Budget Car Rental, Budget Rent A Car One way charge ripoff NO customer service Columbus Ohio
I rented a car for three weeks in Cincinnati while my car was in the shop. I got a rate of $25 per day. My car repair was unexpectedly delayed and I had to get to the Columbus airport. So I called Budget to see if I could drop off the car at the Columbus airport under my contract. I was told I could and I was asked what time I planned to drop off the car.
When I arrived, the clerk ran off my charge and handed me the bill. It was twice what I was quoted. I was directed to call the 800 number. I spoke to two people who told me that I was upcharged because it was a one way rental, so the charge for all three weeks doubled. I explained that I had called and was told I could drop off the car with no problems. I was not advised of any additional charge. If I had been I could have turned in the car and then rented a new car for my drive to columbus and could have paid for one day at the new rate.
They refused to reduce by bill by a single penny. They simply advised me to challenge the payment with my credit card company.
I plan to sue them. I don't need to involve my credit card company. I need to use my local court and let them pay a lawyer $300 an hour to explain to a judge or jury why it was fair for them to charge me an extra $600 to drive the car 90 miles to Columbus without telling me in advance.
Steve
Hillsboro, Ohio
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Very Angry With Budget Car Rental
Whiteville,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Similar thing happened to me
#3Consumer Comment
Sat, December 01, 2007
I just posted a report off something similar that happened to me. I rented a one-way rental from Memphis TN to Columbus OH for $170 so I knew about the one way charge and agreed to it. I went to Columbus to buy a car but it didn't work out so I went to the Budget in Columbus where I was originally to drop the car off. They told me I could just take it back to Memphis and they would just charge me for a standard two day rental and take off the one-way fee since they would be getting their car back.
I called the Memphis location and they said since the contract was signed they could not change it but that I would only be charged $170 the original fee. When I got back not only did they change the contract they charged me for two days at the one-way rate even though they got their car back. The reason for the one-way rate charge is to supplement that budget you rent from for losing a car.
I feel your pain I have contacted a lawyer as well Budget is using very deceiving tactics you can usually take a company's word for it but it seems now-a-days we should carry around a tape recorder and record everything we are told that involves money.
Mr
That One,California,
U.S.A.
Part of this business.
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, January 27, 2005
I am in the same field so know what happened to you is standard pricing. But you should have been told. Yes leaving a rental there is allowed but it affects your pricing. That allows you and the representative to go over exactly how the changes will make a difference and give you the ability to make an informed decision.
People tend to think that because we run country wide that it should not matter where the car is dropped off. It is still the same company. Incorect. LIke chainstores each location is its own individual store. Rental cars are the same. The starting location will have thier own number of vehiicles. If they allow every one of thier cars to be taken to a different location they will have none to rent.
So many factors have to be considered in letting a vehicle be left at a different location. The likleyhood of someone needing to do the same trip in reverse. The exspense,time, and difficulty in having an employee retrieve the vehicle. The loss of use during the time it takes to have the vehicle back. To name a few. Then they will set an maximum amount of vehicles in the fleet to be allowed for one way rentals.
Take the state of Florida an area very much a tourist mecca. Travelling fom one town to the next to be able to see all the attractions is normal. Between the high tourism areas you rarley see a problem going one way.Even rarer is a higher daily fee. Get to the out of the way areas and back come the needs to charge more for this service.
No matter what business you are in changing an agreed upon contract will incure penalty and costs not in the original deal. So is charging a higher price to have employee 1 drive employee 2 to pick up and return a vehicle you took in one direction a rip off? No it is a service fee. Was the agent you talked to trying to rip you off or just derelict in his/her duties to inform the customer of exactly what the changes you requested would be. Thier answer was a very lazy answer correct in the fact that it would not be a problem to leave it there. Too Lazy add but it will affect your price. Sueing a company that has thier own bank of full time employees in the field of corporate law will not hurt them as you think since they pay these people whether or not they actually do any lawyer duties. Not asking the right questions or getting further details does not relieve you of a share of the responsibility in the changes and charges made.
Telling a Judge you was not aware of a law you broke would only get you an answer that ignorance does not equal innocence. Yes I blame noth of you for this problem. There is no way I would ever eccept NO Problem as a complete answer to anything.