My husband and I rented a 15' truck to move a 3 bdrm home. The dealer informed us that a 15' truck would be the correct size for such a move. We paid $1,488.82 for a one way move from Rialto, CA to College Station, TX. We drove the truck from the rental agent to our home (5 miles) and parked the truck until our moving date.
Before we even left my driveway, we had to give the truck a boost. We drove from Rialto to Blythe, CA (appx. 350 miles) and the truck broke down. We called for roadside assistance and a tow truck came to tow us to a Ford dealership (that was closed) to have the truck inspected the next morning. We had to spend the night at a hotel across the street for $89. It was 122 degrees that day and 114 degrees that night.
The next morning the dealership was unable to inspect the truck because they could not get it into the garage. We called roadside assistance again and this time they had to send a tow truck from Phoenix, AZ to Blythe, CA (appx. 4 hour drive) to get the truck and we had to follow the tow truck back to Tempe, AZ to a Budget dealer to trade trucks.
The tow truck driver told the Budget mechanic that we overloaded the truck because the lead springs were bent in the opposite direction. When we arrived in Tempe, AZ the Budget office was closing in 45 minutes and they refused to helped us.
They said we damaged their truck by overloading it; it was our fault and our contract was now void; we would have to PAY for a 24' truck rental; we would have to spend the night until the matter could be resolved when they opened again at 7:00 A.M.
When we refused and insisted on their help, they refused and told us, "You'll have to take your things off our truck and put your belongings on the lot across the street and call U-Haul". The employees then proceeded to leave. When we refused to leave until the matter was resolved to our satisfaction, they threatened to lock our car and the truck on the lot. So we had to spend another night in a strange city for another $89 for the night.
The next morning when we arrived, Budget informed us that someone had cut the lock on our truck and that the door was open and some of our belongings were on the ground. They insisted they did not cut the lock. We surely didn't. And only a Budget employee that knew our situation would have known that particular truck was loaded with belongings.
In the morning they did agree to give us a 24' truck without charging us more money if I would agree to sign a promissory note for $457 for the towing and then they informed me that Budget would contact me later and bill me for the repairs of the truck. Customer service was of NO help at all. They could only offer apologies and no suggestions or solutions.
We had to unload the 15' truck and load the 24' truck and get on the road to Texas trying to make up for 2 lost days on the road. We had to drive non-stop in order to reach our destination on time. To add injury to insult, when we turned the truck in, Budget wanted to charge us $140 for turning the truck in 2 days late - the 2 days they delayed us!
I am refusing to pay Budget anything regardless of the promissory note because I signed it under extreme duress. I was traveling with my family (including 2 small children, in 122 degree weather, I was hot, tired, frustrated, stranded twice in strange cities; losing money for hotel rooms, food, and other unplanned expenses, and desperate to get home. I only followed the recommendation of the dealer and do not feel responsible at all.
Budget treated us like shit. Ironically, another Budget renter in Blythe, CA was having problems with her 15' truck and 2 other customers mentioned problems with their truck rentals while we were at the counter in Tempe, AZ. Budget flat out accused us of damaging their truck without even thoroughly inspecting the truck! I'm not surprised at all the complaints I've read about Budget.
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