Sunday, October 31, 2010

Budget Truck Rental Follow Up

I wanted to post a follow-up to my lengthy Budget Truck complaint.

If you can remember the details, that's amazing! It was such a long time ago.

However, if you can not remember the details, here is a quick summary.

- I reserved a rental truck for a New York to Chicago move
- I showed up to pick up the truck, and Budget informed me they had given my truck away and didn't have any more
- They didn't offer to help me in any way.
- I found a different truck company by some miracle, and got my move completed, but with significantly more money and a ton of wasted time
- I wrote an angry email to both Budget Truck customer service department and the CEO of the company
- I got a call and apology from the GM of the NYC region, and a promise that if I sent him my receipts I would get reimbursed
- I got a poorly worded/grammatically incorrect response from the Budget Truck executive office, that reminded me they make no guarantees of actually having a truck. They also gave me a small coupon for my next truck rental.

Fast forward to now, a good three months ago.

Did I get any kind of check? A sympathy card? No. I've received absolutely nothing from them.

Not that I was expecting something positive from a company like Budget Truck Rental. The company, based on my interaction with their employees and customer service representatives, is staffed by some of the laziest and most incompetent jerks on the planet.

Budget Truck sucks, their customer service sucks, and I'll never use them again.

And when I say I'll never use them again, I absolutely mean it. And not only will I not use them, I will actively persuade others to avoid them as well. If you've heard of Net Promoter Score (a corporate measure of the share of customers who actively promote you to others), well I'm the opposite. Call it a Net Destroyer Score.

So I'm going to start destroying their reputation. My blog has well over 10k hits to date. But even if I only convince one other person to avoid Budget Truck, I'll feel like I've made a difference.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had the same situation. They just do NOT care.

Anonymous said...

That is similar to my experience. There has to be a better way to get the word out about Budget Truck Rental.

Truck rental said...

Moving truck rentals are generally most exclusive during the summer. In the winter one can get the cheaper moving truck rentals.

Anonymous said...

Well it is 2012 and just as bad truck shut down 3 times driving in mins if Utah then stopped again in the desert after 2 1/2 hrs service truck arrives and says low coolant they also added 3 cans if freon to fix broken ac driving into orange ca it shut down in rush hr traffic called budget and was impressed they were going to send a tow truck after 3 hrs no truck customer service truck closes at 5 pm ca time

Anonymous said...

And after this past week dealing with them, I believe I am the most dissatisfied customer in the history od Budget. I am with you to spread the word. Let me know. By the way, could you please post the contact info for the "higher ups" in the company?

Anonymous said...

My daughter had to move a small load from LA to SF. After "reserving" a 10 footer online, she got a call saying that the pickup location was moved to East LA. When we got there, no truck - they sent two employees to Anaheim. 2 hours later, a truck - which broke down in Bakersfield, wouldn't go more than 40 mph, warning lights on. The "Roadside assistance" person said "That's just a maintenance thing -it's fine to drive." Finally she called again, and a mechanic finally comes to say "Yup, it's broken alright. and sent a tow truck. Out of the goodness of his heart, the tow guy helped her transfer her load to a 16 footer, which ALSO had the warning lights on. Not only is this annoying, it's downright dangerous. Then, after she dropped it off in SF, after an 8 hour delay, Budget had the effrontery to call her and ask HER where their broken down 10 footer was. And when I went to call Budget "Customer service" the transaction wasn't closed - the drop off location's computer was down. So Budget has NO equipment that works, nobody who cares, and no reason to stay in business. The cheap out on the backs of their customers, and leave them stranded in dangerous situations. NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Any small or big business calls for transporting of things from one place to the other either in the form of unfinished goods (raw material) or finished goods like (shoes, apparels etc.) So we always have need of good transport services. I will contact you regarding this.

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Unknown said...

Let me share my experience! Budget is the WORST!
-------------------
Here is a great example of poor customer service. Rented truck from Budget Truck Rental to move my son from college. Truck lost power on interstate. 2 hrs later mechanic says probably trash in fuel line. Budget says drive it anyway even though I complain it may not be safe. Then they offer to tow it but charge me for tow if they can't find trash in fuel line. No apologies and worst customer service I have experienced in a long time. This is a great example of how to lose customers!

Heidi Martin said...

Leasing a truck can be so very helpful for a certain business which needs the frequent shipping of machines and products. In choosing for the most effective kind of truck rental, it is essential that the provider examine the volume of products to be loaded.

Unknown said...

I got good Truck rental in Vancouver, WA for 2 months. I saw they have lots of schemes for long time facilities also. It was quite impressive.

Jeffrey Darrow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

How do you contact ceo?? Horrible experience with budget and they won't help me!!

Unknown said...

That is crazy. I hope that you will be reimbursed! I think that the guys at Marcus Truck Rental do a great job with their customer service. I hope you find a great moving company!

Anonymous said...

I feel really finicky reading these articles I mean there are writers that can write reasonable stuff. uhaul coupon

Anonymous said...

I feel really finicky reading these articles I mean there are writers that can write reasonable stuff. uhaul coupon

Unknown said...

It's harder than I thought to find a truck rental. When you find a good one it's so convenient though. It's so much easier to move things around.

Aaron Carter | http://www.marcustruckrental.net/

Unknown said...

That's so terrible. Eventually truck rental places will get it in their head that bad experiences like this are shared with friends and also online. For now I'll stick with great companies I've heard of from friends.

Chester Jones | http://www.deltacarandtruckrentals.com.au/trucks/

Unknown said...

I am in need of a rental truck. I am moving soon. I am moving form an apartment to my first house! I am so excited! After my fiance and I are married, he will move in as well! I can't wait to move!
Emily Smith | http://www.delstruckrentals.com/

Unknown said...

Really many thanks for this awesome helpful blog. I love getting impressive information.

Truck Rental

amelie said...

I booked a rental truck on 9/13 for 9/26. On 9/24 I receive a call from Bobby (Inventory Manager West Region) who tells me sorry we do not have a truck, you can wait until next Wednesday or you can find a truck somewhere else - REALLY?????? First of all everyone who has moved knows we cannot change a moving date for 6 million different reasons + thanks but I can find phone numbers on my own. THIS IS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!!!!! Funny thing on top of this, if I go to the website I can still make a reservation for the same parameters but suddenly the price is $100 higher. One of you agents even offer me to rebook at the higher rate ... Now I am 2 days away from moving, I have no solutions provided by you & I have to pay additional expenses. I am expecting a call back from someone in your services to cover the price difference for the truck!!!!! This totally unacceptable, absolutely unprofessional & I will NEVER recommend this company to anyone!!!!I am expecting to hear from you ASAP before escalating this issue to higher instances!!!

David Ronaldo said...

Great article shared,.
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Daniel Youd 31 said...

I love having truck rental services around wherever I go. I have moved a few times where I had to use my own small car to shuffle everything from my old place to my new place. It is so much easier when you can move everything in one load.
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vinnypopo said...

Why have a reservation system if you will not honor it? Last minute cancelled a truck I had reserved for weeks for a move I have been planning for months. Absolutely will not rent from them again, and I rent a truck 3 times a year at least. Suckfest.

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

Also having a terrible experience at budget truck rental - they swap you out into a bigger truck and the minimum insurance they sell you is $157 When I rented I requested a 12 foot truck - they never have them at the location I was sent to per the employee. They bate you Beware