Budget Car Rental Fairbanks: Extremely disappointing and honestly unsafe experience. We specifically reserved an all-wheel-drive SUV to handle snowy conditions in Alaska. What they did not tell us at pickup was that the vehicle had all-weather tires, not proper snow tires. Also I think one of the wheel slip sensors was having a problem. Every turn was slipping. Those differences mattered and we found out the hard way. We got stuck in the snow twice. The first time, a Good Samaritan helped dig and push us out. The second time, I had to call AAA for a tow truck to save us. while stuck there serving time, I contacted the rental office and spoke with someone named Rita. While I was explaining the situation, she kept asking repeatedly if the car was damaged (it wasn't), instead of addressing the actual problem. I mentioned the wheel slippage warning light flashing constantly, which didn't feel safe at all. She told me to call back in five minutes so she could arrange help, but also made it clear we would have to pay for it. Fine, whatever, we just needed help; it was getting cold and dark. We called back in five minutes... and she had already left for the day. No follow-up, no support. WTH. She just did that so she wouldn't have to deal with it. Can you believe that? Thankfully, my own AAA came through and got us out. When I returned the car the next day, I told the staff that a mechanic should check the car because of the constant warning light. The response? Total indifference. No concern whatsoever. Bottom line: this felt like a bait-and-switch on snow capability, put us in a genuinely unsafe situation, and came with poor customer service from start to finish. If you're traveling in winter conditions, I strongly recommend using a different rental company for your safety and peace of mind. Zero stars. read more

Customer service was unpleasant. Not sure if it was the manager who came out and inserted herself into our conversation with another worker, but she came out of the back room with attitude. Did not introduce herself and had talked about nothing pertaining to our questions. We were already nervous to rent a car a drive in the snow, last thing we needed was horrible customer service from the staff. Here's a pic of her. They should do better. read more

Budget Rent-A-Car - Staff need to do better. Especially her. - Car Rental Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

Do not rent from the SEATAC location! We paid for our rental, over 1k, weeks ago. Now we have been waiting for over 1 hour for a car! They have no freaking cars! I will never give them money again. I'm not a fan of wasting my money. read more

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Bait and switch- rented a car from this location and got the totals of what it was. Upon arrival was informed there was a mileage charge. Looked through the paperwork from the original booking and there was no note of this. Let them know and was told this was it. Had to have a car and at this point didn't have much of a choice as other prices had since gone up significantly. Was told could contact to resolve which I did multiple times and was told I would get contacted back which never happened. On top of that received the FILTHIEST car I've ever rented, and found it funny they say you can't smoke in the car which I don't smoke at all but this one was obviously smoked in as it wreaked of stale smoke. Travel to the area often but will never do business here again, would recommend staying clear of their shady business practices. read more

Great car rental service. We booked a 5-seat SUV ahead of time and they upgraded our SUV to be a road beast! Our rental car was so reliable. I felt extra safe driving it on the snow. I would recommend this Budget shop to any of my friend who comes to Fairbank, AK! read more

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Despite a confirmed reservation, I was told no cars were available. Avis did have a car available at more than double the Budget price. Budget refused to cover that rental. They were rude and unapologetic. I was left stranded at the airport. This was the worst car rental experience I have ever had. Budget in Fairbanks should be avoided. read more

Customer service was unhelpful. After dragging our suitcases halfway through the parking lot in 10+ inches of snow our car was covered in 10+ inches of snow also. No ice scraper was provided and when I went back inside to ask for one I was told that they didn't have any. We had to warm up the car and then use our hands to remove the ice and snow. read more

I booked a car online at the Fairbanks Airport location. When I arrived they said they had no vehicles available...they left me stranded. They make a contract online and don't even tell you they have no cars. read more

Budget Rent-A-Car - Fairbanks - Car Rental Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

Visited this location in March of 2020. Three gold stars for Angel the customer service rep! Called to make sure the counter will be open at 2am when my flight lands and Angel told us that she will wait for us. Wow! Thankfully we didn't have to ask her to do so after our flight was rescheduled. She was pleasant and understanding throughout. This was essentially the highlight of our experience at this location. When we arrived at 7am the service rep at the counter wanted to charge us 30 dollars more for our 2-day, $90 reservation. When we showed her the email showing our original rate she tried her best to price match but came up just a little short. No explanations were given. We chalked it up to a glitch and left. Our car(front wheel drive D:) got snowed-in on the way to the airport for return so we called budget to ask for help and directions on what to do. They were indifferent and ask us to tow the car to them. We ended up having to take rideshare to the airport and missing our flight. Now, I'm not saying it is their job to help us in this circumstances, but it still would have been nice to feel some sort of compassion in a tough situation like the one we were in. Conclusion: Angel is awesome, service is mediocre, and do yourself a favor and rent an AWD vehicle when you visit Fairbanks in the winter. read more

It was in December when I rented a car from this facility. After about an hour of clearing the car from ice and snow I actually got stuck in the snow in their parking lot. When someone helped me out I drove straight to the hotel when I got stuck again in the hotels parking lot. Some one had to help me get it dislodged again and he pointed out the car did not have winter tires on, it had not been winterized at all. The next morning it would not start so I called the rental agent, and I was not in a good mood. She kept saying bring it back in, so I figure she doesn't quite understand that a car that won't start is unable to be driven? They finally came and picked up the car, much to my relief. Good luck if you rent from them. read more

After my experience today trying to pick up my rental car in Fairbanks, Alaska I will not and do not recommend people to rent from Budget. They tried to bait and switch at this location. Apparently they did not have the full size pickup truck that I reserved far in advance and tried to substitute for a small Subaru at the same price. Robin at the desk said that the manager had called and adjusted the rate, which was not true. I received no calls, voicemails, emails, and I asked what they New price was it was the same as a full size pickup. No manager was in and so I tried calling the 800 number to speak to a manager. Robin tried to offer me a lower rate but once I was on the phone she said she would not help me, cancelled my reservation, and called over the airport police saying she would like to refuse service to me. I made a new reservation online for a SUV that was available but Robin again refused to help me with my reservation. This was a clear bait and switch. Google has other complaints about this older lady and appears that she does similar things and takes advantage of customers. While I don't expect budget will do anything, this employee should be written up and revised. read more

They called me 4 hours before I arrived as a "courtesy" to let me know they did not have a car for me even though I reserved one months in advance. Budget, you knew you over booked! Why wait 4 hours before hand?! Lady who called offered me zero suggestions on other resources to find a rental. Luckily, someone overheard me at the airport and suggested Turo. Had to pay $700 more for a rental but at least I was able to get to my non refundable hotels. Budget, you are costing people hundreds if not thousands of dollars WHEN YOU DO NOT HONOR YOUR RESERVATIONS!!! Shame on you. read more

Rented a minivan for a recent February ski competition in Fairbanks. Went to the rental counter after collecting our bags and the keys were already waiting for us. This is pretty much where the positive experience ends with Budget. Found our minivan cold and covered in snow. After packing up luggage and brushing snow off the van we headed for our hotel. The van got stuck in the hotel parking lot upon arrival. Luckily the maintenance men helped push me out with the assistance from some extra gravel they had on hand. I already live in Alaska and am a commercial driver so I know how to drive in snow which intrigued me to look at the tires. The tread depth was so minimal. Called the rental office and told them I had a safety concern regarding the tires. The response from the lady on the phone was pretty much just deal with it. Not can you bring it by and we will look at the tires, or we have this other option you could try. I could not get any traction driving straight on flat ground. This will be my last rental from Budget in Fairbanks. read more

Budget Rent-A-Car - Rental car tire tread depth in winter - Car Rental Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

The ladies her are amazing, always prepared for you & very friendly. Plus budget has the cheapest rental car prices I have found.

A communication error was made with our reservation. Angel was the most amazing worker I have ever met at a car rental desk. She helped figure out my reservation, ran out to find us a vehicle, cleaned it and brought it to us! She was pleasant and created a wonderful experience instead of the mess it could have been. Car great. read more

I reserved a SUV and when we checked in, we were given a sedan. The rep that helped us didn't even tell us why we were given a sedan. I remind them that I reserved SUV. A second rep chives in and let us know that they ran out of SUV. There are people who booked but won't be getting a car. To accommodate us, they can either reduce the rental price or allow us to return with empty gas. But they found out that they cannot lower the price because we already get the lowest price. So, we opted to return memory gas tank. When we arrived to the parking lot, there were many SUVs parking there. It was so cold, we didn't want to go through process to change the car. But I want consumers understand how they would be treated through this place. read more

Extremely rude and incompetent customer service. The manager is not willing to listen to the customer and believes she is always right. Go to another car rental if you can and make sure to make a reservation in advance so that you don't have to be forced to deal with this company if you are in need of a car. I can see why they were the only company that had cars available when all the others in the airport were booked. Don't waste your time and money on these people because they will try to scam you and squeeze every little penny they can out of you. read more

Horrible service. I would give 0 stars if that were a choice. There was a mix up in our rental so we didn't get a car. We were told there were no cars available. Then we checked through a travel site and it said there were two cars available. So we booked one. We went all the way back to the airport to be told, no they didn't have a car...they're a local franchise and there's no guarantee a car will be available through the national site. They made no effort to locate a car for us from another local agency. Thank goodness we found a car from a local business. read more

I was surprised at the friendly, speedy check-out service I received at the Fairbanks AK Int'l airport Budget car rental agency. Not because I had a bad experience in the past but because I am from NYC and things just go much slower where I come from in regards to rental agencies. Michaela was efficient, kind, professional and friendly. I will definitely continue to use Budget for my car rental needs. Thanks again Michaela!!! read more

Flew into Denver and had rented a Jaguar or similar vehicle from Budget. Turns out there was no AWD option in that category (in Denver in the middle of winter) Ended up paying several more hundred dollars for a Wrangler because of the all wheel drive. No USB, no bluetooth, no backup camera. Was not going to risk going RWD in the snow. Very upset with the lack of amenities and paying way higher price for a cheap car. One of the ports for a 12 volt didn't even work. I felt very ripped off. read more

I was in town for a friends wedding and realized I needed a car of my own to get around. It was a Sunday and several of the car rental places were closed so I googled rental car places in Fairbanks and found Budget was open. I reserved a small SUV online, selected the prepaid gas option so I wouldn't have to refill the tank before returning the car after leaving the wedding, and made my reservation. When we got to the airport, the guy working was surprised that we were even able to order a Ford Escape because they were out and had none available. Yet he grabbed some keys to one for us. He sped through the process and handed us over the keys and told us where to go. Not rude really, just seemed pushy and like he didn't want to be helping us. We get the car and go no problem. When we returned the car on Monday night, the woman at the desk was pretty rude. She asked for our gas receipt and I was confused because I had prepaid for gas when I reserved the car online. I told her this and she double checked but said it hadn't gone through and she could add it for an additional $30. I was already paying $290 for less than 2 days of having the rental car so I got a little mad and asked her why I had to pay more. She called her manager who said that you couldn't select to prepay gas online... But I did. Then they asked what time my flight was and told me I could leave the airport and hurry to take the car to a nearby gas station and fill it up. Ummm no, I'm not rushing when I have a flight to catch and I'm not hauling all my luggage back out to the car and back in again. I refused and then she said the only thing she could do is to charge me $10/gallon to refill it for us. I obviously refused and I got really mad because she said she could no longer add the prepaid at this point. When she just said I could AND I was under the impression I had already paid for it because I ordered it online. She ultimately added it but very rudely gave me my receipt. I'm sure I paid way too much -- see the attached photo for proof that you can select to prepay gas online. read more

Budget Rent-A-Car - Car Rental Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

Service is terrible and they don't care at all about the customers. How can you confirm a rental online and then, when you get there, they have 0 cars available. All other rental companies were sold out at this point and it ruined my trip. 0 stars to match their 0 cars. read more

Very disappointing, all the way around. When we arrived the car we reserved was not available. We left with a "substitute" and it had mechanical issues. Quickly returned for a 2nd vehicle and were told the issue we were concerned about was normal. After more discussion the car we originally booked, suddenly became available. Keep in mind that at no time during any of this was there an apology; mostly attitude. When we returned the car we learned that we had missed the official turn in time (again, no one bothered to point this out to us when we checked the 1st or 2nd vehicle out). So another full day charge was added to our bill. And again, no apology or acknowledgment of the miscommunication. We won't be using budget again and certainly cannot recommend it read more

Rate was the cheapest of all the companies (2 stars rather than 1) however when I got to the counter to pick up my rental car they said they had no cars available. "I'm sorry, we have no cars available at the moment." I don't understand how they can have my reservation but they don't have any cars. The reservation should keep a car there for me to pick up. Budget was great at taking the reservation. They just don't know how to hold the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them. They did state that they had premium cars but couldn't give them to me because of the rate difference. If you see budget with the lowest rates maybe make a reservation but have a back up with a company that knows how to hold a reservation. read more

Terrible service!! Gave us a car with low battery car key and told us to tell them when we see any damages as large as a golf ball. We told them of the low battery and they leave it that way by saying it's okay. I did see a 'damage' but it's smaller than a golf ball, so I didn't tell them. After 4-5 days driving and we're about to leave, the car can't be started. We called them, but they didn't send someone over to help us immediately; instead, they said we have to pay them $50 to send someone over to jump start the car. They asked not to have hotel people to jump start the car because that will damage their car. Excuse me, we have to be at the airport 2 hours before departure time. We purchased the insurance, but that doesn't include jump start the car? They should responsible for giving us a car that has low battery car key!! $50 to jump start the car? Crazy!!!!! They rob customers like this? read more

One star is one to many . Terrible service , terrible attitude when picking up vehicle and dropping back off . Don't know if all Budgets all have the same service but won't be using budget ever again . From the manager to the desk agent to the lot person . Terrible . read more

Well I will say this. My experience with Budget @ the Airport was amazing. This is the first time that I have used Budget. My decision to utilize Budget was mostly because of 2 reasons the USAA discount opportunity and the outstanding customer service provided by the young ladies that answered the phone while working the front counter at the Airport. They provided excellent information, suggestions and options on how to best maximize my experience doing business with Budget during tourist season when I arrived at the front counter. Shauna and Sierra walked me though it from top to bottom, step by step. They were both professional, friendly and very knowledgeable. More than once I called them with questions. Each time they answered questions with great feedback and truly a positive attitude. I highly recommend. Big thanks to Shauna and Sierra. Great job! (Retired Military) read more

Rented a car while working a couple of the many wildland fires in Alaska this year. Check-out was quick and easy. I ended up staying a week longer than expected and it was just a quick phone call to extend my rental. Best of all was was an Agent named Sierra. I dropped off the car before the desk was open. I called and Sierra answered and was able to change the charges from my credit card to my fire department debt card. Sierra is very professional. read more

We were charged for 7 days, but told we had to have the van back in 6 or face additional charges. Before I realized the error, our group of 25 teenagers spent an unnecessary 6.5 hours in the airport. Keesha was unwilling to admit her errors and said it was the computers fault, that there was nothing she could do. The manager, Penny, admitted it was their fault and apologized but was unwilling to make any financial adjustments to the bill. When I called corporate Budget to complain, they explained that this was a private company and not part of their chain and they took no responsibility for their actions. Choose another rental company or proceed at your own risk! read more

Budget is filing false claims that we have "scuffed" the bumper of one of their cars. This is untrue. The Fairbanks branch is a scam. On 12/24/2015 my wife and I rented an SUV from the Budget rental office at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska for our vacation. At first everything seemed okay- the people at the front desk were slightly rude and short but we were able to get the car and go (they threatened to charge us if they had to help us to start the car due to ice and snow- which made no sense. Aren't call outs usually included?). The woman at the desk specifically asked us to get a gasoline receipt when we returned the car to the rental counter and warned us that if their extension cord was missing then there would be a $25 charge for it. She was the manager and very short with us and extremely rude. When she left her assistant said "if the extension cord gets stolen you can pick one up retail for $5 at the local Walmart". This should have been the first sign that we were headed for a con. The second sign came when they asked us to take a look at the car but ignore "tiny scratches or scuffs". Here's the thing- when we arrived in Fairbanks there was a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature was at -20F. There was no way to SEE the bumper as EVERYTHING at the time was covered in snow...so we cleared the snow that we could from the car and left. We returned the car on 12/30/2015. In that entire time we never came close to anything else in the road (northern Alaska is a fairly empty place). We pulled in for gasoline en route back to the airport and, as promised, I completely filled up the tank before returning it. As soon as we arrived at the airport to drop the car off the manager lady was there and obviously feeling very rude. Looking at the gasoline receipt I brought her she said "I know this gas station. It's, like, 10 miles away. You need to fill it up to replace that 10 miles". I responded, sensibly (in my opinion) that the indicator still showed full and that, as there was no traffic in our ride over (of course) there was no way that I had burned significant gasoline between the gas station and the airport. She responded by telling me that she would have her people fill up the car at $10 a gallon if that was the way that I felt- a clear threat. I shrugged and agreed to take the keys back from her, drove to another (closer) gas station and filled up the tank.... ...with ONE DOLLAR worth of gas. So she basically wasted our time when we had to catch a flight. At this point it should have been clear that this was a con. The second negative sign we received was when we returned to Los Angeles to receive a call that someone at Budget had found "scuff marks" on the bumper of the car and that they would have to charge us for these "scuff marks" because it looked like we had hit something. Please allow me to be clear about this: My wife and I never TOUCHED anything with that car. There were NO scuff marks when we left it. At this point, between the gasoline, the extension cord threats, and the false "scuff marks" report it is looking more and more like Budget Rental car of Fairbanks is playing a con game to squeeze money out of people in the winter months. There was snow covering the bumper (and most things) when we took the car out. We never hit anything (again- there is almost NOTHING to hit in northern Alaska in the winter except Moose...and had we hit a moose it would not be a "scuff mark" on the bumper). So I am writing down the events, making a report to the Alaska Consumer Protection Department (here: http://www.law.state.ak.us/department/civil/consumer/cp_complaint.html) and obviously disseminating this complaint as far and wide on social media (Google, Trip Advisor, Yelp) as possible to dissuade others from using this service as they are clearly playing some sort of con game with their renters. I will, of course, be denying any attempts to collect from any insurance company (as, again, WE NEVER HIT ANYTHING) but the really offensive thing, and the reason for this note is because they made so many blatant attempts to con us. read more

Do not rent from Budget in Fairbanks International airport, it's where ugly Crystal assisted me. at first I thought she knew what she was doing. oh she knew what she was doing alright, she knew how to rip people off and get the most money that she could out of customers. she knew I was in a car accident so she branded my husband as a bad renter (because he was free) so I had to add my son as a driver, which was an added cost. then she gave me a car that was a higher rate. In addition to being in physical pain from the accident and at a great disadvantage, she took even greater advantage of me and I ended up paying almost $500.00 for 4 days. when I asked about the extra charges, she said that I had agreed to all the terms and to step away from the desk. I will never rent from budget again and i will deter anyone I know from renting from budget. I will let the chamber of commerce of Fairbanks know about the thievery that budget and their reps like Crystal practice. i have never experienced such ugliness and never before have i been forced to interact with such ugly pock faced people. read more

No customer service. This location denied my Fast Break Rental after having reserved it and confirmed that they accept Debit Cards (with an additional hold). After 16 hour flight and and evening arrival I go to the counter and told by the agent that they absolutely do not accept Debit Cards...I showed her all the confirmation and email traffic prior to my trip....No use, Customer Service was no help either....A couple of oh were sorry follow up emails even when they confirmed I was in right...But nothing as far as making it right and the fact that i was out an additional $500.00 in transportation costs trying to secure another rental from somewhere else. After exclusively using Budget for over a decade I am cancelling my Fast Break membership and will never, ever, consider budget as an option for my future travel....Being a frequent renter and member evidently carries no weight with budget.... read more