Budget car rental

We rented a car from Budget car rental in Flagstaff, AZ. to drive to Las Vegas, NV. It blew a tire while in Vegas and we called roadside assistance to get it fixed. They put the little donut tire on and, because we asked about the 249 mile drive back home (which is NOT SAFE on a donut tire), we were told to go to the nearest budget office and they would exchange the car for us. We called the nearest Budget office (this was on a Sunday so only one office was open, the McCarran airport one) and the lady said they would NOT exchange the car for us because we refused their "extended roadside assistance." What extended roadside assistance? No one ever mentioned that when we rented it and there's no line on the contract where you initial to refuse it. The lady said we had to get the tire fixed at our own expense and that it had to be the exact name brand tire. We did replace the exact type and brand at Costco because our safety was important to us; we had our son with us and didn't want to risk having an accident while driving back home on a little donut tire. When we wrote to Budget about the incident, included our contract and the receipt for the new tire, and asked for the $149.66 refund of the cost of fixing a tire that they should have taken care of, here was their response to us: Monday, October 1, 2018 Budget Case: 25147944 Dear Mr. Harrington, Thank you for contacting Budget regarding your rental car experience. We are sincerely sorry to hear that you had encountered an issue with the tire. Unfortunately, per our contract terms and conditions, we do not allow an unauthorized company to work on our cars; for safety reasons. We understand that you weren’t able to get the car exchanged at the nearest location and you were advised of getting the car exchanged. But, unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse you for that expense. Be advised that a formal internal report will be filled for this inconvenience. Any difficulties or problems encountered by a customer are a concern to us, and we apologize most sincerely for any inconvenience you may have been caused. Regards, Karen F Budget Rental Car --------------------------------------- Needless to say, WE WILL NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET OR AVIS AGAIN. We have been loyal customers for 20 years. David Harrington