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They take your money but won't hand over the car. I had booked a car in advance from Glasgow Airport to drop off at Manchester, and already paid. When I got to the counter, I was told my ID came back as amber on their system and I had to show two utility bills. All our bills are under my partner's name, and they wouldn't accept bank statements, NHS documents, or tax letters that clearly showed my address. Nobody explained why the system flagged me as amber and there was no room for common sense. The system said no, so they kept my payment and gave me nothing. The same thing happened to the guy ahead of me who was denied his prepaid car because his bank card only showed his first initial and surname instead of his full first name. It's a pretty normal thing for bank cards to look like that. Their system seems designed to reject people, and honestly it feels discriminatory unless you're the main bill payer in your household.

Second time renting from Budget/Avis in London and had an excellent experience again. The staff member at the desk went above and beyond to help me get my car early since I had a long journey ahead. Really impressed with how accommodating they were. My first visit was also great, which is why I keep coming back instead of going to other rental companies. Unlike some competitors who push hard to sell you upgrades and extras, Budget just lets you rent what you need without the pressure. Plus the after-hours drop-off process was straightforward and hassle-free.

Won't be renting with this company again. The final amount they charged me was significantly higher than what was on my invoice. When I asked about the difference, customer service just ignored that specific question in their response. When I returned the car, they said I'd driven hundreds of miles even though I only drove about thirty. Then a month later they took another payment from my account without any notice or explanation. What started as a 250 pound rental turned into over 450 pounds because they just took my money without permission. These folks are not trustworthy.

Asked them to let me pick up the rental from the airport. They told me I had to take a minibus to get to the car instead. What kind of operation is this?

Would rate zero if I could. Rented a car for a month, returned it to Heathrow with a full tank and no problems noted at the time. Days later, a huge charge shows up on my credit card with zero explanation. Tried reaching out multiple times to find out what happened but got ignored completely. They basically stole money from me without giving any reason at all. Stay away from Budget unless you enjoy having funds taken without answers.

My experience at Avis Budget's Bristol Airport location in September was really disappointing. I returned my rental at 4 PM during their business hours, but nobody was available to check it in. I was forced to drop my keys in a box with no joint inspection. Within days they sent me a bill for 478 pounds claiming I damaged the front left door, including charges for downtime and admin fees. That's absolutely false. My car was in excellent condition when I brought it back and I have video proof showing no damage whatsoever. They refuse to look at my video evidence though, insisting instead on photos with metadata, even though their failure to have staff at the desk is what pushed me toward the key drop option in the first place. Video should actually be stronger evidence than a single static image anyway. They've never even shown me proof of any damage. The customer shouldn't have to prove they didn't cause damage, especially when the company fails to conduct a proper inspection. I feel let down and treated unfairly by how this was handled. My strong advice to anyone renting from this airport location is to be very cautious about their practices.

Had a terrible experience with Avis Budget at Bristol Airport in September. I dropped off my rental at 4 PM during normal business hours, but there was nobody around to check the vehicle. They made me put the keys in a box, so there was no proper inspection done together. A few days later they hit me with a bill claiming I damaged the front left door, asking for 478 pounds plus downtime and admin charges. I completely disagree. The car was fine when I returned it and I have video footage proving there was no damage. They won't accept the video though, insisting on photo files with metadata instead. This is unreasonable considering their own staffing failure is what forced me into the box drop-off. Video evidence should be stronger than a single photo anyway. I've never even been shown what they claim is damaged. They should have to prove their allegations, especially when they didn't provide a proper handover process. This whole situation has left me very frustrated and feeling like I've been treated unfairly. I'd warn anyone renting from this location to be extremely careful.

I had to cancel my booking three days before the rental because I didn't have my physical driver license with me. Couldn't get through to Budget on the phone, so I went to the office in Catania in person to cancel but walked out without a refund. Now on my fourth attempt calling to get my money back and I'm sitting on hold for over half an hour each time. To whoever runs this company, please just refund my money. I cancelled within your own cancellation window.

Budget completely defrauded me out of 711 euros. I rented a car from the Krakow Airport location on June 20th through a booking site. When I arrived for pickup, the rep mentioned a defect on the rear rim and asked me to grab the car from the lot after signing paperwork. He never showed up to do a proper handover. I got the car from the lot at night and when I looked at it in daylight, I saw pre-existing damage all over. I made videos and took photos of the condition and sent them to the company. They completely ignored my documentation and refused to acknowledge the existing damage. They stuck me with charges for damage I didn't cause. Despite sending evidence and complaining multiple times, I got no response and my concerns were dismissed.

Fair warning about Budget at Podgorica Airport in Montenegro. I specifically said no to any extra insurance when I picked up the vehicle. Still, they charged 440 euros to my credit card without my permission, claiming it was a deposit refund but it was actually for insurance I never agreed to. When dropping the car off, the staff rushed me out by being intimidating because they knew I had to catch a flight. Now Budget refuses to refund that charge even though they say I signed for it. I never signed anything agreeing to extra insurance and I have proof. Looking at Google reviews for this same location, I'm far from the only person this has happened to. Multiple other customers report the same shady tactics at that counter. This is deceptive and abusive behavior. I'm escalating this to my bank, filing complaints with consumer authorities, and reaching out to European mediation services. If you've been through something similar, speak up so we can hold them accountable.

Submitted a complaint to the Budapest office in April regarding charges that weren't discussed beforehand. Since they didn't respond, I contacted the UK support team on May 7th. They sent me one email on the 9th but then went silent. I followed up again and called once more in June. A nice gentleman on the phone promised to look into it, but I'm still waiting as of late July. Called again recently and was basically told they're swamped and will handle my case when they get to it. No clear service agreements are in place to ensure timely resolutions.

Filed a complaint about unexpected charges back in April with the Budapest location. When I didn't hear back, I escalated to UK customer service in May. Got one response on May 9th but then heard nothing. Called again in June and was promised someone would look into it, but as of late July still no resolution. The staff keeps saying they're busy and will get to my case whenever they get around to it. There don't seem to be any service level agreements in place to hold them accountable.

Would give a lower rating if possible. Rented a car at the Venice airport location with a prepayment plan, so I only needed to leave a deposit of around 200 euros. Nobody walked me through the vehicle's condition with me. The car already had lots of scratches and dents, so I photographed everything carefully before leaving. When returning it, the agent said they could only inspect the car in 1-2 hours and wouldn't budge on timing. We had to rush to catch our flight, thinking everything would be fine. At the gate, I got hit with a charge of 749 euros on my card. Called and they said to ring back the next day. When I did, they claimed there were scratches and dents and wanted me to pay for them even though I didn't cause that damage. I sent my photos as proof but they said phone pictures weren't acceptable, even with the photo data included. Fortunately I had purchased comprehensive coverage. This company seems to operate like a scam to charge customers for pre-existing damage they never caused. I bet this happens to lots of people.

As a preferred customer for fifteen years, I've always had great service, but the Birmingham location treated me worse than any bad review I've ever read about the rental industry. After ten-plus rentals this year alone, they complained about mileage on what they advertised as an unlimited mileage MG HS. They also found minor scuffs on the bumper and hit me with a 428 pound charge, then refused to refund my deposit or reimburse 350 pounds for a replacement car they booked me then cancelled. When I asked if I could keep the car for another couple hours to make an important interview, they said no and I was late because of it. They basically told me to rent from someone else after charging me over 1200 pounds in fees and holds. Getting Avis on the phone is nearly impossible, and I'm not even sure which charges are temporary holds that'll drop off eventually. I had rental insurance that covered damage claims, but it didn't cover the cancellation and extra charges that Birmingham added on top. I'm completely done with Avis Budget.

Rented a car recently and showed up at the London location only to be told they don't have the vehicle available. No apologies were offered whatsoever. They wanted me to call their main line but the hold time was over an hour. Both staff members I dealt with were incredibly rude and unprofessional, and they acted like they deal with this situation all the time. It's a complete scam operation and I'm filing a complaint with consumer protection.