horseymike

I have twice recently rented from Budget and reserved a "full size car". When arriving at the rental counter to pick up the car, I have been given choices such as Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Hyduai Sonata. On the Budget website it says "Ford Taurus or similar" which I have never been offered. These cars seem to be smaller than a full size car in my opinion. Is there something odd about this ?

scandi777

Hi HorseyMike,

Yes and no.
Definitions of what constitutes a fullsize, midsize, compact etc. do exist (based on internal space, wheelbase and other factors) but the rental companies are not obliged to follow those definitions, and likewise "or similar" is a vague term used everywhere. If you read the fine print it is impossible to deduct anything concrete out of it. When you reserve a car you are told what features it typically has but they make a point out of mentioning that the actual car you get may or may not have any particular feature.
They can call a Kia Rio a Luxury if they want and as a renter you cannot really do anything about it (although I'd love to hear about it ).

All rental companies (including the big and expensive ones) seem to be playing this game to some extent. Examples from other companies include Ford Focus being called a midsize, Pontiac G6 being called a standard.
And so on and so forth.

S.

SoCal

What you are offered is determined by what cars are rented, or returned, by others. This applies to all companies. There seems to be an assumption that they have Ford Tauruses but aren't renting to them to you. You can always ask what is available. When renting a full size car I've been offered a Toyota Camry, Chevy Impala, Nissan Altima. Once, with Avis, a Buick Lucerne. And recently, with Alamo, we got a Dodge Charger with a larger engine (nice power, but sucked gas).

Sometimes an upscale model of a particular car (e.g., Chevy Impala with leather seats and add-ons) may be considered a premium car. A Toyota Camry seems smaller than a Chevy Impala to me, but it's still considered a full size car. When I've rented a "standard size car" (Ford Fusion or similar), I've gotten a Fusion, and also been offered a Camry or other similar cars. The Ford Taurus is merely given as an example. It doesn't state that they have more of those than others. I've never been offered a Malibu (which, I agree, is not a full size car). If you don't like the car assigned to you, you can ask for another, upgrade or go somewhere else. Thems are the breaks.

lowfareair

It could be called a bait & switch, depending how it is approached. You likely would need to take it to small claims at that point, but it could be argued that a Kia Rio is similar to the Hyundai Accent (same platform, etc.), but nowhere near a Mercury Grand Marquis. I'd love to hear Budget's defense to that in court.

SoCal

Would be a waste of one's time, in my opinion. Unless the company promises, and charges for, a car with certain specs and gives a lower model (and it's a lower model based on the contract both parties agreed to), you would not likely have a case. The agreements are intentionally vague. If you're a regular renter you could go through customer relations, otherwise go to another company. Or the next time you're given what you think is a lower-grade car at luxury car prices, as for a different car (a different luxury car or ask for a smaller car at a smaller car rate). Doubt you could realistically call it bait and switch unless it's done on a regular basis and intentionally. It's never happened to me. Not saying it doesn't happen, but proving it happens a lot and is intentional could be tough.

Snozzy

I think that is a very far-fetched suggestion, so I doubt Budget will ever have to defend it. The poster grinned after saying it. I don't think he or she was seriously suggesting it could happen.

scandi777

You're right, Snozzy, and thanks; the poster wasn't seriously suggesting this would be likely to happen.
The important message was this one "Definitions of what constitutes a fullsize, midsize, compact etc. do exist (based on internal space, wheelbase and other factors) but the rental companies are not obliged to follow those definitions".

S