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Added by Jopie, at 26 December 2015
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5 Reviews
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21 February 2018
BEWARE!!
The odyssey of my fiasco -
If you attempt to rent a car in Costa Rica keep in mind the price you pay will be TRIPLE the price you see online. Additionally they will also hold $1000 deposit even if you have international car insurance documentation. We made a rental car reservation via Priceline prior to our visit. My friend arrived only to discover that our SUV wasn’t available and modest rental price had increased three fold. That night I arrived with a reservation she made (after her failed attempt) via Expedia however the pickup time was set for 10pm. There was no shuttle passing at that time when I arrived, so I opted to take a taxi to their location and as it turns out they were closed at that time, so I continued with the taxi to my hotel which cost me $60. That night we made another reservation, this time it was twice as much as the first time but a car was critical to our trip. The following morning I took an Uber $40 (less than the taxi) to pick up at 7am however nobody arrived until 8am. They try to charge me $902 for the reservation but after I point out their math is flawed they change it to $650 which was $300 additional to the reservation price. They charged an additional $1000 deposit which isn’t shown through any reservation site at all so we had no idea. I provided by drivers license, proof of insurance and the reservation total. I spoke with two employees however they stated there is nothing more they can do. We proceeded on our journey to Arenal, Monteverde then on our way to Jaco we got a flat tire. We called the 800 number for emergencies to get help but alas they put us on hold. They wanted our GPS coordinates sent via WhatsApp but we only had turned on our cell to call for help. We didn’t have service to text. They said there was nothing more they could do despite us providing the highway and how many kilometers we had traveled on that road. Luckily we flagged down help who changed the tire for us. Budget would have just left us there stranded. It was so maddening to know they wouldn’t even send someone to us despite being hung up on several times then placed on hold after providing the basic car information. We used GPS to find the nearest mechanic to check out the handy work to ensure we could make the journey to Jaco. We called again to see if we could get a new back up tire, check the squeaking breaks and help us with the now dead lighter port. Luckily my friend had downloaded google maps prior to the trip because we were now unable to use the GPS we paid for! We made it to Budget in Jaco to get a new tire, they wrote us a report however were unable to fix the lighter port. We returned the rental car a day early, Ana mentioned if we return the day before we would get one day off the rental. We finally arrive to return the car only to discover that it was a lie for them to charge us an extra day while getting another person to pay for that same day as well. They also stated they would charge us for the tire, $148, which was not ever mentioned at the Budget rental in Jaco or on the many calls to their customer service. They complained the gas wasn’t completely full and threatened to charge us 5x the price for a full tank which was insane. My rental total is nearly $1000 from a modest $300 reservation which is ridiculous especially when traveling on a budget. Wish I had read the reviews prior to booking! I would give them -5 stars if that were a possible rating.response / report this review -
22 August 2017
* * * * Never Again! * * * *
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Ok, clear.
This is the last time, we will ever rent from Budget.
Coming days, I will share my negative experience with BUDGET, via Google reviews, Facebook, Tripadvisor, etc. Hopefully we will help other peaple so they dot not make the same mistake as we did.
Thank you.
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Dear H.
Thank you for your email.
The refund not proceed at this moment because you accept the coverage by your signature.
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Hello J.
As mentioned earlier, I indicated several times, very clearly to the employee that I did not want any additional insurance costs. Unfortunately, I did not read the document thoroughly and signd this in good faith.
I feel scammed and kindly ask you to turn it back and credit the difference.
If you are unwilling to do so, I unfortunately have no other choice than to express and share my dissatisfaction via the travel- and social media platforms, to save other people/customers to also become victims of this (Budget Costa-Rica) poor working method.
I hope we can complete this dispute in a decent way.
Hoping for your positive response, I would like to hear from you.
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Dear H.
Please find attached a copy of the closed rental agreement that indicates the final amount billed was ₡ 503.831.56 Costa Rican Colones.
Budget Costa Rica is not responsible for the exchange rate and exchange fee use by the customer’s credit card company.
The copies also indicates that you acceptance of the optional coverage(s). In light of this documentation, we find the charges are correctly rendered.
Find below a breakdown of the charges.
Any difficulties or problems encountered by a customer are a concern to us, and we apologize most sincerely for any inconvenience.
Best regards
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Hello Sir J.
May I again request you to credit the difference?
Kind regards,
H.
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Thank you for contacting and giving us the opportunity to serve you.
We will immediately start an investigation process regarding you query will come back to you as soon we have a satisfactory response.
Thank you again for choosing Budget Car Rental.
Best Regards.
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Dear Sir J,
I have just talked to you about my dissatisfaction with car rental.
We have reserved and rented the car for a price of $ 482.21, see email.
While picking up the car I clealy said that I did not want any additional insurance, no extra costs. To my great surprise, I see now that the final bill that it has been charged. I am very Disappointed and very dissatisfied about this. We were very pleased with everything. Nice location, good car, no problems, etc. But this final bill is not fair, not correct.
I was not (made) aware of the additional costs and I disagree.
I kindly ask you to credit the difference.
Thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
H.
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Reservation:
Pick-up:
07/17/2017
Return:
07/27/2017
Car
LAND CRUISER PRADO 4X4
Estimated Rate: $ 483.21 (USD)
Taxes and airport fees included on the price.response / report this review -
14 December 2016
The car was as advertised, access was easy, the people were reasonably friendly.. The process was quick and painless.
Make sure to return the car full because otherwise it will cost about 4 times the normal. Thankfully there is a gas station real nearby that has normal gas rates.
They have good Wi-Fi at the office while you're waiting.response / report this review -
11 May 2016
Absolutely horrible experience.
I was quoted $60USD and then without being told, signed away and only later saw that the total amount for was $240USD..
What a shock. They were not helpful at all and it was never made clear at the time of renting, that there would be this additional charge of $20USD per day.
Hopeless and non-genuine serviceresponse / report this review -
02 January 2016
Budget overall is a great service here but this store can be a little slow, especially as you wait for your new car to arrive to begin your journey. Customer service is good. Just make sure you educate yourself on all the fees and deposits possible, as I saw many people surprised by the big deposits requested.
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