No Budget at DTW ever again
Jan 17, 2012, 2:49 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
No Budget at DTW ever again
Usually use National/Alamo, so this was a price driven decision.
Took an hour (!!!) to get a rental, with a confirmed reservation. During that hour, it took 3 separate cars (and a downgrading attempt) to get one that had an audio jack. (Pretty simple request, but when driving in the frozen tundra 500 miles that weekend, the iPhone and iPod is required). The resulting car turned out to be a Dodge SUV, which got....18 mpg (from the vehicles own trip computer).
The difference in mileage vs. the originally booked midsize I estimate to be between 15 - 20 MPG, so over a 500 mile stretch, I burned an additional 15 gallons or so.....about $50. (I did the math with their agent, who politely - but officiously - refunded $9 back to the Amex...!)
Not to mention no "self servie kiosks", no "pick your own from our fleet", various mechanical problems with the car and the fact that this location is not open 24 hrs....just a poor experience.
Funny how competitors can have such widely disparate standards. Hi ho, back to National/Alamo I go....
Took an hour (!!!) to get a rental, with a confirmed reservation. During that hour, it took 3 separate cars (and a downgrading attempt) to get one that had an audio jack. (Pretty simple request, but when driving in the frozen tundra 500 miles that weekend, the iPhone and iPod is required). The resulting car turned out to be a Dodge SUV, which got....18 mpg (from the vehicles own trip computer).
The difference in mileage vs. the originally booked midsize I estimate to be between 15 - 20 MPG, so over a 500 mile stretch, I burned an additional 15 gallons or so.....about $50. (I did the math with their agent, who politely - but officiously - refunded $9 back to the Amex...!)
Not to mention no "self servie kiosks", no "pick your own from our fleet", various mechanical problems with the car and the fact that this location is not open 24 hrs....just a poor experience.
Funny how competitors can have such widely disparate standards. Hi ho, back to National/Alamo I go....
Jan 17, 2012, 4:58 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 7,710
So they only gave you a free upgrade and a $9 refund when you had a confirmed reservation for a type of car that didn't have the feature you really needed? You probably could have saved the hour on the lot with 5 minutes of researching the car/class features on budget.com.
The DTW location was good to me back when I was new to renting cars and didn't have fastbreak. They didn't have an Escape ready for renting when I showed up for a relatively long F class rental with 3 passengers. I wasn't really happy with any of the other (smaller) F class SUVs, so they processed an Escape that had just been returned and had it ready in 20 minutes. This was also during one of their busiest weeks of the year, their lot was only about 1/3 full.
The DTW location was good to me back when I was new to renting cars and didn't have fastbreak. They didn't have an Escape ready for renting when I showed up for a relatively long F class rental with 3 passengers. I wasn't really happy with any of the other (smaller) F class SUVs, so they processed an Escape that had just been returned and had it ready in 20 minutes. This was also during one of their busiest weeks of the year, their lot was only about 1/3 full.
Jan 17, 2012, 5:20 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
So they only gave you a free upgrade and a $9 refund when you had a confirmed reservation for a type of car that didn't have the feature you really needed? You probably could have saved the hour on the lot with 5 minutes of researching the car/class features on budget.com.
The DTW location was good to me back when I was new to renting cars and didn't have fastbreak. They didn't have an Escape ready for renting when I showed up for a relatively long F class rental with 3 passengers. I wasn't really happy with any of the other (smaller) F class SUVs, so they processed an Escape that had just been returned and had it ready in 20 minutes. This was also during one of their busiest weeks of the year, their lot was only about 1/3 full.
The DTW location was good to me back when I was new to renting cars and didn't have fastbreak. They didn't have an Escape ready for renting when I showed up for a relatively long F class rental with 3 passengers. I wasn't really happy with any of the other (smaller) F class SUVs, so they processed an Escape that had just been returned and had it ready in 20 minutes. This was also during one of their busiest weeks of the year, their lot was only about 1/3 full.
That, plus all of the other nonsense is why the "ever again" comment, in addition to the big clunky gas guzzler. Just amateurish overall.
Jan 17, 2012, 8:54 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AGR, PC, HH no status as I stopped paying for travel
Posts: 1,454
why don't you buy a wireless adapter to take with you it will play your MP3 player through the FM radio
4 bucks no more problems
http://www.amazon.com/Player-Transmi...6858749&sr=8-8
4 bucks no more problems
http://www.amazon.com/Player-Transmi...6858749&sr=8-8
Jan 17, 2012, 9:00 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Scenic Great Plains USA
Programs: AGR Starwood Whoever I can get points with :D
Posts: 677
why don't you buy a wireless adapter to take with you it will play your MP3 player through the FM radio
4 bucks no more problems
http://www.amazon.com/Player-Transmi...6858749&sr=8-8
4 bucks no more problems
http://www.amazon.com/Player-Transmi...6858749&sr=8-8
Jan 17, 2012, 10:34 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
Oh I have.....bought one and returned it the same day. Sound quality matching a distant static laden FM channel.
Plus, I carry far too many gadgets anyway. The iPod is not a new device anymore; any vehicle newer than a 2010 should have an input jack (and many prior to that year do).
On a similar rant, I declined the purchase of several car models just because it wasn't included recently. The Mitsubishi in particular didn't have one, which conincidentally was one of the (rejected) cars at Budget.
Plus, I carry far too many gadgets anyway. The iPod is not a new device anymore; any vehicle newer than a 2010 should have an input jack (and many prior to that year do).
On a similar rant, I declined the purchase of several car models just because it wasn't included recently. The Mitsubishi in particular didn't have one, which conincidentally was one of the (rejected) cars at Budget.
Jan 17, 2012, 10:36 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
And no offense intended towards Fox....a recent rental at LAX went perfectly. Nice selection of the car model I reserved, all had audio input jacks, decent staff, shuttle, etc. And the price was fantastic.:-:
Not to mention the extremely convenient - - and visible - - location right there on Century Blvd. Some other vendors are quite remote and (for the infrequent visitor at least) difficult to find.
Not to mention the extremely convenient - - and visible - - location right there on Century Blvd. Some other vendors are quite remote and (for the infrequent visitor at least) difficult to find.
Last edited by rrz518; Jan 25, 2012 at 9:01 am
Jan 24, 2012, 6:49 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 110
The DTW budget is the ONLY budget I have had this issue with, never had a problem getting an audio jack anywhere else.
FM transmitters suck
FM transmitters suck
Jan 25, 2012, 9:00 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
It's not just the audio jack (over time that issue will most likely go away as they get newer vehicles); it's the unknowledgable staff, lack of technology (kiosks), hours of operation, condition of the vehicles, CS follow up, etc. By comparison to other vendors, Budget rates a very poor grade.
Jan 25, 2012, 9:09 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 110
It's not just the audio jack (over time that issue will most likely go away as they get newer vehicles); it's the unknowledgable staff, lack of technology (kiosks), hours of operation, condition of the vehicles, CS follow up, etc. By comparison to other vendors, Budget rates a very poor grade.