Budget

The only reason why I’m giving 3 stars because the service was very fast and got to pick a nicer car to drive than we had reserved. The bathrooms looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for a long time and it smelled.

If you like waiting then this is the car rental company for you. We waited 45 minutes to get our car and have now waited outside in the cold for 20 minutes to get back to the airport. There is still no bus and the amount of people waiting is way more than will fit on a bus. We are most likely going to miss our flight. This is the last time I will ever be renting from Budget.

Extremely poor management of traffic into store. Waited 45 mins! Was ridiculous! Why deal with Budget when you can go to National. Never make this mistake again!

For my nearly week-​long stay in Colorado, I needed to rent a car. I was actually excited about this — my first time renting a car «for fun» AND the ability to drive around Colorado without depending on anyone else. As part of the travel deal that I booked online, I selected Budget as my car rental option.
Getting to Budget from the Denver airport wasn’t an issue, as soon as I found the correct shuttle. Once at Budget, I waited in line for about a half hour before it was my turn to do all the paperwork and pick up some keys. The guy that took care of me was really nice and friendly. For some reason, I cannot remember why, he upgraded me from the basic vehicle I was supposed to get to a nicer economy vehicle. I ended up renting the fully loaded Chevy Cruze.
Once papers were signed, I went out to the waiting area and waited. And waited. And waited. After a seemingly long wait with no vehicle in sight, but seeing loads of other people come out to wait shortly before getting theirs, I went back inside to inquire. The same person came to help me, personally taking me outside and flagging down one of the employees to get my specific vehicle. I guess they were still working on it or forgot me or something. Hmmphf.
Shortly afterwards, my car appeared, clean and ready. I took it, left, and had a great week driving around the beautiful state of Colorado. I brought the car back loaded up with gas (I went to some gas station in Aurora but turns out there’s one on the road going to the airport) so I wouldn’t have to pay the gas fee. Drop-​off was easy. Almost too easy. I basically drove up, left the car running in a line of cars, and was able to walk away. Kind of odd.
I wasn’t too thrilled with how much the car cost to rent (several hundred dollars — ouch) but I guess that’s how much cars are renting for these days. Jeez. Not something I’ll be doing too often… but I’m glad I had a decent experience with this Budget.

I was ready to be complimentary of Budget Denver at first: the rate was very good, the shuttle came to the terminal after only a momentary wait, and the specialty Fastbreak vehicle for which I had prepaid (a BMW X3 SUV) because of that good rate was immediately accessible without a line or paperwork, as promised.
The vehicle, however, was in horrible shape. The interior was grimy and gross… crumbs in the seams of the seats, sticky residue in the crevices of the buttons, and rubber floor mats with visibly dried dirt. The car’s onboard computer indicated that it was over 5000 miles overdue for service. The exterior, while less important to me, was covered with nicks and scratches, and wasn’t especially clean, either. Never before have I felt like I personally wanted to take my rental car for dealer service and a car wash before driving it off the lot.
I didn’t complain on site since I was in a hurry to pick up other family members waiting at the airport, and after taking a quick peek into an adjacent vehicle, I noticed it wasn’t particularly clean either, so I wasn’t sure it would be worth the trouble to start paperwork on a different car. Before leaving the lot, however, I did mention to the check-​out agent that I was concerned about getting charged for all the nicks and scratches. He said that since none of them was «larger than a quarter,» I shouldn’t worry about it.
When I get a very good price on a rental car, I don’t necessarily expect a car that has just rolled off the assembly line. (This one had 33K miles, although bizarrely the rental receipt indicated only 4K). Maybe there’s a bit of wear and tear. But for any price, I expect a car that is generally clean (2 minutes with a vacuum and some wipes would have made a big difference in this case) and, more importantly, maintained according to manufacturer specifications. Anything less than that is completely unacceptable. I will not be renting from this location again.
A final note: I participated in an automated e-​mail survey after returning my rental. I expressed my sentiments as noted above. I received an e-​mail offering «sincere apologies» and stating that Budget «would like to regain my trust,» but no action other than those words. Sorry, that is not enough to get any more of my money in the future.

Very good service, several people asking us if we were being helped and if we had a reservation. They apologize for the big line, but is not their fault if they have to process several people arriving at the same time. Spacious and organized, we did not have any trouble getting our car fast and efficiently with good customer service.

Worst Rental Car Company Ever. Traction Laws in effect and they want you to take a car illegal to drive. Had to pay ANOTHER $ 600 to get 4×4. All in all paid about 1300 for 5 days with a Ford Explorer. Totally gouged, but they new we had no choice. Stay Away.

Terrible, terrible experiences here. Most recently we dropped the car off the morning of a bad snowstorm, none of the handheld systems were working. When we got the bill, since we couldn’t get a receipt at check in, we were charged $ 100 for fuel and we brought the car back with a full tank of gas.
Previous experiences had us pulled over in the mountains since our front and back license plates didn’t match. If you come in after 11 pm be prepared to wait forever for a shuttle, even if you call the counter and let them know you are waiting. Cars are dinged up on the outside and sticky on the inside. Document everything since they will fight you on any complaints and extend your customer service nightmares long after you get home.

BE CAREFUL with this company and especially the Denver airport location. It’s not just a customer service problem, it’s a safety problem. We rented a full size car and were assigned a Sonata, which was not parked in it’s space. So we were reassigned a 2015 Chevy Impala (which by the way was very unclean — crumbs everywhere, sticky stuff on the door, etc). When she handed us the car keys, I noticed they both had scotch tape around them. Thought this was pretty weird and unprofessional, but didn’t think too far into it. Fastforward 4 hours later (now late at night, very dark), we are traveling down the highway in cruise control @ 79 mph when the car completely loses power. No engine, no lights, no brakes, etc. We are able to safely veer onto the shoulder — thank god there were no cars behind us — then restart the car and drive to the closet exit off the highway. We pulled into a gas station and called roadside assistance. The first gentleman was joking around with us as if it were funny «man if that were my car, I would take it straight back to the dealership!». He also told us that, if it were him, he would just keep driving and hope it doesn’t happen again. I was completely shaken up and terrified and this employee had no clue how to deal with it or how to act appropriately in the situation. After talking to several equally incompetent employees, we were given the option to sit at this gas station until they tow a new car out to us, likely the next day (we were several hundred miles from the nearest open rental location and there was nothing around us — literally just the gas station we were stopped at); or continue driving the car to Omaha, NE (several hundred miles). Honestly, they had no concern for our safety whatsoever. So I started to research this particular car and known issues, and lo and behold, there is a well-​know issue where any excess weight on the key ring, or even just hitting a small bump, can cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position without warning, turning off the engine. 10+ people have been killed as a result of this defect and many models of this car have been recalled for the problem, including the 2014 model. We did some testing while in park, and sure enough, the slightest tap of the key ring shuts the car off. The worst part of it all is that Budget KNEW the keys were not functioning properly given that they were TAPED together. This car should never have let the lot. Now knowing what the issue was, and not wanting to sleep in the car at a small roadside gas station, we decided to continue on our journey until reaching the next airport. My husband took over driving and I sat up all night a nervous wreck that it would happen again and we would wreck. When we arrived at the Budget office to switch cars, I explained the situation, nearly in tears, and basically was told that she could give us a different car but couldn’t do anything about what had happened to us and we would have to take it up with someone on the phone. At this point I was just happy to get rid of that vehicle, but again, no sense of concern for our safety or the safety of anyone who is renting these cars. Perhaps had we wrecked and been gravely injured, it would have been taken more seriously. How Sad. Beware — apparently safety is what you are sacrificing for a «budget» price.

If the system has 0 star, that would be this Budget’s score. The rep tried very hard to sell things we don’t need– she even lied about the weather condition and chain policy! Shame on her. :((

If there was anything lower, they would get it. My charge was $ 51 but it came through on my credit card statement for over $ 400. When I called Budget, they said it was because I returned the car early (8 hrs). I asked to speak to a supervisor because that didn’t seem right, but I was hung up on. I went back to Priceline and they had it reversed. Then I looked at my online statement a few days later and there was a new pending charge from Budget for around $ 300. I tried to call Budget again but waited and waited and gave up. So I called Priceline again and they had it reversed again. I hate to bad-​mouth someone without giving them a chance to explain themselves, but Budget certainly had plenty of opportunity to do so.
Also, lest you think this was the only issue, the line to rent wasn’t too long but the line to return was. Also, the bathrooms were torn up and filthy.

This place is a scam. We rented a car, got a flat tire 10 minutes after leaving the lot and got a bill in the mail for $ 250 3months later! Not only did this take hours out of our trip, but ended up paying way more than going with a more reputable rental company. Never again!

I didn’t have the nightmare experiences that other people seemed to have. I guess the time to go is around 6:00 am. The shuttle was waiting for me, and the driver was very friendly and helpful. Once I arrived at the Budget office, I was amused to count 17 stations and one worker. I had to wait a little while, but it wasn’t awful. The gentleman who waited on me did not push upsells but was quite pleasant to work with. The downside of renting from Budget, however, is that once all their little extras (I expected taxes, but there were all kinds of items on the list) added up to more than $ 100 added to their original quote. That seems dishonest to me. Not sure if I’d rent from Budget again for that reason.

Competitive prices but, unless you’re a member of their «Fastbreak» program, be prepared to stand in line forever and then some because Budget has the slowest check-​in process of any auto rental company.
I commented politely to their staff about the terribly slow check-​in process. The agent said they don’t have enough help and never seem to get more help despite their constant complaints.
We speculated that maybe this is why the company is called «BUDGET.»
Take a big bottle of chill pills with you.
You’re going to need them.

Shuttle to Budget was prompt and friendly… the 45 min wait in line was not. They def need to add self service kiosks and work on their efficiency. The long lines seemed to be the norn… I wish I had read the reviews before renting here. Won’t make that mistake again.
Sincerely,
Still waiting in line

I was EXTREMELY nervous to be renting here after reading other reviews… but I got a GREAT discount by booking through Southwest. Other Unilocalers talked about being pressured into upgrades and insurance fees, so I was ready to take a hard stance to get the price I was quoted… that turned out not to be necessary.
When I walked out of the terminal, not one, but two Budget buses were waiting curbside. The first bus was almost full, and left about a minute after I boarded. Once at the office, there was a line of about 10 – 15 customers. The line moved quickly considering the amount of «business» that needs to take place at the counter. The line kept pace with the new buses arriving to drop off new travelers.
My experience at the counter was fast and pleasant. The employee never tried to upsell me on another type of car… and didn’t press me when I said I didn’t want the insurance. I spent less than 5 minutes at the counter and was on my way with the exact type of car I booked.
Return was just as easy — an employee checked my mileage and I was on my way in 30 seconds.
I don’t know if I was lucky, or if this branch is making a serious effort to improve its image. Either way, I was never given a reason to remove a single star. Happy this didn’t turn into a disaster!

Would not rent here again. Almost nothing on this car worked. Steering wheel controls weren’t functioning. All buttons on the radio were broken, except the volume and tuner. The only way to listen to the radio was to manually tune in stations with the dial (Seek button was broken, presets wouldn’t work). No way to charge my cell phone as the USB port was broken. I had five hours of driving to do, so this really wasn’t ideal. Paying $ 60/​day for a car, I expect the car to be in full working order.
Update: Budget learned about the non-​working car and refunded me a full day. Adding an extra star to my review.

I would not rent from Budget again! We dropped off our van rental and no one was there to give us a receipt. We were supposed to be charged $ 70+ in taxes since we used miles to make the reservation, but my credit card statement read $ 183.75 charge from Budget. I inquired, and it was because we didn’t fill up the gas tank! BOGUS! We filled it up the night before and have a sales receipt to prove it!
AND…trying to call this Denver location number of 303−342−9001, NO ONE answers the phone! I let it ring for 30 minutes and no one still answered!
So, now I have to spend more wasted time in recovering the overcharge of $ 110 on my credit card that SHOULD not have been charged in the first place!
Would NOT rent from Budget again after this experience! I also agree that they do try to make you rent an *upgraded* car when you don’t need to. I’m glad we didn’t!

All the previous reviews of this place are 100% accurate. Just be aware, they will try to up sell you on whatever car you are booked. I heard it twice at while waiting on line and then I was upsold on a car by a man named Jun.
Not once did I feel on my drive from Denver to Boulder to Lyons did I feel like I NEEDED to have a bigger car with more horsepower. There was no struggle with the transmission nor did I feel in danger.
They start off asking what you are in town for and then they will say oh you will need a bigger car if you are going to anywhere aside Denver. So, just a heads up for what they will try and pull. I should have been more prepared but I was in a good mood and then I realized Jun totally slighted me.
There is no need for a more powerful car going to the mountains in the middle of the summer, you will make it just fine in an economy car.

We reserved online with our proper age (under 25) for a car, pre-​paid it, and called ahead to confirm. During this entire time, we were never told that we are not allowed to rent a convertible due to age limitation. But when we got there, not only were we told that we cannot get the car we reserved for, but also we got scammed with a 13% sales tax so that the cheaper car that we end up with has the same total price as we initially paid for.
DO NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL