Originally Posted by
JohnnyGlobal
A marginally better deal for Hertz customers...but an even better deal for Hertz if they get enough renters to take advantage of this "better deal". Still a positive for the consumer, but don't make the mistake of thinking that Hertz is instituting this change for your benefit!
Well, of course not. What they're hoping is that people will think like me on the refueling charge -- convenience is worth $7/trip, where it wasn't worth $40+. And I think people will.
Hertz stood no chance of making any money before off my voluntary refueling habits, because I would leave early and go out of my way to make sure I fueled up. And if I ran into a traffic jam on the way and was forced to skip the fuel-up, I'd be pretty angry at getting stuck with an $8/gal charge. Now, depending on the airport, I may just decide to take the $7 rather than deal with another stop, and I'm not going to get upset if I misjudge the traffic and have to go straight to returns.
Of course, if they start fiddling the numbers and overcharging on the fuel (either in gallons or cost/gal), all this goodwill is wasted.