- Report: #1251567
Complaint Review: Payless Car Rental - Burlingame California
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Payless Car Rental
1409 Rollins Rd Burlingame, 94010 California, USA
Phone:
(650) 539-6400
Web:
https://www.paylesscar.com/
Categories:
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Payless Car Rental Payless Car Rental: Home of Bait and Switch Tactics, Financial Duplicity, and Rotten Customer Service Burlingame California
I used a travel website and arranged air travel to San Francisco (SFO) and a rental car. I chose Payless because they claimed to have the mid-sized SUV we needed for all 6 of us and our luggage and offered a very reasonable price. Online, I was promised said mid-sized SUV and called the reservation line to confirm the rental, the price for the rental, and the vehicle I would get. Everything was confirmed with the reservation department and I thought we were all set.
I was wrong.
We arrived at SFO late and had to wait for the shuttle to take us to the Payless office. The driver was friendly and courteous, a good first impression. Once we got to the office, things went downhill rapidly. I was taken into the office to do the paperwork and had the payment processed for the price I agreed to online. I was told our mid-sized SUV, a Santa Fe, was being washed and would be on the lot in a few minutes. Now, at home I drive a Ford Expedition, a large SUV. When the Santa Fe arrived, it turned out to be a small SUV, almost a crossover. One thing was clear: this vehicle was NOT a mid-sized SUV and was utterly inadequate for our needs.
I was told that they could "upgrade" me to a Dodge Durango, which is, where I come from, an actual mid-sized SUV. I was told that the money I spent, including the deposit, would be transferred over to the new vehicle, yet it still cost me another $450 dollars, bringing my total to nearly $900 for the week and was explained to me in as obtuse a fashion as possible. In fact, I am surprised the man behind the counter did not resort to speaking Hd tindi to cover his tracks. With weary kids and wife demanding action, I took the Durango on the promise that my deposit hold money would be released as soon as the rental period was done.
And it was...for a day.
On the return of the SUV, the deposit money was released. I was pleased with this and felt that the issues were worked out. They got their money, I got the deposit back, it was all good. The next day, Payless recharged my card and took the money back. I tried to reach the company for an answer, but there was never a live person to speak with in San Francisco and the reservation line simply directed me to the customer service form on the company website. I wrote my complaint and received three "receipts" by email for varying amounts of money. There was nothing in them that explained what these charges cover, making them all the more suspicious.
Bottom line: Payless Car Rental pulled a bait-and-switch with the cars, failed to honor the online deal, overcharged me, and then clawed back the held deposit money they released to me, and have refused to communicate with me to explain or make good on any of this.
DO NOT RENT FROM THE SFO PAYLESS! THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF AND YOU WILL REGRET DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM!
