Complaint Review: Budget Truck Rental - Nationwide

We left Corpus Christi, TX on August 8th at 12:00pm. I was to start my new job on Monday, August 10th at 10:00am in Colorado Springs. We were traveling with 2 single females (I and my sister), a 5 year old child and a dog and cat. We were barely outside of San Antonio, TX when the transmission light, engine light, brake and ABS light all came on. We immediately lost power in the truck and were able to coast into a gas station. We immediately called roadside assistance, explained the problem and were told that someone would be out to look at the truck. A gentleman arrived about 3 hours later, took about 3 hours to look at truck and said that we would not be able to continue traveling with this vehicle. We called back roadside assistance who explained that we would have to wait until the morning for a determination on if we would be receiving a new truck or not. This was at 10:00pm at night. We had been sitting at the gas station for almost 7 hours, we were hot, dirty and frustrated. I asked what my next step would be. I was told I could get a hotel room, but that they would not be able to help up front with that cost. We checked into the Motel 6 in Boerne, TX with a rate of $130. The next morning we got up early, called roadside assistance and waited. Roadside assistance called us back stated that they would be switching our truck out but wouldn’t have a new truck there until almost 2:00pm. Check-out at the hotel was 11:00am. I was able to get the motel manager to let us stay in the room until 12:30pm. At that point, we went and sat in 97 degree weather until the new truck arrived at almost 3:00pm. The movers arrived before the truck did. The movers that showed up to switch my belongings from one truck to another were absolutely amazing and made a bad situation survivable for the day. The tow truck driver was a complete a*s. We had our car loaded on the dolly, and we asked if he was going to help with car. He stated “no, I’m not paid to do that” and that “Budget should have thought of that”. We were able to get the car off of the dolly and re-hooked back up to the new truck. We were back on the road about 5:00pm ready to get to Colorado. About 8:00pm we were about 40 miles outside of Sweetwater, Texas when the trucks engine started revving at a very high rate and would not go above 40 miles an hour. The check engine light, brake and ABS light came on. We immediately pulled over in a little town that had no lights and barely got a cell phone signal. We immediately called roadside assistance and was repeatedly put on hold, disconnected or lost service. We let the truck cool down for about 30 minutes when we decided we would try and make it to the next big town as we felt our safety was at risk. We went 20 miles an hour for 40 miles until we reached Sweetwater. The truck was making horrible revving noises, the floor of the cab was extremely hot, and if you went above 40 mph it would sound like a foghorn. Once again, we called roadside assistance who told us that the nearest mechanic would not be able to reach us until the morning. By this time, we were familiar with the protocol and got a room at the Best Western for $96.72. First thing in the morning, we called roadside assistance. The mechanic arrived about 9:00, took the truck for a test drive and said that yes, that the trucks tended to overheat in Texas heat, and that the oil was too thin and that is why the engine got hot. He suggested that as long as we did 60-65 mph (we were towing a car) we would be okay. We left Sweetwater about 11:00am, excited to be on our way. About 30 minutes into the drive, the engine started revving again and the truck would not go past 40 mph. We attempted to call the mechanic who proceeded to tell us that we would have to call roadside assistance again. We called roadside assistance that proceeded to tell us that we needed to pull over on the side of the road and wait for a mechanic. Please keep in mind that it was already 100 degrees outside, we have a 5 year old child and a dog and cat. We can’t run the AC because the truck overheats, and roadside assistance tells us to pull over? At this point, we have had enough. Your “roadside assistance” is insensitive to the situation, has frustrated us to the point of where I just want to leave my personal belongings and rent a car home. We finally made it home to Colorado on Monday, August 11th at 1:00am by going 50 mph. I have now missed my first day of my new job. When we call Budget to get the truck extended, we were given the run a round. “you need to call where you rented from”, “you need to call Customer Service” or you need to “call the drop off place”. I finally just took the truck in, explained the situation to the guy at the desk and turned the truck in. The manager at the return place did listen to the truck and agreed that we had mechanical issues.

I feel that Budget/Avis has handled our situation in the worst way possible. The customer service and attention is/was severely lacking. You put our lives in danger by our numerous breakdowns. Suggesting that we “sit” on the side of a highway with no shelter/water in 100 degree plus weather is absolutely dangerous.

I would like to be reimbursed for our hotel stays, and for a fair portion of the rental of the truck. I missed 2 days of work and have attached a document stating that. I spent extra money that I had not budgeted on food and necessities. The hotel stays cut deeply into my budget and I had to use my emergency credit card for the remaining gas home. The truck not running properly did use extra gas and time lost. We should have arrived in Colorado on Sunday, whereas we did not arrive until early Tuesday morning. The emotional aspect of our trip has impacted me, and I will never rent a Budget truck again. I hope that we can come to a reasonable reimbursement amount. One last question, what happens to the individuals that do not have the money for hotel rooms or extra meals?

Reply from Budget:

Budget Truck strives to provide a mechanically sound, well-maintained truck fleet, and your experience is not typical. We are sincerely sorry that you were inconvenienced, and extremely disappointed that we fell

short of your expectations. We would like to reimburse your out of

pocket expenses for hotel and food in the amount of $359.81. Because we value your business, we also would like to offer you a goodwill gesture in the amount $200.00. Once we have received your reply, we will apply the refund to your credit card which takes 5 to 10 business days to

appear on your statement depending on your billing cycle.

Reply from me:

At this time, I would like to make a counter offer of $950. I feel that

is fair and reasonable with regards to my situation. I’m not asking for a

full refund, but in light of the circumstances feel that the above amount is

reasonable. I missed 2 days of work, which I don’t know about you, but

definitely hurt my bank account. I am a single mother of 2 boys and I

budget so that I can make my money last. When we were sitting on the

side of the road at 10:00pm at night, we had almost no cell phone service.

Can you imagine what that feels like when there are no lights and depilated

buildings around you, with 2 single females and a 5 year old? The first

truck breaking down was bad enough, but to have a second truck break

down not even 24 hours later? From the reviews that I have read online(BBB,

Consumer Affairs, Marketwatch) it seems that Budget has a history of

renting defective vehicles? I have used Budget before versus using UHaul and

have never had this problem. I moved from Colorado to Kansas City and back,

moved from Colorado to Texas without any problems using Budget truck. I

want to continue to rent from Budget, but need faith in your company

that you will stand behind your product……$433-50% of truck refund)

$227-Hotel refund

$264-Lost wages

$26-FoodThank you for your time and patience.

Reply from Budget

After further review we cannot grant what you are requesting. Unfortunately we do not compensate for lost wages. However in an effort to resolve this we are increasing our offer to $300 which is %50 of the truck fee, which is the equipment that failed, plus the out of pocket expenses of $359.81 for a total refund of $659.81. This will be our final offer and this offer is valid until 09-01-15 by 5:00 PM CST otherwise the offer will be lost. Once we have received your reply, we will apply the refund to your credit card which takes 5 to 10 business days to appear on your statement depending on your billing cycle.

At this point I have contacted an attorney and am looking into filing a small claims suit.