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| - My personal vehicle died a few days before I was slated to take a lengthy road trip from Pittsburgh to the Adirondacks in New York. Because of this, I needed to find a rental option that was going to get me from point A to point B. I was 15 days away from my 25th birthday, so a $27 daily fee was to be assessed for underage rental. This was one of the better fees for that purpose I could find, and the rental actually cost less than that fee. I picked up the vehicle as scheduled and set off on my road trip. I was very satisfied with the experience while I had the car, and was happy upon my return that I did not hit any traffic and that the vehicle return would be on time.
I returned my vehicle at 8:53 PM on the Saturday designated in my prepaid contract stipulating a return time of 9:00 PM. The gentleman in the garage asked if I would like a receipt, to which I said 'no' because I already had the confirmation from my prepaid reservation and had filled up the gas tank prior to returning the vehicle. After he had driven away in another vehicle, I changed my mind about the receipt and proceeded to the Budget counter inside the airport to talk to a manager about receiving a receipt. The manager reassured me that once the vehicle was scanned into the system, I would receive an email receipt. He was very friendly and reassuring that this was procedure, so I trusted him. BIG MISTAKE. I received a bill for the rental that stated I did not return the vehicle until Thursday! I was charged the fee PLUS the underage fee for five extra days - $437. The Budget staff at the Pittsburgh International Airport did not scan my vehicle as returned until FIVE days later, resulting in a late charge.
I tried to call the desk at the Budget location, no answer - it consistently rerouted me to Corporate. Corporate keeps asking me if I have a receipt, and reading cookie cutter prepared lines to me over the phone. The whole issue stems from the fact that I don't have the receipt. I had American Express appeal the charge, and they were able to prove that it was inconsistent with the true events and had the charge refunded. Now Budget is sending invoices to my home for the $437 in fees, suspended my rental privileges, and threatening to send to a collections agency.
I will NEVER neglect to get a receipt again. This has been a massive headache as I am still appealing this situation four months later. I have proof that I was at the airport the day of the return getting gas and requesting an Uber. I did not go to the airport for my health.
Do NOT rent from this Budget location, and IF YOU DO, WATCH THE STAFF SCAN YOUR CAR WHEN YOU RETURN. If not, they WILL NEGLECT to return your vehicle on time and you will end up frustrated and annoyed like me. I will update this review with the results of my appeal process.
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