Did Not Drive

Booked a car from Budget, but at the location, Budget and Avis share the same counter. The car we got had the Avis logo. It was actually a hybrid Toyota Yaris, very new with only 2,000 kilometers on it and fuel-efficient. The car was equipped with CarPlay, making it easy to connect the phone for music and Google Maps navigation.

The front desk service was quite friendly, and both the pick-up and return processes were efficient.

I have confidence in my driving skills, so I only purchased basic insurance. However, I was required to pay a fee of €143.37 when picking up the car. The staff explicitly told me this was a deposit. When I mentioned that other car rental companies usually require a deposit of €1000-1500, the staff said: 'We only require this much.' During the entire rental period, there were no accidents. However, I received an email stating that there was a scratch on the bumper, with a repair estimate of €170. If I accept the charge, they will deduct it from the deposit, and the rest will be waived. If not, they will charge the full repair cost later. This whole situation is filled with doubts, it seems that this rental company sets a trap for unsuspecting customers. Moreover, the said scratch is on the black plastic part of the bumper, and they did not provide a complete picture of the front of the car, only general and paint-damage photographs as we usually take.

The efficiency cannot be compared to that in the United States.

Several items of damage were not noted on the hire paperwork. I pointed these out when I picked the car up, and although the paperwork was updated manually Budget did not update their records. When I check the car back in, I was told the car was fine and shown the way to the terminal. I was subsequently charged approx €400 for the damage I had previously pointed out. This seemed a little sneaky - no discussion at the car, no email advising the reason for the debit on my credit card. I have discussed with Budget and been advised that I should get a refund in approx 3 weeks. Disappointing.