Wednesday February 16, 2005

Budget Not Such a Budget

On a recent trip to Boston I rented a car through Budget. I had the normal options of buying the tank of gas for an average price per gallon, returning it full, or returning it partially empty and paying an outrageous price per gallon. As anyone who has done the math, unless you are really sure you will return it almost empty, buying the tank is not a good deal.

Now the new hook.

If you return the car with less than 75 miles travelled, they will charge you $6.00 regardless of what the gas gauge says!!

The only way around this charge is if the gauge is full and you show a receipt for gas purchased, but they will not remind you to show it to them to avoid the fee!

I suspect that they are trying to combat the fact that most cars will read full with up to a couple gallons of gas being used. Someone driving just a short distance can return it "full". As a result, if they top off the tank before the next customer they may end up paying for a gallon or two. Most rental car companies simply ask if you have added gas, if not they charge you a per mile fee, otherwise they have a fixed price per eighth of a tank.

Is this solving a real problem or just another way to get a few more bucks per customer? I'll let you decide.

( Feb 16 2005, 08:34:34 PM CST ) Permalink Comments [1]