$9 a gallon gas? You betcha.....if you return a rental car with less than a full tank.

[marmar]

(USA TODAY) The price of gasoline has reached more than $9 a gallon for drivers who don't pay ahead of time and who return their rental cars without a full tank.

A USA TODAY survey of auto rental gas prices at 13 big airports on April 25 found Hertz was charging $9.29 a gallon at all 13. Dollar and Thrifty were charging $8.99 a gallon at two.

At $9.29 a gallon, Hertz customers renting a Ford Club Wagon, which has a 35-gallon fuel tank, would owe Hertz $325.15 for gas if they returned the wagon with a nearly empty tank and hadn't prepaid for the gas.

Renters who pay ahead of time for a tank of gas from Hertz or another car rental company, though, may find the per-gallon price cheaper than at many local gas stations. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/specials/13onyourside/164516/216/Rental-car-gas-prices-hit-9-a-gallon?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

[Angry Dragon]

1. Do they let you pay for your gas with gold??

[aikoaiko]

2. I think its been about wice the normal gas price for a long time.

[marmar]

3. I've never returned a rental without a full tank.....I wouldn't chance it.

nt

[Myrina]

4. ... those surcharges have always existed ...

... maybe not as high as they are today, but I used to work for Avis and they'd fuck an extra dime out of anyone in any way they possibly could.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. "Put it on the company card"

Rental agencies count on hearing that often from customers who aren't interested in being inconvenienced when it's not their money. Sane people who rent a car with their own money will bring it back with gasoline dripping off the side of the fender.

People who rent cars often on business also tend to trash the car more than someone who just wants to rent a dependable car for a weekend trip, so it works out in the end. My friend and I rented a car in Vegas to drive on to CA, and he wanted to run it through a car wash before returning it. He won, but I made him pay. LOL.

The ridiculous charge is just a form of corporate warfare as one company tries to fleece the other of it's expense account.

[Xithras]

6. Simple solution. Fill it up first.

You're not just paying for the gas, but the paycheck of the guy who has to fill it, any benefits he/she recieives, etc. For locations that have their own pumps on site, there are all sorts of extra costs associated with maintaining fuel storage tanks, abiding by environmental regulations, etc. All gas stations have these, but most spread the costs out across a huge number of customers. Because rental places have fewer customers, each one has to personally pay for a larger percentage of that cost.

Unless you're from Oregon and have no idea how a pump works, I really don't get why it's so hard to fill a tank up before returning the car.

[marmar]

8. Who says it's hard? ...... And why the strident snark?

nt

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[LynneSin]

9. I was just going to say that - they've done that for years

I don't really see it as a scam. They give you a full tank the least you could do is return a full tank. Your rental costs does not include free gas. By charging the overpriced fee it pretty much guarentees you'll fill up the tank before returning.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. rental companies rip you off. Best to fill up before returning

[CatWoman]

11. yes

I learned that the hard way, and it was about 20 years ago.

This is nothing new.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. I chose not to refill the tank once (in hurry to get to airport) and paid the price

lol.

[quiller4]

12. That doesn't surprise me. The last time I rented a car, the average

price at the pump in my area was $2.50 and Herz was charging $6/gal while the Enterprise charge was $5/gal. if you returned the car with a less than full tank but when you paid ahead at the time you picked up or ordered the car, Herz and Enterprise both charged $2/gal. I always pay when I order (on advise of former travel agent sister) and usually wind up with bonus event and motel coupons as well as cheaper gas.

[Renew Deal]

13. The price has always been around double.

So I'm not surprised.

[Raine]

15. So ... all you have to do is fill it up before returning it which is what they want you to do

that's the incentive. I rent cars all the time and have never had to pay for them filling them up because I DO IT BEFORE TURNING THE CAR IN ... simple enough. :silly: