Other Car Rental Programs (ie. Alamo, Enterprise) - Alamo bait and switch

In a few days I am about to hire a car in Cyprus and, knowing that we're not going to be driving far, paid a bit more for a rental company that had a full-full policy (return the car full of gas and don't pay anything). We paid about $40 more than the cheapest broker (who didn't offer such a policy) and went direct with Alamo.

The Alamo policy on refuelling the car is available here (http://www.alamo.co.uk/rentalpolicies/740/uk/CY). It clearly states that, as long as you return the car with as much fuel as it was rented to you with, then there's no cost. Perfect, because we're only going to be driving 150 miles or so and don't need the 400 miles that the car will do on a full tank.

However, after booking the confirmaton said that I need to pick the car up from Europcar. A quick Google suggested that Europcar have a mandatory 'buy a tank of fuel' policy. I contacted Alamo and they have told me that I do indeed have to buy a tank of fuel (http://imgur.com/lwucI).

Given that there is no chance that I'll be using the entire tank and that I read the rental terms and conditions before booking, I feel that I have been scammed somewhat. I've phoned Alamo (albeit only the call centre) and they say there is nothing they can do.

Frustrating that they're doing something illegal and, apart from me complaining, they can quite happily get away with it.

Siphon out the gas and sell it to someone.

Or just go back and get the cheaper reservation now.

Siphon out the gas and sell it to someone.
Or just go back and get the cheaper reservation now.

We're renting a villa out there so I'm tempted to mention to the owner that he can syphon 20 litres if he wants :)

There's a cancellation charge of $30 if I cancel the booking now (within 7 days) so I still lose out whatever way I go (though the cancel/rebook would be about $10 cheaper). Still, I guess I can argue for a refund and probably go to the small claims court to get it back if they refuse (though the reality is that I'll probably just write it off as courts are too much time/effort for relatively little gain).

I am confused. Are Alamo & Europcar owned by the same company? If so, if you had booked directly with Alamo, your contract is with Alamo, so you should be following Alamo's terms. Not sure how it works in Europe, but in the US, there is a good chance of winning if you dispute the charge through your CC.

LAX

I just tried to book a car in Cyprus on alamo.com, and saw the following:
Important Policy Information: All Cyprus locations are serviced by Europcar. Cars are not allowed to leave Cyprus. One way surcharge may apply. A full driving licence must have been held for at least 3 years for driver's aged between 23 & 25 years and at least 1 year for driver's aged over 25 years. An International Driving Permit is required if the licence is not written in English or Latin alphabet characters. The minimum rental age is 23 years for all cars. A young driver's charge may apply to driver's aged 23 to 24 years. The maximum age limit is 69 years for all cars. Cars must be returned with the same amount of fuel as time of pickup, otherwise refuelling charges may apply. Acceptable methods of payment are: Visa, American Express, Diners, MasterCard, National Charge Cards, National Vouchers, Travellers Cheques and Eurocheques. Cash is not accepted. A deposit is required, which is held on the credit card until the vehicle is returned. Child/Infant Seat (0 - 12 months / 0 - 13kgs) , Child/Baby Seat (1 - 3 years / 9 - 18kgs) and Child/Toddler Seat (4 - 7 years / 15 - 30kgs) are available at a cost with a maximum charge and a replacement amount (deposit). All child seats are on request and available from all locations. All child seats are available for all cars except CFMN and IFMN. The age of the child/ren must be advised at time of reservation. Equipment is available for one way rentals. Additional taxes and surcharges may apply to this reservation.

Second bolding is mine. So what makes you think they will charge you for a tank of gas? Print out the policy information and take with you.