Budget Rent A Car

I gave them a one star because a month later I was stuck with a $ 31 toll charge on my credit card bill for going through the told 3 times. I was lied too and was told that was a credit after I repeatedly told the guy it was showing as a charge on my bank card statement. Then he lied to me again after I asked for a copy of my bill via email and was told that I should get that in 4 hours. Ummmmmm, 12 hours later, I’m still waiting…

I recently rented from this place for about a week. I prepaid for my reservation through a third party, but got a large bill to my credit card once I returned the car. Later I find out that I was given an upgrade when I picked up the car but the agent neglected to tell me. She told me what cars were available and asked if it was ok. Of course I should have read thoroughly before signing, still kicking myself for that. But there should be some type of policy that they ASK you if you want an upgrade before slipping one in. I called customer service after finding out what happened and they were no help, I just had to suck it up… also the car was filthy when i got it, I was in a rush so I just took it and left. It was covered in snow and bird poo and there was trash in the backseat. They won’t get my service again.

Was first inline but the representative wasn’t ready for a long tern rental so i had to wait for 9 people to go before me. They only had one person working who seemed new. Unfriendly and not knowledgeable at all. This isn’t the first time either. If you can avoid renting from them by all cost.

I only gave 1 star because I couldn’t give anything less.
Staff is rude. Beyond rude. And there is always consistently something wrong with billing. My husbands last rental, they added Roadside assistance which was more than the rental itself. So why anyone would decline all other options but choose to keep Roadside is beyond me.
When he went to the desk to dispute, of course because the never answer the phones, the front desk attendants were rude and one even asked the supervisor, «Do you want me to just handle it the way we do everyone else? And just give him half?» That statement alone lets you know that too many people are complaining about unauthorized charges.
Do NOT ever rent from here.

Double cross at counter. Just read other complaints and found the same. Reserved a car, told one was not available and I’d have to wait. They then talked me into an upgrade. I did decline the insurance but total charge went from reserved price of $ 129 total to $ 225. DO NOT TAKE THEIR BULLSHIT! This kind of service needs to stop.
Update: I made complaint to Budget and since I signed to ok the upgrade NOTHING will be done. Be aware!!!
Update: compare Twitter reviews and go to Enterprise.

Carefully ask and understand the rip off that is the toll road policy!!! You will pay through the nose to go over to Portsmouth and yet there is NO OPTION for you to avoid this and pay cash for tolls. They’re unmanned. So you pay the tolls plus at least a $ 15 convenience fee. But you won’t notice this until you get your credit card bill. How kind of them. She told me it’s across the board with car rental companies… I don’t know. Also read and understand the fill up or not fill up at the end policy. That didn’t work out too well for us, either. If you call and complain, expect the lady on the other end to end conversation with «I will assume you have left the line» and hang up on you. That was a new one! Next time back to Enterprise.

Called and specifically asked if they had an SUV available to rent right now (for a move). The customer service agent swore they did and provided a confirmation number for a reservation. Arrived at the counter and they did not. Waiting…

I usually rent from Enterprise but Budget got me with a deal and I learned to never ever use this car rental again. The price was good but when I got to the counter, they tried to upsell me for every possible thing. It was $ 13/​day to add another driver (this is free with Enterprise). When I returned the car, I had deliberately filled it to the very top and they charged me $ 10 for gas (it was $ 20 to fill the entire tank if you can believe it) which I knew was impossible but I didn’t see until I was already in the airport heading out. The person checking me in clearly deliberately scammed me. I will never rent from Budget again.

I just wanted to let you know that I will never be renting a vehicle from Budget, and will be instructing others to do the same. A «loss damage waiver» was applied to my rental, even though I specifically mentioned that I wanted no insurance or damage coverage applied to the rental. The employee at the Norfolk, VA airport location (listed as FATOU on my receipt) then rushed me through the rental agreement and got me to «agree» to the service. This was in addition to not having a vehicle available in the class that I reserved through a pre-​paid rental.
I have never had an issue like this with the primary car rental agency I use, Enterprise. I only used your service with because of the promise of the lower pre-​paid rate, which became grossly inflated after additional taxes, fees, and services, that were not communicated. Enterprise it is from now on, no questions asked. They have always provided an experience that was superior to Budget’s in every aspect.
Additionally, your customer service via phone is horrible. My first inquiry into this charge got a response of «this additional charge is temporary and will be removed once you return your rental». There was no indication that any additional services were applied that I did not wish to have.
For the sake of anyone foolish enough to use your agency in the future, please have your employees be clear and upfront with any charges, fees, services, taxes that may apply to a rental.

They are terrible beyond belief. Our mid size became a Corolla. Very uncomfortable and since i have a bad back, ruined our plans for a day trip. Also when we checked into our resort we learned this rental constantly downgrades and demands huge extras for what you thought you paid for. Do yourself a favor, dont rent here.

The good: friendly staff at the return area.
The bad: I returned my rental car early but was charged for the full three days. When I pointedly out to the return agent he told me I had to go to the rental desk to clearing up.
No one at Budget desk. Sent to Avis. The staff members were both on the phone. No one even made I contact with me. I waited over five minutes for someone to acknowledge I was standing at the desk. When someone finally did help me and I explained the problem they argued with me on every point telling me that I was incorrect about the time I picked up the car etc. despite the fact that I had documentation that I had presented to them.
For the next 8 minutes I stood in front of the agent; she never said a single word to me. No apology for the inconvenience; no acknowledgment that I was standing right in front of her.
Finally I was told that they couldn’t help me with the problem. In the meantime, almost 30 minutes later, all I got was attitude and nearly $ 200 overcharged on my my credit card. I’m livid. I still have work on the refund.

These people are scam artists. BEWARE.
We had no problem with the counter people but once we got the car we noticed a pretty good dent in the passenger side door. So, we walked back and told them about it. The guy wrote the info on the receipt and we proceeded with our vacation. After a few months, we got a call from the claim center saying we damaged the car.
For our part, we should have told a manager about it and gotten it in writing from them. Lesson learned the hard way.
I’m sure they pull this scam on people all the time and get away with it. So, if you rent a car and see damage, request to talk to a manager or get another car.
We will never rent from them again.

I would give ZERO stars if I could. Look. Rental cars are almost a commodity these days, so giving good customer service and an easy rental process is all they can really offer. BUDGET couldn’t do either.
1. Of the 2 desk agents– one was too busy talking to her girlfriend about hair weaves to actually do her job. Never mind the growing line of customers.
2. There are no signs on the airport to indicate where Fast Break/​Wizard or Gold customers are supposed to go– hence went to the desk.
3. Desk sent me to the rental parking area– only to be told his computer could not print out contracts and I would have to go back up to the counter. I asked if the counter people knew that. «Yes– they do»
4. Get back to the counter– she acknowledges I have a problem but have to go back to the end of the line.
5. When I get back to be served– they of course deny knowing anything about the issue.
It’s one of those times you feel like the rental car companies could care less about you and they rather you just F¥CK OFF.
Well done Budget Norfolk. Stay classy!

Just had the worst experience with Budget Rent a Car located at the airport return in Norfolk, VA. I dropped off my rental car and started driving away. We realized neither of us had grabbed the iPad Air from the console. We turned around immediately. I called the office on the way back and spoke to a female who seemed to not care much about the situation and said all things lost can be claimed in lost and found. The girl stated she would let the manager know & that he’d look for it. The manager called back and said he couldn’t find it. Once we arrived no one could find it. The iPad was no longer «there» even though Find My iPad tracking said it was. We went round and round but got nowhere. So I left feeling very discusted with the people in that drop off location. No one would help us. I filed a claim with Budget Corporate, the Norfolk Police, and the rest is just hoping an honest person actually turns it in and Budget will return it to us safely.

Avoid it like the plague! Counter service was very nice however once I got to the car I found a smoke filled, stained seats, damp, dirty, Ew of a car. I had a reservation however I was told by counter service in the garage this was my only option if I needed a vehicle today under my reservation or I could pay DOUBLE for a larger car. What a rip off! I can’t believe Budget accepted this level of service without a blink of the eye. Never again…

When I went to pick up my rental car they told me they weren’t ready yet and I’d have to wait. Once I went up to sign everything they told me the price difference was because of gas and I’d have to show my gas receipt at the checkout and the price difference would lower. UNTRUE
After I got back from my trip for work and submitted the paperwork I found out they upgraded my car without telling me and when I dropped off my car they never asked for a receipt and just looked at my gas tank.
I guess they were out of compact cars, they they just threw it at me and lied about the price difference.

They snuck RSN in my bill. That was an extra 5.99/day I didn’t want to pay. Pay attention to what you sign with these people. Even if you say no to the extras they will sneak it in and make you sign fast.

Renter be ware…
Budget and Avis share a lot of their operations here. The price and quality/​availability of the vehicles is pretty standard, and the checkout and return is pretty efficient.
My gripe is a matter of integrity and attributed more to an Avis employee, and was subsequently resolved by an Avis employee… nonetheless Budget was my reservation so if you rent here, be ware.
At the Avis desk, I was sold about $ 300 in unnecessary optional insurance as being standard for government travel rates. By sold, I mean it was just printed into the rental contract and I noticed when I was being asked to sign. I inquired and was told, yeah it’s normal and you have to get it… Weird, but ok.
I ask again outside after looking at my printed reservation and the Avis representative, fixed it for me… I almost left with $ 300 in unnecessary and un-​reimbursable insurance for my business trip… Thanks for the upstanding character and taking advantage of a traveler who’s on a 36-​hour trek from Hawaii.

I should start out by saying that my experience at Budget was different than any other car rental experience I’ve had. When we arrived with our reservation we were told the economy car we had booked «would take a while» to get ready and that the employee would «love to put us in a ford explorer.» We nodded our heads, not thinking much about it. Then we realized we were being charged. We asked how much and the employee told us just $ 15 and explained it was supposed to be much more and how she was giving us a great deal. Then it came time to sign our receipt. That’s when we noticed we had been charged for the extra insurance (which doubled the price of our reservation). Luckily we caught it, and got out of paying. But we still ended up paying for some kind of upgrade that we didn’t want.
Absolutely a scam. It’s amazing to me that they are allowed to operate this way. Would avoid if possible, there are clearly other options in the Norfolk airport. If you decide to go with Budget, be on the defensive.

Fairly standard car rental service. There’s a wide selection of car rental companies at the Norfolk airport and Budget offers the best rate (note: this may not be true for AAA members) on car rentals.
The rental desk is in the terminal and it’s a short walk down to the garage and the rental kiosk. The attendants were quick and it was maybe 15 minutes before I was behind the wheel.
Car returns are to a different location adjacent to the terminal. It’s a short walk (2 – 3 minutes) to the terminal from the car drop off point. Signage directing you to the drop off point are reasonably apparent.
This is your basic airport car rental service.