BUDGET ripped me off...embarassed

[Nic18076]

Originally Posted by skindogg

Good idea when I get home I will scan and blank out confidential info and show mine.

I know I messed up - no excuse at all

But again the issue is the dishonesty of the staff who are clearly commission based trying all the tricks.

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That would be really useful. Also it occurred to me that it would be good to take a photo of the document that you are signing as it was when you are signing it, just so they can't actually add stuff after you have signed that you didn't agree to.

I know that they didn't do this to you, but rather added things and didn't tell you they were there, and thats what they did to me when I went in 2009. They looked a little bit uncomfortable when I was taking a photo of the document before signing it, and that alerted me to the fact that they had magically added roadside assistance even though I had 100% specified that I didn't want it on there.

What really annoyed me was they were huffing and puffing about having to redo the paperwork when it was all their fault in the first place, and of course the fuss it all caused meant that they really had next to no hope of getting anything past any of the other people in the queue behind me.

[CarolynU]

Originally Posted by LolUK

...but we aren't powerless are we? As long as you check the paperwork before you sign and ensure there are no additional charges you should be fine -- if you still get charged then you have the paperwork to back up your claim. Of course there will be a few that slip through the net, but all we have to do is spend a few minutes reading the paperwork before signing it.

Being tired after long flights is NOT an excuse - anyone who is too tired to read a piece of paper to check for additions is going to be too tired to drive a car imo...

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Perhaps powerless is the wrong terminology, but that is absolutely no excuse for the companies being devious and unscrupulous, and I think that without doubt the number of times that this happens shows that this is the case. If folks say no to the upsell that should mean no. Not I heard you saying no, but I'll pretend that I didn't, and add it anyway, and hope that you trust me, and don't check. Of course folks should check, but it shouldn't happen so frequently in such an underhand way, which is in my opinion sharp practise.

[Pixiedust40]

can we just write on the paperwork 'no add on's/extras requested since original booking' or something a little more eloquent when signing, so they couldn't get away with it. the paperwork i had last time was so complicated last time i couldn't make head nor tail of it

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Pixiedust40

can we just write on the paperwork 'no add on's/extras requested since original booking' or something a little more eloquent when signing, so they couldn't get away with it. the paperwork i had last time was so complicated last time i couldn't make head nor tail of it

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Don't worry about eloquence - the agreements are designed to confuse :angry:

I intend to do what you are suggesting. I have done SaveTime and I will not drive away from barrier without reading the document handed to me putting "condtion of rental was no extra insurances/fuel/upgrades added"

The car companies do not give a monkeys about the bad publicity here or else where - as all of them are at the same game and if you want a car to drive on holiday; using them is a necessary evil

So just be careful and don't feel pressurised by those waiting behind you or by the charming person on the desk, at the booth or at the exit barrier.

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by LolUK

...but we aren't powerless are we? As long as you check the paperwork before you sign and ensure there are no additional charges you should be fine -- if you still get charged then you have the paperwork to back up your claim. Of course there will be a few that slip through the net, but all we have to do is spend a few minutes reading the paperwork before signing it.

Being tired after long flights is NOT an excuse - anyone who is too tired to read a piece of paper to check for additions is going to be too tired to drive a car imo...

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Couldn't agree more , baffles me just how many people post they are too tired to check paperwork yet quite happily get in a strange car and drive on strange roads?

Originally Posted by gforce_iom

I think next time they try it on with me, and no doubt there will be a next time, I will just ask for the manager, take a note of everyone's name and then write to the head office.

Yes, you should check paperwork before you leave I agree, but the underhand tactics are exactly that, underhand.

I am going to make a stand!

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Good luck with that because the manager we dealt with at Budget MCO was as useless as the muppets working for him... He must have known his staff tried to rip us off because he wasn't at all bothered by it.

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by Slacey

I always like the "would you like road side recovery?" - as I reply, "nope, if it breaks down, I ring you, then a cab - its your car, you recover it..."

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Yep similar to what we told Dollar in Vegas... tried to make us have the breakdown cover, so we pointed out its their car, its worth about $20k if it breaks down they are hardly going to leave it by the side of the road.

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

Good luck with that because the manager we dealt with at Budget MCO was as useless as the muppets working for him... He must have known his staff tried to rip us off because he wasn't at all bothered by it.

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Hiya Daytona

I can't remember if it was on the Dibb, or another forum, but a lady, who's husband used to work for one of the big car suppliers, said staff are trained in every conceivable way to extract as much additional income as they can for the company, and the desk agents own commission.

This link is 6 years old now, and many pooh pooh it, but it makes me smile as it does seem to resemble what most of us encounter at the desk. I'm a definite deeker, and they do not like us deekers, from my experience they seem to misunderstand the concept of the word no... not sure what confuses them, the N or the O - consumerist/2008/01/15/6-...-rental-agent/

Here is another, 2010, link regarding the 'tricks of the car hire trade' - I haven't read it, but it looks slightly different to the first link - edmunds/car-buying/co...car-agent.html

As the chap in the second link states:

'You see a name like Hertz or Avis and you think you are dealing with a reputable company that won't play games. But the whole rental car industry is organized chaos. There are a limited number of cars and sometimes too many drivers. But if you know how it works, you can rent a car for less and avoid the unnecessary charges that can really add up fast. I should know — I worked for a major car rental company in many different locations in the Los Angeles area. Here's my take on the business.'

[Guest]

Originally Posted by CarolynU

Perhaps powerless is the wrong terminology, but that is absolutely no excuse for the companies being devious and unscrupulous, and I think that without doubt the number of times that this happens shows that this is the case. If folks say no to the upsell that should mean no. Not I heard you saying no, but I'll pretend that I didn't, and add it anyway, and hope that you trust me, and don't check. Of course folks should check, but it shouldn't happen so frequently in such an underhand way, which is in my opinion sharp practise.

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I agree! No should mean no, but these desk agents gain additional commission from the upsell so it is in their best interests to try and get it. Like all walks of life, the majority of them are fine and understand the word 'no', but some will try and underhand tactics to try and bamboozle you. It isn't right but I don't think there is much that can be done apart from scrutiny of the paperwork you are signing.

As for the frequency, we do get a few Dibb posts about it but I don't think we get more than one per week? Now I would guess that there are *plenty* of Dibbers happily renting cars each week so I don't think the practice is as bad or frequent as we think. Sure one example is one too many but I can only use my own experience of probably 20+ US car rentals over the years, and never have I arrived home to unexpected charges (that tends to happen in the UK or EU to me anyway!)

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by LolUK

I agree! No should mean no, but these desk agents gain additional commission from the upsell so it is in their best interests to try and get it. Like all walks of life, the majority of them are fine and understand the word 'no', but some will try and underhand tactics to try and bamboozle you. It isn't right but I don't think there is much that can be done apart from scrutiny of the paperwork you are signing.

As for the frequency, we do get a few Dibb posts about it but I don't think we get more than one per week? Now I would guess that there are *plenty* of Dibbers happily renting cars each week so I don't think the practice is as bad or frequent as we think. Sure one example is one too many but I can only use my own experience of probably 20+ US car rentals over the years, and never have I arrived home to unexpected charges (that tends to happen in the UK or EU to me anyway!)

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We find the hard sell at MCO wicked, so it would seem do a very high percentage of travellers collecting their cars. I advise, as I hand over the paperwork, no upgrades or extras whatsoever, deaf ears every time, irrespective of which car supplier it is, and they still push and push. It's seems to be the norm and if a Dibb poll were carried out it's likely a high percent of Dibbers hear the hard sell each time. Hard sell is one thing, adding extras after being repeatedly advised no is borderline fraud.

Our destination is SW Fla so we collect a car at MCO to drop at Cape Coral or Fort Myers airport before collecting other cars during our long stay. Fort Myers airport seems a different ballgame, my initial 'no extras whatsoever' appears to get through to them. Yes, they ask about upgrading but don't bang on and on about insurances et al.

Since moving to direct MCO flights we've encountered persistent hard sell. Unfortunately Budget had the most blips, admitting their system sometimes doesn't recognise fully pre-paid vouchers or £ vs $ paid amount, and incorrectly claiming unpaid tolls. Customers have to be extra vigilant when collecting their hire vehicles in the US.

[mousemad]

This happened to us with Budget when we had to change to another vehicle the day after arrival (we had a 12 seater van but the 1st one had no step on the side to get in & out so they had to get us another one the following day). We exchanged vans at the Budget place across from where we were staying & didn't realise until I checked on CC at home we had been charged an extra £180! Had no luck getting it back as DH signed for it thinking it was a straightforward swap.

The year after that Avis tried to add $100 on extras for tyres etc... Had to go to LBV Avis & get that removed. I told the guy in no uncertain terms what he could do with his extra insurance!

This year Alamo tried to charge us for fuel although we said we wanted to return it full (I did Alamo Savetime too & opted to bring back full). Got it back but I always check & hadn't as I rented two cars & had to get out of our car to tell the guy the other car didn't want the fuel option!
Told DH to always look before he signs for any cars in future that is a $0 balance in the totals column In fact I will always make a point of checking now.

Seems to be something they do all the time, I just wonder how may people don't notice the extras until its too late. So watch out people & read every piece of paperwork before you sign ANYTHING!