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Post by LHR02 on Feb 23, 2005 19:54:57 GMT -5
,,,just a heads up fyi...took a trip to Tennessee last week and rented a car online from Budget. Reserved a 'compact' car, read Dodge Neon. for $121 for the week, fair price. When I arrived in Nashville at the Budget counter she 'sweetly' asked me if I would like to upgrade to a premium car for $10 more per day. I declined. Finished the paperwork and went out to get my car. A Crowne Victoria..full size at least, premium at best. Asked the lot boy is this right and he said they never have compact cars at that site! She tried to get me to accept a higher price for the same car I was going to get anyway.  My advice...never accept an upgrade at the counter...it's likely they are trying to get your $$'s for the car they have on hand. |
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Post by Kim on Feb 23, 2005 22:08:10 GMT -5
Geez, that's a scam, isn't it!
I'm not a fan of Budget - we called around for prices in Hawaii for car rental and when we called on our own and didn't say where we were staying (the Hilton), it was one price. Then when we called back from the Hilton direct line, it was sky high!! I think they are used to tourists paying out whatever.
We usually try and go with National as they always seem to have fair prices.
Kim
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Post by Eagle on Feb 23, 2005 23:37:35 GMT -5
That definetely sounds like a scam! It's a good thing you declined the extra cost.
It sounds like not all Budget franchises are the same, as I've had exceptionally good service from our local branch in Vernon! I rent from them a couple of times a year (when I need a slightly larger car) and the vehicles have always been provided at the quoted price and upgrades have been at no extra charge. Any minor problems (ie: refueling charge) have always been promptly resolved to my satisfaction. That's not to say that problems never occur, but perhaps I've just been lucky?
I'm generally a bit cautious about renting cars when I'm travelling out of my "home" area, unless the rental is arranged through a Travel Agent. I rented from Hertz when in England last June, and had no problems at all. I was upgraded as the model I requested had just been "pulled" as it had reached it's mileage limit.
Cheers!!!
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uktrail
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 69
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Post by uktrail on Mar 12, 2005 10:19:35 GMT -5
I had exactly what Ging had with Alamo in Denver many years ago. They tried to persuade me I needed a more powerful car 'to get around in those hills' , I declined, and they gave me it anyway (because it's all they had). They also supplied the car with an almost empty tank, which means the first thing I had to do (at 9pm) was to find a filling station; this was another scam, because I was bound to return it with half a tank or more, so they profit on the fuel. For this reason I have shunned Alamo since.
I have used Budget several times. They have always been fair, but sometimes I have had lengthy correspondence with them afterwards in order to get a fair result. I have just used them in Tasmania and I got an upgrade free of charge, but I didnt want or need it. In San Francisco once they did not have the compact I ordered and offered me a 'town car' at no extra charge; that was far bigger and posher than any car I have ever driven, which would be fine if I was longing to show off, but would cost far more in fuel as I was going all round CA and OR, and can you imagine driving one of those into a hostel car park??! (I waited 2 hrs and got the compact.)
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My advice...never accept an upgrade at the counter...it's likely they are trying to get your $$'s for the car they have on hand.
