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Budget Car & Truck Rental
Categories: Home Services Movers Hotels & Travel Car Rental Movers, Car Rental [Edit]
3241 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA 95051
(408) 730-0887
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
About This Business:
Bay Area Moving Specialist. Moving Apartments, Homes and Offices. Packing Service & Storage Available. We move Piano's - Free Estimates With over 25… read more »
15 reviews for Budget Car & Truck Rental
15 reviews in English
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Review from John R.
Mountain View, CA
11/16/2010
I know with the options of car rental companies out there I could have rented from anyone. I rented out of the El Camino Budget because it was open on Sunday @ 1p.m. Received excellent service and was out with an Impala at a reasonable rate. They offered drop off (and yes they will pick up as well).
I usually rent from the other rental company (the green) but I think we should try other local rental companies as well. Competition sure is good for me............ -
Review from Anson W.
Sunnyvale, CA
4/15/2012
Some things to beware of:
Reservations do not guarantee availability
There's a shortage of 10' moving trucks here
There's no key drop box here anymore, due to it having been vandalized in the past
I booked a 10' moving truck well in advance, and the system confirmed my 12:00 pickup time. I called the day before my moving day to make sure that the truck would be ready, and the agent told me that my pickup time had been kicked back to 1:00 because that's when somebody else would be returning the truck. So Budget can modify my pickup time and not inform me? If I hadn't called, I would not have known about the change.
On moving day I called again, and lo and behold, the 10' truck wasn't available because it had broken down. From the sound of things, that was the only 10' truck this location has. I had to go with the next size, 16', which costs the same but is over the weight limit for what my insurance company covers liability for (whereas the 10' truck is under the weight limit). I had to purchase supplemental insurance from Budget for $20, as the agent "did not have the power" to give it to me for free, even though it wasn't my fault that I needed it.
I also asked for some furniture blankets, and the agent told me they didn't have any on hand. I found that strange for a moving company and asked what happens to people who reserves them in advance. He gave a sheepish smile and replied, "Just because somebody reserves it doesn't mean we have it". "Just like the 10' truck," I bemoaned.
The larger truck actually was a blessing in disguise, because I was able to fit all my stuff into a single trip instead of two. But I was not impressed with Budget's reservation system. How can they allow people to reserve things but not guarantee availability, and why do they think it's acceptable to modify a person's reservation without notifying them? The only reason this place gets more than one star is because the two different agents who helped me (one on the phone and one in person) were very nice and helpful as much as they could be. Unfortunately, they just didn't have the power to do anything beyond their normal duties. -
Review from Jason J.
San Jose, CA
4/22/2012
Seems customers are on both end of the spectrum. Those who reserve a truck and got one compared to those who reserved a truck and didn't get one. I am in the latter. Reserved it. Confirmed it by calling the place. and low and behold on the day off...NO F_in truck.
Apparently it is customary to Budget to overbook trucks. I do not see how this is good business since they asked for credit cards on their website and have strict guidelines for cancellations.
Second, when you called customer services...they will find one in the next 2 hours honor the price you locked it in..but it could be 5 -30 miles away...and guess what...you're liable for the mileage....GREAT customer service (sarcasm).
Let's just say Budget = cheap. Cheap = bad service. -
Review from Jessica M.
Oakland, CA
11/21/2011
Never again. Moving day is stressful enough, but to make your reservation a week in advance, and then show up the day of your move and have the truck rental place tell you that they don't have the truck you rented - or any truck even remotely close to the one you rented - is unacceptable. Especially when they had all of my contact info, and could have easily called to warn me so I could make alternative arrangements instead of finding out when I'm there to get my truck on the day of my move. Not to mention how unconcerned the guy working the desk was. He suggested I wait while he call the guy who was supposed to return a truck I could use but hadn't shown up yet. Um, I'm sorry - you can't wait around for an hour or so for some guy who may or may not show up on the day you are moving all of your things from one city to another. I told him I had to leave and find a place that had a truck ready for me right now, and he said I would not be charged a cancellation fee since it was their screw up. So, guess who got charged a $50 cancellation fee? I called customer service immediately when I saw the pending charge, and to their benefit they did not hassle me, and told me they would credit my account within 5-7 business days. Let's hope they don't fail me there.
I ended up leaving and going a few blocks down to U-Haul, who - despite telling me (half-jokingly) that no truck rental places actually gives a shit about customers when I told them about my experience at Budget, and how the guy seemed to not care - provided me with EXCELLENT customer service, and had me out the door with everything I needed for my move within 15 minutes - ON THE SPOT.
Please, do yourself a favor - if you are doing a move on your own, use U-haul - they are more prepared for moving. It seems like moving is just a side gig for Budget, who mainly does car rentals, and they definitely have not mastered the moving market yet. -
Review from Marie B.
San Francisco, CA
5/23/2011
After 2 horrible experiences with U-Haul I decided to go with Budget for this move. They did have my reservation (something U-Haul couldn't seem to manage despite me always calling multiple times to confirm), but while I was waiting to pick up the truck one of the sketchy guys at the counter read off a credit card number to someone on the phone. I sure hope they aren't doing this with my credit card info.
Then the 10 footer I ordered was having brake problems and they upgraded me to a 16 footer, acting like they were doing me a favor. I'm moving only enough furniture to fit in a tiny San Francisco apt, I don't need 6 extra feet and now I have to pay more for gas. They tried to convince me the gas mileage would be exactly the same bc its "only fiberglass". Apparently fiberglass is weightless? And now I have to maneuver 6 extra feet while driving in San Francisco. Thanks. I talked them into giving me some discounts, but I will definitely never return to that location and will be calling corporate to let them know how the employees are treating credit card information. -
Review from Vinay N.
Santa Clara, CA
1/3/2012
Beware of this place.
I have booked a intermediate car online and went to this place to pick-up my car.
They promise everythin on the internet but once you go there, they talk as if the site and the store does not even have any kind of link between them. So when I asked about it to them, the way they talk is very rude.
"This is the car we have, if you want take it, else cancel your reservation". Ok agreed, I cancel the reservation and what about my refund. They reply back, saying that you should contact http://Budget.com.
No responsible answer.
I will not rent car from this place again. -
Review from Yashe a.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/6/2012
Avoid! very unprofessional. When I complained about a problem I was told "we didn't force you rent from us." For a car rental, they will charge you an extra day if you show up 10-15 mins late when returning. They dont warn you of this earlier. So, if you do rent make sure of the time before which you need to return your car/ truck. I'd rather stick with their next door neighbors for car rentals.
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Review from Wayland Q.
Santa Clara, CA
2/23/2010
Sorry guys. I was so pissed at U-Haul that I only took the time to write a scathing review for them.
Budget Truck Rental was fabulous. The truck was big, affordable, in great condition, and ran well. I didn't get charged for unnecessary things and I was in/out pretty fast. Return was fine without any hassle. Budget R.A.T. is my preferred truck rental service. -
Review from Keith M.
Santa Clara, CA
8/25/2008
These guys are good, or I should say this location and the staff is. I got the feeling he's the owner's son, and that may help explain some of the great quality of service perhaps.
The young fellow working there (i'll find his name later and put it in here), was professional, helpful and friendly, which is rare in the rental and moving industries I've found, no attitudes, no trying to swindle you kinda feeling. He was quick too, they're good at what they do, and he seems to know you're busy (yes, we're moving) so they try get you taken care of and out the door quickly.
I rented a 16' truck for $35.99, reserved it online (at their link above), then came into the store. Its a long narrow lot so slow down to make the right turn in, park anywhere and walk into that white portable office towards the back of the lot.
I also bought 10 moving boxes, and he gave me a 10% discount for 10 (ask and you'll get it).
Trucks work fine, I drove perhaps 20 miles and refilled the gas myself, there's a Valero like 50 yards down El Camino on the right at Pomeroy, all went smooth~~. -
Review from Joe V.
Santa Clara, CA
1/21/2010
I rented a 10' truck here a couple of weekends ago when I moved to my new apartment.
The service was fine and the overall process was cheap and smooth. Really, that's the most important part of renting a truck, the ease of the transaction.
The truck itself was alright. I have no idea how there was standing water on wood in the back corner, but whatever. I just didn't put anything that could be damaged by water in that small spot.
If you need to rent a truck, go to Budget. -
Review from Trish R.
Grover Beach, CA
5/28/2009
Such a great experience with excellent customer service. They were able to answer my questions ahead of time and followed up with my reservation. I had Umesh Pudasisni assist me with paperwork.
I rented the largest they had a 24' one way. I was very impressed with the selection and will use Budget again. No hidden costs.
Returning the vehicle to another location could have learned better customer service pointers from Umesh.
The Santa Clara location gets 6 stars if there were more to give. -
Review from Nash C.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/28/2010
Be careful with these guys, they are really bad.
I booked the deal online and went to pickup, my crdit card did not have enough balance, then that fellow simply asked my ssn and ran a credit check with out even informing me.
then for renewal they charge lot..
I am sure we have lot of better options than this.. -
Review from Manjeet S.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/9/2010
This was the first time I rented a car from this location. Used Orbitz to book for 4 days. When I got there, it was a long wait only one guy attending the customers and answering the phone at the same time. Then he ignored the quote from orbtiz and quoted me way more than orbitz price, prints out and hands me over the paperwork to sign. I reviewed the quote and had to remind him to use the orbitz quote, he reluctantly agreed. But he still did not accept the insurance/coverage quote from orbitz and charged be higher rate. I returned the car on time and to our disbelief they charged my card to clean up the car: $30.
Honestly, they are running a mom/pop shop there. I will never go back there again. -
Review from Sharon L.
Mariposa, CA
1/16/2009
Granted, when you rent a truck you just go in, pick up keys, and drive away. But this office had wonderful customer service. And after experiencing some less than friendly customer service at other moving I had called a couple times earlier in the week with questions, and they happily answered everything. Confirmation was cheerful. At the office, they clearly explained options, but didn't push me to get extra things I didn't want. The truck was there and ready for us to pick up. I've had other truck rental experiences where trucks weren't available even though a reservation had been confirmed.
Kudos to this office for great customer service. -
Review from Bryan C.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/12/2010
I rented a 24' truck on a one-way rental from the El Camino location in Santa Clara, about 300 miles. After searching the internet, comparing prices and terms (one-way mileage limits, extra blankets, insurance...) I found Budget was reasonably priced, and more importantly for me, their 24' truck is larger inside than U-Haul's 26' truck.
SUMMARY:
Overall the experience was very good. The truck was pretty loud and the cab shook like an unbalanced washer but it had a well-cushioned seat and a loud radio. Mirrors were sufficient but I got help when backing up. Nothing got damaged despite some massively bone-jarring potholes that tested the strength of my seatbelt. Note to self: drive slower.
COSTS (Total ~$580 for 3-day one-way rental, for 385 miles):
$320 for 24' truck plus 12 blankets
$150 for insurance (~$100 for $1M liability + $50 for the truck itself)
$110 for diesel (59 gallon tank!) fuel
Budget's truck is larger because the U-Haul measurement includes space above the cab while Budget's trucks don't have space above the cab. The U-Haul truck body is really only 23.5' deep, plus 3' above the cab, giving them the claim to a 26' truck. Since I was hauling large furniture items, I could only use the main body area so Budget got my business.
Since I had furniture, I wanted a truck with an automatic hydraulic lift-gate for loading. However these were available (from everyone) for rental only to businesses, with some extra insurance. I could only get the manual pull-out ramp. I asked why and they said that those hydraulic lift-gates can do a lot of damage and so they don't rent them to individuals. Nuts, those things *are* fun...
Anyway, the staff at the Budget El Camino location were very friendly and helpful. When I said I might travel farther than the default 335 miles, the guy threw in an extra 50 miles for me for free - nice. He also suggested that I might need more insurance but I should call my provider to find out.
I called my insurance and learned that most personal automobile insurance only provides coverage if you rent a truck with 2000lbs or less of load capacity. I have seen this from several sources on the internet, and my insurance company told me this directly, while looking at my policy. This equates only to a pickup truck, not even the smallest 10' truck that you might rent to move your 1-room studio (and to think of all those moves where I thought I was insured, but really not...). The 24' truck can carry 12,000 lbs so I got the extra insurance. $50 was worth it to me in case I damaged the truck.
Interestingly, no insurance company or policy seems to cover the *top* of the truck (i.e. the storage area). I couldn't find anyone to cover this. I guess people hit trees, bridges and poles and stuff up high a lot (I gave a tree a pretty good scrape, but no damage). So if you crunch the top of the truck, you pay for it even if you paid for the extra $50 comprehensive insurance.
Return was easy - after hunting for diesel fuel (not as easy to find as you might think) I dropped it off in Nevada at some truck / trailer storage place. There staff there was laid back yet quick and no hassle.
Overall, if I had to do it again, I'd rent from Budget.
