Budget Rental Istanbul Demands Extra Insurance Fee for Booking.com Reservations
I have two major complaints regarding a car rental made on June 13, 2026, from your Istanbul Taksim Budget location through Booking.com. We completed the reservation via Booking.com and made an upfront payment of approximately 13,000 TRY. According to the information listed on Booking.com, all insurance fees were explicitly stated to be included in this price.
When we arrived at your Taksim location to pick up the vehicle, we were told that the insurance purchased through Booking.com was not valid, that we had to take delivery of the vehicle without insurance, and that signing a document to this effect was mandatory. Furthermore, we were told that in the event of an accident, full liability would fall on Booking.com, that an accident report could not even be prepared, and that we would have to pay all costs upfront to Budget before seeking reimbursement from Booking.com. While it is impossible for us as customers to know whether such an agreement exists between the two companies, encountering such pressure at the desk despite zero warning on Booking.com's end severely undermines trust.
The representative at the counter stated that they would not hand over the car unless we signed the document declaring the vehicle was delivered uninsured, forcing us to pay an additional insurance fee of approximately 3,000 TRY. Due to time constraints and the risk of disrupting our travel itinerary, we were forced to pay this extra insurance fee. I believe this process was conducted entirely under duress and without transparency.
Additionally, the interior of the delivered vehicle smelled heavily of cigarette smoke and had oil and dirt stains in various places (specifically around the gear shift and door panels). Because the insurance debate and paperwork took so long and we were in a hurry, we could not return the vehicle to seek another alternative, forcing us to travel in this heavy cigarette odor for 6 days.
As someone who has rented vehicles from Budget abroad multiple times without issue, I am deeply disappointed to feel deceived regarding insurance in Turkey and to be handed a dirty, foul-smelling car. I demand that the insurance process be clarified transparently in line with your agreement with Booking.com, that the additional insurance fee of approximately 3,000 TRY I was forced to pay be refunded, and that necessary reviews regarding your vehicle cleanliness and quality standards be conducted to prevent similar hardships.
