fwiw...
If you're looking for a cheap rental rate, Payless is one of the vendors that you'd be foolish not to consider...
I've rented from Payless frequently around San Francisco, and have had no problems, although I've been very careful to checkoff the i's and t's on my beware list. There's always a bad apple, doesn't mean we're not grateful for the heads up, just be careful to generalize the behavior across the franchise...
When it comes to rental cars, you know in advance the tension points. Be prepared in advance, document, document, document, insist any unusual condition is clearly noted by the attendant whether they think it's necessary or not (if you hear "the quarter rule" or something similar, ignore it; insist all damage is documented; look at that windshield very carefully for the small cracks...amazing how they grow up so fast over your rental). Take advantage of that cell phone you carry around with you, and take 3 minutes out of your life to over photo document the condition of the vehicle. You can always delete the photo's later.
Sounds like the characters at this particular location are off the reservation, hope it resolves quickly. In the future, know well in advance the tension points, and be proactive with your advance documentation. Cheap insurance.
My experience tells me that generalizing the behavior of a car franchise across all locations probably doesn't make sense (except Enterprise, don't get me started); for those locations that are abusive, great to publicize their behavior here and on similar venue's to give a "special" heads up and perhaps total avoidance.