I reserved a 24 moving truck and car carrier online for a move from Maryland to Florida . The equipment was to be picked up from Pasadena Citgo on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena at 8 am 5/25. I began calling the Pasadena Citgo to re-confirm at 10am on 5/24. The number provided with the confirmation just rang, then diverted to the recording suggesting to call back or contact national reservations. I called throughout the day with no answer. At 4:30 pm with the same response, I called the national reservations number and gave them the information and they provided me with an alternate phone number for the location. Upon calling the newly provided number, the telephone was answered with The Presidents not in, call back later, laughter and hang up. I called back to confirm that the number was for Citgo and the same gentleman informed me that yes, it was a gas station, but that he didnt know nothin about it, he aint in charge of trucks, just gas and I had to call back after 10 or 11 the next morning. I told him that I was to pick up the truck and car carrier at 8 am- 2 hours before the person that supposedly handled Budget trucks may or may not be in. I asked him if there was a 24 truck and car carrier there and he said No, but we got 2 15 trucks, maybe theyll give it to you for the same price WHEN YOU CALL BACK TOMORROW AFTER 11 LIKE I TOLD YOU! and hung up. I called national customer service back and told them what happened and the lady said that she couldnt do anything, a regional inventory specialist would call me back by 9pm that night and that she would change the rate code to reflect the original 20% off discount from the USPS change of address packet since apparently, the last coupon that is clicked on the website over rides a manually entered code. I finally received a call from a Robert, who was allegedly the regional inventory specialist at 7 am on 5/25, an hour before I was supposed to pick up the equipment and begin my move! In a very degrading manner, this obnoxious idiot then informs me that the only place both items are available are over an hour away, each way! I asked him if he had checked the Budget in Glen Burnie and he reiterated slowly and demeaningly I told you that the location that I just gave you is the ONLY location that has your equipment. Budget had me over a barrel at this point, so I had no real choice but to waste 2 hours traveling to get equipment that was not properly assigned to my location.
The new pickup point was Windsor Express in Windsor Mill, Maryland. The contact number that Robert gave me was incorrect and I was unable to confirm with them. I was online trying to get a good street number for them and find out where they were on Windsor Mill (there is both road and boulevard). An agent from Windsor Express called me at 9 am and demanded that I pick up the truck within 15 minutes since they had no room for it. I told him that I was over an hour away and was trying to get directions after I had him confirm the street address to put in mapquest. He called me every 15 minutes while I was driving there! This location is in the ghetto! The actual facility was a check cashing place with bullet proof glass and (illegal) slot machines! I was VERY uncomfortable! When I went in, the man behind the glass took my credit card and drivers license, then disappeared for over an hour with my IDs! I was trying not to cause a scene but after an hour of standing around and trying to stay out of the way, I was very nervous and upset. I asked the other guy where the guy disappeared to with my ID and he told me around back. I went outside and there was only 1 Budget truck on the lot, or to be seen at all. The condition was deplorable! The treads were coming through on 3 tires that I could see in the back, the front tires were bald and the retread on one was already puckered and falling off! The back metal bumper was smashed, bent and rusted- the damage on the drivers side was so bad, that it blocked the lower part of the loading door. I went in and told the other guy that I needed to talk to the guy with my IDs and that the truck was unacceptable as I thought that the guy with my IDs was hooking the car carrier up to the dilapidated mess and I wanted to catch him before he did. No worry there though, since THEY DIDNT HAVE A CAR CARRIER and he was on the phone trying to locate one- in Washington, DC! His plan was for me to take the truck from there since they didnt have room for it, then drive another hour or two away to pick up the car carrier in WashingtonDC or Virginia! This after being told by Robert earlier that morning that I had to drive an hour away since that was the only location with BOTH pieces of equipment. I got on the phone with customer service and updated them on what was happening and Aileen in customer service apologized profusely and said she was crediting an additional 5% off for the inconvenience and that the RIS would be notified immediately (since they were not answering their phone when she tried to transfer me) and they would contact me with where to pick up the reserved equipment. No supervisor was available (at 11am est!???) and a level 2 would call me back within the hour to discuss with me what had happened. I asked her for the number of either Robert or a competent inventory person and she said that she couldnt give that out, that I had to wait to hear back after they located the equipment, which could be several hours! I asked her to check the location in Glen Burnie, Maryland as they were larger and only 15 minutes from my house and she allegedly put that through to the Inventory Supervisor. I tracked down my license and credit card and left, only after I had to threaten to call the police if he didnt return them to me!
I still had not heard back from ANYONE at Budget and stopped by the location in Glen Burnie that I had earlier referenced. Out front were 2 car carriers and several 24 trucks in the back! I stopped and asked if they were available for rent and was told yes! I showed them my reservation and told them what had happened up to this point and they told me to call the reservation number and have them reassign the reservation to that location. I called back customer service and spoke with Janie who needed the whole story from the beginning. She eventually transferred the reservation after telling me Budget guarantees rates, not equipment availability which has to be one of the most asinine comments ever- how can you guarantee a rate for a product that you dont have? This comment as well as the feeling that I was making her go out of her way while Im doing several peoples jobs for them sent me back over the edge. I requested to speak with a supervisor and was once again told that no supervisor was available and that it was already noted that I was in que to speak with level 2 and she further informed me that there was no way that I should expect to hear back from a level 2 within an hour (which had already passed!) and that it is generally 24-48 hours and there was no way to escalate a response- they would call me back when they got to me! The agents at the Glen Burnie location were great considering the total failure on behalf of anyone that I had dealt with at Budget up to that point. They offered apologies for Budget and handled themselves professionally, even as I was screaming at Janie at this point and were able to accommodate my confirmed reservation with Budget, in spite of the fact that according to Budget's inventory people there were no vehicles available, especially frustrating since this location was a) less inconvenient than Windsor Mill; b) a location that I suggested that your staff check and c) actually had the equipment that I reserved.
After the transfer, and after doing the rental paperwork in a state of complete and utter disbelief at the ineptitude of "Customer Service" employees, they began to hookup a car dolly to a truck. When I told them and showed them from my confirmed, printed reservation that it was supposed to be a car carrier, NOT a dolly, we had to start all over. They showed me on the computer that the system was showing a 2 wheeled car dolly now. Apparently changed by an inventory manager since a DOLLY was available in DC, NOT a Carrier! This is especially annoying to me since the car being towed is my pride and joy and exceptionally well taken care of and I would NEVER consider dragging her with a tow dolly which is why I reserved the full car carrier. They would have sent me all the way to Washington, D.C for the wrong equipment AGAIN!
Over an hour elapsed for this reassignment and hooking up the carrier to the truck after the dolly was removed and customers were returning other trucks. It was now almost 2 pm when I was supposed to pick up my equipment at 8 am- ie, an entire day was now wasted since no one at Budget could pull their heads out of their a**es long enough to actually provide any manner of customer service! When the new rental agreement was printed, there was still no change to the rate and it was actually HIGHER than the reserved price with the wrong discount applied. I was told that they couldnt alter it that I had to take it up with customer service Level 2, who was allegedly supposed to be calling me back any minute now since it had been well over the hour that Aileen said they would call me back. The destination location was not open on the day it was to be returned and I was told that there is an additional $10 fee for dropping it off if they are not open that was never mentioned previously either. I called back customer service and spoke to Frank about the changes, charges and non call from level 2. His solution was that Budget would have been just as happy to cancel my reservation and leave me high and dry without any way to move, AFTER CHARGING A CANCELLATION FEE as to actually help me or do what they were contracted to do. I was also told by both Frank and the counter people that any discounts not in the original reservation had to be put in by a supervisor and that I should take the truck and they will have the issue resolved by the time that it is returned and they will issue a credit back to the charge. So after wasting a day of moving, everything seemed OK until I got the truck and carrier on the road. While loading my car I noticed that there seemed to be an impromptu repair to the beaver tail section of the car carrier- the right side brace was improperly tack welded on with unequal length parts, the bolt was spinning and the opposite side was bent so badly that I had to use a sledge hammer to secure the pin into the hole! The truck itself was filthy on the inside and reeked of cigarettes, butt and feet- I was at this point desperate and put behind the 8 ball by them, but I would address that with the supervisor when they called as well. Once on the road, the truck got even worse! I was aware of the body damage that was marked in the front of the truck and sides and I was reasonably OK with it considering the circumstances. Apparently when whoever hit whatever to damage the headlight and fender, they also knocked the passenger side mirror loose so it rattled and spun LOUDLY and CONSTANTLY. Here is some more of this gem of a truck; the remaining rubber trim around the windshield blew loose before I hit Virginia, making a slapping noise in the wind, if I exceeded 55 mph (in circumstances like merging traffic) the passenger side windshield would flutter at the top corner! Seriously- the windshield in this truck was not secured or glued! Im sure that this was aggravated by me having the drivers side window down the entire drive to keep from vomiting from the smell. The fuel gauge did not work correctly and would just swing wildly below half a tank and no matter how much fuel I put in, it never registered to F. The alignment was off and it had a constant pull as well as grinding feel when making low speed turns. This is in addition to non self canceling turn signals and lights front and rear, inside and out that flickered every time the turn signal was manually turned off. I do not feel that this truck was roadworthy and should not have been sent on a long distance move. But the car carrier was even worse! Late at night, just outside SavannahGeorgia, I checked the jiggling and spinning passenger side mirror- the matchbook shim that I improvised had fallen out and there were sparks coming from the back! I was in a state of panic and pulled off as soon as I could. The car carrier had blown the right rear tire! I called Budget roadside assistance number and was once again given the long wait and poor customer service. Before anyone answered the call, I was already at a motel off of the exit that I was able to limp to at 20mph on the interstate. When they finally answered, I was told that they needed the equipment ID # and they couldnt do anything via the rental agreement! Over 28 minutes on hold for emergency roadside assistance only to be told that I needed to go find a number somewhere on the chassis that was an equipment ID#. I DID manage to see that this particular piece of equipment was first registered by Ryder in 1991 and apparently had not seen proper service since. When I called back, I was once again left holding for almost a half hour. When I gave them the information that they needed she said that someone would call me back when they located a mechanic to respond and could locate me and that it would probably be several hours! It was already after 11 and I checked into the motel where the truck was stranded. I received a call around midnight from the mechanic that the wheel and tire was replaced and Todd the tow truck/ mechanic even helped me remove the rubber streaks left on my car from the blown out tire. He was of course, NOT an employee of Budget! An hour later (1:12am) I got a call from roadside assistance to tell me that their equipment had been repaired.
Upon miraculously arriving unharmed in Florida the following afternoon, the chains on the carrier would not release! I did everything I was told upon pickup and the tension chains would NOT reverse ratchet. I even resorted to the sketchy instructions in the pamphlet that I was given. After 2 hours under the car in the hot Florida sun and moving the vehicle repeatedly I was able to get enough slack to loosen the chains and release my car. The non functioning reverse was noted upon return as well as the half-assed repair to the beaver tail/ ramp and I was told that it should not have gone out in that condition. Then we got to the truck- when he checked the mileage he said that the tank was not reading full and I began enumerating the MANY problems with the vehicle, he opened the fuel tank and fuel was literally at the top of the cap. His response to the defects was simply well have to have somebody look at it and I was told that it was only a 2004, but it was probably about to go to auction. Seriously? It seems to have come from a salvage auction!
At this point I STILL had not heard from anyone at Budget in regards to ANY of my numerous complaints and difficulties with this transaction. When I asked him about the final charge he informed me that the charge was put through when I rented it and that the receipt that he gave me would only show a zero balance due, NOT any credits back from Budget. I had to check my credit card statement for any credits. Sure enough, when he printed my return receipt, it basically said that the truck and carrier were returned and closeout reference # which he told me to give to the customer service person that I was speaking to and once again requesting a supervisor, that not shockingly by now, was not available. Apparently they dont have any supervisors or Level 2 as I STILL to this day have not received 1 return call from anyone at Budget! Also- the length of the truck has little to do with how much it actually contains! Budget has the least amount of interior cubic foot space among the moving truck rental companies! I also sent a written complaint in writing (snail mail) and on their website (feedback). Their response was to email me a coupon code for 15% off my next rental! The email was sketchy looking too- the sender was ABG and the subject was the name of the attachment that ended up being a generic "sorry you're not happy- please try again later" in XL spreadsheet extension!
AVOID Budget Truck Rental LIKE THE PLAGUE THAT THEY ARE!
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