Budget® Reviews
I was supposed to pick up my truck 15 minutes from home. The day before, they told me I'd have to pick it up an hour away. I got all the way there in my own vehicle only to find out no provision had been made to make sure there was a car carrier, which I had also ordered. I had to drive 35 minutes each way to another location in the moving truck to get a carrier then back to the original location to mount my car, then all the way back home. 100 miles and gas wasted. The truck was brand new, which was nice, but the trailer had a broken piece on the hitch so I spent the whole drive nervous about it.
Filthy inside and out. Had to by products to clean as well as, air door absorber. Oil change light is on. Gas cap indicator light on due to improper replacement cap. Have used them before and never imagined the mess. I told girl inside office, everything wrong. Came out and sprayed seat with sanitizer and emptied two bottle caps. Food and candy wrappers. Peanuts, mud, straw throughout truck. Very disappointed.
Carla at Stor It Self Storage in Stafford VA was extremely helpful and flexible in ensuring I had the equipment I needed to ensure a successful and smooth move. A clerical error was made on my reservation, but she found it, corrected it, and got me on my way quickly. Without her help this move would not have happened.
Budget offers reservations but will not hold a vehicle or guarantee one upon your arrival. They rely on pure luck that someone will drop a truck off at any specific location. The only reason this isn't a 1 star review is because Moe, at the Tropicana, Las Vegas location, guaranteed I would get the truck I needed after a couple got the only truck left at the prior location. Not a very reliable method of running a business.
Truck broke down several hours in the drive. Roadside assistance was extremely rude, unable to fix the truck, and gave no information on next steps. Truck had to get towed a couple hours away, where it still sits waiting to get fixed. This has been a disaster experience, only matched by the lack of customer service and communication. Let alone, the enormous increase expense this has created for me ( flights, rental cars, hotels, etc ).
The very nice lady at Ellenwood Storage, Pat was wonderful in trying to get me the truck close to the requested time. My issue was that the delay in getting the truck cost me the entire service charge I paid for the loading services ($300). After confirming the rental 4 times, no fewer than 3 on the week of my move, this should not have happened. Telephone customer service did not show any concern or took no real steps to resolve my issue.
I rented a 12 foot truck and it was perfect for the things I moved from my 1 bedroom, 655sqft apartment. However, I do recommend that you consult the recommendations from Budget regarding what the truck can hold based on it's size. The online booking process was easy enough, and the pick up was seamless. I was just a bit intimidated about driving the truck myself since I had never driven anything larger than a Ford F-150. LOL. But, I was able to drive it with ease and those fears went away as soon as I got in and drove it away from Budget. I guess I can add that I am a truck driver to my list of skills. LOL. You do not need any special license to drive this size moving truck. I also purchased the full coverage insurance, Justin Case. I used ¾ tank of gas and it cost $93.05 to fill up the tank - $3.18/gal (regular).
I rented a 12 foot truck and it was perfect for the things I moved from my 1 bedroom, 655sqft apartment. However, I do recommend that you consult the recommendations from Budget regarding what the truck can hold based on it's size. The online booking process was easy enough, and the pick up was seamless. I was just a bit intimidated about driving the truck myself since I had never driven anything larger than a Ford F-150. LOL. But, I was able to drive it with ease and those fears went away as soon as I got in and drove it away from Budget. I guess I can add that I am a truck driver to my list of skills. LOL. You do not need any special license to drive this size moving truck. I also purchased the full coverage insurance, Justin Case. I used ¾ tank of gas and it cost $93.05 to fill up the tank - $3.18/gal (regular).
We made reservations 4 months in advance and they called the night before to tell us they didn't have a truck for us. When we called budget corporate they told us they would have a truck for us 35 miles away in MA. However, when we arrived there the next day there was a sign in the window saying they were closed and would return tomorrow. The movers we had hired were at our home which had to be emptied in 22 hours as we were closing on the sale. So we had to pay for the movers to move our furnishings into our neighbors garage as opposed to moving truck.
I made my truck reservation 2 months in advance and when it was time to pick up the truck, they gave me the old beat up truck that wasn’t up to code. The drive tire was almost bare, the lights were going in 2 different directions, and we had to be on the phone for hours to get someone to change the tire out before I had to move out. I don’t recommend using Budget truck rental…
The day before I was supposed to pick up the truck, I received a call from Budget saying my truck had mechanical problems and I needed to call customer service. Upon calling customer service, they said they would locate a truck and call me back within 2 hours. They did not call back, then customer service closed for the day. The next morning I called again, they said they would locate a truck and call me back within 2 hours, and THEY DID NOT CALL BACK AGAIN! I called back, told them the problem and asked to speak with a supervisor. I never got to speak to the supervisor, but they did find me a truck, 2 1/2 hours later than my original reservation time. They neglected to tell me that the new pick up location opened later than the original location, and I waited in their parking lot for 20 minutes before they opened.