Q: I recently rented a car through Payless Car Rental. When I arrived, there was a long line. I noticed that people were leaving unhappy, but I decided to stay positive.
I needed a navigation system for my trip, but the price to rent one, $11 a day, was almost the same amount as what I paid for the car rental. I told the employee at the desk that I couldnβt afford a GPS, but needed one.
A manager was called, and I explained my concern β that I needed a GPS. He agreed to give it to me at no additional charge. I did not agree to pay extra for it in the contract that I signed. Payless gave me a receipt, too.
Before I left, I asked again, βAm I going to be charged for this?β I was told βno.β Then, I asked a third time. A manager said: βDonβt worry, everything is taken care of. You are not going to be charged.β
My credit card has been charged.
Iβve called multiple times to ask why Iβve been charged. The company opened a case, and the final answer is: no refund. I would like my $187 back, please. β Mihaela Sturm, Grand Marais, Minnesota
A: If Payless told you that you didnβt have to pay for your GPS, then you shouldnβt have paid for your GPS.
But before we get to your navigation system, letβs talk about pricing. Your rental car was a bargain, at less than $10 a day. The GPS, at $11 a day, was not a deal. Payless has embraced an airline pricing model, where it offers an attractive βbaseβ price and then adds on fees that can make your rental more expensive than a full-service car-rental agencyβs vehicle.
Iβm not a fan of that kind of pricing because it gives you the impression that the car is cheap, when often it is not. If you want to do something like fill the tank with gas or add a car seat, youβre suddenly paying twice as much for your wheels. Tricky, isnβt it?
Now, some people claim that this is the free market at its finest β that you have a choice when it comes to bringing your own GPS or renting a toll transponder. If you bring your own, you can save money, and the car-rental company gets to advertise a really low, and bookable, rate. But look at your situation: You needed a navigation system, and Payless made you pay more for it β a lot more.
Making matters even worse: A representative told you that you wouldnβt get charged for the GPS. Then Payless charged you. Come on!
To avoid something like this, you should always get the offer in writing. I asked for your paper trail, and you showed me a receipt that said you wouldn’t be charged for a GPS. That’s a slam-dunk case if I’ve ever seen one. A brief, polite appeal to one of the executives at Payless would have done the trick if the company didn’t agree to what it had already agreed to both in writing and verbally. I list their names, numbers and email addresses on my advocacy site: elliott.org/company-contacts/payless-car-rental
This case has an unusual resolution. I asked you if I could review the correspondence between you and Payless. You said you hadnβt yet emailed the company, so then you did. Payless agreed to refund the $187 minus a hefty $50 cancellation fee. Although I felt that the fee was high and was willing to ask Payless to waive the charge, you indicated that you were happy to get some of the money back and decided to let it go.
Iβm happy that Payless finally kept its word β more or less.
