Budget Car Rental

Just when I was going to give up all possibilities of ever seeing the item I left in the car I rented it was delivered to my office. This is fantastic! It took a little doing but Thrifty came through with flying colors and I am now very happy with everything involved in leasing from Thrifty. The staff at FLL was very accommodating and when they said take any of the cars on the lot I took the one with NY plates figured I was going that way and would bring it back up to NJ for them. I will defiantly rent from Thrifty /​Budget again! Thank you all very much!

Would give 0 stars if I could. Was double-​charged $ 300 for a rental they would not even let me pick up because they don’t accept security deposits on debit cards, only credit cards. I spent 2 hours on the phone with the worst customer service reps I have ever spoken to and ended up missing a wedding due to their utter incompetence. Do yourself a favor and rent from ANY other car rental service.

Terrible place to rent a car. Never has car class on the reservation and refuses to give a comparable car without an upgrade charge. Does not honor the online rate since it’s a «new york metro» location. Not sure why that isn’t already reflected in the reservation that clearly states BUDGET 87TH STREET NEW YORK NEW YORK. $ 215 reservation turned into $ 485 charge. Nothing I could do — either pay more than twice as much or no rental.

We had rented a full sized Nissan Altima for a few hours on a Sunday, and returned it in perfect condition that evening. Unfortunately, we had forgotten some $ 80 worth of new apparel in the trunk of the vehicle. I know that as a matter of course and policy, all vehicles in any rental branch are inspected prior to handing off to another customer. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the drop off. It wasn’t busy, there was only a single attendant doing the inspection in the upstairs garage. The vehicle was in my name, and it would have been perfectly evident that I had forgotten these items in the vehicle. Nevertheless, it was 3 days of misdirection, being on hold, and busy signals trying to reach someone to help me recover my lost items. Mind you, I had called the following day at 11am. There is no sense of accountability in this company. Nobody seems to really give a damn about maintaining any level of integrity or customer service. Items have not been recovered a week later.
I never quite understood how a small company like ZipCar could find market traction against such large players, but the fact of the matter is that we’ve had a far better experience renting from ZipCar. I would be happy to see this branch replaced by a quality brand.

Is the nearest car rental from my home, something I do not like is its location which one I cannot chance; but their prices are fair and the schedule is very accessible. Last time I reserved a regular car they did not have it and provided me another car at not additional charge. Their costumer service is fair but could improve if the manager takes care of their employee by providing then a costumer service training.

This is the worst car rental in the history of car rental. I rented several cars there and each time i have a horrible experience. Cars are not there even though my reservation is confirmed. But the worst of all is the customer service… they are so rude i will never rent a car in any budget locations ever again… too bad because the prices are decent and the location is convenient.

I had a great experience here — I wonder if they changed the management since the previous reviews. Though the office is small and slightly dingy, the 3 staff there on the Saturday morning I went were professional, sincerely kind, intelligent and worked really well together. I was really impressed.
I was more impressed when, having drove off, I thought the car also a bit dingy for the month rental I had ahead. I called explaining my predicament. They insisted I return immediately, and they had another car waiting with only a signature required (easy). The car was an significant upgrade for no additional charge.
Perhaps I caught this office on a good morning, but it was a most pleasant renting experience and I honor the staff there.

We rented a car from here for my friend’s birthday on Saturday around noon. Sadly, Sunday morning, the day we were supposed to return the car, my friend got quite sick so taking painkillers and getting ready to be able to drive back for 2.5 hours along with traffic we were 3 hours late. We had hoped they would pro-​rate the charges.
Once we arrived the charge was doubled. We acknowledged we were late and asked if there was anything she, Shadow, could do to help us solve this issue we had to deal with for the first time. She had a straight and robotic face that showed no signs of customer service helpfulness. We stepped outside and made a hopeful call to the 1 – 800 customer service number. A lady on the phone, Angeline, was not only unable to help us but also she didn’t have an ounce of helpful attitude and chided me for being late for three hours. We had to think about whether to keep the car for a day or just settle it then. My friend had fever when this is all happening. We got called back into the rental office by this Robot Shadow to be pressed to make a decision because the car rental is not our «Parking Garage». It would be honestly something else to see her being charged that much money.
As much as we understood the policy and our part in the tardiness, it would have been somewhat human to get a person to understand and deal with us warmly. As others here wrote, perhaps, I looked too Asian for her to be so rude and bossy in a «ghetto» style and I am sorry I had to say this in a racial distinction. Had I been a bitch and just screamed unreasonably, would she have extended me some courtesy? This rental place is in my neighborhood and it is a shame that they mistreat the very people in the neighborhood who bring them business as though they have the monopoly to be so.
I told her that she was not treating us on a person-​to-​person basis. We did not keep her personal belonging over the time limit and made her so upset. Then why was she so spiteful and inhuman? She herself would be quite upset had she been subjected to her own self based on her behavior.

I wish I could give this place zero stars. This location embodies everything that is wrong with this world. The staff is rude, condescending, and shady.
I rented the car on Friday with plans to return it out of town on Saturday. My plans changed, so I called corporate, extended my rental by a day, and changed my return location back to Manhattan. I did everything by the book.
First, knowing I was going to be a little late, I did the respectful thing and called to let them know. The woman who answered the phone, Shadow, began to yell at me telling me I was going to be charged an additional day if I was more than an hour late. Okay. Fine. Be a huge B. I make it there with 15 minutes to spare. As I’m checking out, I hear Shadow whispering to Diamond «Its after 6 o’clock, it’s after 6 o’clock.» It wasn’t after 6 o’clock. As it turns out, Shadow was trying to get Diamond to charge me for the additional day before I called her out on it.
After that bit of awkwardness, Diamond tells me my total is nearly $ 600. Obviously there’s a mistake. I asked if there was a way they could explain the charges to me. Thats when my good friend Big B Shadow comes over and says, «No– those are the rates and thats what you’ll be charged.» She totally swooped in and stole Diamond’s thunder.
I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere with these people, so I got the printout, went home and called up the 1 – 800 number. Turns out, they were charging me rates and fees that didn’t exist. The woman who helped me on the phone was amazing and adjusted my bill back to what it should have actually been… around $ 300.
Here is my advice– DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE! They lie, cheat, and steal right to your face. If you need a ride, call me and I’ll drive you anywhere just so you don’t have to deal with them.

Oh boy. I understand the hate the comes from the other reviews. This is my go-​to car rental in the city, and I’m aware of its flaws. Despite them I’ve had generally positive experiences.
The first problem is the location itself. It’s the worst possible layout, and I can only imagine the sobriety level of the corporate exec who thought it was perfect. The office is tiny, and the equally tiny garage above it is accessible only via a steep ramp the exact width of a single car. So it takes forever to get cars in and out, and it takes a certain fearlessness for the average driver (or pedestrian) to deal with the ramp when returning a car.
The second problem is that the narrow street outside gets clogged easily because there’s a Dollar rent-​a-​car location next door – seriously. Today, the resulting traffic nightmare was sorted out only by the arrival of an irate cop (who was high-​fived by everyone who witnessed it, a classic NY moment).
The third problem is that some of the office staff just don’t want to deal with the public. They barely acknowledge you sometimes, and their treatment of non-​English-​speaking tourists verges on the cruel.
There are exceptions, especially Hugh, the speedy, hyper-​polite manager. He mentioned today that he had extended his hours because of demand. Hugh is the one thing this Budget location has going for it.
Avoid this location if:
* you’re not from around here;
* your English isn’t fluent;
* your driving skills are iffy;
* you’re claustrophobic.

I went to return my car at this location. I drove up 87^th street and when I arrived the guy who takes the cars down was waving me onto the side walk and I went to drive the car inside the garage.
close corner, and I didnt «swing out» needless to say… the clerk came out of the te store shouting profanities in spanish and english at me. She knocked on the window then asked me (like my mom), «who told you to do this?» I pointed at the guy, she replied «NO HE DID NOT TELL YOU TO DO THIS» I said, «yes — he did… why else would someone drive up on the sidewalk to enter a garage»…she started telling me, to back out and demanded I put the car on the street. so here I amrtrying to back off the sidewalk into nyc pedestrians with this woman behind the car constantly cursing in spanish and english saying I didnt know how to drive and I was a liar… Frustrated at this point, I put the car in park and rolled down the window. the lady shouted again another insult «move the car up» and «your going to have to put in an accident report» I said, «miss, can we stop shouting?, I dont like you shouting at me» to which she shouted «I am not shouting, you just dont know what youre doing» insulted again, I smiled rolled the window up and moved the car into its final destination. when I got out, she asked for my contract, I told her I didnt have it, just because… I just wanted to get to work with a good attitude so I said nothing more.
when I came in a couple looked at me strangely and just stared, I sat on the chair and waited for my receipt. They commented, «tough morning?» When she gave the contract to me in a huff. I said, «thank you for renting at Budget, have a nice day»…
NEVER AGAIN WILL I RENT FROM THAT LOCATION. Malcolm… is great but the Spanish chick sorry dont know or care to know her name, was nasty, rude and downright insulting… Makes me wonder how she keeps a job… As a matter of fact, the best service for renting cars is Hertz! Just dont go to a non corporate location because their franchises suck. You get premium service great cars and all the amenities you need for a driving experience. I used budget for convenience (not far from my job) and for the ez pass that I have to have while traveling.