Budget Montenegro Charged €458 for a 1cm Scratch Despite Insurance Coverage

I rented a car from Budget’s website for my trip to Podgorica Airport in Montenegro from May 24-27, and I purchased a €1,300 mini damage insurance plan. However, when I returned the car, the airport Budget office claimed the insurance didn’t cover a small 1cm scratch near the driver’s door—something I’m not even sure happened while I had the car. They classified it as a "Category 2" medium-sized damage and charged me €458.28. When I tried to take a photo or copy of the paperwork, I was prevented from doing so. I ended up reporting the issue to the airport police, who were very helpful and mentioned that they receive similar complaints from tourists weekly, saying these businesses unfairly profit from such situations.

I emailed Budget customer service the same day to report the incident, but they brushed it off, telling me to contact the Montenegro branch. I rented through Budget's international site expecting reliability, but instead, this experience has left me feeling misled and cheated. Despite several reminders, it took them over a month to send a generic response, offering no real help. Choosing Budget for their supposed corporate trustworthiness was a mistake, and their customer service is truly disappointing.