Complaint Review: Payless Car Rental - Orlando Florida

I rented a vehicle on short notice through a popular web site due to a family tragedy.   The price was right but i should have checked online & with the BBB before making my purchase.  

At this point, my hope is to warn the public about this menace of a company! 

The folowing is an honest & true account of the cruelties visited upon myself, my mother & my sister by this company :  

• At the point when I made my reservation, I was asked if I would like comprehensive insurance for the rental for $18 flat rate.   Being an intelligent & fiscally challenged woman, I said yes.  
• We arrived & called for the shuttle.  We were sent to the wrong location for the shuttle.  Oh wait, I forgot to tell you something important:  I am disabled and required a wheelchair for any significant distance.  On top of my disabliity, I had also had minor surgery on my foot a few days before so I really couldn't walk on it. 
• Once we found the shuttle, we arrived at the location which was not around the corner for the airport.   
• I was then informed that my comprehensive insurance that I purchased was useless.  They didn't take it but can offer me their insurance for $17 a day.  And the lies begin!
• The man behind the counter then explained to me that should there be an accident, a theft, any damage at all that I would then have to pay out of pocket for the repair, the time the vehicle was out of service, decrease in value of the vehicle & an administrative fee for processing the vehicle.  I could then get reimbursed from the insurance company that I had purchased from....or I could buy theirs for double the price!  And the fear & intimidation begins!
• I informed the man that I have comprehensive insurance coverage and I will not be purchasing their's.   
• They charged $350 deposit to my debit card NOT including the cost of the rental.   Remember I am fiscally challenged, I had no more money to purchase more insurance than I already had or I wouldnt be able to eat.  
• He handed me a form entitled "Colllision Damage Waiver Decline" and told me to check the rental for damage, if there was any to mark it on the drawing of the car and then sign an return it to him.  If there was no damage, I would not have to sign it.   
• I checked the car, there was damage.  I read the form, there was no way in hell I was going to sign a form that stated that I refused comprehensive coverage & I take any and all responsibility for the all bs listed prior.   It wasn't going to happen.  
• I asked him for a vehicle that had no damage.   
• While my mother checked that vehicle, he took another customer & offered her a brand new vehicle.  When my mother returned and found some minor damage, he told me that there were no new cars!  More Lies! 
• I again informed him that I had purchased comprehensive insurance and would not sign a form that states otherwise.   At this point, the manager stepped in. 
• This woman reminds me of Cruella De Ville.  She immediately had a nasty attitude. I don't know where they get their training but I'm left wondering if Atilla the Hun is available.  
• I explained again that I purchased the comprehensive insurance.  She repeated what the man said about them not taking it and even when I showed her proof she ignored it! (I have contacted the web site where I purchased everything and their response is as follows: "We fear you were almost the victim of a salesperson looking to earn a commission selling insurance.  We applaud the fact that you did not purchase their insurance.  You were fully covered and the policy probably had higher limits than what they wanted to sell you for double or triple the rate.")
• She then proceeded to hold the paper down in front of me with a pen in hand and kept repeating "Sign the paper and you can leave" And the extortion begins! 
• I will admit I lost my temper at this point.   I raised my voice and said, I am here for a funeral which you are now making me late for, I do not need your sh*t! I bought comprehensive insurance when I made the rental and I will not sign anything that says otherwise!  This is all a scam and I don't care who hears me they should know the truth! 
• She continued to say the same.  
• I took the paper and wrote the truth upon it to which the man said something to the manager and her response was " Let her do what she wants, it doesn't matter anyway". 
• I asked for a copy of the paper.  She picked it up and right in front of my face, drew a line through what I had written and then copied it.  
• I took the copy and the keys and told her that there is a room full of witness' that saw that I signed it before she crossed it off and she is ridiculous.   
• We left the parking lot at 4:30.   We were an hour late for my uncle's wake, my mother's brother.  

Nothing eventful occured with the vehicle while I had it & it was returned 15 minutes early with no additional damage. 

The only other issue that occured was that even though the shuttle driver was very nice, he was not familiar with the procedure for a wheelchair and informed me to go upstairs to the third floor and wait at the ticket counter.   After doing so(very slowly due to everything) & the wait was long to get to a person, I discoveed 2 things:  1. The wheelchairs were outside upstairs 2. I was too late to make my flight and had to be switched to a standby one.   

My advice on that is to have better training.  

Once I arrived home, I filed an official complaint with the company through their website.   I have discovered that it is very difficult to get any numbers for corporate and the ones I found on my own are disconnected.  I literally have just been given another fax number but no phone.  

And the website forwarded my complaint directly to the offending manager who proceeded to respond by telling me that the form is for my protection also and she was closing the case.   When I pushed, she responded by stating that they have reviewed it thoroughly and the corporate comittee had concluded to hold to the decision not to refund my money.  

In my complaint I never asked for a refund, this is literally what I said "To say that I am unsatisfied with my experience is a huge understatement. I am appalled at the entire situation and livid to have been placed in the situation. I have no idea what your company could do to make it up to me but if you have any integrity at all, I expect that you will at least try."   

It's quite obvious that they have no integrity at all, are fraudlant theives attempting to extort money through fear and intimidation & have no intent of changing their ways.   

Please take my story as a warning:  Never rent from Payless Car Rental & always check the reviews in numerous places before any purchase.