I try very hard to learn from my mistakes. (Ideally, I would prefer to learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than go through the drama myself, but I digress.) A few weeks ago I had to rent a car while my four-wheeled wonder was getting serviced. Without getting into the details of the billing process (the car was supposedly covered by insurance, yada, yada) I ended up getting a crash course in Rental Car Hidden Costs 101.
In the coming months many of you may be forced to rent a car at your holiday destination and for you I offer this blog. Learn from my mistakes… I mean experiences.
“So That’s How They Make Money.”
Have you ever wondered how it is that rental car companies are able to make money when most don’t impose significant cancellation penalties on customers who don’t bother to show up? To compensate for those travelers, most rental car companies rely on fees and surcharges to make a profit. And these days they do so by employing such crafty measures you leave wondering if you have just been scammed. For example, the reason I booked a reservation with the company I did was because I was quoted a very reasonable rate (lower than the other five companies I contacted). However, the rate I was quoted was not the rate that I was billed. Why? Because I returned the car 22 hours prior to the time I said I would. The price for doing so—$76.
Read The Fine Print
Seventy-six bucks because I returned a car early. Sounds unreasonable, right? Not in the rental car companies eyes. They’ll tell you that they are simply following the letter of their written agreement. And, they are right. These days rental car companies are enforcing existing rules more strictly than ever. Did they have the right to charge me the equivalent of a two-day rental because my own car was fixed earlier than I had anticipated? Oh yes! Most car rental companies come up with price structures based on the length of your rental. Renter beware; if you have ever gotten away with picking up a car later than planned or dropping it off earlier don’t count on it happening again.
What Exactly Is “FULL?”
What is your definition of a full tank of gas? For me “FULL” means seeing the red needle level with or above the letter “F” on the fuel gage. When I rented my car I was told an attendant checked the gas gauge and noted it was “full.” However, when I glanced at the gauge while stopped at an intersection about 7 miles from the rental car’s facility I noticed the needle was below the “F.” There’s no way driving seven miles eats up that much gas. In any event, I made the mistake of returning the car with the needle in the exact position it was when I picked it up—-with the needle just below the “F.” BIG MISTAKE. The rental car folks tried to charge me for my “negligence.” I was given the option of taking the car to the nearest gas station and topping it off, but instead I spent 10 minutes trying to convince the attendant that I received the car with less than a full tank of gas. It was only after providing a receipt for my gas purchase and some haggling that I was able to get the fuel surcharge removed. My advice: Don’t take the attendant’s word for it—-check the gas level before leaving the rental car company’s parking lot and if you notice that you didn’t receive a full tank within a couple miles of the rental site call the company immediately. That way an attendant can make a note on your record. Bottom line: fill your tank immediately before bringing the car back and keep all of your gas receipts. Otherwise, you’ll likely find an unwelcome surcharge on your bill.
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