Fuel charge fool
Sep 1, 2012, 9:46 pm
#46
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I, for one, would like to know who was in the car with the OP and how much said person weighs. Everyone knows that if you carry extra weight in your car, that impacts gas mileage. Could the second person's weight override the "1 click" theory? Also, did they get separate hotel rooms?
Sep 2, 2012, 6:48 am
#47
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Originally Posted by rob0225:19232420
DTW used to apply a automatic fuel surcharge (they may still, not sure) if you drive under 100 miles unless you catch it. I guess they do it assuming you didn't move the fuel gauge so didn't top it off.
I see two possibilities for what happened to the OP. The first is described above, the second is that when the rep checked the tank level he/she noticed that while the OP may have purchased fuel, the needle was below full and marked the tank as 7/8 full.
Sep 2, 2012, 2:59 pm
#48
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Join Date: Jan 2002
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This is the exact system feature that Spades097 explained eariler. It's not a location-specific policy, the Hertz rental/return software is programmed to default the "Was gas purchased?" field to "No" for any rental under 100 miles. Nearly 100% of erroneous fuel charges on these short rentals are due to the return rep forgetting to change the default.
I see two possibilities for what happened to the OP. The first is described above, the second is that when the rep checked the tank level he/she noticed that while the OP may have purchased fuel, the needle was below full and marked the tank as 7/8 full.
I see two possibilities for what happened to the OP. The first is described above, the second is that when the rep checked the tank level he/she noticed that while the OP may have purchased fuel, the needle was below full and marked the tank as 7/8 full.
The OP mentioned that he received a revised bill a few days later and not that the bill received on returning the car had a fuel service charge
that would imply to me that there was no erroneous auto charge on miles at return time and that this was a bill modification after the car was checked over; ime when a location tries to put a fuel charge in on return on mileage driven , it appears on the receipt printed at return
Sep 4, 2012, 10:33 am
#49
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no fuel like an old fuel
I rode in the car with one pax who weighs 185 lbs. I weigh 200 lbs. We were only in transit for one day and one night and carried a small book bag each. The receipt I was given at car return at Hertz did not include a fuel surcharge. I learned about that on the revised receipt they emailed me a day or so after the rental.
I guess Hertz is simply using a dipstick to verify that the vehicle has been topped off. Now I am verifying the odometer reading when I pick up the car with the mileage out number before I accept the car.
In ABQ this weekend (traveling alone) I drove the Hertz car 37 miles and topped off the tank (to the second click) for $6.02.
I guess Hertz is simply using a dipstick to verify that the vehicle has been topped off. Now I am verifying the odometer reading when I pick up the car with the mileage out number before I accept the car.
In ABQ this weekend (traveling alone) I drove the Hertz car 37 miles and topped off the tank (to the second click) for $6.02.
Sep 4, 2012, 11:12 am
#50
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,353
I rode in the car with one pax who weighs 185 lbs. I weigh 200 lbs. We were only in transit for one day and one night and carried a small book bag each. The receipt I was given at car return at Hertz did not include a fuel surcharge. I learned about that on the revised receipt they emailed me a day or so after the rental.
I guess Hertz is simply using a dipstick to verify that the vehicle has been topped off. Now I am verifying the odometer reading when I pick up the car with the mileage out number before I accept the car.
In ABQ this weekend (traveling alone) I drove the Hertz car 37 miles and topped off the tank (to the second click) for $6.02.
I guess Hertz is simply using a dipstick to verify that the vehicle has been topped off. Now I am verifying the odometer reading when I pick up the car with the mileage out number before I accept the car.
In ABQ this weekend (traveling alone) I drove the Hertz car 37 miles and topped off the tank (to the second click) for $6.02.
Sep 4, 2012, 11:56 am
#51
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On Sunday in Albuquerque when I returned my Hertz car I produced my gas fill up receipt for the intake person. She said, "No, no, no. I don't need to see that".
I wish they would accept that information upon vehicle return so they could do a better calculation before they revise the bill.
I wish they would accept that information upon vehicle return so they could do a better calculation before they revise the bill.
Sep 4, 2012, 1:37 pm
#52
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End of story - Hertz responded
I just received a customer relations email from Hertz. They said the extra charge was the result of a "close out processing error" and they said they have issued a refund.
I am very happy about this.
I am very happy about this.
Sep 4, 2012, 1:41 pm
#53
Join Date: Apr 2010
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SMF
I just went through the Hertz madness on a fuel charge. I returned my car at 4:30am at SMF. I filled up the night before, really about 7 hours before the return, just 6 miles from the airport. When I pulled in I was pretty sure the agent was sleeping in the car at the end of the drive. Took forever for him to come out. When he did he said the computers were down and he'd email a receipt.
By the time I got inside the airport the receipt was in my inbox and I noticed the $43 and change fuel charge. It showed I went exactly 100 miles. I immediately emailed Hertz. My mistake, submitting the receipt on my expense report that weekend and not keeping it.
Two weeks later I get a response from hertz, the usual, we don't believe you, submit proof. So I went through a few hours of getting a copy of my receipt with corporate. I send it in and the response was mind boggling. It said " The documentation shown does not support a reversal, but as a gesture of our concern we are issuing a credit for the amount of the fuel charge".
Since when is issuing a credit of an erroneous charge a gesture of concern?
Hertz has lost my business. It is too easy to find another rental car company to do business with.
By the time I got inside the airport the receipt was in my inbox and I noticed the $43 and change fuel charge. It showed I went exactly 100 miles. I immediately emailed Hertz. My mistake, submitting the receipt on my expense report that weekend and not keeping it.
Two weeks later I get a response from hertz, the usual, we don't believe you, submit proof. So I went through a few hours of getting a copy of my receipt with corporate. I send it in and the response was mind boggling. It said " The documentation shown does not support a reversal, but as a gesture of our concern we are issuing a credit for the amount of the fuel charge".
Since when is issuing a credit of an erroneous charge a gesture of concern?
Hertz has lost my business. It is too easy to find another rental car company to do business with.
Sep 4, 2012, 3:18 pm
#54
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,090
Orion -- is it possible to check the miles you think you drove via Google Maps or similar? I'm firmly in the "F on the gauge means F" camp, but am still curious whether the amount of gas it took vs the miles driven discrepancy is because Hertz transposed mileage digits or the previous customer overfilled the tank to spilling (which again, doesn't obligate the next customer to do so, especially as they have no way to know whether that happened just by looking at the gauge at checkout).
Sep 5, 2012, 4:17 am
#55
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,638
do not EVER top off
you should never top off, either in your own car or a rental.
gas tanks in cars are not simply metal cans. the listed tank capacity is an ideal that you can never achieve in practice, because the tank contains a bladder that holds the fuel, and which expands or contracts based on temperature, humidity, and other conditions. as a point of fact, the actual tank capacity is always smaller if the car has been running for a while, than if it has been sitting in the rental lot overnight.
topping off strains the bladder, which causes it to bleed gasoline vapors which are very bad for the air (not to mention your health). it also allows for gasoline to spill out of the tank when you remove the nozzle, which is very bad for the soil, groundwater, and runoff.
the tank and nozzle system are designed to shut off automatically when the ideal maximum gas pressure is reached in the tank. let that system do its job, for your own sake, for the car's sake, and for the sake of the environment.
gas tanks in cars are not simply metal cans. the listed tank capacity is an ideal that you can never achieve in practice, because the tank contains a bladder that holds the fuel, and which expands or contracts based on temperature, humidity, and other conditions. as a point of fact, the actual tank capacity is always smaller if the car has been running for a while, than if it has been sitting in the rental lot overnight.
topping off strains the bladder, which causes it to bleed gasoline vapors which are very bad for the air (not to mention your health). it also allows for gasoline to spill out of the tank when you remove the nozzle, which is very bad for the soil, groundwater, and runoff.
the tank and nozzle system are designed to shut off automatically when the ideal maximum gas pressure is reached in the tank. let that system do its job, for your own sake, for the car's sake, and for the sake of the environment.
Sep 6, 2012, 10:03 pm
#56
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Many car makers have removed the bladders due to customer complaints. Toyota for example
Toyota decided to ditch the environmentally friendly bladder in part because some Prius owners complained that the collapsible container held much less fuel than the 11.9-gallon capacity listed in the owners' manual -- taking a big bite out of the car's range between fill-ups. In a related issue, some owners said the flexible tank's fuel gauge tended to signal prematurely that the tank was close to empty.
Toyota decided to ditch the environmentally friendly bladder in part because some Prius owners complained that the collapsible container held much less fuel than the 11.9-gallon capacity listed in the owners' manual -- taking a big bite out of the car's range between fill-ups. In a related issue, some owners said the flexible tank's fuel gauge tended to signal prematurely that the tank was close to empty.
Sep 17, 2012, 2:39 am
#57
Join Date: Apr 2011
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I just had something similar happen to me. I rented an Impala from Chicago O'Hare. I filled up the car at the nearest petrol station I could find to the airport. Ironically, I'd already read this thread, so I filled up to the second click just to be sure. Hertz has just added a fuel & service charge of $42.46 to my credit card. I drove 113 miles and filled up with 4.712 US gallons, which corresponds to 23.98 mpg. I've been asked to email the petrol receipt to customer relations. I'm waiting for their response.
Sep 17, 2012, 7:49 am
#58
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Update: I just got an email from customer services to say they'll refund the fuel charge. At least I got a quick response, though I'm still slightly disturbed that I was charged in the first place, given that I always make an effort to return the car with a full tank.
Oct 1, 2012, 6:44 am
#59
Join Date: Apr 2011
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Update: I just received an airmail letter dated 14 September from Hertz claiming that when the vehicle was serviced for the next rental, 4.57 gallons of gas were needed to refuel the vehicle. I find that hard to believe since a) I filled up to the 2nd click and b) if it were true, the car would only have averaged 12 mpg. Fortunately, customer relations have already refunded the Fuel and Service charge.
This incident has left me feeling slightly uneasy about renting from Hertz. A repeat incident would certainly cause me to try another rental company.
This incident has left me feeling slightly uneasy about renting from Hertz. A repeat incident would certainly cause me to try another rental company.
Oct 1, 2012, 10:20 am
#60
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,353
Update: I just received an airmail letter dated 14 September from Hertz claiming that when the vehicle was serviced for the next rental, 4.57 gallons of gas were needed to refuel the vehicle. I find that hard to believe since a) I filled up to the 2nd click and b) if it were true, the car would only have averaged 12 mpg. Fortunately, customer relations have already refunded the Fuel and Service charge.
This incident has left me feeling slightly uneasy about renting from Hertz. A repeat incident would certainly cause me to try another rental company.
This incident has left me feeling slightly uneasy about renting from Hertz. A repeat incident would certainly cause me to try another rental company.
Incidentally, I rented a car from Alamo this weekend, and filled it up several times for a 500 mile one-way trip. Every single pump had a warning not to overfill or "top off", and I didn't; filled to the first click before returning, verified that the needle was on F, and had no issues at return (I kept the receipts in case there's an issue later). And no, I didn't calculate the MPG and research the manufacturer's specs and the performance at varying altitudes and temperatures to ensure I was replacing every single drop I used...