Budget Truck Rental
1
My wife and I recently moved across the country from Iowa City (Iowa) to Portland (Oregon). We got a good rate on a 24 foot truck with a platform hitch and it worked just fine. However, when I realized that we were going to need an extra day, due to an unexpected hospital visit, I called the Iowa City location to make arrangements. The person I spoke to told me that I could extend my rental for $60 per day plus coverage ($40/day) and that. and here is where it gets interesting, "IF I RETURNED IT EARLY, I WOULD NOT BE CHARGED FOR THE DAYS I DID NOT USE." Wow, was that a LIE. I only found this out when I got my bank statement, called the Iowa City location, and called the Budget corporate number. Of course, the first person I spoke to said that he did not have it within his power to issue me a refund of any sort and that I should talk to the location where I rented it in the first place. Funny, this is exactly what the Iowa City location told me (prompting me to call the corporate number. The corporate representative then informed me that he would make a note on my account and I would receive a call in the next two days. Two weeks later, I called back. After waiting for 15 minutes I got to talk to a person who again told me that it was not within their power to issue a refund and they would make a note of urgency on my account to prompt a call-back. Again, no call-back ever occurred. Another two weeks later, I called back yet again. After speaking to the woman for about 25 minutes, explaining that it was not my fault that the Iowa City location did not properly train its employees before placing them on the floor or at the phones, I was offered $120 of the $200 that I was scammed. I accepted this, begrudging the company for it's shady practices and procrastination based protocols which are apparently, literally, written into their customer service manual. The funniest thing is, the extra $80 which I let go went to an insurance company, which was apparently not Budget. The customer service representative, who was, after everything, able to issue a refund, was not able to tell me the name of the insurance company which worked with Budget of Iowa City.
So, in synthesis, let us review my recommendations when dealing with this truly American (as in composed of a bunch of money grubbing charlatans who don't know their assholes from their elbows because such data is not in their manual) company:
#1 Get any transaction in writing or, better yet, in writing with accompanying audio or video recording.
-this way, when they claim that they cannot verify if any of their employees "accidentally" misrepresented their company policies you can rub their face is their delicately worded pile of bullshit.
-also, document your rental. If you think you might have missed a few things on the initial inspection, a visual recording of a close inspection could be invaluable.
#2 Get in and get out. It's better to spend $40 on a tarp to cover your belongings on your lawn, than try to work out a more convenient solution with this jury-rigged "company".
#3 Don't believe anything but what is in writing. If they say, "don't worry about it" in reference to anything that is a tactic created to try and get you to fuck up while making them seem more amiable and customer "friendly". Everything should be noted, even things that have been fixed already. If there is the slightest ding in the fender or the windshield has already been fixed once it should be noted.
#4 The Better Business Bureau is there to help you. They have a range of dollar values which dictate the level of their involvement. Essentially, if your grievance is $200 or more, they will seriously go to bat for you. Scammers such as Budget hate the BBB because their shit doesn't wash clean. Red flags of a scam are inherent in the Budget company structure. To list a few, misinformed employees, policies of neglect and procrastination, oddly long or short wait times for customer service, dissociation between corporate headquarters and individual locations, and separation of service providers are all in the Budget company profile.
#5 Make a note of the name (first and last) of everyone you speak to or "helps" you and the time and date of said interactions.
-This will be useful for the BBB.
I hope this helps you have a smoother interaction than I had with these fuck heads. Good Luck!