Budget Rent a Car: Amarillo, Texas Southwest Airlines did the booking for this rental Budget claims a "chip" in the windshield the size of a pin POINT happened druing my rental. Nothing ever hit the windshiled while I was driving it. They charged $35.00 to SPARE me the cost of a new Amarillo, Texas

I booked a flight from Dallas to Amarillo on Southwest Airlines, they offered to book my rental car.  SW apparently uses Budget Car Rental.  I examined the car for body damage before I drove away.  I did not examine the windshield. When I returned the car, the young lady examining the car came into the clerk with a solemn face reporting a chip in the windshild.  I told them nothing had hit the windshild during my rental.  They showed me a pit in the center of the windshield the size of a pinPOINT and said it was not ther when I rented.  My first reaction was this is a scam, and asked how many renters have been charged for this same "chip".  They claimed they repair such chips immediatly for a $35.00 fee, or they would charge me for a new windshield!  I protested, it did no good.  A "manager" came out and yelled at me that he'd be glad to charge me $250. for a new windshield.  As the driver drove me to the departure gate I asked " if I had purchased the extra  insurance upon renting, would I have been charged for this supposed damage?"  He said no.  Seems to me that this scam applied to only those who did not purchase the extra protection.  When I got to the Southwest check in gate, I mentioned the scam to the ticket agent.  She replied: "I've had three other reports of the same thing from customers whom they had booked rentals with Budget."  That convinced me that this is a regular scam in the Amarillo Airport office of Budget Car Rental.  Southwest needs  to stop using this agency!  Budget needs to remove this agency from their namesake, revoke their franchise. 

 I travel to Mexico a lot, and have always been told that car rentals in Mexico constantly scam customers with pre-existing damage upon return.  I would NEVER have expected this in Amarillo, Texas, from a nationally known Rental agency!  They need to stop this abuse in Amarillo and anywhere else it occurs!