Her family saved for Disneyland. Then a Phoenix rental-car company ripped her off

Iris Andreas and her family scrimped for a year to go to Disneyland.

They sold fry bread and Pima burgers and held yard sales on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation.

"My family, we're not very well-off," Andreas, 59, said. "We work our butts off for that trip."

So she was furious when Saban's Rent-A-Car, now doing business as Phoenix Car Rental, overcharged her $400 to rent a van to drive to California and then refused to refund her.

Worse, she said, the van she rented was unsafe. The speedometer was broken, the wheels swerved, the locks didn't work and the mileage was more than 190,000, she recalled.

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Andreas, who previously drove school buses for a living, insisted only she would handle the vehicle to protect the family. To cut down on costs, she skipped meals and encouraged her grandchildren to buy less expensive souvenirs.

"To be cheated like that by somebody who just doesn't give a damn ... that's no way to treat people," Andreas said.

Judge orders business owner to pay restitution

Now, she and other customers are seeing justice.

A judge ruled this month that Dennis Saban and his companies ripped off thousands of customers in violation of Arizona's consumer-protection law. Saban was ordered to pay $1.8 million in fines and restitution and to change his business practices to deal honestly with customers.

India Greene, a school admissions executive, said she was rudely welcomed to Phoenix by Saban's Rent-A-Car after moving with her four children from Detroit.

Her rental car was advertised for $125 a week, she said. But the power steering gave out after two traffic lights, Greene recalled, and she was charged almost triple the original quote.

"It really brought me down because I had just relocated my entire family across the country. Maybe $300 was nothing to him, but it really set me back," Greene said, noting she struggled to buy her kids school supplies and clothes.

The court ruling feels like vindication, she said.

"Because of the case and the testimony of consumers just like myself now (Phoenix Car Rental has) to be more transparent. They can't have hidden fees like they did with me," she said. The case "wasn't about the money. It was about the principle. Other people were going to be victims."

Andreas, Greene and roughly 150 other consumers who complained are scheduled to get their money back.

Others could be eligible for restitution if they rented from Saban's Rent-A-Car or Phoenix Car Rental between 2009 and 2016. 

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, whose office brought the lawsuit, hopes more people will file complaints at https://www.azag.gov/complaints/ or by calling 602-542-5763 or 520-628-6504. 

"Our priority was to get consumers their money back and the defendant continued to fight us. We refused to back down and ended up with a great victory for consumers," Brnovich said in a written statement. "The judge's ruling sends a message that consumer fraud won't be tolerated in Arizona."

A phone message and email left with Saban's attorney was not returned. A man who answered the phone at Phoenix Car Rental said he didn't know Saban or about the lawsuit and refused to comment.

The company is located in Phoenix at 2934 E. McDowell Road and 3625 W. Indian School Road.

Have you been scammed or defrauded? Contact consumer protection reporter Rebekah L. Sanders at rsanders@azcentral.com or fill out our online form. 

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