Renting a car seems like it should be simple. One simply reserves a car, pays, and drives away, eventually returning the vehicle with a full tank of gas at a specific time.
However, anyone who has rented a car knows that this isn’t always the case. Renters can face long waits, broken vehicles, and mistreatment from the rental company itself.
This has been documented numerous times online. One user claimed that an Avis rental agency instructed her to take the car in for an oil change; another alleged that they discovered their rental car had a blade in one of its tires.
Now, another internet user has sparked a discussion after revealing their negative experience with the car rental company Budget.
Hours of waiting, no cars available
In a video with over 27,000 views as of Friday, TikTok user @maknugz calls out Budget Rent a Car for the negative experience she had utilizing their services.
According to the TikToker, she had opted to rent a car as she was receiving a visit from her mother, whom the TikToker describes as disabled.
After arranging a rental over the phone and confirming the details, she says she was assured by a Budget representative that a vehicle would be available for her. However, upon taking an Uber to the designated pick-up location, which was a remote hotel, she says she was greeted by a chaotic, crowded scene.
“I walk in, there’s a line out the door of this little cubicle in the back of this facility,” she recounts.
Seeing the treatment of the customers before her, the TikToker began to lose hope. According to the TikToker, one customer received a damaged car, and another got a car that was “filled with garbage and trash.” Then, despite confirming the details about her rental earlier, @maknugz says she was told that there were no cars available.
From here, the TikToker began a journey of multiple calls to Budget customer service, visits to other Budget locations, and more, even assisting another Budget customer get a car in the process. All told, the process of her getting a car took several hours; throughout the entire process, she says she was subject to mistreatment and a general lack of care.
Even upon returning the car, the situation did not improve.
“I explained to the man, ‘Hey, is there something you can do?’ And I started to explain what happened the time before, and I was like, ‘I know it’s not you. I know that it’s higher up. I know that there’s systems. I know it’s not you personally,’” she says.
However, this request was not met with compassion.
“I explained to him the whole situation, and then he started getting an attitude with me,” she states. “And I’m like, ‘I keep trying to explain to you why this happened.’ I was like, ‘There is no reason that this should have happened.’”
The TikToker then says she’s posting this video in an attempt to reach out to the company.
“I paid almost $400 for a vehicle for the weekend and I barely got to use it and I got, we got sexually harassed, we got verbally harassed, we got stranded in unsafe situations with no opportunities,” she summarizes.
She later adds, directed at the company, “What do we do about this situation?”
@maknugz @Budget Car Rental i will await your prompt response here as I do not use email as a primary form of communication and your phone systems seem like they could use a software update. awesome, thanks! 😘 #budgetcarrental ♬ original sound – just another human ☀️✨🧚
Commenters share their own Budget experiences
In the comments section, users revealed their own negative experiences with the company Budget Rent a Car.
“They canceled our moving truck the day before we were supposed to move,” a user said.
“Every time my family rented from Budget in the Orlando airport (HUGE tourist airport) we either waited for HOURS due to ‘no cars’ or we switched companies at a premium price to get out of there,” offered another.
“One time, they scheduled me a return time AFTER the desk was closed and there was a sign specifically on the desk that said ‘no after hours drop offs,’” alleged a third. “I had to pay for another day.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Budget via email and the TikToker via Instagram direct message.
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