Hertz - Hertz Changes Refueling Rules

A few minutes ago, I received an e-mail from Hertz asking me to look at the following website, http://offers.hertzgold.com/offer4.aspx?offerid=339&langcode=en&UID=45350B342D36238737683119

Here is what it says annotated with my questions and comments:

Refueling Update

Hertz has reverted to our prior refueling options, effective December 1, 2008. This means the Flat Refueling Fee, and Fuel and Service Charges based on local pump prices, have been discontinued. All North American corporate-owned Hertz locations, including Airport, Hertz Local Edition® and Off-Airport locations in Canada are affected.*

Hertz has three refueling options available to meet your needs:

* You may purchase a tank of gas from Hertz [for how much, $200?] at time of rental and return the vehicle with as little gas as you prefer. Please be aware that we are unable to issue a refund for unused fuel. However, this method eliminates the need for you to refuel the tank prior to returning.

* You can let us refuel for you and only pay for the fuel required to replace the fuel you used [I'll be interested in hearing stories on the minimum they put in and if it's ever less than five gallons], and for the service and convenience of refueling the tank. ["service and convenience?" If Exxon Mobil can make a profit at $2.00 a gallon including the "service and convenience" of refueling the tank, how much will Hertz charge?"]

* You can stop and refuel the tank yourself, immediately prior to returning the vehicle.

We apologize for any inconveniences this change may cause. No matter which Hertz refueling option you decide is best for your travels, we are glad you are choosing Hertz.

* Different policies apply in Hawaii and Maryland.

Terms and Conditions: TAXES AND CONCESSION FEES, WHERE APPLICABLE, ARE EXTRA. Refueling and fueling programs are subject to modification or termination. The above fueling options are available at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, V.I.

Not sure why they got rid of this. Overall I used it a lot and the 7 bucks was nto to bad a fee. I think hertz needs to have a fuel tank on site adn then it would be a money maker for them. Versus driveing the cars off site.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz/894603-hertz-fuel-service-back-6-99-gallon.html

I don't know why it is taking them so long to get the emails out to everyone; I didn't get mine until last week at some point.

And, the $7 deal wasn't particularly great at all, but the gouge prices (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2008/12/hertz-reverts-to-their-gouging-ways.html) that they are reverting to are worse.

Not sure why they got rid of this. Overall I used it a lot and the 7 bucks was nto to bad a fee. I think hertz needs to have a fuel tank on site adn then it would be a money maker for them. Versus driveing the cars off site.

Probably not enough people took advantage of it (some corporate accounts restrict refueling options, regardless of the cost), or maybe just the opposite, it was too much of a success and the cost to refuel was too high for them from a staffing perspective.

As for on-site fuel, it would be too cost prohibitive in all locations to maintain such a service, but many do have this (Syracuse Airport - my locale, you can see the pumps from the airport drive). But like anything, economies of scale take over and because the volume of fuel they use is less than a gas station, their costs are going to be higher.

This is not in defense of the extremely high rates of $4.50+, etc per gallon when you bring back less then full that they have reverted to, but I can see why it was dropped.

Probably not enough people took advantage of it (some corporate accounts restrict refueling options, regardless of the cost), or maybe just the opposite, it was too much of a success and the cost to refuel was too high for them from a staffing perspective.

As for on-site fuel, it would be too cost prohibitive in all locations to maintain such a service, but many do have this (Syracuse Airport - my locale, you can see the pumps from the airport drive). But like anything, economies of scale take over and because the volume of fuel they use is less than a gas station, their costs are going to be higher.

This is not in defense of the extremely high rates of $4.50+, etc per gallon when you bring back less then full that they have reverted to, but I can see why it was dropped.

I think it was a hybrid of what you said. The $7 wasn't all that much as a percentage of the overall price when gas was $4 a gallon. Now, with gas at $1.80 a gallon, people can justify the additional expense less.