I rented a car here for the week, scheduling Monday pickup (8:30am) and Friday drop-off at the same time. I called Thursday night to see if I could pay a late fee and pick up the car at noon. I was put on hold while the lady checked my reservation and then told that I could return the car by noon for NO PENALTY. I thought that this was really great and agreed, but did not ask for the employee's name. When I dropped off the car I was charged for an extra full day, and nobody seemed to know who was working the night before or who might have told me that I wouldn't have to pay extra if I returned the car by noon. But I swear on all I hold dear that if this had been explained properly I would have made the early return and there would be no problem. I would NEVER have agreed to pay for a full day. But now I guess I'm out of luck. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! DON'T RENT FROM THIS PLACE. The poor reviews here are remarkably consistent and the good ones appear to come from friends of management. Buyer beware! read more

Avoid this location and this company in general at all costs. Made an online reservation and arrived to pick up my car only to be told they had no cars. staff wouldn't even cancel my reservation and said i had to call the customer service line. offered no help in finding a car at another location. understaffed and not helpful. read more

I made a reservation online a week before the pick-up date and when we went to pick it up we were told the luxury car we reserved was in transit but more than an hour away. We were given three options: a sedan or two SUV's. We chose the Hyundai Tucson, which had damage, (passenger side door, exterior panel and the trunk's lid), which we documented. While driving, the car shook when braking, an indication of a much needed alignment. The car also did not shut off after parking. The rear camera stayed on after shifting into drive and the only way to correct it was to shift it into park and then back to drive. We reported these problems when we returned, Julie wrote it down and said she would have it shuttled to Detroit so the driver could make that determination but also said that they don't do alignments since they don't last and the rear camera was an accessory and they don't deal with that, We emphasized that this vehicle was UNSAFE to rent and that the vehicles should be checked by a mechanic before being rented again. This office on Alpine is woefully understaffed and they need to hire more people. read more

My friend and I rented a car after flying into Grand Rapids to attend a festival. The service was quick and friendly, despite the long line. The car was clean, and exactly what we needed. During our trip, I locked some valuable items in the car and unfortunately forgot about them until after we had returned the vehicle. We were able to contact them and Tina was SO helpful. She even sent my items back to me all the way across the country. Thank you, Tina! We'll see you next time we're in Michigan! read more

This is the worse place to rent a car at back in January I rented a car for a month from here and when it was due in February I when to take it back and I informed the old lady working there that I need it for a few more days if there was any way to extend it and she proceeded to tell me that I could just keep a few extra days over the rental agreement till the 5th and all I would have to pay was a late fee and that people do it all the time and that she would put it in the notes.well the 5th came around and I was dropping my kids off to their grandma when I received a call from car recovery telling me I had to return the car right away or it would be reported stolen I was like what that lady at the rental place said I can keep it till the 5th and pay a late fee,Any way I returned it right away and when I got there the same lady informed me that I was been charged all this extra fees and I wouldn't ever be able to rent from Avis again that I would be put on a do not rent list. I try calling customer service and explaining what happened and they said all the charges were totally valid witch was crazy all because I listen to their own worker I was charged almost $2000 by the time all charges and fees were put on there,This was like being robbed legally. read more

We rented from Avis for the Memorial Day weekend and, although there were a lot of customers who couldn't get cars, especially with Budget, we got ours (and an upgrade). I know the staff was overwhelmed, but they handled my reservation with kindness and even changed the vehicle to a newer model. Kudos to all of them. Returning the minivan was also very easy. read more

I pre-paid for a rental and when I arrived at the location they stated they had no cars to satisfy the rental--that I already paid for. When I called customer service, they seems careless as if it was not their fault and that it happens often. It is not reasonable to accept payment, then be unable to produce a vehicle. I requested a refund, and over a week later was not returned the funds. I called them and they said the refund would have to be re-processed and it will be another 7-10 days. With this being said--the woman working at the rental location, was fairly professional, and handled the situation best she could. I will never rent from this company again. read more

I reserved a vehicle in the morning and got a confirmation for the afternoon of the same day. I specifcally went to Budget because it appeared I could get a vehicle same day. I called the Budget information number a little later to double check and got a verbal confirmation. When I walked into the Budget rental location, I was told there were no vehicles available. The rep that was working told me she couldn't call to let me know because she didn't have a working phone number for me. She was also kind of abrupt with me. On top of this failure in customer service, after she gave me the info, she stood there and stared at me. She should have at least asked if I wanted to reserve for the next day. I would have refused it, but still. read more

We rented a car from this location just this past week. Stella was the woman who helped us out. She is FANTASTIC! Helpful, friendly and polite; traits you just see very rarely in customer service nowadays. This was our second rental in this past year (Stella helped us last time as well) and both times, the vehicles (car this time, SUV last time) have been quite new, VERY clean and ready to go when promised/requested. We will be renting again in the future as well. read more

People who travel need stop being so uptight and rude. Tina runs a great business! When all else failed today, she made it possible for me to get a vehicle and I'm beyond grateful for her and Jeremy's service! Thank you again! read more

Okay, So I booked my rental online and the price was $139 for the rental ~ I was supposed to pick up the car at 1pm on Saturday. I showed up right on time at 1pm and the employee just finished locking the door to go home. I came from over 3,000 miles away and was without a car, yet I was required to wait until the next day to pick up my car. So then I came back the next morning, and the best internet price I could get my car for was $149. Considering I would have the car one less day and suffering one hell of an inconvenience, I arrived at the location exactly when they opened and spent about $250 in taxi expenses already due to not having a car in the first place. I came inside and I was in a better mood than the employee ~ I don't know how. After giving my information, I saw the total price running at about $600. I asked about the price over the internet (I even had my own insurance coverage) and the employee couldn't explain any more than what was being displayed on the computer. Apparently employees don't have the power to adjust prices? So what I did ~ I left and rented a car from an honest business and was charged an honest price while receiving outstanding service; None of which was reciprocated from Budget Car Rental located on Alpine Avenue. MY ADVICE: Go to Enterprise car rental 2740 28th Street Southeast Grand Rapids, MI (616) 285-3370 This place listened to me when I explained my problem at Budget Car Rental. Upon arrival I was: -Greeted -Given incredibly fast service -I was given the opportunity to PICK MY CAR On top of this, I was given a discount that allowed me to rent the car even longer at a lower price AND they even gave me a vehicle upgrade since the one I wanted was supposed to cost a little more. Anytime I come back here, you bet Enterprise will get my business. In part of their outstanding customer service, customers who read this should not rent from Budget because my reasoning should be self explanatory.. I left the address and phone number to help assist anyone that wants to have a better vehicle rental experience. Call Enterprise and don't go through the hassle at Budget. Budget is a horrible name for customers looking for customer service. read more

The rental was dirty with fresh spills and other mysterious debris in it when we picked it up. The building was even worse. It was super small and sooo dirty! The unisex bathroom made me want to vomit by just being there. It was disgusting. Poop all over the toilet, just filthy. Even the soap pump was filthy. This whole building needs to be addressed immediately. We were also disappointed when we called to see if we could extend the van by a few hours because we were running tight on time, we were told the fee to do so would be $95 if we were even a few minutes late. The only positive was the van we received was loaded and roomy and drove nice. read more

I prepaid for my rental car. I was charged an extra gas fee of $61 at the window when I picked it up. The service person told me it would be removed if I return the car with gas and the receipt. Upon returning the car full of gas I was told the charge will be removed but they have to email me the receipt and cannot print it. The fee was not removed and I was charged the $61 gas fee on top of the pre payment I made on the website and the tank of gas I filled it with before I dropped it off. read more

I wish I could give them a negative star rating instead of the 1 star. I showed up on time with my confirmation Avis/Budget had emailed me printed out. The woman behind the desk asked for my name, which I provided and tried to show her my reservation. She couldn't find my name on the list she had asked me several times to spell it, my last name is Lauria, really not terribly hard. She finally found me on the list and said "oh here it is, whatever your name is" and said they didn't have a car. I told her I reserved the car weeks ago why didn't they contact me, she stated I did not provide a phone number, I asked why they did not email me with the issue, she stated they didn't have that either even though my email confirmation came straight from Avis I showed it to her and she refused to even glance at it. I asked how does this happen and she just shrugged and said it's a busy time of year. I asked if another location might have a car, she said she doubted it but I could try. It was the week of spring break, that's why I had reserved early, I explained that too her and she just shrugged and said I could try Enterprise. I hadn't even gotten upset until this point. She was rude and lacked basic communication skills. I was kind of shocked when I left, she was rude and was happy to see customers go else where, even told us to do just that. read more

Terrible customer service experience. Addressed the issue by saying they couldn't help and we had to call corporate. Corporate recommended using the airport location because the alpine location is always a problem. read more

Worst car rental place!!!! All they do is tell you what they think you want to hear. You end up wasting your time because when you go to pick up your car they wont rent it to you unless you have a perfect credit score. I ended up renting with enterprise for HALF the price and they have much better customer service! read more

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE BUSINESS! If I could give this 0 stars, I would!!! Dishonest employees, rude owner, and completely unprofessional! I was charged for an extra day of rental and when I called to discuss the matter with the owner, I was told the owner, TIna, would call me back. She never called back and when I FINALLY spoke with her after calling back 2 more times (with 0 returned calls), she told me that she would call me back by the next day. That was 1 week ago! In all, I called 7 times and 0 phone calls were returned! Tina was INCREDIBLY condescending the one time I did manage to speak to her and Ashley the assistant manager was ABSOLUTELY horrible(and lied right to me several times)! BEWARE!!!! read more

My family and I had planned on renting a car and driving from Michigan to Florida and back. I booked through the 1-800 number. When I called they told me the closest location that I could book with a debit card and not have to have a flight itinerary was 5 hours away. I asked all of the pertinent questions regarding booking with a debit card. I triple checked that it was unlimited mileage, as we were driving literally across the country and back. When I arrived, I was shocked to find out that I was not informed of the entire policy and was misled. We worked around it by moving the rental one day later and having my sister use her credit card. Everything was fine and dandy, except for a slight rate increase which I was prepared to deal with as there was an additional charge for adding me as a driver under my sisters rental. No big deal. When I got back to drop the vehicle off, they asked what the mileage was. I didn't think anything of it as I had never rented a car before. Due to that fact, I had taken multiple pictures both before and after and had the odometer in one of the photos. I told them the mileage and then they handed me a receipt for over $500 MORE than the original price. I was utterly shocked and quickly came to realize after looking at the receipt that they had charged me mileage even though the rental was supposed to be unlimited, which is what it states in my rental agreement but they refused to honor it. They basically told me tough luck and to call the customer service number to get it resolved. It is still unresolved. Never again. I will never recommend budget to anyone and be sure to let anyone who will listen know of how awful this company is and particularly the Grand Rapids location on Alpine. Just awful. read more

Watch out, they will scam you with the Fuel Purchase Option. The way she explained it at the counter, it was only an agreement to pay at a set rate should I not fill up. Actually it means you will be charged that total amount regardless of the gauge. Check receipt carefully for this $40 scam. read more

DO NOT USE THIS LOCATION!!! I reserved a car last night to pick up at 8:30 am today. I used the website, and the reservation was confirmed without any issues. At 7:50 this morning, my phone rang. It was the rental agent saying she did not have any cars for me. But she was "expecting a couple of returns at 9am." I made my reservation for 8:30 because I had an appointment to get to, so waiting for a car to be returned at 9 (IF they were on time, THEN waiting for them to clean and prepare the car for my rental!) was NOT going to work. The rep did say that they had a larger SUV available. I asked if there was any way they could get a car brought over from the airport Budget location. She replies that they are "corporate owned" so no that was not an option. After I exhausted every other option I could think of, I finally said, OK, I'll take the SUV, at the rate I originally reserved my car for. I was told flat out that could NOT be done. I was EXTREMEMLY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE!!! I asked the agent why the website even allowed me to make a reservation if they were not going to have any cars at my requested time. she did not have an answer for me. Bottom line: DO NOT USE THE BUDGET LOCATION ON ALPINE AVE. IN GRAND RAPIDS if you actually want to be able to get the car you reserved when you want it. I WILL NEVER USE THEM AGAIN!!! EVER! read more

I reserved and paid for my car online, but when I showed up the lady behind the counter said that the "credit check, declined you." When I asked her what she meant, she replied "we put a hold for $200 on your card." I tried to tell her that I had way more than that available on my card, but it was no use she would not listen. These people ruined my plans for the week and weekend, and the worst part is I can't even go anywhere else because budget is going to take up to five days to refund my money. read more

Wonderful service. We came in as they were closing and she stayed to help us. The vehicle was clean and nice. Paperwork was simple and staff wa friendly. We would definitely rent a car here again. read more

Booked on Priceline for approximately $80, which was a great deal. The first issue is that they wouldn't allow me to leave a vehicle at the location, and had NO system in place to help with this. It took me an hour to sort this out, calling everyone I knew early in the morning, trying to get two people to come up and drive my car back to my house. Eventually I parked it about a mile away at a friends house, and walked back. This was ridiculous, I should have just left and let them keep the money, it wasn't worth the headache. When I was billed by Budget, it was for about $25 more. Made a simple phone call, was told it was an 'automatically charged gas fee' or something made up like that. I filled the tank, at the Meijer up the road and the car was fine, so this was obviously just a charge they snuck in. The employee I spoke with stated a manager would take this charge off... ok, great. 9 calls later and I get the runaround, it's never coming off. This place is a nightmare, the customer service is an atrocity, I was fully ripped off, inconvenienced and treated like a jerk. It was a horrible experience, I will NEVER use any Budget again, but especially this one on Alpine. Go ahead, try it, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about the second you walk into this place. I've rented from pretty much every rental place in town, as I always rent when I leave town. I've never come across a company like this, every place else has been 5 star from beginning to end. read more

I filled up the car with gas across the street and then returned the car. A few days later I received an extra charge on my credit card, so I called to find out what it was about. The lady on the phone said it was a fuel charge. I told her I filled it up right before I returned it. She said, "sometimes it says it's full, but it's not really full. And we need it really full." Am I supposed to know that if it says it's full, it's not REALLY full? Do not use this place, they will charge you whatever they can! read more

I will never use Budget again! If I could give them a negative 5 stars I would. I reserved my car a month in advance, pick up time at 10am. I went to pick it up they had no cars and didn't know what time they would have any. Being I was dropped off there, went to lunch came back a few hours later like I was told to do, still no cars, waited there until a little after 3pm and finally got one. I prepaid with a debit card for this vehicle. I get home after dropping the car off 2 see on my checking account they billed me twice, called customer service, they said the second charge was the deposit for the car and it would be back in my account the following day. Well 5 days later they haven't put it in. Customer service has been nothing but rude, not resolving the issue at all. Or have offered to give me a discount for the 6 hours that I didn't have the car. Still waiting to get this so called deposit back. And can't get anywhere with customer service. read more

Rented a compact car from them for a week in July 2016, rate was around $236 but that's not what I was quoted on the phone. In renting the car with my niece, they asked me if I wanted the one with cruise control, so I said yes. Apparently there were two very similar cars on the lot one had cruise control one did not. As we got on the road and drove north on 131, the sun came out and was quite strong and we noticed a film on the windshield and rear window. My niece and I had to get off the expressway and find a gas station where we could find wet towels to clean the windshield to see properly, it was quite distorted. When we left Grand Rapids it was somewhat cloudy, as we headed north the sun came out and it was quite apparent that they only cleaned the outside of the car and not the inside. My niece noticed a McDonald's wrapper between her seat in the center counsel. No big deal really. Upon returning the car a week later, I explained to the clerk that there was no cruise control, and the car wasn't thoroughly cleaned, I even joked with her and told her I left her a spot on the back window where you could see the film that was on the inside of the windows. To my surprise a couple weeks later after returning home to California, I noticed a $265 charge in addition to the rental fee on my credit card. When I called the business directly and spoke with the owner/operator named Tina, she stated to me they rarely charge a smoking fee, that's what the extra $265 she was for. She also explained to me that they document such occurrences like taking pictures and collecting evidence. I explained to her about the conversation I had with the clerk when I checked the car in, regarding the condition of the vehicle. After she looked at my records she stated to me that the clerk was no longer working for her and she would have to check into the matter. I gave her all my information and she was going to contact me the following Monday. Never heard from her and called and left two messages the following week as well. The first conversation I had with her I explained she might have gotten the other car mixed up with mine for some reason, I really didn't know what happened. Neither my niece or myself are smokers. I'm a 54-year-old man that has rented quite a few cars is my lifetime. I have never had to deal with anything like this. I've had to turn the matter over to my bank as a dispute, but after reading some of the other reviews here, It makes me wish I would've read this first. I would strongly recommend finding another car rental agency. They obviously don't value customer service, and don't keep very good records. JT read more