Budget MCO is it as bad as reviews say Vs Dollar

[zoo2tycoon]

i am currently hold a reservation for next month through Budget. I was going to upgrade and do a prepay Mustang for a surprise for my son and I. Thankfully prior to doing I read reviews and they all talked of long lines - 1-2 hours and bad cars. I joined Fastbreak and saw for first rental you have to wait in line to sign something.

So I just found a standard car for $30 more at Dollar. I joint their rental program to skip the counter.

I know to keep checking BUT is Budget that bad? Is Dollar ok.

 

[sam_gordon]

This was years ago so take it for what it's worth... We rented from Budget at MCO and also joined Fastbreak. We got to skip the counter and went straight to the garage. Saw the guy at the kiosk, signed something and he told us what slot the car was in. We then went to the car. Whole transaction took ~5 minutes.

 

[OKW Lover]

Budget is no worse than Dollar. Or Avis. Or Hertz. Or Alamo.

 

[kangamangus]

We did not have a good experience with Budget. 2.5 hour wait to get two minivans. The line itself took 2 hours. I'm grateful my husband has patience and kept me from walking to our hotel. It could have been the day/time etc... but we would not use them again.

 

[barbliny]

I originally had a car booked with Budget this past June. Then I read the scathing reviews and was scared off. Ultimately wound up with Hertz, and Dollar as a backup (we get some credit card perks with Hertz). Check Hertz's rates also - they really bottomed out in the week prior to our arrival in June.

I will tell you that in walking through the car rental desk area at MCO in June - the line for Budget was horrendous!!! I mean crazy lines snaking through the ropes and beyond. The other companies were no where near as crowded.

I have rented with Dollar before at MCO, TPA and many other airports and have never had any issues. Same with Avis, and Alamo.

Also, I would NEVER suggest that you pre-pay for a car rental. The rental car companies really lower their rates as time gets closer - and you would not be able to re-book at the much lower rates.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I originally had a car booked with Budget this past June. Then I read the scathing reviews and was scared off. Ultimately wound up with Hertz, and Dollar as a backup (we get some credit card perks with Hertz). Check Hertz's rates also - they really bottomed out in the week prior to our arrival in June.

I will tell you that in walking through the car rental desk area at MCO in June - the line for Budget was horrendous!!! I mean crazy lines snaking through the ropes and beyond. The other companies were no where near as crowded.

I have rented with Dollar before at MCO, TPA and many other airports and have never had any issues. Same with Avis, and Alamo.

Also, I would NEVER suggest that you pre-pay for a car rental. The rental car companies really lower their rates as time gets closer - and you would not be able to re-book at the much lower rates.

I plan to keep checking. We arrive Aug 6 so I'm hoping Alamo or Hertz go down. I know no place is perfect but the one consistent thing is LONG lines at Budget. I know to carefully read before I sign anything! Just didn't want to start vacation waiting forever in line.

 

[Timothy02359]

We just used Budget Fastbreak a few weeks ago at MCO. There was only 1 person ahead of us in the garage line window and this was on a Saturday morn. As long as you use any of the rental companies that have programs where you can go straight to garage you should be fine.

 

[keishashadow]

We just used Budget Fastbreak a few weeks ago at MCO. There was only 1 person ahead of us in the garage line window and this was on a Saturday morn. As long as you use any of the rental companies that have programs where you can go straight to garage you should be fine.

Kiosk lines can be hit or miss in the garage, we've waited up to a good half-hour twice this year (budget & hertz - as i was new member there & didn't have car pre-assigned since i had to produce my CC for verification)

If it's your first rental as a 'rewards' member you still need to visit a counter, either in the terminal or kiosk in the garage, to show your DL/CC. If you have a 2nd driver, they will need to produce their DL too

 

[kydisneyfans]

Watch your receipt for Dollar. We had reserved a good rate online for a rental in San Diego.
When I left the front counter(after more than an hour in line), the rate was significantly higher than my reservation.
When I left the parking lot, the rate was even higher, more than double my reservation estimate.
They tacked on fees both at the counter and at the exit kiosk.

I inquired why upon return, the clerk said "they do it all the time" and changed the rate back to the original quote. They are sneaky, buyer beware.

 

[NotUrsula]

With ALL rental car companies, including Budget, the secret to good service is to join their clubs. All of your info will be on record, and you will NOT get the upsell push. I'm a member at every single major rental agency, and I never wait more than 5 minutes for my car unless it's a REALLY tiny airport where the indoor counter is the only point of service.

Note that it is always a good idea to have your reservation with you in writing (paper or a pdf on your phone). They should not be making changes to the reservation without your permission, and that document is your safeguard against that.

Also note that you really must do a walk-around of the car when you pick it up, and photograph any existing damage that you see, both interior and exterior. Make sure that any damage is noted and signed for on a car diagram at the exit gate before driving away, because once you leave the premises, any damage noted when the car is returned may be on you if you didn't have it documented before you took the car.

 

[marn913]

I have used Budget for years in many cities, never had to wait more than a few minutes, including at MCO. I just go to the garage, show my license and CC and I am on my way. I have always had great rates and minimal wait times with Budget, but as others mentioned, joining Fastbreak may be one reason why.

 

[h&D3]

i am currently hold a reservation for next month through Budget. I was going to upgrade and do a prepay Mustang for a surprise for my son and I. Thankfully prior to doing I read reviews and they all talked of long lines - 1-2 hours and bad cars. I joined Fastbreak and saw for first rental you have to wait in line to sign something.

So I just found a standard car for $30 more at Dollar. I joint their rental program to skip the counter.

I know to keep checking BUT is Budget that bad? Is Dollar ok.

The last time we were in Orlando, we rented from Budget and had no issues at all. Had my fastbreak reservation with the bar code printed out, went out to the garage and talked to them at the booth out there. We had reserved a mini van (dodge caravan) and when we got there they didn't have any on site. So they upgraded us to a Town & Country van. Nice leather seats, really deep tinted windows and a premium sound system. Entire car was very clean. Entire process took less than 10 minutes from the time we got there until the time we pulled out of the ramp. I'd use them again no problem.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would do the Fast Break and skip the horrible line. It quick and easy. If you have to visit the rental counter for your first visit I would go to your local Budget location and see if they can take care of you. A weird thing happened to us. THe online rental of a car using our FastBreak number resulted in a higher priced car. I even double checked the price the day we left and it was still higher if I used the Fastbreak number so I did a rental without the fast break. Got to the airport and the line was very long. Left DH in the line while i found a quiet place to call Budget and had them add the Fast Break number to our reservation and she confirmed i would keep the same low rate. Weird. Got out of line and was in our car in less than 15 minutes.

 

[elgerber]

We also had a bad experience with Budget at MCO. We will not use them again.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Thanks for all the info
Arrive Sunday
Still holding Budget and Dollar
Leaning towards Dollar will finalize and cancel one tomorrow! I appreciate the time and replies!

 

[itrek]

I've rented from MCO Budget 6 times in the past 2 years. I'm not sure if Budget had problems in the past but my experience has been perfect every time. I'm a Fast Break member and I usually book through Costco. I go straight to the garage where I've never seen a line of more than 1 person.
I sign the rental form, they give you the parking slot number, and I go straight to the car. This never takes more than a few minutes.

Only once in my past 6 rentals with them did I have a car that wasn't perfect. One car had some door dings and scratches. When I told the exit gate person, she offered to have another car brought up for me right away. The damage was insignificant so I just had her mark the damaged spots on the form and kept the car. I don't know how it could have been handled any better. Every car I've rented has been clean and in perfect condition except the one with the dings and scratch.

Returning the cars have always been simple and fast as well. I've returned a few times when there were quite a few other cars being returned at the same time but Budget had a lot of people working the return area and even when busy my returns only took a few minutes.

The Budget staff has always been pleasant and helpful at MCO for me and I've never seen anything on my bill other than exactly what my rental quote was. On my Fast Break account I select not to include any options.

One trip my flight time got changed so I returned my car 4 hours later than scheduled. At first the return guy told me it was no problem and the charges would be the same. Then he asked me to wait to see if the price may have dropped since I booked. It had dropped so he made an adjustment and I actually paid $32 less than my Costco quote. Now that is excellent customer service. I would have been happy to pay my quoted amount or even a small increase because I returned the car so much later than scheduled.

I definitely would recommend using Budget based on my own personal experiences over the past 2 years.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Looks like I'm probably renting with Budget for my upcoming trip. The rental is in my husbands name as he will the driver and I signed him up for Fast Break. I read somewhere you have to go to the counter the 1st time you use Fast Break. Is this accurate?

 

[keishashadow]

Looks like I'm probably renting with Budget for my upcoming trip. The rental is in my husbands name as he will the driver and I signed him up for Fast Break. I read somewhere you have to go to the counter the 1st time you use Fast Break. Is this accurate?

Yes, as will all the programs the first go-round you need to present yourself (or if you change CC# on file with Hertz).

You will be eligible to use the shorter line if that's any consolation

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Yes, as will all the programs the first go-round you need to present yourself (or if you change CC# on file with Hertz).

You will be eligible to use the shorter line if that's any consolation

Ok, thanks. Im trying to avoid the counter. The last the time we rented was 2 years ago and our rental ended up being several $100 more then quoted. I can't really afford to have that happen this time around.

 

[keishashadow]

Ok, thanks. Im trying to avoid the counter. The last the time we rented was 2 years ago and our rental ended up being several $100 more then quoted. I can't really afford to have that happen this time around.

Oh my, that's a big bump. Did you add on something via an upsell at the counter? Key is to just look them square in the eye upfront and say you don't want to add a thing. Speeds things up greatly

Pretty sure Budget still has a kiosk in the garage, you might be able to stop there instead. Does it indicate counter or garage anywhere on your confirmation?