Is this the final chapter in the car rental refueling scam?
Are sky-high refueling costs for your rental car about to be history? They are if you live in Maryland, thanks to actions to be announced today by the state’s attorney general, Douglas Gansler. And cheaper refueling prices are spilling beyond the boundaries of the Old Line State.
Earlier this week, Hertz announced that customers who don’t refill the fuel tank before returning their rental will pay a “market rate” for the gas, plus a one-time refueling fee of $6.99.
Initially, it appeared the action was based on pressure from customers. But in retrospect, the Maryland decision may have also played a significant role in Hertz’ decision.
Refueling fees were a blatant money grab. According to the Maryland attorney general’s office, Hertz charged customers at Baltimore-Washington International Airport an eye-popping $7.99 per gallon to refuel last week — that’s nearly double the $4 per gallon charged for regular gasoline at a nearby station.
Other car rental companies seem to be lowering fuel costs, too. Thrifty and Dollar Rent A Car, which were charging customers $7.19 per gallon to refuel at BWI, signed an agreement with Maryland as well. Enterprise already has a policy to not charge 33 percent more than the market rate for gas when it refuels its vehicles.
This is certain to spread to other states. And when it does, it’s only a matter of time before car rental companies come up with another fee or surcharge to replace this source of revenue.
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2 Responses to “Is this the final chapter in the car rental refueling scam?”
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Hi Christopher ~ Just a quick follow up. Hertz has been reengineering itself to be more customer friendly and our refueling policies was one area that we focused on, responding to customer comments about the hassle factor of refueling and the high prices the company charges. This has been on going for some time (due to research and implementation). Coincidentally while this was being developed the MD AG began looking at rent a car refueling prices. Hertz’s new program is applicable nationwide and is better than what the MD AG has proposed.
Paula Rivera (Hertz Public Relations).
I can’t help but wonder about the timing and wording of Ms. Rivera’s response. Her response implies Hertz made the change completely independent of the Maryland AG’s office decision.