Ripoff Report Needs Your Help!
X  |  CLOSE
Report: #101231

Complaint Review: BUDGET TRUCK RENTAL - Nationwide

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: CHICAGO Illinois
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?
  • BUDGET TRUCK RENTAL Lincolnwood, IL Nationwide U.S.A.

Show customers why they should trust your business over your competitors...

Is this
Report about YOU
listed on other sites?
Those sites steal
Ripoff Report's
content.
We can get those
removed for you!
Find out more here.
How to fix
Ripoff Report
If your business is
willing to make a
commitment to
customer satisfaction
Click here now..

Several weeks before moving my family out of state, I used my credit card to secure a Budget Truck Rental reservation for a 24-foot moving truck. The reservation was to commence July 26. That morning, I called the local Budget Truck agency (Lincolnwood dealer) to inform them that I would be picking up the truck.

When I called, I was informed that they did not have any trucks available. They offered no explanation but, since I called, said they would contact their distribution center to see if they can find a truck for me. After not hearing from them for approximately 2 hours, I was forced to rent a truck from a more reliable competitor. When Budget finally responded, they said they may be able to get a truck sometime in the afternoon but refused to guarantee it.

I have since learned, upon researching the issue on the internet, that this seems to be a common practice for Budget Truck Rental. It has been suggested that during busy periods, the trucks are made available to those who are willing to pay more (and earlier, less profitable reservations are dropped with no explanation).

I find this practice distasteful. It's hard to imagine that a company could run a business in this manner.

Had I cancelled the reservation without a 48-hour notice, I would have been charged $50. Budget is apparently able to cancel reservations with no notice and at no cost. They should not get away with it.

S. lewis
CHICAGO, Illinois
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/29/2004 02:54 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/budget-truck-rental/nationwide/budget-truck-rental-reserved-truck-but-didnt-have-one-on-hand-ripoff-lincolnwood-illino-101231. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

Search for additional reports

If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:

Report & Rebuttal
Respond to this report!
What's this?
Also a victim?
What's this?
Repair Your Reputation!
What's this?

Updates & Rebuttals

REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
7Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#7 Consumer Comment

The big 3 truck companies

AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, February 15, 2009

My customers rent a lot of moving trucks from the big 3 truck rental companies so I've gotten my hands a several truck rental contracts.

All of the companies are pretty much the same as far as reservations go. When you make a reservation, you are next in line for a truck. That does not mean that the truck is going to be there, regardless of what the transport driver says. There are many factors involved. The biggest problem is that people dont return the truck when they say so then it is not available for the next person. I act like a concierge for my customers and try to find them a truck somewhere in town if they run into trouble finding their own.

No truck company guarantees a truck. The way the reservations work is that you are put on list for the truck. There may be more reservations than there are trucks. You should always call 3 days before and the night before to see if there may be any complications. And the biggest rule of all is BE THERE THE MINUTE THEY OPEN. Always make your reservation for first thing in the morning and be there first thing in the morning. If you show up at noon, you arent going to get a truck on peak weekends. Always make your reservation 2 weeks in advance.

I hope this helps you understand how things work and how to always get a truck.

to recap:
1.Always reserve 2 weeks in advance with a credit card
2.Call 3 days ahead and the night before.
3.Aways reserve at the time the business opens
4.Always be standing in front of the door, first in line, when the business opens.
5.Try not to rent the last weekend of the month.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#6 Consumer Comment

The big 3 truck companies

AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, February 15, 2009

My customers rent a lot of moving trucks from the big 3 truck rental companies so I've gotten my hands a several truck rental contracts.

All of the companies are pretty much the same as far as reservations go. When you make a reservation, you are next in line for a truck. That does not mean that the truck is going to be there, regardless of what the transport driver says. There are many factors involved. The biggest problem is that people dont return the truck when they say so then it is not available for the next person. I act like a concierge for my customers and try to find them a truck somewhere in town if they run into trouble finding their own.

No truck company guarantees a truck. The way the reservations work is that you are put on list for the truck. There may be more reservations than there are trucks. You should always call 3 days before and the night before to see if there may be any complications. And the biggest rule of all is BE THERE THE MINUTE THEY OPEN. Always make your reservation for first thing in the morning and be there first thing in the morning. If you show up at noon, you arent going to get a truck on peak weekends. Always make your reservation 2 weeks in advance.

I hope this helps you understand how things work and how to always get a truck.

to recap:
1.Always reserve 2 weeks in advance with a credit card
2.Call 3 days ahead and the night before.
3.Aways reserve at the time the business opens
4.Always be standing in front of the door, first in line, when the business opens.
5.Try not to rent the last weekend of the month.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#5 Consumer Comment

The big 3 truck companies

AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, February 15, 2009

My customers rent a lot of moving trucks from the big 3 truck rental companies so I've gotten my hands a several truck rental contracts.

All of the companies are pretty much the same as far as reservations go. When you make a reservation, you are next in line for a truck. That does not mean that the truck is going to be there, regardless of what the transport driver says. There are many factors involved. The biggest problem is that people dont return the truck when they say so then it is not available for the next person. I act like a concierge for my customers and try to find them a truck somewhere in town if they run into trouble finding their own.

No truck company guarantees a truck. The way the reservations work is that you are put on list for the truck. There may be more reservations than there are trucks. You should always call 3 days before and the night before to see if there may be any complications. And the biggest rule of all is BE THERE THE MINUTE THEY OPEN. Always make your reservation for first thing in the morning and be there first thing in the morning. If you show up at noon, you arent going to get a truck on peak weekends. Always make your reservation 2 weeks in advance.

I hope this helps you understand how things work and how to always get a truck.

to recap:
1.Always reserve 2 weeks in advance with a credit card
2.Call 3 days ahead and the night before.
3.Aways reserve at the time the business opens
4.Always be standing in front of the door, first in line, when the business opens.
5.Try not to rent the last weekend of the month.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#4 Consumer Comment

The big 3 truck companies

AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, February 15, 2009

My customers rent a lot of moving trucks from the big 3 truck rental companies so I've gotten my hands a several truck rental contracts.

All of the companies are pretty much the same as far as reservations go. When you make a reservation, you are next in line for a truck. That does not mean that the truck is going to be there, regardless of what the transport driver says. There are many factors involved. The biggest problem is that people dont return the truck when they say so then it is not available for the next person. I act like a concierge for my customers and try to find them a truck somewhere in town if they run into trouble finding their own.

No truck company guarantees a truck. The way the reservations work is that you are put on list for the truck. There may be more reservations than there are trucks. You should always call 3 days before and the night before to see if there may be any complications. And the biggest rule of all is BE THERE THE MINUTE THEY OPEN. Always make your reservation for first thing in the morning and be there first thing in the morning. If you show up at noon, you arent going to get a truck on peak weekends. Always make your reservation 2 weeks in advance.

I hope this helps you understand how things work and how to always get a truck.

to recap:
1.Always reserve 2 weeks in advance with a credit card
2.Call 3 days ahead and the night before.
3.Aways reserve at the time the business opens
4.Always be standing in front of the door, first in line, when the business opens.
5.Try not to rent the last weekend of the month.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#3 Consumer Comment

No Excuse For Equipment Not Being Available

AUTHOR: William - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, April 15, 2007

I'm a Transport Driver for a Budget Truck Rental Agent. I move Budget trucks all over the US. I just spent all last week moving trucks in and around the Chicago area. There are many rental trucks sitting dormant in Chicago.

One dealer, I know of, has a good 25 trucks that hasn't been moved for ages. I would venture to say, that a third of them wouldn't start, because of dead batteries. Two trucks, I know of, have spider webs spun between them. Why are all these trucks just sitting? Because Budget doesn't manage inventory properly.

I move trucks all the time, that are not really needed or reserved for rental. Agents will say, "Why did they send me a 24? I need 16's. I don't have room for these trucks." I hear these comments all the time. Large cities like Chicago, do tend to become truck heavy. That's why I have a job. Outlying areas, oftentimes, don't have enough trucks, while large cities have too many.

There is no reason why Lincolnwood can't have a truck for you when you need one.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#2 Consumer Suggestion

Budget's Company Policy?

AUTHOR: S.n. - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, July 31, 2004

I went on a trip for business and was to pick up a rental car when I arrived. I don't recall the name of the rental car company but when I got there the vehicle I had "reserved" was not available. I received an upgraded vehicle at no additional charge (after refusing a lesser vehicle). I read the contract carefully and held up the line at the counter (although I did apologize to everyone behind me). It was an inconvenience for everyone. However, if I had showed up at the rental car company at that time of night fresh off a long flight and was told THERE WAS NO VEHICLE, I would have been furious. Since this employee states that a reservation does not actually "reserve" a vehicle, is that what you advertise and do you tell anyone calling for a reservation that they are not guaranteed a vehicle? I know that I was never told when I mae the reservation that there was a chance I not get the vehicle I "reserved".

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#1 UPDATE Employee

Reservations are not contracts

AUTHOR: John - (United States Minor Outlying Islands)

POSTED: Friday, July 30, 2004

A reservation is not a contract. Reservation only gaurantees the rate quoted and shows a customer's preferences for pickup location, drop-off location, time of rental, date of rental and equipement type. The pikcup location, drop-off location, time of rental and date of rental selected in a reservation is a preference only and if a preference selected is not available, Budget reserves the right to offer a customer alternatives.All equipement selected in a reservation is subject to availability at time of pickup. If the equipement requested is not available, Budget reserves the right to substitute equipement at no additional charge to the customer.

Budget is a self moving company. Their inventory is moved by the customers renting the trucks. When a reservation is made the computer system shows availability, but inventory is moved by customers that Budget can not control. If a customer returns a truck to the wrong location or returns a truck late, or gets in an accident or the truck breaks down, that can cause a delay and a shortage in inventory. Those are all things that Budget cannot control, so when a reservation is made, the reservation does not garantee a truck, the reservation only garantees the rate that cst was quoted.

Respond to this report!
What's this?
Featured Reports

Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.

X
What do hackers,
questionable attorneys and
fake court orders have in common?
...Dishonest Reputation Management Investigates Reputation Repair
Free speech rights compromised

WATCH News
Segment Now