A $93 “top off” charge for my rental car?

Question: 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 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.

I paid for the gas with cash and did not keep my receipt.

I was aghast that I was not protected by their own paperwork and the burden of proof was on me to produce 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 their own receipt as proof that the car was refueled? — Danny Griffin, Los Angeles

Answer: No, that’s not fair. If Hertz gives you a receipt that verifies your car was returned with a full tank, then that should be the end of the story. Case closed.

It’s true that car rental companies are getting strict about cars that are returned with less than a full tank. Some companies make you show them a receipt when you bring back the car. That’s fine.

But making you show a receipt after you’ve settled up? I’ve never heard of that until now.

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.

I think a $93 bill is a tad excessive. That’s a very generous markup and probably more than covers Hertz’s cost to top off your tank. I can’t blame you for thinking it’s a scam.

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.

I contacted Hertz on your behalf. It refunded your $93.

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  • scapel

    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?
    I suppose so, since it had to be credited back. One has to put tha charge in dispute with credit card company.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jafrommeyer Jeffrey A Frommeyer

    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 attendant to whom I returned the car. I had paid with my credit 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.

  • lcpossum

    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.”

    That’s why we have to provide PROOF that the tank is full in the form of a recent fuel receipt.

  • lcpossum

    CYA, Dutchess, CYA.

  • y_p_w

    Just a general comment on fuel gauges.

    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 an “airport premium” because they know that many rental returns 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 the car.

    The other thing is that “filling up” is inconsistent. There are numerous 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 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.

  • y_p_w

    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.

  • MeanMeosh

    Not really. 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 in the tank, meaning you’re pretty much always going to pay for gas you don’t use.

  • http://www.facebook.com/okani.rich Okani Rich

    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.

  • http://twitter.com/DutchessPDX Dutchess

    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.

  • http://twitter.com/DutchessPDX Dutchess

    Your comment is bad and you should feel bad.

  • http://www.talestoldfromtheroad.com/ Dick Jordan

    Hertz (which I almost 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.

    I’ll be renting a car from Hertz in a couple of weeks. I’ll be sure to keep the receipt when I refill the tank on the way back to the airport.

  • lcpossum

    I would definitely feel bad if I failed to CYA and got screwed because of it.

  • lcpossum

    So now you understand what it’s all about and you know how to protect yourself.

  • TMMao

    Chevy Aveos are the worst for fill-ups. The pump auto stops at 3/4 to 7/8 full and you have to force in that last 1/8 with short bursts of the pump.

    Thought it was just one car but 3 different ones were the same way.

  • Marcin Jeske

    I rent from Enterprise neighborhood locations often, and the reason they don’t have full tanks is that they are usually smaller locations without refueling equipment. It is just easier for them to rely on customers to fuel the vehicles.

    It is usually handled reasonably. It’s true that they won’t compensate you if you return the vehicle with more fuel then when you rented, but as long as the fuel gauge is in the ballpark of where it was, there are no charges. So unless someone has difficulty estimating how much fuel is needed to get back to the initial level, it is not an issue.

    I have usually found that the agent will mark a slightly lower fuel level then is indicated, to give some extra leeway by acknowledging it is hard to be so exact. Combined with the typically lower rental costs at these locations, that ends up being a pretty good deal. (Plus, full tanks mean you have a lot more weight to carry, so somewhat worse fuel efficiency.) While some customers may in reality gain a gallon, and some lose a gallon this way… that’s 4 bucks and evens out in the long run.

    It is true that occasionally a renter might forget and fill up all the way (wasting their money) but that probably balances out with those renters who forget to refuel (or can’t find a gas station and run out of time) and only get charged for maximum half a tank rather than a full one. A low tank means the location has to send out an employee to a gas station (and I have seen locations staffed by only one person).

    All in all, the practice you describe is not bad, it’s reasonable for those locations, and while a tad more complicated, usually saves both you and Enterprise time and money.

  • Bryan Nielsen

    I just received a letter from Hertz saying I didn’t fill my tank with a charge for $85 for 9 gallons of gas. I filled the tank 20 miles before the airport. I have no problem paying for 1 gallon of gas but I should not be charged for 9 gallons of gas. I have gotten as far as a supervisor will call me back in 3-5 days. Explaining that the receipt from Hertz says the tank was full got me the us vs them. At last check a Hertz employee checked in my car and I was talking to a Hertz employee. Even when/if the resolve this I will not be renting from Hertz again.

  • Bryan Nielsen

    I just received a letter from Hertz saying I didn’t fill my tank with a charge for $85 for 9 gallons of gas. I filled the tank 20 miles before the airport. I have no problem paying for 1 gallon of gas but I should not be charged for 9 gallons of gas. I have gotten as far as a supervisor will call me back in 3-5 days. Explaining that the receipt from Hertz says the tank was full got me the us vs them. At last check a Hertz employee checked in my car and I was talking to a Hertz employee. Even when/if the resolve this I will not be renting from Hertz again.

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