This is the WORST company at DTW. Every other company has vans and busses coming through and Budget has ZERO. I would never rent from here again. It's brutal. Update: When we finally were picked up and arrived at the budget office, there was a line out the door which was well over an hour wait. We bailed and took Ubers. read more

They're saying I returned the vehicle with a strong smoke smell. Absolutely false impossible I don't smoke. They're falsely accusing me because of an 8 out of 10 review. If there was a smoke smell it was caused by one of their own The one star is for the company not owning up to this bogus accusation read more

worst experience. renting car in 40 years of renting cars , dtw location will not answer phone to correct contract when I needed to extend by one day. I called the fast break number and they gave me the Detroit number which no one answers . read more

I am a member of Fastbreak, Budget's program that allows it's frequest renters to avoid the line inside. The idea is that Budget already has all of my information, my car is ready, I go right to my car and go. I arrived at Budget at the DTW airport on Monday February 3rd, 2025. My name was not on the Fastbreak list. I went inside and went up to the Fastbreak counter. I was told that there was only 1 line. I waited 1.5 hours to get to the counter (there were only 3 reps working the counter). I believe this office was only providing customers with cars when cars were returned. The car they gave me stunk of pot too. Beware of the DTW Budget!!! Better to go with one of the larger rental agencys. Budget really let me down and wasted my time!!! read more

Long wait to be picked up by the shuttle bus. All the other companies had multiple pick ups before we got a ride. Then huge line to get the car with only two agents working. Really bad experience. read more

Wish I would have read the reviews before renting. I've had the WORST experience with budget car rental. 1st rental car- filled with trash & cigarette smell 2nd rental car- needed an alignment & windshield was cracked clear across. 3rd rental car- "bum bit*h" was keyed across the side 4th rental car- an hour on the road I smell burning oil. Check oil and it's 3% oil life. After getting to another budget counter, i was charged an extra $250 for an extra day BUDGET COMPROMISED ME WITH. Never again will I rent from budget! read more

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Unbelievable. One employee and 2 dozen people in line on a Sunday evening. Only three people took the normal and expected 3-4 minutes at the counter. Seems like lots of walk-ins? I have no idea what is going on. ‍ It took over an hour to get to the counter with 6 people ahead of me. read more

Went through Costco to rent. Wish I would have read the Yelp reviews first, although it seems like all the car rental at DTW are 1 star except Enterprise which Costco shows zero cars. Like others say, it takes forever to get your vehicle. On Saturday at 5:45, with about 10 renters ahead of me it took 90 minutes to get my vehicle and not the full size I reserved. Two clerks with the second being coached by first. Two customers came back in saying no cars in their assigned spaces. Both reps seemed indifferent that this is all the norm for this location. A person who may have been station manager came out to work with two customers off to the side who had been waiting for 45 minutes - one handing their phone to the manager to discuss with someone who had been on hold that long on the other end. But then she disappeared without any attempt to help with the people in line. FastBreak would not have helped because rep says 'their FB software is all screwed up. Rep at exit booth was too lazy to get up and mark the added damage I wanted documented, handing me a soft tip marker to fill out the form myself, but without it transferring info to my copy. Upon return, there is no longer check-in with hand-held printer receipt. Despite yard rep taking my vehicle directly, and promising the receipt by email in 30 minutes, the vehicle was not checked in until next morning triggering $20 late fee and $17 fuel charge despite returning Full. I wonder if this site is intentionally putting these false charges through to increase their revenue in hopes that business renters don't bother to check their bills and take time to follow-up and just file on their expense report. Called to get Fuel reversed; told to wait for Late Fee. Next time I will take time stamp pictures of fuel gauge and mileage and check in lane. Last time I will use Budget. Assume sister company Avis is just as bad. read more

Horrible we rented a FORD EXPEDITION used it for one day and the next morning it didn't start. Got a jump and went to the nearest Avis / Budget office in Pontiac to trade it in, there was no one there so we had to drive another 30 minutes to the next office in Troy. A very nice guy was there he gave us a van as a replacement which we thought would be a down grade. But when it came time to settle the bill Budget credited us for the first day but said the van was an upgrade over a Ford Expedition that doesn't sound right, they should have told us beforehand. read more

Third time using fast break, third time not on the board. Long long lines to try to get the car making fast break a joke that isn't funny. Do not use!! read more

After a long day of connecting flights, we arrived at the Detroit Metro Airport Budget Rent a Car to find that there was a 3 hour wait minimum to pick up our reserved vehicle. The office was lined up out the door, on a busy Friday nite there were only two or three counter staff members to assist clients , they needed twice that many. Staff, to their credit, were friendly and professional despite clearly being exhausted. Everyone's night was ruined, our wait time was close to three and a half hours in the end. The car we received was dirty and unwashed, but you know at that point we felt lucky just to have the chance to be on our way. This is not a business to trust your holiday travel to. read more

Upon my arrival at the rental location, several police officers and an irate man were blocking the entrance to the building. Once inside, the staff was nice and attentive. Too bad the equipment used to process the rental was rundown and partially broken, making it difficult to complete my transaction. The Budget employee let me know there were only two vehicle options left and they were both clunkers with body damage on all sides. After deciding on one clunker and marking the damage on the pink slip, I entered the vehicle and saw an unclean interior and trash left in the vehicle. Needless to say, I will not be a returning customer. read more

My fiancé and I rented a car at the Budget Car Rental near Detroit airport. We arrived around midnight and the line was to the door. We were informed by a person in front of us they had been waiting over an hour and the company had oversold rentals and there were not enough cars. They were slowly giving out cars as they came in. We waited about 40min and not one worker had told the line what was going. The line had only moved a couple of feet as we waited. We ended up cancelling our reservation and going to a different company. read more

Friday night 10pm and they have only 1-3 people working the desk with the line wrapping all the way back to the door. I've faced some longer lines with budget before but this is the absolute worst. It's been an hour and I'm still in line , with my two young kids waiting. Last time I choose Budget! read more

Arrived at Budget counter at DTW about 11:30 pm. Line for service was about 3 hours wait!!!!! Called Uber. Signed up for Fastbreak but they close at 11pm!! Had similar experiences in Denver with Budget on last 2 trips there. Too few agents and they spend way too much time with each customer. Budget response was first a $10 coupon and then a $40 coupon! Never again read more

Terrible place. Over an hour wait with only 2 people working and that also super slow. We had small kids and this was pre- Xmas weekend. I saw so many families with little kids and this was at 10 pm. And to make things worse, some customers kept coming back, saying that their car smelled or that there was actually no car where the desk told them to pick it. Also no one outside to assist. Keep away from this place. read more

Bus doesn't come. Three Enterprise buses have come by and Budget is still not here. There is no one to call. Just automated systems that don't help. Wasting my vacation waiting here. read more

Arriving to Detroit airport on a Friday night at 7:45. Ten minutes waiting for a shuttle, then a fifteen minute ride to Budget outlet. Now in line behind AT LEAST 25 other travelers, and Budget has THREE people at the counter. Each transaction is taking soooo long, then we have ppl coming BACK to the counter because their car is incorrect in some way. This is inexcusable customer service, and the last time we rent a Budget car. And yeah, they only got one star because I had to add a star to post the review. read more

Long line slow service only 2 employees behind the counter waited in line 2 hours They don't care

**Beware** Beware of "cleaning service" scam when return vehicle before opening. They charged me $450.00 for cleaning service due to smoke smell and ash debris in vehicle. I don't smoke. If look online, this is an apparent scam. Unfortunately, it's a "he said-he said" issue. They provided my with photos and the cleaning receipt . . . documents had many errors and not interior of my vehicle. Be sure to take photos, record, and video interaction when returning, especially, when after-hours. Dirty practices . . . read more

I travel 150,000 miles a year. I am in budget rentals 2 to 3 times a week nationwide. Detroit DTW Budget is absolutely the worst Budget location. after my rental on 2/8/23 I changed to another rental company. Their fastbreak has turned into a joke. The car is never ready. You have to to office. They say you got an upgrade and it's a downgrade I hope they can turn it around but I won't be there to see it. I took my 20 rentals a year somewhere where they appreciate my business and money. read more

Don't ever rent from this location or Budget. Waited 3 1/2 hours to pick up our car and it was beyond horrific. Agents were rude and disrespectful to customers. I rented the car through Costco and have informed Costco that they should cut ties with Budget car rental. Warning to stay away and don't rent from this place unless you have 3 1/2 hours to waste. read more

Go anywhere else. 45 minute wait for 3 people in front of me. One person working the counter. A line out the door when I left. Car wreaked of weed. Shuttle was good but that's it. read more

Even if your fast break and have already paid for your car, they still make you go to the counter up front. Which has no less than 20 people at a time, and only 2 people working. Horrible, Horrible, Horrible. read more

This is the absolute worst car rental experience I've ever had in my life. We've been standing in this line for over an hour and have barely moved. There's 50+ people waiting and not even two people working at all times- one keeps walking off constantly. AVOID THIS LOCATION AND COMPANY AT ALL COSTS. Whoever is "managing" it should be fired immediately. UPDATE: I didn't post this review until after we left to see how long we ultimately waited. We stood in line for OVER TWO HOURS to get a rental. This is the worst run business I've ever experienced- I will NEVER come back to this location- neither should you if you value your time. read more

Budget - Been waiting in this 50+ person line over an HOUR and have barely moved. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. - Car Rental Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

can confirm. 7 years later (from the first post) they still only have 2 workers at the counter

From checking in and to there is no car in our class then getting a car and has a dirty towel and Cheerios going back in exchanging for a different car going to exit and finding out my paperwork is wrong and doing that twice all while trying to get to a memorial service was horrible when checking out no paperwork could not make sure the car was turned in and accepted properly calling five or six times because they had not transferred the new car into the same budget Reservation and asking for supervisors help nobody called back. It has been a fiasco. Please avoid this rental car location if you can. read more

One star because so far the car runs. Surprised with CoVid still around that they don't even wipe down a vehicle before they rent it. Absolutely filthy and disgusting. read more

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Long wait to get to the counter once dropped off by the shuttle. 1 hour 20 minutes, not including the time to do the transaction. My flight was just a little longer. All the people (shuttle bus driver, counter staff, return person) were good, there simply are not enough staff at the counter, though there is plenty of empty stations. This was a Thursday evening in middle of November, so not expected to be a high volume day. read more

1-1/2 hour wait after a 5 hour flight. Only 2 people at the counter. There's a line of people waiting to leave the parking lot after waiting 1-1/2 hours. They seem to have enough staff walking around with 2-way radios but none know how to write up rental cars. Walked across the way to Alimoche and rented 3 cars in less than 1/2 hour. Would never attempt to rent a car from Budget. Budget service at best. Avoid this place if you can. Walk across that way and get in and out and start enjoying your vacation. read more

This location will rent you a car that is not road worthy. Had MAINTENANCE REQUIRED dash lights as well as RED Exclamation Marks even before I drove it off the lot. Check out receipt was noted to have issues as soon as I rented it. This vehicle should have never been issued to a paying customer. I have reached out to BUDGET regarding this only to be sent a generic form letter response of "so sorry". Went to the COMPLAINT ESCALATION website and still have received no response. They do NOT care if the put you in an unsafe vehicle....BEWARE! read more

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To be fair, renting the car was fine except the desk person did not tell me that there was not an intermediate vehicle as I requested; I ended up with a full size SUV. I would have appreciated knowing that prior to getting to the vehicle. They got busy and I didn't want to wait in line to ask 1: why wasn't I told, 2: did I pay more for insurance coverage because it's a huge SUV. Otherwise all was fine until return. Waiting 15 minutes for shuttle to pick up at Budget to go to DTW terminal. Then shuttle driver refused to drop off at MacNamara so had to get off at international terminal, wait another 20 minutes for the MacNamara bus to get to the right terminal. Another budget driver told me the other driver "was mistaken" but still wouldn't drive us to the correct terminal. I WILL NOT be using Budget at DTW. read more

Wow, I should have looked at the reviews first. I thought a National company would be OK and booked this rental through Expedia for a recent long weekend in Michigan. Boy was I wrong! I flew into Detroit from and took the shuttle to the airport facility. There was a pretty long line, but the lady who handled my rental was excellent and I got my car, in about an hour. Towards the end of my wait a gentleman came out, apologized, said something about a problem with the computer and gave out bottled water. The people after me weren't so lucky, there were well over 100 on line when I left, they were out in the parking lot as they couldn't even fit in the office. I met a woman on the way back who had spent about 3 hours online that day. I took my car to out hotel and had no issues. The next morning however, it wouldn't start. I was pretty dismayed to call the Roadside assistance number and be on hold over 30 minutes. After finally getting a person, I spent another 24 minutes on the phone explaining what happened. She sent a tow truck. When the tow truck arrived about an hour later, he jump-started the car. He didn't check the battery (he told me he had no way to check it). He told me if I drove it a while, it would probably charge. I drove the car and later that afternoon needed another jump start from one of the people I was visiting but was able to get back to my hotel. In the morning, the car would not start again. I called the Roadside assistance number at 7 am and again, had to hold for over 30 minutes before I got a person. They sent another tow truck. He got there at about 11 am and told me he was supposed to pick the car up and drive over an hour to Grand Rapids, drop it off, get another car, drive it another hour back to me. The tow truck driver was terrific. He took the car and promised to do his best to bring another car back, leave the key at the front desk of my hotel and call me with complete information. Which he did at about 3pm in the afternoon. This was the second day I didn't have my rental car to use! The car he left, performed as it should have and I had no further problems. I dropped the car off in the morning of July 29th at the airport in Detroit. I spoke to a nice lady at the desk, Patty. When I asked what they could do for me, she got her supervisor Samia. The two of them agreed I shouldn't be charged ANYTHING for the rental as it was a disaster and would have ruined my short weekend vacation (if I let it). Although I don't travel a lot, I do rent a car a few times a year. This was by far the worst rental car experience I've ever had. The lack of care shown by the Roadside Assistance people (they just didn't care what happened to me, and it was very obvious). Having to hold 30 minutes or more each time I called? What kind of national company can't afford to do better than that. I still have NOT seen the credit for this on my credit card statement. I certainly hope that what they told me when I dropped the car off is true, but it's hard to tell with a company that's so poorly run. I certainly will NEVER use Budget again. read more

Absolutely ridiculous! Huge line to check in - even longer line to be given a car. This is the absolute worst car rental experience we have ever had! read more

The LAST thing you want to do after getting off a long flight is to wait in a horrendous line for a rental car. Thus, when we got to Budget today and walked into the building to discover we were number 19 in line ... well, let's just say it sure takes the wind out of your vacations sails (oops, I jumbled my transportation references, but you get the point). Waiting sucks. Unfortunately, in Detroit's off-site rental car set up, you can't just walk down to the next counter. Ugh! After finally renting our roller skate of a ride, we had the pleasure of waiting outside (with a dozen other folks) for at least 40 minutes while they had to detail and wash a car for us. Yep, had to wait while they washed a car--excuse me, what is the point of a reservation?????? Oh, and just learned that they cracked the windshield on our car while washing it, so now we get to wait for them to wash another car! (I've had to edit and update this review 4 times already--just when I think that things cannot get worse ... they do). In total, we waited over 90 minutes before we were off the lot. In fairness, though not sure if it was because of the delay or the cracked windshield, we got upgraded from a Ford Focus to a GMC Acadia. Either way, thank you for that upgrade, Damon (Ops manager). Unfortunately, by that point they were in such a hurry to get the Acadia clean that when they drove it through the car wash they failed to put up the back windows so our backseat passenger experienced a super wet seat for about the first hour of our drive. (You really just cannot make this stuff up.) My original 2-star review just got downgraded. I travel roughly 20x/year and this, hands down, was the worst customer service experience I have EVER had with a rental car company. read more

Went in to receive a car for a couple of days and left feeling like I was deliberately and malicious ripped off. I initially was trying to rent a car for the whole week but changed my mind once I knew my car would be done at the mechanics sooner than anticipated. At the counter, the lady who helped me and clearly didn't receive higher than a third grade education, tried telling me there was no other options other than a minimum of a "4 day rental" which I contested as it seemed very odd and not very "Budget" friendly. During this conversation, she clearly didn't know what manners are as she gave an attitude toward me showing no respect or regard for my concerns with pricing. Her math skills could be best described or exampled by an infant using counting blocks, unable to comprehend how many days are in the time span Sunday-Tuesday; either that or she was too incompetent to realize what day of the week it was. It seemed to be a clear attempt to take more money from me. Once I received my receipt I was able to identify the clear discrepancies I originally suspected. I waited on hold for nearly an hour with customer service just to talk to someone, who ended up telling me I had to call back in 2 days with a complaint number just to get back what I am owed. This is due to the first lady who "helped" me by stealing my money because of clear intellectual disability. She, again, struggles with basic math and still had the rental plan for 4 days, even with me clearly explaining that I only needed it for 2 and a half. She even had the planned return time correct, so at least she's a good listener. Now I am out almost 150$ because of their blatant stupidity, looking forward to being put on hold again as I patiently wait for my hard earned money that should have never been taken from me. read more

Worst experience ever. 8:30pm-midnight waiting in line, only 2 employees working. We missed a very important family event because of this. This is a warning to anyone who values their time. I've had better experiences at the DMV. read more

Absolutely horrible another company that wasted my time while visiting this confusing state. Do not rent a vehicle from ANYWHERE BUT THE AIRPORT YOU ARE WAISTING YOUR TIME UNLESS YOU ARE FROM THIS BACKWARDS STATE!!! Of course the ladies who run this operation do not tell you this, they keep having you come back, making you pay their holding fee (but I have USAA so I don't). Just avoid the scammers and rent at the airport!! read more

There is a long line with 1 person working the counter. DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. they know how many people rented cars and for what time their pick up is so should staff appropriately. They don't care about your time read more

Do not ever rent from budget. I rented a gas car to go see my dying grandmother and the hospital instead, they gave me an electric car that was not charged and I spent a good chunk of time trying to resolve issues with the electric car, including getting it charged for five hours. the people were very unhelpful and it was a very stressful situation read more