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Watch out for Payless!!
Safety should always be the first choice, and now I am beginning to think that integrity of the company is a very close second.
Recently, I rented a car from Payless Rentals at the Phoenix airport for 4 days. I chose them because they were less expensive in that I could pay by day and not the entire week once I reached slightly over 3 days. I will recommend that anyone shopping for rentals research the company first. Here were my encounters with this company:
1. First of all the rental agents clearly must be incented on additional counter sales. The agent tried to sell me a GPS, a larger car, and then more insurance coverage in that order. I showed him my portable GPS, told him I had enough coverage and wiggle my credit card, and wanted the intermediate car like the model I owned.
2. The agent, realizing he was getting no where with added sales, then told me to meet legal minimums I must take the additional liability. Since it was only $55, and I just had been traveling 7 hours with a 3 hour delay then a 4 hour flight, I finally gave up. I would just get a car and get going, thinking I could read the small print later and call customer service to resolve the issue.
3. Then, the car I was promised all of a sudden was not available so he switched me to the larger full size car he tried to sell me, at no added fee, and “it would be safer” he claimed. I accepted, out of duress.
4. Next, once I got when over 60 MPH this safety-oriented vehicle did not feel so safe as it would shake at 61 MPH and over. The trek north on I-17 is 75 MPH speed limit, and there are very few car rental facilities between Phoenix and Sedona. If I drove faster it was unsafe as it rattled and shook, and if I drove slower it was unsafe as we about got run over by “normal” drivers.
5. Since I had not been on vacation yet this year I thought I would just suck up the $55 and did not want to return the car from the mountains to Phoenix airport and spend 25% of my vacation time with that task.
6. When I returned to the car to the airport, two attendees immediately swarmed the car and pointed out a bump on the front fender. This was news to me, in fact my daughter and another house full of relatives never noticed it either all the time I had the car. They immediately gave me an accident report.
7. I had to then sign the report and describe the accident, which, mind you, never happened on my watch. My description was that I had no knowledge of the accident and did not hit anything or anyone, for that matter. When I reminded one of 5 agents now staring at me that the car was not drivable over 60 MPH, they wanted me to record that in writing to help remind them to get the wheels balanced! I proceeded to declare that they put my life and my daughter’s in danger as well as others on the road. They did not seem to like that note, but it was in ink.
8. At the end they seemed to be more than happy to refund my $55 when I casually said that asked if I look like a sucker or do they attempt to defraud all consumers.
9. Finally, even though they did not want to return the car from the garage, they did after two I made two requests. I wanted to take a picture with my very clear digital camera. I got a lot of dirty looks from that!
That bad ending to an otherwise wonderful trip did not get me down, but I could not help but shake my head and repeat that Latin saying… “ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM”!!
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