It shouldn't take almost as long to pick up my pre-reserved rental car as it did to fly into Sky…read moreHarbor from two states away, but it did (90 minutes). There was no long line (in fact, I was attended to immediately), it was just a HORRIBLE comedy of issues, one after another. This was my first experience with Budget, and will absolutely be my last. Here's a summary:
I reserved an electric vehicle ("Ford Mach E or similar") through Budget using Costco's travel website. The rental fee for the entire 6 days was roughly $377, a phenomenal deal. I told the Budget employee that I had a reservation through Costco, and he couldn't find it. He asked for my confirmation number from my Costco confirmation e-mail, and found my reservation that way. He rung me up (took roughly 10 minutes), and said the total cost would be right around $1,700.
I showed him the confirmation e-mail showing the $377 total, and he said that the "prices must have reset since it's now after midnight". He was unable to adjust the price because he needed a "manager number", and there were no managers on duty. He sought assistance from a coworker, who was able to help him (another 15 minutes), and got the price adjusted, but said that the car was no longer available.
He looked for cars, and found a Genesis GV60, and said he could give it to me for another $10 / day, and I excitedly agreed. He went through the same ten-minute ordeal, and again, reported that the car was no longer available. This cycle went on over and over for over an hour, and I added that at that point I don't care if it's an electric car, I just want something to drive. He said he'd put me in a Mercedes, and would give it to me for the same $10 / day premium over my original price. He wrote parking space #140 on my pickup ticket, told me the keys were in the car, and to just go to spot 140 to pick it up, and show the QR code he'd texted me on my way out.
So, off I went to the garage, found space 140, and in it was a Genesis, not the Mercedes on my contract. So, I went for help from the in-garage attendant, and he repeated the same "here's a car", "I'll update the contract", "Oops, that car's not available" a few more times.
He eventually was able to transfer a "car over from the Avis side", and I went to the parking space to get it and it was a Ford Mach E, just like I'd reserved.
Budget corporate responded to my "how did we so" survey, and refunded one day's rental fee, and apologized, thus the extra star.