Reviews for Budget in Albany
- All reviews 100%
7.8/10 Good
Based on 75 reviews
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7.5
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7.9
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7.3
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7.2
Recent reviews
Most recent
9.6 Excellent
Full-size
Jun 16 2017
Pros: Friendly, quick & easy.
Cons: How expensive it is for a one way rental.
4.0 Mediocre
Economy
Jun 6 2017
I was overcharged
Pros: Ease of pickup without a shuttle. Car accepted my phone charger with aux cable.
Cons: My flight was delayed by 3 hours. When I arrived the reservation was for the off site location. They did not honor the rate. Next day I attempted to resolve the issue. I was lied to. Marc at the Sears budget/Avis told me he could help me on Sunday and reneged his offer on Monday. I paid $100 for a rental car. I won't rent from budget/Avis on my travels.
2.0 Poor
Compact
Jun 2 2017
MAKE SURE YOU'RE GOING TO PASS A CREDIT CHECK
Cons: I called to make a reservation. The place was hard to find. Once found, they informed me my debit card was going to be subject to a credit check. I have rented cars before with this debit card. No way this time! Cash and check were unacceptable. So I just drove my older car where I needed to go.
If a credit check is a concern- call all the car rental places- make sure they're ok with just the debit card.
9.2 Excellent
SUV
May 29 2017
Pros: Beautiful new SUV. Personnel very helpful explaining use of new features like syncing cell phone map to display on dash.
Cons: No instrucyion manual re basic controls/features like cruise control, lights, gas tank cover release to use after leaving pickup site.
6.0 Okay
Full-size
May 29 2017
Good service - hiccup with e z pass
Pros: Everything went well at pick up and drop off... convenient locations and service at both sites
Cons: EZ-pass was not reading properly, and we had issues at every toll because of this.
6.4 Good
SUV
May 26 2017
Party on Wayne! Party on Garth!
Pros: Nice car, low miles, friendly service.
Cons: The interior of the vehicle reeked of POT.
8.8 Excellent
SUV
May 24 2017
Pros: The folks I dealt with were friendly, personable and accommodating. Very pleasant.
5.6 Okay
Standard
May 8 2017
Mediocre
Pros: Car was good
Cons: Pick up and drop off process was bad. I was forced to buy gas in advance with the promise that it would be refunded when I returned the vehicle with a full tank of gas. Even though I returned the car with a full tank of gas, I was not refunded. I had to spend 30 minutes at the counter to get the refund.
10.0 Excellent
Economy
May 7 2017
Credit card problem solved
Pros: We had a problem with our credit card. We didnt realize it was expired. We had to call the credit card company and get the number to the new card and buget allowed us to give them the card manually so that we werent stuck out of town and in the airport.
10.0 Excellent
Economy
Apr 17 2017
Pros: They upgraded us to a larger car which they had available.
Cons: Having to return with a full tank took some extra time that morning, and that was before an already early flight.
10.0 Excellent
Intermediate
Apr 4 2017
Surprise engine
Cons: We were surprised that the engine turned off at stoplights. It would have been good to know that when we picked up the car.
6.4 Good
Compact
Apr 3 2017
Cons: I realize it was late, but no "once-over" with staff, so I was worried I would be held accountable for scratches on several parts of vehicle - I wasn't. No handbook in the car, so took a while to figure out some important features. Also, low tire pressure light was on when I got the car, so I had to stop and put air in the tires.
10.0 Excellent
Compact
Mar 30 2017
Easy, comfy, and reasonable.
Pros: The quick pick up and drop off process.
Cons: Na
10.0 Excellent
Economy
Mar 10 2017
Very good supervisor in this office.
Pros: The supervisor is a true gentleman. He showed us the car . He explained patiently the questions we asked about the functioning of some features. He also provided us a reduction on the price when found out that the car insurance was paid through Kayak.com and Allianz.
When I decide to rent a car I won't go to any other place but to this office.
Thank you.
6.4 Good
Intermediate
Feb 28 2017
Okay but perfection is the goal
Pros: Price
Cons: The waiting time was over a hour with one worker and he was lacking efficiency and energy
9.2 Excellent
Economy
Feb 20 2017
Pros: Great vehicle and service.
Cons: Be sure to explain whether ezPass is activated.
2.0 Poor
Intermediate
Feb 19 2017
Cons: Sad
10.0 Excellent
Full-size
Feb 14 2017
Pros: Customer service was great! The car drove smoothly and there were no issues. Very spacious and the price was great!
Cons: The rear and side view mirrors did not have the function to dim the headlights of other cars at night, which was bothersome.
4.0 Mediocre
Full-size
Feb 14 2017
Not very good
Cons: Long wait for pickup. Not well run.
2.0 Poor
Economy
Feb 13 2017
did not Get the Car
Cons: I had a Credt Card to put the car on, it was a brand new card and did not have my name on it. the Sr at the counter asked me for another card and I shared a couple of cards and he ran them, none got through and I told him I would pay them off with my banking app, he told he that the reservation was canceled and I could not rent from Budget anymore for the next 24 hrs or so. I went to the competition and rented it there, they even offered to match the price and gave me a free upgrade. None of ould happened if I had the Sir at the counter notify me before hand the credit card policy so I could make the neccessary arrangements.
5.2 Okay
Economy
Jan 29 2017
Rip off for a schedule change - poor infirmation
Pros: Originally scheduled for pickup/drop off at same location. (Albany) Had a emergency at home and needed to return. Flights out of Albany were full so I was rebooked to fly out of Hartford (BDL). Called budget at midnight to notify them of change; they quoted me $200 to change contract. I called back at 7am to confirm as I was driving to BDL, they REQOUTED me $400 plus original rate. I told them in certain words how I was displeased with their business practices, they blamed "the computer". Opon arrival at BDL, the fee was $200. (I guess my complaint worked). Still a lot of $$ ($280 total) for a car rental and 140 miles. I WAS a budget rewards customer, and rent cars regularly as I travel EXTENSIVELY for work. but after that experience and level of frustration I will give other rental companies priority. I told the Budget clerk if the $400 fee was required I vowed never to use Budget again.
6.0 Okay
Economy
Dec 19 2016
Pros: Speed of transaction
Cons: Signs on return were blocked by Enterprise and return garage far too tight & poor lighting in Albany Airport.
Tires were low profile and dry road performance style (New Jersey plates). For a Northeast winter with snow/ice...seemed like a poor choice by Budget unless they are baiting customers for a higher chance of accident.
2.0 Poor
Standard
Dec 17 2016
Cons: This was terrible....
10.0 Excellent
Intermediate
Dec 11 2016
Cheep and easy
Pros: Got an amazing $17 rate for a one day rental.
5.6 Okay
Full-size
Dec 3 2016
Good but the smell of smoke!!!!
Pros: Service was great quick, the only thing that dampened the experience was the smoke smell in the vehicle.
Cons: The smell of smoke in the vehichle
7.2 Good
Intermediate
Oct 19 2016
Nice rental
Pros: Friendly employees, easy pickup and return
Cons: Car needed interior cleaning
9.6 Excellent
Full-size
Oct 10 2016
Albany trip
Pros: The service was quick and friendly. I didn't feel pressured into adding extra costs to my rental.
Cons: I would have liked to have been told that I didn't need to buy the tank of gas or that it could have refunded to me bc my trip was so short but that info was not provided to me.
10.0 Excellent
Compact
Sep 19 2016
Cheerful and Professional Personnel
Pros: The personnel were delightful to work with...the car was immaculate and fully fueled...the car (Kia) performed extremely well...the process of renting and returning the car was flawless including the reservation itself.
Cons: Nothing went wrong with the experience with the process of renting the car.
10.0 Excellent
Compact
Sep 13 2016
Pros: Quick easy pick up with no lines.
10.0 Excellent
Economy
Sep 12 2016
Great value
Pros: quick pickup and good value
Cons: XM only played one pop channel
10.0 Excellent
Standard
Aug 16 2016
Pros: They were very helpful with changes due to airline cancelations very pleased with customer service
EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE
4.8 Okay
Minivan
Aug 9 2016
Pros: Nice minivan but not an equivalent to a Chrysler T&C as advertised.
Budget did take money off the rental for our grief.
Cons: Immediately after leaving on the trip the tire light came on. The tire had a nail in it. We had to replace the tire after many calls to Budget.
This added hours to the trip and cost a hotel room and a tire.
When Budget was called they were of no help.
After taking things into our own hands with AAA and Walmart, we were on our way.
The van was filthy, with bloody tissues in the pockets, cupcake wrappers in the van. Where we picked it up in an airport parking garage it was dark and you could not see well enough to see these.
8.4 Excellent
Compact
Aug 9 2016
Phone customer service was terrible
Pros: I got different answers at different times I called. They would not call the location and would not let me call them and gave in correct info and were rude.
5.2 Okay
Compact
Aug 9 2016
Hourlong wait on line - Car filthy
Pros: Price was great. They are one of the few to offer one-way rental without charging a stiff fee. Drop-off at Newark was smooth and easy.
Cons: It took me a full hour and 10 minutes waiting on line on a Saturday morning to get my car. There was one employee on duty, and he would walk people out of the Sears and disappear into the parking lot, The cars had not been washed and he was literally taking each car to be washed before handing over the keys, leaving everyone on line dumbfounded. When it was my turn - sounds cliche but I was literally late for a funeral - so I took it without cleaning but it was so filthy that at dropoff they wanted to document that I had received it like that.
They did not brief me on their charges for NOT removing the EZpass or for fuel refill costs.
On top of that, they had moved and Google Maps still showed them at their old location in the same area. Almost no signage nearby alerts you to where they now are, Had to ask several people just to find the counter.
9.6 Excellent
Economy
Aug 8 2016
Pros: Staff at agency was very friendly, process was quick, aside from there only being one person there to help multiple customers, but, again, the wait wasn't bad. Overall a good experience
Cons: location wasn't very clean, I noticed they were moving to a different space and that would help, their location when I piked up had tires all over and a mechanic shop in the back...at first I wasn't sure if I was in the right place.
6.8 Good
Intermediate
Jul 24 2016
Great price, horrific local office.
Pros: Nice clean car and Kayak price.
Cons: Local office staff in Albany (at Sears) was utterly incompetent in every imaginable way.
10.0 Excellent
SUV
Jul 14 2016
Great car, great service
Pros: New and good quality vehicle, good service from Budget at pick-up and return. We had the car for four weeks and it was fantastic. Great daily rate, too.
10.0 Excellent
SUV
Jul 14 2016
Excellent
Pros: Service desk was excellent
2.0 Poor
Economy
May 30 2016
Cons: When we went to pick up our rental that we had reserved from kayak, the girl behind the counter put all my info in and the system would not let it go through. She informed us that they just had an update the night before and that there was no one she could call to help (her manager left her phone at work). There was nothing wrong with my card, ssn, or license I gave her. This was at 6am at the Albany, NY airport. We had to get to the GSP airport in South Carolina within the 24hour rental period. Since I nor my husband use any major credit cards, there was no other option than using the bank card that would not go through for whatever reason (I contacted my bank when they opened at 7 and they said nothing was wrong with the account). We ended up having to contact my Grandmother to come all the way back to the airport (we were in NY for my Grandfather's funeral) so she could pay using her major credit card and then adding me as a driver. By this time it was 730am. By this time my Husband was pretty frustrated about the whole thing. And we were dealing with a different guy behind the counter that had just got to work at 7 (Phil). Phil was not very patient or professional behind the counter. When we finally paid with my grandmothers major credit card he didn't even give us till the next day at 730am for the rental. He left it at the original reserved time of 6am. Because of that we ended up taking the car back to SC at 2 in the morning rather than just taking it home and returning it in the morning because we weren't sure we could be up by 530am to take it back by 6.
Also the cars maintenance light and change oil light was on the whole time.
8.4 Excellent
Economy
Nov 20 2015
Great
Pros: The car was great customer service in Albany was great
10.0 Excellent
Minivan
Oct 15 2015
Pros: Very very comfortable
Cons: I liked everything about this vehicle