Budget understood the assignment!! Before y'all book anywhere else, check Budget Rent a Car first... just trust me. Fun fact: Budget and Avis are basically cousins--same location, same staff--but somehow Budget be minding their business with better prices I thought having a business account was gonna make me feel VIP... nope. The real VIP move is booking online early. I booked my SUV ahead of spring break and saved a good $60-$80. Last-minute people? Prayers They kept texting me about an "upgrade," got me all excited... just to tell me it's based on availability. Baby, then why are we texting?? Still, they gave me a 2025 Jeep that was clean, comfy, and fully loaded--Bluetooth, SiriusXM, double sunroof, push start... okayyy I see you! Car ran smooth, no issues, easy return. No drama, just vibes. Moral of the story: Budget = bang for your buck. Book early and keep your expectations for "upgrades"... flexible and as always, you can thank me later read more

Budget Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - El Cajon, California

I booked this rental without looking at reviews. I looked at them after I got my rental and I can tell you that my experience was nothing like any of the reviews. The agent was very kind and patient with me during the rental and return. The car was wonderful, had a full tank when I picked up. The manual was in the car so I was able to refer to it if I needed to. After doing some research, I found Budget and I got a really great deal for this rental car and I'm very pleased with my experience. read more

Read these reviews. Take them to heart. Also, they are NOT a Budget Precheck location as it says on the Budget site; they will walk you through all the hoopla so they can try to misrepresent and intimidate. Also, the little warnings affixed to the dash and center console with Scotch Tape (can't make this up!) threaten you with charges for things that aren't part of the Budget agreement. read more

The guy wanted to overcharge us even though we've already paid for the rental in full. He blames corporate, but corporate very clearly stated that he was charging me extra. The absolute worst rental place in San Diego, if not California. NEVER RENT FROM HERE!! read more

Chris made promises he could not keep. He told me he would be able to adjust a deal if I brought the car back 1 day before, even after I offered to make the adjustment right then. He failed. Then I call the company and they said he would nee to go get some training, which is bs. Dissappointed customer. Oh, and if your thinking of replying to my review (manager), keep it to yourself as whatever you say (which you could have offered some kind of discount on NEXT rental, but you didn't) won't make a difference. read more

Be very careful with this place. Make sure you read all the charges and review it line by line. I booked online and had to go in to show id. The guy working the counter asked if I wanted any additional add on or insurance coverage , I said no I do not need anything. Guess what in my paper work was an option add on service charging me an extra 70 bucks. I missed it when reviewing the charges. But thay is super shady business to try to add it in hoping I miss it. Not once did he mention the service was added. So please make sure you review each line item esp if you declined coverage or extra add one. read more

It was honestly a terrible experience I was rented a Malibu and told that was the only car left, which I strongly doubt. In any case, I inspected it and there were a few large scratches and dents, but the worst of it was the smell. It smelled heavily heavily heavily like cigarette smoke. For it having a little sticker saying you charge a $450 cleaning fee for smoking, I can't fathom why it would still smell that way. In any case, because "there were no cars left" and I didn't want to argue with a representative that's probably been yelled at by other customers already (specially during the holidays... it was Christmas day) I decided to just take it. I wasn't afforded the same courtesy when I returned it and they charged me double the original car rental quote for gas and being late even though the car was literally full which is why I was late in the first place. There should be class action against them for claiming they clean their vehicles, but just pocket the money. I'm sure the poor soul that did smoke in the car got charged way more than 450 cleaning fee and budget just pocketed the money. Crooks read more

They upgraded my rental and didn't tell me. I know I'm responsible for payment of $912.00 but I assumed the paperwork was for my original reservation for $198.00 when I picked up the rental. This location is not honest. Buyer beware!!! Should have gone to Hertz or Enterprise rental. At least they're honest! read more

I use to rent from Budget but not anymore. I called in to rent a car and no one ever came to pick me up as promised. I tried calling the locale business multiple ti.es bit was sent to the call center. I called again and told the call center the business has closed and no one ever called me or came to pick me up. The lady at the call center had no clue what ro do other than quickly transfer my call to roadside assistance. There I waited for 25 minutes on the phone and no one picked up. This is piss poor management and business practices. Go somewhere else and save time time and money. Luckily I called another rental place and they were there in 10 minutes to pick me up. In fact, they were about to close but valued my business. read more

Their service and communication. These guys are a bunch crooks. Gave me a contract showing a full tank when it was really a Q tank. Also, they gave me a car which had a different vehicle description in the contract. Plus, they charged me a big fee for returning the car after they closed early on a holiday. Don't go here and if you do, don't trust them. read more

Budget Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - El Cajon, California

just picked up our car rental. everything was as promised with the price. nick helped us- extremely smooth transaction he was professional and polite. he had lots of travel experience himself so he shared some great tips for future trips for us. thank you Nick for excellent customer service. read more

Had a family emergency come up and we rented a truck from Budget. Paid 6 days in advance for the truck and 1 1/2 hours before our pickup time they called and said that corporate had never sent them any trucks. They offered me a few small SUVs, but they wouldn't work for our needs. Then they told me they had a truck at the airport and that they would honor the original reservation and not charge me any extra for picking up from a different location. The airport is 30+ miles from our house. They said to take an Uber and they would reimburse me up to $50 for the ride. An Uber from my house to the airport would have been ~$80. When I told them the cost they said $50 is all they can do. I told them that I didn't have time to take an Uber to the airport since my wife and I have jobs and have rearranged our schedules with work as much as we could. I asked if they could have an employee deliver the truck to the original location and they said they wouldn't do that. Customer service said they have no power to tell the location employees what to do. They told me that Budget Corporate has no control over what vehicles are at any specific location. So I asked them why they would let me rent a truck that they knew wasn't going to be at any location in the city, they neglected to answer. Ended up cancelling the reservation and now we have no idea what we are going to do during this extremely stressful family situation. I will never rent from them and will advise anyone I speak to against using them in the future. read more

The worst experience ever! Unprofessional Did not walk with me to inspect the car He said go take picture by your self, we have our record The two guys in the front disk are just not interested in helping and they only want to charge full amount on credit card!! They need a secret shopper from Avis or budget read more

Terrible. One star is too many. STARTED out with bald tires! All of the tires were actually worn down to the wear bars, and it was raining, so I made them give me a different car. I had to drive an extra 20 miles one way on the bald tires and in the rain to pick it up. ENDED up with an expensive parking ticket! I never did see a ticket. There wasn't one on the windshield. It wasn't until six weeks later that Budget informed me about it. By then I had lost the right to contest the ticket and had incurred a delinquent penalty. I think the only reason that Budget notified me at all with their "Prenotification - Rental Car Vehicle Violation Handling Fee Due" form was because they wanted to collect a $30 handling fee for themselves. Oh, I paid everything (fine, late penalty, and their handling fee), but Budget is done. Beware! They don't care!! read more

I WISH THERE WERE A ZERO STARS OPTION!!!! This was the worst experience I have ever had in renting a car. Enterprise will forever be my first choice. This location said pick up at 8AM on Saturday.. I get there and they're closed and didn't open til 9:15AM. I go to return the rental and drop off time was 1PM, I get there prior to 1PM with ample amount of time to process the drop off and they're closed. That was at 12:45PM. I call to see what to do next and they tell me they're going to charge me $300 to return it to a different location. Finally spoke to someone reasonable & said they'd waive the fee and refund me AFTER they charge me the $300. Still a bit annoyed with them having to charge me to refund me but whatever. Never renting here again. read more

SCAMMERS! I am not one to write a review but please beware. First, red flag was that they didn't have the Toyota Tacoma that we reserved (which seems to be a common trend at this place) and that they would give us a similar vehicle at the same price. So they gave us the jeep gladiator which was fine. Until we realized that we were originally supposed to pay $38 and the gladiator more. (My husband picked up the vehicle and was in a rush and was unaware when he signed that it was a different price) Second, they said to return the vehicle with the gas tank as full as when we got it. There was maybe a half tank when we got it and they put on the receipt that there was a full tank which forced us to have to fill up the tank when we didn't even receive a full tank vehicle. If we had not they would have charged us more when we got there because their documentation showed "full" which was a complete scam. Third, they charged us an additional $130 for being late when they closed at 1 and we were running late. Must budget rentals have a drop off for after hours but on top of that $130 for returning it the next day is ridiculous. It's also been almost 2 weeks and the $200 refundable deposit still has not been returned. And to put the cherry on top they're changing us a cleaning fee for $450 for "animal hair" when the car was returned as received and we only used the car twice- to pick up chairs at my parents and drop them off at our house. The original cost we were supposed to pay was $118 and my husband got the insurance for $120. As of today with the "cleaning fee" they are trying to charge us around $1000. Absolute ridiculous! We are currently in the process of reporting them. People should not get away with scamming people and this is just so awful. The original quoted price plus insurance and a late fee I would've understood but this is ridiculous. Please beware and if you do rent make sure to look at every single thing because they are trying to scam wherever they can. I have pictures of everything too. Hope this helps! read more

I always get my rentals from here. They have the best selection around. I drive mustangs, teslas trucks you name it! Never any probles

Never again. When I returned my rental and needed a shirt ride to the mechanic, I was told they don't offer that. I had to walk that mile. Nope. Never again. I'll stick to Enterprise. read more

If I could give them 0 star I would! I rented a car for 6 days and total price was to be $250. Brought it back in perfect condition with a full tank of gas. Next thing I know my credit card was charged $1809! Of course they said it was not their error I had to call customer service. Worst customer service ever! No one can speak clear English. Took me 7 calls and 8 days to get the bogus fees credited back to my credit card! Every time I called they said previous billing rep didn't do something they should of. Finally someone was able to accomplish the refund! Because my dog was sick returning from vacation, I had just spent 1400 on her. So I had 3200 in one day go on my credit card which to my credit rating down because I was using a lot more of my usage on this car. They did not offer anything to make it eight! Never in my 30 years of renting vehicles for business or pleasure has this ever happened. And the manager of the store or the associate doesn't care poorest customer service ever!l read more

This location will not allow a car rental using a debit card. If your credit doesn't meet their requirements. No such information was on the website nor was I informed before spending Lyft fare to get there regarding my reservation. Poor customer service. read more

Very rude staff they will switch and bate you Don't use this company The kid is super rude read more

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm the BIGGEST (not in size, thank you very much!) fan of Avis/Budget Rent-A-Car in El Cajon at Parkway Plaza. I rented a car for a week, and I checked out ALL of the rental car agencies in San Diego, but this was the best priced by far!!! And the car wasn't the usual little Focus, or whatever small car they always have for your driving displeasure! They hooked me up with a brand new Ford Fusion, having less than 20,000 miles on it. Awesome. Lastly... I can't say enough great things about Chris, the man in charge at the counter! He goes out of his way to help you out with anything and everything you might need. I hope Budget knows what a fantastic employee they have in Chris! I'm going to use Budget every single time I need a rental car. I suggest that you do the same!!! read more

THIS LOCATION HAS 1.5 STARS, HOW ARE THEY STILL OPEN?!?!? I've actually never had issues with Budget before until I rented a car from this location. Nicholas helped us when we were picking up our car but he is the most incompetent human being ever. He didn't even hand me my rental agreement until I asked for it. The rental agreement he gave me originally didn't list the name of the additional driver, which is what I needed. I don't understand why some Budget locations don't include the additional driver's name on the rental agreement. Anyways, so now I need a copy of the rental agreement that lists the additional driver's name. I called a few days after I returned the car and he LEGIT told me that "we're not able to provide rental agreements after the car has been returned." WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! Because of that, I had to reach out to customer service and it took 11 days for them to reach out to this location to get a copy of my rental agreement. AND THE RENTAL AGREEMENT STILL DOESN'T LIST THE NAME OF THE ADDITIONAL DRIVER. read more

This is my first experience with Budget Rent-A-Car and will be my last, please avoid this company and location all together, it will save you from a major headache. My boyfriend rented a Hyundai Kona for 2 days from this location. He traveled to Tulare, CA and on his way back got a flat that he had to wait hours to get assistance with. On top of that, the grapevine I-5 unexpectedly closed due to snow. He was literally stranded and called the location to let them know that he needed an extension for one more day. They told him it would be $790.00 for a 1 day extension "due to the holiday" the only holiday was Presidents' Day which was on Monday. He let them know that what is happening is not his fault and tried seeing if they could help get him an extension for a lesser price, he also tried calling customer service and the corporate office and no one is trying to help him. We think it's outrageous that they are trying to charge more money for one day than the whole time he had the car. We were charged $250.00 for the 2 days he needed to rent the car so how does that make any sense to charge $790.00 for a 1 day extension. He's returning the car a day late but we are not trying to pay all that money for one extra day. read more

Budget Car Rental - Flat tire on rented Hyundai Kona - Car Rental Near Me - El Cajon, California

I had a problem with my Budget car picked up at a different location. I called the 800 number and they told me to go to this location. I asked the agent to make sure this location had cars available and they checked and told me they did. I asked for and got the local number and the hours of operation. I called them the next day after their opening hours to confirm they had a vehicle but they did not answer the phone. When I got there the guy behind the counter had an attitude and told me he had no cars. I told him the 800 number checked the system and said he did. He said his cars were for customers who reserved from his location only and that the 800 number doesn't know and that I should call the local branch number. I told him I did call his number twice with no answer. He could care less and would not give me a car so I wound up wasting an hour driving there, the gas used and an hour on the phone to get zero service and a bad attitude. Also the location was a dirty mess. I would never go to this branch. read more

I rented a car from budget and pre-paid all fees in advance. Upon attempting to pick up my rental I was denied the rental and given a BS excuse, even though I have rented cars many times from multiple companies over the years. Steer clear of Budget car rental as even with their discounted rental rates they don't live up to the business model of quality customer service and from what I've seen from other reviewers Budget car rental should not be in business. In addition, as of today, I still have not been refunded the money that I spent on the car rental. read more

If I could I'd give this place no stars. The two guys there are not the smartest cookies and always look like they're high and just don't care. They are super unprofessional and don't know how to talk to people. I needed a car because my car was at the shop, went in after speaking and booking with a budget rep on the phone, the budget rep let me know id only be needing the credit card to have on file and for the deposit. I went in tried to pick up my rental and they didn't want to take my card because they "needed" to charge the full amount right then and there. I had rented a car a week and a half prior to that day somewhere else and never did they charge the full amount only deposit. So I said in that case I don't have the full amount available in that credit card I'll pay with a debit card, he swiped my debit card and somehow without even having any other info he "couldn't approve me because he ran my credit and I didn't qualify to get ANY car." Odd, I've never had that happen. We went back and fourth for a bit then I ended up leaving and having my sister come and try and get a car the same way and sure enough she was able to.. weird. read more

This is a location off a mall and while I'm typically happy with budget and Avis rental cars I strongly recommend NOT renting from little outfits like this and just pay the extra taxes to rent at the airport. I rented a basic car from Costco that was supposed to be ready at noon. I get there at noon and had to wait in line to be told they don't have my car and I have to wait until someone returns one. I explained that I had plans and rent cars about 10 times per year and never had this problem. It was already 12:25 at this point and all she could tell me was that I'd have to wait for the people that were supposed to have been returning at noon but if they decided to keep it then there was nothing she could do..... WHAT???... seriously? Then she offered me a different car--- only one they had left at a rate much higher then the car I was supposed to get. I explained that this just wasn't right and how can I reach a supervisor/etc... After much complaint they gave me that car but still at an increased rate.. at this point it was now 45 minutes past when I was supposed to have my car. Due to the additional note attached to the contract and their clearly shady business I took the vehicle to a car wash as it was pretty obvious that they just don't care and I was fearful I would be charged 250$ for sand in the vehicle....so paid 17$ for car wash and return went okay.... FYI I rented a car for two days from the airport... a convertible and I took my kids to the beach the whole time and of course there was sand in the car and when I told the attendant at the airport about my previous experience he was seemingly as appalled as I was.... NEVER rent at this location! read more

I rented vehicles with budget before in the past and this is the first time I ever had a horrible experience. First they are rude and disrespectful. My experience here was horrible. They are racist and should not even be running a business. I ask to speak to the manager and the gentleman at the front desk completely ignored me. I then asked him did I do anything to make you upset, He still ignored me. All of this because I explain to him I arrived 10 minutes prior to closing time the day before to return the vehicle. He kept telling me whatever the situation was is not his problem and that it was my problem. That man had no interest in helping me at all. I do not recommend this location to anybody this place is garbage. read more

I always get good service from this location. We rent from them 4 to 6 times a year. Never had a problem. It is small with one or two employees to serve you, so it is a little slower. The prices are better than some other locations and they try to work with me on the car I want. I don't have to drive to downtown San Diego. read more

I love renting from this location. Chris at the counter is always super helpful and has great customer service. I would recommend renting from here over the airport anytime, wish the hours were better but that's to be expected from a smaller location. That's the only Downfall I've seen, other than that, I'll always choose this spot as my main rental place. read more

I called JUST to see how much they could give me a deal for. Still debating if I will rent a car. IF I needa car to rent! Well, I called an talked to the operator man. He kept telling me I need to make a reservation to get the price! Nonsense! So I say I needa car for sure and what deal he can hook it up because your homie a little short okay. Now I'm not saying I'm a broke but going through some things at the moment. A little bit of a rough time ok! So I say this to get that good deal but operator dude tryin to quote me too dog on much! I told him forget it! He tryna be funny saying order him a pizza and he'll hook it up. Who jokes at a time like this?! I don't have time for these games little man! I ain't even got nowhere because pizza needin ass was trying to scam me! I plan on calling a higher up because it seems they are bait and switch. Call for a quote and get conned into sending a pizza! Shady fools! read more

I reserved a car online using a debit card. When I arrived I was told that I wouldn't be able to rent the car and that I had to call the 1-800 number to get a refund. Not sure why they charge you and then tell you that you rent the car when you show up. But now I have to wait 3-5 business days to get my money back. Not sure why it is necessary to do a credit check for a rental car but whatever they told me that is their policy. When I asked why I can't rent the car they were unable to tell me. Okay then. So if you decide to rent a car here I recommend that you DO NOT pay ahead to get a "discount". Don't waste your time with this location and their clueless employees. I would recommend that budget hire some new employees that are familiar with the companies policy and have costumer service skills. The young man that "helped" me had an "I don't care" attitude and I'm pretty sure he hates his job. I went to Enterprise on Magnolia and have had no issues with them and received efficient and friendly service. read more

Chris is absolutely wonderful! Explained everything thoroughly, took time to take great care of me. Will be renting all my cars from this company and location. Thanks Chris for being kind and helpful! Love the car also, clean and safe! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. One of the worst experiences I've ever had. We usually go with Enterprise but since Budget was a little cheaper this time around, we decided to try them. Biggest mistake ever. Employees are extremely rude & not helpful whatsoever. When checking in to get our rental, the guy who was supposed to be helping us took a phone call the whole time not explaining anything about what car we're getting, what the total was, if we got an upgrade (that we had booked online), nothing. He pointed to the paper to sign and said nothing. Worst customer service I've EVER experienced. You're better off shutting this place down because your workers are horrid & your cars are mediocre. We will never be coming back to Budget and will still to ol' faithful Enterprise. read more

Very disappointed with this Budget facility. Returned the rental a day early. Thought a credit would be due since they would be able to rent the car for two extra days. When checking saw a credit for $2. Asked about the full refund and was told it was based on a "weekly rate" and if they had to recalculate the rental I would probably owe more money. Seems to be quite a racket. Would not use them again. read more

Budget Car Rental - Car Rental Near Me - El Cajon, California

If I could get ZERO stars, I would!! I am SO MAD!! Budget truck rental JUST called us to tell us the reservation we made TWO WEEKS AGO means nothing to them and they give walks in priority, so they don't have a truck for us to rent when we are moving TOMORROW MORNING!! She actually had the GALL to say, "I hope this doesn't affect our business relationship" Are you freaking KIDDING me?! I will NEVER use them again, and neither should you! read more

This rental car agency is off the mall, so a new location next to Parkway plaza by the Best Buy. There aren't signs up yet so it was a bit hard to find at first. My experience was excellent because of Ashley. She really took care of me, I got a great car at a good price through Costco. When I returned the car it was easy and Ashley did everything she could to ensure I got good customer service. Thank you Ashley and Budget for the experience. read more

We are regular Budget customers. We booked a car through this El Cajon office for a long road trip to a very important event half way across the country. Since our timing was critical, we stopped in the office a week before the trip to confirm our reservation. Everything looked fine. The day before our scheduled pickup, we stopped in again, hoping to see the vehicle so we could devise our packing strategy. The young men at the counter said there would be no car available for us the next day! He told me to call corporate so they could figure it out, and that I could probably get a car from the airport for the same price. I called while I was still in the lobby, putting the phone on speaker. Corporate said I could change my reservation to the airport, but it would cost $800 more. The young clerks heard this and shook their keys so they could lock up and leave. I asked to talk to their manager and they said he wouldn't be in for a week. Eventually, corporate found me a car and honored the original price, although I had to drive much further to the airport to get the car. This office was unprofessional and unreliable. read more

You should just shut down this office. Your employees are terrible. Your company is terrible. I reserved a car online and show up to your location to find out they only have your cheap, entry level cars. I reserved a premium. Your employee claims she called me.... weird she didn't leave a voicemail though. She tries to send me to the airport and I said why don't you go to the airport and get it for me... if I wanted to rent from the airport I would have done so. She also tried to tell me I wouldn't pay the airport taxes which completely wrong. Not only that, your slouch ass employee didn't even stand up at the counter. He sat in his chair reclined like he did not give a f*** about your customer. I guess I should have expected it since the name is "budget" rental car. Budget cars. Budget service. Budget employees. read more