They gave me keys to a vehicle that had blood on the inside door frame, a huge cut in the back seat, rubber missing off every window, a broken wiper blade, dents and scratches all around the vehicle, gas cap stuck closed, broken hub caps, filthy dirty and a failing transmission with 86,000 plus miles. The reps were rude, uninformed and handed me the keys and said the car was located on the third floor and someone would go over the vehicle condition paper they made me sign prior to seeing the car but upon going to the empty lot there was NOONE there to assist me or check over the vehicle for me. After driving back to the rental office location they were closed ( 5 pm) despite hours until 11 pm. They had my address completely wrong, my DOB and license number and I tried to reach someone at the local rental office 4 times, left message etc without a return call, after speaking to cooperate and getting a claim number regarding the issues and being told I would not be held responsible I finally reached the local office by calling the rental company in the same building and asking for them to please have them pick up the call I was told “ well it doesn’t matter what corporate said they are an independent franchise and their promises meant nothing” then asked if I had video proof of the condition of the car at the time of rental! I was told to bring the car back the next day and they would issue me another vehicle. That was 6 days into my vacation. They have double charged me also. I will be bringing a lawsuit against this company immediately. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY! Your life will be in danger due to an unsafe vehicle and you will be held responsible to pay for damages until your case is heard in court. I will also notify Southwest Airlines as they are a preferred provider for them also!

Horrible experience all around. For starters, we reserved our rental with Payless online for about $315 after taxes. Upon arrival to pick up our reserved car, they told us the price will actually be $650 for the same exact rental. They refused to allow us to decline insurance for the vehicle or cancel the reservation. Additionally, they tried to charge my card twice. Once for $743.62 and the second time for $650. I noticed the first charge while still in the building and asked the attendant about it, to which I got a scoff and “I’m not sure what happened. That must have been a glitch in the system.” They then told me that I would receive a refund for the first amount and only pay the $650 charge. (The one I tried to cancel.) After nearly two hours of trying to dispute this and leave without the rental car, the attendant finally called his manager and was allowed to cancel our reservation. Do not rent from this company unless you’re wanting to spend money on shady scams and be treated like you’re the problem.

DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!I wish I would’ve read reviews before booking with Payless. I was charged TWICE for the same rental. When I tried to call them, no one answers the phone. Now I have to go through my bank to resolve this issue. If you’re reading this review, do not disregard this warning. You’re better off going with Hertz or another company because Payless, specifically this location, should be out of business.BEWARE.

Next time go direct through enterprise or hertz or something like that. terrible experience. I was originally supposed to rent out a Corolla but I ended up getting charged to rent out a Sentra as a full sized vehicle. Booked a reservation for $112 ended up getting charged up to $299. All of these added fees. Wouldn’t be as salty or angry if I didn’t have a malfunction on my lights turning off in the freeway at night. Car kept on lighting up like a Christmas tree with all of these lights in the dash. I get that companies have to make their money but don’t overcharge and put people’s safety at risk.

I will be filling a smalls claims court case. They took out nearly $600 out of my account when it should only have been $317.32! They with held my $250 deposit. Not one single freaking soul will call me back to handle this matter. I filed a dispute with my CC and they are NOT helping. I returned the car nearly a day earlier, filled up the gas tank and had many issues with the car. They were supposed to give me 25% discount but only gave me 20% (whatever). They had no problem disputing my case, but they sure hell wont call me back after several phone calls. How in the hell am I being charged $570!! How!

Worst car rental company, absolutely horrible customer service. Do not rent from this company. Been trying to contact them for over a week about my bill no one picks up the phone or returns voicemails and no one in person cares or helps they are rude to you and make up prices and things to tell. Watch out for a deposit charge on your bill that is not the hold and oddly doesn’t specify what it’s for. It’s a scam charge so they can get more money. I was told three different things that it was for taxes which I already paid for, insurance which I declined repeatedly and extension fee which I didn’t have an extension. Ridiculous how they just make up prices and the bill just doesn’t add up. I was told I was getting the deposit of the unknown charge once car was returned and notes in system about it in the end nothing had to dispute unknown fraud charges with my credit card. Also, was given a car that shouldn’t on the roads. Overall nothing good to say just save yourself and don’t rent with them.

Returned the car at 6:35 AM as I rented for two days and per the contract I had to return by no later than 7:00 AM. I have time stamped pictures and videos of the returned car at their return location by 6:35 AM today.. Almost one and half hour later while about to board my flight I got a credit card alert this company charged me for an extra day and I got a newly generated Payless email receipt stating the car was checked in at 7:45 AM.. This is ridiculous that they would just tack on an extra day when I made sure to time everything to meet their stated deadline. Now I have left there voicemails and no one calls me back. Also called payless customer service (since location is not returning calls and no one there answers the phone).Payless customer care said this is a franchised location and they cant see any of their transactions in the general system. Payless support is going to take a report and pass it along to the San Diego Airport Payless location and they can take 14 days to answer and insisted I must continue to call the franchise location. I believe lodging a complaint through the BBB will be needed to get this resolved in a reasonable timeline. Be very careful if you are thinking on renting from Payless at the San Diego airport. Hands off customer care from Payless main support, pass the bucket mentality, and at the San Diego location no one picks up the phone or returns calls. ******9/23 Update: Although still didnt receive any call backs, location rectified error. I was e-mailed an updated receipt and a credit was made on my card. Thank you for handling this. Updating your rating since apart from this jarring component about the extra day charge and lack of phone live support, everything else was ok. You could really turn around your ratings by enhancing your customer service phone live support to handle mundane and easy to rectify issues, that way customers can remember the good and not have to focus on the bad.

At first I tried to extend 1 day and they charge me $94 just for extra one day of economy car and I was charged twice because they said the first one didn’t go thru when in fact my bank deducted it from my account and the lady I talked to on the phone was very rude and hanged up on my face! And when I returned the car I was charge a smoking fee and I never smoke in the car my bf rode with me and he’s a smoker so he always smell like he just smoke and the guy from the return counter told me and insisted no u smoke in the car and I found ashes and it was just crumbs from the chips I ate . I got charge $222 for smoking fee . Customer service is really bad I rented from budget and enterprise and never had this problems. So stay away from this rental co no wonder they only have 1 star! I would give it. A zero star .if I could 😡

Rented a car, it smelled like beer first day. They were willing to trade cars but we didnt want to go all the way back to airport and smell went away. The car was kinda ran down nissan. They charged me 62$ for a toll way, that I never went through and they never mentioned tollway fees in check in. They did refund $20 but that still is alot for a toll way charges.

Scammers, cheap and beat up cars. The rip-off customer service trying to full you on extras as well as insurance. Stay away from this company.

Worst experience I’ve ever had with a rental car. I would like to echo what everyone else seems to have experienced renting from this company. The ratings are accurate and if you rent here there is a high probability you WILL NOT have a good experience. ALLANA deserves special recognition for her INCOMPETENCE and she should not be employed at any company that cares about customer service. If you read this comment heed the warning and spend your hard earned money elsewhere. Finally the car is a 60k mile POS.

What a gem of a place. Because of Covid, this place was a ghost town. The location is a couple minutes from the airport. You take a courtesy shuttle from the airport to the facility. The rental process is quick and the clerk was super nice. She offered us an upgrade free of charge. You get the key, go up the escalator to the stall and go. If youre dropping off before 6am, you just park, drop the keys in a box and go. The shuttle is 24hrs so theres never a problem worrying about getting to the airport. Dont forget to tip your driver please. The view from the parking garage is amazing. We will always use Payless Car Rental when we come to San Diego.

Car renters ....... BE AWARE ......These scammers have to change their business name from PAYLESS to PAYDOUBLEI’ve booked a mid-size car for 7days through Expedia 5 days upon my trip... when I get there the guy gave me a compact car telling that’s what available right now, offering me to upgrade for extra charge.. then I agreed to swipe my card for a deposit they have to hold,,Now 15 days after returning their car I’ve called many times trying to find someone to release my deposit ended up with a clown telling that was for roadside assistance option you’ve already choose before you signed...... what a dirty business

Some of the worst customer experience I’ve endured in 20+ years of travel. I left an item in my rental, realizing so the same day that I returned the car. I called a dozen times (no answer) and left multiple voicemails (no response). I then went back to the rental facility and let them know what had happened. They checked the lost and found and didn’t have it. I was told they would contact the person who had rented the car after me and would call me upon speaking with them. They didn’t. I called a dozen more times (no answer). They have no customer service presence anywhere online, outside of the completely useless phone number, which I suspect isn’t even connected to an actual phone. Do NOT rent from this company.

I would not rent from here again. I was welcomed nicely and the gentle manHowever when I came in he said there was no car that I reserved available then he said he will have to do a upgrade but it will be same price. When I left and finally reached my destination I looked at the receipt and noticed that the rate per day was the same but there was an EXTRA $68 a day upgrade fee. This is unacceptable. I also have been calling for 7 days and no one has called me back or responded. I will say DO rent from here. SIXT is right next to them I would have rather gone there instead

Great work environment. The manager hired me on the spot. Am greatful for the opportunity. If you looking for a fast pace yet smooth and easy work environment then, the Payless is the place for you!!!

DO NOT GO HERE, PLEASE!!!They are a private company; therefore, they do not care if they scam you. First, they did not return my deposit as they said they would, plus they gave me a really old car which stopped working on the second day of my vacation. Also, the staff is extremely rude and does not care to help—good luck speaking to them on the phone because they never answer. I called them 16 times while I noticed that the car rental marked a “check engine” light and started shaking on the freeway, but they never answered. AVOID THIS PLACE IF YOU WANT A DECENT VACATION.

Im giving one star but I want to give zero star if possible.People at the counter were so rude. They tried to give me lower grade car than my booking and insisted new car is higher grade. I showed Payless homepage showing the opposite to what they said; I was only told I did not create the homepage. You are wrong. They also said at one point I dont care what you said. Terrible people. Ill never book Payless at anywhere no matter how cheap it is.

I reserved a mid-size sedan. I refused upgrades at the counter. When I arrived at the stall, the car was a Nissan Versa (definitely not a mid-size) that smelled of cigarette smoke. I was already running late to a meeting (not Payless fault), so I didnt have time to return the counter. The belts on the car squealed, and the locks would randomly lock/unlock while I was driving. I told the return counter about the belts and the locks, and they assured me I would receive a refund via email. Five days later, and still nothing. I strongly recommend avoiding this location. All call attempts to their location go straight to voicemail after three rings.

IF YOU WANT TO BE RIPPED OFF - then by all means Payless Car Rental at the San Diego Airport is your car rental company.Unfortunately you cant leave a review without clicking on at least 1 star, they are not worthy.Wished I had read reviews before booking a car through them, never again!Save yourself the aggravation - DO NOT USE PAYLESS CAR RENTAL

DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICEI reserved a car online with unlimited miles and I went there early morning to pick it up. After waiting in line for 30 min, I go to the desk to fill out paper work. After inserting my credit card into the reader and checking a few boxes, I saw a box that asked me to acknowledge that car is limited to southern California. I was taken aback since I planned to drive to Arizona. I asked the customer service associate about this, and he said I did not read the terms and conditions upon ordering the car, and that it was my fault for using a third-party website, in my case rentalcars.com, and that it would be $200 to turn off the GPS tracker so I can go to Arizona. I asked him if the adjacent rental car companies do the same thing, and he said yes since they are competitors. I immediately walked out of Payless, and so did a man behind me who was listening. I went to Hertz next door and got a better deal, and needless to say, they did not have the $200 out of state fee.Later, I went back to rentalcars.com and to the Payless website to see if the out of state rule was stated, but after a thorough check, I was unable to see such a condition mentioned.It seems that this business operates by deceiving potential customers, a tactic known as bait and switch. Stay away from them!I expect to see a generic reply from the business owner stating I was misinformed blah blah. I will update you all if Payless makes things right or finally tell customers on its website about the out-of-state rule.

The most awful collection of losers and dishonest used car salesmen imaginable. Avoid like the plague.

This location is privately owned and not a part of the corporate office. As a result, calling Payless customer support ends in them telling you to call the location to resolve any issues. When I picked up the car, no one looked the car over to note any damage or issues and instead they told me to take a picture if I noticed anything. One of my group’s rental cars had tires that were almost completely bald. They don’t have anyone on-site early in the morning when you depart and you cannot get a receipt unless you call repeatedly (they won’t answer) and leave messages. I needed my receipt so that I could process my travel voucher for work and was left waiting for the final receipt. I will avoid renting from this company in the future.

Car was nice but they overcharged me by $297 and when they wanted me to sign at the higher amount I had them correct it but I did not see my money for 4 days! They also try to upsell me to something I did not want. Just give me what I reserve and I would be happier visiting here. 2 weeks after my rental they were still holding $250 of my money and I had to dispute with the credit card company. Do not like their business practices here and the fact that they would never answer the phone at the San Diego office is terrible customer service.

The price in the contract is different from the price after I receive my receipt in an email. I called few times to customer service, and they do not want to talk or explain why they charged $100 more. no honesty, no integrity, no trust

This place is a joke. My rental agreement was for a Toyota Camry or similar, I was given a Kia Forte (no bigger than a Toyota Corolla). All of the reviews are on point for this place.I was forced to put $290 down for a deposit on the vehicle and was told that it was just a hold that would be released after the car was returned without any damages. That’s all fine and dandy, I completely understood that. So I returned the car in the exact same condition that I picked it up in and on the SAME DAY, they charged my card the full $290. Also, I was told that it was “company policy” that I buy the additional insurance. I have been waiting for a call for 3 days explaining why my deposit was charged. Tried to contact the corporate office and I was told that because they are privately owned, there’s nothing they can do.This place is shady as hell and I will not be returning. I highly advise anyone considering this place. They told me that they are down to 15 employees from the 90 they had last year... I WONDER WHY!? Go somewhere else, do not do business with these people. Reporting that s place to the BBB

The tires were bald. The windshield wipers were torn. Unsafe and unacceptable!On March 3, 2021 I rented a car in San Diego. I was in a bit of a rush and did not do a thorough inspection before I headed to Julian CA. Ten miles or so later on I-8 it began to rain. Due to the defective windshield wiper blade my visibility was severely impaired. I had to slow way down to an unsafe speed. I was driving so slow that I was creating an hazard.Then I headed North on Hwy 79 and it began to snow. The snow turned to a small amount of slush when it hit the asphalt. Due to the long worn out tires I experienced severe hydroplaning even at speeds a slow as 25 mph. I actually had difficulty climbing moderate inclines due to traction. Still with severely limited visibility due to the defective windshield wiper blades. I have complained but there has been no response.

I rented it through Kayak and paid for Insurance. When we got there they said they did not accept outside insurance and said I could cancel that one easily. Of course you cant cancel the other insurance unless you do it before you start the trip. They then offered us $11 per day insurance from them which I figured I had to buy since they didnt accept the other one. We had the car for three days and they charged us $51. So that is $51 plus the $44 that I had spent for the insurance they didnt accept. Even though I had paid ahead, I ended up wasting that much extra because of this situation.

Only needed to rent a car for a couple days only to go through a world of hassle, overcharged on top of the $500 deposit that they charge. Customer service was very unhelpful took a week to get all the charges corrected on top of overcharged for gas.. I would highly consider someone else before going to this car rental or better yet just take public transportation!!!

I would post a zero if I could. Called three times to ask what the procedure was in case of late arrival. No call back after leaving messages with my name, number, and confirmation. Flight arrived at 11:03 and the counter had a sign directing us upstairs. The booth was dark and empty and a neighboring agent said they had left. Finally I notice a sign on the window with a number to text. It’s almost midnight by now. I text several times with no response. At this point I’ve traveled for 12hrs and I’m cranky. I text “this is theft” as I’ve already paid. We go to Alamo and rent another car with great service. The next morning I still have zero response and text again. Someone named Shawn gives me the most unprofessional, defensive, and also nonsensical response telling me I deserve no professionalism as I have name called and am expecting “ass kissing”.

By all means, avoid renting from Payless because you will end up paying more. I know for a fact that I opted out of the insurance but ended up getting charged for it. My initials are RAA yet the paper is initialed RTC. You are better off with other car rental i.e. Avis, Enterprise.Dont make the same mistake as I did and read the prior reviews. There is a reason that this company is only rated 1.5 stars. Avoid this shady car rental at all cost.

I am careful with rental car companies after having questionable and difficult experiences with major well known rental car companies. I chose Payless for the price but was absolutely blown away how kind and helpful each of the employees were, not just with myself but the other customers I saw check in before me. They go out of their way to be kind and helpful. I wish I could fly into San Diego and rent with this crew every time I had to travel somewhere. 10 stars. I hope they continue to create such kind and gentle customer service, I would recommend everyone to check this location out.

Pretty sure there was blood stains all over the headliner, quoted 400 something for 5 days credit card charged almost $1000

I rented a car to do a trip up to central california from san diego. They said because it was out of socal, it would be an additional $250. This was not advertised anywhere. Really horrible and manipulative business practice. Wait until people have landed from their flight for vacation or business and then put them into a corner where they have to accept another $250 or try to arrange another car. Never again.

Fairly low rates because cars are dirty, beat up, high mileage. Very long wait to process paperwork to get car even though we had reservation. They tell you your insurance wont cover a rental car so they upsell their waivers. Will not use again and dont recommend using their service.

Very good customer service and had the best prices of all of the car rental establishments. Even when I returned the vehicle, their customer service was top notch.

We booked car on Priceline . At the time of booking Priceline secured our money for car. Go to San Diego to pick up the car and they told us they could not guarantee our reservation because we booked it sooner than 24 hours from pick up another word you have to book 24 hours in advance to guarantee your reservation. So of course when we got to the airport they didn’t have a car for us instead we sat there for two hours until someone returned a compact car when we had in fact reserved a midsize car. We ended up paying the same amount for the small tiny car as we were quoted for the midsize just to be able to get out of the airport and on with our trip. We’re at the counter they secured the weekly rate as well as a deposit. So not only did Priceline get my weekly rate they did as well and a deposit.So essentially I was charged twice for the car and deposit in addition to the rental fee. The car was fine no problems ran good it was clean however when I dropped it off two weeks ago I expected to see my deposit within two days or so as usual when renting a car. It’s now been two weeks and I have not received my deposit back. I don’t recommend that anybody reserve a car or Rent-A-Car at Payless in San Diego it seems like they’re all about scamming people out of their money that’s all they care about you can’t get a hold of anybody via telephone.Sincerely, Scott Blaney

It was a long line to get on the rental center bus. Then a long line to get to the counter. Took an hour to get from bag check to driving. Very friendly fellow. The car had a front bumper that was being held on by the license plate bolts. Thank goodness it stayed on.

They upgraded my car and said it would only be 27$ a day but added it onto the other 50$+ I was already paying and when I asked the guy about it he said that’s just how it looks on the receipt and about 250 of the additional 350 that I was being charged was actually a deposit and it would be refunded to me. Never was and can’t get ahold of them cause there line is disconnected when you try to call about your deposit and they won’t answer the other phone. This place is crooked as all hell and I will never get a rental from this place again. Everyone stay away from this place. Nothing but bad reviews

I came in there and Alanah was very respectful and polite. She is the best with customer service she helped me out when it came to getting a rental car because I had just got into a car accident. She helped me with a great deal for my insurance and everything I will definitely rent again from them.

Yikes. Booked through PL and then saw the reviews afterwards. Definitely gonna freeze my card before PAYLESS gets my money and get a new card. PENDING TRANSACTION. THESE PPL WILL CHARGE YOU TWICE!!!

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS PAYLESS Location. They are not affiliated with corporate Payless as they are an independent location that license the Payless name. I originally booked with them to hire a car for 3 days for $536. I returned the car 2 hours after return time and they charged me an additional $325. I was not sent any notification of this charge and of course when I called the location several times, there was no one to answer the phone.... These are rouge traders so avoid at all costs and book with a main rental company

Do not rent here! This is a privately owned affiliate of Payless Car Rental. They lied to me about giving me a nicer car for $7/day and then charged me $75 a day. I said no extra insurance and they added full insurance to my bill. Trying to contact them but all I get is the option to leave a voice mail and they dont call back. Beware!!! I would give Zero stars if I could.

Do not trust!!! They first told me I could not get third party insurance which I understand and then the guy told me that I had to get all these extra things in the state of California and it was required come to find out later that was not the case and he lied!!! I turned the car in with a full gas tank and they charged me for gas!! I took pictures to prove that the gas was full when I dropped it off! I recommend double checking everything before you sign off with someone else and take pictures because they will just charge you for whatever they want thinking you will not check your bank statement!

Here is our rental car being jumped 2 days in a row!! Still got no refund but had the nerve to add additional charges after we returned the car!! Stay away!!

I visited in February. I am familiar with renting cars and Payless was easy for the process. At the counter they were all about selling insurance and all the extras... really? And the car they gave me was not a bad or dirty car but low of lowest vehicles. I enjoy renting when I travel because I usually get to try our a vehicle I have never driven in and experience whether I like it. This was a car I would have never even considered. Disappointed in there selection!

Don’t rent here. It won’t let me leave less than one star or I definitely would. Booked a minivan and then was told the only available van was an upgrade and and charged $630 upgrade fee for same van I had reserved. Nathan, the guy at the counter, is a scam artist.

I rented on here last july 27-30. and havent recieve my deposit yet. ive called so many times nobody picks up the phone.

Great staff who helped me the last minute and cheaper tham Thrifty Car rentals

This place is a complete joke. The first car we received had grinding brakes at every stop or slow down which is unsafe! More than 4 hours later we were brought a different vehicle. We turned the vehicle in the same condition & now there is an additional $62.50 charge on my credit card. I have tried calling & no one will answer the phone or has yet to call me back. I will go elsewhere for my rental car needs in the future.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! I wish I could give ZERO stars. We were originally told the cost of the car would be $25. We were there to see our son graduate boot camp and the customer service rep offered to upgrade us for free then charged us an extra $75 for the free upgrade. We had the car for 3 days and our $25 a day car ended up costing us OVER $500. On top of that our upgraded car smelled like smoke, was dirty, and didnt have a key fab. Now, 30 days later they still have a $250 hold on our debit card that we cant seem to get removed and this is in ADDITON to the over $500 we already paid. I will NEVER AGAIN use this company and I dont recommend anyone else use them either.

***WARNING YOU WILL NOT PAY LESS*** they say the compact is the economy and vice versa lol, mandatory upcharge, they will say the car you want is unavailable or you have to get their insurance, etc... Dont do it to yourself!!!!

Gave us a deal on our car! Staff is really nice and would totally recommend renting a car from them!

People Be Aware of this company! DON’T Trust this company! They are trying to overcharge you! Also No one picks up the phone! They charged us toll road $55 which is supposed to be max $10! We dropped off the car the same day we used toll roads and let them know right away we used and how we would pay for it! We tried to pay the fee and this popped up which shows on the photo! We literally asked for it!!! They said they would pay! Obviously they didn’t pay on time! Don’t trust this company ever! Basically they charge $50 admission fee for toll roads and there is no option you can pay by yourself!

Really! Really Fake company,costumer service terrible,,,cheating money,,sooo be carful…I’m not going back one more time neverrrrrrrrrrr really terrible 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

The first rental car company over booked for my reservation and I was grateful Payless had a car for me. The line to rent the car was a really long wait (over an hour) otherwise I would have given 5 stars.

We prepaid for a car, but we arrived a few hours late due to a delay with our airline and PayLess had given away our car. They had our flight information and there was a huge delay with all southwest flights that day, so they were definitely aware we were delayed. They charged us an extra $100 and gave us a downgraded vehicle. Very upset and would like a refund on the surcharge. We will not rent from here again.

Id give them a zero star except thats not an option. I prepaid for my reservation but their system couldnt find my reservation even though they provided me a confirmation number and a confirmation email. They told me to come back in 30 minutes. They wouldnt honor the rate and tried to Raise my rate by over $100. A sorry joke for a car rental place. I dont recommend them. Go somewhere else.

Absolutley terrible. Picked up the car, drove to in and out and when I came out, wouldnt start. Jumped and took to my hotel and again wouldnt start for the valets. Tried calling for 2 hours and left 3 messages with no response. Called the emergency roadside assistance number and waited on hold for 30+ minutes with no answer. Thank God I wasnt stranded on a highway. After 2 hours, finally paid for my own Uber to go back to the office. One guy at the counter, at least 10 in line (one of which also was returning a defective car). Finally went upstairs to find 4 employees in the booth. Julia was nice and tried to make it right but one good employee doesnt undo an entire ordeal. Wasted my only free night trying to contact someone for 3 hours before paying for my own ride. Unacceptable. Not the first issue Ive had with Payless. Avoid at all costs! Worth a little extra to go to a name brand.

Flight was delayed 2.5 hrs from Dallas. I booked a rental 3 months ago and even paid in advance. Waited in line for another hour just here them say they’ve given our rental away.. offered to upgrade to a convertible for $400 more! Never again

Had a reservation. Plane arrived late. Rental car place was closed. Call talked to the front counter person she said it was okay to pick up the car in the morning. When I got there in the morning. My reservation was canceled. And I was charged an extra $189. Was not happy about this because I had called and was told I would be okay. They did not mention any extra charge.

DO NOT RENT A CAR FROM THIS RIP OFF COMPANY!! They very dishonest! Many charges added to my credit card. Scam! Can’t believe they have not been closed down!!Trying to blame me for some damages on car that was there when I picked it up! And have pink slip to show prior damage!!Car was disgusting nasty dirty when I picked it up. Run from this place!!Will be reporting to BBB!

Would give a zero star if I could. I was charged twice for my car rental, and the customer service could not give me a resolution for the last month. I was also charged a lot more than the car I had reserved by the salesperson without anyone letting me know I was getting an upgrade. Will never rent from Payless ever again. Dont do it if you are reading this!

Im totally happy with this company! Definitely the best prices and they have good variety of cars, if you want to save some money you would get a decent car, you can always upgrade paying more. But the customer service is great, Luis took care really good of the rental agreement and everything was so easy on the drop off time.Definitely getting this services again! And I already rent 2 times from this place, so it was not just a lucky time .And dont pay attention to the scam comments, San Diego is an expensive area. You will pay extra charges at the pick up( state taxes and insurance will add up), but I rented from fox rental car as well, and they would try to push all the sales, I paid with that company for 3 days rental car the same amount I paid for 7 days rental car with Payless.

I reserved my vehicle through Car rentals.com. They quoted me a price and I was in agreement with that price. However, once I returned to vehicle at 4am the day I was leaving my credit card was charged a different price. I am referring to the Payless company in San Diego airport. I tried to reach out asking why I was charged an additional $96.00 and of course no one answered the phone for 2 days. Then I finally researched and got a different phone number to call which was supposed to be the customer service department. I spoke to someone and he opened a case but took the following week to get back with me. Then when he did, he stated I was charged for gas. First of all I left at 4am and I filled the tank the night before and I also sent an email attachment of the receipt. So needless to say I still cannot get a hold of anyone at the location to call me back. This is not a good company to rent vehicles from and they will never get my business again. The worst rental experience ever, for me! I wouldn’t give them any stars..

This was the absolute worst car rental by far. They double charge, never reimburse the security deposit, dont send an invoice, cant even properly type a name. Buyer beware, I cant believe this place is still in business. Here are the before picture of the wreck I was given. I ended up paying over 600$ US for this POS, about 100$ a day! That was 5 times more than it was announced! I may have to take this to the Better Business Bureau.

I booked this reservation through Priceline and was charged by Priceline as well as Payless. Payless will not return calls requesting a refund for the duplicate charge.

WARNING!! Do not believe those fake 5 star reviews.The people at the front desk are absolute scammers. They try to trick you and charge extra by making you sign several waivers without any explanation! Be careful about the free upgrades that they provide too and keep monitoring your bank account, cuz they charged my friend for that.Also the car that I was provided was extremely dirty with a lot of dents and scratches.Please take extra caution and take pictures (of fuel, damage etc.) as they charge extra for unnecessary reasons.

Never rent from Payless. Worst customer service experience. They have all these hidden fees that they don’t show you unless you call them 2 weeks later and request your receipt. They literally have two receipts. One they give you when you leave and the real receipt. Also, the $250 “hold” on your card for incidentals is not a “hold” they will charge your credit card $250. Payless will than try to credit you back the difference. I had 3 transactions on my card from Payless; the original payment, the “holding” fee and the final charge. The problem is with a credit card once an item is charged you still have to pay interest on that initial $250 . Also, in California they have tolls you pay online. Payless will charge you an additional $50 administration fee for the California tolls. There is no option for an eazy pass.

Customer service was great -- quick and friendly. Car was clean inside and mostly clean outside -- some water spotting. The Sentra was smaller than I had imagined for a standard size. Check in was easy. Shuttles to main terminal came every few minutes.

What an awful way to start my first almost post-COVID vacation. Reservation was cancelled due to lateness (

WORST rental car ever!! I was forced to upgrade my car for an extra $24 a day because thats what they have ready so after repeatedly telling them NO, that I wanted the original price agreed upon online (via the Southwest Airlines website), I ultimately had to accept the upgraded vehicle just to get out of there and on my way. This upgraded vehicle had stains everywhere on the interior, torn fabric on the upholstery, a reclining handle that was not screwed on so it just popped off during use, and an exterior that looked like it was a derby car in the making. No key fob, no power anything except the locks, and someones old chapstick lying between the seats. For the same price, I could have gone to Hertz or Thrifty for a much better vehicle. When I mentioned all of this to the employee at the Return area, he said Well, when you pay less, thats what you get. Buyer beware -- go elsewhere unless youd like a POS vehicle to drive around in on your trip.

Worst experience of my life. Don’t understand how these workers can handle having their job everyday just to scam people? I guess there really are disgusting people in the world.

I rented a car fr ok m these ppl to only be over charged, not to have the car I order, dont even carry that brand of cars, they lie from beginning to end, now they have 3 charges on my credit card, I only rented one car, and it was not what I wanted, it was a kia soul, I requested a 300, dont even rent Chryslers. They get jo stars, but I couldnt post, without a star

Update: Payless failed to respond to the BBB complaint after sending formal notice that they had received it. Filed a complaint with the attorney general today. DO NOT ALLOW SCAMMER COMPANIES TO GET AWAY WITH IT.Scammers, will never rent from this unscrupulous company again. Paid for car in full via orbitz including insurance. Lease agent charged me additional insurance on top of deposit. Called customer service and was told ‘well you authorized it, call the local office and see if they’ll handle it”. Asked for a supervisor and was told I wouldn’t hear from one for up to 72 hours. Local office not answering their phones. Filed a BBB Complaint. Next time rent from a reputable company like enterprise and pay more.

The cars battery stopped holding a charge, burn marks on the seats, double charged on my credit card, many charges added on after picking the car up.Zero help with any of these issues. Really I cant imagine a worse experience.

Car was fine but was upsold a more expensive vehicle and they tried to add on additional charges for insurance that added up to $415. We had to tell the guy twice we already had insurance to remove it. Still charged $415 and had to dispute the additional charges. Also charged a bunch of hidden fees including roadside assistance we never asked for. Apparently they also sell cars with mechanical issues as someone ahead of us returned their car due to issues.

Poor quality car with lots of dents and scratches at pickup. Thankfully they didn’t try to charge me for that. I did get an erroneous charge for $73 for gas (when I returned it with a full tank) which I’m trying to get refunded - hopefully their customer service is able to fix this. Probably worth renting from a better agency though.

Beware! Beware! Picked up the old, janky car yesterday. As soon as we left the airport the check engine light came on. Called once we got to our destination and they said theyd note it on the account and theyd give us a replacement. Tried calling next day to schedule a swap, called around 8 am in the morning, no answer so left msg and said cars now not driveable, it died on us 3 times trying to back out of the driveway. No one called back all day. Tried calling 3 more times throughout day, left 2 more messages (since no one answers phone), no call back. Called and asked for emergency roadside and put into a queue which said over 15 minute wait. I hung up cause didnt have time to wait. Called at 10:30 and after 10 minute wait managed to get ahold of someone, who put me on hold and then back to the phone menu. Called back, took 15 minutes to find my reservation even though I have car and all paperwork in front of me. Rep was short with me, rude, and unapologetic. Told me to.drive the broken car to airport for replacement. Told her dont feel safe driving it, I have kids and it wont stay on. She said theyd tow it and send an uber to take to take to airport IF ONES AVAILABLE. Turns out ones not available and the car place is already closed so I need to call back in the morning and start over. Update tomorrow. In the meantime Ill put this here.

If you are renting in California make sure you read the fine print. California is divided into 3 zones. If you venture out of the zone they will charge you $250. The rental agency will not tell you the boundaries of the zone. You have to figure it out. Overall a Rip Off. I have had better experience with other car rental places.

Don’t book with them! The worst company I have ever seen! They are lying all the time just to get extra money!!!!

Haven’t received my deposit back. Based off everyones experience, who knows if I will.

DO NOT RENT A CAR FROM PAYLESS RENTAL CARS !!!!! They steal money and you won’t get your deposit back which is around $278

Payless is a good deal if you know what you’re getting into. If you don’t have car insurance outside of what’s covered by your credit card you will need to buy Payless insurance. For the best experience bring a copy of your car insurance coverage so you can prove you don’t need to buy theirs. Nina was incredibly helpful and gave me the best service! Her attention to detail and willingness to work with me to toward a solution is the only reason I’m giving this place 4 stars. My initial visit was rough but when I came back Nina helped me get exactly what I needed. 10/10 would rent here again!

If I could give a zero i would. flight from Dallas got delayed 2 hours so wife called to let them know and they said ok along as we were there by 11! when we got there stood in line for an hour finally got to counter and they said it was canceled and they had givin the car away due to being 2 hours late! absolute BS!!!

Had prepaid my car rental totally on Orbitz website should not have had to pay another dime. The person behind the counter San Diego, was very insistent that I had to get CDW insurance. I informed him that I did not want CDW insurance and I would not pay for CDW insurance because my credit card covered any CDW damages. He still argued with me and still insisted that I purchase the insurance coverage from him. I told them I would not. Then he said well then youre going to assume full liability. I said thats fine insisted that I show him my insurance and coverage policy.He then wanted to upgrade my car I says no I prepaid and I have no intentions on paying anymore. Again he was very insistent that I upgrade my car I told him no.They required a credit card for a $250 deposit so I gave my credit card.I find that my credit card has extra charges on it now which I have disputed with my credit card company.Dont bother with Payless Ive run it from them before but I will not ever rent from them again these people are crooks.

On the internet it was for toyota corolla but what I received was Nissan sentra. Car was clean but has a lot of scratches.

I rented a car thru Expedia and when I got to the San Diego Airport location I was told they had no cars. Three other people had reserved as well and were told the same thing. I would suggest a person make sure they actually have cars available. I paid over 30 dollars for Lyft and waisted 3 hours. Payless fix your issues with booking companies. I should get a refund for the Lyft rides from Payless as well.

While they seemed decent on the phone taking our reservation, they closed the counter before our flight landed leaving us stranded at the airport. Not a good first impression and I dont plan to try them again. Advertised rates are cheap but it doesnt matter if you cant actually get a car.

Avoid.Scam with hidden extra charges (which makes it even more expansive than other car rentals services) and really bad car quality.

PLEASE READ!!!!! This place is a scam. First off booked on expedia. 195.00 for the week. Ok awesome. At pick up i was sadley mistaken. After all the hidden fees came out to 305.00 and a 250 deposit that they fail to tell you. Which i still havent been reimbursed. Couple days later after drop off i was charged 166.00! I called multiple times. Finally someone answered my question a week later. It was a 166.00 cleaning fee which i cleaned vechicle before drop off. Demanded to speak to a manager. Still no call back so today i decided to see if the charges were reimbursed after i disputed them. Not only wqs i not reimbursed i had another 66.00 charge from them almost a month later. Called today and left voice-mail. Not holding my breath. Do yourself a favor dont payless go to a big name company. Worst car rental ive ever experienced. You people should be ashamed of your selfs!

READ ALL REVIEWS BEFORE COMING HERE PAYED 300$ FOR A CAR THAT WAS USED LESS THAN 24Hrs??? Please explain how ridiculous this was. Terrible customer service. I’d rate this negative stars if anything

You had better pickup within one hour before or after reserve time or they will cancel your reservation and quote you a much higher new price. No integrity.

Not worth the savings!TODAY: Car suddenly breaks down, send it in to get repaired. Gotta wait a few days let me look for a rental.Priceline has me set for an economic vehicle through this place. (DO NOT PAY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO THE CAR IN SIGHT). They charged me up front $511. I drive 1.5 hours to the airport for my reservation and they respond with, we do not honor same day reservation; but AVIS has a bunch of cars, you can get one with them. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Now its a constant loop of no calls being answered. Thanks (sarcasm) to Care Team with Priceline, since they cannot confirm that I did or didnt pick up the rental they wont issue my refund (so you dont get a notification through the companies you represent? Weird). And they will send an email in 10 business days if they cant get ahold of them by phone. Mind you standing here physically with a rep in front of me is not enough proof. They need to call the number they have on file. Never again with either parties involved.

Pay attention to the bad reviews, and stay clear of this location. This particular store has rude clerks and terrible business practices. We missed our flight, and arrived two hours late. We had prepaid for a mid-sized car, but since we were late, they gave it away and apparently ran out of what we reserved (yeah, right). We were told our only option was to pay extra for a full-size. Good luck finding anything else - its a busy weekend in San Diego. The clerk said it would be an extra $15/day (we rented for a week). When I told him this was a scam, he then shifted and said it would be a TOTAL of $15. Fine, I said. My credit card was charged an extra $80, not $15. Ive left several messages to dispute the charge and still havent received a call back. Very shady bunch. There are too many options to go with this company. Ill NEVER rent from Payless again.

How this company has continued to exist completely baffles me. Dishonest doesnt even begin to explain the problems here. DO NOT use them.

We rented from the San Diego Airport location through Priceline (which we paid up front). The clerk asked if I wanted additional damage insurance, and I said no, as my auto insurance and credit card both cover rentals. He asked if I wanted a prepaid tank of gas at $3.99. I asked what the current average price was, and he told me around $4.69 - a lie, as everywhere we went, it was closer to $3.69. When I was electronically initialing the agreement, it asked if I wanted the damage waiver - I thought that meant that I was waiving additional coverage. Wrong. I accidentally agreed to pay an extra $11/day to NOT have their additional coverage. What??? Im paying to NOT use your coverage? They also charged me a second time for taxes and fees (I had already paid for all of that through Priceline). Im currently disputing the extra charges with my credit card company, as Payless doesnt make it easy to contact them. Theres no email or online form, and they dont answer their phones (I sat on hold for 15 minutes before giving up). Their name should be changed to Paymore.

First time renting a car. Was told $300 for seven days which is fair. Ended up costing $408.57 and no one can tell me what the extra charge is for. After the first phone call no one would answer my calls; it went straight to voicemail like my number was blocked (I was polite to them on the phone). Never using their service again.

I rarely put reviews, but this place deserves 1 star or less, I was forced to upgrade my car bc they were out of the size I booked and they charged me extra for the daily insurance bc the car is bigger which not my fault but i was ok with this. When i went to take the car it was so old and on the top of everything I was charged $55 extra for GPS that i never asked for, the front guy told me you will get a credit when you come back but i never got anything.

All the reviews regarding fraudulent and bogus charges on your credit card is correct. I just rented from them a couple days ago and received SEVERAL CHARGES on my card that is separate from my receipt. This is on top of the $250 exceedingly high deposit. I reported them to the Federal Trade Commission. This is very bad practice - they should not be in practice.