an economy car by the agency I work for. I proceeded to the counter, and was told I had «a Honda in B18.» I proceeded to B18, wherein a Hyundai was parked. Honda, Hyundai, easy enough to make that kind of mistake at a busy counter, and after 10 hours of travel it was easy for me to make that mistake also.
Another gentlemen arrived at the stall a few seconds after me. «Did they send you to B18 also?» «Yes» I said. He said «no worries, I’ll just go get another car,» proceeded to load my bags and drive. I presented my paperwork when asked and was told «Sir, you are supposed to have a Honda.» «OK.» They drive up a Honda. I get in the Honda, and it reeked, and I mean reeked of cigarette smoke, bad enough to make a non-​smoker vomit. (I am not kidding.) By this time I am a little frustrated after 10 hours of plane trip and layover I just want to get to my hotel. I ask the attendant if I can just keep the Hyundai. He said yes, I’ll just get you new paperwork. The relative oustside dimensions of the vehicles were similar. AT NO TIME DID ANYONE MENTION THE HONDA WAS A «CLASS B» vehicle and the Hyundai a class «C» and $ 100 more. (Remember they had sent me to the Hyundai originally._
I go about my merry way, and two weeks later return the vehicle. The woman checking me in can’t scan the vehicle and told me I had to go to the counter to, guess what? GET NEW PAPERWORK. Naturally I obey.
After I present my travel claim, I am told I upgraded and would have to pay the difference. I didn’t upgrade, so I call the number on the paperwork, a 614
area code number, which transfers me to a centralized «customer service,» a belligerent woman who insists I asked for the upgrade and that OBTW when they have cars with smoke smells they send them out to be cleaned… So I explain to her the situation, and she tells me that I was explained the additional charges, that I «rejected» the correct vehicle and wanted the upgraded vehicle. I tell her no, you didn’t give me the «correct» vehicle, you gave me the wrong vehicle, I rented a non-​smoking vehicle. We go around and around, so she offers me half off the rental fee. Now let me see, you’re offering me half? Why half? Either you are completely right, or I am completely right? Where does half come from? I point blank ask her this question, to which she doesn’t have an answer. I ask to escalate this, and she tells me a supervisor will get a hold of me in 24 to 48 hours. (Apparently they are pretty busy with complaints.)
She also tells me that she will note the file for the «supervisor.» I insist that she read me the notes she is entering, and sure enough, completely mis– characterizes my statements stating that I was sent to the wrong stall, «but the error was corrected and I «rejected the correct car» and that the cost of the upgrade was explained to me, and that I cursed at her. I admit, earlier when she said the additional cost was explained to me i said that was a «damn lie.»
I often times do not have a choice in rental agencies, however, if Budget comes up I will seek the next carrier and annotate this situation «for my supervisor.»
UPDATE: A «supervisor» did not call within 24 – 48 hours (imagine that.)
Also, I was given a number to call back, which happened to be Avis, not Budget.

My wife found herself stranded at the Budget counter tonight when they claimed they didn’t have record of a rental that a third party had booked for her. When she tried to pay with her credit card (which had over $ 700 remaining on its credit limit) for a ~$ 200 rental, they claimed they couldn’t take the card because they needed to do a *$ 500 CASH ADVANCE* in addition to the rental fee. NO legitimate company should ever force you to do a cash advance on a credit card, and rental car companies have NO reason to require extra cash deposit with a credit card like they would on a debit card, since most credit cards — including this one — have automatic renter’s insurance covering rentals made on the card.
Absolutely a scam. Disgusting.

***WARNING***My rental was upgraded without my consent, make sure you get what you are expecting. I went there and the guy said is a XXX ok and I said that’s fine… he never mentioned that it was an upgrade.

Preface: In the most stone-​faced, unapologetic, less than empathetic way, the lady checking in my rental return gave me $ 20 towards my next rental…
I rented a mini-​van for a work trip and it was far from clean. Like another reviewer stated, I didn’t have time to find another company with a van because my itinerary was baked with the assumption the vehicle would be clean when I picked it up.
For starters, the mini-​van came from Chicago and was full of small gnats. There were other apparent pop spills all over the van, and I’m convinced someone sneezed on the dashboard directly over the speedometer.
The vehicle preformed just fine, but I prefer not to feel like I need incinerate my belongings so I don’t infest my house with these gnats.
When I returned the vehicle, I brought these issues to the attention of the attendant. She barely acknowledged that I was speaking to her. As she was printing my receipt, she never told me she was also printing a discount on the next rental. I asked her for my receipt, she said nothing until the discount was printed. She handed to me and said to me (in a stone face with NO eye contact and no emotion), «here’s $ 20 for your next trip, sorry for your experience.»
Sorry, but handing me a discount to repeat my experience? No thank you. I am not confident she’s going to do anything to make sure the vehicle (s) gets any cleaner.

The manager, Gary, made my experience great. I had ordered and prepayed for a minivan and when I got there, there were no minivans. So Gary walked me around the lot to show me what else was available. I ended up with a huge van that reminded me of a church bus (we dubbed it the church bus during our trip). I was worried about the cost of gas so Gary covered a full tank. The van ended up being a blessing because we all had plenty of room on our 700 mile trip. It was fabulous. Upon returning, the counter agent wasn’t especially friendly and some random charges did pop up, but he took care of them promptly. I would definitely rent from Budget again.

These folks get a D — for customer service. I rented an SUV at this Port Columbus location, using Budget’s website, specifically because I need 4WD or AWD tomorrow for a trip during a snowstorm. However, as I was completing the reservation, it listed the vehicle as «2WD.» I attempted to call the local Budget counter at Port Columbus, where I would be picking up, to determine if they had 4WD or AWD vehicles. They did not answer their phone. I was transferred to the national reservation number and, after fighting with the robotic answering system for a time, got through to a national rep, who of course said he had no way of knowing what they had available on the lot in Columbus (not unreasonable). He gave me the same local number I had previously tried and of course, the local Budget counter at the airport once again did not answer, and it rolled to the national number. I then got a ride to the location to pick up, of course they had no 4WD or AWD vehicles in the class I had reserved, so I had to upgrade, which cost me $ 15 per day more (and $ 5 per day more than if I had reserved that class online in the first place). All the hassle and extra expense could have been avoided if only the local counter would answer its listed telephone number. There are plenty of other rental car companies at Port Columbus, Budget, and you just permanently lost my business to them. I also won’t be using Avis at this airport, since it uses the same counter agents who don’t answer the phone for Budget.

OMG r u KIDDING me!!! … Damn you for charging me TWICE… I first got the deal from priceline, they charge me total $ 98 …Then i check my online statement not only priceline have already charged me for budget car rental, but I also got a bill from budget charging me for the same thing at $ 160 at the day I return the car…
I really don’t know who’s fault is that, priceline or budget… I called u both, none of u give me a legit solution, especially budget transfered me to some dude barely speaks english, really… thanks that really helped when I can’t understand a word he said –_​-​… but what I do know is y’all gave me a hard time to deal w/​this thank u for my credit card company is taking care of the situation… but really budget!!! check my ID & my Credit Card. I’ve already paid for the rental and u charge me again on the same thing…

If Matt Bosserman would have just let me borrow his Mercedes I wouldn’t of had to rent a car, but since he was being greedy I made a reservation online for a Budget Rental Car.
The pre paid special on the web site wasn’t working. So, then I had to repeat my reservation and make a non pre paid reservation.
When I arrived at the terminal they said they had no reservation for me. I kind of thought it was a scam on the part of the clerk, but luckily I had the email confirmation where I booked mine and was able to get the car for the price I was quoted — although not the lower pre paid price I would have paid if their website was working.
The car that I was given was suppose to be in slot A 9, but when I walked out to that location it was a totally different car then what I was suppose to have. So I had carry my bags back into the terminal to find out where the car I was suppose to have was.
At this point I was so tired of dealing with them that I just took the dirty car that they gave me and drove off.
Later in the day I met Keith Adams downtown and was surprised to find a parking ticket on the windshield. Knowing full well that I maxed out the time limit on the meter. Keith suggested that I read the ticket… It was for FAILURE TO REGISTER… they gave me a car that had expired license plates on it.
So, once again I had to go back to the rental car office and get a car.
Obvious Budget does not bother to clean it’s cars because when I dropped the keys down the side and went to look for them I discovered a pile of Cheerios…
I think next time if I can’t get Matt to hand over the keys to his car I am going to go back to Hertz. I always have a good experience with them.

No matter what Budget Rent-​A-​Car I go to, I always manage to have a good time. I get taken care of, get to use great coupons, and get in and out quickly, for a reasonable price. The Columbus location was no exception. Cheers.

really poor service. When we walked in, there’s no one asking us if we needed help. The person who turned out to help was talking on his cell phone and had no desire to help us. That was our first time renting a car and we didn’t really know the price range. After compared to what our friends were getting in Enterprise, we felt we got ripped-​off big time. However, we know it was becuz we got the insurance. What got us so upset was becuz the staff didn’t even explain us what we were covered with the insurance ($ 25 per day). I mean… really?! We feel like he wants to take our money and kick us out as soon as possible so he can go back to his cell phone. I really don’t recommend this place unless you want to get your Ohio trip ruined at the beginning.