I'm no lawyer, but I'm not sure this is the best avenue to get there. IME, 'Weights and Measures' licenses measuring devices. National isn't selling a product, but rather a service. Does that matter? I don't know, but I think it makes it a little cloudier. I don't know if it matters if a service is provided exactly as described. Maybe so. I do notice that my receipts do not have a number of gallons listed. Not sure if that matters, either.

It's possible EHI was not trying to be malicious with this. I can see where it may have started as a productivity tool. How many of us have been to busy stations like ATL or LAX where there are many returns agents and managers running around servicing as many people as they can and there are still multiple people waiting to be processed? Now, instead of turning the car on, they scan the barcode, the information pops up, and away we go. Except... that small charge for refueling is on there and the return agent ignores it, can't be bothered to remove it, whatever.

If you take a more negative view that this was absolutely intentional, then it's possible that the frontline attitude of customer satisfaction could be to blame. Fuel service charges are way down (or maybe just flat, but dispensed gallons has gone up.) Corporate figures out that only x% of rentals are being charged for refueling and decides to automate the process. In my estimation, I am only charged for fuel for a non-telematics vehicle about 50-60% of the time. Corporate says 'enough of this,' automates it, and forces it to be on the bill, no 'take offs.' That could lead to where we are today. (How did 'customer satisfaction' get us here? I've noticed that return agents are quick to offer discounts for complaints. I've never understood this (and also never taken one) as it does me no good, personally. I don't particularly care that you just saved my company $20 (and may have also cost me some rewards value,) as my company wasn't the one having the issue with the vehicle, I was. Maybe the fuel charged was waived one too many times. Maybe not, but it's a theory.)

I've admitted this before, so I'll disclose it again, my company pays for refueling, so it doesn't bother me in the least. (Again, if you factor in rewards, it helps me.) But I can also see a few different ways we got here, and not all of them are bad on EHI. (Though, I would say that if EHI doesn't act soon, it could be bad on them regardless.)