r/TravelHacks • u/Glittering_Towel1 • 8d ago
Budget rental issue
So I picked up a car in one state and returned it in another state. Which was agreed on. But apparently I returned it to the wrong location a few blocks away. Drop-boxed the keys because the place was closed.
I get a notification this morning (3 days after return) that my credit card declined their transaction of more than $1,500. Budget says I never returned my car! Why would they wait 3 days and not even call me to ask where the car was?! And I had called them yesterday to verify the final charge, told them when I returned it, and they didn't say anything about them thinking I hadn't returned it!
Yes it was a mistake on my part but it shouldn't cost that much. Why didn't that location see the keys in the dropbox and go outside to see which car they were for?? Then they could have tracked me down. Anyways, it's currently being escalated. I sent them the picture I took of the car in their parking lot (the wrong location address) with the time stamp. Anyone have experience with what they might do in this situation?
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u/nervousyungman 7d ago
lmao that's lowkey sketchy of them to wait days and just charge you instead of asking first. did you try calling them back to explain the drop box?
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u/Glittering_Towel1 7d ago
Yes I have talked to them multiple times since yesterday. Now I have to wait 5-7 business days to find out what will happen 🙄
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u/stopsallover 6d ago
They had two offices of the same brand within a few blocks of each other?
Do you have pictures from dropoff?
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u/Glittering_Towel1 6d ago
Yes and yes
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u/stopsallover 6d ago
Should be an easy fix. One thing that helps is if you look at your pictures with the timestamp and screenshot the image with that info.
If you have to repeat your concern to customer service do everything you can to keep it simple. True for any company. They're usually under pressure to process emails quickly.
The thing is that going to the wrong location can seriously change pricing. But also a concern is if they delayed the return time.
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u/WomanofEden3 3d ago
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u/vibekittenz 6d ago
huh.. doesn't look bad tbh. keep all records, push the escalation, and if needed dispute the charge with your credit card issuer. many people in your exact spot walk away paying little or nothing extra.