We solved that problem this year by renting a car. I went through Travelocity-- a company I have always used and liked-- and got a good deal on a car with Budget. My first mistake was not reading the fine print. I can't say that if I had I wouldn't have rented the car, but the fine print might have changed my mind or would have at least prepared me for the butt-reaming I was to receive later.
Problem 1: Customer service was terrible. You need to know, though, that when I called them up, picked up the car, and then later returned it, I dealt with the same guy so anyone else in that company might have been nicer. But I had called because I didn't know where they were located in Waikiki (in the Hyatt, fyi) and between grunts I gathered what information I needed from his barely audible monosyllabic responses. When I got there, I had to wait at least 15 minutes because braddah must have been on a smoke break or something because the doors were locked and there wasn't a sign or anything. Which leads me to
Problem 2: The fine Budget associate didn't relay to me that he was putting a hold on my checking account so I also didn't know the amount of funds I was losing access to. Not once in the few minutes I was in the office did he explain to me that he was placing a hold on my account for the amount of the rental PLUS an extra $200. And I read my agreement. It doesn't say it there, either. When we got back from camp today something told me I'd better check my account and I tell you now I was surprised to see my account in the NEGATIVE and by an amount that was just utterly ridiculous. I had to run to the branch at Safeway and get it sorted out.
Problem 3: Budget does not accept cash. Did you hear that? They don't. At least, that's what Mr. Friendly told me. Something to do with terrorist currency which is legal tender, but unusable here. Whatever. Fine. No cash. But it wasn't posted in the store that I could see, nor was it anywhere on Travelocity's website or Budget's. Want to know why? Because according to the Customer Care section of their website, "Can I pay with cash? Answer: Yes. When you return your car, you may pay for your final rental costs with cash, credit or debit card." Isn't that something? Isn't that just something.
It boils my blood. At the time, really, I thought it was funny that he thought he was schooling me when in reality, I was asking all those questions to just so he could be held accountable for it. I wanted to know why, when I asked if I could pay cash, he said no. And he didn't even SAY no, he said, "You can pay with a cash card." I'm going to write to Budget, of course, and express to them my extreme disappointment. Because even if the guy was right to deny me the opportunity to pay with cash because of the reasons he stated, they need to change their website immediately to reflect that policy. It's misleading, right? Unless that's the intention.
Anyway, I didn't think that I'd need to do a BBB lookup on Budget because car rentals in my neck of the woods is so common. And I've rented cars before. It's my fault that I didn't read the fine print (where it tells me of the $200 hold), and I could have opened my mouth and asked about the kind of holds or charges I'd incur simply by picking up the rental, but I think they have a responsibility to inform their customers about what they're doing. Also, can anyone please corroborate the guy's story about terrorist cash being unusable? And does anyone know about Budget not accepting cash? I've read about how renting a car from Budget without a credit or debit card at all (and paying cash) requires the renter to pre-qualify weeks in advance, whatever that means.
Whatever the answers, though, you can bet I'm not gonna rent from them again.
