Payless Car Rental Cancelled My Booking and Demanded Extra Charges

I had a booking with Payless Car Rental under the reference 21188670FR6 for a vehicle to be collected at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport on 12 July 2026 at around 2:00 a.m. When I arrived at the counter, I was told that my reservation had supposedly not been confirmed in the system and that I would have to pay a very high additional amount starting from 300 euros if I wanted a car. I never received any information or notification from Payless about a cancellation or a problem with my booking. When I explained this at the counter, the employee, who clearly seemed used to this kind of practice, simply replied that it was not his problem and that if I wanted a car, I had no other choice than to pay the excessive supplement he was demanding. His attitude was disrespectful and mocking, and he openly boasted that he was the one who decided whether or not to rent the car. After insisting and checking my reservation again through their website, I finally received a cancellation confirmation issued on the same day, which reinforces my impression of an organised scam. Right after us, another customer appeared to be in exactly the same situation. Because of this behaviour and the completely unacceptable conditions proposed, I refused to rent from Payless and had to turn to another company at the airport in order to solve my mobility problem, especially as I was travelling with my pregnant daughter. This forced me to pay a higher price than what I had initially booked with Payless. I am currently in contact with the Istanbul head office to try to resolve this issue, but I am only being told that my reservation was not processed by the system and that I am therefore not entitled to make a complaint. This response is unacceptable given the situation I experienced at the counter and the additional costs I had to bear. I am requesting reimbursement of the additional amount I was forced to pay to another rental company in order to replace the Payless booking that was not honoured, as well as formal apologies from the employee at Sabiha Gökçen Airport for his disrespectful and mocking attitude, and apologies from the Istanbul head office for denying the legitimacy of my complaint.