I rented the truck on Friday 06/09/23 1PM for return on Monday, 6/12/23 1PM. The staff at Dealer #******* (Elmhurst, IL) were great, professional, kind and patient. Even though the truck was beat up (dings, dents) and dirty we inquired and were told it was the 'best' truck they had available.

For a Chicago, IL to Huntsville AL (8 hour drive) relocation the truck broke down half way in Elizabethtown, Kentucky at 10:00AM CST. It took a total of five (5) hours of waiting on the side of the interstate for roadside assistance to advise they could not repair (wrench light and Check Engine Light issues) and for the truck to be towed local.

Budget insisted we stay at a local hotel until they located a replacement within a 200 mile radius. In hopes they'd find a replacement soon. We did not stay, movers scheduled at our destination would still charge for the POD unload regardless if they provided the service or not.

A replacement vehicle was delivered to the home in Huntsville on Sunday 6/11/23 at 7PM, driver did not give us any documentation. This truck had accident vehicle damage in several places, both rear-view mirrors did not lock in place and the charges did not work.
On 6/13/23 at 1PM is when the truck was dropped of at the contracted destination in Murfreeboro TN. As of 6/14/*******@12:30PM CST the contract is still open in the system, flagged for being late return since it was originally due on Monday 6/12. I was told today by Customer service we'd be charged an extra day rental for the late return which MAY be reinbursed.

As of 6/14/*******@12:30PM CST I was told it may take 24-72 hours to close the contract, which legally leaves me liable for a vehicle that is no longer in my physical possession.
HORRIBLE COMPANY, if you value your safety, time and finances never rent from them.

Reservation: **************
Name: Watkins
Rental Location: Elmhurst, IL #******* / Return: *******
Dates: 6/9/23 - 6/13/23

Rented a Budget truck Saturday July 24th. From Everett WA to Scottsdale AZ for our cross country move. Transmission blew out on the highway at night. It almost caused a car accident. Thankfully it did not. Pulled on the side of the highway, called roadside assistance. They said they would send a tow truck. Tow truck arrived 4 hrs. Later. Thankfully it was not winter, could have frozen to death. Got the truck towed to a small hotel. Was told that they would provide a new truck hopefully the next day and that they would cover associated costs for food and lodging. Next day was Sunday, called them said they needed a managers approval for a truck replacement and no managers work on Sunday- told to stay until Monday. Asked about towing truck to a car repair shop, they said that wasn't possible-not sure why. It has now been 5 days. Truck is still in parking lot and still stuck in hotel. Have spoken with them daily, multiple times a day. They do not provide a direct contact number or extension- need to wait on hold with them for 45min-an hour to get through each time. Tried calling customer service as well today, asked to speak to a manager and they said they do not allow customers to speak directly to a manager, unless manager contacts them. I asked them to contact a manager on our behalf, they said they sent an email and should receive a response within 24-48hrs. I asked them to call a manger, not email and they said no- they are only able to email internally. I think that was a lie. This entire time stranded- the only thing within walking distance (in 105 degrees) is fast food. Had to spend basically three meals a day at Jack in the Box and Dominos pizza. Finally decided that they were not going to be helpful and looked online for inventory to see what they had in stock at locations within a 200 mile radius. Found a truck in Vancouver WA. Called Budget back again and asked them why they hadn't reserved the truck for us. they said they basically weren't sure and that it may show online but doesn't mean that it is actually available. She said she would email them directly and was unable to call them because they only use email. I figured it would be a long time to get a response and told them to wait on the phone with me while I contact the location on speaker. Before they could respond I contacted the Vancouver location and they told me that the truck was just reserved via email for an emergency breakdown situation in Prosser WA. I asked her why they didn't take care of it and why it took me calling around to find a truck. And her response was that she was unsure because it is a different department that locates a replacement vehicle. I'm hoping that the problem will now be solved. Which would make it 6 days later by tomorrow. Still not sure how to transfer our entire truck full of belongings to the new truck and don't think we should be paying for it.
The biggest issue with all of this is that I read all of the reviews on this facebook account and there were hundreds of people with similar stories. Even people stuck in the winter on the side of highway in a broken down truck. There were some that were stuck for multiple days- with kids and pets. One person even had their cat pass away. They also had to fight for money to be reimbursed back to them, even though they were told that all expenses would be covered. For us, there are jobs on the line, personal health, prescriptions and 6 days of lost time. I'm nervous that the expenses will not be reimbursed and the situation will not be resolved again by tomorrow. This company needs to be held accountable- they cannot continue treating people this way with no accountability.

Rented a truck from Budget. The site worked fine--the company, not so much. Where we rented from was nice enough, though I think I walked back in time to 1952.

Loads of insurance add-ons inflate the price. Know what your regular insurance covers before you go in. After signing away my rights, we sauntered to our rent-a-ride.

The truck we got was filthy. I mean, the interior was like a coca-cola bomb went off, daily, for about a month. It was so gross I Windexed the interior, seats, steering wheel, windows, etc., before I let my kids sit in it. I went through half a roll of paper towels, and they were just about black with grime, food particles, dirt and other unidentifiable bits. To say it was dirty is an understatement.

The outside was also filthy, but who cares? My point is, man, show a little pride of ownership. You'd think a quick wash a cleaning, every month or so would pay off in customer satisfaction.

The truck drove well enough. Until you had to sit at a light. Idling, it rumbled, shook, and shimmied. The cacophony was deafening. When we had to stop or slow, my two boys shouted Battlestar Galactica comments, sounding like the robots form the old TV series, and sang Metallica riffs. The noise was so loud, you couldn't hear someone screaming, "Please God, Stop, you are backing over my wife and child", if they were standing next to you, with open windows.

So we did our move, didn't kill anyone, and went to take back the truck. Gas stops are always fun. I filled it up as instructed, and the gauge read much higher than when I picked it up. At $4 a gallon that's a little irritating. I managed to turn it around and get it pointed in the right direction. And we were again on our way.

When returning the beast, the only way to spot the dealer was by the 8 1/2 x 11 inch sign in the Sears Automotive window. Maybe they could mention that on the return slip. (We are located at Sears). The trucks were out back were only visible once you drove PAST the location. Nothing like a little extra maneuvering in the largest vehicle I have ever driven on a busy road.

We pulled in at 4:20, and the staff who closed at 4pm were nowhere to be seen. That was as advertised--so it's not an issue. The guys at Sears (Who were open til 6) told us to just put the keys in their drop box. He directed me to their drop box, which was inside the Sears/Budget location, in a back room, behind the garbage can. Drop, turn, safe and sound. Done, I thought.

The next morning, we call the Budget guys, to make sure all was in order. We hang up and get a prompt call back. The heavy accented voice informed me that they did not have a drop box, asking me where his truck was. Several calls later, we explained where his drop box was, where his truck was, and finally our moving experience was complete.

While I would use Budget again, I don't think we'd use that location. Has anyone had any bad experiences with the company? What can a consumer do if they rent a truck and it's a dirty relic, like the monster I drove? It seems that as a desperate mover, in a time crunch, we really have little options.

Thanks for listening.