I was very worried upon reading the reviews on here, though decided to take the risk and renting from here. I used a credit card for the deposit, booked the car via the Budget website, and took videos and pictures of the car before and after the return. My car was a 2025 Kia K4, a vehicle I had never heard of before, but loved it enough to consider buying one later on if I ever need a vehicle. The staff was to the point, very efficient, vehicle was clean, I drove almost 1000 miles on it, and was glad to not have any surprise charges on it upon returning it (via Key drop off as they weren't open when I was returning the vehicle). I also brought my own EZpass so I didn't have to use theirs, though I used Google Maps with the avoid tolls setting so I didn't have to pay any tolls. I don't know if I just got lucky but Im thankful if I did. Either way, take pictures, keep receipts, and preplanning may help minimize any heartburn mentioned in the other reviews on here. read more

Budget Rent A Car - Car Rental Near Me - Sanford, Florida

Terrible Experience at Budget Car Rental - Sanford Airport I had a reservation for a specific car, complete with paperwork that listed the exact plate number, make, and model. Anna at the counter printed everything, handed me the documents--then gave the car to the people who checked in behind me. I watched her hand them the keys to the car I was supposed to get. When I questioned it, she tried to convince me a completely different gas-powered car (when my reservation wasn't) was somehow better, and refused to offer any upgrade, discount, or solution. She acted like it never happened--even though I had proof in my hand. It was unprofessional, shady, and a clear example of poor customer service. I won't be renting from Budget at Sanford again. read more

Budget Rent A Car - Copy of signed contract - Car Rental Near Me - Sanford, Florida

With friends and family all over the country, I travel and get a lot of visitors. There were a lot of choices at the Sanford Airport-too many! I went with the mystery car at Budget. In the past I had great success at Hertz and Alamo- they give you a break for letting them pick from what is in their inventory when you arrive. The staff at Budget went out of their way to punish me for that deal. I got the smallest, worst cars they could manage. This after I told them 4 adults were traveling to Savannah. This after I added all the extras leading to a $500 plus bill for 3 days. The first car had no blind spot warning and the second was so cramped it barely fit all of us and our luggage. The other car rental companies went above and beyond where Budget purposely went the other way. Do not recommend. read more

I made a reservation, but when I showed up, they said it was the wrong price, and I owed them 2 1/2 times the amount they quoted me the day before! As I was walking out,cause I decided to go elsewhere (thank God I had time), he shouted amounts going down, and down. I just kept walking, and will never go back! read more

The woman in this picture working the front counter said her name was either Sheila or Chula or something like that and upon finding out I was a disabled veteran she wound up telling me she would not honor my reservation and that she had no cars available. After I explained that the car was already paid for through a third party site and at my reservation was confirmed she still refused to service. Call she then insisted to tell me that they would not be able to service me here so I asked for her first and last name so I could contact customer service she refused to give me that so I asked for her manager's name and to speak with him and she told me she was the most senior person around and that nobody above her was available so I took her picture so I could send it in to customer service. This is her and after I took her picture she threatened to call the police and have me removed read more

Budget Rent A Car - Budget rental car rep..... Terrible person - Car Rental Near Me - Sanford, Florida

Car was still in the "return lot". Windshield too dirty to see out of. Seats were dirty and stained. Rental agent said it had been noted. Expect way more than this for the money. You just lost a good customer. read more

I booked a Mid-Size SUV -- Toyota Rav4 or similar. When picking up the car at the Orlando airport (MCO) on 5/10/2024, I was told only electric cars were available after waiting for 3 hours in line at 2am. I was told the car could be switched anytime at any Budget rental store. The next day on 5/11, I stopped at Budget Deland store and was told nothing but was available; they sent me to the Sanford Airport store, claiming the airport store has plenty of inventory. After driving for 40 minutes to the Sanford Airport Budget store, I was told only electric cars were available. At every Budget store I went to, the staff were rude and had no sense of professional service and courtesy. I ended up wasting 4 hours trying to switch to a gas car, but had to drive the same cheap electric car all the way to New York from central Florida. Even after having suffered 7 times from looking for an EV charging station and waiting long hours for charging to finish on the way to New York, I still fully charged the car right before returning it to the Budget store at Poughkeepsie, NY, because I am a responsible person. As a service provider, have you fulfilled your responsibilities, Budget? Do you feel ashamed of your poor service and inventory management? Don't you think I deserve a refund? read more

I Booked my car rental right on budget rental site and paid for it at the time of booking. ($149) Just for One night. When I got there the lady that is pictured in the other review was the one helping and when I gave her my info, she said that she could not honor the price I paid online, and I had to pay about 20% more or I could not get the car. The lady that was working with her started to mention that it was fine, and she could give me the car at the price I had booked it for, but she gave her a look and told her that she could not. She was extremely rude and would not work with me at all. Will not be using Budget again. read more

I was pleasantly surprised w/my experience here because of all the negative reviews, but I guess the trick is to get there early! I arrived just after 8:30am and had no wait, the guy behind the desk was super quick and after offering me an upgrade (which I didn't want) told me how to get to my car. The cars are literally right outside the door in assigned spaces and getting out is a breeze! The return was a little weird because it was after hours and they have ZERO signage/instructions, but it wasn't my first after hours return, so I just filled out my rental jacket, enclosed the agreement and asked a nice janitor lady if she knew where the drop box was (they are not readily visible), which she did. I even got a txt confirming my return was logged and my car was checked in successfully! read more

Not pleased. After determining that it's 'cheaper' to rent a car to drive up to Atlanta (even at a low depreciation rate of 10 cents a mile driving our own car for comparison), we found that Budget offered the lowest price on the Costco car rental site. We've done this before, and it's worked out. Not this time. The car we got (Corolla for a mid-size) was very uncomfortable - where I'd be able to drive the whole distance with no back problems whatsoever on our Lexus or the Mazda, my back starting hurting less than 150 miles in. This I won't totally blame on Budget - it's on Toyota. But the cabin reeking of stale smoke barely covered by a layer of ugly 'perfume' smell, the FILTHY front passenger seat sporting a horrid stain, the exterior being somewhat unwashed-looking, the french fry at the bottom of the driver's seat - all those ARE on Budget. I was going to say something upon returning the car, but the only person at the counter was in the process of walking away, directing me only to the drop-box for returns. I would have offered my two-cents if I had any hope that he'd have the slightest interest in getting feedback from customers. Now, I'm going to put a $10 premium on renting from them again. Maybe that's too low... read more

No one was available on the live chat, nor was I able to get anyone to answer on the 24/7 number. I get to the airport and have been waiting for close to an hour on this line. Only one incompetent lady behind the desk. Needless to say, I'm livid. Never again. read more

We rented a car via another website for Budget at the Sanford airport and had a just fine experience, although we did end up with a different car type than what we originally booked. What we booked was a convertible "like a Mustang" for a total of $135.23 for three nights. I know...great deal! We arrived late on a Friday night (that can be the way it rolls with Allegiant), but the rental car companies are nice and convenient at this airport. There were two folks working the Budget desk...a gal and a guy. And one guest checking in in front of us. For a very long time. But once they were taken care of (finally!), we found check-in to be friendly and fairly quick. We did end up with a different car, as we were told they only had a really small convertible available, and honestly our needs involved other people anyway, so we decided to pay the ten bucks more per day for an SUV. We also decided to pre-pay for gas which I always swear I won't do again (but it's so inexpensive right now!) uh, yes, but that means you pay for a FULL TANK whether you use it all or not. We barely dented it. So, pre-pay only if you think you'll use a full tank. Best part of our experience was the personal attention getting to our vehicle. The parking lot was pretty dark, so we were glad for the gentleman who walked us out to it, and when he heard where we were going, gave us very specific directions. Much appreciated! Car worked great. And returning it was easy-breezy! TIP: ALWAYS bring coins with you when you rent any car from this airport, as you will need them on the nearby toll road! Thankfully we were prepared for that this time. read more

I rented a car from the Daytona Budget Car Rental on 517 Mason Ave. I needed the car to drive an hour to the Sanford airport. The car smelled awful (musty, smoky smell) but I was assured it was clean and there would be no issues. I would have normally asked for another car, however, I only needed to travel one hour, so I did not bother them with trying to find a replacement. I requested a receipt but was given a hand written confirmation on paper because the printers were broken. I returned the car to the Orlando Sanford Budget location with more gas that what I started with in it. I then checked my credit card charges the next day and was charged a gas fee and a smoke cleaning fee of $250. Myself and my passenger have never smoked a cigarette in our lives, and never will. Customer service has been no help except delaying the refund process. Customer service stated there was no note of the car smelling like smoke and asked why I didn't make note of it. However, the Mason Ave location neglected to note it and could not give me a print out to prove that they did. I am paying for the incompetence of the workers at one budget location. Be careful when you rent from Budget. read more

Terrible! Buyer beware. We (my 16 year old daughter and I) arrived on a late flight and were there to pickup our prepayed rental. When we arrived the agent informed me we were being upgraded which would normally be great. However, the agent then said that whomever (the phone agent I booked with BTW) had booked the room using a Sam's Club employees discount code. So, because I could not produce the employees ID, then I would have to pay an additional $425.00. I feel like we were extorted because there was no other means of transportation that late. Do your diligence and seek service elsewhere. read more

If we could post a zero star review we would, we accidentally put our personal key in the return box due to Budget not being open when our flight was due to take off and the rep at the counter refused to help us making us leave our key behind. We have been trying for a week to get our key back with more than 10 phone calls to the customer service line and no one will help us. My car has been sitting in the return airport because it is our only key, this is forcing me to have me car towed home for more than 150.00 pay an additional 80.00 in parking charges and 220.00 for a new key. To top this off budget charged us a 70.00 late fee when we dropped the car off 3 hours early. We requested a refund and that hasn't happened either. I feel like this is now a criminal matter. read more

After waiting 45 minutes to speak to one of two employees, with only 4 customers in front of me. I was told the convertible I had reserved a month earlier, wasn't available. Was given a very different car, but charged the price of the specialty rental. Steer clear! read more

I am so mad at Budget, I rented a vehicle in March at the Sanford airport and prepaid with my airline miles and some cash. I had another reservation that I had canceled and I had my partner listed on both rentals. They charged me on the canceled reservation even though they reactivated it. When I got back and called customer service they said that they would not honor the prebooked one and charged me over $600. Last time I rent from Budget!!! read more

Never rent a car at this place, they stole us 200$. They told me that we did not fill up the car before bring back. Nothing was true, we fill up the car 5 miles away. They charge us when we came back at home, few days later. Be careful with them. I hope it's will help. read more

I rented a vehicle from the Sanford/Orlando Airport on 2-23-2023. (Rental # 636153394). I had some questions about the vehicle (electric car that I unintentionally booked), but she said that she didn't know anything about it and I had to google those questions. No one came out with me to check over the vehicle and do a pre-delivery check. It was also not parked in the spot that they told me it would be so I had to walk around until I found it. It was also extremely dirty as well. When I returned the vehicle I realized that I left my prescription glasses and $300 sunglasses in it. I tried calling the local Budget where I returned it but a recording comes on saying that due to unforeseen circumstances no one can answer the phone. Again, I was fine with that, the first few times, as I know they can get busy. Although, after calling for a week, with the same recording, I was not fine. I called customer service and they told me to do a claims form online. I attempted to do so, but it said that if the rental location is not on their list of choices I have to call the local office, and it gives me their contact info. No help there....I did also call lost and found directly, but it does not allow you to speak with anyone. I called customer service back (8 times in total), and they told me that a Mgr. could get ahold of them and transferred me to one. That manager put me on hold for 15 minutes trying to get ahold of them, but instead of coming back on the line he transferred me to them again with the same recording. No one can seem to tell me what that recording means, and they don't seem concerned about fixing that problem. There was one customer service rep, Richard I.D. # 39290, who was amazing. He tried everything he could to resolve this. Even though he couldn't, at least he acted like he cared. I just don't understand, given the amount of people I have spoken with, that no one has tried to rectify this situation to find out the communication problem with that specific location. read more

This review is for the Sanford airport Budget location. It doesn't say that it's the airport location, but I was able to check-in on Yelp, but there weren't any other reviews, so I'm not quite sure that it's right. Maybe someone will read this and confirm that I've reviewed the correct location. Shoot me a message ;) Booking online was smooth, and check-in was just as easy. Even though the estimated car that they indicated online was a Ford Focus, and I ended up getting a Kia Soul, it really wasn't a big deal. I just didn't like the Soul because it didn't have a trunk, it was a back area that a would be robber could scope out. So, we went straight to the hotel to drop off the luggage, instead of stopping for dinner. The Soul was clean and only had 3500 miles on it though, so that was nice. I've found myself at Sandford Airport several times, booking one way trips to Port Canaveral cruise terminals. I love that the rental car companies are all onsite at the Sandford Airport and I didn't have to be shuttled to the rental car terminal. I will however, never book Budget at this location again because the Budget drop off location in Port Canaveral was so horrorendace on the other side of this equation. So, unless you're interested in booking a one way from this location, my star rating may be a bit inaccurate or not match your needs. read more

Absolutely ridiculous customer service. After they ran our credit card wrong we called the bank to confirm the card had sufficient funds and worked, the representatives said they "couldn't" run it again for another 24 hours........ which didn't matter since they still didn't have the car we reserved there for us anyways. We've never had a problem from other budgets when we've rented but we won't use the company again after this poorly managed location. read more

If you have an early morning flight and use the drop box, and your car is not checked in by the time you agreed to return it, you will get charged for a second day... even if the building is open and the drop box paperwork asks for the time of return... and you've already back in your home state by the time the car is checked in. This tactic is super sketchy, but apparently legal. If you try to call for clarification or a copy of your agreement or receipt, you will get routed to corporate - who apparently isn't aware that some locations do this, but can't do a thing to help. read more

This was the first and last time, I'll rent a car from them. Terrible experience- upgrade fees were not disclosed; they claim I did not return the car on time and left the keys in the right drop off box. read more

After a lot of hassle and a lot of discussion about what insurance I should take (I am from Europe and our system really differs from the US) we finally got a clearly non-matching car that had a lot of small dents and had some fungus in it. We very seriously had the impression that since this is an international airport where a lot of people land tired and with some jet lag, these people behind the counter where there to push extra insurances, and extra features and did so in a very annoying way. I had the impression there where sales targets that needed to be met. After complaining we got another are, again not matching what we ordered on-line, this time reasonably clean. All in all the whole process took serious out of our vacation, was not pleasant at all, and the cars didn't had much to go for. And finally....not cheap / budget at all. read more

My wife reserved and prepaid a vehicle at Sanford airport. Budget switched it to Orlando Int'l. My wife didn't realize it until she landed and tried to pick up the vehicle. At first the Budget rep said "we switched it", but then she backtracked. My wife paid $66 for a Lyft ride to Orlando Int'l. She is a Fastbreak member, but still waited over an hour in line. Then the vehicle wasn't ready and she waited more. Every customer service rep she dealt with was unbelievably rude. Now they'll charge us $300 extra to return the vehicle to Sanford, so she'll need to shell out another $66 for another Lyft ride. We'll never be using Budget again. I use Budget for corporate travel 8 to 10 times a year, and I'll be switching entirely to Enterprise, where I'm always treated well. I'll also be disputing the charges on my American Express card until Budget is willing to listen. So far we've been transferred up three levels on the customer service line with nobody having any interest in treating us as anything but an annoyance. read more

Great deal recently for a Ford Escape. The return experience at the airport sucked though. 4 or 5 different car companies, one tiny lot with cars parked in disarray. The car you return could very easily get damaged and you could be blamed. read more

Don't use budget. They false advertise. I had a reservation for a compact car as part of our travel package and the guy at the counter practically forced me to upgrade to a mid size because he said the compact car was not safe for highway driving. I did so, but only to find that there were NO compact cars on the lot. BUDGET SCAMS THEIR CUSTOMERS! DON'T USE BUDGET. THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED! read more

Absolutely the worst customer experience I've had renting a car in the past 30 years. Was charged for cleaning, but the rep wouldn't identify what he thought needed to be cleaned. Was charged for an upgrade, which I never stated I wanted. Of course, I did sign for it. . .somewhere in the 5 pages of fine print which asked for my signature and initials about a dozen times. read more

Got a little VW for 1 day for about forty dollars from Budget, which was okay. Started with half a tank of gas. Brought it back with a nearly full tank of gas. I checked my charge card when I got home. I got charged an additional fifty dollars (nearly one hundred total); they said that I did not bring it back full! Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. And sneaky. read more

Extremely slow service I've been waiting in line for an hour. This is so slow. I could have walked to my hotel this fast.

Don't - Just Don't. You will live to regret it. Rented a car locally for one day (I live in Sanford) as I needed to fit more than 5 people in one car. Get to the counter Saturday at 8:45pm, and am told that my reserved Dodge Caravan has not been cleaned/processed. Offered a downgrade (Dodge Journey), which wasn't nearly as comfortable as that van would have been. Guy at counter said he'd mark it empty since it was a downgrade. As I'm returning it the next evening, I check the contract and it says full on the gas. So, I gas it up. (DON'T forget to check perks for downgrade before leaving) Dropping the car, no-one at the counter (no surprise), but Avis guy next door says if i'm just dropping he can take the key. Another DON'T - I have no receipt that it was returned timely. Long story short (OK, Not!), saw my CC statement Thursday was much higher than my reservation amount. Called the location. They said it had been returned late. I explained what happened, and they said they'd correct it, no problem and I should see a credit within 3-5 days. NOPE - I got an email Sunday saying they were sticking with their story. DROVE 15 miles to the location, where coincidentally the Avis guy was there, and he confirmed that yes, he remembered me dropping the keys to him the previous Sunday. Budget guy finally arrives and says that after 48 hours he has no ability to make changes to any contracts or amounts. Takes a note to give to his manager, says they will resolve this. NOPE. Another e-mail from customer service that they're sticking with their story and the charges. I could give a complete rat's ass about $66, but as a CPA, I take issue with any business who WILL NOT respond to a customer, who has clearly been taken advantage of. DON'T - JUST DON'T read more

I'd give this place 0 stars if possible. My company uses budget all the time, and my wait is always at least an hour at this location. There's only 1 person working most the time. It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm writing this as I'm waiting in like now for an hour and 10 minutes already. I'd use another rental agency if my company allowed it. Every other agency in this airport has 3 or more employees working. I don't know why budget doesn't do the same. read more

The car was great and the price for the rental was good but BUYER BEWARE! They don't tell you minor details like if you don't return the car with a full tank, they'll charge you $9.89+tax per gallon to refuel it. Their excuse was that it's on the contract and they don't have time to go over every detail of the contract with each customer. At no point did I ask them to go over every detail but perhaps the biggest detail that will cost me the most is worth mentioning...unless they omit that detail on purpose to make more $$. It would have taken 10 seconds for them to offer me the prepay for fuel option or tell me if I don't fill the tank it'll be $9.89+tax per gallon!! The guy I spoke with was also condescending saying, "Uh, ma'am, is this your first time renting car?" I said, "UH, NO, but this has never happened before!!!!" When I mentioned that I was not told about the prepay for fuel option, he told me they don't verbalize that with anyone, the customer has to ask. My rental was only $184 but I was charged an extra $133 for 10 gallons of gas for a total of $317. I fully expected to pay about $3/gallon for them to refuel but $9.89+tax is robbery! There were also numerous places on the contract for me to initial. Even though I accidentally missed initialing the line that talked about the $9.89+tax charge, I was told that didn't matter. I will never rent from Budget again and if you're brave enough to rent with Budget, ask DOZENS OF QUESTIONS before you leave with the vehicle!!!! read more

They do not know the term customer service. Find your own car, return your own car. No explanation of the rental agreement--- signed NOT to activate the toll device. The toll device was OFF in the car, yet I received a charge for $17.30 stating I went through an unmanned toll and therefore was being charged for 4 days of the use of the device and the toll. For $17.30 they lost my business for good. Their only explanation was that..."every rental company does the same thing." Really I said, I would expect other rental companies to explain their policies and not just scam your customers. read more

The advantage of Sanford airport is that it isn't busy at all. Picking up and returning a rental is fast and simple. Budget just is not consumer friendly ! Telling me a Beetle cabrio is the same category as a Mustang cabrio is ridiculous ! They were willing to give us a Mustang GT, which is not a convertible, for an extra 14,95 a day. Not Nice...the Beetle was OK, but why irritate your customers ? read more

After waiting in line for 45 minutes, they failed to honor my reservation and told me they would only give me a car if I agreed to upgrade. They said they ran out of my car class because my flight was late, although I was already in line at the time of my reservation... They left me and my 2 year old stranded in the middle of the night because I couldn't afford the upgrade. I walked straight to Alamo where they gave me a great rate right away. read more

Originally had car booked through Dollar but after reading so many bad reviews I decided to see what else was there. Found a lower rate rate with Budget for a bigger car so cancelled and booked with Budget. Allegient flight arrived late on Friday night so I hustled to rental counter hoping they were open. Not only were they open, the agent was very pleasant and efficient. I had rented an intermediate but was extremely pleased to receive a Kia Sorento for the same rate- a fantastic vehicle with only 3400 miles on it. Everything from start to finish with this reservation exceeded my expectations! read more

Not a great experience with Budget at the Orlando Sanford airport. First, when returning your car, it's hard to find the right entrances and ANY spots to leave your car parked. There was no attendant working to make sure we even returned the car to the right area of the parking lot. Second, we returned our car early in the morning before the desk was open and left our keys and marked return card with the date and time in the lock box. When we got back home, we saw we were charged almost $50 more than expected for our rental. We called and they said they charged us for an extra hour + fees of having the car because we did not return it by 9am. We were on our plane & in the air by 8:30am. I called our pickup location (Port Canaveral) and the Sanford budget several times to try to get a refund and never got anywhere. It's been over a month and we still have not been refunded. Calling Budget national offices today to get our money back. read more

Do not rent a car from Budget rental car. I made a reservation and received an email confirmation that specified my reservation was confirmed and to pickup the car from the Westin in Lake Mary, Fl at 4 pm. I arrived at 4pm and the agent had already left for the day. I called the 800 customer service number and was told to go to the Orlando Airport. That's an hour away! If I wanted to pick the car up from the airport I would have reserved it that way. They gave no other options to resolve the issue and had no concern that I was stranded without transportation!!!!! Hertz rescued me and I was on my way. Rent your car from them. They have great customer service and better rates. Thanks Hertz read more

Worse customer service. They overcharge and reservation estimate nowhere near actual charges. Charged late fee even though No one was at the counter when vehicle was returned. If you plan on pre paying for gas, make sure tank is empty. They will charge for full tank regardless of how much gas is in vehicle when returned. read more