Payless Car Rental
Reviews and Complaints

This recently happened to me in Phonex airport. The agent states a car has been cancelled and you can get a bigger car for only 15.00 per day. I didn't want to "Pay More" I wanted to "Pay Less". I see a trend in Phoenix... Be ware of the switch tactics. VERY BAD and very unethical. Payless should be ashamed. Rick

Can’t even get threw to them after over a week trying and I think they stoked money from my card and I am going to file a lawsuit they can’t just take what they want out of my bank with no explanation

My car was impounded and Payless had to pick up I was trying to get threw to them for 4 days straight just got sent to same numbers that helped with nothing than got a threw got 2 ticket numbers they said someone was going to call me and help me with what was going on . No one ever called me and took it upon them selfs to charge my card over 1000 and I have received no call explaining the charges or no receipts to say or correspondence aswhat those charges are .

I just want to share a recent bad experience that I had from Payless Rental in Orlando, Florida. I flew in from Chicago; I had rented an economy car through orbitz.com. All was pretty standard fare. I arrived in Orlando, took the Payless shuttle to their off-site parking lot, went into their office to get my car. Once there, I was asked, as expected, for my driver's license and credit card. But then I was asked for my drivers' insurance card. I answered, that I don't carry that with me. The service rep answered in a very cool way that I was not possible to rent a car if you don't have the driver's insurance card. I was very furious the way she said, bring my anger back to normal I explained her that it makes no sense to me that I should carry with me for my own protection. And also told her that I was renting cars from 20 years and I was never asked for the insurance card, and besides, nothing on my Orbits confirmation receipt which I showed her tells me that I need to have this with me. She answered, that she doesn't care what the Orbitz receipt says, and that I have to have an insurance card with me, or else I she can't rent you a car. She proceeded to show me photocopies of scroll screens that appeared to be from Payless' own web site in the terms and conditions section. I asked her that I need to rent car and now that I am helpless please help me. She was so rude that she mocked me and simply ignored me. I think if it's their policy then they should inform their customers prior. I will never ever trust this foolish and lousy and of course pathetic place ever in my life.

oh yea, i totally work there, haha
but why would that make a difference if you're the one who is not responsible enough to have your insurance card when you drive?

Wow, i have a rental coming up with payless and that response just made me cancel it. I cannot believe that poster is so rude, and most likley works there. You guys might be cheaper but I do not feel like being treated this way when I get there, cross payless of my list!

someone please remove this post, as it has been reposted more than once under different names word for word. thank you.

Or, you could have your driver's insurance card with you as required by law everywhere. Seriously. If you've been driving for over 20 years then you would know that that card is supposed to be with you whenever you drive, just like your driver's license. It doesn't get any clearer than that. In my opinion, you didn't have insurance, or you would have had your company send it to the rental car agency. Or you could have purchased their insurance, which if you were really in a bind, you would have. And I'm pretty sure right on your card it tells you to keep it in the car you are driving, not the car you own, the car you are driving, as the government requires that this verbatim be placed on the card. So acknowledge that you made a mistake, forgot your card, and move on instead of harping on someone who doing her job and wasn't going to let you drive illegally.

This was a sales tactic to get you to purchase the CDW, he was waiving your deposit. I'm assuming you were paying with a debit card, which is why it would be held for several weeks and not released immediately. Banks have a different process than credit cards.

Anyway, he was doing you a favor, because there wasn't $350 in your account that you couldn't touch for a month. In my opinion, worth the extra $100. But if you don't see it that way, then look at it this way, when you add CDW you are not responsible for any damages that may happen to the car. Most people don't realize that when you rent a car you are responsible for putting gas, windshield washer fluid and all other fluids to replace what you used, besides worrying about body damage. CDW covers all that in most cases.

To the comment: Who are you kidding? I have probably rented 500 cars over the years. I have never come close to paying $100 a day, much less $100 a day more than Payless. The most I've ever paid, taxes, etc., included, is under $400 a week. I had my own battle with Payless. They are totally corrupt, refuse any semblance of customer service, would not respond to me after calling unsuccessfully over 50 times and leaving messages, and wouldn't even respond to the credit card company when I disputed the charges they added without telling me. The dispute was settled in my favor, by the way, when Payless didn't even answer. I will never use them again.

Actually, it's not because there is no room, it's because it's a liability issue after 9/11. This is also why you cannot return a car at the airport and have the company come pick it up.

As for the vehicle, it's obvious that the car was soon to be retired, however, I fail to see how a car with that mileage would be unacceptable, as most dealers consider a to be 'high' mileage at 70, 000. (When most warrenties are up.)

It also looks like your rental was during the summer, in which case it's reasonable to expect few cars on the lot. They're probably all rented! Additionally, a Grand Marquis is considered a Premium car, not a full size because it is slightly bigger than a full size and has additional amenities. I have yet to see one without leather seats for example.

Also, dents happen. Accidents happen. Obviously if it was the last car on the lot, there were no other options. Also, the name Payless means that it's the cheapest rate. Everywhere. You are more than welcome to go to any other company. Hertz and Enterprise for example will have the same car but a difference of at least $100 a day in price.

As you had a reservation, the company was required to provide you with a car. And trust me, no one wants to puts you in a crappy car. If it was all that was available there's nothing that can be done about it, though I am sorry, I do want to state that CLEARLY but I hope I do not offend.

Now, you paid $200 for two days in the car, sounds about right, but I bet your reservation was for three days. Most companies have a no refund policy, as they are required to pay commission to the site you booked with. Additionally, when you return early they have an extra car they have to figure out what to do with and when you return late they are short a car. Some companies charge you an extra fee for returning early or late for this additional reason. And the way they view it is if you did not want the car you had that option before you signed the contract.

It seems like that's the trend with Payless and Fox Car Rental and Expedia. No matter what airport you select, they always come up as being in-terminal when that's clearly not possible. It says the same thing for Phoenix, even though ALL rental cars are a bus ride away because there's no physical space at the terminals for rental car facilities.

It's how car rental companies work lady. I work for the military and I travel an extensive amount for work, thus I rent cars a plenty. If you tell them you want a car for 3 days. It's going to be cheaper than if you would rent for 1 day. Thats how every business works, the more you buy the cheaper it is. From pizzas to bottled water, to computers and cds. The daily rate for 1 day would of been close to the three day rate anyways, it's how they work. It's a business. But if you would of just read what you signed, you wouldn't have this problem. Instead you want to slander a business for a mistake because you didn't read your contract. Your complaint holds not validity.

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! They will offer you upgrades...tell you there's no charge for it & then stick you with the fees! We asked repeatedly to view the video tapes they claim to have, but they wouldn't let us. We tried for the whole week to remedy the situation & even offered to return the car back to Denver ( even though we were 2 hrs. away!) They drug the process out all week & basically said, "Too bad!" Don't sign ANYTHING without reviewing it carefully!

omg, you people are so paranoid.

This is not uncommon with fly-by-night car rental places, from time to time they will come across damage that they cannot get an insurer to pay for, so they will call the prior 2-3 renters of that car with a vague claim of "damage" in a fishing attempt to get their insurance details, so they can pin the bill on them instead.

Ummm. you are a jerk. Maybe they had the wrong person, lile you said in the first sentance.

STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!1) They are not cheap. Charges on top of your rental rate (not including insurance) will be >50% of the rental rate! ... Airport based rental companies are 30% more. It makes Payless' cost the same or higher!2) Bait and switch ... was supposed to be unlimited KM, told only 200 when I got there.3) Bait and switch more. Was told it would be $38/day including taxes on the phone. Was $47 when I got there.4) FRAUDULENT DAMAGE CLAIM. I was shown the car at night, wet, in a very dark lot. A car that supposedly was new and in perfect shape ... they rushed me through it. Did my best to indicate scratches. I was never given a copy of my damage report. Brought the car back, and magically, they instantly find a "new" scratch. Yes a scratch. $500 later (will get that back through Visa) ... so much for Pay "Less".As I am sitting there, there is a stack of these damage claims. I have rented approximately 200 cars in my life, never gotten a damage claim once till now! How many others did they defraud?Oh, that damage claim magically says No Tax on the receipt. I wonder what Revenue Canada will think of that?On other person was there when I was, a young female student. They were extorting $750 out of here for an alleged new "scratch" on the windshield. UNREAL!

Payless car rental is the worst co. I've ever dealt with. I arrived at the SFO airport to supposedly pick up my car, like their ad said, only to find it was not at the airpost, but 10 miles away from the airport, no shuttle service available and their telephone number had been changed the day before, so noone answered the phone number I had. I had to take a tzxi to my location. I called the 1-800 number the next day, and was told by two customer sevice agents, their p/u location was at the airport. They knew nothing about the telephone number change. I finally insisted to talk with a supervisor, he finally confirmed the phone number had been changed the day before.. I asked him to register a consumer complaint and to have someone call me, . He said someone would call me within 72 hours?. It is now 2 weeks later and still no phone call.. Save yourself the hassle and use a reputable co'. Besides Payless has huge taxes and additional fees that other companies like Enterprise don't have so you don't save any money with their $9/.95 a d ay charge:. It's a scam

I told the Las Vegas "clerk" that I didn't want anything except the car rental. I was told that I had to have roadside assistance. So much for payless, they should change the name to paymore! After a BBB complaint they sent me a credit. Needless to say I will NEVER rent from them again!

Hi Robert,
I'm currently dealing with a potential situation like this. Just wondering what was the outcome of your situation. Did you end up paying? Get legal aid or support?

It's so ridiculous how these car rental places operate and there's so much of these dirty dealings that I find it a shame that not enough people like the police are getting involved.

Like several others who have commented here, I reserved a car online from Payless in San Diego and when I got to the counter was told that to drive to Arizona I would have to purchase extra insurance which then doubled the rental cost. Since this has happened to others in other states, it obviously is a company authorized scam. Do not be suckered in by a low online rate from Payless. In San Diego they are off airport and you will find it very difficult to get to another rental car company.

I agree I got the same thing when I returned a car and the checkin agent looks it over and said there a scratch on the lower rigth side of the front bumper. She says it is your responsibility to0 check the car thoroughly before you leave the lot. Well being tired and rushed after our flight into toronto/pearson and the hassel to find the shuttle pickup location, we are never properly told of all the fine print and was charged over $600.00 for a small scratch that I am sure was there from a previous rental and I was charged again for something that was charged to someone else before. Anyway to stop thes crooks?

oh one more thing... so the money they take from you to fix their cars... they don't even fix them... they get multiple customers to pay for same damages! hence y you get beat up cars. oh and their mechanic... apparently they give him some cut and he makes fake receipts!

I worked for Payless in Toronto. The owner is same for Toronto and Montreal location. HOrrible people. They own a hotel, Payless Car Rental in Toronto and Montreal, EZ rent-a-car in Toronto and Montreal. If there is a way to scam money off of u they will. You have to be smart and blunt to deal with these people. The stories I know you will be shockedddddd...
The owner ARTI acts like a dumb agent that just started working when at a counter. RAJ likes to call himself Roger the agent. lol yea like the owner will really approve of an employee walking around the office in his PJs. No professionalism. He is a sick old horny ******* that flirts and tries to sleep with his employees.

SO you go there... if ur lucky the shuttle will pick u up on promptly otherwise you might be waiting hours bc the owner doesnt want the shuttle going back and forth for one person even if it means tht person missin his/her flight. THen your asked ur driver's license and credit card, ur current mailing address phone numbers, additional drivers, etc. Basic or Full coverage. Normal person would in this case choose basic cuz they think those are the only two options given the structure of the question. For god's sake you just landed from god knows how long of a flight. and then all these mind games. Basic include CDW and liability, CDW covers ur car liability covers the third person n their property. If u have coverage on your credit card you refuse coverage but they scare you tht you needddd 8.95 liability coverage if you hit some1 they can sue u for million dollars... well folks u DONT need to get that because by law all the car rental companies have to have tht coverage. that 8.95 is just a scam under some fancy name to get around legal trouble and the employees are trained to use words wisely. So in short if you know u have coverage denyyy all coverage from them. And oh so ur from states u have ur insurance you know ur covered but now they want the pink slip... like who carries tht. The owner themselves dont carry it. Buncha hypocrites... So make sure you have ur pink slip and sometimes they still try to scare u n push you with fancy terms. Dont fall fot it like i said its all mind and word games! And then they print it tell you sign here here here here... MAKE SURE YOU READ THE CONTRACT INSIDE OUT! THEY ADD STUFF ON THAT YOU HAVENT ASKED FOR... E.G PAI OR CDW U DENIED!

so now ur waitin for your car if your lucky the car will be there but if its one of the busy days get ready to wait hours for it or even a day or two if ur willin to wait tht long. when inspecting the car MAKE SURE U GET EACH AND EVERY LIL DENT MARKED b/c if you dont they WILL hold u accountable for it upon return. CHECK THE WINSHEILD, MIRRORS, STAINS, SMOKE SMELL, ANIMAL FUR, TIRES, HUB CAPS, RIMS, TOP BOTTOM (YES the bottom b/c believe it or not they have bent down and checked if the front bumper got any scratches). Take your time examining the car because if you miss even a small dent only visible from a weird angle or a really tiny chip in the windshield, you will end up paying 100's for it.

OH and make sure you DO NOT pay Cash! Your credit card WILL get charged as well. IF you do pay cash, get a receipt saying you paid cash and HOLD ON TO THAT RECEIPT!

so after a tiring flight your willing to take all these precautions then yes by all means go rent at Payless Car Rental or EZ rent-a-car.

Hey Stephen, in your post you admitted that you damaged the door, but your complaint was that it was already damaged. Not the point. To fix a tiny dent on a car costs a minimum $500. If they wanted to replace the door, the charge would have been at least a couple thousand dollars. So it seems to me that the repair estimate was fair. And as with ant ins claim, you're not actually required to fix the car.

Please Victor inform me of you current situation as I am on the same boat: Payless Orlando charged me for $1149 fro a dent on the roof I had no idea about!
What did you do to try to get your money back?

Thanks,

Greg
rosechma@hotmail.com

Oh, and for Roger, you can't rent a car with a broken or cracked windshield. It's a liability issue.

It seems you must have paid for Renter's Liability Insurance which covers you on 3rd parties, not your rental car. To cover the rental car it is called Collision Damage Waiver. This seems expensive for a bumper, but I can promise you that the next customer would complain about the chip in the car. I'm not sure what a bumper costs to replace, but you need to pay for the product, installation, an administrative fee to those processing the claim, plus lost time and mielage fees for not being able to use the car. When you look at it that way...I dunno, to each their own. But if you have any doubts, you can ask for copies of pictures of the damage and insurance estimate.

I rented a a car (Expidia.ca) with Payless car Rental in Montreal, Airport Hotel Hilton, initially charge was suppose to be 344.56 Canadian $.They made me pay extra $25 a day for insurance which I was ok to be on the safe side . They lied about unlimited milage.
When return the car I had a very small stone chip on the rear bumper, sign the paper and took off for the plane to Europe.
Next day they took $870 and two days later $850 from my Visa. I was stupid enough to think they have made a mistake and withdrawn same amount 2 times, but they did not think so. They do not answer my calls and it seems they do not care.
I am Canadian working for NATO forces in Europe, this could never happen over here. Such a company would be closed by customer protection service next day, at least talking from my 3 years life experience here.
So I am short for more than $1700 CAD, initially hoping I got a good deal for $344.56.
I have contacted the Visa and now I am calling Expidia.ca to give them very hard time since they were the one to advertise this company on their booking website. This is the biggest scam I have experienced in my life.

We have also rented a car at the Orlando airport location and received a bill today for $576.00. They are claiming there was a dent in the door. This ia such a scam. Can anyone tell me what to do or what they did? I filed a report to my credit card company and have not yet heard back from Payless car rental. Please help or give advice at bandit1039@hotmail.com.

OMG! This happened to me too. Payless is a scam!Never rent from them!

My wife recently rented a payless car in tampa. i didn't fall for their bait and switch with the extra insurance. we returned the car in pristine condition and now they are filing a claim to my insurance company for what, i don't know. this is outright fraud. i had this happen to me years ago on a car rental in ireland too (with another company). DO NOT RENT FROM PAYLESS. THEY ARE FRAUDS. stick with major companies like hertz or national. i have never had a problem with them.

I have the same thing happen. Recommend other complain to the Better Business Burea, Florida Attorney General and the Orlando Internation Airport.

My car was impounded and Payless had to pick up I was trying to get threw to them for 4 days straight never got no help or phone calls and was hung up on took money from my bank with no explanation of charges

payless charged me $70.00 more than I was quoted. I was assured there would be no additional charges when I picked up the car at the tampa location.

I tried to contact Burlingame, ca. At the San Francisco airport after losing an item in my rental. All numbers on line were incorrect and it took hours to find someone to assist me with lost and found. Payless Car Rental needs to have up to date email and phone information.

I reserved an SUV for Sat 8/18 thru the 23 Aug.

When I arrived. they claimed to not have an SUV for me only A larger one. Which forced me a bigger SUV and did not give me a discounted price but doubled the price without a promo discount

On 23.06.2018 I rented a cat from Payless Otopeni, Bucharest. I returned the car on 29.07.2018 and they told me that I will receive my deposit in 10 working days. Today is 30.08.2018, I still didn't received the money. What should I do?...

Hi,

I rented a car in Texas and it keeps stalling. Every time I drive it it dies. I called and they said the car has to go all the way back to Houston hobby airport to get a new one. I'm here for work and do not have time for this. I am seriously upset.

I was charged $10 a day for adding an addition driver. The young man didn't tell me there was a charge.

Just like anywhere, you are responsible for your belongings. Who's to say someone you let in the car even works there?

And it's so much better to buy the insurance at the counter. Because if anything where to happen they would go after you first and it would be your responsibility to go after the 3rd party. NO ONE goes after the 3rd party directly.

It's like a mail-in rebate. You'll probably never do it.

Payless Car Rental in San Juan a total rip off. The quoted prices online are false when you go to the counter your hit with triple of what was quoted and they refuse to take 3rd party insurance only their insurance which makes the rental insanely expensive more than the recognized rental companies. Ontop of that there is an employee that has grabby hands and steals things inside vehicles while they are being inspected for damage i.e. my cell phone was stolen by a chubby employee. DONT RENT FROM PAYLESS! Unless you want to pay lots of money and get your things stolen.

Payless/Fox Rental Car in Kansas City is a complete rip off-beware! Unless you have had the experience of being lied to and cheated, you can't possibly understand.