FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - New Very Tough No-Show & Late Return Terms
Old Mar 24, 2010 | 7:59 am
  #1  
GrizShel
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Programs: AA Plat, UA Silver, DL Silver, Marriott Titanium, etc.
Posts: 4,214
New Very Tough No-Show & Late Return Terms

This is very different language than I've seen on Budget before for reservations of the standard array of Economy to "full-size" cars:

• Vehicles are rented on a daily (24-hour) basis. There is a 29-minute grace period for returns. After 30 minutes late, a 3/4-day late charge + $.01 + taxes apply. After 90 minutes late, full-day late charges + taxes apply. There is no grace period for rental fees, surcharges and optional equipment or protections charges, so full-day late charges will apply for these items.
• If your plans change and you no longer require the rental, you must cancel this reservation before the scheduled pick up time or you will be charged a $75 US fee ($50 US for a pre-paid rental).
The grace period / and phase-in period for extra day charges have been shortened once again - full day charge after 1 minute if you have any adds-ons and, if you have no add ons, a 0.75 day fee if you are 30 minutes late. They were phasing in extra day charges over a two-hour period (and before that it was after three hours.)

But I've not seen this $75 fee for rentals of non-specialty cars. And you have to click on an optional pop-up window to see this.

If this is the future, I won't be renting from Budget unless they have a really killer deal (currently they do for me). This is just too much to worry about if I don't have to.

On this rental I had to go back and change my pickup time to much later than my planned arrival time, to ensure I don't get caught on the charge should I have to cancel and can't get through to them before the planned pickup time - as a Fastbreak member not happy about having to do that.
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