Check your receipts! Refilled gas, yet charged for fuel!
Sep 2, 2009, 7:08 pm
#31
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2
Honest mistake? Ha-ha-ha.
Rented a car last week with a full tank. So some 20 miles before the place where I was returning the car I got to a gas station thinking that when I fill the tank I would put extra gallon or two so the indicator would go beyond "Full" level and use that excess fuel to drive those remaining 20 miles.
To my surprise it was impossible to make indicator to go beyond full. Every car I drove allowed putting extra gallon or two so the indicator was beyond "F". Not this one (KIA Sprortage SUV).
So I said, OK , I will drive to the place and fuel it again. Which I did, drove 1 mile to the rental place. Got a receipt and the girl at the counter told me that the total is a little different because of different state taxes ond fees (it was a one way rental). So I didn't pay close attention.
Today I received a email from Hertz with the copy of my statement and only then I saw they put a charge of $10.70 because the tank was only 7/8 full.
It seems they use 1/8 increments and if the tank is 99.95% full they still would round it down to 7/8. Great idea on their part especially if they do something to the car so it becomes impossible to put any excess fuel. So there is no way to beat the system: you can only fill the tank right to "F" you drive a couple of miles to drop it an it is not "F" anymore by .2 gallons and they charge you $10.
I think they should have their asses sued for millions of dollars so they stop cheating and modify thier cars to trap customers.
Rented a car last week with a full tank. So some 20 miles before the place where I was returning the car I got to a gas station thinking that when I fill the tank I would put extra gallon or two so the indicator would go beyond "Full" level and use that excess fuel to drive those remaining 20 miles.
To my surprise it was impossible to make indicator to go beyond full. Every car I drove allowed putting extra gallon or two so the indicator was beyond "F". Not this one (KIA Sprortage SUV).
So I said, OK , I will drive to the place and fuel it again. Which I did, drove 1 mile to the rental place. Got a receipt and the girl at the counter told me that the total is a little different because of different state taxes ond fees (it was a one way rental). So I didn't pay close attention.
Today I received a email from Hertz with the copy of my statement and only then I saw they put a charge of $10.70 because the tank was only 7/8 full.
It seems they use 1/8 increments and if the tank is 99.95% full they still would round it down to 7/8. Great idea on their part especially if they do something to the car so it becomes impossible to put any excess fuel. So there is no way to beat the system: you can only fill the tank right to "F" you drive a couple of miles to drop it an it is not "F" anymore by .2 gallons and they charge you $10.
I think they should have their asses sued for millions of dollars so they stop cheating and modify thier cars to trap customers.
Sep 2, 2009, 7:35 pm
#32
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,090
Yeah, yeah, yeah - you rented a car with a gas gauge that may or may not have malfunctioned (Which wouldn't surprise me because I've seen a lot of Kias/Hyundais have problems) and not only do you now know that all Hertz refueling fees are a scam but Hertz also "modifies" their vehicles to trap customers. 
You tried to cheat Hertz yourself by stopping 20 miles before you returned the car. Hertz doesn't stand at the pump and wait until it gets to "F" and then stop - they fill to the first click like a normal person would fill a car up.
You tried to cheat Hertz yourself by stopping 20 miles before you returned the car. Hertz doesn't stand at the pump and wait until it gets to "F" and then stop - they fill to the first click like a normal person would fill a car up.
Sep 2, 2009, 7:44 pm
#33
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: MCO
Programs: UA
Posts: 109
My company contracts with Enterprise. Bleh. They do this every time. I've gotten to the point of intentionally taking later AM flights so I have time to argue with them over it. I once paid $38 to fill the tank and another $47 for the "fuel charge" because the gauge wasn't accurate.
I showed them a receipt with a timestamp of 15 minutes ago and they still wouldn't work with me.
@OP: I paid $4.69 at a Sunoco about a mile north of MCO two weeks ago.
I showed them a receipt with a timestamp of 15 minutes ago and they still wouldn't work with me.
@OP: I paid $4.69 at a Sunoco about a mile north of MCO two weeks ago.
Sep 2, 2009, 8:08 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2
Yeah, yeah, yeah - you rented a car with a gas gauge that may or may not have malfunctioned (Which wouldn't surprise me because I've seen a lot of Kias/Hyundais have problems) and not only do you now know that all Hertz refueling fees are a scam but Hertz also "modifies" their vehicles to trap customers.
You tried to cheat Hertz yourself by stopping 20 miles before you returned the car. Hertz doesn't stand at the pump and wait until it gets to "F" and then stop - they fill to the first click like a normal person would fill a car up.
You tried to cheat Hertz yourself by stopping 20 miles before you returned the car. Hertz doesn't stand at the pump and wait until it gets to "F" and then stop - they fill to the first click like a normal person would fill a car up.
Also where does all that extra gas goes when customer returns a car filled to the fullest (1-2 gallons more than "Full" ) and the next customer gets it with the gauge poiting exactly at "F"? You sound like a Hertz employee, so you should know.
Sep 2, 2009, 8:35 pm
#36
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Yiron, Israel
Programs: Bates Motel Plat
Posts: 68,922
I filled it (and really topped it off) upon leaving my hotel, which was 35 miles from the airport, and when I returned it, the needle was still higher than when I had gotten it.
Sep 6, 2009, 2:33 pm
#37
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Oulu, Finland
Programs: Finnair Plus Basic, SAS EuroBonus, Scandic 2nd Floor, Hertz PC
Posts: 9
I'm not sure my experience is typical case false fuel charge or not, but I'll tell it anyway. Judge it by yourselves.
Last June I rented a BMW 320dA Touring for a week in Hahn airport in Germany. When I got the keys from the counter (not being Gold member back then) I asked the rep why the estimated total price for the rent was now listed some 20 euros higher than my web reservation price. She explained that it was due to FPO (Fuel Purchase Option) I had accepted (not that she asked me about it) and told me that the final price would be lower if I was returning the car filled up. Already then I wondered why the price difference was only 20 euros as the price of full tank was listed as 68 euros in the receipt I got.
The fuel tank was full when I got into the car, as I noticed from pre/post rental damage report card, that Hertz had filled the tank with additional 2.5 litres of fuel after the car was returned by the previous renter (apparently fuel gauge showing 8/8 full to begin with).
After a week's drive the tank was getting very empty on the way back to airport and I had planned to fill it up at the closest possible place so I could return the car as 8/8 full. On my way to the airport I noticed that diesel was costing more per litre than what was listed in the Hertz receipt's FPO line. Then I began to think that would be cheaper for me just to return it empty and pay the listed price, as it was only 20 euros over my original reservation price.
I decided to do so, as terms for FPO said that there won't be any additional surcharge for filling the car (by Hertz), just the price of fuel as stated in the receipt already. They would charge me the price of full tank, even if there were some fuel left in it, but as it was really getting empty I though it wound't much of a difference.
When I left the car I asked the Hertz guy if the price would be as shown in the receips as I was returning it empty. He just said yes, and off I went. After I got home, I later saw that the price they had charged from my credit card did not match the receipt. It was (again) some 20-25 euros more. So this was the third different price for the same rent, always going up. However, it was still below the price of the original reservation price + price of full tank of diesel.
I called the local Hertz and asked them to make clear why I was charged more than listed in the receipt. They promised to contact Hertz Germany and email me the details. After some 3 weeks I got an email, where they regretted that there had been some confusion and I had been charged extra for the fuel. They would refund me 81 euros. I still don't get it how they calculated my rental price in the first place, but as you can guess I was very happy. I did not ask any refund, and I told them that several times, but I did not receive any clarification on the pricing, just the refund.
Last June I rented a BMW 320dA Touring for a week in Hahn airport in Germany. When I got the keys from the counter (not being Gold member back then) I asked the rep why the estimated total price for the rent was now listed some 20 euros higher than my web reservation price. She explained that it was due to FPO (Fuel Purchase Option) I had accepted (not that she asked me about it) and told me that the final price would be lower if I was returning the car filled up. Already then I wondered why the price difference was only 20 euros as the price of full tank was listed as 68 euros in the receipt I got.
The fuel tank was full when I got into the car, as I noticed from pre/post rental damage report card, that Hertz had filled the tank with additional 2.5 litres of fuel after the car was returned by the previous renter (apparently fuel gauge showing 8/8 full to begin with).
After a week's drive the tank was getting very empty on the way back to airport and I had planned to fill it up at the closest possible place so I could return the car as 8/8 full. On my way to the airport I noticed that diesel was costing more per litre than what was listed in the Hertz receipt's FPO line. Then I began to think that would be cheaper for me just to return it empty and pay the listed price, as it was only 20 euros over my original reservation price.
I decided to do so, as terms for FPO said that there won't be any additional surcharge for filling the car (by Hertz), just the price of fuel as stated in the receipt already. They would charge me the price of full tank, even if there were some fuel left in it, but as it was really getting empty I though it wound't much of a difference.
When I left the car I asked the Hertz guy if the price would be as shown in the receips as I was returning it empty. He just said yes, and off I went. After I got home, I later saw that the price they had charged from my credit card did not match the receipt. It was (again) some 20-25 euros more. So this was the third different price for the same rent, always going up. However, it was still below the price of the original reservation price + price of full tank of diesel.
I called the local Hertz and asked them to make clear why I was charged more than listed in the receipt. They promised to contact Hertz Germany and email me the details. After some 3 weeks I got an email, where they regretted that there had been some confusion and I had been charged extra for the fuel. They would refund me 81 euros. I still don't get it how they calculated my rental price in the first place, but as you can guess I was very happy. I did not ask any refund, and I told them that several times, but I did not receive any clarification on the pricing, just the refund.
Mar 29, 2013, 10:00 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 13
hertz phx
I just got back from Phoenix and my 2 day rental, which I filled with gas just before the airport had a whopping $33 fuel charge on it. I called and they made the excuse "this was closed out improperly" and they would fix it in a few business days.
Update:
I called Hertz again today, got a different, more knowledgeable person. He says because I didn't leave a gas receipt in the car (there was nobody checking things in, no reminder of this, what a pain, I guess I have to scan it first for my expense statements). That they put a per mile fuel charge on. I drove 89 miles, so the charge was 37 cents a mile just in fuel. I just started renting with Hertz, Enterprise never had anything like this ridiculous.
He said it should be fixed in 4 days and I should see a new receipt on the website.
Update:
I called Hertz again today, got a different, more knowledgeable person. He says because I didn't leave a gas receipt in the car (there was nobody checking things in, no reminder of this, what a pain, I guess I have to scan it first for my expense statements). That they put a per mile fuel charge on. I drove 89 miles, so the charge was 37 cents a mile just in fuel. I just started renting with Hertz, Enterprise never had anything like this ridiculous.
He said it should be fixed in 4 days and I should see a new receipt on the website.
Last edited by knutella; Apr 1, 2013 at 2:02 pm Reason: update
Mar 30, 2013, 3:57 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Silicon Valley
Programs: Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 1,243
I'll do you one better. I got charged $113.00 a couple weeks ago. They said that the car had been checked in as Full but required 11 gallons of gas. Fortunately, I had my receipt showing that I had put $99 gas in the car. They reversed the charge but I was fairly pissed
Apr 4, 2013, 5:19 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: GRR
Posts: 544
Was this at PHX? I just rented there this weekend and got a Malibu with 7/8 in the tank at pickup. I also had this happen in January and it turned in to a debate at the exit gate about whether the needle was closer to F or 7/8 (I conceded that one to Hertz). Anyway, this time the gate agent printed the contract with 7/8, said she didn't think they had refueling onsite at PHX and to return it that way. I can't believe if this is the case they would drive offsite with a car with the fuel gage on F just to see if they could jam some more in and charge exorbitant rates for it. I estimated I used 11 gallons over 320 miles and put that much in it on Bell and 51st Ave, drove it 30 miles to the airport and the damn needle never came off F. Return agent said no way to credit returning the car with more fuel than rented with. Nice.