Wanted: Kinder, gentler gouging?
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Chris Elliott slams a decision by the United States District Court in Newark, NJ, which ruled that car rental companies are within their rights to charge $5.99 per gallon of gas, if you fail to return the car at the specified fuel level.
I’m not as riled up by this as Chris. I think the markup is absurd, of course, but it’s no more ridiculous than any other late charge. (Consider the difference between the hourly rate and daily rate for late returns. That’s pretty remarkable, too.)
As much as I advocate for consumer rights, it’s the customer’s job to bring the car back with gas, so I don’t have a big problem with these penalty fees.
And besides, the fees are limited by the size of the gas tank. The greater your laziness, the greater your bill.
But if we’re going to talk about gasoline and rental cars, let’s have at it:
What ticks me off more is when the car rental attendants are too lazy to actually fill the tank from the last lazy customer before handing the vehicle off to the me.
Getting a car with the fuel level hovering somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 is a major pet peeve of mine. And the rental agent’s quip of “Oh, just bring it back at that level” ? That doesn’t cut it.
As I’ve said before, it’s nearly impossible to approximate the proper gas level if it’s not full when you start. If you’re trying to be a good citizen, and trying to avoid the gouging fees of $5.99/gallon gas, you’ll always end up over-filling, thereby giving the company a gift of a gallon or two. And that’s not acceptable. I want a car with a full fuel tank, so I can return it full, without pulling out a calculator.
So how about this: Any car rental company that charges double the market rate for gasoline agrees to actually fill the tank for the next customer? Deal? Don’t make us come after you with a renters’ bill of rights!
(By the way, I realize that my European readers, in particular, may be guffawing at my insistence that $5.99 for a gallon of gasoline is expensive. So yes, yes, I know, Americans have cheap fuel, compared to the rest of the world.)
Related:
- Low mileage, high surcharges
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February 27th, 2007 at 9:04 am |
The solution seems simple - if a customer gets charged $5.99 per gallon for returning a car without a full tank, then the rental car company ought to credit you $5.99 per gallon if they give you a car without a full tank.
February 27th, 2007 at 9:27 am |
Brilliant! That’s perfect! Naturally, the customer gets to eyeball the gauge and estimate the number of gallons required. In the customer’s favor, of course.
February 27th, 2007 at 9:31 am |
At least one car rental group does refund your card if they send you out with less than a full tank and you bring it back full. The Alamo/National group will refund you the difference at the rate they charge per gallon for their fuel service program. This is usually a little less than what you pay at the pump, but it is nice that they provide the refund automatically. You just have to make sure that they record the fuel level when you leave the rental lot. Always think in 8’s when thinking about fuel level in a rental car. A full tank is 8/8, a half tank is 4/8, and an empty thank is 0/8. Make sure the agent puts the proper level in their computer and you’re set.
February 27th, 2007 at 1:01 pm |
No…Venezuelans have cheap gas. Something like $.07/gallon down there. But I still wish a bullet for dear Hugo.