Kept on extending

The process is simple and smooth. They might try to sell you insurance during pickup, claiming there's no coverage without it, but you can just ignore them.

The car rental company was very professional and friendly. However, they did not accept the insurance we purchased domestically. In case of any vehicle accident or scratch, they will directly deduct 5000 AUD for repairs. This is something to be aware of. Fortunately, we didn't encounter any issues, but if something happens, claiming this 5000 AUD through domestic insurance could be very troublesome!

We were due to drop our car off at Melbourne airport but due to terrible lack of signage we almost missed it. There were no signs for where to return vehicles and after circling the airport several times, we telephoned budget. As it was after opening time, I expected someone to have answered, but unfortunately nobody did. We telephoned several times with no answer, which of course added to the stress of trying to return the car. After eventually finding the location and returning the car, the staff member who greeted us to check the car over told us the company was unable to display signage detailing returns due to airport rules, which is ridiculous. I understand the company has little control over airport signage,however the fact nobody responded to several phone calls was highly frustrating and added to our stress greatly. We arrived at check in less than five minutes before it closed, not a nice way to end a holiday. I returned the car three days ago and have yet to be emailed my invoice, another example of terrible communication. Would not recommend.

I booked a medium SUV - Mitsubishi ASX or similar - and received a Holden CHR which is a small SUV. For the price I paid I feel I didn’t get value for money. The CHR didn’t even fit 2 large suitcases in the boot, which was a key consideration of my purchase. The CHR also had dents on the passenger side. Apart from that the car was clean on the inside, fairly new and easy to drive. The customer service was good, even though we noticed an available Mitsubishi ASX sitting in the Budget carpark.

The booking was easy to use. I used the live chat to notify Budget my plane was running half an hour late. At first I didn’t think the customer service staff helped me but in the end she notified the local Budget agent, which was great.