Budget Truck Rental

FRAUD! I wish I had read the reviews before I rented. When we got there to pick up the truck, there was an «out to lunch» sign. We waited a while and were about to leave when he came back. We rented the truck and when we went over the condition, Bob noted damages and said it was covered in bugs. I wanted to write about the bugs/​dirt on the form, but he told me it wasn’t necessary and I was too polite to insist.
After using it to tote some furniture one-​way from Golden Triangle to Cap Hill, I filled it with gas and returned it same-​day, but after hours. My estimate was 15 miles at $ 45. I drove *fewer* miles and somehow got charged $ 109 on my credit card. When I called Budget Corporate to sort it out (the franchise owner didn’t answer repeated calls), they said there was nothing they could do because the franchise owner vouched that the $ 20 cleaning fee, $ 30 refuel fee, and something like $ 13/​gal for gas were all legit charges. I’ve disputed the charges with my credit card company and now that I see these reviews, will try escalating my complaint with Budget. This is outright robbery and I hope he loses his franchise.

This was one of the worst customer service experiences of my life. Do not give this place any business.
First, Bob did not have the right truck available after I made my reservation online. Furthermore, when I arrived all of the computers «were down» and he couldn’t provide any proper paperwork. Very sketchy practices. Plus, when I returned the truck the next day, he couldn’t give me a receipt. He said it was impossible and I would have to call corporate offices to get a receipt. Scam! After my credit card was charged, the fee was WAY too high. I called about 5 different times to get a copy of my receipt and discuss the pricing discrepancy. The customer service agents were rude and couldn’t even find my reservation.
After multiple calls, I finally figured out that I was charged a cleaning fee for the truck which I left absolutely spotless. Bob never told me about a cleaning fee even though I asked about 8 times about any other hidden fees or charges. He deliberately did not give me a receipt so he could hide this charge. So frustrating!
Lastly, Budget makes it incredibly difficult to resolve any issues using their 1 – 800 numbers. No one knows anything. So, I imagine Bob takes advantage of all his customers and charges them extra while knowing they’ll never be able to resolve it through the Customer Service department.
Do not use this place EVER! Especially in the midst of stressful moves.
But, if you have been scammed by Bob and Budget, call the Budget-​Avis corporate line by googling them. Don’t use the number on the Budget Truck website.

This can be an OK experience if you follow these rules:
— Treat them like a shady company in a third world country; be vigilant and go over everything
— When you get in the truck, inspect it and RECORD your starting mileage (snap a pic). They may turn on the headlights for you, which dims the odometer. Turn them off and record
— Return the truck during working hours and make the check-​out inspection with them
— Record the final mileage (snap a pic)
— Calculate the miles used yourself, don’t rely on them to be honest
— Be on the lookout for cleaning fees, even if truck is returned in same condition
— When you encounter issues, which is very likely, don’t argue with them (pointless), but instead get them resolved quickly by getting in touch with Avis Budget Corporate; their contact can be found by googling ‘avis budget elliott’ (its on
)
They have decent prices.

If I could give one star I would. NO ONE EVEN SHOWED UP TO TAKE OUR RESERVATION! Terrible business. Please look at these comments before you make a reservation.

Confirmed a truck over a week before the rental start date, and the owner called 15 minutes before the rental started to tell us there were no trucks available and that he wouldn’t be able to help us. Luckily, U-​Haul on Alameda was able to accommodate us.

Budget Truck Rental has an interesting operation. And when I say «interesting», I really mean «completely sucks.» So, we make a reservation for a 16 foot truck on Saturday to pick up at 12:30. We show up right on time, don’t see a truck, walk inside this dingy place and then see an empty counter with the infamous «Gone to get gas» sign that Ryan W. mentioned. It hadn’t been upgraded since his visit. We wait OVER AN HOUR before someone shows up. Guess what? They didn’t have any trucks. Our reservation had been ‘transferred’ to the Stapleton location (without us being told of course). The counter/​gas girl calls the other location, and, guess what again? No 16 foot trucks. Try tomorrow, we were told. But show up right when they open, since it’s first come, first served. Seriously, that’s what they told us.
We go home in a mild state of disbelief. I finally get hold of someone on the Budget 800 number. It took a long time. No one was able to explain what happened or why. I speak to «Floyd the inventory manager.» Wow. Wow. Wow. I couldn’t believe this kid. He basically was pissed that I called and then claimed that I was lying to him regarding my experience. And of course, when I asked for his supervisor, his reply was «I AM the supervisor today». I could go on about Floyd, but I could have done a lifetime without speaking to him.
We finally get the truck, a day late of course. We lost an entire weekend day to move, and it was through complete incompetence on Budget’s part. The staff, especially Floyd, was rude and unresponsive to our issues. No good. If you choose to go with these guys, be careful, and good luck… you’ll need it for sure.

I’m in a military unit from Chicago. We called Budget for a reservation to rent a truck. They told us it would be ready at 12:30. We showed up and Bob, the man that writes «gone to get gas» on paper signs with marker, hadn’t even showed up to work that day.
The woman who saw us standing there waiting for him to return, didn’t bother to tell us until I asked when he was coming back.
Asinine.

My work with Bob (I think that was his name) was a great experience at this particular location. Unfortunately, my overall experience with Budget was not. The Boulder location messed up my paperwork and charged me twice for my truck, which emptied out my bank account and caused a lot of problems. However, the individual at this location went the extra mile, made some calls, and got my money properly refunded. I found nothing but frustration talking to the Boulder branch and the national phone line, but this person was a great help and deserves recognition for being an outstanding employee.

Worst truck renting experience ever. Don’t waste you time and money at the Osage Street location, go some where else! First, we arrived and had to spend 30 minutes to chase someone down to help us. When we found the girl she couldn’t operate the computer correctly so we had to wait 45 minutes for them to try to figure it out. They didn’t have the truck we reserved. When they gave us a different truck it still had some stuff in the back left from the past customers and further more the truck stunk of a million men’s sweat. Then they didn’t inform us of all the rules so we got billed double what we should have. It should have been a $ 51 charge but we were charged $ 125. When we called to dispute it BOB was rude and unhelpful.

Worse place ever to rent a truck. We had a rental scheduled for 10am. The guy didnt arrive until 10:05 and hadn’t checked in any of the trucks from the night before. So, although there were five other renters waiting with me, he had no trucks for any of them. We had to wait whilel he walked outside and check in all the trucks. Wasted over an hour of everyone’s time and didn’t seem to care. Unfortunately, they don’t let you put 0 stars.

My experience was terrible. I picked up the truck at a Colorado Springs location without incident. However, this Osage Street location in Denver is impossible to find. I spent over an hour driving the neighborhood streets. I asked for directions 5 times and no one had heard of the location. It’s not even actually on Osage Street. I dropped off the truck on a Sunday and left the keys in the drop box. By the following week Budget had charged me an extra $ 56.29. The whole truck rental should have only been $ 125. I called the Osage Street location to inquire into the extra charges. The woman who answered the phone told me I had exceeded my mileage allowance and that the gas tank was short 2 gallons of gas. I did not, in fact, exceed my mileage and I filled the gas tank immediately prior to dropping off the truck. I have no way to prove either of these things, as the woman couldn’t even tell me the mileage of the truck. I will not waste my time dealing with Budget, but I will not use them again. Especially at the Osage Street location.