I work for Hertz, we would never rig a fuel gauge. If you’re refueling just before you return and presenting a receipt and the location employee still insists on charging you, that is unacceptable and a problem I will fix. Send me a private note and I will take care of the issue. For the record, our policy is if the gauge reads full, and you put gas in the car before you returned, we will not charge you for fuel. That said, many renters drive few enough miles that the gauge still reads full, but they don't put any gas in the car before returning and may expect not to be charged for the fuel used since the guage is still full. However, fuel was used and we expect the customer to either replace the fuel, or be honest with us that they did not refuel and we charge them. Believe it or not, some customers are not honest.