NotGoing.Gone.

I've always used Budget for rental cars and am a Fastbreak member and now they just seem to be a headache. I just had the worst rental experience at MCO (Orlando, FL) and it was my first time renting there and I never want to use them again. That story can get saved for another post. In short: No cars. Fast Break isn't "Fast". Brought car back a day early and am fighting a charge because my receipt says I am owed $66 so I am disputing it with my credit card company and that could fail. Apparently Budget changed their rules on refunds after I booked and prepaid for the rental.

I purposely fly South West because of their flexibility of cancelling or changing a flight 10+ minutes in advanced in case I get stuck in traffic or I just change my mind that day about leaving. I need the same flexibility with a rental car. I don't want to pay for an extra day if I brought it back 24 hours early. Budget used to do a "per day" rate after you pre-pay and you'd be credited the difference. Example: If you paid $100 for 4 days and brought back on the 3rd day you would have a $25 credit. Does anyone else still do that?

AutoSlash

If you want flexibility then you absolutely need to avoid prepaying for your rental. In terms of getting a price adjustment if you bring the car back earlier than your scheduled return time, the answer is that it depends. You are not at all guaranteed to get money back, and in fact, some companies are known to charge a penalty for early returns.

We typically recommend that people reserve for the minimum amount of time you think you'll need the rental for, and then extend if necessary, but each situation is different and there are numerous factors that come into play. You might want to check out this post from our website on early/late returns.

Bonehead

I recently returned a prepaid Avis car a day early and my receipt indicated that the total was less than the prepay. I figured that since it was a prepay that I would never see that $$$, which was verified via a quick call to Avis.

No argument here...a prepay is a prepay.

NotGoing.Gone.

Yeah, but what gets me about a "prepay" is I have always done it that way. I think the only real difference was that I would prepay a last minute local rental, pick up in a few hours and the charge would process when the car was returned. This was an advanced rental that pended on my card for a week before being processed long before I actually picked the rental up. They've always told me to just tell them when I drop it off that it's being dropped off early. I guess those days are over.

lol..I called Budget twice and got blown off. First person said there isn't anything they can do because they changed their policy after I already prepaid. The second person blew it off and said their policies vary per location and just because PVD has credited me in the past that it doesn't mean MCO will. So, I hit Capital One's dispute button and Capital One stated that I will likely only be refunded if Budget doesn't respond. I know my chances are low but it's not hurting my credit trying.


I never knew paying at the counter was safe but then I never had this problem before so I will do that for now on unless it's one of those ridiculously low deals such as $9.99 for 12 hours.

NotGoing.Gone.

sdsearch

There's a third option besides pre-paying and paying at the counter!

if you belong to the rental company's basic program (eg, Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus, etc), you register the card you want to use with the rental company, and then every time (after the first) that you book a car "pay later" with that rental company, while logged in as a member, the car is auto-billed to the card you registered with them. The only downside is that if, for some reason, you want to change payment cards often, that may be a pain to do. (You may have to visit the counter the first time you register a card to show the card and your ID physically, but it's still auto-billed technically even on that visit>)

This auto-billing doesn't work absolutely everywhere worldwide, but in works at the vast majority of USA airport locations and even some of the foreign ones.

And if you always pay with same card anyway, because it's card that gives you primary collision coverage, then it's wonderful to have it auto-billed, isn't it?

You say you've always done prepay. Well, the funny thing is that I've never done prepay, but I've always used auto-billing except in places it doesn't work (mostly overseas). So just like you, but for a completely different reason, I'm almost never "paying at the counter".

And all the same program that support auto-billing are also the one that let you "skip the counter" in the first place. (If you're skipping the counter, you can't be paying at the counter, can you?)

NotGoing.Gone.

Interesting..thanks SSDearch. Never noticed a "pay later" feature now that you mention it. My cards are registered but I usually get a $100 pending charge until they put the correct amount through. Last time I used the counter.. I remember having to stand in a long, line and having to show my license and credit cards and it took forever...that was years ago.

lougord99

It may not be hurting your credit, but there have been reports of companies refusing to rent to you after a credit dispute

IAHtraveler

Then read the terms of your specific rental and ensure that you meet the terms and won't be charged for the last/"unused" day. If you might change and won't meet the terms, then find another rate that will qualify for, no matter how long you keep the car. Many rates include specific needs that need to be met (Saturday night keep, weekend rate, 4+ day keep, etc) so if you return without meeting the terms of that contract, there's no reason for the rental agency to:
1. Refund your % difference
2. Even keep the rate you booked. They can charge more due to the terms not being met and your rental falling into a new bucket.

Just because something used to be that way, doesn't mean it's the policy now. Do you have a printout/screenshot of the rules when you booked? Policies change all the time (not just rental cars) so you can't rely on history as a predictor of the future.

Be prepared to end up on the Do Not Rent list for several companies if you go this route and are disputing a proper charge. It's common to rental companies to go this route and not have to deal with you in the future.

NotGoing.Gone.

Thanks but I did read the terms and still have the original emails and the pink copy of the receipt I was given. I met the minimum on the rental terms. I also did not go over the maximum.

So can anyone else help on another rental company to try besides trying to debate whether or not I'm right or wrong ? That was the main point of my post and I did read the link above but people's recommendations and experiences are always different than going to say Avis or Enterprise and reading their "terms" and then what the people at the counter say aren't always right.

I mean, the dispute is already in process so there's no real point in discussing it anymore. I guess this is where the thread ends since now everyone is just figuring I'll never get on with another rental company and well then there's nothing else to say.

writerguyfl

If you're looking for a company that will always agree to take a loss whenever you change your plans, I think you're going to be out of luck. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding, that seems to be what you want.

Your rate is based on the dates and times you provide when making the reservation. If you don't adhere to those dates and return the car early, you shouldn't expect any company to always offer a prorated refund. (That's especially true for a prepaid rental.) In a leisure market like Orlando where most people rent for multiple days, I'd guess that Budget will not be able to turn around and rent that car for just a day. So, your early return probably is causing them to lose money here.

lougord99

People have honestly tried to help you here. Sorry that you don't want that help. Really not our loss.