Several months ago I booked a car with Budget for our 18 day family vacation. I chose a location close to Seattle airport, but not on-site so as to save the extra airport rental fees.
My flight was scheduled to arrive at 3 pm, and the car rental agency closes at 5 pm, so I asked what would happen just in case of a flight delay. I was told that was no problem, I would just have to pick up the car the following morning when they opened, and that I should call as soon as I found out about any delay to let them know.
Well, as luck would have it, our flight was delayed. So I phoned.
I spent over an hour on the phone sitting in the airport, my stress level growing ever higher, talking with four different people and spending oodles of time on hold. Each one of them told me that since I was not going to be able to pick up the car by 5 pm, my reservation would have to be changed, and that they would charge me their current rates. Their new rates varied, depending on who I was speaking with, but they ranged from $200 to $900 MORE than the rate they had agreed to when I booked the car.
I pointed out that they had not mentioned this rate change when I asked about the possibility of a delay, and that they should not be charging me MORE for having the car for LESS time. I was not changing the return time, just picking the car up later than planned owing to circumstances beyond my control.
I ended up so disgusted with this company that I booked a car with a different company for $300 more than the $600 I was originally supposed to pay, because there is just no way I would rent from Budget ever again.