Budget rent a car

Dear Comlaints.com

On Sunday, November 26th, I arrived in Miami and went to pick a car rental that was prepaid for in my name. Whilst at the counter, the man behind the counter told me that because Florida had a no fault insurance policy, and as my insurance policy was unlikely to cover me, I need to take your extra insurance (damage, and extra liability insurance) from Budget, else I would be responsible for the entire cost of the car, should there be any accident. As I did not want to be responsible for the entire cost of the car, and I had no way of contacting my insurance company on a Sunday, and it seemed to me I had no alternative but to take the insurance, I did so. I was assured I could cancel anytime.

The next day, Monday, I contacted my insurance company and was told of course I am covered under their policy, and I had no reason to take the insurance. I immediately proceeded to contact Budget to take the insurance off my contract. The dispatch (Shaun Gee) told me that there was no way he would take the insurance off my policy unless I either drove the car back to Miami (we were in Orlando by then), or took it to a local Budget. When I told him I was not about to cut my vacation short because I was hard sold something I should not have had to buy in the first place, he became irate, and would not listen to anything else I would tell him. He interrupted my many times, and would not let me finish my sentences. This of course, made me more irate, and I told him to take the insurance off my contract and tried to give him my contract number, and policy number. He refused to listen or make note of this. I told him I did not understand why I needed to bring the car in for inspection when my insurance would cover any damage on the car, AND, why do I need to bring the car in in order to take extra liability insurance off the contract? Apparently this is some ‘company policy’ used to perplex customers on vacation who were hard sold something they did not need, knowing full well the customer would not want to take time off vacation to take the car back in for ‘inspection’.

Upon my return to Budget in Miami, I clearly explained the whole situation to both the guy who used ‘used car salesman hard sell tactics’ on innocent looking and clueless about insurance, young women, AND his manager, Valerie. I was told that I had to pay up, and then complain to customer service after. Bad mistake as with this tactic, they had my signature saying I agreed paying for insurance, and customer service simply blew me off.

I have two witnesses that were with me when I went to pick up the car, who will both attest to the hard sell, and confusing terminology of the clerk who sold me useless, pointless insurance at exorbitant prices, and one witness to the fact that I tried to cancel it and the dispatch would not listen to anything I had to say.

This company is the worst. Why I need to bring the car in to cancel liability insurance on MYSELF is beyond me! This is the biggest SCAM I have ever seen, by unscrupulous, greasy car salesmen.

DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. I NEVER WILL!

I would appreciate you passing this on to all unsuspecting car renters.

Sincerely,

Sarvy Seradj