In the past, I’ve found Budget as good as anyone.

But my recent rental out of JFK airport in NY revealed problems.

The vehicle was fine, a Kia Rio.

I rented and (oddly) prepaid online for 3 days. That was $30 / day plus a bewildering slew of add-on charges and taxes.

$136.23

Calling in to ADD an extra day was a hassle. It took 5-6 phone calls. I kept getting cut off near the end of the transaction.

For the extra day I was told the charge would be $69.76.

But on return of the vehicle, I was billed an extra $111.62. (More confusing taxes and charges.)

Deceptive and confusing pricing.

On a vehicle advertised to me for “$30 / day” I paid $111.62 for one day.

Budget rent-a-car SUCKS. 😦

I’ll boycott the company for life.

If you’re still not convinced, here’s Budget JFK when I returned the car.

None of the other agencies looked crowded.

I speculate that Budget offers low, appealing rates online. Then overcharges for every possible other thing.

Poor service, too. At least it was for me.

I recommend you ask for the total, TOTAL cost when renting a vehicle. And avoid Budget if you can.