Budget changed my Rate !
 

On Jan 1, 2004, I booked a car for October in Maimi - rate was $85+tax, total $113 for 5 days. Printed the confirmation screen and also received their confirmation email.

Tonight, I was checking other reservations on-line and decided to look at this one, too. To my surprise the rate has now changed and shows $100+tax, total $149 for 5 days.

Can they do this?

If I have my original confirmation when I pick-up the car are they obliged to honor it?

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Call up Budget
 

You should really call up Budget's Customer Service line. The dollar difference is big enough for an argument, IMO. Good thing you have a hard copy of the confirmation.

You don't happen to have a Budget FastBreak number, do you? From my past experience, when I made an online reservation, and then later on, call in to have my FastBreak number added to the record, that will raise my rates, quite significant in some cases.

Did you make sure to decline all of the insurances? Or maybe not fill the tank up to 100%?

Thanks for the comments.

Just to clarify - this rental has not yet occured. I booked in Jan 2004 for Oct 2004. I have confirmation for one rate and now on the budget website it is showing a higher rate - somehow it changed?

I think I am going to leave it as is and deal with it when I get to Miami (with both my screen print confirmation and email conformation as back-up.

Another car rental as backup
 

Perhaps you should make a reservation with another car rental company as a back up in case they are not willing to honor your original rate.

Yep....
 

......I've had this happen twice, although both times when I called the customer service folks after the rental was said and done, they credited my credit card.

Last time the agent asked, "do you have this rate in writing?" When I replied affirmatively, she said, "well then, I'll take your word for it."

An interesting business practice to say the least.

ctcamel,

Thanks for the comments. By chance, did you happen to say anything when you picked up the car or did you not notice the rate had been changed then?

I hadn't noticed until after I had returned the car.

Rates do change if you modify a reservation to the rate at the time of the modification. Could this have happened when you checked the reservation?

A few years ago this happened to me several times, although not at Budget and I caught it at check-in. Realizing that is not exactly your situation, but it was easy enough to get fixed since like you I had a printed copy of the reservation.

I had a reservation at Budget which specifically stated no surcharges. By the time I picked up the car, the location started adding a $10 surcharge. They were not impressed with my printed reservation showing the lower total and refused to remove the extra $10. But after the rental, customer service gave me the $10 credit on my credit card. Still waiting for my miles though...

Initial printout was for 15 hrs time $13. Got corrected to daily rate of $38.99.
 

I rented a minivan. When I got my receipt, it was 15 times $13. ($165). Went to counter, and said I should pay just a daily rate of $38.99. While I was there at the counter, I was shorted a few gallons of gas (showed full but it took 6 gallons of gas to go 65 miles!--should have taken 3 gals max). Had documentation to prove shortage. Got a credit for the gas.

I may not have bothered about the gas but since I had to go to the counter anyway, I asked for the gas credit. :)

What was the city that has the $10 surcharge?
 

What city is now charging a $10 surcharge?

Monterey, CA

Budget Modifies Rate If Change Made to Reservation Record
 

JohnOClark, I found that out this past weekend. Reserved a car from Budget. We were flying a small plane but got socked in due to unexpected weather the same morning. Called Budget, advised we'd be later than initially planned due to weather. Asked if they wanted a credit card to guarantee the car or otherwise change the arrival time on our reservation ticket. Resounding "NO" was given: Agent emphatically told us if the internet reservation ticket was changed in any way, it would default to the current day's rate, not the reserved rate we set up. Therefore, Budget advised they would just hold our car until we arrived, up to 12 hours past the reserved time. Everything was OK for us thanks to a savvy agent.

Stranger Things Have Happened in the Fog,

mrspilot

I keep going back when they are dramatically cheaper than the competition, but I've had so many problems (documented on FT) with Budget over the years it's amazing, and the mysteriously changed rate/terms was one of them.

I've found that "corporate" is just as crooked/lazy as the local branches in terms of getting responses to questionable practices. I suggest making a backup reservation and if the Budget agent refuses to honor the rate, tell them where to shove it.

Also, check that return receipt! The time I had an argument over my quoted rate, they initially relented when I picked up the car, but then changed it anyway and refused to budge when I returned it.

Tino, did you eventually get things set right or did you end up disputing the charge through your credit card company?

After having it out with one of their CSRs, I didn't contest it - I just stopped using them for about 2 years.

Ok, so I think I figured out what has happened here. When I did the original booking I used a BCD from the Entertainment Book for a 15% discount. I've gone back and re-checked the BCD and noticed it had an expiry of 31DEC03. So, I guess Budget initially allowed the BCD and then somehow their system kicked it out - the revised rate is what the original rate would have been without the discount ($100 less 15% = $85). Even still, the rate of $100 for 5 days is a bargain (Ford Focus/4 door).

I'll take the screen shot and email confirmation with me and question the rate difference at check-in but won't push it if they don't honor it. I should have used the coupon from the 2004 Entertainment Book.

Keep checking periodically with the coupon from the 2004 Entertainment Book. You may get lucky and get a cheaper rate. I made a reservation two months ago for midsize car at MCO and just checked a few days ago and got a rate that was $20 lower. :cool:

Interesting. I made a reservation for Oct. 2 back in July for 5 days for an Escape. It now shows much higher today, but I have my email confirmation & screen shot confirmation. Maybe it works like airline fares. They can go up & down perhaps.

What was the outcome?

Ok, so here's my tale of woe.

Just to recap - I had booked a compact car for 5 days.

Got to the budget counter in Miami - and after the clerk went through the ressie and printed the paperwork she asked me to sign the contract but before doing so I asked her what the rate was. She told me (the higher rate) and I said there seemed to be a problem as my confirmation shows a lower rate. She told me there was a new 'tax' of $5 per day being charged. I paused, did the math and then told her it still didn't work out. I think she was confused by the fact that I had done the math! She immediately called for a manager and when she came she gave me the same song and dance about the new rate. I looked more closely at the contract. The rate was the same as on my confirmation but there was no deduction of the 15% coupon ($100 less 15% = $85). When I noticed this she looked at it again - obviously the story about the $5 per day new tax wasn't going to work any longer. She agreed that *for some reason* the discount wasn't showing in the computer. She said there was nothing she could do now and that the rate would need to be adjusted when I returned the car (in Ft Lauderdale). I asked her to remark the file, got her name and telephone number. She reprinted the contract showing the notation and signed it. I walked out to 'the hanger' (this really is a big gross hot and humid place) looking for my compact Ford Focus. Instead, parked in the spot where my Focus is supposed to be is an huge family sized mini-van. I did a double take and then checked the key tag to the contract. Sure enough - they had *upgraded* me to a mini-van and hadn't told me. Ok, so normally this would not be a problem for a one/two day rental, but I (we) were driving down to Key West the next day and with gas prices the way they are, the last thing I wanted was to burn up over 1000 miles over the 5 days in a mini-van.

I went back inside and with a puzzled look on my face asked where my Ford Focus was. The response was, "Oh, your car has been substituted." And I said, "But I a) didn't want a substitution and b) you didn't even tell me/ask me if that was ok." I was told that was all there was. So I pushed. I said there were other cars out there (the Mustang convertible would have been nice) and I was told those cars were not available and that I was luck to even be getting a car because I was an hour late! (I love how their problem has now become my problem!). During the conversation, somewhere along the way, a Ford Focus had come in. But, it has to be cleaned - "Just wait outside, it will only be 5 minutes." Ok, so 10 minutes go by and I ask where the car is. "Oh, it will be just another minute, it's coming right out." I go outside and within 5 minutes - a kid pulls up a washed Lincoln Town car - "Here you go!" he says. I asked him if he was sure this was my car as I was aiting for a Ford Focus. "Oh, that will be out in about 10 minutes," the kid says. I went back inside and by this time I had little patience left. I asked where the car was... The manager was no where to be seen but the 5, yes FIVE employees at the counter who were sitting around having a good 'ol chit chat started to gang-up on me telling me that if I had just taken the mini-van none of my problem would even be an issue - See, now it really is my problem!

I go outside and finally the kid pulls the Ford Focus up. We load up and head to our overnight hotel.

Ok, now so fast forward 5 days and it comes time to return the car in Ft Lauderdale. We're going on a cruise and the most convenient return location is at 1515 17th St Causeway (F07). I walk in and there's one clerk on - he's having a problem booking out the people ahead of me (something to do with a rate discrepancy). After about 15 minutes, he finishes with them and I proceed to tell him that I am returning the car BUT that the rate is incorrect and needs to be adjusted before he closes the contract. His face drops - clearly he hasn't done this before... and rightly so, he tells me that. No problem, I told him -> remember readers, I've got the name and phone number of the manager in Miami! So, I give him this info and he gladly calls her. Of course, she's not working the day shift (she's the night shift manager). So, he gets transferred to someone else who he has to try and explain the story to. I can see him listening intensly and then says to me the reason for the rate discrepancy is beacuse of a new 'tax' they have in Miami of $5 per day - oh good g-d, we're back to square one! I explained to him that it had something to do with the 15% not being in the system. He plays with his computer and confirmed that. At this point, I decided to go outside and help my partner unload the car and get all out stuff into the courtesy shuttle to the cruise ship pier. When I came back in he said that the manager in Miami had issued a credit of $25. "Was that ok?" It brought the total down to $120 (from their $149) which was only $7 more than my original rate. I said ok - by this time I was done pushing the point!

We were off on a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise and it was stuff like this I was trying to get away from!

On the way to the pier I said to my partner that I really don't like renting from Budget because there's always a problem or always a wait or always a line to stand in. But, their price is always the lowest. I'm a believer in value for money; I think I've finally convinced myself to forego the $25 savings, avoiding the above scenario, and that it's time to go back to Hertz or Avis... wish me luck!

Wow! What a bunch of hassles. Budget tried to give me a giant pick up truck once, and I said there's no way I could drive or park the thing. Not to mention gas guzzler prices. I have been loyal to Budget for years now, but need to research a different company. My issues are now with them not posting points when they should, and they don't seem good at math. Time is money to me, so I would rather prevent the time consuming hassles. So good luck to us all!