Over $9.00 per gallon for gas!

[patty57]

However you could also look at it that you were lucky and only had to pay the extra on the rental car and didn't have to worry about flights because if the traffic jam was just a little worse you may have missed your flight.

You're right about that. We absolutely did not want to miss our flights. That's why we ended up returning the car with very little gas in it. As I mentioned before...lesson learned. You don't pay that much and not learn from it.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's quite possible the tank was nearly empty. Who knows how much driving they did during the rental, plus they spent a lot of time sitting in traffic (a 40 minute commute became 2 hours). At $9/gallon, the overage would have been 14.5 gallons.

I was meaning that they only used a little gas but they were charged for this option: " 2. Pre-pay for an entire tank of gas at local market rate (pay for 15 gallons even if you only use 2)"

But now the OP explained that it was nearly empty.


The OP doesn't want to go further, but I would want to. I would want to understand. Because with the flak Dollar gets (which I feel is righteous) about their Orlando location, I automatically think they are hinky, but I don't remember ever reading about *this* hinkiness before, and I feel that we would have.

 

[patty57]

I was meaning that they only used a little gas but they were charged for this option: " 2. Pre-pay for an entire tank of gas at local market rate (pay for 15 gallons even if you only use 2)"

But now the OP explained that it was nearly empty.


The OP doesn't want to go further, but I would want to. I would want to understand. Because with the flak Dollar gets (which I feel is righteous) about their Orlando location, I automatically think they are hinky, but I don't remember ever reading about *this* hinkiness before, and I feel that we would have.

This was at the Fort Lauderdale airport. We rented from the Wyndham DTD location, and returned it at the Fort Lauderdale airport. As far as understanding, the girl who took the car at the return said that this is what they charge for gas. I don't see what pursuing this with Dollar would do for us.

FWIW, I did respond to the survey Dollar sent us explaining that we weren't happy with what happened, but don't expect any response back from them.

 

[patty57]

Just as a clarification to all this. My original post was really just a cautionary tale for others. We knew when we decided to bring the car back almost empty because of the miles-long traffic tie-up, that we would get screwed. We decided that is what we would do because we didn't want to miss our flight. We just didn't realize ahead of time how badly we would get screwed. That's all I'm trying to say.

 

[DVC California]

Not that I rent a lot, but I've noticed a couple car agencies are having you fill the tank (of course, then you get one that's full, so it still evens out), but they have told me to "fill" it, not "match" it.

I would dispute that every time. If I was only given 7/8, I ask them to update it before I leave. It's usually the same screen where they update the odometer reading.

However, some rental agents are too lazy to go into the contract and update. Its easier to stick it to the customer and tell us to bring it back full than to do it right.

I would not consider 7/8 "full" either. But if you're given a full tank (which is what I said), I don't see the problem.

Yes, no problem if given a full tank. I guess I was confused by your statement "then you get one that's full, so it still evens out" which I inferred to mean you sometimes don't get a full tank.