Budget Reviews 

Worst company to deal with, never ever again and beware of prospective clients. After my rental in June, was given a damaged report for £843( silly small damage on the alloys infact)but charged me £304 in June and have not taken balance dues or refunded the same. Filed multiple compliants as well as through ADR but no resolution. Due to not charging the full payment of £843, my insurance claim has been rejected and now its been 3 months and waiting. I'm in loss of £304 since June and Budget has not responded at all for all my queries and complaints filed. Either they should charge me the full amount so I can claim my insurance or refund the part payment taken which they havent done since last 3 months. I'm contemplating on what next to do including filing a legal complaint but this is a first for me from any company I dealt with and these guys are absolutely crooked. Never ever in my life I will deal.with this company again.

Picked up a car from Edinburgh Airport and was charged 3 seperate times for the rental due to a “system malfunction.” Was told the first 2 transactions would be released to my card later that afternoon, but 2 weeks out they’re still incorrectly holding over $5000 AUD. Also needed the return date altered and the rep said I only needed to return it early and would be refunded the difference - this is not true and he never allowed us to read the contract before signing. Can’t get a response from anybody through email about the incorrect charges and date change. I spent hours arguing with the AI email assistant before it finally forwarded the emails to a “specialist agent” who took over a week to respond to tell me they don’t offer quotes by email… Be incredibly careful if you choose to book with Budget/Avis.

Absolutely appalling.
Outside of car filthy.
Outside of car damaged all over,
Full length scratched wing scratches number and wings scuffed badly,
Condition report not accurate,
When asked if they could come out and do another more accurate one they refused claiming to busy but we know all about the damage so just take car you will be ok,
I asked for an alternative auto car with no damage they advised none available.
We had to drop car before opening times and used drop box, with in 2 hours we were told by email we had scratched a wheel! Total rubbish they also wanted £320 for repair, they said photos and accident report was attached there was nothing attached.
We are now in dispute. What a lovely way to finish our holiday!
Response from the owner 23 hours ago
Hi Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear about the condition of the vehicle at collection. We understand how frustrating it must have been to receive a charge notification.
Please feel free to reach out to us through any of our social media pages with your reference number so we can get this looked into for you.
Kind regards,
This was the response to a google review as you can see no links or contact details! We also have already emailed and challenged and not had a response!

The car threw up several faults with the electronics and directions for returns were very unclear, resulting in us having to pay 13.00 fees for driving through drop off zone. The customer service response was ' you wouldn't believe how many people do that' Perhaps clearer instructions might help!

Wish I had read the other reviews before booking.

They refused to relase the car we had booked months earlier. I was forced to cancel, for a fee. Still waiting for a refund. Customer service is non existent.

Jimmi was really helpful considering we had a faulty car and helped facilitate the return process smoothly.

AVOID! AVOID! AVOID! Extremely disappointing experience with Budget Car Rental

I paid for my rental car a month in advance, expecting everything to be straightforward when I arrived to collect it. Instead, Budget refused to release the vehicle, stating that I had not passed their security/credit checks and that they required proof of address.

I provided several documents showing my address, including my driving licence, internet bill, bank statement and proof of rent payments. However, they refused to accept these and told me they would only accept specific forms of proof, such as a utility bill.

As a result, they told me that I had failed their checks and that they could not release the car.

What frustrated me most was that I had paid for the booking a month beforehand. If these checks or specific documents were essential to collecting the vehicle, I believe this should have been made extremely clear before I travelled to the branch. Instead, I only discovered there was a problem on the morning I was supposed to collect the car, which seriously disrupted my holiday.

At the desk, I was told that Budget would cancel the booking, that I would receive an email confirmation by the end of the day, and that I would receive a full refund within approximately two weeks.

I relied on what I was told and waited. Nearly three weeks later, I still had not received my refund, so I contacted Budget myself.

I was then shocked to receive the following response:

“A full refund is not guaranteed for a Pay Now booking when the rental does not go ahead at pick-up, including where the Rental Requirements or security checks are not met.”

This was completely different from what I had been told at the branch when the booking was cancelled.

So, after paying a month in advance, I was left without a rental car, with my holiday disrupted, and then had to chase Budget for money I had been told would be refunded.

Whether Budget's terms allow them to do this or not, the whole experience was extremely frustrating. Customers should be clearly informed before paying and before travelling to collect the vehicle about exactly what documents and checks will be required. More importantly, customers should be able to rely on what Budget staff tell them regarding cancellations and refunds.

I will never use Budget Car Rental again. Based on my experience, I would strongly recommend that others think very carefully before making a prepaid booking with them. If you do book, make absolutely sure you understand every document requirement and the refund conditions beforehand.

AVOID if you don't want the risk of losing your money and dealing with weeks of unnecessary stress

Budget /Avis car rental at the Bristol Airport gave us a filthy car inside and out, and furthermore we got a car that had a faulty automatic transmission, forcing us to turn off the ignition in the middle of traffic. It overheated and accelerated despite applying the brake. Dangerous rental. Never had anything like it before.

Their front desk didn't care to believe it despite several witnesses. Their manager James Bushby doesn't know how to deal with customer grievances. A total waste of time.
Do not rent from Avis/Budget in the UK.
The competition obviously does it better.

I recently hired a basic car from Budget at Gatwick for 23 days. The staff were helpful, and the vehicle was fine, apart from the fact that I paid extra for the GPS, which had the speaking voice disabled. That wasn't useful to me, having to drive in central London, and I had to use Google Maps to get clear directions. What bothered me the most is that my rental cost £1170 for the number of days I rented, which obviously I knew. What I didn't expect was an additional £491 charges AFTER I returned the car. As Budget debits you on arrival, about £ 763 in my case, you have no recourse to these ridiculous additional charges. None of them was made clear at the time of booking, and it's interesting to me that they have created a video on the website 'explaining' their invoicing. Others must have complained too. Such charges are completely underhand and should be clear and concise at the time of booking. They are not. I will never use Budget again; you can't email them after the event either, as all addresses are disabled. I wonder why. A very poor business practice.
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I did I all the paper work before arriving in Dublin to pick up my car. It then took an hour to pick it up. I was told I would have do a manuel form because the computers were not working, and then they were. There were 20 other people waiting. Eventually after a lot of conversation where I was not given any explanation for the delay , I was offered a car where there were sensor issue, a broken rear shelf and a car with lots of scratches. Not happy

I booked online in the UK for a vehicle that I picked up for 3 days at Bordeaux airport. I was charged an extra £70 for no reason and no response when questioned by email.

Pickng up a rental car when tired after a long overnight flight should be avoided if possible. Car rental, paid in advance: 216.67 pounds. Add-ons: 731.16!! Be prepared to be shocked at the cost of (in my opinion a must-have) insurance, plus 'additional products' (not explained), plus 'location surcharge' (not explained), plus 'vehicle licence fee' (not explained). Yes, my error in not asking for explicit descriptions of the add-ons. I take responsibility for that, but how hard would it be for the clerk to run down the list on a paper copy, rather than waving a tablet? If I could give '0' stars I would.

Unauthorised and illegal extra charges after we returned the car - once in London and again in New Zealand. I will NEVER use Budget again - rather pay a bit extra & use a reputable company

TLDR: took my money for a car they didn't have, told me I would not be charged, charged me anyway, failed to provide a refund. Avoid avoid avoid!

4th July: Budget UK accepted a booking for a £200 hire, despite not having any cars to provide.

Their system would not allow me to cancel the booking, because you can only do so when there's more than 2hrs to go before the booking starts, but of course, you only get to find out that they have no cars at the time of your booking.

I finally got through to someone two days later (7th July), and received email confirmation that the booking was cancelled and that a refund would be provided to the card I paid on, with the person on the phone telling me it would be issued within 7 days.

It is now 24th July, and I've yet to see any refund, forcing me to go down the chargeback route with my bank - who tell me it could be two weeks or more before I see my money again.

The service agent was so focussed on selling me extra insurance for the £2000 excess not mentioned at booking that he neglected to tell me how to start the MG car without a key, how to use the complex display controls and where to find the petrol cap release lever. They need more agents with one dedicated to the parking lot and making sure you understand key features of their cars so you dont damage them and need to call on insurance.

Not received deposit back after 6 weeks abd They dont intend to either. I have asked them several times and they just fob me off. They also said I have a fine and charged an extra 35 euro for sending me a letter. There is no fine. Absolute sharks!!

You are supposed to report damage within 48 hours but it is impossible to call anyone during the weekend , and the phone lines once the office is open keeps you on hold for ages . It makes a stressful event even more stressful. And at palma de Mallorca airport they give you a premium number to call on your contract that does not work from uk phones . Never alike I use budget again . .

Not sure how they still operate. Please read reviews before you book.

So I hired an electric car and put it back in the condition I received it in and was slightly under charge but I paid for it ,and now it’s been over 28 days and no deposit back not happy as I can see by reviews they are not good at returning deposits. Won’t be using them again.

It is truly the worst experience. They charge me extra £178 on the day of pick up. 1 month after I return the car. I found that my card was charged additional £90 out of nowhere. Extremely disappointed.