PHOENIX - Everybody has a bad customer service story, but after going undercover at one Valley rental car company, we discovered customers literally being kicked to the curb.
We wanted to know why so many people were complaining about Saban's Rent-A-Car (now under the name of Phoenix Car Rental), so we went undercover to rent three cars.
It didn't take long to figure out why there were so many concerns.
Our first rental car had been in a serious accident and then rebuilt. That’s legal, but not exactly a confidence builder.
Isabel and Perry each rented from Saban’s after they were lured in by low rates.
They each had different vehicles but the same story.
“It smelled like vomit and urine, and the backseat was soiled,” said Isabel, “The brakes were mushy.” “It was in disrepair, completely,” said Perry, “We needed air conditioning.” Their stories included unsafe cars and unexpected fees. Perry said they charged him $11 for washing the vehicle even though the car was filthy when they gave it to him. Both Perry and Isabel said the cars were so bad that they returned them after driving for a few hours. Isabel was charged $190, and Perry was charged $428. Saban’s has locations both at 30th Avenue and Indian School Road and at 26th Street and McDowell Road. The Better Business Bureau lists 64 similar complaints against Saban’s and rates them an 'F'. All of the complaints are unresolved.
According to one customer, not only does Saban's get an 'F', but they don't mind using it either. “He called me an ‘f----n’ b----‘, and said that I needed to get my ass kicked,” said Isabel. There's also this story from Jennifer. She told us she was driving through a Jack in the Box restaurant with her Saban’s rental car with her child in the back seat and burgers on the way when she heard a knock at the car window. Startled, she saw a large man staring at her. “He opened my door and said 'get out,'” said Jennifer. “I thought I was in the twilight zone. You're kidding.” He wasn't. Jennifer said she was a couple of hours late on a return, and Saban’s wanted the car back – right then and there. They tracked her vehicle down. “I had to get my three-year-old with my car seat, with my briefcase, with my purse, with all the hamburgers. I broke down. I was sobbing,” said Jennifer.
The ABC15 Investigators got similar treatment undercover from owner Dennis Saban. You can hear him say through the use of our hidden camera, "You need to take your purse outside." Saban accused our undercover producer of having a weapon. Our producer asked, “You going to talk to me?” and Saban responded, “I told you to put the purse back in the car.” “I don't have a weapon in the purse, sir,” said the producer. “You can't carry any concealed objects in here,” said Saban as him slammed the window closed. The producer asked, “Are you going to give me my money back?” We didn't have a weapon, but we did want our money back. Of the cars we rented, two of them were 12 years old with missing pieces and interiors that have seen better days. And that is just what we could see.
We used certified mechanics at the AAA repair shop in Peoria who told us about plenty of stuff we couldn’t see. According the AAA, the 1997 Chevy Lumina: -had no washer fluid reservoir, -engine mounts were weak, -the rear strut was leaking, -the steering hose was leaking, -the lining was wet with brake fluid, -and the brake could easily lock up and could cause the wheel to skid. Our producer knew there were issues with the 1997 Ford Taurus as soon as she drove it off the lot. “It looks like it's in park, but you start going in reverse,” said our producer. According to AAA, the car had some real safety issues: -the gear shift had a lot of slack in it so you never knew which gear it was in, -there was a valve malfunction, -the wheel wobbled which would make it hard to keep the car straight in the lane and loose control. If the mechanic received this car as a rental, he said he would return it immediately.
When Saban wouldn't talk about our concerns by phone or e-mail, we went there. That is when our cameras found the manager, Al, trying to hide from us ... unsuccessfully. He hid behind the door. He avoided our questions about safety, overcharges and about something the mechanics noticed on our rentals. The service light on the dashboard that warns you of dangers under the hood was painted over or blackened with a marker. “Somebody had to take it apart and disassemble it to do that,” said the mechanic. It wasn’t on just one car; it had been painted over on all three of our rentals.
We asked Al if that was something Saban’s Rent-a-Car did. Once again, there was no answer. After the sun went down, Al scurried to his car and drove away leaving us with no answers. But, while we were undercover, Saban told us their fees are printed on the contract, and that they will remove charges for insurance if you can prove you had it at the time. If you rented a car from Saban’s, let us know by e-mailing us. Also, get tips on Car Rentals and Hassel-Free Car Rental to keep you and your family safe. Do you have strong feelings about this story? Click "add a comment" at the bottom of this page to soundoff.
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