⭐ 1 STAR — TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE — I FEEL COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF

I am extremely dissatisfied with my experience with Budget at Oakland Airport. This has been one of the most frustrating car rental experiences I have ever had.

When I rented the car, I paid a $250 deposit. I was under the impression that this money would be returned after I brought the car back. I also paid more than $150 for gas and tolls. After returning the car, I was shocked to find out that Budget is now telling me that I am only getting $66 back from my $250 deposit.

The biggest problem is that no one has been able to clearly explain where the rest of my money went. I was charged additional fees that were never properly explained to me when I rented the vehicle. I have still not received a detailed, itemized billing statement showing exactly what I was charged for.

It has now been more than a week since I returned the car, and I STILL have not received the supposed $66 refund.

I called customer service expecting someone to resolve the issue, but instead I was told that they need my bank’s fax number to process the refund. Seriously? I paid with my debit card. Why can’t Budget simply return the money to the same debit card they charged? This makes absolutely no sense to me.

The entire process feels unnecessarily complicated and completely unacceptable. A customer should not have to spend hours calling customer service just to find out why their own money has not been returned.

I feel that the charges were not transparent, the refund process is ridiculous, and the customer service has been extremely disappointing.

This feels like a ripoff.

I strongly recommend that anyone considering renting from Budget ask for every single fee in writing and carefully review the final charges before leaving the rental location. Based on my experience, I will think twice before ever renting from Budget again.

Budget — you need to do better. Customers deserve transparency, accurate billing, and a straightforward refund process.