Car hire fuel policy - is "should" a legal term?

paddytag

Hello, does anyone know if the word "should" has any legal binding?

I booked a hire car for 8 days through rentalcars.com and only realised when I got to the rental place that it was on a 'full-empty' fuel policy.

When I questioned this the lady at the desk said I had to pay it upfront as the rental is over 5 days.

In the rentalcars.com voucher T&Cs it says: "Fuel should (my emphasis) be paid for on arrival and it is not necessary to refill the tank before returning for rentals of 5 days or more"

My question is this: Is "should" a legal term? Was I bound by the terms of the voucher to pay for the tank upfront or should I go back to them and ask for a refund as despite what the lady told me, I wasn't actually required to purchase a tank...

Any advice gratefully received!

Thanks and Happy Christmas.

Mark2spark

Well IMO it *should* also say quite clearly that you are required to purchase a tank full of fuel, which then followed with the line of it 'should' be paid up front.
But this full - empty policy of 5 days or more is typical of Spain now. Not sure if you went there or not.
Pretty sure if you don't pay it, then you don't get the car, so you're sort of stuck really.