Some context: I arrived at the Austin airport on Thanksgiving after a red eye. The Budget counter was closed, and I was redirected to Avis. They gave me an electric car because it was the only car they had available, even though I had a reservation for something else. I told them how uncomfortable I was driving the car - I'd never driven an electric car, I didn't know how to charge it, there was no charger where I was going, etc. Plus I was driving to a farm the next morning - I knew the car wouldn't make it. But it was my only option, and they said I could swap the car the next day for something more practical. So I took it. I mean, I hadn't slept in like 24 hours, and I just wanted to get to my destination so I could shower and rest before leaving for Thanksgiving lunch. I didn't know how little it was charged until I started driving - I would barely make it to my 1st stop. It only had 14% charge. I managed to get to a Target parking lot where there were electric car chargers - I didn't know which one to use, I wasn't sure how long I'd be waiting - all the things they should have told me before I left the airport. I read things online, but this was a crash course and I was under time pressure. I sat for an hour and when I disconnected I was deflated that the car had only charged 2%. I had to go. Instead of driving to my next destination, I parked it and got a ride from someone else. No rest, no shower. I'd deal with it in the morning. Instead of going back to the airport, the next morning I tried to find a closer Budget to swap the car. I just didn't know if I could make it back to the airport - and they'd been so unhelpful I didn't want to go back without trying other locations. It was the day after a holiday and it was unlikely they'd have any cars turned in, but I had to try. I'd called 4 neighborhood locations (with no cars) before I hit the jackpot and Yaya from the Budget on 35th answered the phone. They'd only been open 5 minutes! I explained the situation and he asked me if I could get there quickly. Heck yeah, I'd be there in under 30. I pulled up in 15 minutes and he knew who I was immediately. He'd taken my contract number over the phone, so when I walked in - kid and car seat in hand - he said let's get you into a better car for your needs. He immediately went outside and drove around a truck - freshly washed, new tires, new brakes. We spoke for a few minutes and he explained why the first car didn't charge, and then showed me everything that would have helped the day before. He offered a link to find chargers, what kind of charger to use, apologized for the inconvenience and stress the other people caused me. And then he handed me the truck keys and offered me his card and number in case anything else came up. He even said it was okay for me to return the car to the airport. I can't tell you how that changed my week and my trip. Had he been the person helping in the first place, I might have had the confidence to keep that first car. But he wasn't. Instead, he got to be the person who saved the day. Thank you Yaya and Budget team on 35th in Austin!! Next time, I'm going to skip the airport and just get a ride directly to your offices!! read more

We reserved a vehicle at the airport location and when we arrived, the signage took us all over the place. It said 3rd level, once we got to 3rd level, they redirected us downstairs. When we went downstairs, the budget desk was closed and told us to go to the Avis desk. Once we got to the right place, they announced that they were all out of vehicles and only had 10 passenger vans left. I patiently waited for my turn hoping that was only meant for people without a reservation. My reservation did not hold any weight and was still given a 10 passenger vehicle. They told I could go to any Budget location outside of the airport location and suggested the one downtown. The next day we went to the downtown location to swap it out the guest service lady asked if I was there to turn in or pick up a vehicle and when I said exchange, she rudely said, "Goodluck with that, you're not going to find a vehicle anywhere here and to go the airport." We then sucked it up and drove a 15 passenger vehicle for the duration of the reservation for 2 people. read more

Budget Rental on Burnet is my go to car rental agency! Upfront, easy, and plenty of well maintain car rentals. Their website is reliable and current! After striking out at two different agencies then finding a car on line, paying for it , taking a rideshare to the agency then being told NO cars here or anywhere! I thought I'd call one more place , Budget. I was told by Niclolas, "YES , what kind of car do you want? YES, I'm looking at the cars right now. " I highly recommend Budget and the superior professional service from Niclolas! Thanks for making it easy! read more

Every step of the way, I was given trouble to even make a reservation. Could not get into my account on their website. Kept getting requests to fill out a puzzle and failed five times. Attempted to call their national number. A message said that I could expect to wait 15-20 minutes to make a reservation. Been getting emails from them attempting to get my business. Then they made it highly difficult. I am frustrated with them and giving up. read more

One of the worst car rental experiences I have had. Very long lines with only 2 people working, took ~45m just to get to the counter. The car we reserved was not available, nor was any gas-powered car, so we were told our only option was an electric car that was only charged to 30% (~110 miles or range left). People working there seems depressed and helpless, so I don't necessarily blame them, but they were also no help. They said we could take the electric car and bring it back to exchange it IF They had other options the next day, or not take anything. Unclear what the point of a reservation is if they don't honor it by holding a car for you. Electric car was nice enough but a huge pain to have to charge throughout our trip. NB: most electric cars get only a little over half of the projected mileage, so if the car says it will go 100 miles, and you have a destination that is 90 miles away - good chance you won't make it! I would never rent from Budget Austin again - well worth it pay the extra money for Hertz or a more reputable brand. There is also no way to call the Austin Budget office - all numbers redirect to a national office, so we weren't able to confirm they had other cars available to swap with. When our car ran out of electricity we tried calling roadside assistance, took over an hour to even get a response, at which point they said they could have someone come to us in 4 hours! So long that we had to arrange our own solution. Stay away from Budget! It's not worth the savings. read more

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this Budget Rental. We were doing a short term stay in Austin and needed a car for a few months. We met with the owner of the business, who was very friendly and took amazing care of us, even provided us recommendations of places to visit and things to do while we were in the city. He provided an upgraded brand new electric vehicle AND offered us to use the fast charger at the location when we needed it! It was also reasonably priced given the long term rental that we went with. read more

Rental of the vehicle was ok. I did my research beforehand and found out that i could skip LDW (loss damage waiver) and liability. You may want to check your insurance on that. I got LDW coverage through my credit card. You must make sure to decline their coverage, in order for you credit card's coverage to apply. Not all credit cards have coverage, so check with your own credit card company. One word of caution is around the "gas refill" option. They tell you that they charge a market value for their gas, say, $3.50. What they don't tell you (catch is in the details) is that they will charge you for the full tank of the car, as if it had been returned totally empty. For example, if the car tank has capacity for 18 gallons, and you return your car with 10 gallons still in the tank, you will be paying for 18 gallons of gas from your own pocket, and not just for the 8 gallons you used to top it off. So choose to refill it yourself, or see it as a $63 "convenience fee" for refilling it for you. Just as general practice, I would also recommend taking pictures of the inside and outside of car when picking up and returning. This will avoid surprise extra fees for cleaning, or worse, for some damage on the vehicle. Minus stars for the "checking in" in the app. You have to wait in line at the location to get your car, even if you check in in the app. read more

We had a horrible experience at Austin TX airport Budget car rental. We reserved a Suburban or similar 2 months before our arrival. When we arrived we were told there were no such cars available, however we could see 3 in the lot. We were then told they were recalled and could not be rented and another Budget employee told us NASCAR had rented them. After waiting 1.5 hours with our toddler granddaughter we were given a dirty Expedition with a broken windshield. While we were waiting there was four other groups that did not receive the car (or similar) to what they had reserved. The customer service at this location was as bad as it could get. read more

So Budget cam back and stepped up the plate and refunded 100% my Money. Back in my good graces. I get Biz is Biz, but you'll be rewarded for doing the right thing in the end. Thanks Budget! read more

I have been using this budget location for 3 years. Never had a issue and the owner is GREAT!

On March 26,2021 we rented a Mitsubishi Outlander at Austin Bergstrom International Airport. First, the price charged was $100 more than the quoted price. Budget added taxes on the taxes already paid. Second, we were not given any paperwork for our rental from the agent. Third, nobody was in the rental garage to sign off on our car or check it for scratches and dents. We noted several and took pictures and video! Fourth, once we were settled in the car and on our way for a week long Texas road trip, we realized that the car reeked of cigarette smoke. Despite the No Smoking stickers, it was prominent, stale and grossly irritated our allergies. It was disgusting. Fifth, We called Budget that evening and were told we could trade it in near our hotel. We found a Budget on the northwest side of Austin and we arrived Sunday morning at 8:45 a.m. to replace our car only to discover that they were sold out. No cars to be found. So now we are stuck with a smelly gross car. We spent 8 days driving the stinky, reeking Outlander. We constantly battled our allergies as the cigarette smoke was so very irritating. We were more than dissatisfied with our rental. I tried multiple times to call but I never got through to talk to a person. We were charged $100 extra for the worst rental car we have ever experienced. read more

I booked a car rental at this location through the Costco Travel website to take on a birthday trip out to the Big Bend area. It was a great deal and I was really excited because one of the terms of the deal was that the additional driver's fee would be waived. When I was making the reservation through the Costco travel website, I called the Budget on 35th just to confirm that the additional driver's fee is waived for Costco members. The man I spoke with said yes it is waived and recommended that I book through the Costco Travel website for the best deal. When my boyfriend and I went to pick up the car, the guy behind the counter refused to waive the additional driver's fee which at $13.99 a day for 5 days adds up. He claimed that I had to use a Costco rate to have that fee waived and that anyone can book a rental through Costco's website even though the reservation I had with me had my Costco membership number printed on and even though someone at that location had told me it would be waived and that I should book through the site. He said that there was nothing he could do and referred me to his manager who was gone for the day. That afternoon I called Budget's main customer service number and the person I spoke with there confirmed for me that the reservation code or BCD code on my reservation did entitle me to have the additional driver's fee waived. That was Thursday afternoon. Heading back to Austin on Tuesday, I called the Budget on 35th and asked to speak to the manager only to be told that he was out of the office until Monday, so for a whole week there would be no one at that location who would be able to assist me with this billing issue. Frustrated and upset with whole situation, I ended up calling the 1-800 number for Costco Travel who transferred me to Budget customer service who immediately said that I should not have been charged an additional driver fee and processed a refund of the additional driver's fee for me. Overall very poor customer service, a terrible parking lot, and the car we got was not very good. It was low on windshield washer fluid when we picked it up, the fuel was slightly below full--though it said full on the paperwork, and the I swear the poor car had no shocks whatsoever. Definitely not renting from this location again! read more

Staff was nice in person, however it is very hard to get anyone on the phone. Spoke to a call center and reserved an SUV from this location. Reserved for 10 days however there was a possibility that I only needed it for 7 days. I was told by the person on the phone, the guy I picked the car up from, and the guy that I turned the car in to, that I would get a refund for the days I didn't use (which is why I booked with budget). Never got my refund and when I called about it, I was told the policy had changed and all the employees gave me wrong info. I was told that I should have read the "terms and conditions" closer. How do I read the terms and conditions when I book over the phone and am going by the info that the employees gave me? Received an email from a NPS analyst through Budget apologizing for the inconvenience AND STATED THAT HE WOULD BE UPSET IF THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO HIM. Save the apology, give me my money. Will definitely be taking my business elsewhere. EDIT: after back and forth for three weeks, I got my refund. Changed 1 star to 3 stars. read more

Be aware that they close whenever they feel like it regardless if you have a reservation there. Also, the customer service is awful and offered no help when I called regarding this. read more

These guys are amazing. I actually went to the wrong location to pick up my rental, ans they came to pick me up, even though it was rush hour. They were incredibly helpful and quickly got me on my way. My -only- caveat is the parking lot; it's pretty tiny. & tight to maneuver through. I'll go back here, though, just because they were so great. read more

The staff are very nice and helpful. I actually ran out of gas and was walking past here on my way find a gas station to buy a gas can and some gas. when I decided to see if they had a gas can I could borrow. Not only did they lend me the can, but gave me the gas inside which was enough to get me to a nearby station. If this kind act is any reflection on their business practices, I would rent from them in a heartbeat. (Note this review is from about 3 years ago. Hopefully the staff is still as good.) read more

Incredibly nice and helpful guy running this operation. He memorized my name, got me through the system as fast as possible, and provided impeccable service every time. I never thought I would have a favorite car rental spot... just goes to show how far great customer service will take you. read more

If I could give a review of 0 stars I would! I was on the phone with customer service for over an hour this morning. My family is flying in tomorrow and we reserved their car over a month ago. They did not send the confirmation via email. We had to call and have them send it again. But they did make sure to send the survey. When I finally received the confirmation, the amount was 300$ more. When I called to see what what going on, they said they did not run the card like they are suppose to and there was nothing they could do. I talked to a manager Lucy who was very unprofessional and refused to give me to her supervisor to talk to! In the beginning she said it was their fault but nothing could be done. At the end all she could say was it is your fault! She continuously talked over us and refused to help us! We will never use this company again! Again all I can say about this company is that they are very very very unprofessional!! DO NOT USE THEM! read more

I just returned my car to Budget this morning and I was so pleased with the whole experience. I used to rent from Enterprise, but I won't anymore. I exclusively use debit cards and I don't have a credit card by choice. Enterprise makes you jump through hoops if you want to use a debit card. With Budget, I prepaid online using my debit card, and that was it. I found an online coupon for a free upgrade, so I paid for an economy and should have gotten a compact. When I picked my car up, the rep at the counter said she only had a mid-size but there wouldn't be any additional charge, so I essentially got two free upgrades. My total with taxes and fees came out to under $100 for three full days, and I really liked the Toyota Corolla I was driving. I will definitely use Budget and this specific location again. read more

Amazing! The owner Drew is fantastic. They are as good as it gets for customer service. I've used them twice now and I will never go anywhere else. read more