Tony Gilbert

Review of Payless Car Rental, Inc.

My grade for these folks: F-. The wait time, ad...

My grade for these folks: F-. The wait time, added fees (due to their policies), mandatory deposit, mandatory pre-paid fuel, etc. made this my worst rental car experience in 25 years. The line at the counter (45minutes) was unnecessary and due to inefficiencies of the customer service. By the way, SIXT & and EZCAR were similar, but moved a little quicker. The pre-paid fuel policy is frustrating, and they try to spin it positive by talking about the lower price they charge. The $10 per driver add-on fee is ridiculous, particularly for spouses of the renter (most other companies cover the spouse). The $185 mandatory deposit, which took 3 days to refund after I turned in the car, was unacceptable. I would not rent from any of these 3 budget companies again at SeaTac - I went this way because the rental car prices are overinflated at SeaTac. I spent $387 on a 4 day full size, the week after I spent $225 for 7 days of a Ford Explorer in San Diego! What is wrong with this picture?

I was not charged until July 28th for crossing the Evergreen bridge 4 times on June 11-12, but the state did not charge it directly. It showed up as a credit card charge "Rent A Car Tolls" from the Payless Rental car company. $14.30 toll for 4 crossings (reasonable). $15.80 convenience fee from the rental car agency (unreasonable). Total $30.10. The whole Seattle rental car market is out of touch with the rest of the U.S. based on my research and experience.
Here is the small print "You are responsible for paying all tolls incurred while using the vehicle. 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."