My experience at Budget in Galway last week was pretty abysmal. Adrian met me out front and asked if I had a reservation, which I did. He then started off by demanding who I stayed with the previous night and where they live (really not sure why they need this information). Next he asked about insurance at which point I provided my letter from Chase (PDF on my phone) outlining my eligibility for "worldwide coverage under the Auto Rental Collision Damage waiver benefit." I had called Chase before my trip specifically to confirm that Ireland was not excluded from their coverage (given past rules) and they assured me that Ireland was included in their worldwide coverage benefit, and sent me this letter as proof. Adrian insisted that the letter must specifically state Ireland and refused to rent me the car I had reserved until I was able to provide one. The other options he provided were to go elsewhere or to get coverage through Budget and quoted me $500. At this point I would have loved to walk away but really needed the car and to get on the road. I called Chase and the woman I spoke with kindly offered to speak to Adrian but he declined, stating it would do not good without a letter. I then asked for his name but he refused to give me his last name saying he was not required to do so (was not wearing a badge or any form of identification). I then asked to speak with someone else and he called his manager, who confirmed that "worldwide coverage" is sufficient, and told him to move forward with my reservation. He proceeded to go through the steps and never once apologized for his misunderstanding of the policy. I am not one to write reviews and generally give people the benefit of the doubt- but I do feel like feedback is warranted in this case in hopes that others can avoid this experience. Adrian and Galway Budget aside, the car I rented was great and I had no issues with the drop-off at Shannon Airport. Despite this I will be avoiding Budget in the future.
Better treatment of the customer and understanding of the policies. Wearing a name badge seems appropriate, and apologizing for the error would have also gone a long way.
