BUDGET CAR RENTAL REVIEWS

Satisfied

Very satisfied, the car was in great condition.

The process was very slow and the waiting time was long. We booked a Mazda 5, but they gave us an MG instead, which was extremely difficult to drive! I've never driven such a hard-to-handle car before. There was no response when pressing the accelerator the first time, and the second time it just shot forward. Luckily, the roads in Auckland are wide and easy to drive on. If we had to drive on mountain roads in Queenstown, it would be terrifying. Next time, I will insist on not changing the car.

The pickup and drop-off procedures were very simple and fast.

Extremely dissatisfied. The store staff had a bad attitude, the reserved car was not available, and I was told to either pay extra or accept a subpar vehicle, specifically a MiniVan. The car looked terrible, with scratches all over the body. The next day, the car broke down, and the engine wouldn’t start. I immediately called for roadside assistance at 2 PM, but the tow truck didn’t arrive until 9:30 PM. During this time, the car rental company and the roadside assistance company delayed and passed the responsibility back and forth, which was extremely frustrating. The breakdown location was only about a 10-minute drive from the rental store, so they could have easily brought a replacement car, but they didn’t intend to do so and instead passed the issue to the roadside assistance company. By the time the roadside assistance company finally got us to the rental store, Budget, it was almost closing time. The staff said they didn’t have a car ready for us, even though the roadside assistance company had told me the store had prepared an SUV. However, the store staff said otherwise. Fortunately, someone returned a Toyota Corolla, which was then given to me. It was already 11 PM by this time. From calling for assistance to getting a new car, it took 9 hours. The entire day’s plans were ruined, and I couldn’t check into my reserved hotel, resulting in a no-show charge. Budget might be struggling, merging with AVIS. Many locations have either dual branding or only AVIS branding. I picked up the car at Union Square in San Francisco, booked via Budget, but the store only had AVIS signage. The breakdown happened in Monterey, and I switched cars at the local airport, which also only had AVIS signage. This might explain the bad service. I advise everyone to avoid Budget if possible.

Very good

It was the first time my car was downgraded, which was frustrating. However, we left quickly because we had other plans.

Pretty good

The car was very old, dirty, and had cockroaches.

It's quite convenient, but there are some differences from domestic services to note. After getting the keys, you need to leave the parking lot within 15 minutes. Make sure to check the fuel gauge when picking up the car, as extra fuel added during drop-off will not be refunded.

I waited in line for 40 minutes, and when it was finally my turn, they said the car wasn't ready yet. I had to wait another 40 minutes. This was quite inconvenient, and the line was also very long. But at least they gave me two nice cars, both brand new Lincoln Corsairs.

Satisfactory

The car pick-up and return process was relatively smooth. Due to communication issues, despite being informed that full insurance was purchased, additional insurance and other unreasonable fees (such as a toll device that cost over $100 as soon as it was installed) were added at the time of pick-up. After returning home, the post-rental service representative from the rental platform was very responsible and managed to recover most of my losses. It looks like I need to review the rental terms more carefully. This time, having a young man proficient in English with us ironically made us overlook this step. The contract was displayed on a very small screen, and due to fatigue from long-distance travel, we just signed after a brief verbal explanation. This serves as a valuable lesson. Thanks again to the post-rental service staff.

A common issue with American rental car companies is inefficiency. It takes more than 10 minutes per customer on average.

Very satisfied

The store is excellent, the condition of the car is very good, and the explanations were very clear. The process for picking up and returning the car went smoothly. Highly recommended!

Very good.

The car pickup was not okay. The female staff had a bad attitude, and they gave us a broken car that was not of the same grade. We had to argue a lot before getting a replacement.

Excellent service, got a free vehicle upgrade.

Good service

Excellent