About Budget Car Rental
Budget Car Rental was originally founded in 1958 in the United States. Since 2002, Budget Car Hire has been a part of the Avis Budget Group (which also owns Avis Car Hire). Operating in around 175 countries around the world, Budget Rental has approximately 92 branches across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The Budget Car Rental South Africa fleet consists of about 8,500 cars, ranging from economy vehicles to luxury brand name cars. The current CEO of the Avis Budget Group worldwide is Ronald L. Nelson, whilst the head of the group responsible for South Africa is Larry De Shon.
Where is Budget Rent a Car Located?
The head offices of Budget Car Rental are located at Budget House, 494 Wrench Road, Johannesburg. Additionally, as mentioned above, there are about 92 Budget Rental locations in South Africa, including branches at every major airport.
Which Services Do Budget Car Rental Provide?
Budget Car Rental provide for a wide range of services. These include personal, corporate and tour operator divisions. On the personal front, Budget provides vehicle rental, as well as other services such as door-to-door pick up, coach chartering, special vehicle rental (such as luxury cars), and specialised services for disabled drivers and passengers.
Vehicle Rental with Budget Car Hire
If you wish to rent a car from Budget Car Rental then the company offers various vehicles, depending on your needs. They also offer various other benefits. Benefits of renting a vehicle from Budget include:
- Choice of seventeen different classes of vehicle to choose from (including four wheel drive cars, and luxury vehicles such as Mercedes);
- Ability to add an extra driver to the rental agreement for R275 per day;
- Includes access to Budget Assist, which will aid you in finding medical services as well as paying the deposit that hospitals often require- though this is access only, you will be required to pay for these services if you use them;
- Includes Access to Budget Roadside Assist, which will help you in case of accident or break down, again this is access only and you will need to pay for these services should they be necessary;
- Ability to add a Cross Border Clause which will allow you to take your vehicle out of South Africa (limited to certain countries);
- Ability to add a One Way fee which means that you do not have to return the vehicle to the location where you picked it up;
- You can add baby or child seat rental for R320 per rental, or GPS rental for R80 per day;
- Includes forms of accident, theft and hijacking insurance that will limit your liability in the case of certain events, meaning that you do not have to pay full cost for damages- you may choose not to include this insurance but in this case must prove your private car insurance will give you coverage instead.
How Are Budget Car Rental’s Customer Reviews?
Hellopeter, the customer review website, lists 140 reviews of Budget Rent a Car posted over the last twelve months. Of these, 34 are positive and 106 are negative. Positive reviews generally cite good customer service, however the negative reviews nearly all commented on poor customer service. It is important to remember, however, that whilst good customer service is nice, none of these reviews mentioned negative aspects of actual car rental (i.e. break downs, accidents, extra fees), and that customers are much more likely to complain than to compliment. Additionally, Budget Rent a Car did respond to every review, positive or negative, indicating that they are listening to customer feedback.
How User Friendly is the Budget Car Hire Website?
It was easy to find information on the Budget Car Rental website, and site navigation was simple. We especially liked that they gave information about each kind of car they rent that included such things as how much luggage it could handle, info that customers are sure to find very useful. We would like to see Budget include a little more information about the company on their website, since shoppers often like to know who they’re renting from. However, in general the Budget Rent a Car website was easy to use with plenty of clearly explained information.
Budget Car Rental in Conclusion
Budget Car Rental is one of the largest rental companies in the country, which means customers have the convenience of many pick up and drop off points. The company also rents a wide range of different vehicles for different needs. Customer reviews of Budget are fairly average, but negative reviews do centre around customer service rather than around the actual cars rented or financial complaints, for example. If you’re looking to rent a car you should get several quotes, however, just to make sure that you’re getting the best deal!
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