Imagine you are a customer of Budget, now Avis Budget Group, for over 2 decades. You rent a car, call in to extend the rental, per contact, and then return the car. Credit Card charged. You rent another from the same location explaining that you don't know the duration of the rental due to ongoing business. In the interim, a vehicle exchange occurs back at the same rental office and off you go. Your CC is on file; driver's license valid, then a few weeks later your CC is charged for> $1, 200. Fine; not a problem. 2-3 weeks after the CC charge, you are arrested for Grand Theft Auto and possession of known stolen property (the car). Rental vehicle impounded.<br />
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The CC was good; Budget never bothered to check or charge the card, instead relying on AIG investigators who went to a wrong local CA address that I have never resided at nor owned, claiming they left messages with "my neighbors". I live clear across the USA. Car apparently reported as "overdue" (not sure) even though they called me a few weeks prior, assured me everything was in order - a computer mix-up, perhaps, and charged my CC.<br />
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Police searched vehicle, damaging it; tow truck further damaged vehicle. It then sat in storage for 10+ days; I went to jail for the first time in my life for 24-36+ hours. All personal belongings estimated at $2, 000+ gone. AIG called my family 3, 000 miles away, threatening them with harboring a felon and threatening that a warrant for my arrest would be issued if I did not return the car -- 2 weeks AFTER the arrest. Then AIG/ Budget had the nerve to ask where the car was.<br />
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Now with $1, 000s of damage to the car - Budget is harassing me for payment. I had to hire a criminal attorney, post bail and ended up (EST) tens-of-thousands of dollars in the hole for all told.<br />
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After 7 months - NO charges were ever filed; hence NO arraignment. Due to financial hardship this caused, I am now losing my home where my family, including 4 children, 3 under 15 years of age, reside.<br />
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I am so glad that I patronized Avis-Budget with dozens, if not hundreds of car rentals over the last 25 years.