Q uestion : I rented a car from Hertz in Miami a few months ago. Before returning it, I filled it up with gas. When I turned the car in, I double-checked the fuel gauge, made sure my receipt reflected that the car had been returned full, and, thinking I had myself covered, flew home.
A few days later I received a letter from Hertz saying airline flight numbers I had been charged $93 for refueling. It went on to say that their own receipt that stated the gauge was full, was not ample proof that I had refueled the car and I would need to provide a receipt.
What can I do? I ve called Hertz numerous times to no avail. Am I just a victim of their latest scam? Do you think it is fair for them to disregard airline flight numbers their own receipt as proof that the car was refueled? Danny Griffin , Los Angeles
How did this happen? It s possible that the Hertz agent checking you in didn t pay attention to the gas gauge and printed your receipt. Later, another associate discovered that the needle on your gas gauge was tilting toward the E and decided to charge you.
Here s what you have to remember the next time you rent a car: When you refuel, use a credit card and ask for a paper receipt. Keep the receipt and show it to the employee when you return the car. You might want to ask if it s enough proof of a full tank, and if it s not, what you would need to do in order to avoid a refueling charge.
The last time I rented a car from Hertz in Anchorage,AK, they didn t even come and check the car. I parked in in a covered garage and went in to pay up. I of course had pictures of the car that I kept, but that was 3 months ago. I told them it was full. I don t recall if the receipt showed that, but I will be sure to check next time. I guess I should have taken a picture of the dashboard showing the milage and full gas gauge. Was Hertz able to add a $93 charge to the credit card on file automatically?
This EXACT same scenario played out for me last month in Los Angeles. The charge was put on my credit card a week after returning the car. The charge was $85.49. I still had the HERTZ receipt from the parking airline flight numbers attendant to whom I returned the car. I had paid with my credit airline flight numbers card. HERTZ said they would only give me a $20 refund unless I sent them a copy of my credit card statement showing the charge for gasoline the night before returning the car. Absurd! Corporate greed! I will never rent with HERTZ again.
No, definitely not every car; apparently, you didn t check very closely. Some newer models with premium option packages have a digital fuel readout that tells miles traveled since last fill and estimated miles to bone dry, but I doubt if many rental cars have this item.
You re probably talking about the analog fuel gauge. The only thing a F on that thing means is that the tank isn t empty. My truck has a range of around 270 miles on a full tank, yet I can drive 60 miles before the needle budges from F.
I have (as some have claimed to do) looked for gas stations that are somewhat close to the airport but not so close that they charge airline flight numbers an airport premium because they know that many rental returns airline flight numbers will be coming in to fill up. Typically the gauge will still look full when I return it, and I assume that s typically the way I receive a rental car at the lot. I try not to go more than five miles, but that s because I realize there will be someone else down the line driving airline flight numbers the car.
The other thing is that filling up is inconsistent. airline flight numbers There are numerous airline flight numbers styles of pumps, handles, nozzles, and other assorted equipment. I m pretty sure that when the thing clicks to stop, it could be anywhere from absolutely full to the owner s manual capacity or as little as a gallon less. Some fuel pumps create lots of bubbles depending on flow rate, and that affects how full it actually gets if there s bubbles airline flight numbers in there that haven t dissipated. I knew people who owned cars that ran on diesel, and that got interesting because the fuel was more viscous and sometimes the bubbles would take a long time to go away.
I ve had times where I ve used a pay at the pump credit card reader and the pump itself either was out of printer paper or the printer was malfunctioning. Typically they ll give an indication that one should go inside to get a copy of the receipt. Most of the time I don t care because I haven t been cheated buying gas before.
Not really. airline flight numbers Most of the prepaid fuel options I ve seen have been within a few cents of the market price in the area, if not a little less. The problem is this who s going to run a tank down until it s completely dry? Even if you return it as the fuel light is coming on, there s probably still 2 gallons airline flight numbers in the tank, meaning you re pretty much always going to pay for gas you don t use.
This happen to me as well when I rented a car in Vegas from Hertz, I didn t keep receipt but since I paid using my credit card, Hertz accepted statement from my credit card where it was showing that I have bought a fuel on a gas station in Vegas vicinity, so they refunded me refueling charge.
Except you do realize the only reason the rental car companies want to enforce this is to generate another revenue stream. They want to have one more gotcha before you leave so they can levy one more fine or fee on you for not having a fuel receipt. They aren t losing money on cars that aren t on full. At worst the next person who rents the car loses out on a 1/2 gallon of gas due to it being less than 100% full. The real winner here is the rental car company who will be able to charge unsuspecting tourists $9 a gallon for fueling their car or the gas stations near the airport that overcharge for fuel.
This is the typical scenario where enforcing something sounds like a good idea but when you really THINK about what s happening it makes no sense because it will end up hurting individuals and mostly the casual traveller who doesn t know the rule.
Hertz (which I almost airline flight numbers always use) was completely out of line in this case by charging the customer after confirming he returned the car with a full tank. Luckily for me, I ve never had Hertz charge me for gas unless I paid for it in advance at the time I picked up the car, or failed to refill the tank before returning it.
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