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Priceline Fee Not Included
The Travel Troubleshooter · August 9, 2002

Q: I booked an Avis car through Priceline at Oakland International Airport. But when I picked up the car, the agent asked for a charge card.

Why? Because there was a $5 "airport fee" that wasn't included in the price? I asked if I could pay for it in cash and was told no. Any idea what's happening?

-- Bonnie Schollianos

A: Yes, you are being overcharged for your rental car. When you bid on a car through Priceline, all airport fees should be included.

I contacted Priceline to see if we could straighten this out. Spokesman Brian Ek said there was a "misunderstanding" at the Avis counter in Oakland. "It must have been someone new working there, but there is no reason Bonnie should have gotten charged another $5," he told me.

Priceline is refunding you the $5.

When you give your credit card number to a Web site like Priceline or Hotwire, you're essentially prepaying for your rental. That means the agency location is getting a voucher for the rental rather than billing you after you return the car. That's good for the rental company, because it gets its money weeks or even months in advance. But the paperwork can be confusing to the counter agents, which is apparently what happened to you.

The first thing you should do to prevent this from happening again is to make a printout of your receipt from the Web site. This will include the charges and what's covered (and what isn't). You may need to use the invoice as evidence when you're trying to make a point.

In the unlikely event the car rental agent refuses to listen to you, don't bother calling the company's 800-number. Odds are, they'll be equally clueless. Instead, call Priceline at (800) 774-2354 and explain the situation. Ek says the company will help you sort through it.

I applaud Priceline for offering you a prompt refund. But I think the site should also clarify what is - and isn't - included in the price of a rental from the beginning. What do I mean? Well, when you begin the process of bidding on a rental, you're offered some information on what's covered in the price of the car. The only mention of a surcharge is the disclaimer that if Priceline finds a rental car company willing to accept your request, you'll only be charged "a small processing fee" to cover the costs involved in finding you a rental car. But otherwise, it doesn't seem to say anything about airport fees.

Result: if a clueless car rental company employee surfs over to Priceline to get some clarification (not that it would ever happen) then there would be no clarification. And you might have to pay $5 all over again.

Clarification: After this column appeared, a reader pointed out that Priceline displays its fees on a screen after you enter a bid on a rental. The original article failed to mention that.

Christopher Elliott is National Geographic Traveler's ombudsman. The Travel Troubleshooter appears weekly on this site.