The Better Business Bureau is issuing a nationwide warning to customers about Payless Car Rental, a major car rental company found at airports across the country. 
 
 The BBB says it has received more than 800 complaints about Payless in the past three years and has given the company an F rating. Now the organization is urging attorneys general in four states — California, Florida, New Jersey and Oklahoma — to investigate Payless and its parent company, Avis. 
 
 "They have sales practice issues and contract issues and billing issues with consumers," Amie Mitchell, the president of the BBB serving eastern Oklahoma, told ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez. 
 
 Questions about fees are a major part of a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against Payless after unhappy customers launched a Facebook group claiming they were charged for services they said they didn't want. 
 
 Greg Kohn, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, told ABC News, "Payless has used deceptive business practices in order to lure customers into their shop to rent their vehicles. They use low rates online to get people to use them over other rental agencies, but when you get there, they slam you with additional fees." 
 
 One of the lawsuit's plaintiffs, Richard Alexander, a police officer, said he rented a car from Payless in Las Vegas for a six-day family vacation with an online quote of $217 from a third-party website. He says he walked to the counter wearing a police shirt and badge. "The gentleman that waited on us thanked me for my service and offered me a free upgrade," Alexander told ABC News. "I specifically asked him, 'It's going to be $217, right?' I was told yes. I told him, 'I'm covered under my own insurance.' And I believe he was told two or three times I do not need this." 
 
 Alexander says he initialed the agreement, expecting to pay $217. But when he returned the vehicle, the total was $528, with charges for, among other things, insurance and roadside service protection, which he said he didn't want. 
 
 ABC News producers rent 4 cars: 1 found with 'dangerous' tires 
 
 ABC News producers rented four cars from Payless locations in New York and New Jersey and had them inspected by Audra Fordin, founder of Women Auto Know and owner of Great Bear Auto and Body Shop in Flushing, New York. Three of the four cars passed her standard inspection. But the car from the Payless location at John F. Kennedy International Airport, she told ABC News, had four tires that were bald and "dangerous." She found holes and called one tire "a blowout waiting to happen." 
 
 ABC News called Payless, which had the car towed. The manager apologized and offered a full refund. 
 
 Loss damage waiver insurance included in ABC News producers' bill 
 
 But that's not all ABC News encountered while renting from Payless. With two cars, rented from the LaGuardia Airport and JFK offices, producers got exactly what they reserved online: economy cars with no fees for added services. But when producers went to the Newark Liberty International Airport Payless location, asking for a car with no extra charges, they were given a contract that included a $29 per day charge for loss damage waiver insurance. When producers asked the Payless representative about the charge, they were told, "You accepted the total. It comes with it." But the contract that producers were given states in two places that loss damage waiver insurance is optional. Producers were also charged $5.99 per day for roadside service protection. The roadside service plan appears to be optional on Payless' website. 
 
 When returning the rental car to the Newark office, producers asked about the loss damage waiver insurance. They were told that if the insurance is taken off, the rate goes up. "You take the insurance, you get a cheaper rate. If you don't, your rate is even three times higher," said the Payless representative. The manager told producers they got a deal, adding, "It's all included in the price under the manager's special when the client doesn't have a reservation." 
 
 Payless declined ABC News' repeated requests for an interview. Instead, the company sent a statement that read, "We are concerned about any negative rental experiences that you may have had at Payless. We always strive to provide customers with a positive rental experience, and we take customer feedback seriously. We are investigating your concerns with your experiences to ensure that our employees' statements and conduct always remain consistent with our policies and procedures. The tire problem you described is highly unusual. Safety is a top priority, and we have followed up with the supervisor at that location. While we were encouraged to hear that the Payless employee you spoke with moved quickly to tow the car and provide a refund, we will continue to emphasize and enforce our stringent safety protocols companywide." 
 
 Consumer tips before renting a car 
 
 The following tips were provided by the BBB to ABC News. Click here for more terms and information on how to file a complaint. 
 
 1. Call several firms to find out if the car you want is available and at what price. Rental companies vary widely in their prices. Make sure you are comparing similar sizes, types, locations and dates. 
 
 2. Inquire about required fees such as fuel or airport fees and other additional costs. A deposit may be required if you do not have a credit card. 
 
 3. Make a reservation, if possible, because unreserved rentals may cost more. Also, call to confirm your reservation, to be certain that the car will be available when you arrive. 
 
 4. Read the contract before you sign it. Most firms have written their contracts in plain language for all to comprehend. 
 
 5. Check the car before driving away. Be sure that any dents or scratches are noted in the contract, so that you will not be charged for damaging the car. 

 BBB of Eastern Oklahoma warns consumers of numerous concerns and failure to address pattern of complaints 
 
 Tulsa, OK – Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Oklahoma has sent a letter to the attorneys general of four states regarding the marketplace conduct and complaint history of Payless Car Rental of Tulsa, a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group based in Parsippany, New Jersey. 
 
 In the past three years, over 830 complaints have been filed with BBB against Payless Car Rental; all were handled by the BBB Serving Eastern Oklahoma as the designated Corporate Customer Service location for the company. A review of these complaints and allegations indicated a pattern of complaints in three major areas: Sales Practices, Billing and Collection, and Contracts (see attached letter for details). More than ten percent of the complaints were from consumers in two states, California and Florida. 
 
 [The story first broke on ABC’s Good Morning America. Watch it here:} 
 
 “BBB has attempted to address the pattern of complaints with Payless on several occasions over the past three years,” notes Amie Mitchell, president and CEO of BBB Tulsa. “The most recent attempt was on March 29, 2017, in a letter sent by certified mail. The business failed to respond. Because consumers are still coming to us with the same complaints, week after week, we felt we had no choice but to turn this matter over to law enforcement.” 
 
 As part of its vision of “an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other,” BBB sets standards for marketplace trust, encourages best practices, educates consumers, celebrates marketplace role models, addresses substandard marketplace behavior, and creates a community of trustworthy businesses and charities. Key to addressing substandard marketplace behavior is investigating concerns, publicizing the results and, when necessary, referring cases to federal, state, and provincial agencies for further action. BBB’s Code of Business Practices is a blueprint for managing a trustworthy business, and also serves as the standards required of BBB Accredited Businesses. 
 
 
 
 ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2016, people turned to BBB more than 167 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national and international programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation. BBB Serving Eastern Oklahoma is headquartered in Tulsa and provides services to businesses and consumers in 23 counties, including more than 2,800 BBB Accredited Businesses. 
 
 The full text of the letter to the Attorneys General can be found here. 
 
 Consumers can find tips on renting a car at go.bbb.org/rentalcar 
 
 MEDIA CONTACTS: For more information, journalists should contact Katherine Hutt in New York (212-705-0131 or khutt@council.bbb.org) or Shannon Spainhour in Oklahoma (918-295-2409 or sspainhour@tulsabbb.org)
– The Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning to potential customers against a well-known car rental company used at airports nationwide, giving it an "F" rating and sending letters to four state attorneys general to investigate after receiving a storm of grievances. According to ABC News, over 800 complaints against Payless Car Rental (owned by Avis) to the BBB have been filed in the past three years. In a statement, the BBB says Payless did not respond to attempts to address complaints, which largely center around three areas: sales practices, billing/collection, and contracts. A proposed class-action lawsuit was filed against Payless after livid customers banded together in a Facebook group created to air their grievances over customers' biggest beef: undisclosed fees. "They use low rates online to get people to use them over other rental agencies, but when you get there, they slam you with additional fees," says one of the lawyers behind the lawsuit. ABC spoke to one plaintiff who claims he was promised a $217 rental over six days upon signing his contract, but was later slammed with a $528 bill filled with charges for insurance and protection he repeatedly turned down. In their own investigation, ABC producers rented four cars from Payless at different airports. Two of the rentals didn't include surprise fees, but at least one had additional charges slapped on (a fourth was towed for its "dangerous" tires). Payless declined interview requests from ABC but said in a statement, "We are investigating your concerns with your experiences to ensure that our employees' statements and conduct always remain consistent with our policies and procedures."