Rental car companies have found a new way to charge you for gasoline used. (rentals, hotels)
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Most renters won't accept the rent-a-car companies pricey gas plans, but instead agree to bring the car back with a full tank (tank on the way to the airport because the gauge will still show "full" by the time they get there)
That is going to change.
Now Avis and soon Hertz (and most likely the rest will follow the suit) will be using electronic meters that can tell how much gas is missing from your tank, down to 1/10 of a gallon, and charge you at the rate of over $9/gal for it.
Chris Elliott - Travel Consumer Advocate has all ready had a issues with one consumer he help'ed with this.
I would think the Most State's Weights & Measure Department would have a problem with this. The "Meter" is a "Black box" that the consumer does not have access to, does not know what the start point is, when the end point is when they return the car. Also how accurate is the meter? Since they are going to charge for the 'shortage' There should be a Weights/Measures seal on it and it need to be 'easily' visible to the consumer, (That you don't need to raise the hood, or crawl under the car to find).
Whatever that is, I am almost sure it will work for the rent-a-car companies, and not for the consumers.
I wonder if gas stations start to sell a gallon/half gallon and pint containers with gas for customers who rent-a-car. It will be still cheaper than paying $9+/gal for the missing gas at the rent-a car counters...
It will be a big hassle for the customer. Even though you might have filled up 2 miles from the station, you could be on the hook for fuel. The fuel fees typically appear after the rental is closed, and most people just drop the car at the garage and place the car keys in a drop box.
It seems only cars with "VR" stickers on the driver's side window have this capability so it might be worth trying to avoid these vehicles.
Also: "Its new system, called Zibox, is capable of shutting off a car engine remotely and operating car locks from afar. It relays location data, tire air pressure and fuel-level information back to Hertz, too. In other words, it will know exactly how much fuel you have in the car at any given time."
I am not too happy about that either. Car rentals should have no business monitoring where I go and when.
So many of the people who return rental cars "full" filled the tank MILES from the airport. I find it discouraging that when I rent a car and the gas meter reads "F" when there is actually a gallon or two missing. This past weekend, I placed about 1.5 gallons into a "FULL" tank before I left on my trip. For the record, the gas station I used was 100 feet from the Hertz Local Edition office.
I first thought of Atlanta. If you've ever stayed at the hotels by the airport, the nearest gas stations are surprisingly far, around a bunch of winding roads. It's probably three to four miles from the gas station to the car return. Then I thought of San Diego, where many rental car depots are surrounded by industry/warehouses/railroad tracks rather than services. But such a surcharge in either case would be $1.50 or so.
The worst is Orlando. The gas stations closest to the airport routinely charge $5/gallon and up. I wouldn't buy a candy bar at those POS businesses, let alone a drop of gasoline.
Most renters won't accept the rent-a-car companies pricey gas plans, but instead agree to bring the car back with a full tank (tank on the way to the airport because the gauge will still show "full" by the time they get there)
That is going to change.
Now Avis and soon Hertz (and most likely the rest will follow the suit) will be using electronic meters that can tell how much gas is missing from your tank, down to 1/10 of a gallon, and charge you at the rate of over $9/gal for it.
Thanks for the info. I travel a lot on business and when flying to a destination city, always rent a car. I will be alert about this. I always fill it up at the closest gas station I can find at the car rental dropoff location when returning the caar.
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