LAS-Fee for not having a gas reciept
 

Ok,

So like usual I fill my tank up right before hitting the airport, but since I don't have a receipt, I get hit with a $12 fee.

Sorry, but this is asinine. It just tells me that they think the folks checking cars in are too dumb to know how to read a fuel gauge....

No.. it means a. They know how unreliable fuel gauges are and,
b. How many renters "cheat" using that unreliability to their advantage.

Haven't you ever picked up a car.. with the gauge showing "Full".. only to find a very few miles later that it has dropped considerably? :(

THAT is why the receipt is required.. It is not a perfect answer of course... but I reckon it must help!

trooper is exactly correct. On most cars, the fuel gauge can stay above the F mark for several dozen miles and several gallons. On others, the needle never even hits the F, even when you spend five minutes topping the car up to the point fuel is spilling over. Still others will take several minutes of "warming up" before the needle crosses over the F mark (I've seen many people go to an attendant and complain that the fuel isn't full only to walk back to the car and have it be well over the F mark when they return). In short, gas gauges are not reliable.

Also, the fee--and the accompanying requirement to display a fueling receipt at the return--is not exactly a secret. It has both been discussed on many online forums like this and is also displayed on signage on the rental counter, printed on the rental contract, in the rental terms and conditions, and is usually verbally disclosed by rental agents.

Although I have no personal experience with a location that participates in this type of refueling fee, I believe I have heard that calling customer care usually results in the fee being removed. You may wish to take a screenshot of the fueling activity that day from your online credit card account or statement and sending that in if they request.

Wirelessly posted (FlyerTalk.com/wap is fun : BlackBerry8330/5.0.0.438 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/389)

Every LAS rental I have done came with a warning of the fee from the rental agent. Just like Avis, Budget, and Thrifty you must show a gas receipt.

To remedy the situation, grab your credit card statement showing the gas purchase and offer to fax it to DTAG customer service.

But......a receipt only shows that you recently put some gas in. It does not in any way prove that you "topped it off".

I'm not saying it's a perfect policy, but it can help to weed out those kinds of people who get a car, drive it 35 miles, see the needle hasn't moved, and think they can return without refueling and get away with it.

Yes, it's possible to "cheat the system," but 99.999% of the people out there would not think it's worth intentionally putting 9 gallons in when it really needs 11, since you'd need to put a gallon in, stop it, wait for the needle to catch up, put another gallon in, stop it, and repeat until the needle just barely touches the full mark. If you've driven enough to make the needle move, you're more than likely going to just fill it up until it clicks off.

It's also possible to "cheat the system" by filling up the night before or at a farther-away gas station and then using a couple gallons between the time you fill up and the time you drop the car off. However, if a dispute arises down the line and the car needs extra gas (say, the next customer complains it went out low), the rental company can ask you to provide the receipt and can then see on the receipt what time you filled it up and/or how far away you dropped it off. But again, the vast majority of people returning will not do this, so having the requirement to show the receipt is meant mainly to keep the low-mileage-non-filler-uppers honest.

I've rented from LAS Dollar a coupl;e of times recently and they told me about the receipt/fee policy very clearly at the rental window.

When I filled up, the receipt printer at the pump wasn't working so I did have to go inside for a receipt.

However, your rental agent may not have explained the policy so clearly.

When you travel for business, you usually keep all your receipts for an expense report later, or to write it off as a business expense on your taxes.

But even someone travelling for pleasure should keep their receipts from all things paid for on the road.

For that matter, every responsible consumer should no matter if they are traveling or not..it's for your own protection. Sometimes business rip you off..this is particularly true of restraunts. Wait staff have been known to alter the gratuity amount. Restraunt owners are also famous for double swiping the card and charging you twice. If you have your receipt, you have your proof when to dispute the charge. Sometimes the product turns out badly, say bad gas in a gas station. Hang on to all that stuff.

I don't get why people buy things and do not keep their receipts.

Dollar, thrifty, avis, alamo..they all state in the rental agreement that you may be required to provide a receipt for gas within x number of miles of the facility. This is standard. As others here have stated, it's to thwart those who cheat the gas gauge.