Budget® Reviews
The transmission was a little kludgey. I liked that it was a flat bed, no wheel well. It all worked out well. Something about the design of the gas tank made filling up a bit tedious; the pump would keep switching off, detecting the tank was full when it was far from. It took some finesse. Other than that, everything was fine.
Turn in at Gaithersburg, MD (Dealer# 208779) was Excellent customer service! Everything else was crap. NO MILITARY DISCOUNT. Pick-Up in Denton, TX (Dealer# 787350) took more than 1 hour and 20 minutes even after I had reserved on-line more than two weeks in advance. 1st truck assigned took 45 minutes (AC didn't work). Both trucks assigned were nothing less than FILTHY. Brock did not mark all damage on the Inspection sheet and I had to have him re-do items. He was constantly on the phone with other people. There were no other employees at the establishment. The second truck which I accepted; I had to replace the wiper blades and clean the inside of the cab.
The truck rental was good until we went to turn it in in Boulder, CO. The contract required the truck to be full of diesel fuel. We filled the truck up but the manager at the receiving site wanted to argue the tank wasn't full. He wanted to charge me extra for more fuel to top off the tank. We took a photo of the fuel gauge with the needle clearly on "F". When we suggested we would forward it to Budget Corporate, he quickly backed off. Be aware of filling up and your fuel levels!!
HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE!!! This is the worst company I have ever encountered. We were moving across states from GA to VA and rented a 24 ft truck. We rented the truck on a Wednesday and left out on a Saturday and paid an extra day to return the truck on Monday. During the drive the truck stopped working in NC (5.5 hours from destination). We called roadside assistance who took almost 2 hours to get anyone to us to try and fix the truck after almost 7 hours they decided the truck could not be fixed and need to go in for service. At this point its 1:30 am and we were exhausted. The told us we needed to pay out of pocket for hotel and when we said 'what if we don't have the extra money for that?' their response was get a family member or friend to wire it to you... what kind of response is that? The next day my husband calls them up at 8:30 am to see if they have found a replacement truck and they say they will look and give us a call back. We do not hear back until 2:30pm to say that no truck has been located and probably will not get one until Tuesday or Wednesday due to the holiday weekend. Which means more money for a hotel, food etc. I decided to try and go online and find my own truck which I located one less than 30 miles away within minutes. I call budget back, which every call we are on hold for at least 30 min, to tell them that I located a truck and for them to go pick it up for us. They called to confirm after I provided them the location info and then they got us the truck that night around 7 pm. So I basically did THEIR job for them, which only took me 15 minutes. On top of that, when our truck was broke down we noticed their was NO PLATES on the truck! We definitely would have gotten pulled over. You've been warned, DO NOT USE THEM!
Original truck reserved was not available did not find out until late the day before the move. The dealer did go out of his way to accommodate us by arranging two trucks instead of the original one truck. The truck I drove (in a heavy rain) leaked like a sieve through the drivers window as well as down the back of the cab. Shirt was soaked by the time I arrived!
The truck I had reserved was not available when I called the location on the morning of my move. Budget didn't even call me or email to let me know. The person who I called about this was not concerned at all. I ended up having to find another Budget truck at another location and use a smaller truck. I was not able to fit all my belongings into the smaller truck so now I will have to make two moves. My next move will not use a Budget truck.
The individual people we worked with were great - kind and helpful. However, we were frustrated that Budget changed the time and pick-up location for our truck. We had hired movers to come at a certain time and had to make changes to make it work with everyone's schedule. The truck ran incredibly rough as well. At one point we got out of the truck and checked the tires because we were sure a tire had blown or something, but it was just the truck. Around town it wouldn't have been bad, but driving 800 miles, some through the mountains of TN and NC was a bit hard in the shaky truck. The cost was good, though. I guess it is a case of getting what you pay for. If we were to do this again, and I'm hoping not, I would probably put out a little extra money for something a bit nicer.
My reservation had to be changed the morning of my move but Budget handled the switch and everything went pretty smoothly. The truck itself was nice and the moving blankets we rented were in very good condition. My only complaint would be the lack of cruise-control which can be quite unpleasant during a long trip.
Have used them before. They are always just average... The cabs are really dirty... Don't rent one and do a long distance move unless you want to clean it first. Inside of box was o.k. We use them because they are cheaper... Beware of U-Haul - they calculate the Granny's attic in the length of the box.
Rented online 2 weeks prior, got call morning of move that truck wasn't available, after I had already arranged paid help for loading of Truck. Had to be driven by Budget rep 20 miles to another location to pick up Truck there. I do not live in area, flew here to Mason OH to take my storage stuff home to NC. Rented car at Truck pickup location and confirmed Truck Rental when I got here to make things smooth, it wasn't.
Absolute HORRIBLE service. They overbooked the trucks and didn't bother to call me. I had to drive over 150 miles away to pick up a truck and they charged me for the extra miles from their mistake. And when I arrived at the pickup location they were not there and did not show up for an hour. The employees at each location were rude and both said they did not have time or energy to deal with it. One suggested I try Uhaul... The other employee was so rude and aggressive that he tried to kick me out and deny service. His yelling was so aggressive that I had to call the police. They also required us to drop the truck back off at the far away location, a day earlier than planned and charged for those extra miles. To top it off, the truck broke down on the way back and we had to have it towed. The tow truck employee said it was the second time he had towed the SAME truck for the SAME reason, Horrible company with even worse employees.
Turned out OK, but started a little shaky. The day before our reservation, thy still did not have the the furniture blankets or hand cart available. They did locate them late the evening before we needed them. We moved from Camarillo, CA to Lake Havasu City, AZ. About 350 miles. The truck was a newer 27" diesel in great condition. The truck was rejected at drop off because the tank was not full. The pump had stopped and the gauge showed full, but we went back to another station where it took a few more gallons.
This truck was filthy inside and out. The truck had not been cleaned since previous rental. The windshield was a bug graveyard. It had horrible gas mileage ( $200. for an 800 mile drive). The truck was all over the place and had 92K on the odometer. It was a white knuckle drive. The windshield wipers were in need of replacement.
Three problems. First, we had reserved a 16 foot truck, and were told at the last minute they only had a 12 foot truck available. Second problem: We ended up being charged a different rate than the rate quoted on the phone. As a result, we ended up paying $116 for our one day rental, compared to the reservation rate of $71. Third, we were overcharged for gasoline. We were told the truck was topped off when we picked it up. Our move only entailed 11 miles, yet when we filled it up, it took over 3 gallons to fill it up.
The truck was clean and available on time. We kept it a second day. The only problem we had was the company said we scraped and dented the side. The scrape was pointed out to the employee at the company before we signed the truck out. They then said they would let it go, unless they got a complaint about the truck. Won't rent from this company again.
The Budget truck rental site in St. Augustine was closed when I tried to return the truck at 6PM on a Saturday. The person I had talked with on the phone stated we could leave the truck and put the keys/paperwork in their "drop box". There was no drop box, only a mail slot which specifically said "No Keys". Very poor knowledge and commnication on their part.
I always use Budget because their trucks are clean and well maintained. The online booking is quick and easy with no money due until you pick up the truck. They also have moving supplies (appliance dolly, furniture pads) that are reasonably priced. Another plus is the discounts that they offer for AARP members and one-way rentals.
The best. Steve and Drew were great. One important point is that they made our move go very smooth. We are a family of five and their service helped us to walk into our new home with less stress. I recommend these guys to any one single person or family who is looking for professional movers, polite, and respectful. They took their time to place each item the right way inside the truck and make sure they went inside the right place as well as assembling for required items which were able to provide that service quickly. We closed on a home the day before the move and they were understandable regarding our needs to move our stuff in one afternoon to clear the old apartment. If you have specific needs, they will assist you and work with you. Big family, small family, or single people, these are the movers to go for....... Thank you guys for your assistance and customer service (from a family of five, Jose's family)
The office where we picked up the truck were very friendly and helpful and had our truck ready to go when we arrived. He was very thorough with instructions about operating the vehicle. The truck and moving pads we rented were clean. The staff we dropped our truck off at were also very friendly and quickly checked our to truck. I would use Budget Rental again.
Very nice person set me up on the front end. These trucks are not for the faint of heart. Also they are gas guzzlers. However, it all went well. The drop off was a bit problematic due to the location, times open, and such, but so far (I have not gotten a final bill) it seems ok. Budget was a much lower cost than UHaul and having just done a UHaul trip last year, I could see no reason to choose paying more.
