Fuel 'Theft' Policy

gmespana

desperation wrote: »

Hi,

Ah, Interent is slightly a slightly different proposition. You are right that is is a wholly owned subsidiary of Europcar, however it does operate slightly differently.

If you look on the Interent website under FAQ there is further info on fuel policy:

Do I need to return the car with a full tank?
As fuel is not included in your rental rate, it depends on what fuel option you have subscribed to.
Express fuel: The fuel tank is included in the price. you shall not refuel the car. You can return the vehicle as it is. We’ll take care of everything and you can save time: You won’t have to look for a fuel station near the drop-off location or wait for fuel level to be checked when returning the vehicle. For more information click here. Please note that they will not be refund on the non-used fuel.

Full to full/ As rented: you have to return the vehicle with the same level of fuel as it was at the pick up. If not you‘ll be invoiced the cost of missing fuel plus a refueling service fee.

That would be fine if you had the choice, but you don't.

"The Express Fuel service is mandatory if you rent for 6 days or more in Portugal, 4 days or more in Spain, or 5 days or more in the UK. In other instances, the “Full to Full” / “As Rented” policies apply, but we offer you to benefit from the Express Fuel service as an option."

skivenov

Droppin a car off with no fuel in is an artform. A hire company asked us to deliver a car with no fuel in. The customer wasn't impressed when they got in it, drove two feet and it conked out.:p

[Deleted User]

The easy way around this is to siphon off the remainder of the fuel when you drop the car back, and take it home in a jerry can in your carry-on luggage.

:money:

Bri1

Just rent full/full did this with Alamo recently in LAX, was absolutely no problem, it's not like there are no gas stations around the Airport or car hire drop off's :-)

You tell them what you want to do at pick-up, it's never a problem if you are clear about what you actually want, obviously they would rather charge you the inflated pay up front or bring back empty as they are on commission, but it's up to you to specify

gmespana

Bri1 wrote: »

Just rent full/full did this with Alamo recently in LAX, was absolutely no problem, it's not like there are no gas stations around the Airport or car hire drop off's :-)

You tell them what you want to do at pick-up, it's never a problem if you are clear about what you actually want, obviously they would rather charge you the inflated pay up front or bring back empty as they are on commission, but it's up to you to specify

I'm afraid that wasn't an option Bri1. If it had been I would have done so. My complaint is with the fact that it was only an option if you were hiring for fewer than 5 days, because if you are hiring for longer, they figure they can rip you off.

budgetflyer

But you did have an option! You didn't have to rent from them.

Even if it was made illegal to do full/empty, surly you must see that the hire companies would just put their prices up.

Why is it everyone wants everything regulated. Its like voting for the Soviet Republic of Europe.

CKhalvashi

benjus wrote: »

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding... given your username, and that most of the complaints on this forum about Full/Empty fuel policies relate to Spain, I made an assumption...

I didn't even know that companies were doing Full/Empty here. I can't really comment on whether you could have a valid case though.

I use a local company, and the general consensus is to take the car back with the same amount of fuel you picked it up in (usually about half a tank)

If all companies did this, it would make like brilliant!

CK

gmespana

budgetflyer wrote: »

But you did have an option! You didn't have to rent from them.

Even if it was made illegal to do full/empty, surly you must see that the hire companies would just put their prices up.

Why is it everyone wants everything regulated. Its like voting for the Soviet Republic of Europe.

Because it's not transparent. You don't always know what the policy of the car hire company will be until you are completing the transaction, particularly if you use sites like this to try and get the best deal. Let them increase their prices if they have to, at least you would know you were comparing like with like. And anyway, why should you have to scan the small print of every company to make sure they don't operate dishonest policies? Anyway, I also know from personal experience, that you don't always get what you think you've paid for when you arrive at the car hire desk.

Finally, budgetflyer, if you think that wanting a level playing field, and a fair, transparent system, where some car hire companies are not trying to rip you off at every opportunity, is a commie plot, why are you such a ‘Fantastically Fervent’ member of a consumer site?

jasper2176

At Faro airport Guerin/Enterprise have an even better rip -off they overcharge for the fuel by over 35%. I was charged 110 Euros for fuel when the cost of filling the tank on the vehicle was 72 Euros at top price.Also they are now using diesel fuelled vehicles which makes it difficult,even on a 14 day holiday, to use all the fuel. Their comment when I queried the cost was " You got the car at a cheap rental and we have to make our money by charging you that rate for fuel-take it or leave it"

ilikewatch

It won't be long before some of these companies realise how much more profit they could make if they adopted an Empty/Full policy...