Budget Car Rental

Absolutely trouble free! Made the reservation through AARP and everything was exactly as it should be. The rental desks were down a long ramp and there were long lines at all the desks, but we had preferred status and hardly had to wait. Our car was a cute Toyota Corolla with plenty of room for two and was clean and drove great on those narrow country roads. Returning the car to the airport was fast and without problems. Plus, the price was great thanks to two discounts we received from Budget and AARP.

Brian provided outstanding service! I have never experienced such excellent customer service before. This was my first time using Budget, and I’m considering switching from my previous rental company to this one. Thank you, Budget Car Rental, for making my first experience with you so wonderful and effortless.

Absolutely trouble free! Made the reservation through AARP and everything was exactly as it should be. The rental desks were down a long ramp and there were long lines at all the desks, but we had preferred status and hardly had to wait. Our car was a cute Toyota Corolla with plenty of room for two and was clean and drove great on those narrow country roads. Returning the car to the airport was fast and without problems. Plus, the price was great thanks to two discounts we received from Budget and AARP. Had another rental six months later. Everything was fine until I got my invoice at home. I was charged a $20 late fee! I picked up the car at 5pm and returned on the correct day at 2:30pm. The reservation somehow defaulted to noon for both days and so I was marked late because I didn't bring the car back by noon. I contacted Budget Customer Care and they refused to remove the charge. I was told that since I did not notice their error there's no way they can remove the charge. I've spent $500 for two rentals so far. My daughter is now attending UMO so I'll be renting at least once or twice a year. Does Budget want to lose my business over $20? My rental number is 208707855 if Budget wants to contact me.

Budget used to be my go-to rental company. I genuinely liked them. Then Avis bought them. And… yeah. Sad. On a recent trip to Portland I decided to give them another chance because I prefer driving electric (don’t judge me), and they had a Kia EV6 listed at a great price. Perfect. Except when I got to the counter, I was told they didn’t actually have the EV6. But don’t worry — I was being “upgraded.” To a Honda CR-V. Now maybe someone can explain this to me, but it didn't feel like an upgrade to go from a modern, dynamic electric vehicle to something my uncle drives to Home Depot on the weekends. So I pushed back. The employee clicked around on his keyboard for a few seconds and then offered me… a pickup truck. I’d suggest pausing here and letting that sink in. Fearing that if I protested again, the next "upgrade" I'd be offered would be a forklift, I gave up and took the CR-V. Then I walked past dozens of nicer cars that actually would have been upgrades… to claim my Honda at the end of the lot. The very end. Thanks for the cardio, Budget. This is in part why I rarely rent from them anymore. Every time I book something interesting, I end up with something from the “cash for clunkers” clearance lot. At this point, it feels less like a mistake and more like a business model: advertise something appealing, substitute something cheaper at the counter, and hope most customers won’t push back. But fine. Whatever. I drove the car for a week. I had to stop at Walmart to buy a cable to plug my phone in, because apparently wireless CarPlay was too futuristic for this vehicle. Fast forward to returning the car. The Budget employee walks up, glances at the vehicle, checks the mileage, tells me to leave the keys in the cupholder, and says I’ll receive an emailed receipt. Easy enough. Then I get a notification from my credit card: $19.79 from Budget. Strange… since I prepaid the rental. When I looked into it, I discovered the charge was for Fuel Service. $17.99 plus tax. Which is impressive considering I filled the tank on the way to the airport. Now here’s where the math gets interesting. I put 3½ gallons of gas in the car. According to the receipt Budget gave me, I drove 50 miles. That means one of two things happened: Either the Honda CR-V gets 14 miles per gallon, or the car was not full when I picked it up. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t full when I picked it up. Scratching my head, because it kind of seems like Budget owes ME money! To be fair, after I called to dispute the charge, they did refund it. But here’s the thing… I shouldn’t have had to. So to the renting public: there are probably better options. And to Budget, and I hope someone at corporate see this because this pattern is not limited to Portland: Do better.

We got upgraded to a larger vehicle when we started our week rental. The vehicle had issues day 2 of the trip and we were told to drive back with the hope that it made it even though it had shut down several times and was really unreliable. Called back to speak with someone different and they offered to let me ride with the tow truck but I might have to pay the bill, according to the AI, depending on what they determined is wrong. Decided to drive it back and made it, only to get downgraded to a smaller vehicle, granted it's what we originally paid for. With nothing offered for the inconvenience.

The employees were kind, but that was the only positive part of the experience. The car I was given had a strange smell and was missing plastic coverings for seat levers. Annoying but not a huge deal, so I drove it anyways. After driving it for a few hours, I got multiple check engine/coolant/sensor warnings. The gas gauge was also malfunctioning. I had to go to the nearest Budget location to exchange the car (adding 2 hours to my trip). At the end of the trip, I returned the car prior to the scheduled return time. I was shown where to park by a Budget employee, who then told me to leave the keys on the dashboard, which I did. For the next two days, the Budget app showed the rental as overdue. I called Budget twice and was told this was normal and it would be closed out 48 hours after return with the correct charges. Two days after I returned the car, I received a receipt stating the car had been returned 2 days late. This receipt included late charges, additional rental days, additional fees, etc. incurred after I returned the car directly to a Budget employee at this location. After a third call to Budget, I'm now waiting while my case is supposedly escalated to see if charges can be refunded. I have pictures and receipts to back up my case, but I'm beyond frustrated that I've had to deal with being given an unsafe rental car, followed by needing to contest additional HUNDREDS of dollars on my bill. I think it's safe to say that I will never rent with Budget again.

Horrible experience start to finish! I booked a mid size car and when I went to pick it up they said they had absolutely no cars left. But the guy said he'd give me a bronco for an extra $60. Well when I just dropped off my rental and got the bill emailed to me I was surprised my bill was $1196, when I prepared amount was $335. I got charged for a damage waiver which I had declined in person and when I booked the car initially. Also got charged for fuel even though the tank was completely full when I dropped it off. I called the customer service line and the lady was no help and said to wait 48 hours for the payments to go through and to call back. Amazing how I'm just supposed to accept my rental cost to triple but just wait for a while. Completely ridiculous and will never rent from budget again. I guess I will have to report fraud charges through my credit card company to get all of these additional charges removed by this horrible company. Update: After a week of emails back and forth, I was finally refunded all of the fraudulent charges that were charged to me. It's really sad that they do this to people, but I'm glad Budget finally did the right thing.

I had reserved through Costco for a full size car for a total of $395.20. When I arrived I was told they had no vehicles in that class but they could give me a different vehicle for a discounted price for about $150 more. I asked so the total cost would be $395.20 + the $150 and was told yes. He continued to state I would get a survey from Budget and because he gave me such a great deal please rate him well. I returned the car and the total charge was $669.43. I contacted Budget and was told I would need proof of the conversation in order for them to do anything. The first part of our trip we had rented from Alamo with no issues. Will not be renting from Budget in the future.

The line for Budget at the Portland, Maine Airport is so long it goes out the door and up the walkway to the terminal. Waiting over an hour now and probably another hour to go. It was this way, too in July. There is no line for Dollar, National, Alamo or Enterprise. We won’t use Budget again!

My driver’s license was left there. I called your branch at Portland airport as well as your headquarters. I got a case number. This debacle ruined my trip. When I returned the car, I checked the front desk and it was there. I don’t know why this issue was solved the first time I called. The desk person who I called was incompetent. Plus, I got charged $80 for no explanation. I pre paid the gas when I picked up the car. I’m very frustrated and would like a refund plus a talk with a supervisor..