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    Budget Rent A Car

    1.3 (161 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

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    This is messed up. Like genuinely messed up and sadistic. Let me paint a picture. You fly to Columbus for your friend's outdoor wedding in the middle of October and there are no heaters the entire night, so naturally, you wake up terribly sick. Crusty, can barely swallow, fever and chills- you head to the airport to grab your car rental to drive home. You get to the entrance and, oh look! Budget is on the second floor. Why would you question that? You wouldn't. You go to the second floor and get in the 15 person line and wait. And you wait and wait and 45 minutes pass and then it's finally your turn. You lick your lips and muster up the strength to get the 10 digit order # out of your mouth. "Sorry ma'am, you need the budget window DOWNSTAIRS." Zero indication on the reservation, zero indication in the 45 min I waited on line, ZERO INDICATION ON THE SIGNAGE. You drag your shivering limp body and all your luggage to level 1. STILL no Budget signage. Only when you go to the other side of the structure in another entrance will you find the second budget window. And, you guessed it, another 15 PERSON LINE. Tears. Regret. Self hatred. You pull out your phone cause there's nothing left to do but write a review and warn the rest.

    The counter
    Ana B.

    I reserved a car on line on Budget's website. I selected a small car. When I arrived at the Columbus airport's car rental facility, there were around twenty kiosks and just one associate working. The price I was being charged was significantly higher, than what I had already paid when I made my reservation. When I asked the man what are these charges for, his reply was "I have no clue, call the 1800 number and they will tell you". This was so very unprofessional. Why should I have to call if he's right there. Also, my friend was standing right next to me, it didn't occur to him to ask if I'd like to add her as a driver. So I had to ask. He said that's an additional $13 a day for another driver. So my total should be $39 plus tax higher than the original balance, since we would be using the car for three days. Well, no, it was still higher than my calculation. I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty decent at math. One final question I had for the man who was totally unhelpful, was if the car was small. He said "yes, it's tiny". To me this sounded as if he's making fun of us. The car it's self was perfect for us. It was a silver Subaru Crosstrek. It was small, but not tiny. It was new, with a rear view camera, cruise control, and all of the wonderful features of a new car. The car however, wasn't clean. There were finger print words, smiley faces and hearts across the windshield. There were crumbs all over all the nook and crannies. There were also some fries that were left for us by the previous driver, loose in the cup holder. When I went to return the car, the final charge was even higher, which I just don't understand. Of course, for it to be understood, I have to get on the phone with someone who might be willing to assist. I will have to wait to call during their business hours. While both my friend and I enjoyed the car, we didn't enjoy the sneaky way they take my money without any explanation.

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    25 days ago

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    17 days ago

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    9 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Rented a car and there's no car available at midnight. And they can't refund my money for 5 business days. Avoid at all costs.

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    3 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Rental counter is wildly understaffed. I was in line an hour, and I had checked in before my flight.

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    1 year ago

    Tried to rent a car there, they gave me one with expired license plate. I told them I could not take a car that was not street legal.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    great customer service and they always give me a great vehicle that runs great! I have zero complaint.

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    2 years ago

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Budget Rent A Car

    Review Highlights - Budget Rent A Car

    Upon returning, the counter agent wasn't especially friendly and some random charges did pop up, but he took care of them promptly.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    1.5(116 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    I really wish I could say nice things about our experience today with Avis at the airport. However,…read morewe arrived and were told that the car we prepaid for and reserved was no longer available. They told us we could have a minivan and we refused. They told us to wait and we did and 20 minutes later they had a vehicle for us. When we went to pay the security deposit they tried to charge us for the rental as if we hadn't prepaid already when we had. We explained and showed them the prepaid amount on our Apple wallet and they "ho hummed" over it and had three people looking into it for about 15 minutes while others waited in line for their rental cars. If this is how they treat their preferred members, i'd hate to see how they treat regular non members. Also, the man next to us was explaining that his rental broke down and had to be towed and he had to return to the Columbus airport for a new rental which interfered with his trip plans to Indianapolis. Hearing him go through what he went through really made us apprehensive to leave with our vehicle. No one did a look around with us for the car, so we took our own photos and documented on our end, but I've never not had someone do a look around before driving away from a rental car place. *** update*** am giving three stars because of the unpleasant check in experience, however the staff members were pleasant and did do their best- I just don't think they really know what they are doing at the check in desk and need to get better training. Rental car return went really smoothly and easily!

    Avis in Columbus was terrible. Only one worker and a line of about 20 people…read more The staff didn't seem to care. Most of them acted like they didn't want to be there. One lady at the preferred counter upstairs was really rude. Big mistake using Avis or Hertz. Never again.

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    Alamo Rent A Car

    Alamo Rent A Car

    3.3(30 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    There were only 4 people at the desk servicing all of the numerous rental car companies- and we…read morewaited in line for 20 minutes then we had to wait another 15 minutes just to check out of the parking garage. There was a manager present who simply held up a wall and didn't do anything else. And then to top it off, American Express quoted me $200.78 when I got to pay she said it was $75 more. She then said taxes and fees can change at airports. It made no sense. Olivia was a bit testy but pleasant, but kept saying "like I said... things can change." But that isn't right. I feel lied to and scammed. At least the car didn't smell like weed like it has the last three times I rented from this place. After I returned the car I was able to get a refund to the original price I was quoted

    I originally had a reservation for Budget..... why did i do that?!?!? When I got to the rental car…read morefacility, the line was long as hell because it was a sale. I looked over at Alamo and there was one person in line. I promptly booked my car via Priceline, and it was about $18 more than Budget. I was in and and out the Alamo line in 10 mins. I looked over at the Budget/ Avis lines , they were still working with the same 2 people when while I was in the Budget line. The Columbus Airport has a consolidated rental car facility . You take the rental car facility bus from the terminal, and it takes you to the rental cars housed in a offsite garage (about a mile away from the airport.) You can select any available model they have on the hand based on the category of vehicle you rented. The signage on rental return was easy to spot. Employees at this location are very friendly. Drop off is VERY quick and easy.

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    Hertz Rent A Car

    Hertz Rent A Car

    1.9(101 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    Don't rent from here. This is a franchise and not the core Hertz. They will do whatever they want…read moreand charge you obscenely for it. You've been warned.

    I've rented exclusively from Hertz at Columbus airport (CMH) for more than 12 years and greatly…read morerespect the operation. But recently I have been charged for fuel, even though I've returned the car with the gauge reading "Full". For my Thanksgiving trip I had the car for three days, drove 140 miles, and filled the tank up before I dropped it off. The assistant checked my car in when I returned and said nothing about charging me for fuel - indeed the gauge was slightly over the full line, so I had no reason to think I was going to be charged for fuel, given that I was returning the tank full. When I got home, I saw Hertz charged me $6.99 for fuel. I got no response from Hertz when I brought this to its attention. AmEx, however, immediately credited my account for the full amount of the charge ($6.99). Granted, it's not a major issue, but it is a breach of trust between me and Hertz. It's just a guess on my part, but I'm guessing the vehicle's computer-based data-gathering includes data regarding fuel use and calculates a fuel charge based on that calculation - regardless of what the fuel gauge shows. I know I topped off the tank at the gas station, and I know the tank appeared to be more than full when I returned it. This nickel-and-dime charge practice, and its deceptive effect, will inevitably lead to loss of trust in this rental company.

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    Budget Rent A Car - carrental - Updated July 2026

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