The 2 stars is based on their service operations. Their reps have been attentive and able to deliver service. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW! There is NOT Kiosk office at the airport like their competitors. They don't have a shuttle that routinely rounds the airport for passenger pick up. There are signs that require you to call their office for shuttle/passenger pick up. The shuttle is a mini van with a 6 passenger capacity and limited trunk space for luggage. The shuttle picks up at the commercial loading area (across the road) and there are no signs! No separate line for Fastbreak customers. You have to inform the shuttle representative so he/she can relay your information to their front office representative. Fastbreak customers follow the same process - go to the counter, get in line, get your contract, and keys. They are NOT open 24 hours They open at 5:30am. The shuttle representative opens the office. You need to park your car and provide him the keys. Receipts will be emailed because the front office representative arrive at 7:am. The shuttle representative will need to close the office to shuttle passengers to the airport. They close at 10:30pm. Hopefully your plane is on schedule! They make an attempt to call you but do they know your phone doesn't work on the plane! Good Luck! read more

No way to drop your car after hours and get to the airport and too early for other transportation options

Jason and Michelle at this Budget location are off-the-charts great! About a month ago, I my flight leaving the Harlingen Airport was cancelled and I couldn't get onto another flight until 6:30 am that next day. I needed a rental car and tried a few of the on-site companies, but I quickly found they were worthless- One took my reservation, then told me they didn't wouldn't have a car for a few hours (then why take my reservation!?); and another had a limited selection and all they could rent was an expensive SUV (even though my reservation was for an intermediate car!). Simply put, I was beyond frustrated. Then I called Budget (3210 East Grimes Street, Harlingen) and spoke to Jason. Unlike the others, he had a multiple options of cars I was looking for, told me exactly where he would pick me up, and would be there in only 5-10 minutes! He was very friendly and easy to speak with, and after the quick drive to their location, he and Michelle worked quickly to get me all setup in their rental. Further, my flight that next day left very early in the morning, and he said he would get there early (5 am!) so the shuttle would be available to take myself and others to the airport! This was a huge relief as I'd have no other way to get to the airport after dropping off my car. This was very generous of him. Jason and Michelle at Budget rental did a great job of making a difficult flight delay for my much easier through their fast response, excellent work quality, and welcoming personality. This is exactly what I look for when purchasing a product or service. You can tell that he and Michelle take great pride in their work and try to make sure every customer is treated with respect and fairness. Thanks again, Jason and Michelle! read more

Thieves! They charged my CitiBank CC twice. The second charge was stolen two weeks after I returned the car. I am disgusted with this company and franchise! I am not done with them yet. read more

They might be lying, who knows? Step by step, ask me questions, test me, and avoid me. When I finally went to complete their request, I was told that I needed to make an appointment. Why didn't you just say no when I walked in? I took a taxi and paid $100 to get to this place because there were no rental cars at the airport where I landed and I needed to go to the city next door. They told me on the phone that a car would be available for rent in 30 minutes! Go to hell ! May satan clame this place. read more

No location inside the airport. Have to call a shuttle for pick up but their office closes at 5:00 pm on Friday! What?! Would NOT recommend to rent from Budget Harlingen airport. If I could use a 0 rating I most definitely would! read more

Rented a car from this location (Harlingen airport). Inadvertently got on the toll road going to SPI. Returned the car and asked how I can pay the tolls and was told that it would take about a week or so and they would charge my card for them. Got my CC statement today and saw charges way in excess of what I thought they should be for the 5 or 10 miles I was on the toll road. Called the Budget location to speak with a rep. Was told that the extra $30 was an administrative fee and that I was told about that when I rented (I disagree). In looking up what tolls should be on the TX toll website is states you can pay for tolls on your phone so I asked her why I was not told I could do this when I returned the vehicle. She stated that they have been told you can't do that (must be their branches way to make an extra $30). I stated that I was looking at the TX toll website where it very clearly says that you can. She said, "So, what am I supposed to do about it?" I said you can waive this $30 fee, She said she wouldn't do that. I stated that this would certainly make me think about ever renting from Budget again to which she replied, "That's fine". I replied, "Really that's your attitude, that you don't care about or need my business? - at which point she hung up on me... GREAT SERVICE - NOT!!! Gonna have to take this up with Corporate... read more

Current situation. Picked up car from Budget yesterday and the car stunk like something died. It was apparent that Budget knew about the problem because they put about 5 air fresheners in the car (see pics). Been trying to get this resolved but can't seem to get in touch with a manager. Currently, they said we can bring back but they have no car to change out or they will give us $20 off. This is laughable considering we are paying $335 for the rental. $20 won't even pay for the gas! Will update if we get a resolution! read more

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Made a reservation one month in advance. They called me two weeks later to cancel the reservation because they did not have a vehicle available. Super inconvenient. read more

Made it very difficult to pick up our car. Wanted us to sign on the contract for stuff we said no to. I had to dive a hour to return the car and when I got there they would not let me use the restroom. I had to get back in the car and drive 1/4 mile to a gas station. When I got back the attendant had put up a sign saying no bathroom and then continued to argue. Everyone I had contact with was very rude. Oh yea and I didn't get any kind of discount for turning the car in a day early. read more

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!! Prepaid and booked a car from Brownsville, drove all the way to Harlingen to pick up the rental just to have them DENY my rental after making a deposit and receiving confirmation. They demanded all these ridiculous requirements NOT listed at all on the website even in the "fine print" as stated by the front desk lady. They requested 2 forms of proof of residency, a credit card with a minimum hold of $300 and personal FULL COVERAGE insurance despite me paying EXTRA to have the car covered. After the ordeal I asked them if I would receive a refund and they told me I had to go through customer service who said I would receive a $150 cancellation fee. I called the location back about 5 times to ask them where these requirements were stated on the website and they told me they would gladly discuss it with me after lunch and then proceeded to hang up on me. Extremely unprofessional and uneducated people working at this establishment. 0 stars, DO NOT RECOMMEND. DON'T DO IT! read more

The location is actually on Grimes St. There is no other Budget in Harlingen,; even the agent at the counter at this location said so. This car rental will not honor the Costco Travel reservation we made. Even though paying with a credit card, we were told we were going to be asked to pay a $300 deposit (not the usual $200). And that we needed to produce a utility bill! The agent at the counter who had zero customer service just kept saying "it's our policy". So it is apparently normal for people to be walking around with a utility bill. But the worst part really is the counter agent's demeanor; very condescending and was talking in an exasperated voice, as if we were not customers bringing in business. This guy is laughable in his obvious disdain for his job. I wonder if the owners know how he treats customers. Just like everyone on here, I should have looked at the reviews before booking. Then again, thank goodness the guy was so rude! We dodged a bullet by not going through with the rental. So many reviews here and on Google cannot all be wrong. This rental company is surviving because of the tourists who do not know any better. I am of the opinion that had I presented my out-of-state driver's license, the outcome would have been different. They make it hard for the locals to rent because the company really does not want to rent to folks who have the proximity to contest whatever trumped up costs/charges they belatedly come up with (e.g., windshield chip for $500, "unreturned" keys for $200, etc.). If you just do a quick research, you'll find many tourists who say that they do not have the inclination to go back just to contest the charges. But, believe me, there are no repeat customers at this place! I am just so surprised Costco Travels would willingly choose to partner with this company. It tarnishes their reputation. Stay away! read more

Harlingen Budget just canceled my reservation for a week from now saying they have no cars. Now I have to pay 3 times more. I called Budget corporate and was polite but concerned, they hung up on me. Stay away from Budget. read more

This place is the absolute worst. I booked online through Costco Travel and when I showed up to pick up the car, the guy working the desk said my actual charge would be $50 more. When I asked why the increase, he said they are a franchise location and not corporate run, so they don't have to honor the rate. What a load of horse shit. If you're using the "Budget Rent A Car" name, you shouldn't be allowed to just make up your own pricing. I ended up having to call corporate while in the office and all they said they could do is "ask the office location" to honor it. Yea, the rep at budget corporate and the rep at the local office didn't have much to say to each other. Oh and after the fact I found out that while I owed $1.67 for a toll, they'll charge you a $20 administration fee as well. So $21.67 for a single toll. Heads up everyone - steer the hell clear. read more

Hands down, the worst travel experience of my life. Cancelled my reservation without telling me and made no effort to make it right. No excuse for this kind of "customer service." Truly unacceptable in every way. When I tried to call, I was placed on hold, then told that they overbooked without any attempt to make other arrangements. read more

I reserved a car with this location when traveling to Padre Island. The counter is in the baggage claim area. When I arrived, there was a note on the counter stating that the agent would be right back. By the time I found my bags, she was there, with my paperwork ready. After a quick 5 minutes of disclaimers initials and signatures, I was on my way. The cars are right outside the terminal. However, Budget does seem to have the parking spots that are farthest away. I rented an economy but was upgraded to an SUV since they were very low on cars. The agent mentioned that they had a handful of reservations for the next day in which they have no cars to fulfill. I was thankful that wasn't my predicament. The car that was provided to me did have some dings and 2 small cracks in the windshield. But all in all, the car suited me fine for what I needed. read more

Like most of these reviews point out, this Budget location is NOT located at the airport. You have to call for pickup. The shuttle is a ~10-passenger van and accommodated our luggage easily, but the process and lack of information was a little annoying. Once we got to the office we were told their "machine was down" so they'd have to take down my credit card information so they could enter it in the system when it was back online. Our car's seats were very dirty (stained) so we made note and took pictures of everything. The car ran great - no issues there. We were not charged for any wear and tear. The kicker was once we returned the car. The Budget system was back online now and when I was given the bill to sign off on, I noticed their rates were TWICE what my confirmation was when I booked the car. I had printed out my booking confirmation and showed the guy the rates I was given and he shrugged and said the number he is showing me was the number I was shown when I picked the car up. I told him I was not shown a number because the "system was down" and he said there was nothing he could do. I told him I'm going to take my complaint to corporate and work it out with them since we were clearly not getting anywhere. Never renting from Budget again. read more

I rarely give bad reviews but this one is more buyer (renter) beware. First budget Harlingen Airport location is NOT at airport. They never answer their phones. And you can drive to Mexico, but not out of State. I had called the main number and was told going out of state (so long as I have unlimited miles) should not be a problem. But because this Budget is a franchise, they do not have to honor anything that the corporation promises. read more

During our trip in early December 2018, my wife and I had a very different experience with this Budget location than others seem to have had. We got exactly the type of car we requested. While it had 27,000 miles on it, it certainly wasn't ready for the resale lot. Our experience with all staff from checkout to check in was wonderful. There was no pressure to buy contract rental add-ons that we didn't need. As to the shuttle, the ride to the rental location was much shorter than we experienced at larger airports, some of which offer only an off-airport rental center. Although the Harlingen airport would have been relatively easy to navigate, it was nice to pick up and drop off our car without dealing with airport traffic, and to be dropped off right at the airport entrance. Plus, Budget offered a better rate than its on-airport competitors. If we return to the area, we'll definitely consider Budget again. read more

I wish I read the Yelp reviews before my fiancé reserved a car from here for our vacation in South Padre Island. We arrived in Harlingen around 9pm and found out that Budget is an off-site facility. This was our mistake, as it said on the reservation the facility is off-site, but given the small size of Harlingen's airport, it really isn't worth it to get a shuttle to get a car rental. Another passenger was also looking for Budget so she called to get the shuttle, which was late, to actually show up. The facility smelled strange and there was only one person working that night so we had to wait quite awhile for our car. Our service was really poor. My fiancé was accused of not reserving the right time to pick up our car and the agent generally wasn't pleasant. Coming back, our service was better (hence the 2 not 1 star review), but overall this experience was not a good one and I would not recommend Budget to others. read more

Horrible. Car reservation was made 4 months ago. Get into town around noon and the car was no longer available. Desk clerk is incompetent. Can't figure out how to exchange for another car at the same rate. We sat at the rental car place for 52 minutes before getting something worked out. Go elsewhere!!! read more

DO NOT even deserve the star, just got to a hotel who literally came to rescue me with their hotel shuttle, because this franchise location who carries the corporate name does not have the same knowledge base as a true corporate location. I was scheduled to rent car, but due to glitch in the corporate system with my account which sometimes shows I have multiple rentals and yes I have called to clear this up, but every time I call customer service and reservations they tell me I don't, so sometimes I need manager code to override. Back to review-Because they did not have knowledge base on how to handle this, they would not release car to me. So I was stranded in the middle of nowhere at 10:30 pm CST.(as many indicate this is not on airport property). Front Desk Employee-Ross called Manager-Angie and they gave it one go with a code and said NOPE we can't give you a car. No ride offer, no solution, it's closing time...basically not their problem. I guarantee any other location would be able to figure this out, because they have. So cut to while waiting for hotel shuttle that came to my rescue. I called corporate and reservations confirmed on speaker phone I had NO multiple rentals, Ross heard them loud and clear, and with a shoulder shrug said sorry...still no rental. I asked if I had to wait outside the gate for ride since they were locking up and Ross said yes, while waiting outside he finally had a sense of humanity and let me wait for the final five minutes inside. BUDGET SHAME ON YOU!!! Completely unacceptable to treat customers like this. You have a franchise in Harlingen, Texas representing the BUDGET name that has no sense on how to handle a fragile situation. Leaving customers out in the dark in the middle of nowhere. Any other customer who does not have travel experience would have been shafted and lost. I am a corporate traveler and have status with major hotel chains, so I knew to call and use my status to cancel one and get another. Keep in mind my initial hotel was an hour away and that still made no difference to Budget location when I explained that. I could go on, but you get the gist, Ross would only give me first names of himself and Angie. Go to BBB, Attorney Generals office and report this site they have no business benefiting from corporate name and treating customers like this, again BUDGET SHAME ON YOU!!! read more

Friendly staff but reply small place. I would have liked to see a bigger selection but this rental is literally on the street corner.

Awful customer service I have rented from them multiple times in the past without issue however this time I rented a car drive it to McAllen and get a window chip which cracked the windshield. Not a big deal I have car insurance that covers things however... They are refusing to file a claim with my car insurance. Apparently I Adrionna lied to me. She said give me the car insurance information and we will file it. Then three weeks later I get a " past due" bill in the mail for get ready $550!!! I call their corporate and they tell me that they won't even file it on the third-party I have to pay it in then file it. This has been some of the worst corporate and local customer service experiences I have ever had. read more

Absolutely do not rent a car from this place. The man in charge is a crooked scam artist. He walked straight to my rental car to inspect it, immediately pointed out a minute chip in the windshield. I couldn't even see until I took off my sunglasses and got up close. The car was filthy when I picked it up...and with the sun shining, a dirty windshield and sunglasses, no one could possibly see it unless they knew it was there. I told him that had to be there, I barely drove the car and no rock's hit the windshield. The rude man, said it's not my fault you didn't see it. He didn't even look at the rest of car, said $500 for a new windshield. I told him I'm not paying for a whole new windshield, he said he already charged my card...really? He hadn't even walked back in yet. I walked in and on the counter a sign said $55 for a chip in windshield. I said it's $55 for a chip. He told me that's corporate policy not his, yet the sign was on his counter. My $269 rental car bill turned into almost a $1000 with extra fee's and taxes ge added on. I had to get to airport and he knew it. He ruined the end of my honeymoon. I read more

If I could give this company a MINUS 10 I would. Horrible service, car had a seat belt that did not work and we were stuck and had to take it because they did not have any other mini-vans available!!!! They were very rude and not helpful!!! DO NOT USE THEM!!! read more

Worst service ever. Vehicles are real Crappy. Don't give them your business. They don't appreciate customers.

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS LOCATION!!!! I rented a car from this location and Prepaid for the car. When I got there I gave them my credit card and drivers license. They then asked me if I lived in Hgn. when I said yes, they told me I needed a copy of my insurance card, and 2 utility bills in order for me to rent the car. I told them I didn't have that and that IT DID NOT SAY THAT on the website when I made the reservation. Because I couldn't produce utility bills they cancelled my reservation. I asked about my refund and that it would be put back on my card. When I got the refund it was only for $2.13. I got charged $150 for cancelling the reservation. WHICH THEY CANCELLED IT, NOT ME!. This company I was told was a local franchise and NOT COMPANY OWNED and they make their own rules. Terrible customer service and they pretty much stole $150 from me. PLEASE DO NOT PICK THIS CAR RENTAL LOCATION!!! And judging from all of the reviews on YELP, this company DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS!! read more

Great price but they gave us a car with a tire that kept losing air. We had to add air 3 times in 1.5 days. Wouldn't give us anything for the expense and especially the inconvenience. They should have done something! Also check the entire car for dents and scratches. I found 1 dent and lots of paint missing on the bumper that they hadn't noticed. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would! I made a reservation on 7-5 for a rental car on 7-13...as I sit in the airport waiting to board my flight, I get a call from budget canceling my reservation! This is 3 hours before I am scheduled to pick up the car. I have to drive to 4 different locations in my one day in the area. I asked her how I was supposed to get to my appointments...she just said she was sorry, but they don't have any cars. So much for reservations! I will never use them again! read more

BEWARE! They are NOT the cheapest car rental at this airport by far! I reserved my car on Budget's website for $175 total, with all fees. At the counter the about, overly- friendly and smiley clerk lied - and I do mean LIED - to me to get me to check "accept" by the $15.99/damage damage waiver. She had highlighted and circled it on the form for me to initial and I looked at her and said, "I don't want that. I don't want to pay extra for that." She said, "Oh, no, It's already in there." That seemed strange, I declined it on the online reservation, but I looked at the form and the other choice said something other than "Decline" (I don't remember what, but it didn't seem the obvious choice), so I trusted her and initialed it. She also excitedly told me about their great deal of having them fill the tank for a lower cost per gallon than I could get at a gas station, so I could save some money! I accepted that too, but of course she didn't tell me that I would be charged for a full tank of gas even if I only used a little. She then clicked around on the computer and happily said she did something else to save me some more money. My total bill was $308 for a 2 1/2 day rental on a compact car that I drove a total of 177 miles! What a sham! When I called to complain, I was told I must be wrong because this agent "doesn't sell her stuff this way". Sell her stuff? I wasn't there to buy her stuff, I was there to pick up my rental car! I've since read other reviewers saying they've had similar experiences at other locations too. Also, it didn't affect me, but although my online reservation said free unlimited miles, the contract said 200 daily miles, and that the car could only be driven within a 100 mile radius of the airport. This contract, by the way, is tucked inside the paperwork they give you showing your car parking space number, and you don't sign it, so if you're like me, you don't even look at it 'til later, and then it's too late. Terrible experience. It's the only time in my life I've had a bad rental car experience, but I feel bamboozled, cheated, and ripped off. Never, ever again, anywhere, Budget! read more

Reserved a car weeks in advance yet to arrive to Harlingen and the ignorant employee at the counter says that my rental was canceled due to them overbooking and that there was nothing they could do. I can however wait a couple of hours and see if something opens. They are not a franchise, just a hole in the wall place with rude service. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Their cars are crappy Fiats with horrible air conditioners. Do not rent from here. There is no counter at the airport and they take forever to pick you up in the shuttle because there is literally one person working at the place that has to close the rental location to come pick you up. They also lied about my charges and charged me over $100 more than promised. THIS PLACE IS THE WORST! DO NOT RENT FROM HERE! read more

horrible and unsafe experience!!! reserved 2 car seats for a week - arrived and they had none despite the fact that they were on the written confirmation.....told me they couldn't do anything so I had to drive illegally AND put 2 little kids at risk - also the seat belts didn't work and the tire pressure light was on - Ruby told me "the mechanic looked - it's fine"....I complained about the car seats and was told I had to wait for Shawn the manager to speak with - brought the car back a week later and was told "sorry, Shawn is on vacation"...had to pay somewhere else to rent car seats....this office is NOT a corporate facility, so you're really on your own......Go somewhere else!!!! read more