clarkef

I rent at LAX almost twice a month. I 've never had any problems with them. I've never driven less than 75 miles though. I wouldn't stand in line at a major location like LAX. Whenever the bill is wrong, and it usually is whenever I use a discount coupon, I simply call them from home the next day. I have never had a problem getting the credit back.

ezmonee

its a test market in select cities nationwide. thus far at some locations its proven to be extremely well liked, others hated. I dont think it will ever roll out nationwide, but it will be kept in specific markets.

Brendan

What the heck is there to like about it at all, let alone "extremely well" ?

JoeBagodonuts

well thats the issue for those of us who come in for a day and drive < 75 miles, they put the fee on. If you drive > 75 miles then of course you would never have a problem.

ezmonee

Many businesses perfer it for their frequent in and out renters. The price is fixed and part of a single expense, instead of two. Whether your company warms to the idea or not is still up in the air, but some companies like knowing exactly what each rental will cost them well in advance for budgetary reasons and also less hassle of two reciepts.

Some hate it cause they feel they arent getting the best deal. Its all about how your company mindset is.

cl_

Believe it or not, the opportunity for the $9.50 charge is the reason I switched my business from Avis to Budget. I rent every week, and always drive about 45 miles. I was refueling at a cost of about $5.00 each time.

The problem is, the flight schedule is such that my weekly meeting usually ends 1 hour 15 min or so before the flight. Stopping at the gas station for $5 worth of gas often made me lose enough time to possibly miss the flight. I called Avis and asked if I could work out a deal, but this was before they had the $14.50 charge, and they turned me down. The only option with Avis was to prepay for an entire tank ($55-$70) or to pay about $7/gallon at their ridiculous mpg rate (in which most vehicles get about 10 mpg) for a cost of about $30.

The $9.50 charge is a great convenience for me. I know the cost upfront, don't have to fill up the car, don't have an extra receipt to mess with when I fill out my reimbursement, and the extra $4.50 spent on it is well worth my time to not stop to fill up. I could not really justify the $30++ charges.

I've been happy with Budget as their pricing is better than Avis, and I seem to get the same cars - I think Budget and Avis share cars at the location I frequent.

My only complaint is that even though I am a Fastbreak member, they don't ever have the contract printed out when I get there - it is still a 5 -10 minute wait and waste of time. This alone may make me go back to Avis, since they now have a $14.50 refueling option. Also, Budget seems to have no perks for frequent renters (at least none I can figure out), but I would guess that is due to their lower prices.

Brendan

Thank U, CL & Ezmonee! U have answered my ?? & provided me with a perspective which I didn't expect.

expert7700

I think a very, very small % of people will actually benefit from this as you pointed out, instead of paying $7/gal x 5 gallons they might just pay the smaller charge...

but any rental company that charges customers for forgetting to get a receipt is bascially inferring the customer is lying, and the customers won't be very happy with that.

MANY times as soon as I've driven off a rental lot I've watched the car go from full to 7/8ths, meaning the renter before me didn't fill up, OR worse yet the renter before me was charged the fuel fee but the agency didn't fill it up.

ezmonee

Yes, avis and budget share fleets. They are the same company. Avis and budget are test marketing the fee to see where it is received well. Its still a DM option and some are dead set against it because of fear of complaints. When other locations with great business travel seem to have a greater sense of empowerment from it. Their customers get out faster, have less complaints, and are friendlier.

One reason is "IF THE CAR ISNT FULL TO BEGIN WITH, YOUR PRICE IS STILL THE SAME".

so the business people drive and forget. no worries.

ezmonee

Valid point, but with the fixed fee, you wouldnt have to waste time worrying about it. no matter if the gas is 7/8th or 3/8 or full. Your billed flat rate for miles to a point.

So if time is an issue, this will be a godsend.

And right now, the last market study paperwork ive seen has shown the following.

45% Avis Customers Approve and will use
34% Do not aprove and will never use
the remaining did not answer survey or were indifferent.

budget
38% approve
40% do not approve and will never use
remaining did not answer or were indifferent.

The difference between the brands reflects Avis=Business, Budget=leisure.

Business travelers find that more of a conveinence than leisure travelers.

The numbers vary by location.

PHLDividends

I have no problem with it if you elect the choice when you rent - "I'm going to drive less than 75 miles, so I'd like the $9.50 charge in lieu of filling up the tank, please." That's fine - you can buy a whole tank of gas, or refill, or pay a flat fee - I have no problem with giving folks a choice.

What REALLY burns me is that a few weekends ago I rented from one location that does not charge the fee, returning to another location in town that apparently does charge the fee - which I had never heard of before. The guy who checks your car in is not allowed to fix the charge (and doesn't even mention it - you have to be savvy enough to go through your receipt and catch it), then you have to go inside, stand in line, and waste half an hour while they "fix" this charge. It seems to me Budget assumes that some people, perhaps even most, either (1) will not notice the charge, or (2) will not be willing to put up with the headache of going inside, standing in line, etc., or calling, waiting through the queue, faxing receipts, etc. (I daresay that most people who rent cars have time that is worth more than $9.50 per half-hour, and it's just not worth their time over 9 or 10 bucks).

I'm not renting from Budget anymore because of this - I'd rather pay more to Hertz or another agency, which is at least honest in their dealings with customers.

das

I rented from Budget in DTW and was hit by this scam. I actually thought it was a nice OPTION (just like the prepaid tank) that would be useful on some occasions, but never realized the huge hassle involved with opting-out.

The roving agent COULD NOT take off the charge when I presented my receipt, and I had to waste 10 minutes waiting in line inside, and wait another 5 minutes for the agent to adjust the charge. She did mention the fee could be removed on the automated system for "certain corporate accounts", but casual renters would need to go inside.

I think what Budget is trying to do is make it a hassle to remove the charge, so low mileage renters just give up and start paying the $9.50 every time. More importantly, by forcing people to queue inside, I'm sure Budget is pocketing the $9.50 from some people who return with full tanks and are running late.

In DTW, I saw a sign that clearly said you could opt out of the charge "by showing your gas receipt to the customer service agent upon car return". This sign is a blatant lie because the roving agents cannot remove the charge.

I was thinking that perhaps this was just a DTW specific thing being test marketed, and someone just screwed up the programming on the roving return computers, but given this thread is from August, it seems like an intentional manipulation designed to gain revenue at the expense of ethically running a business.

Basically Budget is saying "take this option or else wait in line". What's next? Take LDW or else get the highest mileage car on the lot? Pay for an upgrade, or no car for you?

Screw Budget and Avis from now on.

das

Here is the letter I emailed to Budget via their website. I will post a response for all to see.

I am also considering filing a BBB case against Budget and encourage others to do the same, as it is fairly easy to do online:

Your policy in Detroit of charging a $9.50 refueling fee for rentals of under 75 miles is not properly explained. The sign at the counter says that the charge can be waived if a gas receipt is presented to the customer service agent upon return of the car.

I presented my gas receipt when I returned my car, and I was told the charge could only be removed if I waited IN LINE INSIDE, because the roving return computers were blocked from removing the charge. I had to wait 10 minutes in line and 5 minutes to get the charge removed. I was running late for my flight, so this wait was quite stressful.

Focing me to wait inside feels like Budget is punishing me for opting out of its fuel purchase program, and trying to coerce me into simply accepting the fuel purchase program next time.

The problem is that I find this mandate to wait in line unethical and will simply not rent from Budget again at any location that has the 75 mile automatic fuel surcharge, until it is easy to opt out of the program by showing a receipt to the roving return agent.

Can you email me a list of locations that have this surcharge so I can plan my future travel accordingly?

Thank you.

LAX

Hmm......I am not a fan of rental agencies "scamming" consumers, but I just can't figure out the logics some people have posted here.

I have read quite a few posts here claiming "I am not renting from Budget again even if other rental agencies have higher rates because of this alleged scam." Well, do you guys pay more than the $9.50 difference in rental rate at other rental agencies for your other rentals? Let's assume you pay exactly $9.50 more each time you rent a car at another rental agency than you do at Budget. At Budget, you are given the option to go inside to ask for the charge to be take off. This obviously takes time (at least 15 mins, perhaps, sometimes much more). At the other rental agencies, you don't have this option, so you automatically save at least 15 mins. in exchange for the $9.50. Depending on how much you value your time, you can pay for the convenience of not going inside to ask for the charge to be taken off at Budget. So, what's the difference? Either way, you are paying more for the convenience of saving time, but, at Budget, you get the option of saving the money if you are not in a hurry. What's not to like? Of course, if the rates at other rental agencies are more competitive, there is really no reason to go with Budget, but if the rate difference is far more than $9.50, perhaps one needs to realize there is a price to pay for the convenience. Is worth the $9.50? That's for you, the consumer, to decide.

LAX

PS: I don't work for Budget, nor do I gain in any shape or form if you rent from Budget. I am just trying to understand the logics behind this alleged scam.

PHLDividends

I understand what you're saying, and I like the economic analysis. But the real issue for me is not so much the extra $9.50 (I can afford the extra 10 bucks - and many people on this board probably can too) -- it's the apparent culture of attempting to profit by deceiving unsuspecting customers. Why should I do business with a company that thousands of times a day tacks an extra fee, often undisclosed, onto people's bills, and then makes it incredibly hard for them to have the charge taken off? I find it offensive, quite honestly.

Suppose that you go to a restaurant -- let's call it Al's Amore -- and the entrees are all priced at $20. You chose Al's because when you reviewed online menus, you saw that Bill's Bistro charged $30 for all entrees. All entrees at both restaurants are the same. Now, Al's didn't tell you, but they add a $10 charge to your check if you don't finish all of your succotash. But when you receive your check and ask about the $10 charge, you are told that you can have the charge refunded if you leave your date at the table for a few minutes and run 20 laps around the parking lot while wearing a silly hat. Even though the effective cost of Al's and Bill's may be the same -- and even lower at Al's if you're willing to do some calisthenics, I think I would go to Bill's restaurant - I just think Bill is a more honest businessman.