Payless Car Rental

I am very upset with my experience with Payless. SOOOO many hidden fees! I booked online and was told I would be paying $ 197 for my day to day rental which also included taxes. I was given a Hyundai Accent that worked fine but the inside smelled and had stains all over the seats. I returned the car back in the exact condition it was given to me in. Then I look at my e mail and I was charged $ 329. I called customer service 3 times and was hung up on each time. Then I called the reservation center and talked to a man named Armando and asked him to connect to me customer service or billing and he said, rudely, he didn’t have access to??? So then I called the website that I booked it off of which was
and talked to a man named Michael, who gave me even more attitude and told me to file a complaint to get my money back I needed to write an e-​mail. I asked when I would be hearing back and he said he didn’t know… They made things impossible and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY ELSEWHERE!!! THIS COMPANY IS GARBAGE!

If I could give a half star review I would.
This place takes no accountability for misrepresenting the product you rent versus the product you receive. They tried to pass off a compact car as a full size car.
I picked up the car, it was filthy inside in out. The headrest were on the seat backwards…
If I wanted the most smoke blown up my backside and had to choose between a smoldering fire or Payless, I would choose Payless.

Scam! Stay Away. Charged me 127% more than my estimate. Would not respond to my emails nor phone calls, wish I had read these reviews beforehand. Hidden charges apparently, however as I was in a hurry I asked the person at the kiosk straight up that there were no hidden charges and my confirmation was in fact correct — he said yes, smiled, and even told me he would give me a free upgrade based on inventory. Similar to other comments there was more damage on car than they initially claim, I caught that but it was obvious, a huge dent on the side panel.

I wish I could give 0 stars. I rent cars very often across various cities but I have never got such worst service… they did not have the car class I booked so they wanted me to pay more for upgrade… according to them it’s my fault as my flight was an hour late… there is so much I can write about the experience but bottom line is worst customer service you will ever experience… do not fall for their cheap price… they make you pay in other ways…

Rental was timely and the provided a free upgrade. The vehicle was a little worn but for the price it was a good value. Customer service was friendly both at the counter and the return. Most negative reviews seem to not realize they chose a low cost rental company which comes with certain conditions. My experience is better than expected. Hopefully no surprises later.

DO NOT RENT from this place. Yes, you can get a discounted price but the «hidden» fees will take all of your money. I even called to ask about fees and other charges and was told the quote I received online was correct. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE! Wish I didn’t have to give any stars… This place not deserving at all!

dont ever rent from this place again! they are horrible people and the cars are a load of crap!

Pay the extra couple of bucks and go anywhere else. Poor selection. Junk cars. I booked third party and was still up charged. I was sent out in a dirty vehicle with 40,000 miles on it. Soon as I’m on the highway the front end starts shaking. I call customer service and they tell me to call Payless. Payless doesn’t answer I call back they tell me to keep calling until I get ahold of someone. Jeez is this a legit business? No it’s not.
Won’t happen again.
Came back to edit finally got ahold of a very unfriendly border line rude Payless employee and boy did she not feel like helping.
Never again Payless rental car. Never again.

Mediocre Experience. They are the cheapest for a reason… There will be a VERY hard sell for the typical extra stuff. Lots of hidden charges for any tolls and anything they can think of. Customer service was meh… Not as rude as the previous reviews led me to believe but definitely not on the level of Enterprise, National and the like.
Warning: Their cars seem to be bottom of the barrel cars and seem to be bought second hand. Lots of scratches, etc. They will try to tell you not to worry about it, but document everything! The car we rented (cant remember what it was) was the worst car i have ever been in, severely underpowered and terrible ride.
Overall they get two stars only because on a 1 day trip, they met my needs and i was able to avoid the extra charges and save some money. Car got me (somehow!) to where i needed to go. Would probably pay extra for the major chains next time, especially for anything more than a day. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Here’s the thing. when you are in Austin there are toll roads. When you don’t know your way around — you don’ t know how to avoid them.
I was told the same thing that their FAQ’s state: If you incur a toll during the rental period without paying the toll in cash and we, or our agent must pay the toll on your behalf, you will be charged a Convenience Fee of $ 3.95 per rental day up to a maximum of $ 16.75 per rental plus the published toll fee (s) at the time you incur the toll. Toll charges will be processed after the return of the Vehicle and will be charged to the Credit or Debit Card you provided for the rental. Charges will appear as a separate line item on your credit card or bank statement.
Here’s the catch: I received 2 «violations» from VMS who processes tolls for Payless. They actually charge a $ 25 fee for each toll violation. They are not violations — there is no way to pay them other than through their service.
Feeling super screwed by Payless!

Customer service was horrible. First day of rental, car would not start. We drove from the airport to our hotel the day before. We arrived to our room in the evening. If the headlights were left on when exiting, a bell gives off a continuous chime. If the dome light is left on, it automatically shuts off after a few minutes. This is as per the owners manual. I explained this to the young gentleman w/​a Texas tattoo. He assured me he would adjust things! After reviewing our contract, he saw that we brought the vehicle back on time and full of gas. So! He blew me off by giving me a number to call.
He knew, his coworker knew and I knew he was full of s – t! I attempted calling the front desk when the car would not start. You are immediately sent to a call Center that can’t do anything, but dispatch another road service call for $ 65.00. I should have checked Unilocal prior to my rental!!! All «1“s.
There is a reason they are cheap! They suck!

I made a reservation for a car here through
and when I arrived, the guy at the desk was such a condescending jerk that I couldn’t continue to work with him. I immediately made another reservation at Alamo/​National and had a far better experience. Even if it costs more, rent from somewhere else.

Bunch of crooks and ripoffs!!!, they charged me $ 256 more than the original agreed total amount, there was extra costs for upgrade that I never asked for, added extra day, etc.
Have called them for the reasons on extra charges, no body is there to answer the questions, have filed a complaint on their web site, no response.
Never will use them again and will not recommend them to any body. Shame on Payless car rentals.

Worse customer experience ever. Wish I could give them 0 stars. Seriously, spend the extra 10 – 15 bucks and go with a more reputable rental company.
There are three things you should be wary of: First, they will give you a car that says it is not damaged. Please look very closely. I found a lot of very obvious damage and dents to the car, which had to be resolved with the agent on staff. As I was leaving another woman was doing the same. This is probably a common scenario.
Second, although you pay for a full 24hrs of rental you will be charged late fees if you specify you return before the rental period is up. IE, if you pick up at 5:30 (pay for 24 hours) then have a dropoff time of 8am, you will be charged late fees although 24 hours has not passed yet. That seems deceptive at best and illegal at worst.
Third, know that you are SOL if need to resolve an issue with customer service, such as needing to extend your rental due to the shady policy mentioned above. Just so you know what you are getting into. The local number on your contract does not work, it keeps routing you to a call center which has no power to resolve your issue. I have called the Austin location 6 times, yet have been rerouted to a call center every time. All the call center tells you to do is use the local number (which reroutes to them!). After I expressed my frustration and displeasure with their customer service center, I asked to speak to a manager or get the corporate phone number. Was informed there is not any of those available. Opened up a ticket to with «support» that was promptly closed with instructions to contact local office. Obviously if I could have gone into the office I would have, otherwise, all I have is a phone number.
Very very displeased. I have never experienced such crappy service in my life. RUN AWAY FAST. You’ll thank me later.

This company deserves LESS THAN 1 STAR! Husband made & cancelled a car reservation with a 14 minute time frame, they charged us $ 50.00! We only canxed it because Austin location could not meet hours of operation & the time our flight arrived in Austin! Below is a dialog I have been having via email because phone # is disconnected for Corporate office in Florida… Customer «care» told me a David Holloway was CEO… NO LEGIT PERSON TO SPEAK TO FOR AN EXCEPTION TO POLICY! Customer states that he cancelled a reservation because his flight arrive at 11:30 PM and the location it is closed at the time of the rental. Customer would like to being reimburse for this $ 50.00
Mon, Jun 22 2015 8:16am — James — Executive Desk
We are sorry to hear you flight was delayed. At Payless Car Rental we make every effort to ensure all reservations are completed for our customers. However failure to show at the time of the scheduled pickup can result in a failed rental. As part of the reservation process on
this is clearly covered in the accepted terms and conditions.
Thank You
James
Payless Executive Desk
Mon, Jun 22 2015 10:35am
Sir/​Madam,
You are failing to understand the nature of the issue at hand. My husband made a reservation and within a 14 minute time frame CANCELLED said reservation, because your company’s rental office in Austin, TX was unable to accommodate our flight arrival/​your hours of operation!
YOUR EMPLOYEES DID NOTHING TO EARN OUR HARD EARNED $ 50.00. Most legitimate car rental company’s have a 24 hour cancellation policy where is, if a customer changes/​cancels a reservation NOTHING is charged to the customer. I REALIZE what it says in your «terms and conditions» but in reality, reading a 10 paragraph «terms & conditions» & burying a $ 50.00 canx fee within said document is a bit shady, in my opinion! I am requesting AN EXCEPTION TO POLICY, since, as I previously stated, WE DID ALL THE WORK and then were CHARGED, for OUR CATCH THAT YOUR COMPANY WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR RENTAL CAR NEEDS.
PLEASE, read the entire letter before ASSUMING, that we «were late picking up our rental» as you previously stated in your reply to the complaint. THIS IS A UNIQUE request, which is why I am asking for a UNIQUE RESOLUTION. Respectfully, Mrs. Cheryl Conder & Mr. James Conder
Mon, Jun 22 2015 1:27pm — James — Executive Desk
Mrs. Conder,
Thank you for making your Pay Now reservation on
, below is the terms agreed to when making a Pay Now reservation. If you need to cancel 48 hours prior to the scheduled pick-​up time, we will refund the full prepaid amount less a $ 50.00 USD processing fee. If the prepay amount is less than $ 50.00 USD, the entire amount will be forfeited. If you do not cancel your reservation 48 hours prior to the scheduled pick-​up time or if you fail to rent the car, the entire prepaid amount will be forfeited. Based on this, a refund cannot be issued.
Thank You
James
Payless Executive Desk
Mon, Jun 22 2015 2:23pm
Dear James at the «Payless Executive Desk,»
Please do not answer my request with what I have already read & quoted you in previous emails. I am requesting an EXCEPTION to POLICY, THAT is what needs to be addressed, please! You MUST have a boss/​higher up, I would like the person you work for to either contact me via phone *** *** ****, or via email at j*​*​*​*​*​*​*​*​@​yahoo.​com.
This is a matter of principle now. Once again NO PERSON AT Payless Car Rental LIFTED A FINGER WITH THE ORIGINAL RESERVATION, NOR WITH THE CANCELLATION AND THE CANCELLATION WAS MADE WITHING 14 MINUTES OF INITIAL RESERVATION CONFIRMATION!
This very much feels like extortion or is this how your company stays in business? Is his is the poor business practices that you all want represented by your company. A one time renter, no building of a LOYAL customer base? I will be taking this complaint to the better business bureau… PLEASE reconsider the EXCEPTION TO POLICY in which I am requesting. If someone on your end would have done an honest «days» work for that 50 bucks, I would have no problem in relinquishing it, but it was undeserved, no matter WHAT the «terms & conditions» state! I will be awaiting contact from someone other than «James at Executive Desk.»

BUYER BEWARE!!!
I had fraud on the card I used to pay for the reservation IN FULL so suffice to say I couldn’t use that card when I went to pick up the rental since I had to cancel the card. Prior to my trip I called and explained the situation hoping they’d be able to work with me in some way (I did read the terms and conditions). I mentioned I would be happy to pay the difference of what I paid versus what the amount would be now given the circumstances and they refused to do anything to help me. Instead I have a cancelled reservation and I’m waiting for the refund less the $ 50 «processing fee». Based on the other reviews for this company in Austin and other cities, I’m not the only one who has been subject to their shady customer service. Do yourself a favor and pay a little more and do business with reputable company!

These people are a complete ripoff. Payless when you sign the contract and Pay more when you bring the car back. Buyer beware.

Do NOT rent from this dealer. They charged me a $ 100 deposit in addition to the cost of the rental upfront. The car wasn’t checked in from the prior renter and when I returned it, it showed I drove it 400 miles when I only drove it 40. It also smelled of smoke and they are charging me for it. I never write reviews like this, but consumers should beware of this company.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! My Flight was delayed from Charlotte, so even after calling ahead and the representative stating that she would make a note and that I could pick the car up the next morning, the reservation was still cancelled. When I arrived at the counter the next morning (it was closed by the time we arrived the night before) the rep at the counter said the reservation was cancelled. I explained to him that the girl the evening before said that she would note the account and that I could pick it up the next day. He said that it is automatically cancelled and that he could not even honor the same rate that I had reserved with before. I was very upset and because it was easter weekend, I was out of a car for the entire weekend. I would NEVER recommend Payless Car Rental to ANYONE!

car rental price was great… but when i returned the car… no one was there when i brought the car back… had the walk the keys down to rental office. i’ve since noticed a difference between quoted vs actual amount on my bill… i’ve sent them 2 e-mail’s asking why the difference… haven’t heard anything back. guess i’ll have to call.
… i’m getting the impression they’re not big on customer service.
i finally called them after not hearing anything back for 2 weeks… my initial e-​mail was on 2÷10÷15… turn out they said i initialed RSP (roadside service plan). they basically asked you to initial 5 – 6 areas (declining) insurance, etc… but one of those areas you initial is to accept additional charges… yep, stay away… they are officially weasels. i got to think lots of folks make the same mistake… most rental contracts you initial to decline something and the rental clerk circle’s those for you… not so here.