Payless Car Rental Reviews

After about 45 minutes of back and forth, another girl pulled a new contract off the dot-matrix printer with the original price. Thoroughly pissed off, we drove away. Upon return, the car-checker guy sent me to the booth in the garage to wait another 20 minutes while another person pulled our final bill off of the dot-matrix printer. The whole experience had SCAM written all over it. I've been renting cars in Vegas for many years and this is the worst experience by far that I've had. I see on social media that this is common at this location. I want to hear some sort of explanation from you about this.

Manage to start car and drove back to Payless Rental place at La Aurora International Airport. Spoke with the person behind the counter who said I could return the car if I wanted and they would cancel everything returning all my money back to the CC including the hotel I paid the night before. I did cancel my contract on November 30, 2016, got copies of everything I signed and they signed. Today is January 22, 2017 and the ** company haven't return my 2 wks money that they should of returned within 8 business days back into my CC. Being making international calls to Guatemala Payless Rental Car and to the USA Payless 800 number to see if I can get any help through them but both offices continue to put me on hold and I get nowhere. Called my bank (Chase Bank) who is helping me deal with this big ass problem and they are going to deal with Payless now.

So if you go to Guatemala and plan to rent a car, DO NOT RENT ANY CARS FROM PAYLESS, DOLLAR, THRIFTY, OR ENTERPRISE, they are all the same company owner with different names in Guatemala. Found that out after I returned the car to Payless because I told the guy I was going to go to those companies to get a better car from them, and the ** just laughed and said we own all the cars from all of them except Avis, Hertz, Budget, and Alamo Rental Car Companies.

As soon as he said that, I said the hell with all of them and went straight to Avis, Hertz, and Budget getting a way better car and price from Budget Rental Car at the airport counter. The Customer service from Budget and professionalism of the personnel was 100% much better than the people working at Payless. So if you want to rent a car in Guatemala Central America DO NOT GET IT FROM PAYLESS, DOLLAR, ENTERPRISE OR THRIFTY RENTAL CARS or you going to be left stranded and alone on the side of the road.

The towing company also stated that they tried to reach out to Payless and also their parent company, Avis and was given the runaround and when they stated they would picked the car up it never happened. They intentionally left the car at the towing company for 9 days and they stole over $1800 from our account. This is not the end and I would never wish this on my worse enemy. I called the processing center in Virginia Beach and the young lady Mallory couldn't explain the charges and was so unprofessional and unruly. This place should be closed down and never again to reopen. This is the worst place to rent a car no matter where you live. Don't do it! I wouldn't even give them a star.

The first week in December I noticed an unauthorized charge of $50 on my credit card. After reading "Term & Conditions" I assumed that I must have gotten a red light camera violation or a toll violation... neither of which I am aware of doing. I immediately disputed the charge because I EXPECT a letter, bill or something informing me of the charge to my credit card. To date I still have not received any communication from Payless why I was charged a fine. After the last unsuspecting charge and doubling the price of the rental behind the rental company I will NEVER choose Payless as my choice. I have rented from several other companies and Payless tops my list of unethical business! I don't feel that Payless is worthy of a one star rating!

I arrived at the scheduled time and they claimed the vehicle had mechanical issues and they'd let me know in a few minutes about the status, but it looked all phony, and they kept trying to offer me a four-door car so then they call back and said the vehicle is not available. I asked what was wrong. They couldn't tell me. Just for kicks I asked what they would charge me for that 4-door car and they said the same as my reservation. A plain car like that goes for about half of what they charge for full-sized pickup.

I checked other web-sites for a rental of the similar pickup and they all had it for twice the amount of my reservation, so more than likely they gave my reserved vehicle to somebody else for the higher price and left me out in the cold and in fact ruining all my scheduled plans. So as a warning to other users BEWARE of this especially on big holidays time. Also I had this reserved through Expedia but I don't think they do anything about or have a place to place reviews so other users are warned.

I spoke with my State Farm agent, who felt it was a major discrepancy that I was receiving notice with a delay of over two months about alleged damages. This car has likely been rented several times since then. I was called from a number that was listed as "unknown" and a voicemail was left on my phone, referring me to an agent with a claim number, although there were no indication whatsoever as to what the damage was, no photographs, and no information even about the rental. I have to believe, based on this instance and the numerous complaints on the internet, that this is not honest.

Hopefully this is a mistake, but there are multiple, very poor reviews of this company on the internet, including other people who have been accused of allegations of damage where there was none, and multiple complaints about adding charges when they were unwarranted. My strong recommendation is that you never rent from this company. I have reported this to my attorney as well as my insurance agent.

I had my son and grandson with me and they also noticed the dirty vehicle and the smell. I was on my way to pick up my other grandson. He also noticed the smell but we make the best of it. I cannot say the problem with the vehicle made our vacation bad but riding in the vehicle would have been a better experience. I like the price of the rental but I do not know if I will rent from Payless again. For lower prices is this what I can expect the next time I rent from Payless?

So he handed the papers and said - he told me to initial in 4 spots and sign. So I did. I had no reason to question it. I have been renting cars for years. My first time and last time through this company. They charged me 726.50!!! 457 for car and the rest was all additional. I don't even know they are except 83 dollars in taxes! When I tried to complain they opened a ticket. The response was just a picture of my signature. NEVER AGAIN. My Christmas was ruined.

First issue, windshield wipers were inefficient in rain and continually made noises. Second issue, had a flat tire and tried to put the donut tire on, but there's no lug nut key to take off the lug nut covers on the tire, which prevented me from being able to change it. I was stuck on I-80 westbound with high traffic flying by and stranded on the side of the Interstate. A passerby stopped who happens to work on tires and had a lug nut key and put the donut on for me. I took the car to the next closest location, Goodyear, to get a tire put on or see if the flat could be repaired. Unable to repair the flat so I had to buy a new tire at $97.25. The service tech at Goodyear said the tire pressure on all four tires were over inflated, which could have caused me an accident given the weather conditions at that time. Goodyear reset all tires once they put the new one on.

I dropped off the vehicle on 12/26/2016 at 3:37 AM, again, no Payless associates available so I dropped the key in the Avis box and went to catch my flight. Needless to say, I'm extremely dissatisfied and upset with my car rental experience and as of yet, I have not gotten a phone call from Payless to resolve the issue of overcharging me.

Now, today on 12/28/2016, I no longer have the $165.94 charge from Avis, but rather a $505.94 charge from Payless and I still haven't heard back from them. I've submitted tickets through their corporate ticket system, I've called customer service, which just reverts back to the ticket system. I've tried calling the number for the location that I picked up and dropped off at, but nobody ever answers and I've left messages. I am beyond PISSED OFF! I've submitted a fraudulent charge to my bank for the additional $340 that I was charged. I wouldn't recommend anyone renting a car from this company and I wish I would have thought better of it myself.

There was another optional service that was abbreviated as 3000 PDW at $13.99 a day. The agent did not explain what this stood for, and when I asked what was I accepting, he gave me an explanation that by accepting this with my initials. I was declining all optional collision services. This turned out to be completely false and I unknowingly initialed this box as accepting this service. I did not realize this until I received my charge on my credit card. The car was returned on time with a full tank of gas in the same condition as when I picked it up. Upon return to the rental lot, there was no one to receive my car for return; the agent at that time said to just leave the keys with him. I also did not receive a final bill at the time of return nor was there one that was emailed to me. When I requested a final bill, the optional 3000 PDW at $13.99/day was on this final bill which escalated my expected total charge by $55+.

I believe the agent was not forthright in carrying out my request to decline all optional services and the customer service people at Payless would not even acknowledge that the agent could have contributed to this misunderstanding and therefore would not refund these charges back to me. I believe that the behavior of this agent and the rental agreement can be used to dupe unsuspecting people including seniors like myself in thinking that you were declining all optional services. Additionally, the rental form contains optional services that are spelled out and others that contain abbreviations which the typical consumer would not know what they mean. I am unhappy about my experience with Payless, still deserve a refund from Payless and would not rent a car from them, nor would I recommend anyone else rent from them either.

Just on principle, I want to file a lawsuit just to bring attention to this problem. They obviously have no care in the world to take care of their customers. Their complaint process is just as fraudulent and they DO BLOW you off and they are totally insensitive. Don't even try to call the local office, they do not return any calls and the the 1-800-PAYLESS number is not going to assist you. They are completely aware of what they are doing because they will tell you, you signed for it. Just avoid this place, spread the word to your friends and family. Do not fall for the online price, they will get you with the charges and false information!

When I returned the car the rental office wasn't open and I had to be on a plane before they were going to open. There was an option to return the car to the airport to Budget or Avis (parent company). I returned the car at the airport and the person checking in the car took my rental agreement saying they needed the copy to check the car in because they were different companies and had different computer systems. I couldn't get a receipt at the time because again the systems were incompatible.

When I got back to work the next day I called Payless to get a receipt and it took 2 hours of going back and forth with Avis/Budget/Payless customer service until someone could track down the receipt and confirmation that the car was returned. I was forced to set up a "ticket" in their service desk department and it took 72 hours to actually receive the receipt (4th problem - slow responsiveness). That's when I first realized that I was charged for something I didn't purchase. I asked for the insurance to be credited since I did not request the service. The only communication I could get was behind a computer screen with a customer service rep that refused to pick up the phone and call me at my request. The entire ordeal took over a week to "resolve" (72 hours per response) at which time they refused to credit the insurance because they had a copy of a rental agreement that I initialed accepting the coverage.

In the interim they took 72 hours to tell me about a fuel charge that I didn't contest (5th problem - incompetent customer service agents wasting people's time). They have never provided me a copy of the rental agreement (they took it from me at check in). I called the customer service department many times and they told me there was no one I could talk to and that I had no other resolution other than the person sitting behind the computer screen refusing to talk to me. Ultimately I contested the charge with the credit card company and made it their problem. I am still awaiting a resolution, but in the meantime the funds were removed from my credit card until it can be resolved (kudos to my Citi card company customer service!)

I WILL NEVER RENT A CAR FROM THIS PLACE AGAIN. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO YOUR RESEARCH. For what it's worth, I am not a review reader and rarely purchase things just based on reviews alone. I am a learn from my own experiences kind of person. If you listen to one review, let it be this one. I also don't have the time to write lengthy reviews like this (I work full time and have two kids under the age of 2 at home). I have much better things to do with my time. I am hoping I can save one person's misery by writing this. STEER CLEAR OF PAYLESS CAR RENTAL!!!

The next morning, I reviewed the docs and noticed that everything was marked the opposite of what I told her - and for an extra $100. I've always been told that the charges are estimated and I can straighten them out on return so I was confident that would happen. But no one would help me on my return and after multiple correspondences with the company, they completely blew me off. I tried to get a live person to discuss the events and go over the charges in detail but the agents on the phone offered no assistance except go online and make a report. The result of that was only pay up. I'm convinced that the agent deliberately prepared the docs and after reading other blogs and the way the company treated me, it's likely not only a Tampa issue but a company-wide scamming policy.

Updated on 01/03/2017: Payless Car Rental was cheating me and overbilled more than $100. I did protest on my credit card and await results. Meanwhile, I've received a bill from Payless for an additional $73.22 with no explanation of charges. They provided two phone numbers that I could contact for an explanation. I called the first and the agent said he had no way to help me. He gave me a third phone number which I called three times throughout the day and there was no answer. So I called the second number several times and again no one answered. This has to be the biggest bunch of gutter rats ever. I made my notes and will ignore the bill.

When you trust this outfit you are going to get scammed. It's a rip-off and the guy who did it to us is under the name **, which is at the bottom of your rental agreement. They have cameras in the office but the company will not review them and for good reason, because this place is crooked and deceitful. Check the reviews on this place on google because there is person after person complaining about unauthorized charges. I reported them to the BBB in Tampa and others need to do whatever it takes to stop this fraud. File a dispute with your CC company to put pressure on them to stop the practice. Call their office also, don't give up. I have rented dozens of cars in the past and never had to deal with outright fraud like what is going on there.

Eventually I got it fixed, but only after threatening to file fraud charges through my bank. With the help of my bank, I had to escalate it to the "executive offices". What's even worse, they were not in the least apologetic. Terence in "executive services" was incompetent at best, tragically rude at worst. I do not know how he still has a job. Stay away from this company. They're liars, thieves and crooks, and it's not worth the $5 a day you might think you're saving.

No, not even an intermediate size, but a compact. Not what I agreed to when making the reservation. Ok. Went back with a full tank to exchange car. Asked about compensation for my days of using the cheaper car. Nothing. But received a Toyota Camry for the rest of my Florida stay. When I returned home I found charges on my credit card for $88.89, then $17.00, then $18.25. These charges were not authorized. Furthermore, I returned the car with a full tank and am being charged $57.00 for gas. I am advising EVERYONE not to do business with them.

I would have happily cancelled except for the fact that it was almost midnight and the other companies had nothing available... We had a two hour drive ahead of us so we decided to take the risk. My husband ended up in the hospital the next day with a severe asthma attack. I tried calling the desk and no one answered the phone. This company absolutely lacks customer service and I will NEVER rent from them again.

Upon returning the car, I saw the charge for insurance, which nearly doubled the total contract cost, and told her, "No, remember? I didn't want insurance coverage." But she showed me where I had signed the insurance contract. So they charged me for it. When I got home, I called them several times, speaking to different people including the manager. They all said the same thing. "We can't do anything about it now." I rent cars frequently, and I have never, ever, been so willfully and purposely deceived before. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY! There is a reason they have such crappy reviews everywhere. They may be the cheapest base rate, but they make their money elsewhere by scamming the customer!

I asked if there was a way to add her over the phone. This is an emergency situation. The answer was no. Ok, so I will drive her to Orlando, instead of tending to my elderly father who just lost his wife of 65 years. Although I would have had a ride to the airport for my flight later in the week and saved a little money, I have now rented a car from AVIS for the remainder of my stay since I have to get back to St Augustine for Funeral arrangements. I have rented several times over the past year from Payless. I normally fly into Jacksonville and not Orlando. The agents in Jacksonville have been awesome and it was their service that kept me coming back. Unbelievable how this all transpired this trip. I will NEVER, NEVER, EVER rent or recommend this company to anyone.

We have spent over 3 hours on the phone with Expedia and Payless. Expedia says they can't do anything (even though they are the ones that promised us this price). Payless hangs up on us when we start to state the problem. (Seriously!!! 3 calls, 3 hang ups!) Here is what happened. The car we rented in advance through Expedia was not available. We were offered a larger car (we were not told that this was going to be at an additional cost). It turns out we were charged $20 per day.

We declined all additional coverage since our own auto insurance takes care of this. We were charged additional taxes not indicated by Expedia. We were charged a one way fee! (We dropped off and picked up at the same place.) We returned the car 4 days later; were handed our receipt and went on with our lives. When we got home we noticed the receipt was almost double what we agreed to pay for "total charges". There were one way fees, insurance fees, taxes on taxes and more. Our $186 rental was over $300!!!

We chose Payless because they were less expensive than the others (as indicated by Expedia). Instead, we got old car that smelled like an ashtray and had the privilege of paying more for it than if we'd gone through one of the big guys. My advice... avoid Payless like the plague. They will stuff charges onto your bill and not tell you. The price you are quoted (even on other online booking sites) has nothing to do with the price you will pay. Reserving a car does not actually get you the car (even if you show when you say you will). Also, Expedia isn't owning up to this. They promised us one price and didn't deliver. Shady shady shady. Avoid.

We will never rent a car from Payless again. We called shortly after we got to our hotel to tell them about the broken part and stains in the car so we would not be held responsible for them. I asked for a return call as soon as possible since I could only leave a message - no live agents to speak with. We had the car for 5 days and never received a call back. Worst car and worst service ever!!! Do not rent from this company - it is a disaster!

When my bank statement came in, I found that they charged me for $220.77 AND $114.51!!! I called and open a dispute ticket with them and they said they would get back to me within 72 hours. After over a week, I went on line to check my open ticket, I saw they closed it with an explanation that I upgraded the car! They offered me a bigger car, an SUV as a matter of fact and I declined it! I am disputing through my credit card company. I signed a receipt for only $114.51 and that is all I am going to pay. DO NOT EVER RENT FROM THESE SCAMMERS!!!

KEVIN and REBECCA at the Savannah airport were rude and not helpful at all! Because my pick up time was at 12 and we were at the Payless counter nearly 2 hours early they didn't have a car available. Rebecca said "A CAR WILL BE BACK AT 12." UGHH! They wouldn't give us a upgrade from my ordered fullsize car to a premium car which they had available. They said I could wait the 2 hours because that what the reservation time was. That was ridiculous. I'm here I have a res. Give me a car and I'll be gone. Nope!

For a $25 a day ($75) they had a premium car available. Against my better judgement I agreed to the up chargers. When I look at the bill the $75 dollars was now $275 and that was not including the 6 hours extra because of the 12 O'clock return time. WT!! I was not going to take that. My $133 dollar rate was now well over $300. I said "Give me back my original reservation at 12 and will wait." Well that rate was no longer available because I took out the new contract. BUT I NEVER SIGNED IT.

I was done. It was very obvious KEVIN and REBECCA were price gouging! When I ask KEVIN for a copy of contract with the $300 rate he said "NO!" "Let me take a picture? So that the credit card chargers are correct." "NO!" Kevin took them and threw them away. WHAT'S THAT SAYING?? He knew the priced of that car was highway robbery! BYE PAYLESS FOREVER!! You lost mine and anyone I know businesses!!! We took a cab to our hotel. I was upset and done.

The major complaint I have is they gave me a car that had all kinds of scratches, black scuff marks all around it, the inside was dirty and it smelled like someone had been smoking in it and they tried to cover up the smell with some sort of air freshener. When we returned the vehicle at Atlanta Car Rental Complex, there was a long line and only 2 people working. We got to the airport early, which is a good thing, but it took too damn long for returns because of the long line. Also, there were people in line talking about how terrible their cars were. Never again.

Upon arrival, the agent informs me that they do not even carry the Chrysler, and that instead they have an Impala. If you've ever sat inside the base model of these vehicles, size indeed may be comparable, but the Impala doesn't hold a candle to the 200 in terms of luxury feel and features. But I'm more concerned about the fact that they advertise to rent a car that they don't carry under any circumstances. Not great.

They also tell me of the "optional" gas policy which I must agree to pay up front, but that I will be refunded any portion of the gas tank above 20% remaining upon return, and their gas rates are good so I play along. Get out to the vehicle (which they did not take me to, just told me which spot it was in and let me go), only to get in and have it completely inundated with pungent cigarette smoke and massive quantities of air freshener. I figure it'll die down over time, nor do I want to make waves, so I go with it.

Further along I drive this thing, the worse the cigarette smoke smell gets as the air freshener wears off, and soon enough I can't continue driving without the windows down because it's so strong. I get home that evening, open up a customer service ticket letting them know that given the grossly unmet promises, I want to just return the vehicle and pay them for the 1 day it was in my possession and go our separate ways. I get a response 18 hours later that they are sorry for the inconvenience, and they're "trying really hard."

I get back to the airport (which is 50 miles from my home, in case you're curious) to end this fiasco only to have the counter manager argue with me that the Impala is an equal substitute for the 200, while simultaneously agreeing that the 200 is a much nicer drive. Since that makes sense? Then he charges me the maximum daily rate instead because it's only 1 day I had it instead of 5, and that they don't reimburse the unused portion of gas "because then [they] would have to go out to the vehicle and check the gauge to know how much I used and that would just take too long. So [they] don't do that."

I explain to him what the original agent had explained to me, and that I wouldn't have agreed to it if that were the original case and he explains that, "Well I'm the one that trained him, and that's not what I trained him to do so, yeah. But it doesn't really matter what he told you anyway because our policy is our policy, and that one isn't even optional anyway, so I don't know why he would say any of that. So you just have to pay it."

End of the story? I pay out $79.37 out of the total original cost of $180 ($148 plus the gas) for only one day of use and over a half tank of gas left. That's right, a 60% increase in average daily cost for a reason that was their fault to begin with. I really wish that I had taken even 2 minutes to look up Payless Car Rentals before having made this reservation to see that they are unaccredited with the BBB with a current F rating, and 1 star a piece on Yelp and Consumer Affairs. After all this, there are two things of which I am certain--

2. Payless Car Rentals ought to be grateful that sites like this have a minimum 1-star rating system that give the illusion that they even deserve 20% out of a possible 100% (5-star) rating, because the reality is that they are far from meriting even that one, pathetic star.

So now it's midnight, and I am stranded at the Tampa airport baggage claim with no way to get to my hotel for the night. Thank goodness I had just loaded the Uber app on my phone. They saved me. Called Payless to alert them to a potential problem and after 3 days of trying - Have been hung up on 3 times in 30 minutes, and now I'm sitting on the phone listening to it ring while I wait to talk to a supervisor. Just wondering if I'll ever talk to someone in charge. Whatever great rate you get from them, don't fall for it. They are terrible.

My issue with Payless, as it turns out, is the same complaint as in the old reviews. I was required to purchase CDW insurance even though my credit card covered that insurance. Well, I decided to believe them. After returning my vehicle to Payless, I went to Alamo. I explained to Alamo that I did not need their CDW coverage because my credit card would cover any damages to their vehicle. Alamo allowed me to rent their vehicle without the additional coverage. Alamo was honest and provided excellent customer service. When I return to Costa Rica, I will never rent from Payless Car Rental again. In fact, I tell all my friends to stay away from Payless Car Rental. I will go back to Alamo. They're outstanding.

On top of that they have me down as a no Rent. I found that out weeks later when I went to rent a vehicle in Memphis. I had to have my customer come down to the Airport and rent a vehicle for me as I could not rent a vehicle. I've called the Payless adjuster and he told me he has no idea about this problem and could not tell me who to contact. I'm in dispute with my credit card company over this right now and most likely with have to sue Payless and Avis Group including and their President Ronald L. Nelson. I have informed all my client not to rent from Avis Group as this is what can happen to them.

I started driving around downtown and asking people where the hell the Payless car rental was. Again very upset and angry because you charged me $70 for something that doesn't work. I finally made it back to the car rental place exhausted trying find the car rental place on my vacation. I parked the car and a young girl came up to me. "She was not very friendly at all." I explained to her what the situation was with the gps, and she told me I would have to talk to this other girl. I waited about 15 min as she was just sitting in a chair looking through papers. I finally went up to her and said I need a different gps. I explained about the wires that came undone on the charger, and she said "you have only had this for 4 days and you're JUST NOW bring it back"... Her attitude was horrible... The customer service there is bad. She gave me a different gps no apologies at all from both of them.

I plug the gps in it barely has any charge go figure... And then I'm waiting and waiting for them to open the gate so I can get out. They did not help me at all with that. There was a guy that works there that was moving a car, and he could tell I was very upset and I was trying to leave. I explained to him my situation and "HE" apologized for the 2 young girls behavior. When I was leaving I went to the customer service area where you sign the paperwork for the car. I explained to the employee that was helping me the issue I had with the gps, and she said that I would not be charged for the gps because of the bs I had been through. I looked at my credit card statement and was charged for the gps... And I'm still waiting for a response. NO contact number for the corporate office email or fax number. Go figure. All I can say is if you don't want ripped off don't rent from Payless...

I was amazed they could not make adjustments for me, however, when they ran my final receipt, they included a $37.50 "one way charge" and a $10.00 extension fee for bringing it back early. Not only that but they changed my daily rate from $50 to $103 and weekly from $200 to $309. The car was a Nissan Juke for $103 per day. My total mileage was 73 miles for 6 days. My final bill was $429.00 after having them remove the "One way charge". The car was returned to the same place it was rented from. The manager Lora ** could not explain to me even what the extra charges were for. She was cold and bitter. We have laws to protect consumers from fraud like this. Why does the rental car industry get away with it?

In all my years of rental cars, my online charge always states it is estimated but I NEVER had to pay more than the quoted charge. Apparently they don't know what the taxes and fees will be in advance, so they guess! I had no time to search for another rental company, so I was stuck taking their vehicle. When I questioned the overage, the agent had an attitude. Obviously I will never use Payless again.

I told the guy that "Hey I filled the car up with gas." He gave me another receipt at that time. I went about my way. I checked my credit card the next day. I noticed there was another $100.00 hold placed on my card. I called them to find out why. They said it would fall off. Then as soon as that fell off the next morning Monday Oct 4th my card was charged $44.43. For what - I don't know. I was you'd when I put in a claim that it was for roadside service. This is what Melanie said in customer care. When I told her it was bs she then said that she had no way of telling the conversation between me & the person at the counter so I could not get my money back. That was just wrong. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM. THEY ARE A RIP OFF. YOU WILL NOT GET A REFUND.

We arrived at DIA on Sun. 9/25 and were shuttled to Payless for our 11:00 AM reservation. We were very excited to be back in CO after a few months from our previous visit in June. Nate started by asking us what brought us there and we were only too happy to tell him why, and asking him about the weather and some advice on certain locations.

Toward the end of our conversation he asked us if we wanted to purchase "loss/damage waiver" and we specifically told him we don't need any extra insurance because we are fully covered by Amica. He had my husband sign the contract. I thought of asking Nate if we were going to pay on our return day but didn't as he didn't go over any charges with us, none whatsoever. On Wed., the 28th, I decided to check on my bank acct and there was a charge of $572.37 from Payless. Talked to Jane (manager) on the phone and was told to bring back the car, and we will get a new contract for the remaining two days. Drove 45 min and she said since my husband initialed to accept for the loss/damage waiver at $25.00 per day, and nothing can be done to correct that for the first four days ($100.00). When I disputed that she said she was doing us a FAVOR and she will take it back if I didn't like it which left me at a loss of words.

No refund. No apologies. Firmly put the blame 100% on us by telling us we shouldn't have initialed our contract to accept it. What's more? Nate was squarely looking at my husband and said he went over the charges with my husband!!! That NEVER happened! I was standing 6 inches away from my husband the whole time and I knew what the total was supposed to be. It should've been $355.73 + $22.21 (prepaid gas option), not $572.37. What they are doing to their customers is unconscionable.

At first I thought, "It's only money. Let's forget about this unpleasant experience and enjoy the rest of our stay here in Denver." That thought has changed once I read all these similar stories on here. I truly believe that these airport Payless Car Rentals are taking advantage of all these unsuspecting, innocent, and tired passengers with a little less than sharp state of mind by the time they get to Payless counter after a long flight and day. The way they conduct their business at their counter is clearly designed to intentionally confuse and scam the customers. No doubt about it! All of these complaints have the same common theme. Lured by the cheapest deal online but once you get to their counter the actual price oftentimes doubles and go unnoticed by majority of customers which is what Payless is hoping for, and succeeds most of times.

Good luck once you notice the discrepancy and call or go back and try to correct it especially on your return day because by then everybody will hear this same line of response, "You must had accepted the additional services as you initialed/signed for them on your contract. There is nothing we can do for you now." And we all know we had very clearly declined those additional services to the clerk at the counter before you were instructed to initial/sign in various places on the contract but guilty of not reading the fine prints!! Yup, I smell deceit, scam, sneaky, shady business in this company all over which by the way must have come from the top. They put the responsibility of the dealings solely on the customers and zero percent on the clerks because they know in the court of law written evidence is what matters.

It's appalling to me that this company has lasted this long when stealing from their customers so deceitfully and intentionally. I think something should be done to prevent this unjust and maybe together, we can all be part of that if given a chance. I called Southwest Airlines Customer Relations, 855 234 4654 **, and told them that Payless Car Rental doesn't share your core value and to disassociate their partnership from them, and I urge everyone here to do the same through whomever you made your reservation through. If we are persistent in our efforts with our complaints maybe, maybe one day something will get done. I don't even expect I will ever get my stolen money back but I strongly don't believe Payless Car Rental should be allowed to stay in business with their such shady and deceitful business tactics.

Anyway, this arrogant ** guy called Jimmy (oh I am ** so this is not a racial remark. If anything, he stereotyped me) tells me that it will be $160. I exclaimed and was fixing to leave when he said "Oh I can apply my family and friend discount." Then he goes, "It will be $142." I thought "okay, for 4 days maybe not so bad." When I got home, like you all, the math didn't make sense. My receipt read $156.12! I was shocked! He had added $59.94 for "estimated optional services total taxable" which I am made to understand includes things like GPS etc. This car doesn't even have Bluetooth capability! He was very, very arrogant and condescending and I told him that. Of course he didn't care.

I am taking the car back tomorrow but I will lose $52 for the day where it says $16/day! I am going to the BBB and all social media. From all these bad reviews, they don't care! They need to be shut down. And oh he told me Enterprise would not take me because I have no credit card. I told him that I have rented from Enterprise so many times before! To which he had no response!

This has now gone on for 6 days, numerous emails, I have maintained that I have been overcharged on options and days and should be refunded. They maintain that unless I produce a receipt that shows the time returned, no refund. It is their employees that were not in an open, unmanned office to give me a receipt. Never again. I have emailed my airline ticket itinerary and my car reservation. They still continue to dispute and I will continue as well. Tomorrow, I go to the bank and file a dispute with my bank on the charges. This company is disgustingly unprofessional and a bunch of crooks. Never, ever again.

Upon arriving home and reviewing our receipt, we found that the agent, JAIME, had "INSERTED" a charge for "LOSS DAMAGE WAIVER" at a rate of $23.95/day (x 7 days=$167.65, plus taxes and additional fees) for a grand total of $317.63. Which was higher than what was quoted via online ($274.25). We were charged a total of $493.28! Quite a bit more than the original estimate! That's an overcharge of $219.03! I believe this is an incentive based scam! Meaning, the more the agent (JAIME), in this case, inserts onto the contract, the more he gets paid! THIS IS LAS VEGAS!

I think the time has come for A lawsuit. After reading many of the reviews of the responses from PAYLESS, the lies and the taking advantage of the many seniors who have fallen prey to this "switch & bait" practice. Any & all decent businesses who allow PAYLESS rentals to utilize names for business should join us in bringing down this company for their illegal, unethical, scamming methods of stealing money from honest people who believed they were dealing with an honest business!

DO NOT RENT FROM PAYLESS CAR RENTAL AGENCY! They will lie and mis-represent to extract additional monies from you. They will do it while smiling, knowing quite well you won't see them again and your chances of getting your money back is ZERO! They are scoundrels of the lowest kind!!! Again, l made the mistake of believing the agent and not reading all of the fine print before initialing. They know you are tired from traveling and are on a schedule. They use this to their advantage. All I can say is that someone spent a lot of time and effort in devising this scam!

When I spoke to the manager "David" he yelled at me and refused to accept any responsibility. He said that I didn't read the contract, thus leaving me at fault. I mentioned to him several times that I told the guy at the counter that I did not want any upgrades he was trying to sell me. I did not want the insurance, gas, a gps, or anything else. They handed me the keys to a car and did not tell me that I was given an upgraded car. Payless refuses to work with me and will only give me half of the refund I'm owed. My total came to $77, when it was supposed to be $44. I will not ever use them again and I will also not rent a car through Expedia either.

Original Review: Sept. 27, 2016

I rented a car in DFW from 9/24/16 - 9/26/16 and prepaid for the reservation on 9/10/16. I have a copy of my original reservation confirmation page as well as an email reminder from Payless that was sent on 9/22/16 showing my price of $58.01. When I picked the car up, their system was down so the agent had to hand write everything out. I declined all extra fees. I should've only had a hold on my card for a deposit due back on return of rental car. I returned the car with a full tank of gas. I had the car 37 hours and drove 34 miles. The printed out receipt upon return showed a total of $112.69. I immediately went up to the counter and was told by the agent that he couldn't help me and that I had to call their 800 number. I did so while waiting for my flight home and a ticket was opened requesting my refund of $54.68.

By the time my flight landed, I had received an email with an updated total showing $99.18. Still $41.17 more than it should've been. I reopened the ticket and sent in attachments with my original rental agreement and the reminder email stating $58.01. Now, no one will respond back to me. I called the 800 number again and requested a supervisor. I spoke with George (and have his employee number). He stated that there is nothing further he can help me with, I just have to wait for customer service to respond. He also refused to transfer or give me a number to contact customer service myself. I've been searching online for a number for corporate for Payless and the only number I can find is disconnected. I will continue to fight this and blast Payless all over social media because this is not right nor legal.

The company not only charged us for extra insurance after we verbally told them no 3 times they also told us to fill up at the car rental place when we were done because it was cheaper then charged us over $100 to fill up with gas. They also charged us for gps which was never on the contract! They also told us we had a free upgrade to a better car and then of course charged us for it. Our estimated $90 bill ended up being $360!!! Whoever is reading this should be extremely concerned about this company and their practices. I will never rent from this company again and have never dealt with such poor customer experience and blatant lying and cheating in my life! Beware of Payless!!!

Right before my return time I stopped at the gas station just 2 blocks from the rental return... after filling the car with gas I could not start the car. The steering wheel was locked. I called the 1-800-354-2847 and after trying to get the person on the phone to listen to me, I was finally able to explain what was going on. The person on the phone told me to rock the steering wheel very hard back & forth then insert the key and try to start the car. This worked. I was able to drive the car the 2 blocks to the rental car return. There I waited in line for a long time to get the car checked back in.

I then went inside to get my final paperwork completed. No one was at the Payless counter. I approached the Avis counter. They said they could not help. I went back to the Payless counter. Thomas did not greet me... just took the receipt I had from outside. He processed my rental return... handed me my receipt. I questioned the charges. He said, "Call the 1-800 number with complaints..." I said, "No Please explain the additional charges." He said, "Use the glasses on your face and read your receipt." Is this how you do business?

After 5 days no deposit in my acct. Called Payless. They said, "Oh your bank is holding the deposit", so I go to the bank, speak with the banker, get a printout. She says, "We see where they took the 329.00 out but they have not deposited anything back in your acct. yet." She said, "We don't hold your deposit once Payless deposit it. We post it so you need to call them back", so I call Payless back. This time they tell me, "Oh we hold your deposit R from 7-14 days." So I wait. I called them back last week. They tell me again the bank is holding the money so I called the bank again. She the banker pull up my acct. Again she tells me. The same as the last banker I see where they took your money out on August 28, 2016 but as of today the agent put anything R back in your acct. and she said, "Don't let them keep telling you that we're holding your money because we don't hold people money."

I called Payless back. They told me, "We will put in a ticket to let them know you haven't reviewed your deposit and you should receive your deposit in 72 hours." As of today September 19th I go Check my acct. No deposit - I call Payless again. They tell me again the bank is I holding it and I just can't see it in my acct. so I call the bank again. They pull up my acct. Again same thing - no deposit has been transferred from Payless. So I call Payless back. Now they're saying again they will put in another ticket and I should hear from someone in 72 hrs. Well I'm tired of playing phone tag with them - just want my $200.00 dollar deposit. I have rented cars from a different company before at the airport. And I received my deposit back. Payless is the only one that's trying to keep my deposit keep giving me the run around. Thank You. I look forward to a resolution. And getting my money back.

We returned the car full with gas. I took picture of the gas gauge and final odometer reading. They still charged me the $56 more. No one was there when we returned so early in the morning. You drop keys and paperwork in the return drop box which wasn't even locked!!! When I called today (September 17, 2016) to ask about why they still charged me. I was met with "you had the Roadside Protection added to your rental agreement at the time of pick up." I told him I never asked for that. He replies, "We automatically put it on all the cars." WHAT? My receipt says OPTION SERVICES. That is not optional when you automatically put it on my agreement. Then he says, "Well you initialed it." I said no one disclosed to me there was an extra charge of $6.99 a day for Roadside Protection (RSP).

Same scam story noted above in this thread of reviews dated Sept. 5, 2016 by Jane of Sacramento, CA. This is one of their ways of extracting money from those of us who get good deals on the internet. You cannot get remedy with the local office, so I went to Payless Car Rental customer service. I have filed a "ticket" with Payless. I will respond back to let you know my results. I will file a report with the Attorney General of Missouri if do not get my $56 credited back to my credit card. I will show them the other review stating that this is a theme with Payless. Oh by the way, when I did tell the customer service person about how they "automatically put the RSP fees on" he said, "they are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to ask." Now I question if these agents actually get a bonus in their paycheck when we purchase the extra stuff (insurance, RSP, car seats, GPS devices, etc).

I disputed. I know I signed to decline the coverage and would be happy to report them to the BBB and Attorney General. My case was reopened, a request for the original contract was made, and sure enough they found I'd declined the services! Ethical business practices? I think not. I rent a car every other weekend for travel and have never had additional charges added erroneously; needless to say twice in a row. I will not rent from Payless again.

I tried to call the company and ask. When asking to speak to a manager, the first gentleman told me one would not be available for about 5 minutes. I told him I would wait... So he hung up on me. The next guy told me it would be about 20 minutes. I told him I would wait. He, too, hung up on me. The third guy then told me it would be an hour. Mind you, these calls all took place within 10 minutes. All 3 of them. I told him I would be disputing the charge and making a BBB complaint, as well as contacting priceline.com about the lack of informing me the car was ACTUALLY $53 a day... but promoted as $28. He didn't seem to care one way or the other. Priceline never got back to me either. I won't be using either of these places again. Nor would I recommend them to anyone. Not to mention, the windshield of the car was filthy on the inside. I could barely see where I was going when the lights hit it right.

I will be surprised if they return my call. I won't use them again, I didn't like the fact that there is no one checking in the cars at the return. The car was dirty when I picked it up and I told the checkout person I do not want to be held responsible for any cleaning, they didn't seem to care. The car was in need of a wash. It is a cheaper way to go, but you will get what you pay for plus 150.00 more.

Car was a piece of crap and it was not worth any rental. We were in AZ... hot. 111 was the temp and the AC barely worked. Car seats should of been tossed away years ago. It was awful. We returned the car. No one was there to check us in. Waited 30 mins in heat with 3 children. Final bill 298.94. OMG no ** way. Of course they took forever so we had to rush to a plane and it was a holiday so I called first chance. Two phone calls I was informed I paid for car seats on top that upgrade. I demanded money back. I was told, "No you completed your rental." Of course I did. I would not know my charges unless I did. I am in this 1 week now and I now been told I was not charged for the car seats, that this extra cost I been charged were FEES... HIDDEN FEES!!!

OPTIONAL products/services taxable 23.96. Turns out we had 83.04 in extra hidden fees. Then they decided to charged me 15.6% sales tax. The state tax for the airport and the area around there is 8.6% over double the cost. They taxes all the hidden fees. I do not care. This company is awful, They are not Payless. They are Paymore and break your bank account. They do not disclose any hidden fees or tell you at the time of reservation what hidden fees are going to be applied. You are left in the dark until you check out. Then once you draw issues you though a ticket services. Screw talking to real people. COMPLETE ZERO FOR PAYLESS CAR RENTALS. NEVER RENT FROM THERE

HOWEVER, when I received my next Chase Visa statement, there appeared a charge in the amount of $163.55 from Payless, posted to my account on July 17, 2016. I have called Payless customer service twice, but was told I needed to file the dispute on their website, which I have done --- TWICE! I have never received any response at all from Payless. I do NOT have any paperwork on the rental, having mailed it to Ms. ** for her records since she was the one who had made and paid for the reservation. Payless has been paid TWICE for the rental and will NOT address my issue with the situation! (From online reviews of this company, I know I certainly not the only customer who has been thoroughly screwed over!)

When calling the billing department, I can never speak with anyone. I called them before returning the car because they had already billed the card twice. They said they could not do anything until the car was returned. When returning the car, they still could not do anything. As a result of them delaying settling the car, we ended up missing our flight and had to take a later flight. I really with the airport would discontinue business with this company because they are causing havoc to people.

The clerk asked me about insurance and extras and I turned all of them down. The clerk handed me the receipt and it had an itemized listing of the charges and then what looked like a total of $132.24 and then an entry for $200.14 then two entries of $200.14 one line said deposit and had the last four digits of my credit card and the next line said Total Deposit. In the heat of the moment I did not remember the exact total of my Expedia reservation, but I assumed it must have been $132.24 based on the receipt and that the $200.14 next to the words deposit was the $200 deposit I had agreed to. I remember wondering where the extra .14 cents came from, but at that point I was beyond arguing.

A week or so later my wife noticed a $200.14 charge to our card. I thought Payless had inadvertently credited back the rental fee and kept the deposit. It turned out that it was not a mistake my $121.36 Expedia rental cost me $200.14 plus they also had charged me an additional $200 for the deposit they told me about. They did return the $200 deposit. I have contacted Expedia to complain and they did nothing. I cannot believe all the complaints I am seeing here. Has anybody thought about a civil suit? I would like to see pressure put on Expedia to remove Payless from their site. How about a social media revolt folks? It's time to put these crooks out of business.

I complained to the company when I returned home. The initial response sounded "canned" and did not address my concerns. When I persisted, I did finally get a response saying that I had to "prove" the delay because the paperwork was started only a half hour past our reserved time. I found this very insulting. The implication was that I was lying. I was not asking them for anything... merely reporting a problem. I will never use this company again. They clearly do not care about customer satisfaction.

The deception and tactics used for the insurance I got slammed with (which I very clearly stated I didn't want when picking up the vehicles) cost me over $300. Also, charged me a gas service fee on a vehicle that it returned full. A $67.00 air freshener fee when nobody smoked in the car!! Late returns fees of $44 on each vehicle when I called them and stated I would be keeping the vehicles longer. What we all need to do - which I will be doing is filing a case with the attorney general where I was defrauded. How does an outfit get away with this? Sr. Executives should do jail time. BUNCH OF CROOKS.

When questioned about this the manager Mr **, threatened to "kick" me off the property. When I challenged him about my rights as a customer he said that since he OWNED it, thus he can kick me off the property anytime he desires. On further enquiry he said he was not the owner but the manager. I understood from another lady sitting besides me on the Payless pickup bus she had to return back from the airport leaving her young infant and husband to get back her 100$ that they had overcharged. I believe this is no accident billing mistake, but a scam perpetuated from the manager downwards. Please be aware before you think you PAYLESS for car rentals, you actually PAYMORE because of some scam artists working in PAYLESS waiting to exploit tired travelers!

There was no one who could speak English to talk to when I returned the car. It wasn't changed automatically. When I tried to file a complaint, they didn't listen and got information wrong. No one could give me a phone number to talk to someone who was actually making the decision. They were low level employees who misunderstood and were not able to make decisions. They and customers are being abused by the corporate cowards who refuse even when I requested to actually talk to me about my problems. I have filed two requests for a refund and requested a call from corporate. It just seems to go into an automatic complaint return. I will never use Payless again and will tell everyone I know to avoid them at all costs.

Upon arrival to pick up the vehicle in the evening of Feb 14th, I was presented with the rental agreement. I clearly stated that I declined all extra services, such as insurance and gasoline filling services, since I have coverage for insurance through my personal auto insurance and through my Citi card. I also fully intended to return rental car with a full tank of gas. I questioned the amount of $322.36 and was told by the female agent “Oh, don’t worry about that, nothing gets charged until you return the car. All the amounts are noted as 'estimated' charges." To my knowledge I clearly “DECLINED” all extra services.

I returned the car at the agreed upon time and with a full tank of gas as per agreement. As I was cashing out and received the bill of $294.67 I immediately disputed the amount and told the woman cashing me out that the amount should be $ 201.21. She told me there was nothing she could do about the amount. I asked to speak to a manager. Manager “Jeff” came to the window, but he did not change any of the charges. He told me that he would have to look into it, and since everything is video recorded he explained that he would review the video footage of when I picked up the vehicle and if they had done something in error, they would correct it.

I called multiple times and never was able to reach anyone. I ended up disputing the charge with my credit card company and was rewarded the $93.46 back on my card, but it took a long time and it was a fight. I will NEVER rent from them again and I fully agree with the above reviews regarding their shady tactics. If you were charged extra fees for insurance please dispute the charges on your credit card.

I then sent them a copy of my insurance card to prove I have coverage but they said it was unacceptable because her name was not on the ins. card. Well that's because she is not the registered owner of my car. I tried calling Payless in San Diego, left several messages, but no one returned my call. Can't believe a company with 1 star would be busy at ALL!! Called corporate and they were just as bad!! Car was old (over 56K miles), slightly damaged and dirty too...could be because an adult over 30 was not renting the car. Plus, she reserved this car for $30 a day, but picked up the car and it totaled about $100 a day. All these additional fees that Orbitz does not warn you that you will be paying over 3x more. So, please avoid this company!! Would have given all negative or no stars, but could not.

I began to tell her this is not what I signed for and she took the receipt, circled the 1-800 number and told me to contact Jennifer at that number. I have left three messages and they have not responded. I checked online and got another number for disputes and that mailbox was full. I have been fighting them for six days now through emails and have protested the charge through Discover Card that is handling the overcharge. Only time will tell how his will turn out. I have lost a lot of faith in companies in general because of their greed.

After several phone calls and postings on their Facebook page they said they don't know what was said at the rental counter so I signed and no refund will be given. I have to wonder what kind of company is this? Isn't there anyone working there that cares about customer service? Is this the way the corporate office is satisfied doing business? And this company is owned by Avis, do they do the same thing to their customers?

My trip begin with a 4 a.m. wakeup call in California. So when I arrived in Detroit and took the shuttle to Payless, I was excited to be nearing the end of my trip. How was I greeted when I walked inside their doors at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday? "We're closed now", said the young man behind the counter. What? CLOSED? I was flabbergasted, and let out an exhausted snort. "What?" I replied. "I'm assuming that's a joke, right?" Then his colleague sitting behind him - his head buried in a cell phone - then actually MOCKED my response, saying - and I'm not making this up - "He grunts because he thought you were serious." Within 15 seconds of entering Payless I'm humiliated twice by their employees. Is this actually part of their training? But wait. It gets worse.

They're out of full-size 2-door or 4-door vehicles, and I'm not given a choice of new vehicles but am TOLD I will get a pickup truck. Seriously? A pickup truck? I do not want to drive a pickup truck. "We can only upgrade you", he replies. "We can't go down in size." "Do you mean an SUV?" I ask, assuming he can't really mean he wants me to drive a pickup truck while vacationing in Michigan with my kids (who I will pick up the following day). "Yes," he replies.

I sign the paperwork, and ask him where the SUV is. He directs me outside and to the left - think of it as 10:00 on a clock - and off I go, without a parking space number, nothing. He tells me simply to click the auto door opener and I'll find the vehicle that way. Really? Is this some sort of wild goose chase? I go outside and wander around for 10 minutes. Cannot find the vehicle. Go back inside and tell the guy he needs to help me find my car. He points outside not to the left - where he had just told me the car was located - but to the right instead. Think 2:00 on a clock.

It's not an SUV. It is ACTUALLY a pickup truck with a flatbed. "I can't drive that", I tell him. "How am I supposed to pick up my kids and pack all of our luggage in that? It doesn't even have a trunk!" Silently, he assigns me a Jeep. He doesn't ask if that's what I want. He just gives it to me. Thankful to finally have a vehicle to drive, I exhale, shrug, climb into the Jeep and drive off. Worst rental experience ever. Their employees have provided some of the worst customer service I've ever received in my life. Really.

I end up paying over 100$ to take a cab to Newark Airport where a wonderful budget employee tells me, "the car has already been re-rented multiple times!!" Are you kidding? Find a way to MD and walk around a parking lot!! And then after that they would not answer the phone at Budget or payless - I had to call the airport police to go over there and tell them to call me. That is crazy! The service on their 800 # is rude, and uncooperative. Unhelpful and act as though they are doing me a great favor. Unreal.

Agent advised not his problem. I prepaid for a car he didn't have... If I wanted my money back for a car I reserved over the Payless Car Rental (direct not through travel agent) I needed to take my problem up with them. Agent said, didn't rent the car from him, he would rent me the economy size car for the same price. If I didn't like that I could go to another rental car company and try to get a full size car. We ended up taking Uber. This was my first experience with Uber, and it was a great experience. Even though I did not have the rental car to travel freely within the area, it was ok. Uber saved the day.

So back to Payless. The next day, 7/21/16 I called their customer service department (from hell) at the 800# listed on my reservation asking for a full refund for the car reserved and not available. They gave me a claim # and told me I would get the full amount paid back within 72 hours. 72 hours (counted only business hours weekdays from 9-5) and still no response. Called again... Said corporate is trying to reach Memphis ticket counter. I told them tell corporate... Good luck with that effort, the phone rings and rings. I tried that too to see a supervisor was available. I shouldn't be left between the corporate and Memphis Airport ticket counter to resolve their internal problem. Didn't they have computers to see I if picked up the car. Silence on the line. Again I was told 72 hours from corporate and would update claim I called again.

Now days have passed. Called again 8/3/16 told the same by customer service representative who says they have no supervisor available when I wanted to speak with someone else who could escalate the complaint for me. It's been almost a month since they took my payment for the car. Maybe no management available is the problem. No management over call center or ticket counters and the employees don't care anything about the customers.

Don't expect to get the car you order when you prepay in advance online. Be prepared with a plan B for transportation. I never expected to be stranded at an airport and told by the rental car agent basically it sucks to be us. If I could give a -5 star minus rating I would do it. 8/4/16 the latest update was sent to me in email with a no reply mailbox that they are now cancelling my reservation for car rental reservation for 7/21/16. No apology, no refund mentioned, etc. I will continue to pursue the refund of my money and with continued persistence maybe I get lucky and get my money back but I must admit its a long shot. What a terrible company. Please don't rent from them or you risk being left out of town stranded. I won't ever again.

Customer Support is located in Mexico and will not let you speak to a high level manager. They tell you they do not know who the manager is. They only know the supervisor. The supervisor tells you that he cannot not do anything until customer care responds. Every time they check on the status by escalating the case, customer care gets another 72 hours to respond. Once the 72 hours is reached. They can contact customer care again and they get another 72 hours. I want to be sure no one else has their money taken. Check out their rating with the BBB, it's an F and they are still in business. It is not worth the few dollars you may save. They are price gouging customers. Their fees are high. You may be their next victim!! DO NOT RENT FROM PAYLESS if you value your money and time.

I contacted the company and was told I would need an original receipt to prove I filled the tank. I explained to the employee, and later, a supervisor, Terence, that I didn't have a receipt as I paid cash at the pump and AMPM doesn't automatically issue a receipt without going inside. In all of the car rentals I've used I've never had this be an issue. Payless wouldn't budge and BofA wouldn't back me up. So, if you ever make the mistake of renting from Payless, be extra diligent about making sure there is no way they can scam you.

I explained the situation, and she stated that I signed the rental agreement so there was not changing it. I explained several times about this "Bait and Switch" scam and the same answer was "You signed for it!" This is the most dishonest car rental company I have ever come across, never have I been scammed like this before they are liars and thieves! In place of the $421.94 I agreed to was scammed into $487.63. What a terrible company, the customer service at the airport pick-up is a liar, and the Payless person I spoke to on the telephone to remedy it was awful. "You signed for it" was her only response! Do not choose Payless, you will end up PAYING MORE!

Again, I told the girl that I was not going to drive that car and again I was told I would have to wait a while. After about 20 minutes more, I got another car and after driving it for a while, I noticed brakes on that one weren't that great either, but at least they were better than the other car I turned in. My husband turned the car in with no cosmetic damage from us and a full tank. We should have only been charged $192.69, instead of $303.41. I called to get my money back, but was told to fill out a form to go to Customer Care, with a ticket number. I did with the person on the phone. Then I was told it was going to take 72 for them to get back to me and to let me know what they are going to do. When I asked the guy for the phone number to Customer Care, he wouldn't give it to me and said, "They are processed by people anyway."

When I asked who processes these complaints, he wouldn't tell me. With as many of the same complaints (stealing money) from this amount of people, I think it's time for a class action lawsuit. I'm going to check into this. Once I get a number for the Corporate Office I will post it for everyone else to call. Maybe it's time for Payless to go on the program Undercover Boss. When my husband turned in the car, the person would not give him a receipt, but I do have my email reservation and it's recorded with Payless as saying to me, the amount that should have been charged is $192.69.

The rep that I was talking to from Payless Rental was so rude and disrespectful because the car was past the return time. I told her my son was in a motorcycle accident and I had to stay longer than expected, and I am sorry. She didn't even care and was very nasty towards me, and I told her, "You don't have to be so rude about being late. I am the one who has to pay for it." She said, "Bring that car in right now or you will have the police looking for that car." I told the lady, "I am bringing the car back now." She said, "You better be or else." I said, "Are you threatening me?" She said, "You just better return that car ASAP." I said, "Are you the owner of Payless Rental? Because if you are not you don't need to answer phones for Payless. You need to work in their security department."

After I returned the rental car they sent me a bill for 1025.67. They had so many extra charges and fees along with the taxes I almost lost it. I call to dispute the charges but you can't talk to nobody. The man said you have to email Payless with your dispute complaint. So that's what I did with no reply back from them. A week later I emailed Payless again. They emailed me back saying I took too long to dispute the charges and that rental agreement had been closed out and all charges were final.

I call my credit card company (Capital One). They told me my card had already been charged for the rental car for 1025.67 dollars and I have to contact them. I returned the rental car on June 22nd and I am still getting the runaround from Payless about the dispute. They keep saying the agreement is final and closed out. I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager. They say, "You can't. Email is the only way of getting in contact with us, and we are sorry for any inconvenience. We hope to continue serving you." I said, "No I will be serving Payless after I speak to my lawyer about this matter and Payless will never serve me again, and I will tell everybody, don't rent for PAYLESS CAR RENTAL unless you like bad business and want to be ripped off by CROOKS."

Within a FEW MINUTES of making the reservation, I called Payless on the phone. Both the worker and his supervisor told me I had to pay $50 to cancel, and there was no way to predict whether I would be able to rent the car on the pickup date. Faced with a choice between paying a $50 penalty, or possibly not having a car on August 10th, I canceled the reservation. That is a dirty, dirty way to do business. The condition about the credit check should have been displayed on the payment page. And an immediate cancellation -- 17 days before the pickup -- should not incur a $50 penalty.

The fact that they hide the credit check information behind a link until they already have the money, combined with the fact that they hit the customer who gets caught by this trick with a $50 penalty to cancel, adds up to a dishonest business practice. Obviously, their business model is to offer low prices, and make up their costs on deceitful payment practices. After reading the other reviews here about the rip-offs that happen when the car is actually picked up, I guess I should count myself lucky that I got off with only losing $50 to these scam artists.

I booked one of their cars which cost me $100. When I got there, they did not rent it to me since I have an international license and I only have a debit card. That would be ok if they would have clear explanations of their rules and they would somehow reimburse the amount spent on booking. In the end, Payless stole $100 from me for nothing. I tried to open a claim and called their customer service people. And guess what, they have the worst customer service!!! They were rude and they didn't care about anything. IF YOU WANT TO GET STOLEN OR HAVE THE WORST EXPERIENCE IN YOUR LIFE, TRY PAYLESS!

I disputed the charge with my credit card company (Bank of America). They investigated it and said Payless said I received a ticket which I didn't. B of A sent me copies of the documentation and I did my own investigation by calling the city of Montreal to determine which department issued the ticket. After several phone calls to different departments, I found out that Payless charged me for the registration of the car which was apparently expired. I got documentation from the Montreal Municipal Court and appealed my credit card dispute. B of A refunded my money. Trying to contact Payless headquarters is useless and futile.

After looking up my confirmation number, the agent said that this was the price that was listed with that number. I pulled up my confirmation on my phone to show her. She tried to get a manager to address the issue but apparently she was "in a meeting"! The agent gave me a number to call later in the day. Reluctantly, I left due to have a scheduled appointment to meet. I called later in the day and the agent told me to bring back a printed copy of my confirmation when I returned. Throughout my 3 day trip, I worried about what the outcome of this was going to be.

So, when I got back to Payless to turn in the car, I took in my printout along with my paperwork. Again the agent seemed to be mystified about how this would happen. As I waited for him to fix the problem, another customer came in with the same exact problem!! This gentleman was furious! We shared our stories with one another. The agent returned and had corrected my price to the original price per day. However, my final price online (with all of the extra fees) would have been $286. My final receipt was $316. Having some additional fees added. At that point, I was just ready to get out of there and get to the airport so I did not question any of those fees. I will NEVER rent a car from this agency. I recently found out that my sister had the same experience with them. Their company name "PAYLESS" is not what you get! It should be "PAYMORE"!

I live in Maryland and was vacationing in Orlando. This exactly does not feel like I had any customer service. Upon contacting Expedia, the original facilitator of the car rental, called Payless and repeated whatever Payless told me and did not do anything to help. No refund, no coupon, no I'm sorry, and no taxi for me and my family. Thanks Expedia you're great (NOT).

The gentlemen at the Payless Counter was unfriendly, no eye contact, no conversation, didn't ask any questions, didn't review or go over the rental agreement. I provided him my booking agreement and I told him I only wanted the car, stated I would refuel it (bring back full) and wanted NO OTHER SERVICES. He drew 4 different sets of car keys out of a drawer for the Economy 2-4 door vehicle (which is what I rented) and each of those 4 vehicles either had maintenance issues or high mileage and the computer would not allow any of those 4 to be assigned to my rental. The one that worked was an Intermediate Vehicle (Red Hyundai Elantra Sedan 4 door) and I specifically asked whether I would be charged additional for that rental and was told "NO". I also stated to the Payless Car Rental CSR that I did not want to purchase any Optional Products or Services as I had my own auto insurance.

The Payless CSR shoved the rental agreement in my face, instructed me to initial and sign without review or explaining any of the areas to me, took the document away before I could review it, and never provided a copy of the rental agreement. I was not provided an opportunity to review nor an explanation of what areas I was initialing. And because I initialed and signed the document that apparently reflected I wanted the optional PDW and RSP then I have to pay for it when I explicitly told the CSR NO OTHER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES and he included them anyway. All other Optional Products and Services on that Agreement were noted as DECLINED except the two I was charged for. When trying to resolve this Payless CSR Karina on 6/20/16 issued another Payless Ticket # ** promising me I would receive the refund of $116.81 and Payless won't issue me the refund of $116.81.

I booked my reservation through AARP (Booked Confirmation # **) for a total cost of $115.27. When the car was returned at 5:00 am 6/13/16 and checked in, I was handed a receipt for $232.08. I reviewed the bill and found I was billed for services that I had denied (Optional products 3000 PDW and 1 RSP) or didn't authorize. I was told I had to call the Tampa location at 813-289-6554. I called at 8:52 am on 6/13/16, no one answered the phone so I left a message and no one returned my call. I have left subsequent messages over the past three weeks and none have been returned. I then called my Credit Card Company to dispute the charges billed to my credit card by Payless and was told I had to wait until the charges posted and then wait 10 days for Payless Car Rental to respond to my issues. I called Payless Car Rental in Tampa again on 6/23/16 and no one answered the phone nor returned my call.

I also called AARP to assist me with this billing issue, I then called the 1-800-Payless number and aired my complaint with John. I was assigned Confirmation number ** and told this could take up to 72 hours to resolve. I would receive an email stating the results of my complaint and billing issue. I have tried for almost three weeks now to get Payless Car Rental to refund the difference of $116.81 which was promised to be refunded on 6/20/16 by Karina (Ticket # **).

This is the second time I have rented a car from Payless through AARP and both times I have had issues with your unfriendly non-listening customer service agents, returning the car and being billed incorrectly. Each time I get no one to talk to when I have called and I must continue to follow-up and follow-up to get the issues resolved. This is ridiculous that a consumer is overcharged for items they did not agree to but was lured into signing for by a Payless CSR and further annoying that no one at Payless Car Rentals either the local office or the Reservation Office or Payless Car Rentals Corporate Office wants to help resolve the issue and due the right thing for the consumer. The document provided that houses the rental agreement when you leave with the car reflects an 800 number for Reservations of 800-527-7000, however, when called an individual from "Budget Rental Car Reservations" answers the phone. What is that about?

In summation, I respectfully requested any and all unauthorized and denied charges of $116.81 be removed from my bill and my any credit due on this be posted immediately to my credit card. For all the hassles, unprofessional and unfriendly service I have received I would like to believe Payless would adjust my bill not only for the unauthorized charges but adjust my bill even further for the inconvenience to me, the respect I didn't receive as a valued customer, the long wait time to get my rental, the unprofessional, uncaring and non-listening attitudes of Payless Car Rentals Customer Service Agents on 6/8/16 and again on 6/13/16.

I asked that Payless Car Rental Corporate to please review and respond within the 72 hours or before as promised. I provided Payless Corporate my phone number and email address and still to date no response from the corporate office other than a statement thru their ticket system stating that once an agreement is signed no refunds will be issued because the consumer has the right to deny or authorized products and services at the time of the rental. I guess the consumer gets billed because the Payless CSR is having a bad day, or makes a fee from the services he/she includes that are not authorized. Payless will not honor the refund that was promised by their CSR Karina on 6/20/16 under ticket # **.

Upon arrival the Payless employee let me know that they had cancelled my reservation because I was late and they offered me a car for double the price. I declined the car because I could not afford to pay the upgraded price. The next day they tried to charge my debit card three times from a foreign account. Luckily my bank declined their attempt to steal my money. These people are rude and will do anything to upsell and rip you off. I am so glad I didn't rent a car from here and I encourage everyone to stay far away from this place.

So again after another 45 min wait we get to the desk. The service rep with budget took our info and when I said we were sent over from Payless and we were told that they were honoring confirmed reservations we were told "oh no we are only here to work with you and to get you a car." Meaning we would have to again pay for a car from scratch. I told my girlfriend to stay at the window so we would not lose our spot while I went back to talk to a Payless rep. When I went back a person by the name of MANNY started looking up how I paid for my reservation. While this process was taking place I made a statement how this was crazy and Payless will never see me again if making a prepaid reservation meant I still walk away with no car. MANNY then said "well just call payless to get reimbursed". Followed by "you know what happens in Vegas" which I replied "stays in vegas" and he said "you got it".

Well that set me off. And I will say it like I said to him. "YOU ARE AN **." He responded with "have a nice day" which I responded with "Now you are an **." Which after that we went back and forth saying the same thing. He also thought it was cool to get all the staff at the desk laughing at our exchange back and forth, including the people at the next door company which could hear us exchanging words. I then had no choice but to go back to Budget where my girlfriend was holding our spot for almost 10 mins and begin the process with them and YES repay again for a car while seeking reimbursement later from Payless.

When I told my girlfriend what just transpired with payless she went over to payless to ask for the manager. While I was about to close the rental deal with Budget at about $100 more than the price I prepaid with Payless. She came back and said the Manager has a car for us at Payless now. So we went back to payless, spoke with the manager and he set us up with a car. (As we avoided talking with Manny). So we thought the problem was solved as we both were fuming at this point. The only additional problem was when we returned the car a week later and after agreeing to purchasing ONLY a $34 pre-gas agreement on top of my prepaid car. I find that my additional charge was for $93. Add ons were done with me not knowing, and yes I initialed just to get a car without reading what I was agreeing to.

This was definitely the worst start to a week's vacation and it took me the first 2 days to calm down. Payless did not have my prepaid car as promised, Payless ended up over charging me almost $60 for things I never agreed to. Payless sent us to a competitor with false hopes of them honoring a prepaid deal. And PAYLESS HAS AN EMPLOYEE AT THE LAS VEGAS AIRPORT RENTAL CENTER thinking it is funny to have a customer walk away without a car that was prepaid for and insult the customer by dragging the rest of the staff into laughter with "Have a nice day."

I hope this Manny is a top producer for your company because I can only say if he is making you the extra $ he is probably losing you more in the long run. And if this message is just read with no response I will know where you stand as a company. I will spread the word where NOT to rent a car. This whole situation could have been avoided. What happens in Vegas, really!

By this time, it was about 8:30 PM and I requested the representative to change my return time from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM as I haven't technically got the car and it was honestly not my mistake to not receive the car on time. Her body language was extremely disappointing (She sighed, rather irritably while I politely requested her). I did not want to create a scene and she even hesitated to provide her name and this is what she said and I quote, "I am not going to give you my name!!! with a face". I tried calling the customer service, but supposedly Payless does not have one to talk about the customer service.

I had a bad experience returning the car as well, as nobody was willing to take me back to the airport and everyone was like "it's not my turn, ask the other guy". They were not professional, not caring and showed a lot of bad attitude. You might want to change your name from Payless to "Careless"! Providing 1 star due to the compulsion of giving at least 1 star!

They are trying to rip off customers and change prices as no one can do! A truly ROMANIAN WAY OF DOING BUSINESS BY RIPPING OFF THEIR customers!!! A free advice to many out there that are looking to help out family by saving a dollar, that this company is a huge ripoff and gypsy style way of business. For your own peace of mind, look elsewhere and pay an extra euro.

When I went to the office, I was told by another company's employee that the office was not open until 7am. When I got there at 7am, I was told they were not opening until 8am. My husband called the customer service line and they would not allow him to speak to a supervisor, and they refused to compensate us for the lost time and money. Luckily, Avis, who partners with Payless, was able to give us a car so we could leave the airport, seven hours after our scheduled pickup.

When we returned the car, I was given a receipt showing that an additional $505 was charged to my credit card, on top of what was already paid and agreed to at the time of the contract. No damage was done to the car, it was delivered on time, and the gas tank was filled. I again contacted "customer service" and after repeated pleas to speak to a supervisor, I was told that my issue would be handled via email within 72 hours. The supervisor would not credit my credit card back the $505, and he could not tell me why I was charged. This was by far the WORST experience I have ever had with a rental car company! I have yet to hear back from "customer service", and I am currently going through my credit card company to dispute the $505 unauthorized charge.

We showed them our receipt and explained that we should not be charged for a full tank of gas if we return it empty. They owe us a tank of gas. The supervisor agreed and wrote on our paperwork that it was OK to return it empty. In 35 years of renting vehicles, I have never received a vehicle without a full tank of gas. When we returned the vehicle, that supervisor was not there and the one there would not honor her signature. They charged us for an extra tank of gas and I realize that is their scam to make money. Poor customer service and dishonesty.

In all my travels I or my co-worker had never heard of this and we continued to refuse the prepaid gas and again we said "NO!" His demeanor went from very friendly to just down to business. We did what seemed to be the regular signatures and initials. 90 minutes we are finally on our way. After leaving LAX at 5am and getting to RDU about 5pm and walking in my hotel room amount 7:30pm, I immediately took a nap. Woke up about 10:30pm and was looking through my paperwork and noticed Payless went ahead and charged me for the prepaid gas. I called and found out they are not 24/7 like Thrifty, Enterprise and Budget. I decided to take care of this when I got home. Come to find out Payless is a thieving fraud. You never talk to Payless customer service, you talk to someone that sends Payless my concerns. Shows you how much care about their customers!

Upon returning my car at 4am, I only dropped off my keys. I went ahead and returned it full, I paid a total $7 plus to fill. So, tell me, what idiot would pay $27 to pre-fill when it's going to cost $7 to fill the tank? Bottom line, I just found out that the deceitful, lying employee is in the right and I was refused to be refunded my $27. I indicated to Payless they obviously need my money more than me. I also asked that they should at least have the decency to refund my $7 plus. One thing I know for sure, I WILL NEVER RENT FROM THEM AGAIN AND WILL MAKE SURE PEOPLE I KNOW WON'T EITHER.

After speaking with several Payless clerks, agents and representatives at length I was told that the online insurance I purchased is not honored at this location, well find time to tell me this and even after I had decline Payless' insurance with that particular agent at the counter he never said a word. He just added what he wanted without making me aware he did not honor the insurance I purchased online. The original cost should have been $93.49; however Payless charged my debit card $210.49. I am disputing this charge with my bank and my bank said that they are familiar with these types of fraudulent practices and they are working to get my money back. Thank goodness and God for banks who work to counter such practices and policies that large company feel consumers have no resolve for.

On arrival at their office, my husband presented his Florida state license and was asked to provide proof of address and we had start looking for a copy of our light bill to prove a Florida state license was valid. Then the customer representative proceeded to offer us an upgrade and insurance which we declined. On getting the receipt which my husband had signed it showed a $99 charge and of course we went back into the office to question the charges and were told it was the cost of them refueling the car if we dropped it off empty. We informed him we always refuel before drop off and he said the charge would be refunded at dropoff.

On getting to Fort Lauderdale his receipt was confirmed as our charge without their checking to see if we had brought the car back empty or not. We then informed the representative we had filled the car off and were informed we had to go see the manager to get that fee taken off. Our bill was still higher than what we had reserved and of course we were told to take it up the office in Tampa as we had been charged for insurance that we had declined earlier. Absolutely the very worst service and staff. Would never stop at their door ever again and will continue to tell everyone I know never to bother with them. Am still very pissed at them and am going to post on every media available.

After being bullied into the truck, we indicated on paper all the damage on the paper she threw at us to be filled out. Then we notice the tank is clearly not full. I get out to let her know and she yells at me to tell the person taking the car in when we return. We drove 31 miles on the rental. I put in 2 gallons of gas before I returned it. The guy that took the car in said that I had to have taken pictures of the tank and that once I drove off with the partial tank, it is my fault for not having Nancy fill it up.

Everyone that interfaced with me from Payless rental were rude, awful, and down and outright the most miserable people I have ever met or dealt with in my life. I have called my bank to dispute the entire charge and they are in full agreement for a full charge back. I will obviously never rent a car from Payless ever again. You are a despicable company. I am going to write this experience at every online social media complaint venue I can find. Just embarrassing how you treated my family on a very sad day.

The only employees there that were courteous was the return staff outside the building. We talked to a young couple with small children returning a car and asked if they had trouble with their rental. They said yes that their car had broken down in the middle of a busy street and had trouble getting Payless to help them. I have written to the main office, called several times and they transfer me to the nasty manager at that store (unfortunately her name is also Pam) and she is a rude and sarcastic person. To this day we have not gotten a monetary adjustment or any apologies for making our trip less than perfect. By the way the reason my car would not work was because the agent kept entering the wrong security code on the back of the card that is entered manually. WILL NEVER USE THIS COMPANY AGAIN! I WISH I COULD GIVE THEM NEGATIVE STARS!!! I will try to find the letter they sent to us and send a copy.

When I returned the car, more of the same. Nobody came to check the car in. Instead, I had to find the person to go to. There were several people ahead of me, each taking an inordinate amount of time. When my turn came up, the agent said they were having a lot of computer problems. It had taken so long, I just took the receipt and ran to the bus because I was afraid of missing my plane. Once I sat on the bus, I looked at the receipt and found I had been charged about $50 more than my reservation. I called immediately -- and called and called and called -- 56 times during the next days. 55 times I received no answer. Once a person answered, and said he was too busy to help me but he would have someone call me back. It never happened. I left messages on the manager's voicemail to call me. He never called.

Finally, after being totally frustrated with the lack of response, I entered a dispute on my credit card. The credit card company issued me a conditional credit while they contacted Payless to get their side of the story. Payless never answered them. Instead Payless immediately turned around and sent me a bill for the same invalid price. Finally the credit card company ended the dispute, telling me that the dispute was settled in my favor.

Payless sent me another letter demanding that I pay the invalid amount. I called the number included in the letter. I dialed every option available. On only one option was I able to reach a live person. He told me he could only take reservations and didn't have any idea how to reach someone who could help me. The day after I received that letter I sent a letter to the head of the collection department describing this entire episode and taking to task the abysmal lack of any semblance of customer service.

Three days later Payless sent another letter demanding payment of the invalid amount. I called the number listed on the letter. This time it didn't give any options to dial. Rather it gave one advertisement after another for products having no relationship whatsoever to car rentals. And yes, I dialed the right number -- several times. I would have gladly paid the proper amount of my reservation. However, at this point I will not pay one cent until I have some personal contact from a real person at Payless.

After reading numerous other complaints all saying the same thing, I can only recommend to others what I did -- file a dispute with the credit card company and don't pay anything until Payless personally contacts you and settles things in an honest matter. With their total lack of response to anything a customer says or the credit card companies inquiries, I believe this is the only way this company will change its ways.

When I received the first letter from Payless demanding payment, they also said if I didn't pay, they would revoke my rental privileges. My answer in my letter was that I had news for them: I just canceled the next reservation that I had with them. Needless to say, there won't be any others. There are plenty of rental agencies that want my business and deal honestly with me.

When the hour passed, I went to get the car. I had a coupon on my phone from AARP for a free up-grade. I was told that it was no good even though when we reserved the car, the agent said we would get the up-grade. When I said that I wondered why all the lines at the other rental agencies were long, but there was no one here at Payless, I hit a nerve with the agent. I said to him that I knew he would help us if he could. I was so frustrated because I felt ripped off, and the man was so rude that flipped him off when I got to the elevator. I never intended him to see me. When we got upstairs to the cars, the agent canceled our reservation. I was relieved not to be giving Payless any money.

They finally relented on that, but after I left I noticed that they had signed me up for optional roadside assistance. When I went back they indicated that it is included on all of their rentals... but when I was back in AZ and could see my Travelocity agreement this was not noted. I was recently contacted to be part of a class action lawsuit as it appears this company does this to everyone... Or they try to trick them into insurances, additional gas charges, etc. You definitely do NOT pay less at Payless after they are through ripping you off!! Be wise. Use one of the more reputable companies out there... This company should be put out of business.

Original Review: June 6, 2016

I am writing to say how disappointed I am with Payless. I rented a car in Costa Rica with Payless and prepaid for insurance. Upon arrival, I could not get the car unless I signed up for their insurance. I did not need or want their insurance but was forced to if I wanted the car. Payless is impossible to reach by phone for resolution and through emails have refused to resolve this issue. My opinion is that Payless should be avoided as customer service is very poor and I will never rent or recommend them to anyone. I travel often and my family and friends also do. They will hear about my experience and know they will avoid Payless as well.

I had to get to the airport, so I decided to leave and continue my dispute with their customer service. In trying to reach customer service (it is not possible to reach anyone who will do anything more than give you information to write a message - no managers, no people with any authority), After writing my message, I received a response telling me, "Sorry you signed it, you pay for it." I have run out of options with pursuing this with them and so I am warning you - take out your phone when you go to their counter and record the conversation so you have proof that they are the ones who made the mistake!!! Secondly, ask them "What am I signing for?" each and every time you place your initials, because, as I said, it is a very shady receipt.

When we got to the counter, the salesman started off friendly and started asking about our vacation plans. He tried to get us to upgrade for $10/day. We declined then he told me that according to a new Florida law, I would need to purchase additional insurance for $15/day. We were already paying $266. I told him I already have auto insurance and I didn't want or need it. He flat out told me it was the law and I would have no choice. I asked him to repeat it so I didn't misunderstand him. I told him I needed to call my insurance agent. When I couldn't get a hold of my agent, I called the Payless corporate office. The first person told me it must be true even though he couldn't confirm it. I called the corp office again and this time they told me they were not aware of this new Florida law mandating the purchase of extra insurance.

When I told the salesman, he said he would waive it just this time. If it is the law like he claimed, how could he just waive it? After we returned the car and we got home, we noticed an extra charge to our credit card. When I called Payless, they told me nothing could be done about it at that time, but I could file a formal complaint and submit my receipt. I do not recommend anyone using Payless at Tampa Airport. FYI Payless is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc.

I have reported them to the NYS Attorney General - Bureau of Consumer Frauds & Protection (rental occurred in NY), and the Federal Trade Commission. I would like to bring this company to justice because even though my credit card protects me, the level of arrogance this company exhibits, and the fraud they perpetuate is staggering. Reporting them to the BBB is useless as they will not respond to inquires. I am very interested in pursuing this via a class action lawsuit. If any interest comes out of this forum in joining, I can start a Facebook page and put the information here.

When I returned the car, it took us over an hour because there was only one agent doing this job. The other 3 agents were standing in the air conditioned building chatting. The agent added additional fees to my bill. When I complained I was told nothing could be done. I used the link on their website to officially complain and try to get the additional returned but it was useless. If this happens to you, be sure to report them to the Attorney General Office of the specific State. My regret was not finding this site before I rented.

The day before I was planning on returning the car, I called the customer service # to ask if I can return the car to West Palm instead of Ft. Lauderdale and the person on the phone said "Sure, you can return the car at any location". I drove to the airport to drop of the car with my cousin, which during this time I was very ill and simply needed to go home and see my doctor. I went to return the car and they told me the total charge would be $2200. I said "WHAT????" She said there was a $500.00 drop off fee... I said "was never told about a fee, first of all and what about the rest?" According to the agent who made the reservations, I was to be charged $938.00. I said "What is the rest for?"

Still not feeling well, I didn't have the energy to argue and she was obviously wrong. I just left and went to take the car back to Ft. Lauderdale, where I originally rented it from. I approached the desk there with my cousin by my side to witness everything. They had asked me for my credit card again, which I had found very odd. I have been renting cars for decades and I usually just sign off on the return after an inspection of the car or I drop off the key. This time they asked me for my credit card.

As I was getting ready to leave they gave me my receipt and was sending me on my way. I looked down at the paper and I had been charged over $1500 for a $900 car rental. I stood there arguing with the man at the front desk who was nasty and condescending. He told me that I took out the additional insurance for the vehicle. My cousin and I tried to argue, but he told me that there is nothing I can do about it and my card was already charged. I was furious and told them they were scam artists. The guy stood there chuckling. My cousin threatened to sue and he just laughed and said... "Right".

As I turned to walk away, I realized he had not given me back my credit card. I looked at my cousin and said "Do you have it?" He said, "No I didn't see them give it back to you, come to think of it." I turned to the guy and told him he didn't give it back to me. He insisted that he did. We both argued with him for 15 mins. I told him I was going to call the police. He chuckled at me again. I told them that I was getting a lawyer and going to report them to the BBB and ConsumerAffairs. He said, all smug, "Call the police, call a lawyer, do what you want... I am ready for you, BRING IT ON!" I returned to New York the next day and ended up in the hospital. I was very sick and almost died. I came home 2 weeks later and I disputed the charges with my credit card company. While in dispute, apparently they had furnished documents, that they claim I signed to take out the additional insurance coverage.

As I stated earlier, I specifically stated that I did not want the insurance and in all my years of renting, have never taken insurance coverage on a rental. I am just feeling well enough to put my energy into fighting this. I don't want them to get away with this for me or anyone else that may be scammed by them. I came onto the CA website to file my complaint, only to see the countless number of complaints and stories exactly like and similar to mine. I am furious, that this company can still be in business. I received a letter yesterday from their corporate office address (Virginia Beach) Stating "If you do not resolve this issue within 5 business days" they will be sure that I am revoked from any car rental privileges, and to call the number below. When calling the number below, it is not even for Payless Car Rental (1-866-805-3637) - it's a promotion line for a $100.00 voucher... NONSENSE!

I called the Customer Service # for rental cars and they were as rude as the people behind the desk. They told me there is no supervisor on staff to talk today. Three days in a row, I asked for the corporate office number, they told me that there is no # to call, all I can do is e-mail from the website, fax a letter to a fax #, I can send a letter to a letter to a PO box. They refuse to give me the address for the corporate office. I came onto this site to file a complaint, but also looking for advice on how to fight this and get my money back. These people need to be stopped!!!

This location has a string of similar complaints, and Payless just stands back and says how honest their reps are. I think they have their head in the sand, and have encouraged this type of thing thru spiffs or quotas, and their employees are lying to renters. But since they make it impossible to discuss with them, I guess this is just a $113 lesson to us to NEVER RENT FROM THESE CROOKS AGAIN. I hope they go bankrupt.

Returned the car on day 3 at Houston Bush airport and it was 6:00 AM and no one was at the desk and they had a drop box where others had been putting their contracts and wrote on the contract to send the receipt to my email which they did later that day. When I opened up the email I was very displeased to see a "Fuel Service Charge" of $142.78. A complaint ticket was opened and after a bunch of back and forth between me and Payless customer support it ended with Payless stating "Your feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated."

When I returned the car I did not refuel the car. I declined the fuel prepay option when I picked up the car but I have done this before with other car rental companies and I have never been charged this rate. I looked up the fuel capacity of a Ford Fusion and it has a fuel capacity of 16.5 gallons. I returned the car with just under a 1/4 of a tank. But let's just say they put 16.5 gallons into the car which would be impossible. $142.78 divided by 16.5 gallons is $8.65/gallon. This is absolute extortion and I will never rent another car from Payless and I would not recommend anyone else either. I will pay a higher rate with a legit car rental company.

A few days later I saw the charge for the reservation fee on my bank account statement. I called in Payless' Customer service and they said that my card was being charged for the reservation fee. I told them that was not what I was told at the airport, the lady at the airport had said no further action needed to be taken that I would simply be refunded my money. I basically was charged for absolutely no reason. Please use anyone but Payless to rent cars.

I could not stop at the counter to discuss these charges as I had to immediately head to my flight. The next day I called the car rental and no one would answer so my call was transferred to a customer service call center. After 3 times someone finally took my complaint as I informed them I cannot reach anyone at the airport. He filed a complaint and I heard back from Payless that due to my initials I agreed to the extra services and closed my complaint. I am very upset about this blatant fraudulent charges. I immediately left a review on YELP to find out this is a constant pattern from this location. NUMEROUS people had the EXACT same complaint. This company needs to be investigated for fraud.

So after I clearly asked the rep what is my total before we left the counter, he said total 390.34. I said, "Okay well that amount is in the account", and I also said I wasn't sure why there is an issue with my card. The supervisors came over, the second guy tried several times to get it to work, the lady supervisor added some small talk and comments. They finally were able to get everything to work. I had already signed and initialed the forms prior to the supervisors coming over. So by this time I'm just ready to get the keys and get going. I quickly glanced at the paperwork which stated 290.34. So I figured okay well he got the deposit down even lower. We returned the car Monday May 9th around 11, it was due by noon but we didn't want to be late and traffic was horrible the entire time we were there so we wanted to be on time, we gases up the tank and checked it back in.

The guy in the garage gave me a receipt from the little hand-held scanner where we returned the car. The receipt cut off the numbers and printed to the side almost. So the total could not be seen on the bottom of the receipt. I went back to the counter in the garage area and asked the young lady was everything good for my rental and I let her know we returned the car with a full tank. I told her the guy that scanned the car in said to check with her because the receipt ticket was cut off. She said everything was good and told me my total again including the "mystery deposit". We had to catch our flight and once we arrived back home my account still showed $160.34, I assumed was the final amount of the rental and it also said 450.91. I contacted my credit union on Monday and they said that I should contact the company.

I contacted them thinking they would be helpful. A ticket was created and I was told I would be contacted within 72 hours. I received an email the next day saying that I signed for the extra insurance. I checked my account the next day, the deposit hold was actually the $160 and the final charges was $450.91. I called the company back again, they created another ticket for me to request a copy of the final receipt due to mine having the numbers cut off. I received the email from the company with my receipt attached. It said as clear as day $450.91. I felt like I had been robbed by this company. I'm still waiting for the company to get back in touch with me regarding my refund and I have passed the next 72 hour mark from the last time I've called.

Being late on a plane is something you really cannot control. The new rate would have been $395.00. No one could help us. I ended up jumping online and getting Costco car rental. So easy and no problems. Even with short notice and same day rental Budget through Costco was only $250.00. My main concern with this practice is this. If I was on a family vacation and was standing at the Payless counter at 8:30 at night with kids and all day flying and they told me I had to pay a higher rate, I really would not have had another option but the pay. What else could you do late at night needing to get a car. I think this practice is very WRONG and they should work with the clients who are flying and unable to keep pick up times. They could have flight numbers and verify late arrivals. It happens all the time.

This practice needs to Stop and I will never Rent a car from PAYLESS CAR RENTAL. Has anyone else have this problem. I am so thankful we tried to change the pick-up time. Thought I was doing the right thing to keep them informed. PLEASE BE CAREFUL, Hate to have your vacation ruined due to a double car rental rate. Very Happy with BUDGET car rental. Upgraded to a Ford Mustang at the counter and still paid less than 250.00 for a week. GREAT JOB BUDGET.

We called Sedwick and calmly pointed out the above information. The lady we spoke to was knowledgeable and looked up the claim number. She then indicated that there was a mistake and Sedwick was withdrawing their claim. What we thought unusual was how quickly she backed off. Was it a scam or was Payless just mistaken? We don't know but we do note that in reading this blog, other parties received similar assertions from Sedwick. Our approach with future rentals will be to take pictures of the car to protect our interests. I hope our experience is helpful to others. We will certainly avoid Payless and their parent company, Budget-Avis with respect to future rentals.

When I returned the car I told the person checking it back in about my problems and he said this happens a lot with this type of car (Ford Focus) and he gave me the phone # of the airport office manager. I've left multiple messages on his voice mail (and I think he actually hung up on me once), called the 800 # again, called the reg. office # again, contacted Priceline since I had booked through them, sent a message through Payless.com and still nothing! I rent cars frequently and this was the worst vehicle and customer service experience I've ever had. NEVER USE PAYLESS CAR RENTAL!

To my surprise, giving me an upgrade included the cost of the upgrade, insurance, gas service option, and another unexplained optional service to a new rental contract of $674. No questions were asked, nothing was explained, and no indication that additional charges were being incurred. My credit card covers car rental insurance, never a need to take it. Numerous calls to Payless Customer Service 1-800-729-5377 with a response of you signed the agreement and therefore it is legal. Buyer Beware with Payless Car Rental!!

The burn started then. Then I asked him to confirm my price quote of $72 or if he had any coupons I could apply. He informed me that my cost was a guesstimate of the taxes and fees by the third party agency (Expedia) that I booked my reservation with and that my actual cost would be about $130 for 2 1/2 days for a $12/day car with proper taxes and fees applies (This is a joint off airport rental center that added big fees to the rental contracts). The burn grew and words flew. This was a scam I was not expecting. I cancelled my reservation, retrieved my credit card, went next door to Budget and found fantastic service without a reservation, a 2-car upgrade and a complete out the door cost of $91. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PAYLESS! I DO RECOMMEND BUDGET or any other company.

After waiting 3 days, mind you it only took 30 seconds for them to take it out of my account, I finally called and spoke with a very unhelpful robot named Charles, and was told it could take up to 2 WEEKS to get what little money I was getting back into my account. And when I asked to speak with a supervisor, I was told no one was available and after 2 minutes he would have to "release" aka hang up on me! This company is awful. Their customer service is terrible and unhelpful and they WILL rip you off and not think twice about it! Spread the word, don't ever rent from Payless Car!

I called Payless at the counter at the airport. Called numerous times between 8:00 pm and 1030 the next morning. Was dropped into voicemail but it was full and could not take any more messages! I started calling all kind of Payless phone numbers and finally reached a human. He suggested that I report it as a breakdown and have the vehicle towed 90 miles back to airport. Just what I want to do on vacation: drive in a tow truck back to an airport to exchange for another vehicle and lose an entire day of vacation. Incidentally, this was my 2nd car for this trip. The one they originally tried to give me was not in the class of vehicle that I was paying for, was dirty inside, and stunk. My replacement was the Jeep. I am a businessman and lawyer. I do not know how the top officials at Payless can sleep at night knowing that there are SO MANY poor reviews of Payless out there.

So I called the Orlando airport location to clarify what their policy about debit card usage really was. I was told that Payless would review my credit worthiness at the counter when I went to check out the car I reserved. A decision would be made at that time as to whether Payless would rent the car or not based on my credit worthiness. I did not want to take a chance of not getting a car as I have a low credit score so I cancelled the reservation and made it with another rental car company. One of my concerns besides not getting the car was losing time since their location is offsite and takes 30 - 40 minutes to reach by the time their shuttle shows up then there may be a wait in line until one reaches an agent. My credit score is low as I have no credit cards or mortgages and went through a rough period 5 years ago with layoffs etc.

I decided to cancel the reservation as I could not afford to lose a couple of hours traveling out to Payless's location and back to the airport if they would not rent a car to me based on an on the spot decision. Payless’s cancellation policy at the time called for no refund if one cancels the reservation within 24 hours and $50.00 minimum if one cancels the reservation outside of the 24 hour period. I cancelled just inside the 48-hour window (42 hours). I called their corporate headquarters and asked that they refund my deposit but they refused. Obviously don't care about customer relations. They would not refund the prepaid $59.30 charge for a the day rental. I definitely will never rent another vehicle from Payless nor recommend them to anyone. Any potential savings just aren't worth the risk.